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43 - Satan’s Devices - Sermons on Several Occasions · Philosophy and Faith

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Speaker 1: Satan's devices, we are not ignorant of his devices Second
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Speaker 1: Corinthians two eleven. The devices whereby the subtle God of
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Speaker 1: this world labors to destroy the children of God, or
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Speaker 1: at least to torment whom he cannot destroy, to perplex
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Speaker 1: and hinder them in running the race which is set
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Speaker 1: before them. Are numberless as the stars of heaven or
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Speaker 1: the sand upon the sea shore. But it is of
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Speaker 1: one of them only that I now propose to speak,
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Speaker 1: Although exerted in various ways, whereby he endeavors to divide
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Speaker 1: the Gospel against itself, and by one part of it
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Speaker 1: to overthrow the other. The inward kingdom of Heaven, which
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Speaker 1: is set up in the heart of all that repent
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Speaker 1: and believe the Gospel, is no other than righteousness and
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Speaker 1: peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Every babe in
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Speaker 1: Christ knows we are made partakers of these the very
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Speaker 1: hour that we believe in Jesus. These are only the
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Speaker 1: first fruits of His spirit. The harvest is not yet.
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Speaker 1: Although these blessings are inconceivably great. Yet we trust to
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Speaker 1: see greater than these us to love the Lord our God,
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Speaker 1: not only as we do now with the weak, though
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Speaker 1: sincere affection. But with all our heart, with all our mind,
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Speaker 1: with all our soul, with all our strength, we look
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Speaker 1: for power to rejoice evermore, to pray without ceasing, and
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Speaker 1: in everything to give thanks, knowing this is the will
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Speaker 1: of God in Christ Jesus. Concerning us, we expect to
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Speaker 1: be meet perfect in love, and that love which casts
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Speaker 1: out all painful fear, and all desire, of that of
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Speaker 1: glorifying him we love, and of loving and serving him
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Speaker 1: more and more. We look for such an increase in
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Speaker 1: the experimental knowledge and love of God, our Savior, as
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Speaker 1: will enable us always to walk in the light as
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Speaker 1: He is in the light. We believe the whole mind
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Speaker 1: will be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus,
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Speaker 1: that we shall love every man so as to be
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Speaker 1: ready to lay down our life for his sake, so
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Speaker 1: as by this love to be freed from anger and pride,
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Speaker 1: and from every unkind affection. We expect to be cleansed
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Speaker 1: from all our idols, from all filthiness, whether of flesh
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Speaker 1: or spirit, to be saved from all our uncleannesses in
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Speaker 1: word or outward, to be purified as He is pure.
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Speaker 1: We trust in his promise. Who cannot lie that the
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Speaker 1: time will surely come, when in every word and work
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Speaker 1: we shall do His blessed will on earth as it
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Speaker 1: is done in heaven. When all our conversations shall be
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Speaker 1: ceasined with salt, all meet to minister grace to the hearers.
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Speaker 1: When whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do,
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Speaker 1: it shall be done to the glory of God. When
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Speaker 1: all our words and deeds shall be in the name
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Speaker 1: of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God, even the
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Speaker 1: Father through him. Now this is the grand device of Satan,
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Speaker 1: to destroy the first work of God in the soul,
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Speaker 1: or at least to hinder his increase by our expectation
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Speaker 1: of that greater work. Is therefore my present design, first
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Speaker 1: to point out the several ways whereby He endeavors this,
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Speaker 1: and secondly to observe how we may retort those fiery
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Speaker 1: darts of the wicked one, how we may rise the
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Speaker 1: higher by what he intends for an occasion of our falling.
