SERM. devil. "Greater is he that is in you, than he that "is in the world." The Spirit of truth is more powerful than the spirit of error and feduction; and confequently they that are of GOD, who fincerely embrace and obey the truth, are able to overcome all the temptations of the world to apoftafy from the truth.

My work at this time fhall be to fhew what advantage good men, and those who fincerely embrace and obey the truth, have to fecure them in the ways of truth and holiness, against all the temptations of the devil and the world. I fay, in the ways of truth and holiness, because there is a strict connection between a hearty embracing of the truth of GOD, and a fincere obedience to it. And the apoftle speaks of both, in oppofition to the Gnoftics, who did not only endeavour to feduce men to apoftafy from the christian faith, but likewife from the practice of a holy life. Now to fecure men against temptations to both thefe, they who "are of GoD," who fincerely embrace and obey the truth, have a great advantage, because that Spirit and principle which rules and sways in them, is more powerful than that fpirit which rules in the world and in the children of difobedience. "Greater is he that is in you, than "he that is in the world ;" and that in these three refpects.

Firft, divine truth carries greater evidence along with it.

Secondly, the motives to perfuade men to adhere to truth and holiness are more operative and powerful.

Thirdly, there is a greater and more immediate affiftance accompanies the truth of GoD, and they

who

who entertain it are acted by a more powerful princi- SER M. ple than that which is in the world.

First, divine truth carries greater evidence along with it. As will appear, if we confider thefe three things.

1. The doctrines that are from GOD have more intrinfic goodness in them, and teach fuch things as are more worthy of GOD, and more likely to proceed from him.

II. The external confirmation of thefe doctrines is greater, and hath more conviction in it.

III. The Spirit of GOD doth illuminate the minds of good men, and is concerned to lead them into the truth, and to fecure from dangerous and damnable

errors.

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1. The doctrines which are from GOD have a more intrinsical goodness in them, and teach fuch things, as are most worthy of GOD, and more likely to proceed from him. Whoever fuppofeth God to make a revelation of himself to men, whereby to conduct them to happiness, muft in all reafon fuppofe fuch a divine doctrine to contain plain rules and directions to that end, and powerful helps, motives, and encouragements to enable and excite men to the obfervation of thofe rules. For a man would naturally reason, that GOD, who is fo infinitely good, would in revealing his will to men aim at no other end but the happiness of his creatures; and that he being infinitely wife as well as good, the means would be proportionable, and confequently that the laws and precepts which he gives would apparently tend to the happiness of mankind: and because, if men have immortal fouls, and are defigned to live for ever, their greatest happiness is that of another

world;

CCXXXII,

SERM. world; therefore it is reasonable to conclude, that thofe rules and directions fhould principally regard the eternal happiness of men in another life, and in fubferviency to that, fhould refpect likewife the temporal happiness of men in this world.

And fuch laws and rules being fuppofed, the next thing to be expected is, that GOD fhould confider the condition and circumstances of persons to whom these laws are given; and if they be averse to them, that they should be awaken'd and quicken'd to the obfervance of them, by fuch motives and encouragements as are proper and powerful to that end, and if they be weak and impotent to the performance of what God's laws require, that they should be enabled and affifted by a proportionable ftrength.

Now the doctrine of the chriftian religion, which our blessed SAVIOUR revealed to the world, and (as we Chriftians fay) by divine commiffion and authority, hath all these marks and characters of divinity upon it. The laws of it are plain and obvious to the common understanding of mankind; all men know what the precepts of piety, and goodness, and mercy, and righteoufnefs, and integrity, and truth, and faithfulness, of meekness, and humility, and patience, and forgiveness, and forbearance, and charity, mean; and fo I might inftance in temperance, and chastity, and all thofe other virtues and graces which the christian religion requires of us, and recommends to us. Thefe all tend to the advancement and perfection of our natures, and make us like to Gop, and capable of the enjoyment of him in the next life and befides this, they do apparently conduce in all refpects to our temporal happiness in this world. And excepting the cafe of perfecution (to

which God hath promifed abundant recompence in SER M. another world) the practice of thefe virtues is evidently to the advantage of particular perfons in this world, and to the peace and happiness of human fociety.

And because of the great corruption of human nature, and the strong inclination of it to vice, the gofpel offers proportionable arguments and encouragements to men to perfuade them to their duty: an act of oblivion and pardon for what is paft; perfect reconciliation to God in and through the merits and mediation of our bleffed SAVIOUR; and the eternal rewards and punishments of another world; which to men that believe the immortality of their fouls, and are not stupidly infenfible of their intereft, are the most powerful confiderations in the world to take men off from fin, and to bring them to goodrefs.

And because the corruption of human nature hath brought a great weakness and impotency upon mankind, GoD is pleafed in the gospel to offer to men 1 the powerful affiftance of his grace and holy Spirit, to enable them to perform all this which he requires of them. And beyond this, what can we expect GOD fhould difcover to men, in order to their happinefs in this world, or the other? And in all thefe respects the doctrine of the gofpel, revealed from heaven by the Son of God, hath to any impartial confiderer infinitely the advantage of Paganism or Mahometism, or any other doctrine or inftitution that ever the world was acquainted withal.

But now if we bring the doctrines of falfe prophets and feducing fpirits, whom St. John calls Antichrifts, to this trial, we fhall find that they are

CCXXXII.

SER M. quite of another stamp, deftitute of goodness, and calculated not for the happiness and benefit of men, but for base and unworthy ends; whereby it is evident that the teachers of them are not " of God, "but of the world, and therefore they speak from "the world, and the world heareth them." And of this I will give two inftances; one in thofe falfe teachers the Gnoftics, intended by the apostle in this epiftle; and the other in a fort of feducers nearer to us in our own times.

As for the Gnoftics, befides their contradicting and virtual renouncing the main principles of chriftianity, by denying that CHRIST was really come in the flesh, or that he really died, or rofe, affirming all this to be only in appearance; the fum of their doctrine was either a heap of unintelligible words and phrases, under a pretence of high mystery; or a doctrine of liberty, as to all manner of vice and wickedness, under a pretence of perfection, and that whatever they did they could not fin; both which at the first fight are as plain evidence as any reafonable man can defire, that fuch a doctrine could not be from GOD; nothing being more unlikely to be a divine revelation, than fuch abfurd and confused stuff as no man can understand, and which hath no tendency to make men better. But above all, nothing can be more unworthy of GOD, nor more unlikely to proceed from him, than such a doctrine as gives encouragement to vice and wickedness of life, under what pretence foever it be. For what can be more contrary to God, and a greater affront to the reafon of mankind, then to let men loose to do the vilest and lewdeft things, under pretence of perfection in goodness?

The