how infenfible muft Mortals be, who are eve- s E R M. ry Day fubject to Dangers, Difeafes, Sick- X. neffes, or Wants; if they are not at all Times willing, and at all Times expeditious, to relieve the pooreft, and moft deftitute of their Fellow Chriftians under any Misfortune? For God's Sake therefore, let every one of us aim even in this World, to be fo far like the Angels in Heaven, as to unite in that glorious. Defign of Affifting one another, which all Heaven is unanimous in, and every good Spirit fo heartily promotes.

Which that we may all do, God of his infi nite Mercy grant, through Jefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

SERMON

XI

The Sin of the Apoftate Angels.

JUDE ver. 6

The Angels which kept not their first Estate, but left their own Habitation, he hath referved, in everlafting Chains, under Darkness, unto the Judgment of the great Day.

I

HAVE upon fome late Returns of the Feftival of St Michael, which is now again approaching, turned to you the bright and triumphant Part of the Solemnity; celebrating those pure and bleffed Spirits, who, after a Trial suitable to their Strength, retaining their Integrity and Fidelity to their Maker, and so keeping their Eftate in the Realms of Light, are deputed by him, who is the Father of us all, to conduct those amongst us, (who like them persevere in that State of Probation, which we also must

go

go through) to the Attainment and Poffeffion S ER M. of those happy Regions, which they enjoy. XI. But the Words which I have made choice of for our prefent Meditations, lead me to difcourse not fo much of our heavenly Guardians, as of these accurfed Spirits, who, being Enemies to our Salvation, make us ftand in Need of their Tutelage and Defence. I design, with God's Leave, this Day to treat of Spirits created happy and good, and defigned. by their Maker, for the eternal Enjoyment of their first glorious State; but who, turning Apoftates and Rebels against God, were banished from the Court, and Refidence of their King, and thrown down to wander in these lower Regions, where they still carry on the fame Enmity against Heaven; and fince they cannot recover their own Seats of Blifs, labour to compleat both their own Mifery and ours, by drawing as many, as they are able to deceive, into that further inexpreffible and endless Destruction, to which they themselves will hereafter be doomed.

This Subject I would offer to your Thoughts at prefent; and for a Foundation, have fixed on the Words I have read to you, which (together with the paralled Text in St Peter, 2 Pet.

་

SERM. 2 Pet. ii. 4. are the most express I know of XI. (as to the Sin and Fall of those unhappy Spirits) in all the Scriptures. There is no Occafion to fhew what Reference, or Relation they bear to the Context, because I have felected them for the Sake of the Doctrine, which the very Words themselves contain, without taking into Confideration either what goes before, or what comes after. In order therefore, to fet both my Text, and my Subject in the best Light I am able, I will range what I have to fay in the following Order, viz.

I. First, I will endeavour to lay before you the Sin of the wicked and apostate Angels, which was the Occafion of their Fall. And then,

II. Secondly, I would fhew you what Ruin and Destruction their Sin entailed on them, or to what State their Fall reduced them.

The

I. First, I shall endeavour to lay before you the Sin of the wicked and apoftate Angels, which was the Occafion of their Fall. Sin in general, that was the Foundation and Source of it, is thought by most of the Learned that have enquired into it, to have been

Ambition

Ambition and Pride: For to this the Son of SER M. Sirach feems to allude; The Beginning of XI. Pride (faith he) is when one departeth from God, and his Heart is turned away from his Maker: For Pride is [or was] the Beginning of Sin, and he that hath it shall pour out Abomination. And therefore the Lord brought upon them ftrange Calamities, and overthrew them utterly; Ecclus. x. 12, 13. And it is very remarkable, that when Leviathan (which is generally understood to be fet forth as the Emblem of the Devil) is described in the Book of Job, the Lord Jehovah (for it is He that is there speaking to Job) closeth the lofty Image of him thus; He beholdeth all high Things: He is a King over all the Children of Pride; Job xli. 34. An Allufion again to this fome fuppofe St Paul alfo to make, when he forbids that a Novice be made a Bishop, left being lifted up with Pride, he fall into the Condemnation of the Devil, or as it is in the next Verse, into the Snare of the Devil;

Tim. iii. 6, 7. i. e. left by resembling the Devil in his Sin, he come at last to share with him in his Punishment, or to be punished in fuch Manner as the Devil was *

VOL. III.

S

That

In this Text of St Paul, 1 Tim. iii. 6, 7. I rather think, that the Word drabine should be rendered Calumniator, or

Slanderer,