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SERM. II. ful to be handed down to us in all its circumftances, as his very Precepts themselves. For in that he exemplified his precepts, and gave an instance of the practicablenefs, the beauty, and power of them. Such an inftance, as charms the eyes, and engages the hearts, of all that behold it; and will, if well attended to, have the fame influence upon us, that the enjoying the immediate view of God, face to face, once had upon Mofes : It will make us fhine with part of that luftre we are looking upon, and transform us into fome kind of refemblance with it. "We all with open face, "beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord," 2 Cor. iii. 18. that is, viewing carefully the image of our Lord's life, as it is drawn to us in the glafs of the evangelifts, and studying to exprefs it in ourfelves, "we fhall be changed" (as it follows) "into the fame Image from glory to glory;" from one degree of virtue and perfection to another, till at laft "we arrive at the very measure of the fta" ture of the fulness of Chrift," Ephef. iv. 13.

I fhall mention but one improvement more of the doctrine of the day, and then conclude. And that is, that we fhould take occafion from hence, highly to esteem and reverence the evangelical difpenfation: To value and prize that everlafting gofpel, which Chrift fealed to us with his blood, above all other books, religions, and philofophies; above all other methods of living and dying that have been ever taught or practifed in the world.

Were there nothing contained in it but that one faithful faying, worthy of all acceptation, "that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave

"finners :" 1 Tim. i. 15. even that should recommend it more to us, and make us take greater delight in perusing it, than turning over all the volumes of wit and reafon, all the difcourfes of moral virtue, all the treatises of arts and sciences, which the learned part of mankind among the Gentiles have afforded us: We fhould count them all but drofs and dung, in comparison of the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift Jefus, Phil. iii. 8.

But the best expreffion of our reverence towards this gospel, is, to comply with the terms of it. Let us remember that the last scope of the whole mystery of godline/s, is, to oblige mankind to be good and virtuous; and to lead lives answerable to fuch bright difcoveries and motives, as revelation has proposed to us. And therefore let me exhort and befeech every one of you this day, as ye would not (as far as in you lies) fruftrate the defign of our Saviour's birth; as ye would not baffle the truth of those prophecies concerning the innocence and purity of the lives of men under the reign of the Meffiah; and as ye would not hereafter with, that your Saviour had never been born, nor you yourfelves neither; to be careful for your parts to answer the great end of his incarnation, and to live as becomes a people, that have been thus redeemed of the Lord.

For how ball ye efcape, if ye neglect fo great Salvation?

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SERMON

Preached at

St. JAMES's Chapel,

February 16, 1710-11.

Temptations not Irresistible.

I CORINTH. x. 13.

God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape.

MONG the various methods made ufe of

compliances, there is no plea more common in the mouths of Libertines, than this; That, confidering the weakness of human nature, and the ftrength of fome temptations, 'tis not to be expected that we fhould get the better of them. The ftrict rules of virtue are indeed enjoined us : But in this ftate of frailty and infirmity, we muft (fay they) be fometimes allowed to deviate from them. We are folicited fo powerfully by evil objects without, and pushed on fo violently by

evil

evil inclinations within, that 'tis impoffible but that both thefe fhould now and then prevail, against the best reafon and the strongest refolutions. This is an opinion with which fenfual men ufually flatter themfelves; with true firft, and believe true afterwards. But how vain and groundlefs an opinion it is, the determination of the apoftle, in the words of the text, may inform us. "God is faithful," &c.

The plain purport of which words is, "That "God adjufts always, and proportions, the "ftrength of temptations to our power of refift❝ing them, and never lays a greater burthen upon us, than he either finds or makes us able to bear."

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A very important and comfortable truth! of great ufe to fupport the truly good and pious under the various evils of life, and allurements of fenfe, which furround them; and to reclaim the bad, who indulge themfelves in vice, upon the fuppofed impoffibility of being entirely virtuous and blameless, from their falfe and carnal reafonings.

In order therefore to ftrengthen and encourage the one, and to convince and undeceive the other, I fhall make it my business in what follows:

I. First, To explain and state this truth.

II. Secondly, To confirm it by fundry ways of proof, with which experience, reason, and revelation will furnish us. And then,

III. Thirdly, To apply it, in a few plain words

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