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SERM. as well believe a Man, labouring under a IV. Fever with Delirium, when he affures us of

his being in perfect Health and in his fober Senfes. To fuch a vain felf-opinionated Extoller of his own moral Sufficiency this Meffage of our Saviour Chrift may be most appofitely delivered; Thou fayeft, I am rich, and encreafed with Goods, and have Need of Nothing; and knowest not, that thou art wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked (f). This is in Reality the true Picture of human Nature in its prefent Degeneracy; it is wretched and miferable through Ignorance and Impurity,---poor by the Forfeiture of heavenly Treasures,---blind through the Defect of fpiritual Knowledge,---and naked by the Lofs of the Robes of Righteousness. But in a State of Grace all these Wants are copioufly fupplied ;---our Ignorance is informed,---our Corruption. is purified,---our Poverty is enriched,---our Blindness is enlightened,---and our Nakedness is clothed; and, how deficient foever we are in ourselves, we partake of the Fulness of him, that filleth all in all (g).

SHALL We then defpife, what we fo greatly need? Or difown, what we so plentifully receive?

(f) Rev. iii. 17.

(g) Ephef. i. 23.

receive? Nay, what, it is reasonable to be- SERM. lieve, Man both needed and received in his IV. Seafon of original Innocence, e'er he had defiled and weakened himfelf by the most ungrateful Rebellion against God. For, as a Creature, he could not be made allperfect, this being the incommunicable Property of the infinite Creator, and confequently muft require fome Support from a fuperior Power. He was formed, nor was it poffible for him to be formed otherwife than liable to Defilement and fubject to Sin, though pure and finlefs,---well-provided for standing compleat in Holiness by the Help of God, yet' capable of falling through the Abufe of his Liberty on the Temptation, as the Event proved.

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AND if Man ftood in no fmall Need of the Affiftance of his Maker, even during the Time of his unfullied Integrity, and in spite of it contracted Guilt and Pollution, mufti it not be much more neceffary for us under our fad and degenerate Circumstances? When an original Stain and univerfal Dépravity appear to have spread over the whole Race of Adam, in whom we were

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SERM. made Sinners (b). From whence it comes · IV. to pass, that we are conceived in Iniquity and born in Sin,---that as foon almoft as we come into the World, the fatal Propensity fhews itself, for we quickly go aftray and turn every one to his own Way,----that the whole World lieth in Wickedness (i),----. That in our Flesh dwelleth no good Things for to will is prefent with us, but how to perform that which is good, we find not,--but we fee another Law in our Members, warring against the Law of our Mind and bringing us into Captivity to the Law of Sin (k).

WHO now, that reflects with any Degree of Serioufnefs on the Apoftle's Defcription and his own Feeling, can have the Infolence to give the Scripture and his Heart the Lye,--to affert and pretend to reafon upon the Point, That there is no moral Defect in our Conftitution? It becomes us better to lie down in our Shame, and to acknowledge our Vilenefs, as we are not fufficient of ourselves to think any thing that is good, but our Sufficiency is of God (1): Nor should we have Power to do given us from above.

(b) Rom. v. 19.
(k) Rom. vii. 18, 23.

Good, were it not
Since our depraved
Affections

(i) 1 St. John v. 19.
(7) 2 Cor. iii. 5.

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Affections are continually drawing us into SER M. Sin and Vanity; and into thefe, fhould we .IV. be much oftener and much farther, than we are, hurried, did not God's preventing and reftraining Influence keep us back. For according to St. Paul, it is the Spirit, who giveth Life(m): Through him it comes to pafs, that we are enabled to rife to a fpiritual Life at prefent, and to prepare for an eternal Life to come. And according to out Bleffed Lord, Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God (n); where, as the general Obligation to make Ufe of the vifible Sign, and its being the ordinary Means of conveying the invisible Grace, are both afferted: So does it appear, that without the inward cleanfing of the Soul by the Spirit, the outward washing of the Body with Water can be of no Confequence; and unless, by the real and effectual, though, fecret and imperceptible Operation of the Holy Ghoft within him, the polluted Sinner is, as it were, made a new Creature,-has his Nature changed from Evil to Good, and being fo regenerated lives in due Conformity to the Divine Will, like a faithful Subject of the Kingdom of Grace, he shall

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(m) 2 Cor. iii. 6,

() St. John iii. 5.

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SERM. get no Admittance into the Kingdom of IV. Glory.

FROM the foregoing and many other like Paffages of holy Scripture may we learn, how neceffary it is for the Renewal of our inner Man, that Almighty God fhould vouchsafe us the gracious Supports of his bleffed Spirit; fo that this fundmental Article of his working in us to will and to do is built on the strongest Evidence, the Nature of the Difpenfation will admit of: Nor need we to add for its fuller Confirmation any more Proof than what is contained in the Words of St. Paul, from which the Neceffity of the Divine Succour towards mortifying the Deeds of the Body or fubduing our natural Corruptions is moft undeniably dif covered. If ye live after the Flesh, fays the Apoftle, ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the Deeds of the Body, ye shall live (o):

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AND that, what is thus neceffary on God's Behalf, is wrought always by him within us, we may be infallibly certain from his Word by Revelation,---from his Attributes by Reason.

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(0) Rom. viii. 13.

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