Seventhly and lastly, which falls heaviest upon SER M. them of all, the chief prophecies of the new teftament, which are concerning falfe prophets, and concerning Antichrift, have marked him out by this character, that he should be a great worker of miracles, and magnify himself upon this pretence. Matt. xxiv. 24. "For there fhall arife falfe chrifts, and "falfe prophets, and fhall fhew great figns and wonders, infomuch that (if it were poffible) they "fhall deceive the very elect." And, 2 Theff. ii. 9, 10. St. Paul foretels there, that in the great degeneracy and falling away of the chriftian church, "the man of fin fhould come after the working of "Satan, with all power, and figns, and wonders of lies," that is, either falfe miracles, or miracles wrought to confirm falfe doctrines, and "with all "deceivableness of unrighteoufnefs," all the legerdemain and juggling tricks of falfhood and impofture: and certainly nothing was ever, more visible than these are in the church of Rome; whether we confider their impudent forgeries of writings, (which they have not the face now to deny) or the nature and character of their miracles. So that though Bellarmine is pleased to make miracles one of the marks of the true church, yet the miracles of the church of Rome, if we confider all the circumstances of them, are one of the plaineft marks of Antichrift, and the very brand of the beaft, as we find him described, Rev. xiii. 13, 14. "And he doth great wonders, and deceiveth them that dwell on the "earth, by the means of thofe miracles which he had power to do.". And now the church of Rome may be allowed to work miracles; and yet divine miracles, fuch as CCXXXI. SERM.were wrought for the firft confirmation of christiaCCXXXI. nity, may be ceased in the church: which is a fuffi cient answer to the objection, and upon the whole matter fhews, that the miracles pretended to in the church of Rome are fo far from giving any confirmation to her doctrines, that they are rather an evident proof that she is the apoftate and anti-christian church. I might now draw two or three inferences from this whole difcourfe. As, I. We have great reafon to admire the wifdom and goodness of GOD in the difpenfation of the gospel, that by the fending down of his holy Spirit to endow the first publishers of this heavenly doctrine with fuch miraculous gifts and powers, he hath given fuch abundant teftimony to the truth of our religion, and fuch firm grounds for our faith to rely upon. II. The confideration of what hath been faid convinceth men of the great fin of infidelity, and the unreasonableness of it, after fo clear conviction and demonstration as God hath given to the world of the truth of christianity. III. and laftly, they who believe the gospel are utterly inexcufable, if they do not obey it, and live according to it for this is the great end of all the miracles, which God hath wrought for the confirmation of christianity, that by the belief of the gospel men might be brought to "the obedience of faith," and live conformably to the precepts of that holy religion, which the Son of God by fo many miracles hath planted and preferved in the world. But thefe I have difcourfed of on another occafion *, and therefore fhall infift upon them no farther at this time. * See vol. X., ferm. CXCIL SER SERMON CCXXXII. The advantages of truth, in oppofition to error. 389 I JOHN iv. 4, 5. Ye are of GOD, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is be that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore fpeak they of the world, and the world heareth them. IN this text. N the beginning of this chapter the apoftie cau-SER M. tions Chriftians against the falfe teachers and CCXXXII. false prophets, intending more especially those of the The first Gnoftic fect, as is plain from the scope of the whole fermon on epistle, who were so busy to seduce Chriftians to their impious ways, and to tempt them to apoftatize from the chriftian religion to the heathen idolatry, for fear of perfecution. And to encourage them who had hitherto continued in the truth, and refifted the feducing arts of thofe false prophets, ftill to perfevere in their holy profeffion and practice, he tells them what advantages they who have embraced the truth, and lived according to it, have above those who seduce men to errors, or are feduced by them. "Ye are of "GOD, little children, and have overcome them : "because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world." That which gives truth, and Bb 3 the CCXXXII. SER M. the profeffors of it, the advantage over error and feducers is, that truth is from GOD, and the Spirit of GOD dwells in those who fincerely embrace and obey it. "Ye are of God," that is, ye are taught by him, and inftructed in the doctrine which is from God, and relifh divine truth, which our SAVIOUR calls "favouring the things which are of GOD," in oppofition to the things of the world," the lufts and interests of the world, which fway and rule in thofe false prophets and feducing fpirits. For fo it follows in the next verfe," they are of the world," they are acted by worldly lufts and interefts therefore fpeak they of the world," they teach things fuitable to their worldly affections and interests; "and "the world heareth them," they who are of the fame temper are feduced and led away by them." So that the apoftle's defign in thefe words, is plainly to fhew the great advantage which truth and the fincere profeffors of it have above error and the teachers and disciples of it. Ye are of God." This phrafe is very frequently, and very peculiarly used by St. John; it fignifies to belong to GOD in a special and peculiar manner, and is the fame with being "born of Gov," and being "the children of GOD." Chap. iii. 1o. "In this the children of GoD are manifeft, and the children of the devil: whofoever doth not righ "teoufnels, is not of God." Where you fee, "to "be of God," and "to be the children of God," are the fame thing: and fo "to be the children of "the devil," and "to be of the devil," are by this apoftle used in the fame fenfe, chap. iii. 8. He that committeth fin, is of the devil." And ver. 12. ver. 10. CCXXXII. "Caini who was of that wicked one," that is, a SERM. "child of the devil," as he had called fuch before, And because children do refemble their parents in nature and difpofition, therefore thofe who are of a divine temper and difpofition, who relish the things of God, and are apt to embrace the truths of GOD when they are duly propounded to them, are ready to be taught of GoD, are faid likewife "to "be of GOD," John viii. 47. « He that is of God, heareth GoD's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of GOD." So here in the text, "ye are of Gop" ye are of a temper and difpofition apt to relifh divine things, ready to embrace the truths of GoD, and ye have entertained them, and are his children, and are led by his Spi rit, and have the Spirit of God dwelling in you and this makes you victorious. «Ye have over "come them." He had fpoken immediately before of falfe prophets and Antichrift, by which he doth point out not one particular perfon, but the whole number and faction of falfe teachers, as he tells us, chap. ii. 18. that now there are many "Antichrifts. Ye are of GOD, and have over "come them.". This hath enabled you to refift thofe feducing fpirits, and made you too hard for them; that ye are of God: becaufe greater is he "that is in you, than he that is in the world." The force of the reafoning is this; "ye are of GoD," that is, ye are taught of GOD, and have received his doctrine, and are born again by the word of GOD, and are his children, and being his children, ye have his Spirit; and the Spirit of truth and of GOD is a stronger principle, than that spirit of error and feduction which is in the world, that is, the devil, Bb 4 |