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I confess I know not the Power of Spirits, nor how they work upon Bodies. And by the fame Reason that a Spirit can lift a Straw, he may a Mountain, and the whole Earth, for aught I know; and may do many Things which would appear true Miracles to me, and fo might deceive me: And all I have to truft to, in this Cafe, is, the retraining Power of God, that he will not permit the Devil so to do. And were it not for this, I doubt not but the Devil could take away my Life in an Inftant, or inflict terrible Diseases upon me, as upon Job.

And I think this Confideration is the strongest Motive in the World to keep us in conftant Dependence upon God, that we live in the midst of fuch powerful Enemies as we can by no means refift of ourselves; and are in their Power every Minute, when God fhall withdraw his Protection from us.

And it is in their Power likewife to work Signs and Wonders to deceive us, if God permit. And herein the great Power and Goodness of God is manifeft, that he never yet permitted the Devil to work Miracles in Oppofition to whom he fent; except where the Remedy was at Hand, and to fhew his Power the more, as in the Cafe of Mofes and the Magicians, &c.

And this is further evident; because God has, at other times, and upon other Occafions, fuffered the Devil to exert his Power, as to make Fire defcend upon Job's Cattle, &c. But here was no Caufe of Religion concerned, nor any Truth of God in Debate.

DE. But your Chrift has foretold, Matth. xxiv. 24. That falfe Chrifts, and false Prophets shall arife, who fhall fhew great Signs and Wonders, to deceive, if posfible, the very Elect. And it is faid, 2 Theff. ii. 9. That there fhall be a wicked one, whofe Coming is after the Working of Satan, with all Power, and Signs, and lying Wonders. And it is fuppofed, Deut. xiii. 1, &c. That a falfe Prophet may give a Sign or a Wonder, to draw Men after falfe Gods. Here then is Sign against Sign, and Wonder against Wonder, and which of these shall we believe?

CHR.

CHR. The firft, no doubt. For God cannot contradict himself, nor will fhew Signs and Wonders, in Oppofition to that Law which he has established by fo many Signs and Wonders. Therefore in fuch a Case we must conclude, that God has permitted the Devil to exert his Power, as against Mofes and Chrift, for the Tryal of our Faith, and to fhew the fuperior Power of God more eminently, in overcoming all the Power of the Enemy.

But, as I faid before, we have a more fure Word, that is, Proof, than even these Miracles exhibited to our outward Senfes, which is the Word of Prophecy. Let then any falfe Chrift, who fhall pretend to come hereafter, fhew fuch a Book as our Bible, which has been fo long in the World (the most antient Book now extant) teftifying of him, foretelling the Time, and all other Circumftances of his Coming, with his Sufferings and Death, and all thefe Prophecies exactly fulfilled in him: And till he can do this, he cannot have that Evidence which our Christ has; and he must be a falfe Chrift to me: And all the Signs that he can fhew will be but lying Wonders, to any that is truly established in the Chriftian Faith.

But it may be a Tryal too strong for thofe careless ones, who will not be at the Pains to enquire into the Grounds of their Religion, but take it upon Truft, as they do the Fashions, and mind not to frame their Lives according to it, but are immersed in the World, and the Pleafures of it.

(8.) And it will be a just Judgment upon thefe, that they, who fhut their Eyes against all the clear Evidences of the Gospel, fhould be given up to believe a Lye. And the Reason is given 2 Theff. ii. 12. Because they had Pleafure in Unrighteoufness. They loved Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds were evil,

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So that I must repeat what I faid before, That there is a Preparation of the Heart (as of the Ground) to receive the Truth: And where the Doctrine does not pleafe, no Evidence, how clear foever, will be received. God cannot enter, till Mammon be difpoffeffed. We cannot ferve these two Masters. He who has a clear Sight of Heaven, cannot value the dull Pleasures K

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of this Life. And it is impoffible that he who is drowned in Senfe, can relish Spiritual Things. The Love of this World is Enmity against God. The first Sin was a Temptation of Senfe: And the Reparation is, to open Our Eyes to the Enjoyment of God. Vice clouds this Eye, and makes it blind to the only true and eternal Pleasure. It is Foolishness to fuch an one.

