fuch reflections; nay, the very devils themfelves, who never had fuch a plank after their fhipwreck, I mean, a mediator in their nature, or fuch terms of reconciliation offered them, will not reflect upon their loft opportunities of recovery, as fuch finners must and will. This, therefore, "is the condemnation, that light is come " into the world; but men loved darkness rather than light."

Inf. 1. Hence it follows, that neither knowledge, nor the best means of knowledge, are in themselves fufficient to fecure men from wrath to come. Light in itself is a choice mercy, and therefore the means that begat and increased it must be fo too; but yet is a mercy liable to the greatest abuse, and the abuse of the best mercies brings forth the greatest miferies. Alas! Chriftians, your duty is but half learnt when you know it; obedience to light makes light a bleffing indeed. John xiii. 17. "If ye know these things, hap

py are ye if ye do them." Happiness is not intailed upon fimple knowing, but upon doing; upon obedience to our knowledge; otherwife, he that increaseth knowledge, doth but increase forrow: "For that fervant which knew his Lord's will, and prepared not "himself, nor did according to his will, fhall be beaten with ma

ny ftripes," Luke xiii. 47. " And to him that knoweth to do "good, and doth it not, to him it is fin," Jam. iv. 17. We are bound with all thankfulness to acknowledge the bounty of heaven to this finful generation, in furnishing us with fo many excellent means of light, beyond many other nations and generations that are paft, but yet we ought to rejoice with trembling when we confider the abuses of light in this wanton age, and what a dismal event is like to happen unto many thousands among us. I fear the time is coming when many among us will wifh they had never fet foot on English ground. God hath bleffed this nation with many famous, burning and fhining lights. It was once faid to the honour of this nation*, that the English miniftry was the world's wonder; and when a man of another nation began to preach methodically and convincingly, they were wont to fayt, We perceive this man hath been in England: The greater will our account be for abufing fuch light and rebelling against it. The clearer our light is now, the thicker will the mifts of darkness be hereafter, if we are thus wanton under it. The devils have more light than we, and therefore the more torment: Of them it is faid, Jam. ii. 19. "The de- ! "vils alfo believe, and tremble;" the horror of their consciences is answerable to their illumination, they tremble; "the ‡ word figVOL. II. 3 L

* Clerus Anglicanus fupor mundi.

↑ Percipimus bunc hominem faisse in Anglia.
‡ Opisovci; Opiš, eft maris agitatio. Eust.

❝nifies the roar of the fea," or fuch a murmuring, dreadful noise as the tempeftuous feas ufe to make when they break themfelves againft the rocks.

Inf. 2. If the abuse of light thus aggravate fin and mifery, then times of great temptations are like to be times of deep guilt. Wo to an enlightened, knowing generation, when ftrong temptations befat them. How do many, in fuch times, imprison the known truth to keep themselves out of prison? offer violence to their own confciences, to avoid violence from other hands?

.:Plato was convinced of the unity of God, bat durft not own his convictions; but faid, "It was a truth neither easy to find, nor "fafe to own." And even Senecat, the renowned moralift, was "forced by temptation to diffemble his convictions;" of whom Auguftine faith, "He worshipped what himself reprehended,

and did what himfelf reproved." And even a great Papift of. later times was heard to fay, as he was going to mafs, Eamus ad communem errorem, Let us go to the common error. O how hard is it to keep confcience pure and peaceable in days of temptation! Doubtless, it is a mercy to many weak and timorous Chriftians to be removed by a seasonable death out of harm's way; to be difbanded by a merciful providence before the heat of the battle. Chrift and Antichrift feem at this day to be drawing into the field; a fiery trial threatens the profeffors of this age: but when it comes to a close engagement, indeed we may juftly tremble, to think how many thousands will break their way through the convictions of their own confciences, to fave their flefh. Believe it, firs, if Chrift hold you to himself by no other tie than the flender thread of a fingle conviction; if he have not intereft in your hearts and affections, as well as in your understandings and confciences; if you be men of great light and ftrong unmortified lufts; if you profefs Chrift with your tongues, and worship the world with your hearts; a man may fay of you, without the gift of prophecy, what the prophet faid of Hazael, I know what you will do in the day of temptation.

Inf. 3. If this be fo, what a frong engagement lieth upon all enlightened perfons to turn heartily to God, and reduce their knowledge into practice and obedience? The more men know, the more violence - they do their own confciences in rebelling against the light, this is to fin with an high hand, Numb. xv. 30. Believe it, Sirs, you cannot fin at fo cheap a rate as others do: knowledge in a wicked man, like high metal in a blind horse, doth but the sooner precipi

Opificem aniverfi neque invenire facile, neque inventum in vulgus promulgare tutum.
In animo religionem habeat, fed in actibus fingat.

Colebat quod reprehendebat, agebat quod arguebat, quod culpabat adoxabat.

tate him into ruin. You may know much more than others, but if ever you come to heaven, it must be in the fame way of faith and obedience, mortification, and self-denial, in which the weakeft Chriftian comes thither; whatever knowledge you have, to be fure you have no wifdom, if you expect falvation upon any other, or easier terms than the moft illiterate Chriftian finds it. It was a fad obfervation of the father, Surgunt indocti, et rapiunt cælum ; the unlearned rife, and take heaven. What a pity is it that men of fuch excellent parts fhould be enslaved to their lufts! that ever it fhould be faid, Sapientes fapienter defcendunt in Gehennam; their learning doth but hang in their light, it doth but blind them in fpiritual things, and prepareth them for greater mifery.

