1719.

Words of Solomon, the Son of David, who prayed to the Almighty in his Pfalms: Create in me a clean. Heart, and renew a right, or pure Spirit within me s which Prayer was no doubt anfwered: But this is the Work of God, and to him all Things are poffible, even that which looks impoffible to Men; for he can make a Man more pure than Gold. So it being the Work of God, no Man can fay, that he hath done it, that he hath purified himself, or made himself clean. Can the Almighty make a Man pure? It might with much Truth he answered, he can, and it is fuppofed no good Chriftian can, or will deny it : And then what will become of that abfurd Antichri ftian and Antifcriptural Tenet, we cannot be clean or or pure from Sin, in this World?

It may be faid, if there are any who live without Sin, they are but very few (a forrowful Truth indeed!) but is it not every One's Intereft to ftrive to be one of thofe Few, as it is alfo his indifpenfible Duty: Our Lord also faith, that the Way to his Kingdom is ftrait and narrow, and that there are but few that find it. Must we therefore give up the Caufe, and not feek the Kingdom, and because of the Difficulty of Chrift's Crofs here in this World, muft we go in the broad Way where there is much Room and Company. May every true Christian fay, the Lord forbid (I humbly pray) and not only fay, but do that which is right in the Sight of God.

4thly, The next is an Expreffion of Solomon's, Ecclefiaftes, Chapter 7th, Verse 20. There is not a juft Man upon the Earth that doth Good, and finneth not. This fhould be interpreted as the former, and who may not fin: He fpeaketh of a Man in the State of his Vanity and Sin, before a Reformation; for Divine Wisdom, and the Fear of the Lord (which he taught) keeps the Heart clean, and preferves from the Snares of Sin, Death, and the Devil : So that this State of Sin that he here fpeaks of, muft be before Man attains to the Wildom of God, and be

fore

fore he comes truly to live in his Fear. Therefore 1719. he must certainly do Good, who lives in the Fear of God, which (as the fame Solomon fays) is the Be

ginning of Wisdom; and to depart from Iniquity, is "a good Underftanding." So that he fhews Man his State of Vanity, and alfo his State of Sin, as above, and teacheth People how to avoid it, by fearing the Lord, and walking in the Counsel of Wisdom (i. :) Chrift's Counsel, who is the Wisdom of God to Salvation. That all Men are Sinners, before the Work of Converfion, is true, and that the Devil defigns to keep them there to their Lives End, is as true; and no likelier Way can he do it, than by keeping them in a Belief that they must live in Sin, and cannot live without it whilst they live in this World; and when they come to die, then Fear furprises the Hypocrite, and Terror takes hold of the Ungodly: And many times, when too late, they fee the Snares which the Devil and Sin hath brought them into. Oh! what pity it is, that this Veil of Darkness is not done away, in time of Youth, Strength, and Health, when the Bones are full of Marrow, and the Veins are full of Blood: But the Defign of Satan is to lead People on in this pernicious Principle till Death, and then before they are aware, they may drop into Eternal Woe and Mifery, where the Wicked and Ungodly muft be turned, with all them that forget God: For into Heaven, where Chrift is, " if we die in our Sins, we (as John 8. 21. Chrift faid) cannot come."

5thly, The Apostle John, in his firft Epiftle, Chapter 1. Verfes 8, 9, and 10. writes thus, If we fay we have had (as it may be turned) no Sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we confess our Sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins, and to cleanfe us from all Unrighteoufness. If we fay we have not finned, we make him a Liar, and his Word is not in us; which answers to the 8th Verfe, If we say we have no Sin, we deceive ourselves. The 9th Verfe fully lets us into the Meaning

1719. of the 8th Verse (i. e.) if we confess our Sins, for all ought to confefs, and alfo to forfake their Sins, "all having finned, and being by Nature Children of "Wrath;" otherwife we have no Affurance of Mercy from the Holy Scriptures: Then he (i. e.) the Almighty, "is faithful and juft to forgive us our Sins, and "to cleanse us from all Unrighteoufnefs." And pray what Sin is there, when we are cleansed from all Unrighteousnefs? And then in the 10th Verfe. he fays, If we fay we have not finned, we make him a Liar. There is no doubt but that we have finned, which is what the Appoft le plainly points at in the 8th Verse. And if any Man fins (when he repents and forfakes) we have an Advocate with the Father, even Jesus. Christ, the Righteous: And God is faithful and just to forgive us our Sins. But then we muft repent and forfake, if we expect to find Mercy; though we have Sin, or have had Sin, we muft not always have it, for if we have it always, Woe will be to us, according to the Words of God and Chrift. Thus we see how