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Speaker 1: I am first to point out the several ways or
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Speaker 1: by Satan endeavors to destroy the first work of God
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Speaker 1: and the soul, or at least to hinders increase by
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Speaker 1: our expectation of that greater work. And he endeavors to
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Speaker 1: damp our joy in the Lord by the consideration of
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Speaker 1: our own vileness, sinfulness, unworthiness. Added to this, there must
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Speaker 1: be a far greater change than as yet where we
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Speaker 1: cannot see the Lord. If we knew we must remain
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Speaker 1: as we are even to the day of our death,
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Speaker 1: we might possibly draw a kind of comfort, poor as
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Speaker 1: it was, from that necessity. But as we know, we
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Speaker 1: need not remain in this state. As we are assured
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Speaker 1: there is a greater change to come, and that unless
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Speaker 1: sin be all done away in this life cannot see
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Speaker 1: God in glory. That subtle adversary often damps the joy
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Speaker 1: we should otherwise feel, and what we have already attained
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Speaker 1: by a perverse representation of what we have not attained
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Speaker 1: in the absolute necessity of attaining it, so that we
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Speaker 1: cannot rejoice what we have because there is more which
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Speaker 1: we have not. We cannot rightly taste the goodness of God,
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Speaker 1: who hath done so great things for us, because there
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Speaker 1: are so much greater things which as yet He hath
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Speaker 1: not done. Likewise, the deeper conviction God works in us
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Speaker 1: of our present unholiness, and the more vehement desire we
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Speaker 1: feel in our heart of the entire holiness he hath promised,
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Speaker 1: the more we tempted to think lightly of the present
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Speaker 1: gifts of God, and to undervalue what we have already
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Speaker 1: received because of what we have not received. If he
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Speaker 1: can prevail thus far, if he can damp our joy,
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Speaker 1: he will soon attack our peace. Also he will suggest,
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Speaker 1: are you fit to see God? He is of purer
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Speaker 1: eyes than to be whole iniquity? How then, can you
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Speaker 1: flatter yourself so to imagine that He beholds you with approbation?
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Speaker 1: God is holy, you are unholy? What communion hath light
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Speaker 1: with darkness? How is it possible that you, unclean as
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Speaker 1: you are, should be in a state of acceptance with God?
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Speaker 1: You see indeed the mark the prize of your high calling.
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Speaker 1: But do you not see it is afar off. How
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Speaker 1: can you presume, then, to think that all your sins
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Speaker 1: are already blotted out? How can this be until you
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Speaker 1: are brought nearer to God, until you bear more resemblance
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Speaker 1: to him? Thus will He endeavor not only to shake
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Speaker 1: your pea, but even to overturn the very foundation of it,
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Speaker 1: to bring you back by insensible degrees, to the point
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Speaker 1: from whence you set out first even to seek for
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Speaker 1: justification by works or by your own righteousness, to make
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Speaker 1: something in you the ground of your acceptance, or at
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Speaker 1: least necessarily previous to it. Or if we hold fast
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Speaker 1: other foundation, can no man lay than that which is
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Speaker 1: laid even Jesus Christ. And I am justified freely by
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Speaker 1: God's grace through the redemption which is in Jesus. Yet
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Speaker 1: he will not cease to urge. But the tree is
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Speaker 1: known by its fruits. And have you that fruits of justification?
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Speaker 1: Is that mind in you which was in Christ Jesus?
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Speaker 1: Are you dead unto sin and alive unto righteousness? Are
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Speaker 1: you made comfortable to the death of Christ? And do
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Speaker 1: you know the power of His resurrection? And then, comparing
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Speaker 1: the small fruits we feel in our souls of the
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Speaker 1: fullness of the promises, we shall be ready to conclude.
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Speaker 1: Surely God hath not said that my sins are forgiven me.
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Speaker 1: Surely I have not received the remission of my sins.
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Speaker 1: For what lot have I among them that are sanctified?
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Speaker 1: More especially in that time of sickness and pain? He
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Speaker 1: will press this with all his might. Is it not
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Speaker 1: the word of Him that cannot lie without holiness? No
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Speaker 1: man shall see the Lord. But you are not holy.
