Pfal. ii. 7.

Acts xiii.

snow declare, That this is the Eternal Word, "you: God and Creator equal with Me, for I and "He are One. He is God from all Eternity, 33. "the Heavens are the Works of his Hands, and Heb. i. 3. "of his Days there is no End. He is the Bright John i. 14,

18.

Heb. i. 3.

nefs of my Glory, and the exprefs Image of Rev. 1. 5. "my Perfon. I therefore declare all Power and John x. "Rule due to him in Heaven, and command 30 "that all honour Him even as they honourxiv. 20. "Me." Upon this the Eternal Logos, who be- John v.23. fore was not beheld by angelic Eyes, did now appear most glorious in the Sight of the Angels or Hoft of Heaven: According to that of the Pfalmift; The Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou - bere, &c.

And fince the Scripture is on my Side, I would propound the following Query, Whether this Declaration did not produce in fome of the Angels, Joy and Gladness, and at the fame time in others, Malice and Envy. Or, whilft two thirds of them where chanting forth their Halleluia's (g) the other third, were feized with Anger and Pride (b.) Yet we may fuppofe, that this Re

C 2

bellion

(g) Thefe Halleluia's, or Rejoycings, follow immediately upon the Eternal Logos's being declared equal in the Government of Heaven to God the Father, Rev. ix. 16, 17. "And "the four and twenty Elders that fat before God on their Seats, fell upon their Faces, and worshipped God, faying, We give thee Thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art and waft, and art to come; because thou haft taken to thee thy great Power, and haft reigned. And all the Angels ftood round "about the Throne----and worshipped----faying, Bleffing and Glory, and Wisdom and Thanksgiving, and Honour, and Might be unto our God for ever, ch. vii. II, 12.

(b) Chap. ix. 18. fays: " And the Nations were angry. "And the Dragon was wroth, ch. viii. ult. From whence I gather, that one third of the Angels of Heaven did not joyn in the Thanksgiving, ch. vii. I 12. but were displeased at the Declaration from the celeftial Throne.

bellion did not immediately begin upon this Declaration, but it was fome time before it broke out, and it might be as thus:

There was an Angel in Heaven whose Name was Lucifer, thinking that he fhould have had all Rule and Dominion committed to him (i), refolved to make a Party, and oppose God the Word, and make himself equal with God the Father. He [Lucifer] having obferved that fome of the Angels, Archangels, and Hofts of Heaven, feemed displeased with the Declaration from the Throne, with Subtlety and fallacious Speech drew into his Party (k) a vast Number of them, yea, even a third Part of the Inhabitants of Heaven, and then formed them into Battle Array, who had thus lifted into his Service. (1)

The Foundation for this hiftorical Fact, I take from Rev. xii. 3, 4. where we are told, That in Heaven, there appeared a Wonder, and behold, a

great

(i) The Intrigue of Lucifer follows in Chap. xi. « And there <appeared another Wonder in Heaven, and behold a great red ." Dragon, having seven Heads, and ten Horns, and feven "Crowns upon his Heads. And his Tail drew the third Part "of the Stars of Heaven, and did caft them to the Earth." And I think I am juftified from the Words recited in the Account I give of the Rife of this Rebellion, under the Conduct of Lucifer: But it may be asked, How came Lucifer to be the firft and chief in this Rebellion. I anfwer, The Words cited fay, that the Lord God Almighty, did take great Power to himfelf: from which I learn, that Lucifer being Son of the Morn, and the greatest Angel in Heaven, might have enjoyed fome ufurped Power, which at this Time was taken from him.

(k) That Lucifer did by fome Ways and Means draw the Angels into his Scheme is evident from the Affertion, " And his Tail drew the third Part of Heaven, and did caft them to the Earth."

(k) That Lucifer formed an Army is couched in these Words; "And there was War in Heaven."

great red Dragon, having feven Heads, and ten Horns, and feven Crowns upon bis Heads. And his Tail drew the third Part of the Stars of Heaven, and did caft them to the Earth. Which Record

fhews, the Policy and Power, or rather Subtilty of Lucifer. He appear'd as a Being having feven crowned Heads, adorned with ten Horns, and red, fays the Text, which we may juftly conclude was a Ray of Light and Majesty, and that the whole Appearance was altogether a Sort of Refemblance of the Divine Being. The Horns were Beams of his Effulgency, his Heads and Crowns a Token of his affumed Power and Dominion. His Tail, the Cunning and Policy, wherewith he seduced the Angels into his Party, as though he faid, If you will come into my Scheme, ye fhall all be Gods (m).

