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my text: And he faid unto me, My grace is fufficient for thee.

You will obferve, that, after all his intreaties, the Lord did not grant him the precife thing he had afked; but he gave him what was better, and more fuited to his condition. Paul needed an antidote against fpiritual pride; and as the thorn in the flesh was neceffary for that end, it would have been no act of kindness to have taken it away: and therefore our Lord, who knew his fervant better than he knew himself, prolongs the trial, but at the fame time affures him of grace to fupport him under it. This meffenger of Satan must not be fent away, left thou shouldft forget thy dependence upon me: but I will stand by thee, and strengthen thee to bear his affaults and buffetings; that, feeling thine own weaknefs, and the power of my grace, thy foul may be kept at an equal distance from prefumption on the one hand, and from diftruft on the other; both which extremes are utterly inconfiftent with the duties of my fervice, and the happinefs of my people. E e

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VOL. II.

According

According to this view of the words, I propofe, in dependence upon divine aid,

I. To guard you against pride and felfconfidence, by giving you a true reprefentation of that weak and impotent state into which we are fallen by our apostasy from God; and,

II. For your encouragement, I shall lead your thoughts to that all-fufficient grace which is treasured up in Chrift, whereby the weakest of his people are enabled to . endure the buffetings of Satan, and shall finally prevail against all their spiritual enemies.

I. THAT I may guard you against pride and felf-confidence, I fhall lay before you a plain and fcriptural account of that weak and impotent state into which we are fallen by our apostasy from God.

It were eafy to quote a variety of paffages which expressly affert the corruption of human nature, and man's utter inability to do any thing that can be effectual for his own recovery: but I need only appeal to every man who reads the facred oracles

with ferioufnefs and impartiality, whether this doth not appear to be a fcripture doctrine from the very face of the revelation, and the uniform ftrain of the word of God.

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Doth not the method of falvation by Je-. fus Chrift, neceffarily fuppofe the whole human race to be in a state of guilt, pollution, and weakness? Do not the promises of taking away the heart of ftone, and giving a heart of flesh, plainly imply, that these works are peculiar to God, and that man is unable to do fuch great things for himself? Would God command us to pray to him for these ineftimable bleffings, if we were able to procure them by our own wifdom and strength? nay, would it not be a mocking of God, to apply to him for that which we are already poffeffed of, or may acquire when we choofe, without his interpofition or aid? Besides, are we not told, "good and perfect gift is from above, and "cometh down from the Father of lights?" Is not our fanctification every where attributed to the Spirit of God? and are not the faints denominated "God's workmanship, "created

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"created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, "which God hath before ordained, that -Are not.

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they should walk in them ?""love, joy, peace, long-fuffering, gentleness, "goodness, faith, meeknefs, temperance,' exprefsly faid to be "the fruits of the Spi"rit?" nay, are we not told, that it is "God who worketh in us to will, and to "do of his good pleafure ?"Surely, my brethren, if we judge of the Scriptures by the fame rules that we judge of any other book; nay, unless we fuppofe that they were artfully contrived to mislead us; we must be sensible, that the abfolute neceffity of fupernatural grace, is not only clearly af ferted in Scripture, but that this doctrine is fo intimately connected with all the other parts of divine revelat on, that the whole muft ftand or fall with it.

This is further confirmed by the concurring teftimony of all the faints of whofe experiences, in the fpiritual life, we have any accounts recorded in Scripture. They all join in the moft humiliating acknowledgements of their guilt, pollution, and weakness; disclaiming the praise of any

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good thing that was in them, and ascribing the undivided glory of all that they poffef fed, or hoped to enjoy, to the free unmerited grace of God. How pathetically did David bewail the corruption of his nature, (Pfal. li. 5.)! 1. 66 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive "me." And what a deep fenfe did he exprefs of his inability to cleanse or purify himself, when he addreffed God in fuch terms as thefe, verfe 10.!" Create in me a "clean heart, O God, and renew a right "fpirit within me." But left any should be fo injurious as to fufpect that David might have spoken after this manner, to apologise for his criminal conduct in the matter of Uriah, which gave occafion to that Pfalm let us hear what the Apostle Paul faith of himself, whofe character is not liable to any fuch objection, Rom, vii. 18. et. feq. " I "know, that in me (that is, in my flesh). "dwelleth no good thing: for to will is

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prefent with me; but how to perform that " which is good, I find not.-I find then a "law, that when I would do good, evil is prefent with me. For I delight in the Ee 3

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