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APPLI. CON. Excufes for neglecting the ordinances, obviated. 249 them; but infinite hazard, in either reglecting to come; or in coming without the wedding garment; in the fenfe of the parable as here introduced. It is a hazard equal to the worth of the foul, and the feelings of the perfon to all eternity.

But I am of opinion, that that parable has a more extensive meaning than merely as above introduced. And the man without the wedding garment reprefents all fuch as live under the light of the Gofpel; whether they have ever perfonally joined

to the Church or not.

And the addrefs to every Chriftless perfon, having lived in a land of Gospel light, under the means of grace; will be, Friend how cameft thou in kither? That is, how camest thou to live under the light of the Gospel all thy days, and haft never embraced the Gofpel? Muft not this ftrike thofe that have never paid fo much regard to the Gofpel as to profefs it, as pungently as thofe who have? Both having the fame means and opportunities. Can they meet fuch a demand with any better anfwer? Muft not all be equally fpeechlefs? So that here is not the leaft fhadow of grounds for any lefs haz. ard, out of the Church, than in.

The next excufe, is, They are afraid they fhall not live up to their profeffion; and they had better not vow, than to vow, and not perform.

The mistake and fallacy of this excufe may very much appear in what is faid as to the foregoing particular: It being there fhown that there is no finning fafely, out of the Church more than in it. And this feems to fuppofe the making a faving of hazard in finning, by not profeffing religion. And this is fuppofed to be fupported, by thofe words, viz. It is better that thou fhouldest not vow, than that thou fhouldelt wow, and not pay. But there is a

250 Coming to G's ordinances, nothing like a von ArTEL.CON. great miftake in comparing the joining to the Church or coming up to God's inflituted ordinances, to a vow. For vows or free-will offerings, were a promise of fomething to the Lord, which was not before required of the perfon, but when he had promifed it, he then was ftrictly obligated to perform: But a vow or free-will offering could not be made of any thing which God required by his law. Thus in the law regulating vows, Lev. xxvii. 26. Of the firftlings of the beafs no man fhall fan&tify it, IT IS THE LORD's. What God claimed as his, or required by his law, no man could make a vow or free-will offering of that. Thus as to every perfon in a land of light, God requires of him to attend all his ordinances, and it is not left for any perfon to fay whether he will or Will not all allow, that the authority of God, the Lord and fovereign of the univerfe, is as great. as the authority of men? and when any perfon is born and educated in a flate; or comes from any foreign ftate or country into a ftate, he is under obligation to obey the laws of the state where he is, whether he fays he will, or not.. But if he pleases to make a prefent to the state, or to any individu. al; that is another thing, that is the fame as a vow, in religious matters,

not.

Thus may be seen the entire difference between coming up to God's inftituted ordinances, and the making of vows. The coming up to all. God's-inflituted ordinances, being what he pofitively requires, It is the Lord's. Therefore, for any one to do it, or neglect it, as being a vow, is of the nature of facrilege, a robbing of God. Therefore it is a great millake to fuppofe that the liberty of entering into vows, or not; gives any countenance to the omiffion of any of God's inftituted ordinancese

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It is alfo this fame mistake that many people are under, in fuppofing that what Chrift fays of bringing a gift to the Altar, Mat. v. 23, means coming to the Lord's Table; or is any way applicable to it. Thus I hope all thofe mifapprehenfions and miftakes, which many ferious thoughtful perfons labor under, detering them from God's inftituted ordinances, are fully obviated. And I hope those more inattentive may be benefited thereby; dif cerning therein the fatal mistakes they are refting upon, in their fecurity of mind. Yet I will fay a few things more directly as to the fituation and excufes they reft in.

