and all uncharitablenefs; and what are thefe but the tempers of the devil? and luft, fenfuality, pleasure, thefe are the tempers of the beast. Thus, my brethren, man is half a beaft, and half a devil, a motley mixture of the beaft and devil. And this is the creature, who has made himself fo obnoxious to the wrath of GOD, and open to his indignation, that is told, that he must be part his own faviour, by doing good works, and what he cannot do CHRIST will do for him.

This is giving the tempter great room to come in with his temptation; he may prefs a foul to follow moral duties, to go to church, take the facrament, read, pray, meditate; the devil is well content you fhould do all thefe; but if they are done in your own strength, or if you go no farther than here, you are only going a fmoother way to hell.

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Thus, my brethren, you may see who it is that tempts us. But

II. Why he tempts you, is the fecond thing I am to fhew

you.

It is out of envy to you, and to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, he endeavours to keep you from clofing with JESUS; and if he can but keep you from laying hold by faith on CHRIST, he knows he has you fafe enough; and the more temptations you are under, and according to their nature and greatness, you are more hurried in your minds; and the more unfettled your thoughts and affections are, the more apt you are to conclude, that if you were to go to CHRIST, at prefent, in all that hurry of mind, he would not receive you; but this is the policy of the tempter, to make you have low and difhonourable thoughts of the bleffed JESUS; and fo by degrees he works upon your minds, that you are carelefs and indifferent about CHRIST. This, this, my brethren, is the defign of the tempter. Nothing will please him more, than to fee you ruined and loft for ever, He tempts you for that end, that you may lofe your interest in JESUS CHRIST, and that you may dwell with him and apoftate spirits to all eternity. He knows that JESUS CHRIST died for finners, yet he would fain keep souls from feeking to this city of refuge for fhelter, and from going to Gilead for the true balm.

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It is he that rules in thy heart, O fcoffer, O Pharifee; the devil reigns there, and endeavours to blind your eyes, that you fhall not fee what danger you are in, and how much evil there is in those hearts of yours; and as long as he can keep you eafy and unconcerned about having your hearts changed, he will be eafy; though if he can, he will tempt you to fin against him, until you are hardened in your iniquity. O, my brethren, do not give the devil a handle wherewith he may lay hold on you: alas! it is no wonder that the devil tempts you, when he finds you at a play, a ball, or masquerade; if you are doing the devil's work, it is no wonder if he presses you in the continuation thereof; and how can any fay, "Lead us not into temptation," in the morning, when they are resolved to run into it at night? Good GOD! Are these persons members of the church of England? Alas, when you have gone to church, and read over the prayers, it is offering no more than the facrifice of fools; you fay Amen to them with your lips, when in your hearts you are either unconcerned at what you are about, or else you think that the bare faying of yout prayers is fufficient, and that then GOD and you have balanced

accounts.

But, my dear brethren, do not deceive yourselves, God is not to be mocked. You are only ruining yourselves for time and eternity. You pray, "lead us not into temptation,” when you are tempting the devil to come and tempt you,

III. I fhall now point out fome of the ways and means, he makes use of to draw you to himself.

But this is a field fo large, and I have but just begun to be a foldier of JESUS CHRIST, that I cannot name many unto you. I shall therefore be very fhort on this head.

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He endeavours to make you think fin is not fo great as it is; that there is no occafion of being so over-strict, and that you are righteous over-much; that you are oftentatious, and will do yourself harm by it; and that you will destroy yourselves. He shows you, my brethren, the bait, but he hides the hook; he fhows you the pleasure, profits and advantages, that attend abundance of this world's goods; but he does not show you the croffes, loffes and vexations that you

may have while you are in the enjoyment of the bleffings of

this world.

2. When he finds he cannot allure you by flattery, he will try you by frowns, and the terrors of this world; he will ftir up people to point at you, and cry, "Here comes another "troop of his followers:" He will stir them up to jeer, fcoff, backbite, and hate you; but if he ftill finds this will not do, then he throws doubts, my brethren, and discouragements in your mind, whether the way you are in is the true way or not; or elfe he will fuggeft, What! do you expect to be faved by CHRIST? Also, He did not die for you; you have been too great a finner; you have lived in fin fo long, and committed fuch fins against CHRIST, which he will not forgive. Thus he hurries poor finners almost into despair.

And very often, when the people of God are met to worfhip him, he fends his agents, the fcoffers, to difturb them. We faw an inftance of their rage juft now; they would fain have disturbed us; but the LORD was on our fide, and so prevented all the attempts of wicked and defigning men, to disturb and disquiet us. LORD JESUS, forgive them who are thus perfecuting thy truth! JESUS, fhew them that they are fighting against thee, and that it is hard for them to kick against the pricks! Thefe, my brethren, are some of the ways Satan takes, in his temptations, to bring you from CHRIST: Many more might be named; but these are fufficient, I hope, to keep you on your guard, against all that the enemy can do to hinder you from coming to CHRIST.

