about you.' Oh what encouragement is this!

2. Jefus Chrift is your captain; God hath made him general of the field, and if you had none other to fight for you, yet he alone is mightier than all your enemies. He hath already vanquished Satan, yea, he hath fo bruised the ferpent's head, that now he cannot overcome finally the leaft of his followers. Satan was the strong man who poffeffed all in peace; but our Saviour Chrift, who is stronger than he, coming upon him, hath overcome him, and taken from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divided his fpoils, Luke xi. 21, 22. Hence he is truly called our King, our Redeemer, our Head, our Captain; and will not you, the fubjects of this King, the ranfomed of this Redeemer, the members of this Head, the foldiers of this Captain, fight under his ftandard? Why confider, if you wrestle, Jefus Chrift ftands by to bring you off with honour. Sure you need not doubt of help, who have Chrift your Captain for your fecond. If Satan be a roaring lion, Chrift is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. If Satan be an accufer, Chrift is an advocate. He lived and died for you, and rather than you mifcarry, he will live and die with you. For mercy and tenderness to his foldiers, none like him; he knows what it is to be expofed to the rage of a cruel fiend, and therefore he will fuccour those that are tempted, Heb. iv. 15. Chrift's heart is intendered by his own experience, ever fince he grappled with Satan; he is full of bowels to all them 'that are infeoffed by him; yea, Chrift is fo dear over them, that then efpecially he intercedes his Father, when he obferves his people in temptati ons, q. d. O Father, I pray that this poor man or woman may not fall in time of temptation; thus he prayed for Peter, Luke xxii. 32. when he was on earth, I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not; and thus he prays for you in heaven. No fooner he fees Satan run in upon you, but he runs into the prefence of God the Father, and føreads his blood and his fanctification for your help. Oh the loves of the Lord Jefus Chrift!

3. The Spirit of God will ftrengthen you against the powers of the evil fpirit. This is that Spirit of wisdom and understanding, that Spirit of counsel and might, that

Spirit that helpeth our infirmities, Ifa. xi. 2. Rom. viii. 26. that kindleth and healeth your hearts with love, and zeal, and other graces; that comforts your confciences, and confumes your corruptions, and continues in you, fealing you to the day of redemption; even he it is that ftrengthens you against the power of the devil. But how doth the Spirit ftrengthen? I anfwer,

1. He teacheth you in and by your temptations. Luther could fay, that three things made a good divine, meditation, prayer, and temptation. And indeed, when and where doth the holy Spirit reveal himself more fully unto his people than in the times of their temptations? It is faid that at Maffah and Meribah, the waters of ftrife and of temptation, there the Lord gave Ifrael all his ftatutes.

2. He bears up and upholds your hearts with graces. My grace is fufficient for thee, faid the Lord to Paul:, The Spirit of the Lord in your combats ufually comes in with affifting grace; or if that be not enough, he comes in alfo with accepting grace. Tho' thy prayer be weak, and thy faith low, yet faith the Spirit, It is the time of temptation with my poor fervant, and therefore I will take the duty tho' it be never fo little.

3. The good angels wait upon you as a guard: Have they not a charge from God to fee to your fafety? And is not one angel ftronger than all the devils? If a man were to pafs by thip over a dangerous fea, full of rocks, pirates, robbers, would not letters of fafe conduct be his comfort? but if a great navy fhould be fent to conduct him over, if. the admiral fhould call out all his men of war to fee him fafely arrived, how much more comfortable would this be? Even thus God deals with us, he fends his angels, whe willingly afford their miniftry, because of their love to man: But in refpect of Gud's word and charge, they are much more willing. O the ftrong motives that we have, to fight! God, and Chrift, and his fpirits, and angels, all take our part. What greater dignities? What better de-. fence? What greater folace? What better fafety than: this? to be attended and guarded, not by men (which we account an honour and happiness) but by angels, who pitch their tents about the faints? Pfal, xxxiv. 8. Methiks the

knowlege, affurance, remembrance and meditation of this fhould marvelously comfort and encourage the people ofGod.

4. The fpirits of the just made perfect with God, contribute their affiftance: Do they not pray for the church in general? Do they not mind the condition of thofe who are yet militant upon earth? Do they not stand upon the walls of heaven, and call upon you to march up the hill after them; crying aloud, Fall on, and the city will be yours, as now it is ours? The fame words that Paul fpake, living, he even fpeaks now dead, Watch ye, ftand faft in the faith, quit yourfelves like men,' 1 Cor. xvi. 13. The printed books, the lively examples of dead faints, call on you still to be valorous; do they not really fpeak in Jaab's language, Be of good courage for your fouls, and for. the glory of your God,' 2 Sam. x. 12.

