4. Accordingly the expreffion here ufed is more properly tranflated, the god of this age, i. e. of the people of this world, or of mankind while the period of this world lafts. And furely, in order to justify the apostle's manner of speaking, it is not neceffary to fuppofe that the people of this world build temples to Satan, or pay him a folemn and formal worship, although even that, in effect, was done by the Heathen. But as Jehovah is called the GOD of his people, because they are his fubjects, obedient to his will and devoted to his fervice; fo, for the fame reason, is Satan called the GOD of this world. Mankind, in general, obey and serve him, and he reigns in and over them with all authority. They willingly commit fit, and therefore they are of the devil: His fervants they are, because they obey him, and from him they must expect to receive their wages. They lie in wickedness (v Tw Tomew, in the wicked one) and shall have their portion with him.

5. And this is the cafe of all who believe not, who have not that faith in this gospel whereof 'cometh falvation. For the apoftle tells us in our text, that Satan hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, and elsewhere, that he worketh (gyer worketh with energy, with mighty power) in the children of difobedience, or, as the word may be properly rendered, of unbelief. This brings me to the next particular, viz. To fhew,

II. Whom we are to understand by those that believe-not.

And, ift. That all Infidels, who do not acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world, nor admit the Christian revelation to be of GOD, are of the number of those that believe not, will not be denied by any, who know any thing even of the theory of re

ligion, That the devil (how little foever they may think they have to do with him, though they may utterly deny his very existence, and be confident there is no fuch being in nature;) yet, I fay, that Satan hath blinded their minds, and works in them with mighty power, with uncontrouled authority, we are well affured. It is fomething amazing, and what excites one's compaffion rather than provokes one's indignation, to hear thefe creatures boast of their fuperior knowledge, and to fee them value themfelves upon their free thinking, unbiafed, they fuppofe, by popular prejudices; while they are in reality blinded by the god of this world, and led captive by the devil at his will, the very bond-flaves of Satan, and the dupes of a vain and deluded mind. Surely one must pity the infatuation of these

"Pompous fons of reafon idoliz'd

"And vilified at once; of reafon dead
"Then deified, as monarchs were of old;"

Who, as a punishment for their pride and felfconceit, and because they receive not the love of the truth that they may be faved, are given up to ftrong delusion to believe a lie, that they may all be damned who do not obey the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteoufnefs." They pretend indeed a regard for truth, and plead ftrongly their right to think for themselves, a right which nobody will wish to deny them; but alas as Dr, Young justly observes,

"While love of truth thro' all their camp refounds, "They draw pride's curtain o'er the noon-ide ray, Spike up their inch of reafon on the point "Of philofophic wit, call'd argument; And then, exulting in their taper, cry Behold the fun! and, Indian.like, adore!"

Light

Light is come into the world, but they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.

2. But not only those, who reject the Chriftian revelation altogether, come under the character of them that believe not : those also must be confidered as included under the fame denomination, who, tho' they admit the gofpel to be of divine authority, yet neglect or renounce fome of its principal privileges, and perhaps ridicule and reproach those who profefs to receive them, as enthufiafts and fanatics. For instance: If the gofpel indeed offer pardon of fin and acceptance with GoD, through the mediation of Chrift, together with the Holy Spirit to feal thefe bleffings upon our hearts and to enable us to walk worthy of them; then all who deny or neglect the infpiration of the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge of falvation by the forgiveness of fins, do in effect deny and neglect the gofpel itself, and are therefore undoubtedly blinded by the god of this world, and to be ranked among those that believe not. Yea, and

3dly. We must give the fame appellation to all who reft without faving faith: the faith which is not only an affent to, and a conviction of the truths of the gofpel; but also a dependance on its promifes, and an hearty acceptance of its privileges: the faith which, befides a perfuafion of what the gospel reveals in general, implics further, an entire approbation of, and hearty acquiefcence in the plan of falvation by Chrift in particular: the faith which is both the evidence of things not feen, and the fubftance of things hoped for; whereby we are both affured of things fpiritual and eternal, and anticipate the enjoyment of things heavenly and divine, already poffeffing an earnest of our future inheritance in our hearts. He that thus believeth" with his heart unto righteoufnefs," certainly hath eternal life, hath a title to it and a foretaste of it, for through Chrift "all that believe are juftified from

all

all things," and "receive the promife of the Spirit thro' faith." But he that doth not thus believe, but refts fatisfied without this faith, hath not life, but the wrath of God abideth on him ; ; he remains in that wretched state of fin, and guilt, and wrath, in which he was by nature, unrestored, unforgiven; having a fuperadded condemnation for neglecting fo great falvation as is offered through the Mediator. The gofpel, which is only thepowe of God unto falvation, to him that believeth, is hid to him, and he is still in a loft condition.

I now proceed to fhew (as was proposed)

III. How fatan blinds the minds of those that believe not, fo as to keep them shut up in unbelief and to hinder the glorious gospel of Chrift from fbining unto them, that they may be faved.

1. The god of this world knows that the gofpel will only be heartily and thankfully received (and to receive it otherwife is not to receive it at all) by those who know its worth and their want of it; and that only thofe can know this who are deeply concerned for the falvation of their fouls. This therefore is his firft point, to keep mankind unconcerned about their falvation. With this view he labours to conceal from them the vanity of the world and of all that it contains, its unfatisfactory nature and short duration. He contrives to engage and entangle them in such a multiplicity of bufinefs, to charm and ftupify them with fuch a viciffitude of pleasure, to divert and entertain them with fuch a variety of amusements, that they have neither leifure, power, nor inclination for any serious reflection, on the importance of things eternal.

2. Impelled by an unfeen force, of which they are infenfible, nay, which they are taught to deny and ridicule, they fly from the Echange to the tavern, from the Tavern to the Play, and from the

play

play to intemperance and debauchery. They drive furiously from merchandise to company, from company to excess, from excess to the stupidity of fleep, and in the mean time forget that they are only wandering from vanity to vanity, and prove by this reftless toil and labour that this world is not their rest. Or, if on some occafion a conviction of this forces itself upon their minds, and

"Kind experience cries,

"There's nothing here but what as nothing weighs," They fummon up all their courage and exclude the thought as an intruding tyrant, come to torment them before the time. They run round and round in the circle of business, pleasure and amusement, only intent on what is beneath their feet, or eager to catch the delufive phantom, which, perpetually dancing before them, craftily entices them forward; and in the mean time, they do not obferve, by faith, the confummation of all things, the melting elements, the quaking earth, the falling ftars, the darkened fun, the difparting heavens, and the defcending triumph of the victorious Son of God, who ere long will command, "Bring forth these mine enemies who would not that I fhould reign over them, and lay them before me."

3. Day paffes after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year, and they draw near the chambers of death, the repofitories of all living; and that invifible ftate where ftrict juftice will examine and almighty wrath punish, with unrelenting fury, their wicked impertinence and trifling; yet ftill they go on in the fame filly purfuit, unconcerned and unreformed, as if life would always laft, and they were not accountable for their conduct, or as if this world were their only portion, and while endeavouring to fecure it, they were rationally employed. Time flies, and on his broad pinions, fwifter than the wind," bears

them