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Speaker 1: You know it well. You know holiness is the full
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Speaker 1: image of God. And how far is this above out
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Speaker 1: of your sight? You cannot attain unto it. Therefore, all
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Speaker 1: your labor has been in vain, All these things you
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Speaker 1: have suffered in vain. You have spent your strength for nought.
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Speaker 1: You are yet in your sins. You must therefore perish
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Speaker 1: at the last. And thus, if your eye be not
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Speaker 1: steadily fixed on him who hath borne all your sins,
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Speaker 1: he will bring you again under that fear of death,
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Speaker 1: whereby you so long subject unto bondage, and by this
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Speaker 1: means impair. If not wholly destroyed your peace as well
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Speaker 1: as joy in the Lord, but his masterpiece of subtlety
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Speaker 1: still behind, not content to strike at your peace and joy,
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Speaker 1: he will carry his attempts farther. Yet he will level
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Speaker 1: is assault against your righteousness. Also he will endeavor to
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Speaker 1: shake thee yea, if it be possible to destroy the
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Speaker 1: holiness you have already received by your very expectation of
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Speaker 1: receiving more, of attaining all the image of God. The
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Speaker 1: manner wherein he attempts this may partly appear from what
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Speaker 1: has been already observed. For first, by striking at our
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Speaker 1: joy in the Lord, he strikes likewise at our holiness.
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Speaker 1: Seeing joy in the Holy Ghost is a precious means
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Speaker 1: of promoting every holy temper, a choice instrument of God,
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Speaker 1: whereby he carries on much of his work in a
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Speaker 1: believing soul, and is a considerable help not only to
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Speaker 1: inward prossit to outward holiness. It strengthens our hands to
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Speaker 1: go on in the work of faith, in the labor
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Speaker 1: of love manfully, to fight the good fight of faith,
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Speaker 1: and to lay hold on eternal life. Is peculiarly designed
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Speaker 1: of God to be a balance both against inward and
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Speaker 1: outward sufferings, to lift up the hands that hang down
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Speaker 1: and confirm the feeble needs. Consequently, whatever damps our joy
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Speaker 1: in the Lord portionately obstructs our holiness, And therefore, so
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Speaker 1: far as Satan shakes our joy, he hinders our holiness.
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Speaker 1: Also the same effect will ensue if he can, by
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Speaker 1: any means either destroy or shake our peace. For the
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Speaker 1: peace of God is in other precious means of advancing
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Speaker 1: the image of God in us. There is scarce a
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Speaker 1: greater help to holiness than this, A continual tranquility of spirit,
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Speaker 1: evenness of a mind stayed upon God, a calm repose
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Speaker 1: in the blood of Jesus. And without this it is
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Speaker 1: scarce possible to grow in grace and in the vital
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Speaker 1: knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For all fear. Unless
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Speaker 1: the tender vlaial fear freezes and benumbs the soul, it
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Speaker 1: binds up all the springs of spiritual life and stops
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Speaker 1: all motion of the heart toward God. And doubt, as
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Speaker 1: it were, bemires the soul, so that it sticks fast
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Speaker 1: in the deep clay. Therefore, in the same proportion as
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Speaker 1: either of these prevail, our growth and holiness is hindered.
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Speaker 1: At the same time, there our wise adversary endeavors to
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Speaker 1: make our conviction of the necessity of perfect love and
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Speaker 1: occasion of shaking our peace by doubts and fears. He
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Speaker 1: endeavors to weaken, if not destroy, our faith. Indeed, these
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Speaker 1: are inseparably connected, so that they must stand or fall together.
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Speaker 1: So long as faith subsists, we remain in peace. Our
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Speaker 1: heart stands fast while it believes in the Lord. But
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Speaker 1: if we let go our faith or flib confidence in
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Speaker 1: a loving, pardoning God, our peace is at an end.
