tribulation, tribulation from the devil, the world and their own heart. But I do not stay further upon this.

V. The fifth thing was the use of this doctrine and branch of the text, which fhall be comprised in the few following in ferences.

1. See hence, that this world is not the believer's home or refting-place. If it were, of all men he would be the moft miferable: Why? While on this fide of time, the enemy will be coming in like a flood upon him. But up thy heart, believer, though thou cannot find reft here, yet there remains a rest for the people of God. When thou comeft to thy own country, thou shalt be beyond the invenomed arrows and fiery darts of Satan; the accufer of the brethren is caft out of that happy land: there thou shalt be beyond the fnares and troubles of a wicked world; "there the wicked cease to trouble, and there the weary are at reft. There is no more fea," Rev. xxi. 1. There thou shalt not be molefted with the workings of indwelling fin, but " prefented faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy."

2. See hence whence it is the believer frequently expreffeth fuch longing defire to be away, crying, When will the day break, and the fhadows flee away, and the happy morning of immediate vifion dawn? Why, it is little wonder, confidering that, while here, the enemy is breaking in upon him like a flood; whereas, if once death, the laft enemy, has diflodged thy foul from the clay-tabernacle of the body, thy warfare is at an everlasting end; thou shalt have a victorious palm put in thy hand, a victorious diadem upon thy head, and a victorious fong put in thy mouth. Hence Paul, when he faw the battle near to an end, cries, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my courfe, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord the righteous Judge fhall give me at that day ; and not tơ me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

3. See hence the need that we have of Chrit in his kingly office, to fubdue, reftrain, and conquer all his and our enemies. Sirs, none of Chrift's offices can be wanting. We need him as a prophet, to open the mysteries of the kingdom, and to open our understanding to know them; we need him as a priest, to juftify us, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, by his atoning blood and prevalent interceffion; and we need him alfo as a king, to break up the way before us, to go upon our head, to fight our battles against the armies of the aliens that we have to engage with in our way to glory; he has his name written upon his thigh and veiture, "King of kings, and Lord of lords;"

and

and the armies which are in heaven do follow him, even the armies of faints in the church-militant, they follow him; and it is under his conduct we are made conquerors, yea, more than conquerors.

4. See hence encouragement to poor toffed and tempted believers, who are combating with the enemy coming in like a flood upon them, wrestling with flesh and blood, principalities and powers, and perhaps are ready to faint and give over, faying with David, "One day or other I fhall fall by the hand of the enemy;" fome day or other the strong floods of temptation and corruption will carry me clean away, and I fhall be a scandal to religion, and make the name of God to be blafphemed. Up thy heart, believer, I have good news to tell thee; though the enemy come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a ftandard against him. Many a fiery dart dipt in hell does now fly about thee; but be of good cheer, the victory is fure, for the Captain of thy falvation has faid, that "he will tread Satan under your feet fhortly." Many a weary day haft thou with the workings of indwelling fin, crying, "Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me!" but be of good cheer, thy victorious General has "finished tranfgreffion and made an end of fin;" he has said, that "fin fhall not have dominion, and that grace fhall reign." Many a heavy cross and trial does the world roll upon thy back, perhaps trials in thy perfon, in thy family, in thy relations, in thy name, in thy worldly eftate; but be of good courage, "O thou afflicted, toffed with tempefts, and not comforted, behold the Lord is laying thy ftones with fair colours, and thy foundations with fapphires." Perhaps thou would give all the world to be rid of fome predominant luft, fome fin that eafily befets thee; well, be comforted, the Spirit of the Lord has faid, that he "will fubdue your iniquities, that your old man is crucified with him." Perhaps thou art wracked with an evil heart of unbelief, and crying, "Lord help mine unbelief;" well, here is comfort, the Author and Finisher of faith, he will "fulfil in you all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power."

O fay you, these are good news indeed, that victory is fecured; but how is it fecured? Anfa. It is infured by God's ordination and appointment: Luke xxii. 28. 29. " Ye are they which have continued with me in my temptations: and 1 appoint unto you a kingdom." It is infured by covenant and promife, that thou fhalt go from ftrength to firength, till thou appear before the Lord in Zion; They that wait upon the Lord fhall renew their ftrength: they shall mount up with wings as eagles." It is infured by the blood of a Redeemer;

he

he has bought thy freedom from fin and Satan, and he will not leave the purchase of his blood in the hand of the enemy: Chrift's victory fecures thine; he overcame as a public perfon, in the name of his whole mystical body, and thou may warrantably take up the spoils of his victory, faying, "Thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jefus Chrift." The interceffion of Christ in heaven secures the victory; if he hath any moyen, he will employ it in the behalf of his friends grappling with his enemies : Satan feeks to winnow you; but he prays for thee, that thy faith fail not. The hand of Mofes fell and fagged when Ifrael was engaged with Amalek; but the hand of the man of God's right hand, it never falls down, and therefore the true Ifrael of God fhall prevail. Thy relation to Chrift obligeth him to take care that thou be not taken away with the flood. He is thy Bridegroom, and will the Bridegroom fuffer his bride to be trampled upon, if he can help it? He is thy Head, and will not the Head fee to the safety of the members? He is the Captain of thy falvation, and he will fee to the welfare of his foldiers.

