SER M. raelites in the Wilderness were guilty of, IX. when they faid; He fmote the ftony rock indeed, that the Waters flowed withal; but can be give Bread also, or provide Flef for bis People; Pf. lxxviii. 21? He hath preferved thee indeed in Other Dangers; but Caft thyself down from Hence, and, if he has a Favour to thee, will he preferve thee Then? When God has given men fufficient evidence of any Truth; to be still diffatisfied, and continually requiring Other Signs, is Tempting of God. Thus the Pf. xcv. 9. Jews in the Wilderness, tho' they faw God's works with their own eyes, yet continued to tempt him ten times; Num. xiv. 22. Thus the Pharifees, after the Voice from Heaven at our Saviour's Baptifm, and after many other miraculous works, yet ftill defire of him a Sign from Heaven, Matt. xvi. 1. Thus, after the Proof given to St Peter, of God's receiving the Gen tiles into the Gofpel-covenant; he calls it tempting of God, Acts xv. 10; to endeavour to put upon the necks of the Disciples the yoke of the Ceremonial Law. Thus, after the Proofs, God has given of his exiftence, by the works of Nature; and of

his Will, by the Revelation of the Gofpel; SER M. to call for more proofs, is à tempting of IX.

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God.

THE Third and Laft Temptation offered to our Lord, was Worldly Power, Glory, and Intereft: All these Kingdoms will I give thee, and the Glory of them, if thou wilt fall down and worship Me. The Greatest of all Temptations, is Riches, Honour and Power. Thefe are the great Incentives, to Luxury, Pride and TyranThe Profperity of Fools, deftroys them, Prov. i. 32: And, Man being in Honour, faith the Pfalmift, has no Understanding ; Pf.xlix, 20.

ny.

that is, is very apt to forget Himself, and his Duty. They that will be rich, fall into Temptation and a Snare, and into many foolish and hurtful Lufts, which drown men in deftruction and perdition. 1 Tim. vi. 9. Infomuch that our Saviour declares, Matt. xix. 23; that a Rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven: Hardly; that is, not that Riches themselves are any Fault, but because of the numerous Temptations they accidentally lead men into, in a vicious and corrupt World.

VOL. VI.

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SERM. IX. 2

THE Anfwer our Lord makes the Tempter upon this Laft Trial; Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him Only fhalt thou ferve; teaches us, that we must prefer before all things, the Service of God, and the Practice of true Religion: being always ready to reject, whatever fhall come in competition with our Duty; even the whole World, if offered to us at the purchase of Sin. If we be found of This difpofition; Lovers of Truth, and Doers of Righteousness; the Tempter will depart from us, as he did from our Lord ; and Angels will come, and adminifter unto us; and the Spirit of God will preferve and guide us unto eternal Life.

SERMON

Dans

SERMON X.

The Shortness and Vanity of Humane Life.

[Preached in Lent.]

JOB V. 6, 7.

Although Affliction cometh not forth of the Duft, neither doth Trouble Spring out of the Ground; yet Man is born unto Trouble as the Sparks fly upward.

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HERE is no Book in the Old SER M. X. Teftament, that has in it greater and fuller Acknowledgments, of the Glory and Power of God; nobler and more lively defcriptions, of the Works of Creation and Providence ; more moving and affectionate Declarations,

X.

SER M. of the Shortnefs and Vanity of Humane Life, and the Tranfitoriness of all worldly Enjoyments; frequenter and more explicit Expreffions of all the moral obligations of Religion, in their highest Improvement, in their most refined and exalted Senfe; clearer and plainer Significations, of the Hope of the beft and wifeft men, in antient Ages, concerning a Refurrection to a future Life; and of their trust and reliance upon God, even after he had given them over unto Death; than are to be met with, in this eloquent Book of Job.

BUT that which is more particularly the Design and Subject of the whole Book, is to represent to us the Character and Example, of a Man perfect in his generation, and of unspotted Integrity, a Man that feared God and efchewed Evil; whose Strength God was pleafed to try with one of the greatest Calamities that is ever recorded to have fallen on any of the Sons of men; Under which, his behaviour was fuch, that in all that fevere tryal he finned not, nor charged God foolishly; nor suffered his Integrity to depart from him till he

died :