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dered about in sheep-fkins, and goat-skins, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deferts, and in moun tains, and in dens and caves of the earth, Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. What affecting scenes are thefe! But heavy as the hand of Egypt, Babel, or Antiochus was, Rome's little finger has been heavier than their loins. If they flew their thousands, fhe has flain her ten thousands. God most remarkable, that the church was not to combat fuch difficulties while fhe was in a ftate of non-age? As Chrift himself was not tempted, till being come of age, the Father and the Spirit attefted his Sonfhip at the banks of Jordan; fo the church's foreft trials were reserved to New-Teftament times: And as her day is, fo fhall her ftrength be.

And is not the goodness of

Having made these remarks, we go on to the next general Head.

PART II.

Shewing what is meant by the Enemy coming in like a Flood.

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E proceed to the fecond general Head of discourse, which was to fhow what may be meant by the enemy coming in like a flood. And, without ftretching the metaphor, it seems to me to imply two things, impetuofity and extent.

1. It implies, that the enemy fhall come in like a torrent, in a moft impetuous manner, threatening to carry all before him. Who can flop the rivers

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in their courfe? Their channel has in fome rare inftances been changed, as in the cafe of the Euphrates; but their current the nations cannot stem. To the fea, whence they came, they irresistibly make their way. But,

2. Coming in like a flood, as it implies impetuofity, fo alfo extent. The rolling flood overflows every bank, and threatens wide devaftation. How frequently does it fport with all the works of men, pouring mockery on their every attempt to confine it to it's wonted channel! Under fuch imagery, a mighty foe is fometimes described. So Ifa. viii. 7, 8. Behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, ftrong and many; even the king of Affyria, and all his glory: and he fhall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks. And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over: be fball reach even to the neck, and the stretching out of his wings fhall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel. And we read in Rev. xii. 15. that the ferpent, [that is, the enemy,] caft out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might caufe her to be carried away of the flood. But, to be a little more particular, the enemy may be faid to come in like a flood, in the following refpects.

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The Enemy comes in like a Flood, in refpect of avowed INFIDELITY.

HE enemy may be faid to come in like a

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flood, in refpect of infidelity, or the open denial of all revealed religion. In this manner the enemy

came in at firft: Yea, faid the ferpent to the woman, bath God faid, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Gen. iii. r. And having questioned. the divine command, he next gives the lie to the threatening; for, faid he, Ye shall not furely die, ver. 4. The enemy pursues the fame tract to this very day, in tempting men to disbelieve what God has faid. The word is the fword of the Spirit; and therefore it is the enemy's interest to cause it to be laid afide, and to fleep as in it's fcabbard. When multitudes begin firft to doubt, and then to deny all revelation; when they can traduce the Bible as a cunningly devised fable, and make no other ufe of fcripture, but to furnish out a jeft; when they drefs the moft divine doctrines in the ridiculous garb of drollery, and count Sabbaths and fermons worthy of nothing but contempt; then it may be faid that the enemy is come in like a flood. To difbelieve the doctrines, the commandments, the promises, and threatnings of the word, is the awful and alarming overflowing of the enemy. The two Teftaments are the bulwarks of the church; hence the enemy's unwearied attempts to caft them down. It was the word that firft wounded him: the promife made concerning the feed, pierced the serpent like a fword; and therefore at the word he still bears a peculiar fpite. Soon as that bleffed barrier is removed, he may overflow the breadth and the length of the land. Meaning a conqueft, he is wife to deftroy the celestial armour. Infidels are ready to ftorm on being ftyled enemies: but fuch they certainly are. For, as argues an infpired writer, Whofoever denieth the Son, the fame hath not the Fu

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ther, 1 John ii. 23. The Deift's God, himself being judge, is not the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift.-Such a man therefore, whatever he may profess, is an enemy to the cross of Chrift.

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The Enemy comes in like a Flood, in refpect of Erroneous Doctrine.

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HE enemy may be faid to come in like a flood, in refpect of error in doctrine. If Satan do not fucceed by one ftratagem, he can foon employ another. To miftake the meaning, to pervert the sense of holy fcripture, is inimical to the Redeemer and his church, in the highest degree. It is a defeating the very end of revelation, which was to rule our faith, as well as to direct our practice. Nay, to pervert the fenfe of holy fcripture, is to fight against heaven as with its own weapons; for thereby that which was defigned to fhow us what is truth, is made to patronize error: the fword of the Spirit is employed in the enemy's fervice. The enemy quoted fcripture, perverting it's fenfe, while he tempted the Saviour. It is written, faid the liar. Written indeed it was, but not in the sense, nor to the purpose he alledged. God having revealed a fyftem of truth, rule of morals, in holy fcripture, it is our indif penfible duty to believe the one, and to obey the other. But, ah! how does the enemy come in Jike a flood, when orthodoxy in belief, is counted little or no part of religion at all! When it be

no less than a

comes the butt of pointed ridicule! When Creeds, Confeffions, and every teft of orthodoxy is decried, under the fpecious pretext of regard to holy scripture! The true fenfe, is the meaning of the Holy Spirit. To reject it, therefore, while there is an adherence to the letter of the word, is moft confiftent with, yea, characteristic of the enemy.Arians, Socinians, and Roman Catholics, profess an adherence to fcripture; and, under that covert, vend the most pernicious errors: fo the Sadducees pretended to believe the books of Mofes, and at the fame time denied the refurrection, angels, and fpirits.

SECT. III.

The Enemy comes in like a Flood, in respect of Profanity in Practice.

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HE enemy may be faid to come in like a flood, when immorality overflows the land. This particular is strongly connected with the two former. It follows them as naturally, as ever conclufion did the premises. If the gospel of Chrift be rejected, the law of God cannot fail to be trodden under foot. The medicine despised, men must pine away in their iniquities. The enemies of the crofs glory in their fhame. While they boast of liberty, it is visible that they are in flavery to every lawless paffion. And as infidelity, fo error is often the mother of lafciviousness. Of the unbelieving and erroneous, we may fay, as of the leper, he is wtterly unclean, his plague is in his head, Lev. xiii. 44.

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