saying of these words without heart, and without a holy fear of temptation, and without a hearty desire to be delivered from your misery? surely no: God requireth sincerity. But know that "God will deal wonderfully and marvellously with the people, who draw near to him with their mouths, and honour him with their lips," This God himself, who is the Amen, saith, Isaiah xxix. 13, 14.

Alas, sinners, behold your misery, and endeavour to recover out of the snare of the devil, in which he takes you captive at his will. He seeks to draw you to destruction, and that unawares, without your knowledge, that he may cause you to inherit his perdition. Ye are afraid of seeing him in a bodily shape, but it behooves you to be more afraid of him, when he conceals himself in his subtilty: he goeth about you in a secret manner, like a roaring lion, that he may devour you. O be concerned, and cry earnestly to the Lord. that he would deliver you from him, from the world, and still more from yourselves.

But, believers, who have learned by experience, and have frequently seen that sin lightly besets you through the temptation. not only of Satan, and of the world, but also of your own corrupt flesh, endeavour to be delivered from those evil ones. And therefore,

1. Behold your obligation to serve the Lord. It is your duty to serve him on account of his eternal glory, which he possesseth, as an almighty king: "Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O Lord," saith the prophet, "thou art great, and thy name is great in might; who would not fear thee, thou King of nations, for to thee doth it appertain; forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all the kingdoms there is none like thee?" Jer. x. 6, 7. How many favours hath he bestowed on you, as your Father in Christ, and that only, that ye might live for him, and not for yourselves. The Son of God "gave himself for you, that he might redeem you from all iniquity, and purify you to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works," Titus ii. 14. Have ye not entered into an engagement to him, and "sworn," as it were, with an Amen to his demand, and will ye not perform it, that ye will keep his righteous judgments?" Psalm cxix. 106. This obligation and this bond ought to have a great weight on your souls, and should induce you to watch with greater caution against temptation.

2. Be firmly resolved, and earnestly desirous to live in a holy and tender manner before the Lord according to his will. With Paul we ought to "follow after perfection." and therefore to "forget the things that are behind, and to reach forth to those which are before, and to press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of

God in Christ Jesus," Philip. iii. 12, 14. How good is it to look often into ourselves, to see our declensions, and to bestir ourselves anew, like king David, when he said, Psalm cxix. 59, 60, "I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies, I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments." For when we have such a desire to holiness, we will strive the more earnestly and manfully.

3. Are ye desirous to excel in holiness, and to have an abund. nt entrance into the everlasting kingdom of God, do not then study your ease, but prepare for fighting: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for strait is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life," saith the the Lord Christ, Luke xiii. 24. Matt. vii. 14. Know that your tempters will harrass you; they are not pleased with your withdrawing from their service; they seek by alluring and by af Alicting means to bring you back to them; if they canrot prevail, they will then cast as many stumbling-blocks in your way as they can; and ye must overcome them all, or "ye will not be crowned," as that valiant champion Paul speaks, 2 Tim. ii. 5. God himself, when he delivered you out of the power of darkness, called you to fight: "Fight then the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto ye are also called," 1 Tim. vi. 12.

4. Learn by all means to know your enemies, and their wiles, otherwise ye cannot guard against their assaults and temptations ; but when we know them, we have partly vanquished them. Paul desired that the Corinthians should confirm their love toward the penitent incestuous person," as he himself also did, "lest," saith he, "Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices," 2 Cor. ii. 8, 11. Therefore observe well their depths, and their wiles, and how, and by what ways they have often insnared you, that ye may know in what manner to watch against them. It is also necessary to distinguish when, and in what manner each enemy assaults you. Sometimes they will all three attack the soul at once; but sometimes also each separately, although they soon hasten to assist each other: observe how. The flesh rises and works within by vile and evil thoughts and lusts; the world enticeth by her honours. gayeties, profits and pleasures; and the devil joins often these, that he may urge the soul on to these things by representing the world in the fairest colours. But in some cases he is active alone, yet in such a secret manner that the soul knows not but that the abominations, which are injected into her, proceed from her own depravity; which therefore sorely distresses her. But it is certain, that the temptation proceeds from the devil only, when the

thoughts that are injected into her, are unnatural, inhuman and blasphemous; which will therefore also disturb the soul, and are sug gested likewise very suddenly, and when a person had not thought of them before. We may justly call them "fiery darts, buffetings of Satan, and sharp thorns in our flesh," Eph. v. 16, 2 Cor. xii. 7.

5. Arm yourselves against these enemies with the truth, with righteousness, with the preparation of the gospel, with hope, the word of God and prayer. We may learn of Paul, Eph. vi. 11– 18, how we ought to arm ourselves with these weapons, and how necessary they are. Our time will not permit us to extend our discourse, and therefore we do not enlarge upon this.

