olish, ignorant
_Devil_, compar'd to what he was before; He was upon almost every
Occasion resisted, disappointed, baulk'd and defeated, especially in all
his Attempts to thwart or cross the Mission and Ministry of the
_Messiah_, while he was upon Earth, and sometimes upon other and very
mean Occasions too.

And first, how foolish a Project was it, and how below Satan's
celebrated Artifice in like Cases, to put _Herod_ upon sending to kill
the poor innocent Children in _Bethlehem_, in hopes to destroy the
Infant? for I take it for granted, it was the _Devil_ put into
_Herod_'s Thoughts that Execution, how simple and foolish soever; now we
must allow him to be very ignorant of the Nativity himself, or else he
might easily have guided his Friend _Herod_ to the Place where the
Infant was.

This shews that _either_ the _Devil_ is in general ignorant as we are,
of what is to come in the World, before it is really come to pass; and
consequently can foretel nothing, no not so much as our famous old
_Merlin_ or _Mother Shipton_ did, _or else_ that great Event was hid
from him by an immediate Power superior to his, which I cannot think
neither, considering how much he was concern'd in it, and how certainly
he knew that it was once to come to pass.

But be that as it will, 'tis certain the _Devil_ knew nothing where
Christ was born, or when; nor was he able to direct _Herod_ to find him
out, and therefore put him upon that foolish, as well as cruel Order, to
kill all the Children, that he might be sure to destroy the _Messiah_
among the rest.

The next simple Step that the _Devil_ took, and indeed the most foolish
one that he could ever be charg'd with, unworthy the very Dignity of a
_Devil_, and below the Understanding that he always was allow'd to act
with, was that of coming to tempt the _Messiah_ in the Wilderness; it is
certain, and he own'd it himself afterwards, upon many Occasions, that
the _Devil_ knew our Saviour to be the Son of God; and 'tis as certain
that he knew, that _as such_ he could have no Power or Advantage over
him; how foolish then was it in him to attack him in that Manner, _if
thou beest the Son of_ GOD? why he knew him to be the _Son of_ GOD well
enough; he said so afterwards, _I know thee who thou art, the holy One
of_ GOD; how then could he be so weak a Devil as to say, _if thou art_,
then do _so_ and _so_?

The Case is plain, the _Devil_, tho' he knew him to be the Son of GOD,
did not fully kno