knowledge of Christ. Seek it in the means of his appointment. "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask it of God." Seek it earnestly according to the divine direction. Prov. iii. 3, 4. "If thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasure; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God; for the Lord giveth wisdom, he layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous."

And, O what cause have they for thankfulness, who have obtained this "sound wisdom," this most excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ! You cannot have a greater cause for joy. Christ himself gives you joy of it. "Blessed are your eyes, for they see!" On a like occasion, Jesus rejoiced, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight." You have greater cause for joy and praise, than if you had got the knowledge of all languages, arts, and sciences; these might make you famous among men, but their advantage would be dropped in the grave. A very learned man once said on his dying bed, "I have spent my life in laborious trifling." He only is truly wise, who is "wise to salvation." In this excellent knowledge you are allowed to glory; for "thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me," &c. O be thankful to him, who hath called you out of darkness into this marvellous light.

But while you are thankful for it, do not be proud of it. The wisest know but little of what is to be known. "Follow on to know the Lord." "Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ." Read the word, and meditate in it day and night. Pray oyer it, and pray for the Spirit to lead you into all truth. And while you praise him with your lips, remember also to praise him with your lives. Let it not be said, "What do you more than others!" But prove the superior excellency of your knowledge, by the superior excellency of your conduct : "for, ye

were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; walk as children of light, proving what is acceptable unto the Lord." Believers are appointed to be lights in the world and much of their duty is comprehended in one word-SHINE! "Let your light, says our Saviour, shine, and shine before men too; that is not forbidden ; yea, it is commanded. But it is thus commanded, Let your light so shine before men, that they, seeing your GOOD WORKS-yourselves as little as may be-your works more than yourselves, (as the sun giving us light, will scarcely suffer us to look upon itself)-may glorifyWhom? You? No, but your Father, who is in heaven. Let your light shine; it is given for that purpose; but let it always shine to the glory of the Father of lights.”. Thus may you be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God, until you see him, no more" through a glass darkly, but face to face;" until you know, even as also you are known. Now unto God, the Father of lights-to Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness, and the Holy Spirit of truth, be all glory, by every enlightened mind in heaven and earth, for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON XLI.

THE HEART TAKEN.

Luke xi. 21, 22. When a strong man armed, keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour, wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

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HE miracles which our Lord performed were so obvious, that it was impossible for his greatest enemies to deny them; but such was the malice of their hearts, that they said he performed them by the power of the devil. Our Saviour, in answer to this, shows how unreason. able and absurd it is, to suppose that Satan should cast out himself, or any way oppose his own kingdom; " for every VOL. II.

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kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against itself falleth." But in the text he shows how he had performed the miracle of casting out Satan, namely by his superior power. He compares Satan to a strong man, arined with weapons to defend his house; and he compares himself to one that is stronger than the strong man. He allows that the devil is strong, but asserts that he is much stronger, and therefore able to cast him out. By this similitude our Lord vindicates his miracles, and proves he did not act in concert with Satan. But the words are also fairly applicable to Christ's continual victories over the devil in the hearts of men, by that power which still goes along with the preaching of the Gospel. They describe two things:

I. The sad condition of an unconverted sinner: and II. The wonderful power of divine grace in his conversion.

1. Here is the sad condition of an unconverted sinner; his heart is the habitation of Satan; the faculties of his mind, and the members of his body, are Satan's goods; they are employed by him in the service of sin; and while this is the case, there is peace-a false and dangerous security; until Christ, by his Gospel, disturbs it, and by his grace delivers the prey from the hands of the mighty.

(1.) The human heart is a palace, a noble building; at first erected for the habitation of the great and glorious God, who made man "in his own image, after his own likeness," "in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness." "But the holy God has withdrawn himself, and left this "temple desolate. The stately ruins are visible to every "eye, and bear in their front this doleful inscription"Here God once dwelt. The comely order of this house "is turned into confusion; the beauties of holiness into "noisome impurities; the house of prayer into a den of "thieves; the noble powers of the soul, designed for di"vine contemplation and delight, are alienated to the ser"vice of base idols and despicable lusts. The whole soul "is like the ruined palace of some great prince, in which you see, here the fragments of a lofty pillar, there the "shattered remains of a curious statue, and all lying ne"glected and useless among heaps of dirt. The faded

glory, the darkness, the impurity of this palace, plainly "shew the great inhabitant is gone!" But,

(2.) The heart is now become the palace of Satan. Great is the power of the devil in this world, and over the minds of wicked men. This is an unwelcome truth; but it must be told. Our Saviour calls himself, John xiv. 30. the Prince of this world-He who rules in this kingdom of darkness, and who is also called, 2 Cor. iv. 4. the god of this world, because of the great interest he has in the world, and the homage that is paid to him by the multitudes in the world, and the great sway that, by divine permission, he beareth in the hearts of his subjects. The worship of the heathen is the worship of the devil. Those who worship Jupiter, Bacchus, Venus, or any other idol, do really worship the devil; and the foolish, filthy, and bloody rites and ceremonies of their worship are very fit for such devilish gods. But it is not among pagans only that he reigns. St. Paul assures us, Eph. ii. 2. that unconverted men "walk according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the airthe spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedi ence”—those who are disobedient to God, are obedient to Satan he works powerfully in them; they follow his suggestions; they comply with his temptations; they are subject to his commandments; and are "led captive by him at his will." This is a very awful state! People may be in it without knowing it. But all are in it by nature: all are yet in it, who "walk after the flesh, fulfilling the lusts of the flesh and of the mind."

The dwelling of Satan in a sinner is further insisted on in this chapter, verse 24, &c. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and finding none, he saith, I will return to my house." There may be a partial and temporary reformation in a sinner; but without a real change, the devil will resume his power, "and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

The heart of man is either God's house, or Satan's. If God do not rule there by his Spirit, Satan does; and it may easily be known who rules. St. John plainly decides this matter, 1 John iii. 7. "Little children, let no man

deceive you: he that doth righteousness, is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil." Our Lord spake the same language to the wicked Jews. They boasted that they were Abraham's children, and the people of God; but he faithfully told them, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do." "Know ye not," saith the apostle Paul, Rom. vi. 16."that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his "servants ye are, to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto "death, or of obedience unto righteousness?" Sin is the devil's work, and death is the wages of sin. One person is under the power of drunkenness, another of uncleanness -another curses and swears, another lies, another steals. All these are Satan's drudges and slaves. Their slavery is the most abject in the world, and is worse than any other, for in other cases the poor slave longs for freedom, and gladly escapes if he can ; but here the wretched sinner hugs his yoke, fancies music in his chains, and scorns the proposal of liberty. All this is owing to the power and craft of the devil, who

(3.) Endeavours by all means to keep possession"the strong man armed keepeth the house;" and this he does by hiding from his vassals the fatal consequences of sin-by hindering any intercourse with the right ownerand by filling the heart with prejudice against him.

He keeps possession of the sinner's heart by hiding from him the evil and wages of sin. He is called a ruler of darkness, he reigns in darkness, and by darkness. Sinners little think where he is leading them. "Surely, in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird." Prov. i. 17. The silly birds are wiser than sinners. Sinners are told of their danger, but to no purpose. Satan hath shut their eyes, and they are determined to keep them shut; "they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil :" and how justly may a holy God doom that soul to everlasting darkness, who wilfully rejected the light of life.

Satan does all he can to prevent any intercourse between the sinner and the blessed God, who is the original and