IV. I come to fhew you, how earneft you ought to be with JESUS CHRIST, either not to fuffer you to be led into temptations, or to preferve you under them.

And here, my dear brethren, let me befeech you to go to JESUS CHRIST; tell him, how you are affaulted by the evil one, who lies in wait for your fouls; tell him, you are not able to mafter him, in your own ftrength; beg his affistance, and you fhall find him ready to help you; ready to affift you, and to be your Guide, your Comforter, your Saviour, your All: He will give you ftrength to refift the fiery darts of the devil; and, therefore, you can no where find one so proper to relieve you, as JESUS CHRIST; he knows what it is to be tempted;

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tempted; he was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, and he will give you the affiftance of his Spirit, to refift the evil one, In CHRIST JESUS you shall need of, the devil shall have

and then he will fly from you. have the ftrength you ftand in no power; therefore fear not, for in the name of the LORD we shall overcome all our fpiritual Amalekites: Let the devil and his agents rage, let them breathe out threatnings, yea, let them breathe out flaughters, yet we can rejoice in this, that JESUS CHRIST hath them in his power, they shall go no farther than he permits them; they may rage, they may rage horribly, but they can go no farther, until they have got more power from on high.

If they could do us what mischief they would, very few of us should be permitted to see our habitations any more; but, bleffed be GOD, we can commit ourfelves to his protection; he has been our protector hitherto, he will be fo fill. Then earneftly intreat of the LORD to fupport you under those temptations, which the devil may affault you with; he is a powerful adverfary, he is a cunning one too; he would be too hard for us, unless we have the ftrength of CHRIST to be with us. But let us be looking up unto JESUS, that he would fend his Spirit into our hearts, and keep us from falling. O my dear brethren in CHRIST JESUS, how ftands it now between GOD and your fouls? Is JESUS altogether lovely to your fouls? is he precious unto you? I am fure, if you have not gone back from CHRIST, he will not from you; he will root out the accurfed things of this world, and dwell in your hearts. You are candidates for heaven; and will you mind earth? What are all the pleasures of earth, without an intereft in the LORD JESUS CHRIST? And one fmile from him is more to be defired than rubies, yea more than the whole world.

O you who have found JESUS CHRIST affifting you, and fupporting you under all the temptations of this life, will you forfake him? have you not found him a gracious master? is he not the chiefeft of, ten thousand, and altogether lovely? Now you see a form and comelinefs in CHRIST, which you never faw before. O! how do you and I wish we had known JESUS fooner, and that we had more of his love; it is condefcending love, it is amazing, it is forgiving love, it is dying

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love,

love, it is exalted and interceding love, and it is glorified love, Methinks when I am talking of the love of JESUS CHRIST, who loved me before I loved him; he faw me polluted in blood, full of fores, a flave to fin, to death and hell, running to deftruction, then he paffed by me, and faid unto my foul, "Live;" he fnatched me as a brand plucked from the burning. It was love that faved me, it was all of the free grace of God, and that only. The little experience I have had of this love, makes me amazed at the condefcenfion, the love, and mercifulnefs of the bleffed JESUS, that he should have mercy upon fuch a wretch. O, my brethren, the kingdom of God is within me, and this fills me fo full of love, that I would not be in my natural ftate again, not for millions of millions of worlds; I long to be with JESUS, to live with the LORD that bought me, to live for ever with the Lamb that was flain, and to fing Hallelujah's unto him. Eternity itfelf will be too fhort to fet forth the love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. I cannot, indeed I cannot forbear fpeaking again, and again, and again, of the LORD JESUS.

And if there are any here who are ftrangers to this love of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, do not defpair; come, come unto CHRIST, and he will have mercy upon you, he will pardon all your fins, he will heal all your backflidings, he will love you freely, and take you to be with himself. Come therefore, O my guilty brethren, unto JESUS, and you fhall find reft for your fouls. You need not fear, you need not defpair, when GOD has had mercy upon fuch a wretch as I; and he will fave you alfo, if you will come unto him by faith.

Why do ye delay? What! do you fay, you are poor, and therefore ashamed to come? It is not your poverty that CHRIST mindeth; come in all your rags, in all your pollution, and he will fave you. Do not depend upon any thing but the blood of JESUS CHRIST; do not stand out an hour longer, but give your hearts to CHRIST, give him the firftlings of the flock; come unto him now, left he should cut you off before you are prepared, and your foul be fent to that pit from whence there is no redemption.

Do not waver, but give him that which he defires, your hearts; it is the heart the LORD JESUS CHRIST wanteth; and when you have an inward principle wrought in your hearts

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