even greater than that of an eternal world. He can invest its lying vanities with the appearance of splendid and substantial realities. He can make its perishing riches, its fading honors, and its short-lived pleasures, seem more to be desired than the imperishable, unfading, everduring treasures, glories, and felicities, laid up in heaven for those who love God. Having this power to deceive men, he has long been using the things of the world, as the means of cheating immortal creatures out of every thing that can make immortality desirable. Who can tell what numbers he has led captive at his will, by presenting them with a false aspect of worldly things? It is no proof that his agency is not concerned in leading men into mistaken and fatal views of present things, because they are not conscious of his power. The deceived are never conscious of their deception, or of the means of their being so. Indeed, one class of men are deceived by him into a persuasion, that he has no existence, and therefore that they have nothing to fear from his devices.

Now this great foe of God, and of all that is holy and happy in his universe, is, from the very elements of his own wretched nature, never wearied in works of darkness, and never satisfied with the success of his hellish designs. Although a fearfully large proportion of this world's population, from age to age, have quietly resigned themselves to his sway, contented and pleased with the delusions he practised upon them, yet he is restless beneath the promptings of a vast ambition, to multiply the subjects of his dark empire. There, most gladly would he place all the perfected spirits in glory. And there, by his nameless wiles, he would, if it were possible, deceive, and bring even the elect, who on earth are in a course of education for the skies. His attempts on all persons of this class, are essentially the same as were so signally defeated in the case of their divine Master. And it is through him alone, that any of his followers are victorious in the mighty conflict. It may

be matter of surprise, that he who knows so well how to adapt his means to the end he has in view-how to suit his temptations to the diversified characters of men, should ever attempt to destroy the true child of God: for he may be supposed to know full well that no such will ever perish-can ever be plucked out of the Father's hand. But he does not know who are the true children of God. Keen and quick as he is to discern character, he cannot distinguish between the saint real, and the saint assumed. He knows, indeed, that there are many of the latter, and this encourages him in his cruel assaults to shake the faith and rob of heaven those who seem to be hastening thither. Besides, if he certainly knew he should not destroy eternally the souls of the children of God, he is so malignant in his nature, and makes evil so much his good, that the known absolute impossibility of destroying them, presents no bar to his efforts in doing them all the evil in his power-in following them with his fiery darts even to the very threshold of heavenly glory. Why did he spend his infernal strength, why did he exhaust his hell-acquired skill upon the harmless Lamb of God? Perhaps, even the despair he feels of ever having them that he may sift them as wheat, may prompt his deadliest attempt to harm them—may make him point the barbed arrows he hurls at them, with peculiar venom.

But whatever be the cause, so far as the subtle adversary is concerned, there can be no question, that sincere christians suffer unspeakably more from his temptations, than others. It can give a worldly man no additional pain to have the enchantments and the sorceries of the world multiplied before his mind alluring him along the way his heart chooses to go. To the religious man, however, every temptation suggested to his mind by the arch deceiver, is like a dagger to his heart. It inflicts a severe wound on all that is tender, and delicate, and refined, and holy in his moral constitution. It is a call to wake up the still unsubdued cor

ruptions of his breast. It is a cruel attempt to engage with new energies, the almost vanquished traitor in his heart, to throw wide open the citadel to an innumerable host of besieging enemies. Nor does satan attempt by any means so often to allure wicked men from God, as the hopeful christian. The reason is obvious. There is no occasion for new allurement. They are already far from God. They are already in the hands of the destroyer. All, therefore, that he needs to do, is to keep them quiet, to lull them into a profound sleep, to hush their rising fears, and to make them feel the more safe as ruin rolls its tide nearer, His temptations with them are of a negative kind, and all fall in with the strong natural bias of their mind. When some awakening event in providence arouses and alarms them, he tempts them not to heed it. When the death of some friend or neighbor startles them, and urges upon them the inquiry what will become of them when they die; he tempts them to rest in the conclusion, that, in some way or other, it will finally be well with them. When their minds are rendered more than usually solemn by means of a preached gospel, he tempts them, either to banish the whole subject from their thoughts, or to indulge some undefined notions, that there are views of the gospel, which need not make us solemn or anxious about our souls. At intervals too, when an excited conscience breaks their rest and gives them painful forebodings, he knows how to still the perturbations of their minds, by leading them away amidst the pursuits, the pleasures, and the interests of this present evil world.

Now, temptations of this nature assail the children of God no less violently than others. Though he may know he cannot destroy the vital believer, he can tempt him to admit the dreadful conclusion that he has no part in the believer's portion. He can tempt him to resign himself to utter despair. He can beset him with temptations to commit those sins which would forbid the hope of his being a child of God. And may we not

suppose, that cases do sometimes occur, in which God allows the enemy to tempt his dear children to the commission of sins of this kind, as examples to make his people more watchful and constant on their guard against the wiles of the adversary? If some such supposition be not admitted in the case of dark providences of this nature, must they not remain almost too dark and painful for us in our present imperfect state to contemplate? But, however this may be, we know there are numerous powerful trials, coming under the general designation of temptations which we are able to bear, and connected with which God is pleased to open a way of escape; and these are the ones beneath which christians must greatly suffer even to the last pulsation of life, though they will then certainly and gloriously triumph over the mall. And oftentimes, long before that final victory, the people of the living God are enabled to tread the tempter beneath their feet. Ah! almost every day in the christian's life, is signalized by some such triumph.

But by what means do the weak and tempted gain the victory? By what weapons do they prevail against the dreadful foe? The text informs us. THEY OVERCAME HIM BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND THE WORD OF THEIR TESTIMONY.

This armor, these weapons, are peculiar to christians. No others can put them on-none besides can wield them. To them alone they belong. They were provided for them from the armory of God. They belong to the character of christian saints. When they put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness, they stand forth arrayed in this panoply, and prepared to lay it aside only when they shall receive the victor's crown. Though every true christian knows this, it may instruct and edify us, to inquire a little more particularly, into the proper method of employing these weapons, and the way in which they become instrumental of the vital christian's mastery over the enemy that opposes his salvation.

It

It is by that faith alone, which gives to all its genuine subjects a heavenly, a divine impression, that these weapons can be successfully used. But all true christians have this faith. It made them christians. stamped them with the image of Christ. It made them partakers of his nature. It gave them a participation in the accidents of his own person. They are crucified with him. He lives in them; and they conquer in him. But when it is said of christians, THEY OVERCOME BY THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, the meaning is, that the blood of atonement is the procuring cause of the believer's victory over sin and satan. Had he not

bled, all men, for aught we are able to see, must have been the eternal victims of unweakened sin, and the bondslaves and companions of devils. But his death opened a door of hope to this fallen world. It removed obstacles in the way of a sinner's salvation. It presented an object of faith to our perishing race, which as soon as beheld with an eye of faith, like the serpent lifted up in the wilderness, imparted a healing influence, a sanctifying power. His death brought the Spirit of grace to operate on the human soul. And indeed, procured all the agencies and influences which are concerned in the complete salvation of sinners. Now the great master-evil which the christian has to vanquish, is satan-is sin—is the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. And he achieves this victory by casting an eye of faith on the bleeding Lamb of God. act of faith in his blood, gives him victory, in that it is the legitimate means-the appointed medium-the only channel, through which a holy, a sanctifying influence comes to the mind and heart. Just as the stung by a fiery serpent, felt a healing power pervade his whole system, the moment he cast his eyes on the uplifted brazen serpent; so the christian, journeying through the waste howling wilderness of this fallen world, and, at every step, needing something to cure him of the poison of sin-something to enable him to hold on his way to

This