"all that believe," that believe with their heart, by a faith, the gift and operation of God, a conviction of Chrift's all-fufficient righteoufnefs wrought by his Holy Spirit, all that thus believe are juftified from all "things;" FREELY FULLY JUSTIFIED FROM ALL THINGS; "from which ye could not be justified "by the law of Mofes. Beware, therefore, oh "beware, left that come upon you which is spoken "of in the prophets: Behold, ye DESPISERS, and "WONDER, and PERISH! for, I work a work in your days, a work which ye fhall in no wife be"lieve, though a man declare it unto you*."

66

• As xiii. 40, 4*% Hab. i. 5, &c.

PRAYER

PRAYER BEFORE OR AFTER THE SERMON,

Collect for Chriflmas Day.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast given us thy only be gotten Son, to take our nature upon him, and (as at this time) to be born of a pure virgin: Grant that we, being regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit, through the fame our Lord Jefus Chrift, who liveth and reigneth with thee, and the fame Spirit, ever one God, world without end!

SERMON III.

O'N

JOHN XVI. 7.-12.

It is expedient for you, that I go away: for, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will fend him unto you. And when he is come, he will convince the world of fin, and of righte oufnefs, and of judgment: Of fir, becaufe they believe not on me of righteoufnefs, becaufe I go to my Father, and ye fee me no more; of judgment, becaufe the Prince of this world is judged.

T

HERE remains only one more conviction by the Holy Spirit of God to be confidered by us. We have feen, I truft, in what refpect HE convinces the world of their own fin, and of Chrift's righteoufnefs; important doctrines, fupported not merely by our text, but by the words

and

and reafoning of nearly the whole Scripture. God grant that we may fee, with equal clearness, the Holy Spirit's conviction of judgment; which was the third point to be difcuffed.

3dly," HE fhall convince the world of judg "ment because the Prince of this world is "judged."

I need not occupy much of your time in explaining who the Prince of this world" is.--Awful as the truth muft appear, Satan, the chief of evil fpirits is fo called, both in our text, and in another paffage of Scripture, from the great power, which, through their finfulness, he exercifes over mankind.. He is likewife termed elfewhere the God of this world :: Wicked men being confidered, but too juftlý, both as his fubjects, and his worshippers. He and the other fallen Ipirits are reprefented as "referved in everlasting "chains under darknefs unto the judgment of the great day. We are exprefsly told that "the "Father hath committed all judgment unto the "Son ;" and we obferve the fpirits of darknefs exclaiming on his approach, "Art thou come hither "to torment us before the time?" I know thee, "who thou art, the Holy One of God (a)." He was promised to bruife the head of the ferpent; to destroy the power of the old ferpent, Satan, and his inferior fpirits. And, when he became "the feed.

E 3

+

Mat.

* John xiv. 30. + 2 Cor. iv. 4. See Eph. vi. 12. Jude, ver. 6. § John v. 22. See ver. 27.

viii. 29.

24.

See Mark v. 7. Luke viii, 28. (a) Mark i.

Luke iv.

34

53

feed of the woman," he fully accomplished this "Having spoiled principalities and powers, he "made a fhew of them openly, triumphing over "them in it *." We behold them, while he was on earth, frequently caft out of the afflicted bodies of men, confeffing his fuperiority of power before immenfe multitudes; and though they once ventured to refift his apoftles t, yet, on every occa fion, fhewing themselves fubject unto HIM. Soon after his refurrection, we obferve their oracles among the Heathens filenced, and their worship, as it is exprefsly térmed in the facred Scriptures, gradually decline throughout a large portion of the world. Thus Satan, the prince and God of this world, with all his fubordinate evil spirits, have been fhewn to be judged, and condemned, and only awaiting the execution of their dreadful fentence. "They believe and tremble §." But ftill fo malicious is there nature, that they are continually exerting their infernal industry, (which Almighty God for wife purposes, to a certain degree permits) that they may involve as many of the human race as they are able in the everlast"ing fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."

But, in what fenfe (it may be asked) does the Holy Spirt" convince of judgment; because the "Prince of this world is judged?" To this we anfwer, "By a conviction of the fame spiritual ex"perimental nature as thofe fpoken of in the

.. former

Mark ix. 21.. 2 Chron xi. 15.

"former difcourfes." As HE convinces of fin, by the foul feeling oppreffed under its burthen; and of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, by its feeling peace and reft, in repofing with full confidence on him for falvation; fo he convinces of the judgment paffed on Satan, by the foul feeling, in like manner, his power to be deftroyed. This, like the other convictions, is entirely inward. It is an effect or impreffion produced by the Holy Spirit on our fouls. It relates to what paffes within ourselves. It is a thing of all others, in which, untefs we wilfully deceive ourselves, we are the leaft liable to be miftaken. It is equally certain with the impreffions on the outward fenfes. The head of the ferpent is bruifed, the power of Satan has received its death-wound, in our heart. It is fo, because we know and feel it to be fo; and evidence it to others by our outward words and actions. Without this outward appearance, as far as it may be called into action, the conviction cannot be real. But ftill it is, to ourselves, entirely inward, fpiritual, experimental. It is prior to all deductions from our actions. arising from an immediate conviction wrought by the Holy Spirit of God on our foul itself, our mind or intellectual faculties, that the power of Satan is deftroyed within us. And, this is a conviction of judgment, of the condemnation of all fin and wickedness, and of the exaltation of all righteoufnefs and holinefs, infinitely furpaffing any other we are capable of receiving We may read, we may be firmly perfuaded in our minds, that "all

" who