^ Qu. 'difference of the power' 1 — Ed.
VeR. 8.] SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III. 49
wheat, Luke xxii. 33. He knoweth that creatures are mutable, and those that miscarry not in one condition yet may in another : 'Ephraim is a cake not turned,' Hosea vii. 8, and he himself is subtle and full of wiles and methods. Now shall we carelessly wink, or put our foot in the snare ? Christ warneth us frequently to take heed. There is no sleeping in the midst of so great danger. There is a remnant of his seed within you, which will betray you to him if you be not wary. Many that have begun in the spirit have ended in the flesh. Per- severance only must put on the crown. Therefore beware of the wounds of wilful sins ; these give Satan a great advantage against us : Ps. xix. 13, 'Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins.' By committing any deliberate act of known sin, you are in that so far an imitator of Satan. Well, then, since the renewed are yet but in the way, and not at the end of the journey, they are not wholly exempted from the power and malice of the tempter : ' Therefore be sober and watchful, for your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour,' 1 Peter v. 8. He speaketh to the converted. Though Satan prevaileth not over a renewed man so far as to rule in him, yet he leaveth not to assault him, if it were but to vex him. The capital enemy of man's salvation watcheth all advan- tages against them ; though the door of a believer's heart be shut, yet he is searching and trying if he can spy but the narrowest passage, or the least opportunity whereby he may again re-enter bis old posses- sion, or exercise his former tyranny, or recover his interest in the heart ; therefore we are warned, Eph. iv. 27, ' not to give place to the devil.' We do so by our pride, passion, vanity, or worldliness ; but by hearkening to him we do but give up our throat to the murderer, who would fain draw us to some acts of gross sin, whereby to dishonour God : 2 Sam. xii. 14, ' Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme.' And destroy our peace : Ps. xxxii. 3, 4, ' When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long ; for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me : my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.' And fearful havoc is made in the soul : Ps. li. 10-12, * Create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit.'
SERMON XIII.
For this purpose the Son of God icas manifested, that he might destroy the ivorks of the devil. — 1 John iii. 8.
I HAVE often spoken of what Christ doth for the appeasing of God ; I shall now speak of what he doth for the vanqui.shing of Satan.
In the words consider — (1.) The way the Son of God took to do us good ; (2.) His end and design therein.
VOL. XX r. D
50 SERMONS UPON ] JOHN III. [SeR. XIII.
1. The way the Son of God took to do us good, ' He was mani- fested;' thereby is meant his coming in the flesh, 1 Tim. iii. 16, together with all the acts of his mediation performed in our nature. God had foretold that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head, Geri, iii. 15 ; in our nature would Christ foil and con- quer Satan.
2. The end and the design ; for this cause, ' That he might destroy the works of the devil.' Wherein observe —
[1.] An act; to destroy. The word signifieth also to dissolve or untie, to loosen a chain or untie a knot, and so implieth that sins are so many chains, cords, and snares, wherein we are bound. We are en- snared and entangled in a course of sin till Christ untied the knot : Hosea iv. 17, ' Ephraim is joined to idols.' So joined that he cannot be divided from them ; concorporate with his idols. And we are bound over to punishment : Lam. i. 14, ' The yoke of transgressions is bound by his hands, they are wreathed and come upon my neck ; ' and the wicked are said to be holden with the cords of his sins, Prov. V. 22.
[2.] The object, ' The works of the devil,' whereby is meant sin. The former part of the verse cleareth that, ' He that committeth sin is of the devil ; ' and sins are called his lusts, John viii. 44. The devil is the author of sin, and suggests sin, and hath a power over us by reason of sin. Sin is his work ; he doth not only sin himself, but in- stigate others to sin,
Doct. The design of Christ's coming into the world was to unravel the devil's work, or to destroy the kingdom of sin and Satan.