gan to breathe on the dry bones of the houfe of Ifrael in Babylon, to revive their hopes of a return to their own land, the devil oppofed it in the court of Perfia one and twenty days. Dan. x. 13. And in the holy land at their return we find this fieve working against Joshua, one of the anointed ones, who at the fame time was standing before the Lord of the whole earth.

Yea, the Saviour himself was tried by this fieve of vanity; for, as foon as the Holy Ghost defcended upon him like a dove, then was Jefus led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil. But where the breath of life comes not this fieve is feldom used; for there is no wheat to fift; all is chaff, and chaff needs no fifting. The ministry of the letter, and those seedsmen who fow the doctrines and commandments of men, are never followed by the fowls of the air; for the devils do not want to pick fuch feed out of finners hearts, for fuch feedfmen are the devil's own labourers. But, if the Lord fends a feedfman to fow precious feed, which is the word of life, then thefe fowls are all upon the watch, or upon the wing, to pick out the good feed from the mind and memory, in order to make the finner unfruitful and this he does by making him inattentive-or by fetting fome object before him to excite his lafcivioufnefs-or by ftirring up his prejudice or by diverting his mind to worldly things as foon as he comes out of the houfe of God, till he hath forgotten all that he hath heard. And is it fo?

Do

Do the breath of life and the fieve of vanity go together? They really do. I have never feen the fieve of vanity in ufe among the congregations of the dead. There are thousands in a profeffion in our day, who never knew what the fiery darts of the devil and the devices of Satan mean. The strong man armed keeps poffeffion both of the impoftor in the pulpit, and of the hypocrite in the pew; and his goods are in peace. He furnishes the preacher with prefumptuous confidence, blind zeal, flowery speech, and to affect a mufical delivery, to fpeak fwelling words; and he inftructs him in the art of oratory and elocution, in order to reach the feelings of corrupt nature, and to play upon them, till their bowels found like an harp, the blood will trickle in their veins, the hair moves upon their head, and a few deep fighs put the falt fpring in motion, and pump a few drops into the eyes, which being diftilled on the floor, and being confidered as the quinteffence of pious grief, and of all devotion, the work is done -the Spirit hath moved--the prefence and power of the Lord have been prefent-and a refreshing feafon hath been enjoyed: whereas the devil himfelf is the author and finisher of all fuch devotion. Such are the most completely felf-deceived, the moft fecure in their carnal ftate, the moft bitter enemies to the vital power of godlinefs, and the hardest fouls in the world for a gospel minifter to work upon. Such are worfe, and more fecure, than a real pharifee, for a pharifee is all for the

law, but these are all for what they call gofpel :a pharifee dwells in a dry land, but these are hypocrites in Zion; not seekers of Chrift, but foolish virgins; not work-mongers, but wolves in fheep's clothing. O the infernal trade that the devil carries on in our day by fuch inftruments as thefe! The diffembled humility and meekness that the devil will varnish them with, and the counterfeited rays of an angel of light that he will spread abroad, through the inftrumentality of such crafty and deceitful workers, are fuch as none can difcern, nor defcribe, but those in whom the living God fhines, and whom the Lord condefcends to teach. Some are carried on by the falfe Aames of blind zeal, and the inward heat of their own fpirit, raised and inflamed by noise and motion. Thefe follow their own Spirit, and speak a vifion out of their own heart, and have feen nothing. Jer. xxiii. 16. Ezek. xiii. 3.But at times, confcience, the wrath of God, and difappointments, will fo far difcourage them, as to render them incapable of performing this branch of magic by fiery and falfe zeal: then they are obliged to have recourfe to that of moving the paffions; and there are feveral books extant to inftruct them in this art, and to which they are obliged to have recourfe, to enable them to carry on the cheat. Funeral fermons furnish thefe (inftruments without life) with nice rofin for their ftrings: a few pathetic lies over the deceased work like a charm in the bowels of the furvivors. A peculiar tenderness

muft

must be observed in mentioning the fair fex; and heavenly exprefiions must be dropt in lafcivious flames. This God calls alluring through the lufts of the flesh, and much wantonnefs. This art leads captive filly women: but all this is Satan's profit, not his fieve; he doth not defire to fift such as wheat: these are the tares of his own field, and chaff for his own fire; these are enfnared in holes; they are for a prey, and none delivereth; for a fpail,

and none faith restore.

It is where the breath of life comes that this fieve is used; and that every poor fenfible finner knows who is convinced of fin by the Spirit of God. When the breath of life enters the foul, and quickens it—when divine sensations, motions, holy longings, defires and affections, operate-this ftrong man, his poffeffion, and armour, are soon felt. Not a corruption in the heart, but the devil ftirs up to refit the new principle; no fpecies of uncleanness, lasciviousness, or even brutality, that was ever practifed in all the world, but what the devil will bring to the mind:-no blafphemy, anathema, or imprecation, that was ever uttered, but what he will pronounce in the mental ears of the poor finner all day and night long:-nothing that earth or hell can imagine against God, against Chrift, or against the Holy Spirit, but what he will bring in, and fill the poor finner's thoughts with:-nothing odious, unfightly, unfeemly, unbecoming, foul, filthy, obfcene, diabolical, damna

ble, and oppofite to true holiness, but what the devil will pourtray on the mind, and imprefs on the imagination of the poor, alarmed, awakened, terrified, and affrighted foul. Not a fnare of death, nor a pain of hell, nor an evident token of perdition in fcripture, in rebels, hypocrites, apoftates, traitors, or reprobates, but what is fuggested and applied to him. No;-nor a terror, horror, fear, expectation, or fenfation, that ever pierced or influenced the minds of devils, but what Satan, with. his art of mingling himfelf with the faculties of the human foul, will influence the poor finner with.Not a curfe in the book of God; not a threatening, reproof, or rebuke; not a text pregnant with wrath, displeasure, or indignation; not a paffage that describes an enemy to Chrift, a rival, or an unpardonable finner, but what is brought home and applied to the poor, honeft, and fincere feeker of the Lord; —and that in all their fulleft fenfe, and in all their moft dreadful meaning that devils can invent, and felf-defpairing mortals can conceive. If he attempts to confefs, pray, or call upon God, he is fo confufed, hurried, baffled, and confounded, that, fo far from knowing what he fays, he cannot tell where he is his thoughts are fcattered over the face of the whole earth, or chained down to the meditations of terror, or eife employed in the difinal work of fathoming and exploring the boundless and bottomlefs abyfs of hell. If he reads, he can neither think, confider, nor make a judgment of any thing. If