Satan is put to his Shifts to fupport his finful Kingdom, and how he abufes the Holy Scriptures, when he makes Use of them, as will be further made manifest in what follows, as the fame Apoftle doth plainly demonftrate in his third Chapter of the above Epistle, Verses 7, 8, 9, and 10. faying, Let no Man, (nor the Devil neither, fay I) deceive you : He that doth Righteousness, is righteous: He that committeth Sin, is of the Devil. This is plain and naked Truth, let who will like, or diflike it. Further, in the 9th and 10th Verfes he again repeats to the fame Purpose, faying, In this the Children of God are manifeft, and the Children of the Devil: Whofoever doth not Righteousness, is not of God. (Ergo, then he must be of the Devil, while he is in Unrighteoufnefs.)

There are divers other Places in the Holy Scriptures, which he abuseth in like Manner, and which he and his Children wreft to uphold him and his Kingdom of Sin and Unrighteoufnefs and themselves therein:

So

So by and through the Grace of God, we may fee 1719.
his Wiles and Delufions, and the Rottennefs of his
Caufe, as alfo the unfafe and dangerous Foundation
of his Building, through endeavouring unduly to fup-
port the fame, by that which was always defigned
to deftroy him and his Kingdom (i. e.) the Holy
Scriptures. May all Men judge in this Matter,
whether that Spirit which would bring, pick, and
cull out a few Verses, and fometimes a few Words out
of a Verfe, in order to make them fpeak contrary to
the whole Scope and Tenor, or Tendency of the Ho-
ly Scriptures, and to Plant a Belief that we fhall never
overcome Sin and Unrighteoufnefs in this World, tho'
they (i. e.) the Holy Scriptures all along exhort, and
teach us to avoid Sin and Unrighteousness, and live a
holy righteous Life in this prefent World; I fay, may
all Mortals judge whether fuch a Spirit can be of God,
or whether it be not of, and from the Father of Lies:
Wherefore, if it be plainly proved, that there have
been those who have overcome Sin and Satan, and that
Chrift repeatedly, and his holy Apoftles (he in them,
and they in him) exhorted to fight against Sin and
the Devil, who is the Author of all Sin; and Chrift
faithfully promifing moft fweet and gracious Rewards
to those who fhall overcome, in order to encourage
the spiritual Warrior to a faithful Perfeverance, and
refifting of Sin and Satan: Then it is hoped that
Satan will be wounded, his Kingdom fhaken, and this
evil deftructive Principle, in fome Mealure, laid waste
in fome poor Soul or Souls, into whofe Hands these
may come.

7, 8.

ift. Then, Beginning with the great Apostle of the Gentiles, (a notable Soldier in the Lamb's fpiritual War) I bave, fays he, fought a good Fight, I have finished my 2 Tim. 4 Courfe, I bave kept the Faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteoufnefs, which the Lord, the righ teous Judge, will give to me at that Day: And not to me only, but unto all those that love his appearing. And

1719.

if this be not Encouragement, what is? He alfo faith, Be ye Followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Here is Example, Exhortation, and Encouragement, with Experience.

2dly, Another of the Apostles, John, in his firft Epifle, Chap. 2d, Verfe 13th, is pofitive, that those young Men he writes to, had already overcome the wicked One. I write unto you, fays he, young-Men, becaufe you have overcome the wicked One. And in the 14th, Verfe, he repeats it again, as though he would doubly and deeply imprint it in their Minds. I bave written unto you, young Men, because ye are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye bave overcome the wicked One. Here were young Men, who were truly valiant and noble, to wage War with the wicked One. If it was poffible for them, why is it not poffible for us allo? Oh! that our young Men of this Generation, would take thofe young Men for their Examples, to make War with this wicked One, and truly endeavour to pull down his Kingdom. It is worth our Notice, that thofe young Men had the Word of God abiding in them; by this Sword of the Spirit they overcame, by it they were cleanfed, by taking heed to walk according to its Directions, as it is written, Wherewith shall Pfal. 119 a young Man cleanse his Ways? By taking beed thereto, according to thy Word. The great Reason why young Men are overcome, inftead of Overcoming, is their Heedlefsnefs to, and of the Word; for notwithstanding their Bones may be full of Marrow, and their Veins full of Blood, and Nature ftrong, having many Temptations to Sin and Evil; yet, by taking heed to the Word, they might be reformed: And through the immediate Power and Strength thereof, may overcome the wicked One. So here were young Men who actually overcame Sin and Satan, that this holy Servant of Jefus wrote to, by way of Encouragement. Is the Arm of the Lord fhortened? Surely No. It is true, Mortals are fhort in their Duty, but not the Almighty

9.