Object. I am indeed perfuaded, that all who belong to Chrift, fhall be fecured against the enemy, though he come in like a flood; but, alas! that is ftill my fear, and the great question with me is, whether I belong to him? Well, to put this matter out of question, I only ask two or three questions. (1.) Haft thou not proclaimed and commenced war against all known fin; and are you not refolved, through grace, to refift even to blood, ftriving against fin? If so, though the enemy may come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord will drive him back, and thou fhalt be victorious at laft. (2.) When the enemy comes in, and prevails at any time like a flood, doft not thou wrestle and ftrive against the ftream, faying, "Wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me;" i am led captive by the law of fin and death? This fays thou art on the Lord's. fide. A dead fish goes down the ftream, but a living fith bears up against it, though it be borne down by violence. (3.) When the enemy comes in like a flood, Is not Chrift thy great to-look? and does not a look of him lighten thy heart, and infpire thee with fresh courage against the enemy? Pfal. xxxiv. 5. "They looked unto him, and were lightened." (4.) Art thou not now and then longing to be with the triumphant company above, where there is no more fea, no tempting devil, or deceitful heart? And art thou not lightened, to think that ere long the battle will be at an end? This fays that it shall be according to thy with, for he will fatisfy the longing foul : and Chrift in heaven is longing as much for thy company, as thou

art

art for his: "Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am."

The laft ufe is, in a word of Exhortation. Is it fo that the believer, while in this world, muft lay his account to have the enemy coming in like a flood upon him? Then, believer, put on thy harnefs, and be like the valiant of king Solomon, who have their fword girded upon their thigh, for fear of the night. Fight the good fight of faith, make a ftout and valiant stand against the enemy.

Motive 1. Thy enemies are God's enemies, as well as thine. The devil is his enemy, for he finned from the beginning; the world is his enemy, for the friendship of it is enmity to God; fin is his enemy, it is the abominable thing that his foul hates. Now all God's enemies" fhall perish, they fhall confume into fmoke." Shall they confume away, and may not this hearten thee in thy paffage? efpecially confidering,

2. That the Lord of hofts is with thee, God is upon thy fide; his name Emmanuel fignifies God with us, God to espouse our quarrel, God to bruife the ferpent's head, God with us to finifh tranfgreffion, and make an end of fin, God with us to overcome the world. "Fear thou not, for I am with thee: be not difmayed, for I am thy God," If. xli. 10. And therefore triumph with the church, and fay, Pfal. xlvi. at the beginning, "God is our refuge and our ftrength: The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge, therefore will we not be afraid."

3. The enemy is already defeat and baffled by thy glorious Head and General; thou haft only a fhattered enemy to grapple with: Pfal. lxxiv. 14. the children of Ifrael, there fpeaking of the overthrow of Pharoah and his host in the Red fea, fing this fong, "Thou brakeft the heads of leviathan in pieces, and gaveft him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wildernefs;" the meaning is, that the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hoft in the fea, was a fweet encouraging meal to Ifracl, in their travels through the wilderness to the heavenly Canaan, and was a pledge of their victory over all their other enemies. So here Chrift's victory over fin, death, and hell, is a fweet meal to the believer in the wilderness of this world, and is a fure pledge that, ere long, he fhall tread them under his feet.

4. Know, for thy encouragement, there are many triumphing in glory, against whom the floods did run with as grot violence, as they do now against thee. The cloud of witnefles, Heb. xi. and the innumerable company, Rev. vii. their battle was as hot as thine; but now they are triumphing in glory, in white robes. Take courage,

fol

low

low them, who through faith and patience inherit the promifes."

5. The battle will foon be over, the time is fhort, the end of all things is at hand, and within a little thy glorious General will found the retreat, and call thee off the field. There is a folemn triumph promised to the overcomer, Rev. ii. 7. Again, know, for thy encouragment, thy General will bear thy charges in the war; for he fends none a warfare on their own charges. Thy God commands thy ftrength; he himfeif is the ftrength of Ifrael, the glory of their ftrength; he will make thy bow to abide in its ftrength, and the arms of thy hand shall be made ftrong by the mighty God of Jacob, "Out of his fulnefs thou fhalt receive grace for grace." Again, consider, there is no discharging of this warfare against the enemy that comes in like a flood; thou muft either fight or die in the quarrel; thou must either fight, or be a lave; thou muit either fight, or fall under the curfe of God. " Curle ye Meroz, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof: because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty."

Laftly, The word of command is given by the glorious Ge neral," Fight the good fight of faith, stand faft in the faith, quit yourselves like men, be strong." Will the foldier draw back, when the General gives the word? Let none of Chrift's foldiers draw back the hand; not to obey, is death by the marthal-law of heaven.

I conclude with the few advices following.

1. Break your league with hell, fin, and death; if ye be in a confederacy with any known fin, you cannot strike a fair stroke in the Lord's quarrel.

2. Set up your standard of war against the enemy, in the name of JEHOVAH, a reconciled God in Chrift, faying with the church," We will be joyful in thy falvation, and in the name of our God we will fet up our banners ;" and with David, Pfal. cxviii. "They compaffed me about like bees; but in the name of the Lord I will destroy then.”

3. Take care of the enemy within doors, obferve its motions, I mean the evil heart of unbelief; for if you do not, it will betray you. "Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the ilues of life. Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries," &c.

4. Keep in with God and confcience: a good God, and a good confcience, on a man's fide, will make him bold as a lion. This is our rejoicing, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfa tion in the world."

5. Make