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Speaker 1: The very foundation on which it stood being overthrown, and
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Speaker 1: this is the only foundation of holiness as well as
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Speaker 1: of peace. Consequently, whatever strikes at this strikes at the
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Speaker 1: very root of all holiness. For without this faith, without
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Speaker 1: an abiding sense that Christ loved me and gave himself
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Speaker 1: from me, without a continuing conviction that God, for Christ's
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Speaker 1: sake is merciful to me, a sinner, it is impossible
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Speaker 1: that I should love God. We love him because He
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Speaker 1: first loved us, and in proportion to the strength and
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Speaker 1: clearness of our conviction, he hath loved us and accepted
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Speaker 1: us in his son. And unless we love God, it
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Speaker 1: is not possible that we should love our neighbor as ourselves,
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Speaker 1: nor consequently that we should have any right affections, either
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Speaker 1: toward God or toward man. It evidently follows that whatever
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Speaker 1: weakens our faith must than the same degree obstruct our holiness.
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Speaker 1: And this is not only the most effectual, but also
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Speaker 1: the most compendious way of destroying all holiness. Seeing does
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Speaker 1: not effect any one Christian temper, any single grace or
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Speaker 1: food of the spirit, but as far as it succeeds,
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Speaker 1: tears up the very root of the whole work of God.
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Speaker 1: No marvel. Therefore, that the ruler of the darkness of
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Speaker 1: this world should here put forth all his strength. And
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Speaker 1: so we find by experience, For it is far easier
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Speaker 1: to conceive than it is to express, the unspeakable violence,
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Speaker 1: whith its temptation is frequently urged on them through hunger
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Speaker 1: and thirst after righteousness, when they see in a strong
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Speaker 1: and clear light on the one hand, the desperate wickedness
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Speaker 1: of their own hearts, on the other hand, the unspotted
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Speaker 1: holiness to which they are called in Christ Jesus. On
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Speaker 1: the one hand, the depth of their own corruption, of
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Speaker 1: their total alienation from God, on the other the height
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Speaker 1: of the glory of God, that image of the Holy One.
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Speaker 1: When they are to be renewed. There is many times
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Speaker 1: those spirit left in them. They could almost cry out
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Speaker 1: with God, this is impossible. They ready to give up
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Speaker 1: both faith and hope, to cast away that very confidence
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Speaker 1: whereby they are to overcome all things and do all
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Speaker 1: things through Christ's strengthening them. Whereby, after they have done
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Speaker 1: the will of God, they are to receive the promise.
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Speaker 1: If they hold fast the beginning of their confidence steadfast
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Speaker 1: unto the end, they shall undoubtedly receive the promise of God,
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Speaker 1: reaching through both time and eternity. But here is another
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Speaker 1: snare laid for our feet. While we earnestly pant for
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Speaker 1: that part of the promise which is to be accomplished.
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Speaker 1: Here for the glorious liberty of the children of God,
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Speaker 1: we may be let unawares from the consideration of the
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Speaker 1: glory which shall hereafter be revealed. Our eye may be
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Speaker 1: insensibly turned aside from that crown which the righteous Judge
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Speaker 1: hath promised to give it that day to all that
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Speaker 1: love is appearing, and we may be drawn away from
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Speaker 1: the view of that incorruptible inheritance which is reserved in
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Speaker 1: Heaven for us. But this also would be a loss
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Speaker 1: to our souls, in an obstruction to our holiness, which
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Speaker 1: to walk in the continual sight of our goal is
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Speaker 1: a needful help in our running the race that is
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Speaker 1: set before us. This it was the having respect unto
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Speaker 1: the recompense of reward Lord, which of old time encouraged Moses,
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Speaker 1: rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than
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Speaker 1: to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming
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Speaker 1: the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of
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Speaker 1: Egypt nay, is expressly said of a greater than he,
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Speaker 1: that for the joy that was set before him, he
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Speaker 1: endured the cross and despised the shame till he sat
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Speaker 1: down at the right hand of the throne of God.