This, this, SIR, is the Remora that keeps Men from Chriflianity. It is not Want of Evidence, but it is Want of Confideration. I would not fay this to you, till I had first gone through all the Topics of Reafon with you, that you might not call it Cant. But this is the Truth. As David fays, To him that ordereth his Converfation aright, will I fhew the Salvation of God. And our Saviour fays, If any Man do the Will of God, be fhall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I fpeak of myself. And no Man can come unto me, except the Father draw him.

This was the Reason why St. John the Baptift was fent as a Forerunner to prepare the Way for Chrift, by Preaching of Repentance, to fit Men for receiving the Gospel. And they, who repented of their Sins upon his Preaching, did gladly embrace the Doctrine of Chrift. But they, who would not forfake their Sins, remained obdurate, though otherwife Men of Senfe and Learning, As our Saviour told the Priests and Elders, Matth. xxi. 32. John came unto you in the Way of Righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the Publicans and the Harlots believed him. And ye, when ye bad feen it, repented not afterwards, that ye might believe him. And when Chrift fought to prepare them for his Doctrine, by telling them, That they could not ferve God and Mammon, it is faid, Luke xvi. 14. That when the Pharisees, who were covetous, heard thefe Things, they derided him. But he inftructed them in the next Verfe (if they would have received it) That what is highly esteemed among ft Men, is Abomination in the Sight of God: And inforced this with the Example of the Rich Man and Lazarus: And faid, Chap. xviii. 25. That it was easier for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, than for a rich Man to enter into the Kingdom

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Kingdom of God. And, Chap. xiv. 33. That whofoever he be that forfaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my Difciple. Now take this in the largest Senfe, That he who is not ready and willing to forsake all, as if he hated them, as Chrift faid, ver. 26, If any Man come to me, and hate not his Father and Mother, &c. (that is, when they come in Competition with any Command of Chrift) and take not up his Cross, and follow me, he cannot be my Difciple; how few Difciples would he have had in this Age! Would all his Miracles perfuade fome to this? The World is too hard for Heaven with moft Men!

Here is the Caufe of Infidelity. The Love of the World, the Luft of the Flesh, the Luft of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life, darken the Heart, and, like Shutters, keep out the Light of Heaven: Till they are removed, the Light cannot enter: The Spirit of Purity and Holinefs will not defcend into an Heart full of all Uncleannefs. If we would invite this Guest, we muft sweep the Houfe, and make it clean.

But this too is of God: For he only can make a clean Heart, and renew a right Spirit within us. But he has promifed this Wifdom to thofe who afk it, and lead a godly Life. Therefore ask, and you shall have ; feek, and you fhall find; knock, and it fhall be opened unto you. But do it ardently and incessantly, as he that ftriveth for his Soul. For God is gracious and merciful, long fuffering, and of great Goodness; and thofe who come to him in Sincerity he will in no-wife caft out. Therefore pray in Faith, nothing doubting: And what you pray for (according to his Will) believe it, and you fhall receive it.

To his Grace I commend you.

(9.) And with the Fulness of the Gentiles, O that it would pleafe God to take the Veil of the Heart of the Jews, and let them fee, That as they have been deceived by many falfe Meffiahs fince Chrift came, fo none whom they expect hereafter can anfwer the Prophecies of the Metab fome of which I have named); and

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therefore no fuch can be the Meffiah who is prophefied of in their own Scriptures."

And let them fee and confider, how that fatal Curfe they imprecated upon themselves, His Blood be on us, and on our Children, has cleaved unto them, beyond all their former Sins, and even repeated Idolatry; from which (to fhew that this is not the Cause of their prefent Difperfion) they have kept themselves free ever fince; and for which their longest Captivity was but Seventy Years; and then Prophets were fent to them, to comfort them, and affure them of a Reftauration : But now they have been about eighteen hundred Years difperfed over all the Earth, without any Prophet, or Profpect of their Deliverance, that the whole World might take Notice of this before unparalleled Judgment, not known to any Nation that ever yet was upon the Face of the Earth! So punished, and fo preferved for Judgment, and, I hope, at laft, for a more wonderful Mercy! For if the Cafting away of them be the Recon ciling of the World, what shall the Receiving of them be, but Life from the Dead? For God hath concluded all in Unbelief, that he might have Mercy upon all. O the Depth of the Riches both of the Wisdom and Knowlege of God! How unfearchable are his Judgments, and his Ways paft finding out! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all Things. To whom be Glory for ever. Amen.

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FINIS.

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