If the Almighty commands Things that cannot be done, 1719. what will that make of him? If his Servants labour and exhort us to Things not to be done, where will those Abfurdities land? Surely it must center in the Mouth of the unprofitable Servant, and fuch as charge God foolishly. And are all thofe fine and glorious Promifes made to put us on to fight against Sin and Satan, without a Poffibility of overcoming? God forbid, and may be, Chriftian Reader, forbid alfo, that thou should believe fuch a grose and palpable Miftake and Error.

Ob! that the Almighty Lord may fend forth more and more bis Holy Light and Truth, and that thereby he might lead and guide the Inhabitants of the Earth; fo that they might not give up the Cause of Chrift, but manfully refift, even to Death, that at last they might bave a Crown of Life.

T. C.

CHRIST'S

1719.

CHRIST'S Kingdom Exalted, &c,

I

IN the Chriftian World 'tis too generally believed, that People on this Side the Grave cannot be free from Sin; which Principle, or Belief, is a great Lett and Hindrance to the glorious Work of Reformation, and mightily obftructs People in their Way to Eternal Glory, and tends to uphold the Kingdom of Satan, which every good Chriftian (with Saint Paul) fhould be for pulling down; and, in order to this, fhould make Ufe of the Weapons that he did, that is, the Armour of Light; which Weapons were, and are, The Preparation of the Gofpel of Peace, the Girdle of Truth, Helmet of Salvation, Breaft-plate of Righteousness, Shield of Faith, and Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. This is indeed a holy War, to war against Sin and Satan; and alío heavenly Armour, the Armour of Light; and this holy Apoftle was a valiant Soldier, who was also victorious in this War: Oh! who would but lift themselves under Chrift's Banner, and fight this Fight of Faith with Courage, and true Chriftian Valour! Then would they witness the Truth of that Saying of the Apoftle, That the Weapons of this Warfare are not carnal, but mighty, through God, to the pulling down the ftrong Holds of Sin and Satan."

Oh! down with thofe ftrong Holds, down with them, let every Lover of Jefus Chrift fay, and pray, That

the

the Kingdom of God, and his Chrift, may be exalted 1719 over all, for ever. Sin is the chief Support of Satan's Kingdom, which Chrift came to deftroy and put an End to, and to bring in Righteousness, actual Righteousness, as well as imputative; he came to fave his People from their Sins, not only by Imputation, buc by holy Action alfo; as his holy Doctrine in his excellent Sermon on the Mount, and his many other Divine Expreffions, do plainly and abundantly manifeft. Now confidering the great Evil of this dangerous Principle, I have been deeply affected on Account of poor Mankind, to whofe utter Ruin and eternal Deftruction it moft certainly tends. If we were to reafon as Men and rational Beings, with what Spirit and Courage fhould we undertake any Business, Journey, or Concern, if before-hand we were grounded in a Belief that we could not perform our Undertaking? Or what Nation or People in the World would have any Courage to engage their Common Enemies, if at the fame time they did believe they fhould never overcome them, would not this abundantly difpirit and difcourage them in their Engagement, let any rational Soul judge? Oh! this Belief of Sinning to the End of our Days, is a mighty Engine of Satan, in order to furport his Kingdom, and a wonderful Prop to uphold it. Pray what fignifies all the Preaching and Writing in the World against Sin, though never fo elegantly or fcholaftically wrote or delivered by the greatest of Orators or Minifters, if, at the fame Time, this Doctrine be upheld and maintained in Pulpits, Prints, and otherwife, &c. and received and believed by the People? Let Truth and right Reafon in this Matter bear Rule and be Judge, and the Caufe will be determined against the Kingdom of Sin and Satan : But the " Kingdom of Chrift is an Everlafting King

dom, and of his Dominion there fhall never be an "End." This is a Word of Encouragement to the Followers

1719 Followers of Chrift to be faithful to the Commands of Chrift.

Though the Devil is a great King, and a mighty Prince; tho' he is King over all the Children of Pride and Difobedience, and Prince of the Power of the Air; yet" the Lamb and his Followers will have the Victory" over Sin and him, although fometimes it may fare with them as with their Lord, who obtained it through Sufferings; and let it be remembered by them, that they fhall in the End reign with him; alfo, Fear not, little Flock, fays Chrift, for it is your Father's good Pleafure to give you a Kingdom; by which Words, when received in Faith, the Soul is infpired with Courage, and holy Boldness, to refift the Tempter; though we may have the Difadvantage of being but few, and Satan and his Followers many, who fupport his Kingdom, with this finful Principle and Doctrine above-mentioned. One great and wily Way which he ufeth to uphold his Kingdom, is to wreft and abuse the Holy Scriptures, and ftrain them to his evil Purposes, as he ferved our Lord, the Captain of our Salvation, as will be fhewn hereafter. And indeed when he makes Ufe of any of the Words of God, it is for an Evil End, and that End must needs be wicked, which is to keep People in Sin, or to create a Belief that we cannot live without it in this World; the which, if he can obtain, and caufe People to believe, he knows he hath a great Advantage over them: For how fhould Clay, or Duft and Afhes, overcome Sin, who confefs they are, and believe they always fhall be, Sinners? Wherefore let us examine and fee what Ute he makes of thofe Scriptures, which he brings to fupport People in Sin, and by which he makes them believe they can never live without it; fome of which are as followeth, viz. Firft, Beginning with that Saying of our Lord Jefus Chrift, Mat xix. 17. to the young Man that afked him, What geod thing he should do to

inherit

inberit Eternal Life, calling him good Mafter; our 1719. Saviour replies, Why calleft thou me good, there is none that is good, but one, that is God. The young Man thought he was fpeaking to a mortal Man; and it seems to have been the Will of Chrift by this Remark, both to caution his Difciples against the Use of vain Compliments, and to let them know that this young Man had not true Faith in him, as he was the Son of God: And it is most certainly true, that in Fullness and Perfection, there is no Man good, compared with God; but comparing Men with Men, there are good Men, Women and Children, who fear God, and do truly love Chrift, and there have been a few such in all Ages, and will be fome fuch, to the End of the World. To conftrue Chrift's Words otherwife, would be to abuse the Holy Scriptures, which Satan makes a common Practice of doing.

2dly, Another is that Expreffion of Solomon, in the 8th Chapter of 1 Kings, Verfe 46.There is no Man that finneth not. The Learned fay, this fhould be interpreted, and who may not fin But though it may truly be faid of Men in one Part of their Lives or other, or in the State of Man in the Fall or Degeneration (in which State of Unconverfion) there is no Man that finneth not: Yet in the Regeneration or new Birth, the Apostle Jobn, in the 3d Chapter of his firft Epiftle, and 9th Verfe, faith, that Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit Sin, for bis Seed remaineth in him: And he cannot fin, because he is born of God. It is this Seed which would beget this new and living Birth, which makes us Children of God, and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Satan would deftroy; for he knows he fhall have an Enemy of every fuch Soul, and therefore it is -the Devil's Intereft and Endeavour to destroy every fuch Birth and fuch Belief, that Chriftians can poffibly attain to live without Sin in the World.

3dly, Prov. 20th Chapter, 9th Verse, Who can say, I have made my Heart clean, I am pure from my Sin, the

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