in the houfe of God, and under the word, he can attend to nothing: all his attention is taken up with the oaths and curfes and blafphemous revilings of this familiar fpirit. If at any time the

poor finner can pay attention to but one word of support or encouragement, that is a refreshing time, a jubilee indeed; and the devil will be fure, if permitted, to make him rue for this ere he gets home, for prefuming, or even daring, to entertain a thought that any one word in God's book could ever be fent or meant for fuch a wretch as he, who was doomed to damnation before the world was made, and who, at the fame time, has every evident token of perdition upon him, and all the pledges, earnests, foretaftes, and pains of hell in him. All this is but a faint reprefentation of Satan's fieve; and well may it be compared to a fieve, for chaff from the floor was never blowed with more violence than the hurried foul of fuch a poor finner; and he is whirled round and round, till all his faculties and fenfes are fo impaired, that he knows not what he is, where he is, nor what he does. All the chaff is fifted All the chaff is fifted up to the very bottom; all his fins are before him; and all their guilt in him: his beauty confumes as a moth, his foul withers like a green herb, and grief drinks up his fpirits.

I will command, and I will fift the house of Ifrael among all nations, like as corn is fifted in a fieve; yet fhall not the leaft grain fall upon the earth. Amos ix. 9. No impreffion, impulfe, or fenfation, from above;

not one word of truth or promise applied; not one. grace of the Holy and Bleffed Spirit of promife; not one holy longing, or earnest defire; nor one deep figh, pious groan, or budding hope, shall ever be fifted out of the heart of a poor fenfible finner, that feels his need, fees his loft eftate, and is hungering and thirfting after the Lord of life and glory. Blefjed are they that bunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled, when this fieve of vanity has well winnowed and emptied them of all felf-righteoufnefs, lightnefs, vanity, and felf-confidence. I will command, I will fift:-no fifting, without God's command;-not one shake, nor one round-about in this riddle, without a divine order. I will fift. The devil and his fieve are both in the omnipotent and terrible hand of God; and it is the fmoking vengeance of heaven, burning in Satan, that drives him on with his fieve, as bad as the devil's darts drive us. But, after all, it is no more than a fieve of unity; for all this labour and toil of the poor devil is vain, for he cannot destroy, though he aims at it. Moreover, it is called a fieve of vanity, because the intention of God is to separate vanity and lies from us. The more vain we are, the more fifting we want: no vanity, no fieve. Peter's felf-confidence was vain, and David's numbering the people was the fame; and both procured this fieve. The incestuous perfon among the Corinthians gave himfelf up to vanity, and Paul gave him up to Satan, that he might be fifted, till his vanity

departed

departed from him; and, as soon as his chaff was gone, he came into the barn floor again.-The Lord's forerunner alludes to my text, and cafts a light upon it; only, instead of the breath of the Lord, he calls this power the Holy Ghoft; and inftead of a fieve of vanity, he calls it a fan. He fall baptife you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Whofe fan is in his band, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but be will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Mat. iii. 11, 12. The Holy Ghoft and fire come firft; and this disturbs Satan in his quiet poffeffion. The Spirit convinces us of fin, and Satan tempts us to de-. fpair of the mercy of God; which leads me to confider this fatal bridle in my text.

And there fhall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, caufing them to err. And here we may inquirewhat this bridle is which caufes men to err. A bridle, in the figurative fense of the word, feems to be the secret power of God put forth and displayed in overruling, restraining, and directing mankind, according to the counfel of his own will; though man, who has this restraint upon him, acts as he thinks, with the bent of his own will, and without control, and is as ignorant of this restraint as a horfe or an ass. Sennacherib, king of Affyria, determined to invade the city of Jerufalem, and was come forth with a large army for that intent; and he sent a blasphemous meffage of raillery against the Jews, the king of Judah, and against God himself:

the

the hearing of which fent the pious king tó prayer, and he requested the prayers of Isaiah the prophet alfo; and God fent the king this anfwer against the railing enemy: Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my book in thy nofe, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou cameft; and he fhall fall by the sword in his own land. Here is God's hook in his nofe, and his bridle in his lips; juft as a man leads a bear, or rides an afs:-and back to Nineveh he goes, and into the house of Nifroch his god, where two of his own fons kill him with the fword.

Again. Bridle fometimes fignifies that awe, reverence, and fear, that God has planted in the hearts of niankind towards the higher powers (Romans xiii. 3), or our fuperiors, or even aged perfons. Thou shalt rife up before the boary head, and bonour the face of the old man. Render fear to whom fear is due, and bonour to whom bonour is due. Of the reverse of this Job complains: And now am I their fong, yea, I am their by-word. They abhor me, they flee far from me, and spare not to fpit in my face.

loofed my cord and afflicted me, they

Because he hath have alfo let loofe

the bridle before me. Job xxx. 11. Job had dwelt as a king in their army, and had prefided over their counfels; and as a great man he was greatly re fpected. Young men saw me, and hid themselves; the aged arofe, and stood up; princes refrained talking, and nobles beld their peace; unto me men gave ear, and kept

filence

filence at my counfel. But now God had loofed the cord of his love, which had long vifibly embraced him, and all that he had, and had forely afflicted him; and those who feared him before, feeing him fo debated and humbled, caft off all reverence, respect, and even natural affection, and spared not to fpit in his face. Times of trial difcover the affections of those who love in deed and in truth, from those whofe love is diffimulation. But neither of

thefe bridles are meant in my text.

fay, I will put my bridle in thy lips;

God does not

but,

There fhall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, caujing them to err;-which plainly shews that these perfons do not receive the Spirit of God, nor the truth of God in the love of it; because they are given up to ftrong delufions, that they may believe a lie ;-for this bridle thali cause them to err. This bridle is not unbelief, nor is it falfe doctrine; for it is a bri dle that guides a person into false doctrine, or that causes them to err, or to go aftray into all manner of errors. And what can this bridle be? Why, it is pride. Pride is the devil's rod, or fceptre, by which he rules. In the mouth of the foolish is a rod of pride; but the lips of the wife fhall preferve them. Prov. xiv. 3. Before ever God gives a man up to believe a lie, or to fall into damnable herefies, which lead to destruction, the devil is fure to get this bridle into his jaws. Pride goes before deftruction, and a baughty Spirit before a fall. Prov. xvi. 18. This is the bridle that leads aftray. The pride of thy heart 8 bath