But we shall never prevail with him, I doubt, to do mankind so much service, as resolving all those difficulties would be; for he has an indelible grudge against us; as he believes, and perhaps is assur'd that men were at first created by his sovereign, to the intent that after a certain state of Probation in life, such of them as shall be approved, are appointed to fill up those vacancies in the Heavenly Host, which were made by the abdication and expulsion of him (_the Devil_) and his Angels; so that man is appointed to come in _Satan_'s stead, to make good the breach, and enjoy all those ineffable Joys and Beatitudes which _Satan_ enjoy'd before his fall; no wonder then, that _the Devil_ swells with envy and rage at mankind in general, and at the best of them in particular; nay, the granting this point is giving an unanswerable reason, why the _Devil_ practises with such unwearied and indefatigable application upon the best men, if possible, to disappoint GOD Almighty's decree, and that he should not find enough among the whole Race, to be proper subjects of his clemency, and qualified to succeed _the Devil_ and his host, or fill up the places vacant by the Fall. It is true indeed, _the Devil_, who we have reason to say is no fool, ought to know better than to suppose that if he should seduce the whole race of mankind, and make them as bad as himself, he could, by that success of his wickedness, thwart or disappoint the determined purposes of Heaven; but that those which are appointed to inherit the Thrones, which he and his followers abdicated, and were deposed from, shall certainly be preserv'd in spite of his Devices for that inheritance, and shall have the possession secur'd to them, notwithstanding all that _the Devil_ and all the Host of _Hell_ can do to prevent it. But, however he knows the certainty of this, and that when he endeavours the seducing the chosen servants of the most High, he fights against GOD himself, struggles with irresistible grace, and makes war with infinite power; undermining the church of God, and that faith in him which is fortified with the eternal promises of Jesus Christ, that the gates of _Hell_, that is to say, the _Devil_ and all his power, shall not prevail against them; I say, however he knows the impossibility there is that he should obtain his ends, yet so blind is his rage, so infatuate his wisdom, that he cannot refrain breaking himself to pieces against this mountain, and splitting against the rock. _qui Jupiter vult perdere hos dementat._