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opened to difcern fpiritual things. To you L turn. You have feen plainly, I truft, as far as we have hitherto proceeded on the fubject, how Satan exercises and preferves his power in our fouls; and how the Spirit of God fruftrates his endeavours. Afk yourselves then, how far the work of the latter has taken place in your foul. Has he truly and feelingly convinced you of fin? Has he convinced you of an "heart deceitful "above all things, and desperately wicked;" of "an evil heart of unbelief?" Such is the heart of every man by nature; and not truly to know it, and feel it, is our greatest danger. Have' you known and felt this? If not, you have the very first leffon in true fpiritual religion yet to learn. You cannot have truly "learned Christ," without having previously feen your great, your abfolute need of him. But, there are fome among you, who have received these true convictions of a finful and loft eftate, who have become "poor in fpirit," "humble and contrite in heart; have trembled at "God's word." God be praised for this his ineftimable gift! But, let me ask you? Have these convictions produced their defired effect? Have you not healed your fpiritual wounds flightly? Have you not faid. "Peace, peace to your fouls, "when there was no peace?" Has the law, in your heart, led the way to the gofpel? "Chrift is

the end of the law for righteoufnefs to all who "believe." Have you not been like thofe perfons defcribed in the Pilgrim's Progrefs, who got out of" the flough of defpond" on the fame fide

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as they entered in? Have you not been repairing your old fhattered ruined building " with untempered mortar," instead of pulling it down, and beginning to build afresh; and laying your foundation no longer on fand; but on a rock, even on Chrift, the rock of ages? Do your hearts repofe in full confidence on him? Is he your "all in all ?" However finful, however weary and heavy laden," however weak, yet is Chrift your righteousness, your reft, and frength? Do your hearts acknowledge him alfo as your "paffover, the pro"pitiation for your fins; your way, your "truth, your life; your Advocate with the "Father; your Counsellor; the great Captain "and the horn of your falvation; your help, "your Redeemer; your prophet, priest, and "king; your bread of life, and living water; the "fame yesterday, to-day, and for ever?" Thus the fcriptures reprefent him, and thus not your lips only, but your hearts must acknowledge him,

if you will be faved by his blood. He is "the "head over all things to all the true members of "his church t." If this be your happy experience, tr you muft" have joy and peace in believing." Though "in the world you may have tribulation, yet in Chrift have peace, even the peace

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See 1 John ii. 1. John vi. 48, & 51. Josh. v. 14.
Ifa. ix. 6. Heb. xii. 2.

Heb. ii. 10.

Pfalm xxxiii. 20

xl. 17: xviii. 2. John xiv. 6. 1 Cor. v. 7. Acts iii.

15. & 22. V. 31. John vi. 48, & 51. Eph. i. 22.

Luke iv. 24.

Ifa. lix: 20.

Canticles iv. 15.

lx. 16.

Canticles iv. 15. Heb. xiii. 8, iv. 15. Col. i. 8.

"God that paffeth understanding." Surely yoù have great caufe for comfort, fince all things are 66 yours, whether the world, or life, or death, or "things prefent, or things to come; all are "yours for ye are Chrift's, and Chrift is "God's *." Óh! that you who "neglect this

great falvation", would confider the bleffings, the privileges, the glories, which you refufe; even all, for the fake of which Chrift, the Lord of life and glory, fhed his blood on the crofs. Think alfo, "how fhall you efcape," if you thus neglect it; if you add to all your other fins, the rejection of the Son of God, with all the offers of mercy, and pardon, and love, and favour, and protection, and every fpiritual bleffing, both in time and eternity, which God hath freely made you in him; if you thus count the blood of the everlafting co"venant an unholy thing, and do defpite to the "Spirit of grace!" Oh! beware in time! Efcape, as for your life, from the power, the fnares, the various devices of Satan, with which he blinds your eyes, and takes you captive at his will. God grant that we may all truft to Chrift alone, for protection and fafety againft the many devicesof our artful and cruel fpiritual adverfary; ever for the fake of his dear Son, Jefus Chrift our Lord and Saviour! Amen! Amen!

* 1 Cor. iii. 22. 23:

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PRAYER

PRAYER BEFORE OR AFTER THE SERMON.

Collet for the 19th Sunday after Trinity: 5th after Eafler, and the aft Collect in the Communion Service.

O God, forafmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit nay in all things direct and rule our hearts; that, by thy holy infpiration, we may think thofe things that be good, and, by thy merciful guiding, may perform the fame. Oh! “deliver us from the wicked one,” with all his fubtle devices, and powerful temptations; and entirely cleanfe the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Chrift our Lord!

SERMON III.

ON

2 COR. ii. 11.

Left Satan fhould get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices

IN

N our laft difcourfe, we left the returning finner refcued by the Holy Ghoft from all his falfe dependences, as well as relieved from all the delufive doubts and fears which his treacherous enemy had raised against him.

Think not, however, that this work of divine grace will be thus carried forward, without frequent molestation from the great fpiritual adverfary.

Oh!

Oh! how often will he fuggeft that to be already obtained, for which the finner is thus earnestly feeking. How often will he lead him to mistake light for grace; the knowledge of the great requifites towards falvation for their poffeflion!

But you will fay, perhaps, furely this cannot be the cafe. We never can be thus miftaken. We do not imagine that we have received food, because we are acquainted with its nature and properties; with its ability to nourish and support life. Nor do we fuppofe that we have taken medicines, because we are fully affured of their being fuited to heal our complaints. Nor can the moft accurate knowledge of the nature and properties of metals lead us to believe that we have our pockets full of gold. True, my friends; and when you have an equal knowledge of fpiritual, as you have of thefe natural things, I will allow that you cannot be deceived in them. But I am not fuppofing you experienced Chriftians, with your fpiritual fenfes properly exercised to enable you to diftinguish fpiritual good and evil*, but either babes in Chrift, or ftill partly in your natural ftate, though fo far enlightened by God's Holy Spirit, as to fee your finful and loft eftate by nature, and that your only remedy is in Chrift.

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is easy to deceive a perfon, in a great measure blind, with refpect to fhapes and colours. The man, partly restored to fight by our divine Lord, whofaw men as trees walking," might eafily have been thus deceived. Such is the degree of fpiritual

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* Heb. v. 14.

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