A Difcourfe delivered at York, the 30th Day of the Sixth WH Month, 1769. HEN that great and eminent inftrument, Paul the apostle of our Lord Jefus Chrift, had fuccefsfully labored in planting the Christian churches, he left a caution to thofe amongst whom he had laboured, which retains its force and validity throughout all the ages of the militant church; amongst all people of all names, but in a particular manner, to those who profess the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a hope of falvation by him. Be not deceived (he proceeds further to evince the neceflity of this caution) God is not mocked! fuch as every man fows, such shalt he reap if he fow to the flesh he shall reap corruption; but if he fow to the Spirit, of the Spirit he shall reap life everlasting.* : I have no fort of doubt of this caution being from divine inspiration, recorded as a lasting watchword to all that would run so as to obtain, and persevere without fainting, to a peaceful and happy conclufion; and I apprehend it is not either unfeasonable, or out of the line of my prefent duty, to renew the caution to each individual within the audience of my voice; inafmuch as he that betrays and deceives, was a liar and a murderer from the beginning, † exercising those destructive offices upon the unguarded, unwatchful, and de * ceived mind: for even where the fountain of light and understanding hath been opened to a discovery of those things effentially neceflary to falvation, there he hath not been wanting to present himself, amongst the sons of God, the immediate production of his enlightening and enlivening power. Satan has endeavoured to introduce the powers of darkness, and his endeavours remain too fuccefsful. He exercises every power of deception, according to the various ftates and conditions of men, and he prevails with many to become like the Felixes and the Gallios, who defer repentance to a convenient feafon, † and that care for none of these things, to fhut up their minds against religion and religious impressions; and to bring them more and more into the lift of those fools who make a mock of fin, § and are offending the God that made them; who live in this world without the fear of God before their eyes, or a reverence towards him; and these he endeavours to fortify in the paths of scepticism and infidelity; and to bring them under the influence of corruption. He has fuggefted, and been too fuccefsful in the fuggeftion, that there is no fuperior power to whom we are accountable. This is adapted to the defires of fome who would gladly have him divefted of those attributes which are painful to their view; and here the enemy has been too much fuffered to prevail with + Acts xxiv. 25. + c. xviii. 17. || Pfalm xxxvi. 1. Job i. 6. some unhappy minds, to depart from the joyous, lightsome, pleasant and delightful paths of true Christianity and godliness, into the devious paths of error and deception; and to remain in that unhappy ftate, I confess appears to me, a compendium of mifery without hope, and without God in the world; but as it is productive of prefent ease, these have loft fight of future happiness; as it proposes immediate gratification, and prefents the flowery paths of pleasure, it has many vo taries, and has been adopted by numbers of poor deceived mortals, who endeavour to confine their profpects to present things, without looking towards that futurity, the boundless abyfs of eternity which awaits them! I would gladly hope there are not many, if there are any, of the number (within the audience of my voice) of thofe fools, who have faid in their heart, "There is no God;" that have fo far fuffered themfelves to be drawn into the power of deception, as to fay or even to imagine, that there is no first moving caufe, nor God, the Lord of all the world; but this is evidently the production of a delufive fpirit, who attempts to infinuate a disbelief in the reality of a divine existence. All creation proclaims a. God, and prefents such a testimony to man, as renders it impoffible to hefitate in point of belief, that fuch a being exifts, whofe power and goodness is eminently difplayed throughout the whole extent of his creation; yet notwithstanding this acknowledgment, there is a neceffity to caution some not to be deceived, who though they own a fuperintendency, and care over the works of God in the external creation, yet, fuch is their grofs infatuation, as to deny his providential regard and care over the far nobler part of the vifible creation, his creature man. They proceed even fo far as to acknowledge the circulation of the feafons, the productions of the earth, with a variety of external parts of created na- · ture, to proceed from the fixed appointment of infinite wisdom, and are fupported by an almighty hand; but they are unwilling to admit the certainty of his immediate providence, care and regard towards that constituent part, the human creation; which is of infinitely greater importance than thofe. tabernacles of clay which are but for a feafon, and in the course of nature ceafe to exift. This has been one of the effects of grofs deception, impofed upon the understandings of mankind, and which an unwearied enemy has from age to age endeavoured to propagate upon the earth, thereby to withdraw the foul from the fource of true happiness, wherein it might be enabled to refist every evil inftigation, which may be laid to enfnare the unguarded mind. There are some, who, though they acknowledge the glory of his providence, proclaimed in the external manifeftations of his greatnefs and goodness, yet are not fufficiently convinced, not fufficiently willing to admit the grace of God, or his divine and powerful word, as necessary to influence their conduct, and prefide over the will of man in its fpiritual race towards everlasting glory. They are ready to uphold the fuffi ciency of human reason, the faculties of reafon and rational powers, which infinite wisdom has seen meet to give us for government and direction, with regard to things fimply pertaining to the moral rectitude of our conduct in the common concerns of this life; but there is a further affistance in the exercise of those faculties and reasoning powers, which the creator of mankind fees meet in mercy to favour us with for our advancement; and by which alone we are made capable of an admiffion into the kingdom of God. "Be not deceived." There has been a lofs fuftained by all people, of all names and diftinctions, to religion, who have endeavoured to intrench themfelves within an imaginary fecurity, within the bounds of natural powers and natural religion, and the exercise of those reasoning faculties of their own minds: there has been reafon mixed with the commandments; and the laws of nature maintained as a fufficient guide in our religious duties. It is a partial leaning to our own understandings, thus 'to advocate our own caufe from the reasoning faculties of the human mind, unassisted by that enlivening efficacious principle of light and truth, derived from the grace and love of God, which is of a higher nature, and of far greater excellence than all the powers of reason; and would open upon the view of the attentive mind, thofe divine effential truths which it is |