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Speaker 1: Whence we may easily infer how much more needful for
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Speaker 1: us than the view of that joy set before us,
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Speaker 1: that we may endure whatever cross the wisdom of God
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Speaker 1: lays upon us, and press on through holiness to glory.
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Speaker 1: But while we are reaching to this, as well as
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Speaker 1: to the glorious liberty which is preparatory to it, we
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Speaker 1: may be in danger of falling into another snare of
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Speaker 1: the devil, For by he labors to entangle the children
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Speaker 1: of God. We may take too much thought for tomorrow,
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Speaker 1: so as to neglect the improvement of to day. We
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Speaker 1: may so expect perfect love as not to use that
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Speaker 1: which is already shed abroad in our hearts. There have
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Speaker 1: not been wanting instances of those who have greatly suffered
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Speaker 1: hereby they were so taken up with what they were
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Speaker 1: to receive hereafter, as utterly to neglect what they had
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Speaker 1: already received. In expectation of having five towns more, they
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Speaker 1: buried their one talent in the earth. At least they
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Speaker 1: did not improve it as they might have done to
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Speaker 1: the glory of God and the good of their own souls.
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Speaker 1: Thus does the subtle adversary of God and Man endeavor
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Speaker 1: to make void the counsel of God by dividing the
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Speaker 1: Gospel against itself, making one part of it overthrow the other.
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Speaker 1: While the first work of God and the soul is
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Speaker 1: destroyed by the expectation of his perfect work. We have
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Speaker 1: seen several of the ways wherein he attempts this by
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Speaker 1: cutting off, as it were, the springs of holiness. But
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Speaker 1: this he likewise does more directly by making that blessed
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Speaker 1: hope occasion of unholy tempers. Thus, whenever our heart is
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Speaker 1: equally athirst for all the great and precious promises, when
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Speaker 1: we pant after the fullness of God, as the heart
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Speaker 1: after the water brook, when our soul breaketh out in
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Speaker 1: fervent desire, why are his chariot wheels so long in coming?
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Speaker 1: He will not neglect the opportunity of tempting us to
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Speaker 1: murmur against God. Will use all his wisdom and all
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Speaker 1: his strength, if haply in an unguarded hour, may be
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Speaker 1: influenced to repine in our Lord, for thus delaying his coming,
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Speaker 1: at least he will labor to excite some degree of
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Speaker 1: fretfulness or impatience, and perhaps of envy at those whom
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Speaker 1: we believe to have already attained the prize of our
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Speaker 1: high calling. He well knows that by giving way to
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Speaker 1: any of these tempers, we are pulling down the very
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Speaker 1: thing we would build up. By thus, following after perfect holiness,
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Speaker 1: we become more unholy than before. Yea, there is great
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Speaker 1: danger that our last state should be worse than the first,
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Speaker 1: Like them of whom the Apostle speaks in those dreadful words,
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Speaker 1: it had been better they had never known the way
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Speaker 1: of righteousness than after they had known it, to turn
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Speaker 1: back from the holy commandment and delivered to them. And
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Speaker 1: from hence he hopes to reap another advantage, even to
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Speaker 1: bring up an evil report of the good way. He
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Speaker 1: is sensible how few are able to distinguish, and too
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Speaker 1: many are not willing so to do, between the accidental
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Speaker 1: abuse and the natural tendency of a doctrine. These, therefore
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Speaker 1: he continually blend together with regard to the doctrine of
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Speaker 1: Christian perfection, in order to rejoice the minds of unweary
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Speaker 1: men against the glorious promises of God, And how frequently,
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Speaker 1: how generally, I had almost said, how universally as he
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Speaker 1: prevailed herein. Who is there that observes any of these
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Speaker 1: excidental ill effects of this doctrine and is not immediately
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Speaker 1: conclude this is its natural tendency, and is not readily
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Speaker 1: cry out. See, these are the fruits, meaning the natural
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Speaker 1: necessary fruits of such doctrine. Not so they are fruits
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Speaker 1: which may accidentally spring from the abuse of a great
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Speaker 1: and precious truth. But the abuse of this or any
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Speaker 1: other scriptural doctrine does by no means destroy its use.
