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most secret enemies. You wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, and Spiritual wickedneffes. And there are spiritual lufts not eafily difcerned: If these be neglected, and more open enemies only noticed, it is as if one fhould gaze upon the fmoke, and neglect the fire that is within; or as if one fhould gaze upon the ulcer, but never confider the corrupt humour within.

3. Having found out the enemy, and difcerned where the ftrength of the nations lies, then fet upon them, and endeavour through grace, to bring them into a confumption, and that both by fiarving and forming of them. 1. By ftarving them. Oftarve them, and keep them from their food; Make no provifion for the flesh, to fulfil the lufts thereof. Beware of every thing that may contribute to strengthen the nations. Say not a confederacy with them: Do not fpare them, nor let their ftrong holds ftand: Draw not up a league with them, nor border too near to them. It is faid of Ifrael, The people fhall dwell alone, and fhall not be reckoned among the nations. Keep not company with the wicked: Be not too much converfant with the world; many bury themfelves by digging too deep there. 2. As by flarving, fo by forming the nations. You are to confume them; and you ought to ftorm them, by bringing them under the battering engines of the gofpel, under the stroke of God's word, which is the word of the Spirit; under the ftroke of the blood of Chrift, for we overcome by the blood of the Lamb; and under the stroke of the spirit of Chrift, for, if you through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, you shall

live.

4. Take all the advantages you can against the nations. Take advantage of the times and feafons: VOL. II.

I i

Even

Even when you are like to be overpowered with inward corruption, and under fear of falling one day by the hand of fome ftrong luft, then get to the mighty power of Chrift, and reinforce yourself, and refift; and in refifting, believe you fhall overcome: Remembring for your encouragement, that the Almighty Captain ftands within fight, when you are fighting in the valley; and he waits but a call from you when diftreffed in the battle, and he will come for your rescue. Jehoshaphat cried in the midst of the battle, and was helped; how much more may you expect his aid in your fpiri

tual combat?

5.

Watch against the nations, and resist the first onfet of the enemy. Corruptions are the natives, and they are not wholly deftroyed: If therefore you do not watch, nature will turn to her old bias. Native and natural inclinations are very forcible: As, bend the bough of a tree downward, if

you let it go it will start up by and by; fo if you give up your watch, the nations will return and refume their power. Particularly, watch against, and refift the first motions of fin: If you ftop not the current of a wicked motion, it will foon land in a wicked action; for, When luft hath conceived, it brings forth fin, James i. 15. Great evils arife from fmall beginnings: One fpoonful of water will quench that fire, which afterwards whole buckets cannot abate; therefore it is a good rule, principiis obfta, refift the beginings of fin.

6 Put the nations in the hand of the Captain, that he may destroy them, and endeavour fo to do, in the daily exercife of faith and prayer. O feek to the Lord Jefus, that he would avenge you of these Philistines, as in the parable of the unjuft judge,

Luke

Luke xviii. I. The parable was put forth for this end, that men ought always to pray and not to faint. The judge there mentioned was one that feared not God, nor regarded man: A widow comes to him, saying, avenge me of mine adverfary; and through her importunity the prevailed with him: And shall not God avenge his elect, that cry day and night to him? though he bear long, yet he will avenge them speedily: Therefore go to a God in Chrift, and cry, Lord, avenge me of my lufts, avenge me of my pride, avenge me of my unbelief, avenge me of my carnality, avenge me of mine enemies.

you

7. After all, reft not fatisfied with any small victory obtained over the nations: Sit not down, as if you had no more ado: for the nations are not all dead and destroyed at once; you will have them to fight with, as long as you are on this fide of heaven: Enemies will up again, and therefore muft up again, and prefs forward to a compleat victory. As the body of fin and death remains while you are here, fo, whatever particular luft you have been troubled with, you cannot expect a full and final victory over it while here, even though it hath been a mortified luft, a fubdued luft. No doubt Peter got his feet upon the neck of his fin of denying his mafter, when he went out and wept bitterly, after Chrift looked to him; yet even that fame corruption afterwards did ftir in him, by a partial denying of his mafter, though not in the fame degree; as when Paul withstood him to the face, Gal. ii. 12. A particular corruption may through grace be fubdued, and it may ceafe to ftir fo violently for a time, yet you cannot fay that it is wholly killed, yea, it may afterwards

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rife up as violently as ever: A luft that lay long dead may revive again, and therefore you little need to be fecure, but much need to be fober and watchful, and still going on in the warfare, ftill depending on the Lord for new fupplies of ftrength against new affaults. After one victory obtained, make ready for battle immediately; when fomething is done, look to the Lord to do more: After one stroke, feek another to be given for it is by little and little the victory is obtained. Think not strange, therefore, though the nations rally their forces again and again, and be not difcouraged thereupon; but learn a daily, momentary, clofe and conftant dependence upon the captain of falvation, the Lord Jefus Chrift, that through him you may do valiantly. It is be that girdeth you with firength, and fubdues the nations under you.

8. In order to purfue the nations to death, purfue the claim you have to the victory over them, in the use of all appointed means, with an entire dependence upon the Lord; not depending upon means, nay, nor yet depending upon fenfible manifeftations, nor relying even upon the graces of the fpirit, but upon the God of all grace; pleading your right and claim, by virtue of the divine promife, faying, Lord, haft thou not interpofed thy faithfulness, thy word, thy oath; and is not thy promise fealed, fealed by the blood of Christ, fealed in the facrament of the fupper? Haft thou not faid, Solomon fhall reign? though now, behold, Adonijah ufurps the throne: Haft thou not faid, grace fhall reign, and Sin fhall not have the dominion? Behold how it ufurps. Well, put him to his word, and purfue your claim. Surely the Lord will not

deny

your

deny himself, nay, JEHOVAH-JIREH, In the mount of the Lord it fhall be feen: Though you have no strength, no might against this great multitude; yet let your eyes be towards him, who is mightier than the noife of many waters, and who hath wrapt in intereft with his own glory, his own faithfulness and truth. Let your difficulties be never fo great, your enemies never fo many, and their power never fo invincible; it is not you they have to do with, but Chrift: And can any thing be too hard for him? Wait on thy God continually who hath here promised to accomplish the warfare gradually; The Lord. thy God will put out thefe nations before thee by little and little.

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