against the king of Babylon, who had made him fwear by God: but he ftiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning to the Lord God of Ifrael. 2 Chron.xxxvi.

11-13.

Perjury and rebellion against the higher powers are the two principal fnares and traps of Satan, in which he catches and entangles thousands. In this bour of temptation thefe are the fins which the tempter lays at poor finners doors; and when either of thefe are admitted in, they pave the way for Satan himfelf to come into the heart. The devil was the first murderer; and when he takes poffeffion, he keeps revenge, malice, blood, and flaughter, boiling up in the heart, as he did in the heart of Cain: and fure I am, that no power under heaven can caft this fpirit out, but that of God himself. Tom Paine was involved in the guilt of perjury before he wrote, for he had been an officer in the excife; and when he had broke through his oath, he foon breathed forth his rebellion against the higher powers; and fince that against God himself.

But in the fear of the Lord is firong confidence; and his children fhall have a place of refuge. The obedient Jews found God a little fanctuary in Babylon. The nations at large, who obeyed the voice of God, kept their own lands, and were under the protection of Providence, when thouiands of the others perished: and though fome few of the Jews might gain fettlements in Babylon and elsewhere, and being not fuffered to return with the reft of the Jews at their re

turn

turn from captivity, might think themselves fafe and fecure enough, but not fo, for feventy years after their going forth, God fent his curfe after them, which was to dwell with them till their very houses were confumed by it. Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and locked, and behold, a flying roll. And be faid unto me, What feeft thou? And I answered, I fee a flying roll, the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof ten cubits. Then faid he unto me, This is the curfe that goeth forth over the face of the whole earth: for every one that stealeth, shall be cut off as on this fide, according to it: and every one that fweareth, fhall be cut off as on that fide, according to it. I will bring it forth, faith the Lord of hofts, and it shall enter into the boufe of the thief, and into the boufe of bim that fweareth falfely by my name: and it shall remain in the midst of his house, and shall confume it, with the timber thereof, and the ftones thereof. Zech.v.1-4. This flying roll contained the fame with that which Zedekiah burnt. The prophet was ordered to write another; and this part of the roll, that fled to Babylon, contained the curfes denounced against the rebels: there is no going from God's Spirit; there is no fleeing from his prefence.

Nor is our nation the only one that is plunged into this guilt of perjury. I have no doubt but the greater part of thofe who brought the French king to the block were thofe who had fworn true allegiance to him: this may be read in the judgment that overtook them. Yea, the whole Roman em

pire feems to be infected with this prefent prevailing fin of nations; and it must be fo; for this hour of temptation fhall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Rev. iii. 1o. Wherever this spirit of difaffection runs, thither the temptation goes; and Satan will ply them the hardest with it, who have bound themfelves to their fovereigns with the most facred oaths.

And any watchful eye may fee the wrath of God pursue the falfe fwearers. Two persons, if I forget hot, called minifters of God, who had taken the above oaths, are gone to Botany-bay: one, if not more, are, or have been, confined in gaols; and how many of the perjured failors came to an ignominious death, I cannot tell; but two of them, if report be true, confeffed before their awful exit that their first step to ruin was reading Tom Paine's books: in thefe, Paine's fins are open beforehand, and gone before him to judgment; and those who ftole away the king's frigate, and murdered their officers, and then carried her into one of the ports of Spain, will not efcape the juftice of God.

I believe the time of the Jews' temptation lafted fome years, from the rumours of the war to the taking of the city; and no doubt but this was done, that all who feared God might efcape; for he is long suffering to us ward. And this of ours, which is a reacting of that, hath continued a good while, and no doubt for the fame purpose; for many who, I believe, fear God, are at this time entangled in Satan's fnare, who

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must come out of it; for they must be kept from this hour of temptation (or from being ruined by it) who keep the word of his patience. I have known fome pious fouls who, by the infernal diligence of unfeeling men, have been fadly fliffened in the neck by Satan, as well as Zedekiah; but God hath convinced them of their error, and undeceived them, and their fouls have fmarted forely for their madness. One of thefe is a gentleman of the faculty, now living at Woolwich. These have escaped the fnare of the fowler, and fo it must be; for he that feareth God fhall come forth of them all. Eccl. vii. 18. God's command to us is, Let every foul be fubject to the higher powers. His promife is, Do good, and thou fhalt have praife of the fame. Yea, and a good confcience: Ye must be fubject, for confcience fake. This is our watchword in this hour of temptation. His threatening is, They that refift, refift the ordinance of God, and fhall receive to themselves damnation. This is God's fentence and denunciation against the rebellious; and thus I have given a portion to feven, and alfo to eight; for I know not what evil shall be upon the earth. Eccl. xi. 2. Many warnings and cautions have I given you from this pulpit, when the devil

fent forth one of his drummers to beat a march to the Holy Land: I told you it was a trick of the devil, which gave great offence to fore, who foon after prepared for the journey; but they have been afhamed to fhow their heads fince. When the great converter of the Jews fell down from the moon, I

told you he was nothing but a prefumptuous impoftor; and the expedition to convert the pagans was nothing elfe but one of Satan's rattles, intended to make a flir, and collect a crowd together, only to amufe them, and divert their minds from attending to the things that make for their peace. And when that great power, like Simon Magus, came among you from Plymouth, who had ftudied the art of moving the paffions, I told you that the devil, and none but the devil, was in him: and in which of thefe affertions have I appeared a falfe prophet? Here I am; teftify against me: but you cannot ; nor fhall you find me a falfe prophet in this matter.

Moreover, you have heard that God hath promiled, that in every temptation he will, with the temptation, make a way for his people's escape, that they may be able to bear it. Ifracl efcaped in Egypt, when Pharaoh and his hoft, who rebelled against God, were deftroyed. Thofe that obeyed the voice of God by Jeremiah, fled to Babylon, and found God, and feveral eminent prophets raifed up there: Daniel was a minifter of state; Mordecai in the houfe of Haman; Esther queen of the empire; and Ezra was the king's cup-bearer. The heathen nations, who yielded obedience to God, kept their kingdoms. Juft before Jerufalem's laft deftruction, the watchwords went forth: Behold, the judge tandeth before the door; whereby we know it is the laft times; wrath is come upon them to the uttermoft. When the rumours of the Romish war went forth, the children of thie

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