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Speaker 1: Neither can the unfaithfulness of man, perverting his right way,
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Speaker 1: make the promise of God in an effect. No, let
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Speaker 1: God be true, and every man a liar. The word
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Speaker 1: of the Lord it shall stand. Faithful is he that
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Speaker 1: hath promised, He also will do it. Let not us
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Speaker 1: then be removed from the hope of the Gospel. Rather,
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Speaker 1: let us observe, which was the second thing proposed, how
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Speaker 1: we may retort those fiery darts of the wicked one,
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Speaker 1: How we may rise the higher by what he intends
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Speaker 1: for an occasion of our falling. And first to say,
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Speaker 1: endeavor to damp your joy in the Lord by the
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Speaker 1: consideration of your sinfulness. Add to this that without entire
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Speaker 1: universal holiness, no man can see the Lord. Ye may
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Speaker 1: cast back this dart upon his own head. But through
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Speaker 1: the grace of God, the more you feel of your
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Speaker 1: own vileness, the more you rejoice in confident hope that
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Speaker 1: all this shall be done away, while you'll hold fastest hope.
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Speaker 1: Every evil temper you feel, that you hate it with
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Speaker 1: a perfect hatred, may be a means not of lessening
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Speaker 1: your humble joy, but rather of increasing it. This and this,
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Speaker 1: may you say, shall likewise perish from the presence of
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Speaker 1: the Lord, Like as the wax melted at the fire,
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Speaker 1: so shall this melt away before his face. By this means,
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Speaker 1: the greater that changes, which remains to be wrought in
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Speaker 1: your soul, the more may you triumph in the Lord
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Speaker 1: and rejoice in the God of your salvation, who hath
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Speaker 1: done so great things, for you will do so much
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Speaker 1: greater things than these. Secondly, more vehemently, he assaults your
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Speaker 1: peace with that suggestion God is holy, You are unholy.
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Speaker 1: You are immensely distant from that holiness without which you
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Speaker 1: cannot see God How then can you be in the
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Speaker 1: favor of God? How can you fancy you are justified?
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Speaker 1: Takes the more earnest heed to hold fast that not
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Speaker 1: by works of righteousness which I have done, I am
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Speaker 1: found in Him. I am accepted in the Beloved, Not
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Speaker 1: having my own righteousness as the cause, either in whole
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Speaker 1: or in part of our justification before God, but that
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Speaker 1: which is by faith in Christ, the righteousness which is
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Speaker 1: of God by faith. Oh, by this about your neck,
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Speaker 1: write it upon the table of thy heart, where it
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Speaker 1: is a bracelet upon thy arm, as frontlets between thine eyes.
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Speaker 1: I am justified freely by His grace, through the redemption
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Speaker 1: that is in Jesus Christ. Value in esteem more and
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Speaker 1: more that precious truth. By grace we are saved through faith.
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Speaker 1: Admire more and more the free grace of God, and
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Speaker 1: so loving the world as to give his only son,
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Speaker 1: that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have
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Speaker 1: everlasting life. So shall the sentence of the sinfulness you
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Speaker 1: feel on the one hand, and of the holiness you
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Speaker 1: expect on the other, both contribute to establish your peace
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Speaker 1: and to make it flow as a rever So shall
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Speaker 1: that peace flow on in an even stream. In spite
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Speaker 1: of all those mountains of unguidliness, WI shall become a
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Speaker 1: plain in the day when the Lord cometh to take
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Speaker 1: full possession of your heart. Neither will sickness or pain
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Speaker 1: with the approach of death, occasion of any doubt or fear.