6. Be watchful and on your guard, that ye may not be attacked unawares. The spiritual warriour must be continually in arms, he must look before him, and about him, and be thoughtful, that he may not be attacked either secretly or suddenly: "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," 1 Peter v. 8. "Let discretion preserve you, understanding keep you," Prov. ii. 11. Oppose forthwith sinful emotions and injections; do not pause long, for otherwise the enemy will make a great breach in your souls.

7. Beware of pride, and an imagination that ye can keep yourselves froin this and that sin; for this will bring you to a fall. Peter's sad experience, Mat. xxvi. 31, 35, 69–75, ought to teach us humility: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," saith the apostle, 1 Cor. x. 12. And "be not highminded, but fear," Rom. xi. 20. Therefore it behooves each of us to pray in the most fervent manner with David, Psalm xix. 13. "Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the transgression."

8. Be not however too timorous, or too fearful of your enemies: they would make use of such a discouragement to their advantage, and your power would forsake you : "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small," saith the wise man, Prov, xxiv. 10, but "watch, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong," 1 Cor. xvi. 13. Ye have to do with conquered enemies : "In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world," saith the Captain of the Lord's host, John xvi. 33. They have indeed "all fallen before him," ye need only "slay them after your Lord," like the armourbearer of Jonathan, 1 Sam. xiv. 13. Only cry continually to him for strength: "He is the mighty One, on whom help is laid," Psalm lxxxix. 19, and "hide

yourselves with him," like David, Psalm cxliii. 9, "that he may deliver you from your enemy." When we do this, we "strengthen ourselves in the Lord our God," like that valiant king of Israel, 1 Sam. xxx. 6, and we "become strong in the "Lord, and in the

power of his might," Eph. vi 10.

9. As ye pray to your Father for all things, so it behooves you to glorify and thank him in all things: "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you," saith Paul, 1 Thess. v. 18. Yea, we ought to pray, that we may praise him, and we ought to engage in our praying to praise him, and thus to make use of our engagement to glorify him, as a motive to urge our prayer the more powerfully. In this manner did the church conclude her prayer for deliverance from her enemies, when she "So we thy people, and sheep of thy pastsaid, Psalm 1xxix. 13. ure will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations."

10. Trust also, when ye say Amen, that the Father will grant your petitions in his own time, and in his own way. It is his will, that we should think well of him, and trust in him. It is unjust to mistrust our gracious Father, and to suspect him of sparingness and austerity. He requires that we should "ask all things in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed? for let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord," James i. 6, 7. His Son hath indeed purchased all things for you, and hath promised you all things in the covenant of grace, especially that your prayers shall be heard, and "all the promises of God are in him yea, and in him Amen," 2 Cor. i. 20. And thus we conclude all the truths which we have explained in the foregoing discourses, and all our prayers with the "Blessed be the Lord, words of David from Psalm lxxii. 18, 19.

the God of Israel, who only doth wonderous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever, and let the whole earth be filled with his glory: Amen, and Amen.”

thoughts that are injected into her, are unnatural, inhuman and biasphemous; which will therefore also disturb the soul, and are suggested likewise very suddenly, and when a person had not thought of them before. We may justly call them "fiery darts, buffetings of Satan, and sharp thorns in our flesh," Eph. v. 16, 2 Cor. xii. 7. 5. Arm yourselves against these enemies with the truth, with righteousness, with the preparation of the gospel, with hope, the word of God and prayer. We may learn of Paul, Eph. vi. 11— 18, how we ought to arm ourselves with these weapons, and how necessary they are. Our time will not permit us to extend our discourse, and therefore we do not enlarge upon this.

6. Be watchful and on your guard, that ye may not be attacked unawares. The spiritual warriour must be continually in arms, he must look before him, and about him, and be thoughtful, that he may not be attacked either secretly or suddenly: "Be sober, be vigiJant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour," 1 Peter v. 8. "Let discretion preserve you, understanding keep you," Prov. ii. 11. Oppose forthwith sinful emotions and injections; do not pause long, for otherwise the enemy will make a great breach in your souls.

7. Beware of pride, and an imagination that ye can keep yourselves from this and that sin; for this will bring you to a fall. Peter's sad experience, Mat. xxvi. 31, 35, 69–75, ought to teach us humility: "Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," saith the apostle, 1 Cor. x. 12. And "be not highminded, but fear," Rom. xi. 20. Therefore it behooves each of us to pray in the most fervent manner with David, Psalm xix. 13. "Keep .back thy servant from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the transgression."

8. Be not however too timorous, or too fearful of your enemies: they would make use of such a discouragement to their advantage, and your power would forsake you: "If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small," saith the wise man, Prov, xxiv. 10, but "watch, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong," 1 Cor. xvi. 13. Ye have to do with conquered enemies: “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world," saith the Captain of the Lord's host, John xvi. 33. They have indeed "all fallen before him," ye need only "slay them after your Lord," like the armourbearer of Jonathan, 1 Sam. xiv. 13. Only cry continually to him for strength: "He is the mighty One, on whom help is laid," Psalm lxxxix. 19, and "hide