SER M. sumptuously imagine themselves to be in I. less danger than they really are.

THE Occafion of the Words, was This. Our Saviour having caft out a Devil, and healed the diseased person, so that he who had been dumb and blind, immediately both spake and faw; the People, astonished at the greatness of the Miracle, began to express their opinion, that he must needs be the Meffias, ver. 23; Upon which, certain Pharisees, hardened by their Malice and Hypocrify beyond all Conviction, suggested to the People, that poffibly it might be by Confederacy with the Prince of the Devils, that Jesus thus caft out Devils; ver. 24. To This our Saviour replies; Whatever is done by Confederacy with evil Spirits, must be something that promotes the Interest of the Kingdom of Satan, and not any thing directly contrary thereto; unless a Kingdom can be supported by Divifions within itself; ver. 25: Every Kingdom divided against itself, is brought to Desolation; and every City or House divided against itself, shall not stand. If therefore casting out Devils, and that

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in Proof of a Doctrine directly opposite to SERM. the Interest of the Kingdom of Satan, be a thing not to be done by Confederacy with Evil Spirits; than nothing, says he, can be more absurdly malicious, than this your Accufation of me; ver. 26; If Satan caft out Satan, be is divided against himfelf; how then shall bis Kingdom fstand? But if the thing itself be apparent; and ye cannot without extreme Unreasonableness and the utmost Degree of Malice, deny it, that what I do, is by the immediate Power of God; then here is a convincing Proof offered you, that I am truly sent from God, and that the Doctrine I preach is for the establishment of His Kingdom; ver. 28; But if I caft out Devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God is come unto you. For, as one's entring into a strong man's house, and forcibly difpofseffing him of his Goods, is an evident Demonstration, that he who so enters, is stronger and comes with greater Authority, than he that had the first Possession: So my breaking the Power of Devils, by cafting. them out of the Bodies, and destroying their Dominion over the Minds of Men, is

an

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SERM.an undeniable Proof of my being sent by a Power and Authority greater than theirs; ver. 29; Or else how can one enter into a strongs man's house and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his goods? The connexion of the followings Words, ver. 30, is more difficult to be understood; for they may feem at first fight to be abrupt, and independent on what went before; He that is not with me, is against me; and be that gathereth not with me, Scattereth abroad: But the True intent of them, is, to illustrate and confirm what went before, in fome such Manner as This: When two great Powers are at (open and ) irreconcileable Enmity against each other, even he who only forbears joining with one fide, is thereupon reputed to be against it; according to the usual Proverb, He that is not with me, is against me: How much more therefore (infers our Saviour) ought ye to believe that I, who have actually done fo much towards destroying the Power and Kingdom of the Devil, am really and in Truth acting in opposition againft him, and not by confederacy with him!

And

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And then he adds in the Words of the SERM. Text; Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of Sin and Blafphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, skall not be forgiven unto men. The meaning is: Since 'tis as evident, as 'tis, poffible for any thing to be, that the Works which I do, are by the immediate Authority of God, and by the Power of his Holy Spirit; Therefore whosoever shall refift this great Conviction, by so unreafonable and obstinate a degree of Malice, as to afcribe these very Works, these greateft and highest Evidences of Divine Authority, to the Power of the Devil; To fuch a Person God will never afford any further Means of Conviction: And therefore though all other Blafphemies and all particular Sins whatsoever, may be repented of and forgiven; yet He who is guilty of this Total corruption of Mind, this maliciously perverse and desperate Rejecting of the greatest and highest Conviction that God vouchsafes to afford men, shall never have granted him any further Means, of Repentance and Forgiveness. Every particular Kind, or Sort of Sin, whatsoever; VOL. VI. and

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SERM. and all other Blafphemies whatsoever, shall I. be forgiven men: Even he that speaks against Me, (fays our Lord,) in all other respects; or calumniates me, upon any other account whatsoever; and is not at first convinced by my preaching and Exhortations; may yet afterwards be convinced by the mighty Works he shall fee, and by the Power of the Holy Ghost; and so repent and be forgiven: But he who obstinately resists even this greatest and most extraordinary Method, which God has thought fit to make use of for the Converfion of Mankind; and maliciously reviles the most evident Operations of the Spirit of God; such a One has no further Means left, by which he might be convinced and brought to Repentance, and confeqently he can never be forgiven. Whofoever Speaketh a Word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him, but whoSoever Speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this World, neither in the World to come.

The Connexion and general Meaning of the Words being thus explained, I shall for the further and more particular clear