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Speaker 1: You know, a day and hour alone with God is
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Speaker 1: as a thousand years. He cannot be straitened for time
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Speaker 1: wherein to work whatever remains to be done in your soul.
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Speaker 1: And God's time is always the best time. Therefore, be
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Speaker 1: thou careful for nothing. Only make thy request known unto Him,
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Speaker 1: and that not without doubt or fear, but thanksgiving. As
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Speaker 1: being previously assured, ye cannot withhold from Thee any manner
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Speaker 1: of thing that is good. Thirdly, the more you are
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Speaker 1: attempted to give up your shield, to cast away your faith,
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Speaker 1: your confidence in His love so much, the more take
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Speaker 1: heed that you hold fast that where until you have
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Speaker 1: attained so much, the more labor to stir up the
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Speaker 1: gift of God which is in you. Never let that slip.
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Speaker 1: I have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ, the Righteous.
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Speaker 1: In the life I now live. I live by faith
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Speaker 1: in the Son of God who loved me and gave
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Speaker 1: himself from me. Be this thy glory and crown of rejoicing,
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Speaker 1: and see that no one take thy crown. Hold that fast.
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Speaker 1: I know that my Redeemer liveth and shall stand at
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Speaker 1: the latter day upon the earth. And I now have
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Speaker 1: redemption in his blood, even the forgiveness of sins. Thus
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Speaker 1: being filled with all peace and joy in believing, press
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Speaker 1: on in the peace and joy of faith to the
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Speaker 1: renewal of thy whole soul in the image of Him
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Speaker 1: that created THEE. Meanwhile, cry continually to God. Thou mayest
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Speaker 1: see the prize of thy high calling, not as Satan
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Speaker 1: represents it in a horrid, dreadful shape, but in its
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Speaker 1: genuine native beauty, not as something that must be or
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Speaker 1: thou wilt go to Hell, but as what may be
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Speaker 1: to lead THEE to Heaven. Look upon it as the
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Speaker 1: most desirable gift, which is in all the stores of
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Speaker 1: the rich mercies of God. Beholding it in this true
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Speaker 1: point of light, thou wilt hunger after it. More and
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Speaker 1: more thy whole soul will be a thirst for God
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Speaker 1: and for this glorious conformity to His likeness. In having
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Speaker 1: received the good hope of this and strong consolation through grace,
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Speaker 1: Thou wilt no more be weary or faint in thy mind,
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Speaker 1: but wilt follow on till thou attainest in the same
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Speaker 1: power of faith, press on to glory. Indeed, this is
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Speaker 1: the same prospects. Still, God hath joined from the beginning
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Speaker 1: pardon holiness heaven. And why should man put them asunder? Oh,
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Speaker 1: beware of this, then not one link of the golden
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Speaker 1: chain be broken. God, for Christ's sake, shall hath forgiven me.
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Speaker 1: He is now renewing me in his own image. Shortly
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Speaker 1: he will make me meet for himself and take me
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Speaker 1: to stand before his face. I, whom he hath justified
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Speaker 1: to the blood of his son, being thoroughly sanctified by
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Speaker 1: his spirit, shall quickly ascend to the New Jerusalem, the
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Speaker 1: City of the Living God. Yet a little while and
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Speaker 1: I shall come to the general assembly in Church of
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Speaker 1: the First Born, and to God the Judge of all,
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Speaker 1: and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. How
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Speaker 1: soon will these shadows flee away and a day turn
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Speaker 1: me dawned upon me? How soon shall I drink of
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Speaker 1: the river of the water of life, going out of
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Speaker 1: the throne of God and of the Lamb. There all
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Speaker 1: his servants shall praise him and shall see his face,
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Speaker 1: and his name shall be upon their foreheads, and no
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Speaker 1: knight shall be there, and they'll have no need of
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Speaker 1: candle or the light of the sun, for the Lord
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Speaker 1: God enlighteneth them, and they shall reign for ever and ever.
