reign as kings in heaven; fince no man is crowned except he strive lawfully, 2 Tim. ii. 5. So it tends to enhance heaven, and make them prize and value it the more, when it is attained through many difficulties, troubles, and oppofitions: And by this means they come to have fome fweet conformity to their bleffed captain of falvation, who was made perfect through fufferings; and it is their honour to tread his fteps, who endured the Contradiction of finners against himself and fought his way. This contributes also to the believer's comfort at the iffue of every conflict, as a fafe haven is very comfortable to a mariner that hath been toft at fea. This method ferves not only for the believer's comfort, but for his inftruction and correction: For his instruction, because thus he learns more and more to be humble and dependant; all boafting is excluded by this means, while he finds his enemies ftill living, and lively and strong: for he looks with an humble eye upon himself, knowing his own utter infufficiency for grappling with these enemies, and difficulties, and oppofitions in his way; and with a dependent eye upon Christ, that his grace may be fufficient for him, and his ftrength perfected in weakness: Thus he glories in his infirmities, that the power of Christ may reft upon him. And as it is advantageous for their neceffary inftruction, so for their neceffary correction, when they are fparing and remifs in ufing the means, and improving the advantages for driving out the Canaanites, indulging the flesh and the corruptions thereof; as it is faid of Ifrael, Numb. xxxiii. 55If they would not drive out the inhabitants of the land, then it should come to pafs, that these which they let remain should be pricks in their eyes, and thorns in their fides, to vex them. This is one

of

of the feverest ways of chastifing them, when, to reprove them for one fin and luft, he lets them fall into the hands of another; and yet in mercy to the true Ifrael of God, curing their disease in the iffue As he let Peter fall into a threefold pit among his enemies hands, for curing his felf-confidence. One would think the cure was worse than the disease; but our Lord hath fometimes very fearful ways of correcting and curing the fouls of his own people.

4thly, It is by little and little that the Lord puts out the nations before them, to commend the excellency of the deliverance that we have by Chrift. Tho' there be no condemnation to them that are in Chrift; yet, for their humiliation, God fuffers their enemies to live among them, and fin to live in them, and oft-times to afflict them, that they may know the benefit they have by grace, while they make continual recourfe to him for help. It is but little that we can comprehend at once, by reason of our want of capacity; therefore he gives one deliverance at this time, and another deliverance at that time, and a third deliverance at another time, and fo on from time to time, that we may know how much we are obliged to him.

5thly, He delivers by little and little, to 'fhew the greatnefs of his glory, as the captain of falvation. He fhews the glory of his power, in keeping us, notwithstanding the great danger we are continually in, while the enemy is alive within us, without us, and round about us. How greatly does his power appear, in preferving the toffed ark amidst all the waves and billows of adverfity that dafh against it, and in keeping the burning bush from being confumed! He fhews the glory of his trium

phant

phant arms, like fome famous conquerors in battle, who tho' they may, yet will not put all their enemies to the edge of the fword, but will take fome captives, and others they will keep alive against their day of triumph, and then to fuffer death, to the greater fhame of the conquered, and the greater glory of the conqueror. When Joshua had difcomfited these five kings that fought against Gibeon, Joshua x. he would not flay them inftantly, but fhut them up in a cave clofely, intending, when the battle was fully ended, to put them to death openly; fo our great general and captain, the Lord Jefus Chrift, ftrikes through kings in the day of bis wrath; He leads captivity captive: He fhuts up fome of the kings and commanders of the hellish nations into the cave of the heart, where they may rage, yet they cannot rule any more; and at last crowns the folemnity of his triumph, by making a fhow of them openly, and deftroying them utterly.

6thly, He deftroys them by little and little, that he may counter-plot the enemies in their own plot, and fight them with their own weapons. It is the plot of hell, by little and little to deftroy finners, yea, and to wear out the faints of the Moft High, Dan. vii. 25. by one temptation on the back of another, therefore by little and little the Lord will defeat the defign of the devil and take the wise in their own craftinefs. The wifdom of heaven can eafily counterplot the policy of hell. Yea, thus he fights the enemy, and beats him with his own weapons. The tempter comes fometimes, and bruifes the believers heel, as he did Chrift's; upon which the believer is stirred up to look again to him that was bruifed for his iniquity, and then the devil is

fure

fure to get as good as he gave; for the bruifed heel, he gets a broken head. May be, fome temptation gives the believer a trip, and down he falls; but the wife captain makes ufe of that very fall for giving the devil and his hofts a greater foil than ever; for, after that fall, the believer goes alone, with Peter, and weeps it out, and watches, and prays, and fights

better than he did before.

7thly, It is by little and little that the Lord conquers the nations of enemies in the way to the heavenly Canaan, because by little and little his people must be made ready for it, Exod. xxiii. 30. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, till thou be increased, and inherit the land. As the Canaanites had kept poffeffion till Ifrael was grown into a people; fo there were to be fome remains of them, till Ifrael fhould grow fo numerous, as to replenish the whole. The land of Canaan had room enough to receive Ifrael, but Ifrael was not yet numerous enough to poffefs Canaan: Even fo here, the true Ifrael of God muft be made ready for the heavenly Canaan, before they come there. They are not always in actual readinefs, therefore there is fome fervice they have to do for their captain, fome battle they have to fight with the enemy: They must have fome more experience, and learn fome more leffons: therefore their poffeffion of Canaan is delayed till they be ready for it.

8thly, It is by little and little that the Lord drives out the nations before them, left the beafts of the field increase upon them; to allude to that word which immediately follows the text, which we have alfo, Exod. xxiii. 9. I will not drive them out before thee in one year, left the land become defolate, VOL. II.

and

and the beasts of the field multiply against thee. And thus it is with the children of God; if they had not enemies without and within, and oppofitions in their way, there are fome dangerous beafts that would be ready to increase upon them: For instance, there is a beaft, they call Pride, that might grow upon you, if you had no enemies to fight with and while yet you are not ready for heaven, and fanctification is incompleat. Hence a Thorn in the flesh was given to Paul, that he might not be exalted above meafure. Is not the thorn in the flesh well ordered, that prevents confidence in the flesh? There is a beaft, they call Security, might grow upon you; but now enemies are on all hands of you, to prevent your falling asleep, and to keep you watching and waking. There is a beaft, they call Prefumption, that might grow upon you, and make you think you were able to go forward to heaven upon your own legs, and in your own ftrength, if you found no fuch enemy in the way. There is another beaft they call Worldly-mindedness, that might grow upon you; if you got no adverfaries and adversities to vex you, and wean you from the world, you would be in danger of faying, It is good to be here: But now the wars and battles, in your way to heaven, make you fay with your heart, O it is better to be there. There is the beaft, a filthy brute beaft, that they call Senfuality, that might grow upon you, believer, that might make you lukewarm and formal in all your duties, as well as carnal, and light, and vain in the intervals of duties: But the fight of your fpiritual enemies on the field, will make you to fee a need to be fpiritual, zealous, earneft, and fervent in fpirit, ferving the Lord. There is also a filthy dumb beaft, which they call Forget