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X.

of your Duty, whether to Good or to Bad, SER M. is fo fure of a Reward either in this Life or the next, and in fome Measure, in both, that notwithstanding all the Oppofition that is made to your Endeavours, you have Encouragement enough to be inftant in your Calling, and, to use the Words of St. Paul, to be ftedfaft, unmoveable, always abiding in the Work of the Lord, forafmuch as you know, your Labour is not in vain in the Lord, 1 Cor. xv. 58. Neither our Planting nor our Watering shall be vain, if he vouchsafe to give an Encreafe; and that He may do fo, let us all join to ask his Bleffing in these Words of our Church. *O Almighty GOD,make, we befeech thee, all Bishops and Paftors diligently to preach thy boly Word, and the People obediently to follow the fame, that they may receive the Crown of everlasting Life, through Fefus Christ our Lord. Amen.

* Collect for St. Peter's Day.

SERMON

SERMON XI.

Christ tempted.

SERM.

XI.

MATT. iv. I.

Then was Jefus led up of the Spirit into the
Wilderness, to be tempted of the Devil.

I

Have fixed on thefe Words to difcourfe on at this Time, with the fame View that the Church propofes them to our Thoughts and Meditations upon this first Sunday within the Season of Lent. During this Seafon the fuppofes us to be in fome Degree employed in looking into and examining our Spiritual State, in observing what Progrefs or Proficiency we have made in Religion and Virtue, and what Hindrances and Obstructions the Enemy of our Salvation still throws in our Way, or lays before us. And whilft we are taken up with fuch Thoughts as these, she concludes we shall fee the Neceffity of our continuing ftill militant here, in order to be victorious or triumphant hereafter. And

there

XI.

therefore that our prefent Difficulties and Dif- SER M. couragements may not flacken our Purfuit after that Crown of Glory we shall obtain, provided we manfully continue the War to the End; the fhews us our Enemy foiled and fubdued, and directs us where we may have Arms and Strength to keep him under. She fhews us the Holy Jefus alone, fet upon with all the Wiles of the Devil, under the utmost Disadvantage of Time and Place, and yet fingly repelling that Arch-Fiend and Adversary of Men, and forcing him to retreat with Confufion and Shame. A Combat worthy the closest Obfervation of every Christian, through every Particular. But before we defcend to confider it minutely, give me Leave to fuggeft to you the Reason why Providence affigned him this Trial and Conflict as to himfelf, before he should enter upon his Miniftry and Office with respect to others.

Now the Reason of the Son of GOD's being made manifeft in the Flesh, St. John tells us, was, that he might deftroy the Works of the Devil, ἵνα λύση τὰ ἔργα τῆς Διαβόλα, 1 John iii. 8. or rather that he might loose them, (as the Greek Word fignifies) i.e. that hẹ might counter-act the Devil's Part, and set Men free from the Dominion and Power

XI.

SER M. which Satan by tempting our firft Parents had obtained over them. He was to undo, as the fecond Adam, all the Mifchief that the firft Adam had done; to begin the Work of Man again, and confequently to go through that Trial and Probation of his Virtue and Strength, which the first Man, alas! though fufficiently warned and prepared for the Engagement, could not, or rather would not,

ftand.

The first Adam, though placed in the Midft of the Paradife of GOD; though indulged in the Ufe of all the Fruits and the Trees, which even Eden could produce, one only excepted; though carefully forewarned of the Danger and Ruin that would immediately enfue upon the tasting that one forbidden Tree; yet no fooner does the Tempter approach and allure him with the specious Beauties and Qualities of the Fruit; no fooner does he reprefent it to be good for Food, to be pleasant to the Eyes, and a Tree to be defired to make one wife, and to be as GOD's knowing good and evil, Gen. iii. 5, 6. but immediately the Wife deluded by the Devil, and the Husband by the Wife, both preferring the Gratifications of Sense to the Obedience of Reason, prefent Delights to Happiness

T

XI.

in Futurity, they both greedily fwallow the $ER M. Bait, and find indeed, as the Devil told them, their Eyes opened, but opened to what? why to see their own Folly, Nakedness and Shame; their Knowledge of Good and Evil enlarged, but by the woful Experience of the Lofs of every Thing good to themselves, and the implanting of every Thing evil in it's Room.

And the common Parents of all Mankind being thus vanquished by the Devil's Wiles; the whole Race and Progeny of Men that defcended from them, under the Curse and Effects of this original Sin, muft naturally remain in Subjection to him. A Subjection from which it was impoffible ever again to be free, unless every Man fingly for himself, or another general Representative and Head of all Mankind, should, in the Name of all, renew the Combat, and enter the Lifts with the Devil again, and by vanquishing and fubduing him, fpoil him of the Dominion and Power he had before obtained over us. But now

this was what no natural Son of Adam could
ever propofe. For if Adam himself, whilst
in his original Righteoufnefs, and fortified
with fuperior Affiftance and Grace, could not
ftand his Affaults; how could
;-
any defcended
from him after his Fall, after his Nature was

become

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