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"the Son of God was manifefted for this very purpose, that he might destroy the works of "the devil." And in vain do we plead the merit of his death, unless we follow the example of his life, and submit to the government of his laws and fpirit; for "he is the author of eternal "falvation only to them that obey him."

But it may be, you hope to make all up by repentance; and though at present there are fome fins you are unwilling to part with, yet you propofe to do it afterwards, with a refolution never to return any more to folly. Well, finners, this at least is a plain confeffion that you are felf-condemned creatures in the mean time. You admit that repentance is neceffary, and that you are undone without it.--And now let me difplay to you the folly of your conduct.—— Should you die this night, what would become of you? and what affurance have you that you shall be alive to-morrow? Were not Zimri and Cofbi cut off in the act of fin? and have not many others been carried off by a sudden death, without leifure afforded them to cry for mercy? Your fin, and confequently your mifery, is prefent and certain: your repentance only future, and therefore altogether uncertain: for who knoweth what a day may bring forth ?-Befides, is it not egregious folly to do that deliberately which needeth repentance? Would he not be juftly accounted mad, who should drink a deadly poifon, merely to try the ftrength of an antidote?-Though you could repent at pleasure, and had a lease of life to any term of your own choofing, which you well know you have not;

yet,

yet, even upon this fuppofition, your conduct would be foolish and irrational. But I have fomething to add that is ftill more alarming. Repentance is the gift of God; it is a grace that can only be produced in your hearts by that divine Spirit, whom now you grieve: And is grieving him the way to obtain his affiftance? muft God wait your time, and patiently endure all your affronts, and then beftow upon you a pure favour, to which you can plead no title, when ever you fhall deign to afk it? No, finners.

There are fuch awful words in your Bibles as thefe: "My fpirit shall not always ftrive with

man;" and, "Becaufe when I called, ye re"fufed; when I ftretched out my hand, ye did "not regard me; therefore will I laugh at your "calamity, and mock when your fear cometh." Go, think upon these, and get you to your knees,. and beg of God, for Chrift's fake, that he may pardon what is past, and reftrain you from fuch prefumptuous fins for the future. This brings

me to the

LAST thing I propofed; which was, to direct you how to put up this prayer to God, Keep back. thy fervant from prefumptuous fins..

In the 1 place, You muft do it fincerely, with an unfeigned and earnest defire, that God may hear and grant your requeft. We are very apt to impofe upon ourselves in this matter.

Con

fcience being galled and irritated by prefumptuous fins, may grow fo turbulent and clamorous, that something must be done to ftill and pacify it. By this means, we may be forced into the clofet,

clofet, and obliged to use the words of my text; nay, to apply them to thofe particular fins for which confcience upbraideth us. But, alas! our prayers are oft-times falfe and hypocritical; we hate not the fin, but the remorfe that follows it; and we wish not fo much to be delivered from the fin, as from the fierce challenges of the awful reprover within us. Have you not difcover ed fomething of this hypocrify in the time of praying? Have you not felt a fecret love to the fin you profeffed to renounce; nay, fome degrees of fear left God fhould take you at your word, and render that fin bitter and unpleasant to you? Need I tell you, that fuch prayers are an abomi nation to the Lord, and instead of diminishing, aggravate your guilt? To pray, is not to offer up words, but defires, to God: I therefore faid, that in ufing this petition, you must do it with a fin cere and earneft defire, that God may hear and grant your requeft. It was for this purpose I fet before you the heinous nature and fatal effects of prefumptuous fins, that you might view them as deadly foes, and long to be refcued from their tyranny; for till your hearts are brought to this, in vain do you utter the words of David; your prayers are hollow and infincere, whatever drefs you put them into; and are themfelves more prefumptuous than any of thofe fins against which you pretend to use them.

2dly, We must put up this request, from a humble fenfe of our own weakness, with a lively hope of the mercy of God, and a fted faft reliance upon the efficacy of his grace. Thefe qualifications are absolutely neceffary: for till we feel

our

our inability to overcome our impetuous and headftrong paffions, we shall not be very importunate with God to restrain them; and we shall foon grow weary in our addreffes to him for aid, if we either call in queftion his good-will to beftow it or doubt of its fufficiency to answer our neceffities. We must neither pray proudly nor despairingly: we affront God equally both ways. If we go to him merely in a complimental way, as if we did him honour by asking fome flender affiftance only to render the conqueft more eafy; this may provoke him to leave us in the hands of our enemies, till, by fome fatal overthrow, we are brought to a thorough conviction of our impotence; for " he refifteth the proud, and giveth grace only to the humble: the hungry are "filled with good things, but the rich are sent empty away.

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On the other hand fhould we either queftion his willingness or ability to help us, would not this be to caft upon him vile dishonour, after all the illuftrious proofs he hath given us, both of his love and faving power?" He that spared not "his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; "how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us "all things?"

Let us therefore under a deep fenfe of our depravity and weakness, humbly and importunately cry to God, that he may deliver us from the oppreffion of our tyrannical lufts; and these cries of the oppreffed fhall" enter into the ears

of the Lord of Sabbaoth." "--At the fame time, let us harbour no dishonourable fufpicions either of his mercy, or of his power: We have

"a great

"a great high prieft, who is paffed into the "heavens, Jefus the Son of God, who now ap¿C pears in the presence of God for us. Having "therefore boldness to enter into the holieft by "the blood of Jefus, by a new and living way, "which he hath confecrated for us through the "vail, that is to fay, his flesh; and having a "high priest who is touched with the feeling of

our infirmities, and was in all points tempted "like as we are; let us come boldly to the ❝ throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, " and find grace to help in time of need."

If we thus afk, we fhall certainly receive: The great Captain of our falvation, whofe grace is fufficient for all his people, will not only keep us back from prefumptuous fins, but in due time he will bruise Satan underneath our feet, and "grant unto us to fit with him in his throne, દ even as he also overcame, and is fet down with "the Father in his throne."--Let me only add in the

Third and last place, That our prayers to God for reftraining grace, must be accompanied with our own moft vigorous efforts to refift all temptations to prefumptuous fins, otherwise they shall not be accepted.

God will fo do his work, as that we shall do ours likewife; for "God's working in us to will " and do," instead of fuperfeding the neceffity of our own endeavours, is urged in Scripture as a motive and encouragement, to make us "work << out our own falvation with fear and trem"bling." Prayer is not only an acknowledgement of our dependence upon God for the things

we