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that Peace and Joy, which fuch a Chriftian meets with even in the prefent Course of his Life?

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Let the Mifer boaft his Riches; the Ambitious Man his Honours; let the Voluptuary wallow in his Senfual and Beaftly Satisfactions: But, O Lord! What Vanity are all thefe, when compared with the folid Comfort and Satisfaction of a Good ConScience? That can reflect freely upon its Actions; can fearch into the moft fecret Parts of its Life with Joy and Affurance; and delight to compare its Duty and its Practice, and fee how Glorioufly the one illuftrates and fets forth the other?

Who would not pursue the Happiness of fuch a State, tho' there were no fuch Thing as Heaven and Eternity to follow after? Certainly, if Pleasure be that which is to govern our Purfuits, 'tis the good Christian that, when all is done, is the only Wife Man; and to confider, the moft delightful Practice of any in the World.

Only let us confider ferioufly, and as we ought to do: Let us once in our Lives be perfuaded heartily to experiment a Duty, which we have been fo often told fhould be the great Bufinefs of them. Let us be willing to be convinced; and do our Religion and our Souls fo much Justice, as to give these Things a fair and an equal Hearing.

So fhall all thofe Bleffings I have now been fpeaking of, defcend upon us. We fhall Exchange only, not lofe or leffen our Enjoyments. Whatfoever Pleasure or Satisfaction we have heretofore met with in the ways of Sin, we fhall find them all infinitely furmounted in the Practice of Religion. Till finally being fit for Heaven, ripe for Immortality, we fhall be Tranflated from thefe

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Excellent, but yet ftill imperfect Joys here, to those abfolute and Eternal Bleffings, which neither Eye has feen, nor Ear beard, nor does ir enter into the Heart of Man to conceive.

To which God of his infinite Mercy vouchsafe we may all arrive, through Jefus Chrift our Lord,

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SER

E 3

I

SERMON III.

Of the Devices of Satan.

Preached at White-Hall, April 26. 1688.

2 COR. II. II.

For we are not ignorant of his Devices.

A

Mong all the Parts of Chriftian Inftitution, which either the Gospel of Chrift directs, or we as the Minifters of Chrift, A and your Servants, for Jefus Sake, exhort you to; there is none after the Knowledge of our Duty towards God, and what he requires of us, in order to our Eternal Salvation, either more neceffary to be well underftood; or, would Men ferioufly apply themselves to

I Cor. iv. 5.

it

it, more easy to be attain'd by us, than how to Arm and Fortify our felves against thofe Devices of Satan, whereby he continually Endeavours to Seduce

us.

There are few fo ignorant in this Matter, but are able at leaft to trace out his moft ordinary Temptations, and to difcover what it is that the moft ufually expofes them to Sin. And though he has his Crooked and by-paths too, Devices both more fubtily laid, and more difficult to be difcern'd; yet a little more Vigilancy and Care

would ferve to difcover even these alfo, 1 Cor. iv. 5. and to bring to light the most hidden

Mysteries of Iniquity.

But though there be then nothing more obvious to a fincere and inquifitive Mind, than to find out thefe Artifices of the Devil; yet alas! A fad Experience fhews us, that there is fcarce any Thing in the World, in which Men for the moft Part feem more to betray either their Ignorance or their Inadvertency; whilft they fuffer every the most ordinary Temptation to overcome them, and fcarce an Affault fo weak can be made upon them, but what is fure to have its Effect, and find them altogether unprepared to refift it.

To correct, if it may be, this careless and supine Temper, fo difhonourable to God, and fo dangerous to our own Souls; I fhall endeavour at this Time to lay before you fome of thofe Methods whereby the Devil is moft wont to lead Men into Sin; That fo knowing our Danger, we may be the better able to Arm our Souls against it, left Satan fhould get an Advantage of us; For we are not ignorant of his Devices.

The Occafion of which Words was this.

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St. Paul having in his former Epiftle to the Cowww.rinthians, commanded them to proSee I Cor. v. 1.nounce a Sentence of Excommunication upon a certain incestuous Man amongst them, who had Married his Father's Wife; had fince received an Account of a very good Effect that this Infliction had wrought upon the offending Perfon; fo as to bring him to a great Senfe both of the Sin he had committed, and of the Scandal which thereby he had given to the Church.

Upon this the Apostle in this his Second Epiftle, commands them to take off the Cenfure under which he lay and to receive him again into Communion with them, left being Swallow'd up of overmuch Sorrow, he fhould be driven to Despair, and fo the Devil get an Advantage against them; and that not only in the Ruin of a fingle Brother, but yer much more, by turning that Difcipline. which was defigned for the Edification of the Church, into the Deftruction of it; For, fays he, we are not ignorant of bis Devices.

Were I not refolved against entring on any Point, of Controverfy in this Place, I fhould not here want a very fair Occafion to do it. It has been the great Endeavour of thofe of the other Communion, to Establish on this Procedure of St. Paul with this Corinthian, their new and dangerous Doctrine of Human Satisfactions to be made for Sin, and of the Power of the Church to grant Indulgences for the Remiffion of them. But I defire now to have no other Enemy but that of my Text to Encounter: And the half of whofe Devices, will be more than

See the Rhemifts Anniot, on this Chap. Catholick Scriptur. Point 26. of Indulgences. n. 6.

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