Inf. 4. Hence alfo it follows, that the work of converfion is a very difficult work; the foul is fcarcely half won to Chrift, when Satan is caft out of the understanding by illumination. The devil hath deeply intrenched himself, and ftrongly fortified every faculty of the foul against Chrift; the understanding, indeed, is the firft entrance into the foul, and out of that faculty he is oftentimes caft by light and conviction, which feems to make a great change upon a man: now he becomes a profeffor, now he takes up the duties of religion, and paffes up and down the world for a convert; but, alas, alas! all the while Satan keeps the fort-royal, the heart and will are in his own poffeffion; and this is a work of more difficulty: the weapons of that warfare must indeed be mighty through God, which do not only caft down imaginations, but bring every thought of the heart into captivity to the obedience of Chrift, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5. While the heart ftands out, though the understanding be taken in, the foul remains in Satan's poffeffion; it is a greater work, (and we daily find it fo), to win one heart than to convince twenty understandings.

Inf. 5. Hence alfo we may learn what ftrength and power there is in the lufts of mens hearts, which are able to bear down so strong convictions of the confcience before them. That is a great truth, though a very fad one, Eccl. viii. II. "The heart of the fons of men is fully fet in them to do evil." O how common is it every day, and in every place, to fee men hazarding their fouls to fatisfy their lufts! Every man, faith the prophet, "turneth to his course, as the horse "rusheth into the battle." The horse is a very fierce and warlike creature'; and when his courage is rouzed by the founds of drums and trumpets and fhouts of armies, he breaks headlong into the ranks of armed men, though death is before him. Such boisterous and headlong lufts are found in many enlightened perfons, though their confciences reprefent damnation before them; onward they will rush, though God be loft, and a precious foul un◄ done for ever.

Inf. 6. To conclude, As ever you will avoid the deepest guilt, and efcape the heaviest condemnation, open your hearts to obey and practife whatfoever God hath opened your understandings and canfciences to receive of his revealed will, obey the light of the gofpel, while you have opportunity to enjoy it: this was the great counsel given by Christ, John xii. 35, 36. "Yet a little while the light is with you, "walk while you have the light, left darkness come upon you." The manifestation of Chrift in the gospel, is the light of the world; all the nations of the earth that want this light are benighted, and those upon whom this light is rifen, have but a fhort time under it: "Yet a little while the light is with you" and whatever patience God may exercise towards poor ignorant fouls, yet commonly he makes fhort work with the defpifers of this light. The light of the gofpel is a fhining lamp, fed with golden oil; God will not be at the expence for fuch a light for them that do but trifle with it. The night is coming, when no man can work. There are many fad figns upon us of a fetting fun, a night of darkness approaching; many burning and shining lights are extinguished, and many put under a bufhel; your work is great, your time short, this is the only fpace you have for repentance, Rev. ii. 21. If this opportunity of falvation be loft, it will never come again, Ezek. xxiv. 13. How pathetical was that lamentation which Chrift made over Jerufalem, Luke xix. 41. 42. "And when he was come near, he "beheld the city, and wept over it, faying, If thou hadst known, ❝even thou, at leaft in this thy day, the things which belong unto "thy peace, but now they are hid from thine eyes." Chrift is threatening thofe nations with the removal of his gofpel prefence; he hath found but cold entertainmeut among us: England hath been unkind to Chrift; many thousands there are that rebel against the light, that fay unto God, "Depart from us, we defire not the "knowledge of thy ways." Chrift will not tarry where he is not welcome; who would, that hath any where elfe to go? Obey the light therefore, left God put it out in obfcure darkness.

by

SERMON XXXIV.

The binding Policies of Satan opened, as the Cause of Unbelief,
and Forerunner of Deftruction.

2 COR. iv. 3, 4.

But if our gofpel be hid, it is hid to them that are left; in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light of the glorious gospel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould fbine unto them.

TH

HE averfions of men from Jefus Chrift, their only remedy, is as much to be admired as lamented; one would think the news of deliverance fhould make the hearts of captives leap for joy, the tidings of a Saviour fhould transport the heart of a loft finner. A man would think a little rhetoric might perfuade the naked foul of a finner to put on the rich robes of Chrift's righteoufnefs, which will coft him nothing, but acceptance; or the perifhing, ftarving finner to accept the bread of God which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. This is the great defign I have managed in this whole difcourfe; the centre to which all thefe lines are drawn; many arguments have been ufed, and many ways attempted to prevail with men to apply and put on Christ, and I am afraid, all too little. I have but laboured in vain, and spent my ftrength for nought; all these discourses are - but the beating of the air, and few, if any, will be perfuaded to come unto Chrift, who is clearly opened, and freely offered in the gofpel to them. For alas! while I am reasoning, Satan is blinding their minds with false reasonings and contrary perfuafions; the god of this world turns away the ears, and draws away the hearts of almoft the whole world from Chrift; "The god of this world "hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, left the light

of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, "fhould fhine unto them." Satan is a great and jealous prince, and is well aware, that fo many of his fubjects as fhall be brought to fee the mifery of their condition, will never endure to abide any longer in fubjection to him: it is therefore his great policy to put out their eyes, that he may fecure their fouls; to darken their understandings, that he may keep his interest firm and entire in their wills and affections: and this makes the effectual application of Chrift fo great a difficulty, that, on the contrary, it is just matter of admiration that any foul is perfuaded and prevailed with to quit the fervice of Satan, and come to Christ. And therefore, in