worthily, (unworthily, I mean in the Scripture Sense of the Word, and not as it is understood by fome People among us :) Yet this I fay, That if Men did seriously confider what a Sin it is to live without the Sacrament; it being an apparent Neglect, and looking like a Contempt of our Saviour's Inftitution, and a Renouncing the Worship of God, and the Communion of the Church, in the great Inftance of Chriftian Worship and Chriftian Communion And withal, what terrible Confequences they bring upon themselves thereby, even the depriving themselves of the Chief of thofe ordinary Means which our Lord hath appointed for the obtaining Remiffion of Sins, and the Grace and Influences of the Holy Spirit: I fay, if Men did feriously confider thefe Things, they would not look upon it as fo flight a Matter, voluntarily to Excommunicate themfelves from the Society of the Faithful, as to the Partaking in this Great Duty and Privilege of Chriftians; but what Apprehenfions foever they had, of the Sin and Danger of Receiving unwor thily, they would, for all that, think it more Sinful and more Dangerous not to Receive at all.

I pray God give us all Grace, feriously to confider thefe Things, and fo enlighten our Minds, and difpole our Wills by his Holy Spirit, that laying afide all Preju

dices and Sloth, and Carnal Affections, we may fincerely apply ourselves to ferve God conftantly and diligently, in this, and all the other Inftances that he hath commanded us; to the Glory of his Bleffed Name, and to our own great Comfort, and Increase in Piety and Virtue, This, God of his Infinite Mercy grant, &c.

SERMON VII.

Preach'd before the

QUEEN

A T

St. JAMES's Chapel,

On CHRISTMAS-DAY, 1704.

1 JOHN iii. 8.

For this Purpofe was the Son of God manifefted, that he might destroy the Works of the Devil.

HAT is here meant by the

W Works of the Devil, is plain

from the former Part of the

Verfe. He that committeth Sin (faith the Apoftle) is of the Devil; for the Devil finned from the Beginning; and then it follows, for this Purpofe was the Son of God manifefied,

that

that he might deftroy the Works of the Devil. So that the Works of the Devil are all manner of Sin and Wickedness; and confequently the destroying of the Works of the Devil, muft mean the deftroying out of Mankind all Sin and Wickedness, and in the Place thereof planting in them all manner of Virtue and Holiness. And this the Apoftle here affirms to be the great End of Chrift's coming into the World.

It is the fame Account of Chrift's Undertaking, in other Words, that St. Paul gives us in the Second to Titus, Chrift therefore gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works. And the fame Account likewise that St. Peter gives of it in the Third of the Acts, Unto you first (faith he) God having raifed up his Son Jefus, (that great Prophet whom God, by Mofes, promised to raife up to his People) hath sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from his Iniquities. Lastly, It is the fame Account that Zacharias gives us of the Defign of our Lord's Coming into the World, in the firft of St. Luke, Namely, That we being delivered from the Hands of our [Spiritual] Enemies, might ferve God without Fear, in Holiness and Righteousness before him all the Days of our Life.

It were to be wished, that this was more confidered and layed to Heart by all of us that profess to be Chrift's Disciples. If it was, it would be impoffible for many of us to lead fuch Lives as we do, without the utmoft Confufion, and the continual Reproaches of our own Confciences. But whilft other Sorts of Accounts have been taken up concerning Chrift's Undertaking, and the Defign of his Religion, fo different from that which my Text, and the other Paffages I have quoted, do give of it: Whilft Men have represented our Saviour to themselves, as one that was fent rather to free them from the Punishment of their Sins, than from the Power and Dominion of them; as one that came not fo much to make them really righteous in their own Perfons, as to impute his own Righteousness to them; and to fulfill the Law of God for them, rather than to oblige them to a more ftrict Obedience to it: Whilft they have been willing to look upon his Gofpel, not as a practical Inftitution to teach us, and oblige us to live well, or as the Means appointed by God for the reforming the Manners of Mankind; but only, as a Syftem of Propofitions to be believed and profeffed, together with fome few outward Precepts to be practifed by us, in order to the diftinguishing us from the rest of the World: Whilft, I fay, we have enter

tain'd