It appears to me a matter devoutly to be lamented that perfons should be trained up in a habit of thinking or feeling, as if they were not under obligation to obferve God's ordinances unless they perfonally engage, that it is a vow, and fo long as they do not vow, they are not obligated. This is indeed true as to vows, and fo long as perfons fuppofe it to be a vow, fo long they naturally feel fafe in negle&ing God's ordinances. And the church, confidering and treating baptized perfons as not belonging to, or in covenant with the Church, is really making nothing of their baptifm, and it neceffarily generates in the apprehenfions and feelings of the rifing generation, a fixed habitual fenfation that their baptifm is noth-, ing, of no confequence; and as to the other Sacrament, they are trained up to believe they are not criminal for neglecting that, fo long as they have not vowed! And thus the Sacraments are both made light of; treated as of no great confcquence, as being of little or no importance. And it naturally forms a habit of thinking and feeling, that they are moft fafe, not to approach the Sacra

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The Devil hates Sacraments.

APPLI. CON.

And fuch conclufion is doubtless true, if fuch treatment of the matter as above noticed, is

right.

But let every one pause here, and folemnly inquire what this leads to. Is not this setting at nought the authority of God, who has inflituted the Sacraments? and fo ftrictly enjoined the obfervance of them? And is not this virtually an impeach. ment of the divine wisdom and goodness of God, as inftituting futile ordinances, and making much of them, when they are of little or no importance ?

I will not fuppofe that any body means fo. But I fully believe there is the hand of the tempter, in all this; Of that old ferpent called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; Rev. xii. 9. aa Who began very early with the firft human pair, and feduced our firft parents. He has al ways had it his primary object, to fet at nought, and pervert God's Sacraments; that was the first we hear of him. And he has been pursuing that

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Although perhaps this Text alone, might be fufficient to justify me in afcribing fo much to the agency of the Devil, as in the fubfequent pages; yet fince many are unwilling to admit, that there is any fuch thing as angelic agency in carrying on the affairs of this world; it may not be impertinent to notice fome of the many paffages in Scripture that plainly affert fuch agency.

Waving the many places in Scripture fhowing that God effectuates his fpecial difpenfations of providence by Angelic miniftration: We may notice fome places fhowing that he thus carries on his ordinary providence, efpecially toward the righteous, thofe that truft in him.

Of the many places to this purpofe, we may notice that Pfalm xci, 11, 12. "For he fhall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They fhall bear thee` up in their hands, left thou dah thy foot against a ftone." We find alfo that the Apofle to the Heb. fpeaks of the Angels as miniftering spirits, fent forth to minifter for them that shall be keirs if falvation, Chap. 1 verfe 14.

APPLI. CON. 8 The Devil's agency in this World.

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object ever fince; efpecially fince Chrifl the Son of God was manifeft in the flesh, has conquered the Devil, and is exalted on high. Before that c vent, that old Infidel doubtlefs hoped to defeat Chrift of his incarnation and exaltation, but now,' that is cftablished in fact; yet he exerts himfelf to have it difbelieved, and to pervert whatever announces, or indicates that truth. And the Sacraments, fo dire&tly lead to Chrift, and exhibit that truth in fuch fenfible tokens; the Devil fpecially exerts his faculty of deception to pervert them. He indeed perverted God's worship before. But the Sacraments were then fo involved in fhadows, that perhaps he did not diftinguifh them, from other fhadows; however he perverted God's inflitutions of worship then, to idolatry. But fince the paffion of Chrift, and God's inftitutions are difincumbered

But it is not fo dire& to my prefent purpose to dwell on the agency of good Angels, in carrying on the affairs of this world; as to notice and fhow that the evil Angels are active in the fcenes of providence; having power when permitted, to affect both the bodies and minds of mankind; to operate on other animals, and on the elements. Witness what Satan did to Job's body. What he did to the elements, to destroy Job's fubftance. What he did to the minds of Ahab and his prophets. What he did to the fwine, which he hurried in to the fea. But it does not appear, that the devil is fent by God, in the fenfe that good Angels are; but is conftantly Joving about and watching his opportunity to do mischief and if he were not reftrained by God, would make the molt awful havock in the world that can be imagined. This is evident from what he has done, when God for fovereign purposes; or for Judgment, has permitted him. But we are abundantly taught in Scripture, that the Devil is always bufy, endeavoring to deceive, feduce and deftroy mankind : And if he can do no more, at least to deceive them into things to difhonor Chrift, and wound their own fouls. He is ftyled, the God of this World, 2 Cor. iv. 4. The prince of the power of the air-works in the children of disobedience, Eple

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