LECT. do we fee, who have no greater diversion, X. than to impofe upon the innocent, and tertify people with vain fears, or mock at them when they are betrayed into real dangers. The wife man, confidering how fools make a mock at fin; how outrageous men are in their mirth, how perverfe in their ways, how corrupt and irrational in their pleasures, pronounces upon them in plain terms; the heart of the fons of men is full of evil, yea madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.* (Ratione expulfà, fenfuq. religionis amoto, quæ immanitas, quæ feritas, quæ dementia non illico exoritur?) without true religion to fober them and bring them to a right mind, men are in fact as much out of the way as lunatics; and worse in one refpect, that they are still accountable as free agents for that reason which vice has extinguished. The man who does not fee and confider that he is come into this world to be faved by Jefus *Monita & præcepta Chriftiana, p. 104. † Eccles. ix. 3. Chrift, pur X. Chrift, is an ideot to all intents and LECT. racter. Miferable is the condition of men under temptation or poffeffion from evil fpirits but the power of grace fets us free from their terrors, with those comfortable words, Who is he that shall harm you if ye be followers of that which is good? As a pledge to affure us of which, our Saviour gave to his apostles an evident fuperiority powers of darkness: Behold I give you power to tread on ferpents and Scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.* Who is this enemy? ? The The enemy of Chrif tians is the devil; and fuch poisonous ver over the min as ferpents and fcorpions are the em *Luke x. 19. T blems LECT. blems of him and his children. A mira X. culous power over these creatures which hurt the body, was an outward afsurance to the world, that he who wounds the soul shall have no power to hurt a Christian. When the viper fastened on the hand of Paul, he shook him off into the fire from whence he came: and thither, into the element prepared for him, fhall the devil be shaken off by the faith of those whom he affaults. Another great miracle, and the last I shall take notice of, is that of our Saviour ftilling the raging of the fea, and delivering his disciples in a ftorm. We, like them, are embarked with Chrift in the ark of his church, and are fubject to many dangers and terrors upon the waves of this troublesome world. So long as we are in the world, we shall be exposed to the cares and troubles of this mortal life. Sometimes the elevations of pride and ambition lift us up toward the heaven; at other times disappointment and defpair oppress us, and the deep threatens to swallow us up: X. up: while the Saviour in whom we have LECT. trusted seems to fleep, as if he were leav ing us to perish in the storm. But the prayer of faith will at laft awake him: we are therefore to truft in the worst of times, that he who rebuked the winds and the sea, when his difciples cried out, Lord fave us, we perish, will after the fame example fave us when we pray to him; that he will leffen our cares, and quiet our paffions, and restore us to peace, so that there shall be a great calm : the winds shall drop, the fun shall shine out, and there shall be peace of conscience, which is the greatest calm in this world. Thus it appears that all the miracles of Christ have a figurative acceptation. From them we learn all the diftempers of our fouls, and where we are to apply for the cure of them. To X. LECT. the power of Chrift was exercised in fuch works of falvation as were proper to his character as the Saviour of Souls; fo there is a furprising agreement between the outward works of the devil on the perfons of men, and his inward works upon their minds; infomuch that his character, as a deftroyer, is not lefs evident in the fcripture, than that of Jefus Chrift as a Saviour. From fome opportunities fatan had of fhewing his power, we fee how it is exercifed. When fome ftrolling Jews took upon them to deliver one that was poffeffed, the man, in whom the evil spirit was, leapt upon them, as a lion would leap upon his prey, and they fled out of that house naked and wounded. He who here ftrips men, and tears off their clothes, is the fame that left Adam naked in paradife; who delights still to repeat the fame act, or even to fee the fhadow of it in nakednefs and wretchedness: therefore the poor demoniac, who refided among the tombs, ware no clothes.* * Luke viii. 27. When |