keeps possession still; or, if he has departed in peace, he will return with seven other spirits, worse than himself. Many persuade themselves they have grace, because they are of a smooth, fine, affable disposition and carriage; and many prophets daub them up with untempered mortar, as if they had grace from their cradles. My ears have glowed, and my tongue hath itched at their flatteries; when indeed all men are as deep in Adam's fall, one as another, and one is as hard to be recovered as another. I have shewed you, upon another text, how all must suffer with Christ, none excepted, if they will be glorified with him; how all must be emptied and humbled, as Christ was; and when Christ

comes to cast the devil out of these men, in reality, he will rend and tear them, I assure you; they shall be sure to feel him before he departs, as quiet as he now seems in them. This work is, indeed, called

:

a new birth and what throws and pangs is there in natural births? And do you think, there are less in the new birth? No, no! deceive not yourselves; far, far more; for you must come to be slain, and crueified with Christ. I pray, consider seriously of these things, and be not deceived and lulled asleep; nor, whatever ye do, receive no such pillows under your elbows, from any; for they cry, peace, peace, when there is no peace; and they say, Thus saith the Lord, when he hath not spoken unto them, but they flatter you with the visions of their own heart, and prophesy lies to you in the name of the Lord; for be assured these unclean spirits are in every one of us naturally, and they depart not without tearing, as the unclean spirit in the text tore this poor man.

Beloved! let me tell you again, it is to be suspected, when these unelean spirits go out, without rending, they intend a second return :

and, on the other hand, where Satan departs with rending, he hath no hopes of repossession; for, where he spoils and tears his lodging at his departure, he finds that it is he that is stronger than himself hath cast him out, and that such a soul is weary of such a troublesome guest, and turbulent, intruding inmate. Whom he rends, he leaves; and whom he tears, God repairs; whom he rends, God renews and heals. Oh how I desire to have all our hearts rent; for then, and not till "then, will God regard them. Rend your hearts, and not your garments, saith Joel: and, a broken and contrite spirit, O Lord, saith David, thou wilt not despise. And therefore, O Saviour! rebuke thou all evil spirits within us, with power; command all our sins and corruptions to depart out of our hearts; let them not reign or have the dominion over us; but be thou our Lord, our king, and reign over us : other lords have indeed had rule

over us; but do thou set up thy kingdom, O Lord! and cast down thine enemies under thy feet: thy kingdom come; come Lord Jesus! come quickly.

A discourse on Covetousness.

For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness and from the prophet even to the priest, every one dealeth falsely.-Jer. vi. 13.

BELOVED! this speech of the prophet as it is bold, so it is a very strange speech, and a home charge. But wonder not; for, where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty; there is true boldness as Solomon saith, The righteous are as bold as a lion and the prophet here strikes at root and branch; great and small; prince and people; priest and prophet. The accusation is like an indictment well laid; and the matter of accusation is covet

ousness. But this sin, how evil soever, and however condemned here and elsewhere in the Scriptures, is, in these days, hardly esteemed any sin at all-ye cannot persuade men of the evilness thereof; but they are ready to think and charge us churchmen with being strange fellows, to set up men of straw and then fight against them; for say they, for our parts we find very few that are covetous, and it is no such foul sin neither as you pretend. Some indeed they allow are swearers, drunkards, liars, prophaners of the sabbath, &c. these they can see and acknowledge to be sins, and they would have us preach against them; but to keep such a stir about covetousness, they think it a vain thing, and time lost; for either they are but few who are so, or else it is not so great sin, say they, as we make for; or else we call that covetousness, which is not.