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5. Other faints on earth are in the fame pofture with yourfelves; they are wrestling, they are all enduring a great fight of afflictions and temptations. Certainly you march in the midst of gallant fpirits: Your fellow foldiers are every one the fon of a prince, yea, of the King of kings, and Lord of lords; and this is their way to encourage you, and to be encouraged by you: There is not a watch you make, nor a ftroke you strike, but it pleafeth them, and it refresheth them; as on the other fide, there is not a ne gligence, or a fail, but it wounds them, and afflicts them. 6. The devil himfelf is not altogether fo terrible as he, feems. Do you look on him in these particulars.

1. He is but a creature, though he be filed a principa., lity and power, yet his power is but a created power; he is potent, but not omnipotent; he is the ftrong armed man, but Jefus Chrift is ftronger than he; and tho' you cannot, yet the Lord Jefus can eafily difarm him, and take that away wherein he trufteth, Luke xi. 22.

2. He is a creature under a curfe; this may take off much of that dreadfulness which many look upon him with, Curfed fhalt thou be above all the beafts of the. field,' Gen. iii, 14. O the encouragement that all our e nemies (both that field ferpent, and the old ferpent called the devil) are under the divine curfe. Surely God's curfe is a weakening thing,

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1. Wounded by Chrift,

3. He is a wounded creature. 'He fhall break thy head, and thou fhalt bruife his heel,' Gen. iii, 15. The Lord Jefus breaks Satan's head, as he is our Head; he hath wounded him for us, and for our fakes. Here is comfort; alas! Satan was too strong for us hand to hand, and therefore our Lord firft enters the lift, and gives him a wound; and then, as Joshua, he bids us come, and tread on his neck. Thus when we read of Christ's glorious acts, That he overcame Satan, Mat. iv. 11. Led captivity captive, Eph, iv. 8. Spoiled principalities and powers, Col. ii. 15. Made his enemies his footftool, Mat. xxii. 44. Overcame thofe that war against him, Rev. xvii. 14. we are to understand that all these acts were for our benefit, and that for us he combated with and conquered all these foes. 2. He is wounded by the members of Chrift. • Satan is fallen from heaven like lightning, and made sub 'ject to the faints,' Luke x. 18, 19, 20. His weapons have been often battered and blunted, not only by Chrift, but also by Christians. I write unto you, young men, ⚫ because you have overcome the wicked one,' 1 John ii. 13, 14. Others have been, and if we will but wrestle, We • also shall be more than conquerors thro' Chrift that loved *us,' Rom. viii. 37.

4. For he is a chained creature. The angel that came "down from heaven had a great chain in his hand, and he ⚫ laid hold on the dragon, that old ferpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,' Rev. XX. 1, 2. In this chain he is fo confined, that he cannot fir until God flack his chain: Nor need we trouble ourfelves, because it is faid only for a thousand years; for in deed God hath ever kept him in fetters fince his fall, either lefs or more, and he shall never shake them off again until dooms-day: He hath ever delivered him into chains of darknefs, to be referved unto the judgment of the great day, 2 Pet. ii. 4. Jude 6. Oh what encouragement is this! think of it Chriftians, devils can do nothing with but a commiffion from God. Though they ruined Job's ftate, yet they had their power from God; and tho' they invefted his body with fad difeafes, yet they were fain to ask new leave from God; they could not fo much as enter

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into fwine but Christ must give them authority, and bið them go, Luke viii. 32. How should that animate us, that our greatest enemy is fubject to the power of our best and dearest friend? Enough for motives.

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SECT. VI.
Ufe of Direction.

S our fpiritual combat a wrestling? Then fome directions how we are to manage this fpiritual combat. This is that fpecial ufe which I ever aim at in all practical points. Many are convinced of fuch and fuch a duty, that know but little how to go about it: Others may indeed abound. in their own fenfe, and they may in their own experiences find out fome rules moft proper for their own difpofition, and most powerful for their own reformation; and for my part, I fhall gladly leave them to themfelves; yet for fuch who are not better furnished, and yet defire fome help how to manage wifely this great duty of wrestling with devils, I fhall prescribe for their ufe, and mine own (as the Lord hall enable) thefe following directions.

In our fpiritual combat, two things are neceffary to be known, I. Satan's affaults. 2. Our repulfes.

His affaults I hall trace according to the feveral periods of our life, wherein more efpecially he combats with us in fuch and fuch a kind: As in our infancy he combats thus; and in our youth, or time of converfion he combats thus; and in our riper years he combats thus; and in the end or period of life he combats thus. Now herein lies our duty.

1. To be acquainted with his feveral methods at fuch times.

2. To repel him in fuch a manner, and by fuch means, as are most suitable to his methods: And, Ọ that the Lord would help, and ftrengthen me in this work! O that he would prefent his light and truth, that I may discover to you these works of darkness, both for the avoiding and conquering of him, who is referved for everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day, Jude 6.

BOOK II.