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as Children of the Light. And this is what Serm. the Spirit of God teaches us every where VII. in Scripture: We must not only not ~ fquander away our Talents upon our Lufts as Prodigal Sons, but as Faithful Servants we must employ and improve ?em: We must not only not love the World, but the love of the Father must dwell in us: We must not only deny Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, but we muft live Soberly, Righteously and Godly, in this prefent World, Tit. ii. 12 as becomes those who look for that bleffed 13. Hope, and the glorious Appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. Whatever comes fhort of this will be liable to the Wrath of God: 'Tis true there will be Degrees of this Wrath, but the leaft Degree of it will be endless and intolerable.

Having premis'd this partly for the Explication of my Text, partly to prevent any poor Sinner's defeating and eluding my Difcourfe to his own Ruin, I will now obferve to you thefe three or four Doctrines from the words.

I. That Sin is a Cheat.

II. That we are very willing to be
cheated into Sin.

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Vol. II. These two things are imply'd and fuppos'd in the Text; for were it not fo the Apoftle would have had no need to caution us against being deceiv'd by vain Words.

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III. That there are fome, who are very actives in feducing others, and drawing 'em in to commit Sin, Let no Man deceive youloog how

1.TIV. That whatever Arguments fuch may make use of, whatever Wit or sd Reafon fuch may pretend to in Juftification or excufe of Sin, all is but -Vain Words: And for this the Apostle gives us but one, but 'tis a plain and a terrible Reafon, For because of thefe things cometh the Wrath of God upon the Children of disobedience:

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Men are deceiv'd into Sin by three forts of Arguments.

11. Some Sinners will bear the World
in hand, that they only are Men of Senfe
and Reason, of impartiality and freedom
of Thought; and that by throwing off
Religion, they have done nothing else
but afferted their natural Liberty, and
burst those Fetters which groundless and
fuperftitious Fancies had put upon 'em.
2. Men are generally deceiv'd into Sin

by

by the immediate Pleasure and Profit Serm. ́ with which it flatters 'em.

3. By the groundless Expectation of Impunity.

These are, and in all Ages have been, the Methods by which Sin has prevail'd in the World. To confront therefore thefe Temptations, I fhall proceed to make

out my

Ift. General, That Sin is a Cheat, from these three Confiderations.

1. We are mov'd to Sin not by Reason but Luft, not by Truth and Senfe, but by fome irregular, inordinate Appetite.

2. However Sin may flatter us, and whatever it promifes, we can reap no true, no lafting Good from it.

3. The Wrath of God will certainly one time or other overtake the Sinners.

This laft indeed is the only Argument which the Apostle makes ufe of in my Text to prove Sin a Cheat; and if this be once made clear, I confefs, one would be apt to think all others needlefs and fuperfluous. If this be true, that God will one Day perfecute the Sinner with all his Storms; if but a little Moment first, and an Almighty and Eternal Vengeance will overtake him, 'tis plain, let the Motives to Sin be what they will, they must be falfe and deceitful; for what

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VII.

26.

Vol. II. tho' the revenues of Sin were as boundlefs and extravagant as the Defires and Imaginations of the Sinner; what tho' Friendship and Honour, Pleasure and Intereft, and what elfe you please, were its infeparable Attendants: Alas! What would all this fignifie? What is a Man Matt.xvi profited, if he shall gain the whole World, and lofe his own Soul? Or, what fall a Man give in exchange for his Soul. Whatever a miftaken, deluded Mortal may think now; however he may be tranfported by the Pleasure of Sin; and however he may infult and ridicule the felf-denial of the Wife and Good, the evil Days will come, Ecclef.xii. they will come quickly, when he fall fay, he finds no pleasure in these things. The Day will come, 'twill come quickly, when his Conscience fhall reproach him in the words of St. Paul, What Frnit haft thou of Rom. vi. those things, whereof thou art now afbam'd?

21.

For the end of thofe things is Death. In a word the Day will come, and come Phil.iii.19 quickly, when he who now glories in his Shame, and rejoyces in the fuccefs of his Folly, fhall with for the Mountains and Rocks to fall on him, and hide him from the

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Rev.vi.16 Face of him that fetteth on the Throne, and from the Wrath of the Lamb This I confefs, being once prov'd, one would think there needed nothing more;

but with fo

much

much difficulty is the Sinner torn from Serm. his belov'd Lufts, and of fuch Importance VII. 'tis to convince him of the Folly and Error of his ways, that we can never take too much Pains on this fubject, nor can our Addreffes to him be too well fortified with Arguments, I will therefore go on to the Confiderations laid down.

1. Then, Men are mov'd to Sin not by Reason, but fome irregular Appetite or Paffion, Every Man is tempted when he James i is drawn away of his own Luft, and enticed. 14. What is more clear than this? Many labour to excufe or extenuate their Sin when committed; but no Man ever commits it upon a calm, impartial and unbyafs'd Judgment. For the truth of this I appeal to Sinners themfelves, Do they not, at least for a long time, take Pains to baffle or stiffle Confcience? Do they not evidently take part with their Inclination, against their very Sense and Experience; and if they can do no better, Thamelefly put off their Reafon to another time as Felix did St.Paul when he reafon'd Acts xxiv. of Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgment 25. to come? Do they not fhun all thorough Examination of themselves, and ferious Reflections upon their Actions? And, even almost to the very laft, have they not many fad and doubtful Thoughts about

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