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Speaker 1: And if you thus taste of the good Word and
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Speaker 1: of the powers of the world to come, you will
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Speaker 1: not murmur against God because you are not yet meet
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Speaker 1: for the inheritance of the saints in light. Instead of
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Speaker 1: repining at your not being wholly delivered, you will praise
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Speaker 1: God for thus far delivering you. You will magnify God
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Speaker 1: for what he hath done, and take it as an
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Speaker 1: earnest of what He will do. You will not fret
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Speaker 1: against him, could you are not yet renewed, but bless
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Speaker 1: Him because you shall be. And because now is your
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Speaker 1: salvation all sin nearer than when you first believed. Instead
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Speaker 1: of uselessly tormenting yourself because the time is not fully come,
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Speaker 1: you will calmly and quietly wait for it, knowing that
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Speaker 1: it will come and will not tarry. You may therefore
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Speaker 1: more cheerfully ignore it. As yet the burden of sin
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Speaker 1: that still remains in you, because it will not always
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Speaker 1: remain yet a little while, and it shall be clean gone.
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Speaker 1: Only tarry thou the Lord's leisure be strong, and ye
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Speaker 1: shall comfort thy heart and put thou thy trust in
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Speaker 1: the Lord. And if you see any who appear, so
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Speaker 1: far as man can judge, but God alone searches the
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Speaker 1: hearts to be already partakers of their hope, already made
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Speaker 1: perfect in love. Far from envying the grace of God
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Speaker 1: in them, let it rejoice and comfort your heart. Glorify
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Speaker 1: God for their sake. If one member is honored, shall
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Speaker 1: not all the members rejoice with it instead of jealousy
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Speaker 1: or evil surmising concerning them. Praise God for the consolation.
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Speaker 1: Rejoice in having a fresh proof of the faithfulness of
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Speaker 1: God and fulfilling all His promises. And stir yourself up
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Speaker 1: the more to repprehend that for which you also are
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Speaker 1: apprehended of Christ Jesus. In order to this redeem the time,
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Speaker 1: improve the present moment, Buy up every opportunity of growing
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Speaker 1: in grace or of doing good, that not the thought
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Speaker 1: of receiving more grace tomorrow make you negligent of today.
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Speaker 1: You have one talent now if you expect five more
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Speaker 1: so much the rather improve that you have, and the
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Speaker 1: more you expect to receive hereafter, the more labor for
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Speaker 1: God now sufficient for the days. The grace thereof God
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Speaker 1: is now pouring his benefits upon you. Now approve yourself
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Speaker 1: a faithful steward of the present grace of God. Whatever
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Speaker 1: may be tomorrow, Give all diligence to today to add
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Speaker 1: to your faith, courage, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness in the
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Speaker 1: fear of God. To ye attain that pure and perfect love.
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Speaker 1: Let these things be now in you and abound, be
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Speaker 1: not outslothful or unfruitful. So shall an entrance be ministered
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Speaker 1: into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lastly,
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Speaker 1: if in time past you have abused this blessed hope
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Speaker 1: of being holy as He is holy, ye do not
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Speaker 1: therefore cast it away, But the abuse cease, the use remain.
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Speaker 1: Use it now to the more abundant glory of God
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Speaker 1: and profit of your own soul, and steadfast faith, in calm,
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Speaker 1: tranquility of spirit, and full assurance of hope, Rejoicing ever
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Speaker 1: more for what God hath done. Press ye on unto
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Speaker 1: perfection daily, growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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Speaker 1: and going on from strength to strength and resignation in
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Speaker 1: patience and humble thankfulness for what ye have attained and
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Speaker 1: what ye shall run. The race set before you, looking
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Speaker 1: unto Jesus, till through perfect love ye enter into his glory.
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Speaker 1: End of Section forty three