The Devil Called the God of This World

    THE DEVIL CALLED THE GOD OF THIS WORLD

    "In whom the God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not," 2Co 4:4.

    The Devil here is called a God; not that he is a God, either by nature, or hath this name conferred upon him by the Almighty, in respect of his office; but rather he is called so in respect to wicked men, who serve and obey him as their God, and in whom he rules and works effectually, as in his own people and subjects.

    Properly there is but one God. Though there are many who are called Gods, yet they are not God's by nature, "I am God and none else. Unto us there is but one God," Isa 45:22. One eternal, immense, infinite, and incomprehensible Majesty. And this God is either considered essentially, "God is a Spirit," Joh 4:24; or else personally, viz., the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; "there are three that bear witness in heaven, &c., and these three are one."

    Improperly, (1.) Idols are called Gods; (2.) The ark, 1Sa 4:7. (3.) Magistrates, "I have made thee a God to Pharaoh," Ex 7:1. "Thou shalt not revile the Gods," Ex 22:28; the Chaldee saith, Rab, that is, a master; the Hebrew Elohim, God, as Mr. Ainsworth observeth upon the place, is attributed to judges and magistrates, "I said ye are Gods," Ps 83:6; these are Gods by office. (4.) Satan as in this text, who would be looked upon and worshipped as a God, he is properly an angel, once an angel of light; God created him; and before he fell, he was a good angel as other angels are who kept their first estate; he is called a God! but there is one word that confines his Power and sovereignty, and greatly degrades him, limits him, and spoils his divinity, makes him but a poor petty God; he is but the God of this world, both for extension and duration; he bears no rule above, nor shall he bear any sway in the world to come: if the God of this world, it is by usurpation; he is like an audacious traitor who rebels and strives against his lawful Sovereign, "For the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof;" Christ is heir of both worlds, though he admits Satan to God it here for a while, he is a false God, an enemy to God, and no God.

    DISPARITY.

    GOD is without beginning; the Devil had a beginning: God is an uncreated Spirit; the Devil an angel and a created Spirit, I do not say he was created a Devil, sin made him a Devil. God can do what he pleaseth, he hath an unlimited power; the Devil's power is limited, he can go no further than God permits him. God hath a just and rightful power, Satan hath only an usurped power, &c., God is infinite, immense, &c. But some may say, in what sense is Satan said to be God of this World? What World? &c. The word World is a controvertible phrase, and here I understand it is to be taken for the inhabitants of the World; I mean the wicked, distinct from the godly. He is the wicked man's God, three ways.

    1. By devolution, they have fallen off from God to Satan, they have departed from the true God, and his service, and have closed in with the Devil; tind so Satan owns them to be his subjects. The whole World is divided into two parts, two bodies, and are under two heads, either subjects of Christ's kingdom, or of the kingdom and power of Satan; they are either of the army of light, or regiment of darkness.

    2. The Devil is the wicked man's God by voluntary submission, "His servants ye are, to whom you obey," Ro 6:16. Wicked men are Satan's volunteers.

    3. By God's just desertion, as they have cast off God and his service, and desire not the knowledge of his ways; so God hath cast them off, and suffered Satan to possess them, &c.