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invifible, wicked Men and wicked Spi-SER M.. rits, was stirred up against him to fuch VIII. a degree, that he Thus fpeaks concerning Himself, Joh. xii. 27; Now is my Soul troubled, and what fhall I fay? Father, fave me from this Hour: and concerning his Enemies, Luke xxii. This is your 53; Hour, and the Power of Darkness. The Effect was, that he was delivered into the Hands of Wicked men, to be crucified and flain. And when the Enemy of man's Salvation, and the Enemies of their own Salvation, thought they had thus entirely put an End to the Doctrine of Chrift by his Death; the Wisdom of God, on the contrary, brought it to pass, (which was the Mystery hid from the Foundation of the World,) that by this very means, even through Death, he deftroyed Him that had Heb.ii. 14. the Powor of Death, that is, the Devil: According to That Prediction of his own, fpoken just before his Paffion, but not understood till after his Refurrection, Joh. xii. 31: Now is the Judgment of this World, now shall the Prince of this World be caft out: And ch. xvi. 11; Of Judgment, becaufe the Prince of this World is judged.

SERM.

THE only Obfervation I fhall add fur→ VIII. ther upon This Head is, that whereas it is affirmed in This Hiftory, that Satan entred into Judas, and put it in his Heart to betray his Mafter; it is not to be underftood, either in Judas's, or in any other Wicked man's cafe, that the Devil's tempting them is any manner of excufe or Extenuation of their Sin. For the Devil can but fuggeft, even as Wicked men do one to another. And, being Tempted, or having Evil fuggefted to them, is no Sin. Sin confifts wholly in the Confent of the Will, approving and putting in practice the Evil fuggefted. Over which Confent of the Will, the Devil has no Power; but it is owing entirely to the Wickedness of the man's own Heart, chufing to do the Evil which it ought to have refufed. And therefore the Question is put by St Peter to Ananias, ( Acts v. 3;) by way of aggravation and fevere Reproof of his Crime why hath Satan filled thine Heart? that is, what Excufe can you have, for complying with fo vile a Temptation of the Devil, which you ought to have rejected with all Abborrence?

;

BUT

BUT concerning This, (which is a SER M.
practical Inference from the whole,) I VIII.
shall have occafion to speak further, in
the following Discourse.

aft Clarke most certainly is not better master of this subject.

+

than other Divines. Theis reasoning rems à perfect contradiction to our common inset of thin representedt of equal, power

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oppos

copstas created

ally yo

C.

to God, was Kreigns ramnihotent have been created

never cand be god to the always endeavouring to counteract gods, Ettubues of mercy & perfection & will to redeem his creatures from their evil sins

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ways..

SERMON

N

SERMON IX.

Of our SAVIOUR's Temptation.

[A Sermon preached in Lent.]

MA T T. iv. 1.

Then was fefus led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness, to be tempted of the De

vil.

I

IX.

N difcourfing upon the Ac-SER M♪ count the Scripture gives us of our Saviour's Temptation, I propofed it to confider the feveral Difficulties, which, in That portion of the Gospel-History, may seem to want more particular Explica tion and 2dly, to deduce from thence

fuch