Secondly, The Place cited fays, There was War in Heaven, Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon, and the Dragon and his Angels fought. But though Michael (n) worsted Lucifer (0) and put him to Flight, yet he could not expell him Heaven, this was out of his Power (p). There

fore

(m) As to the Promifes, which Lucifer made thofe who fell in with his Scheme, I think there is fufficient Ground from Gen. v. 3. "For God doth know, that in the Day ye eat thereof, "then your Eyes fhall be opened, and ye fhall be as Gods, "knowing Good and Evil.

(n) Michael the Archangel, by God's Permiffion waged War with Lucifer. It is certain, that thofe Angels who kept their Principalities, and rejoyced at the Declaration were angry with Lucifer and his Party, for their Rebellion, endeavoured to reduce them to Obedience. Which I deduce from these Words: "Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon."

(0) They worsted Lucifer, becaufe fays the Text, " And "they prevailed not."

(p) I here fay, that it was out of the Power of Michael and his Angels to eject them Heaven. But why was it out of their Power? Becaufe Lucifer and his Angels were immortal Beings, and of the fame Power and Force with them. The only Advantage that Michael had was the Goodness of his Caufe.

fore after a while Lucifer rallied his Forces for another Attempt (q). And undoubtedly both Armies fought couragioufly, for no Fear of Death was amongst them (r). But at length came forth God the Word, whose Godhead and Supremacy they had moft bafely denied, and against whom they were now in Rebellion, commanding Michael and his Hoft to retreat, with mighty Thundrings expelled them Heaven (s). So God the Word coming to the Affiftance of Michael and his Angels, the Dragon and his Angels prevailed not, neither was their Place found any more in Heaven. Thus were thofe Bleffed Regions discharged of this rebellious Arian Crew.

Thirdly,

(9) It is natural to conclude, that if Lucifer was worsted in the first Battle, he would notwithstanding hazard a fecond.

(r) Their Courage must be great, because it was naturally impoffible for them to kill one the other. From whence I conclude, That if God the Word had not by his Almighty Power expelled the Rebellious Angels, they had been contending to this Day for their Way of fighting could not be like that of ours, but was only a Strife for the Mastery.

() I attribute the Expulfion of Lucifer and his Angels folely to the Power of God the Word; for which Fact I give thefe Scriptural Proofs, Rev. xix. 13. "His Name is called, The

66

Word of God. And the Armies which were in Heaven fol«<lowed him, ver. 14. And the Beaft and his Armies were << gathered together to make War against him,---and against his "Army, ver. 19. And they were flain [.e. expelled] with the Sword of his Mouth, ver. 21. And they prevailed not, neither was there Place found any more in Heaven. "And the Great Dragon was caft out into the Earth and his "Angels with him." Before this Time God the Word had prepared a Place for the Reception of him and his Army. "And "He [God the Word] caft him into a bottomlefs Pit, chap. xx. 3. His right Hand, and his holy Arm hath gotten him "the Victory, Pfal. xcviii. 1. Thou haft a mighty Arm: ftrong is thy Hand, and high is thy right Hand, P. lxxxix. 13. He hath fhewed Strength with his Arm, he hath fcat"tered the PROUD, in the Imagination of their Hearts, •Luke

51.

Thirdly, The next Thing to be observed is, the Place into which thefe rebellious Angels were caft. St. John tells us plainly, that the Devil and his Angels were caft out into the Earth. What Earth I ask? Into this very Globe on which we now inhabit, before its Formation out of Chaos; for then it was a Place of Darknefs, and great Confufion, a rude Wilderness, an indigefted Lump of Matter. Which is plain from thefe Words: In the Beginning [i.e. whilft Gen. i. 1, it might be called Beginning fome Time before 2. the Expulfion of these unhappy Beings;] God [i. e. God the Word against whom they had rebelled,] created the Heaven, [i.e. fixed the Firmament or Divifion between his Throne,] and the Earth. [i. e. and the Prifon appointed for Lucifer and his Angels.] And the Earth [i. e. The Hell or Place of Punishment] was without Form and void, and Darkness was upon the Face of the Deep. [i. e. was a confufed Mafs, no Sun, no Day, nor no Light.] If Hell and Earth were two diftinct Places, I humbly conceive, the first Verse of the Bible would have read thus: In the Beginning God created the Hea"ven and the Earth, and made Hell alfo. " But as Earth and Hell are fynonymous Terms to denote one and the fame Place according to three Authors: John, Jude and Peter. John and Peter fay, they were caft into the Earth, and referved unto Judgment, and Jude that they were caft into Hell. However, there is nothing more true than this, that these Apoftate Angels were caft down from Heaven into this very Orb we now inhabit. For we never yet read of the Creation of two Earths, or of fuch a diftinct Act of Creation from the Earth, as Hell according to vulgar Fable is supposed to be.(t)

Fourthly,

(t) Under this Head I have briefly proved, that the World we now inhabit is the Place we call Hell; by which Name I

only