done nothing of yourself. He offers to give you all the armour you need for the war: Do you need the fword, the breaft-plate, the helmet, the shield, mentioned, Eph. vi. He himself is the great magazine of all the military provifion; and therefore, if you take on with him you fhall want for nothing that is neceffary for carrying on the war to a complete victory. O come and take on with him for wisdom, righteousness, fanctification and redemption; take on with him for armour, ftrength, victory and all. Why, but what mean you by taking on with him? I know not how to take on with him. Why, firs, to take on with him, is to believe in him. But what am I to believe, fay you, that I may take on with him? 1. You are to believe, that he is speaking to you, and inviting you to take on with him; even you my dear friends. Let none here fay, that there was not a word fpoken to them at Carnock: Nay, I take you all to witness, that have ears to hear, that the Lord is by the poor worm that is here preaching, fpeaking to every one of you, and faying, To you O man, do I call, and my voice is to the fons of men; and he is bidding you take on with him. Believe that he is fpeaking to you, and that this gofpel-offer is to you. 2. You are to believe that you cannot believe. This were one good ftep towards faith, to believe that you are an unbeliever, and fhut up in unbelief as in a prison, which none can open but the captain of falvation. And therefore, 3. You are to believe in him for grace to believe in him, or to come to him for grace to come to him, and to take on with him for faith, as well as for other things, because he alone is the author of faith. He never called any to bear the expence of one jot, from the beginning to the end of the

0

war,

war, out of their own pocket, and much less, the expence of this great thing we call believing, which is the effect of the exceeding greatness of his almighty power. And then having believed these things, 4. You are to believe his word, that he will not fail you in a jot of what he is offering to you. Take his word for it, that he will do as he hath faid unto you; and truft him that speaks to you by us. To take on with him by faith, is to take his word who is Truth itself, for your fecurity; and lay the stress of the whole war upon him, faying Lord, art thou calling me, even me, that have been a flave to the devil and the nations of lufts? Art thou calling me to take on with thee? Content, Lord, Come thou and reign over us, as the trees faid, in fotham's parable, Judges ix. 10. Come thou and reign over me, and be thou my glorious captain, to fight for me, and to flay all the nations of lufts in my heart. And, if you indeed take on with him in this manner, he will do as he hath faid; he will put out these nations before you by little and little. May the Lord fecond his call with power.

Secondly, To you that are believers, on the field of battle, making war with the nations, the fpiritual Canaanites; and before whom the Lord hath begun to drive them out by little and little: I fhould offer you, 1. A word of Comfort. 2. of Counsel.

ft, for Comfort. O believer, though the nations be greater and mightier than you, yet the Lord hath engaged to drive them out; there is a power in Christ, the believers head and husband, that will, in process of time, bring every power contrary to him in fubjection; it is in Chrift that believers fhall be more than conquerors. It is very grievous to the believer, to feel the affaults of fin, fuch as that

of

of pride, filthiness, covetousness, unbelief, atheism and enmity. But it is the privilege of the believer, that he hath such things that he may be humbled, not that he may be conquered and destroyed thereby. You know, a fnake may be fo handled, by taking out his sting and teeth, that it cannot hurt us, tho' it touch us; yet we abhor it for the nature of it, and are afraid to have it come near to us: Even fo fin is in fuch a manner handled by our Lord Jesus Christ, that it cannot hurt the believer in Chrift; hence the believer is many times more afraid than hurt: Yet it is very becoming the true believer to hate fin from the very nature of it, and ftand at a distance from it. Mean time, you have the greatest encouragement in the world to fight against the nations of enemies, the nations of lufts; for the battle is the Lord's, he stands engaged to put out the nations, Deut. vii. 17, 18., Were there an uncertainty of the victory you might be difcouraged, and loath to undertake fuch a warfare; but now, when the Lord hath affured you of the victory, and that you have his blood, his spirit, his faithful promise for it, there is no more ground of difcouragement. Object. O what comfort can I take, when I find the nations of enemies and lufts still living and lively, yea, strong, mighty and prevalent, and even growing ftronger and ftronger upon my hand, instead of being fubdued and deftroyed? Anfw. Perhaps it is fo between battles, or fingle combats that you have with your corruptions; but, do you not find alfo your captain coming fometimes into your affiftance, and making up all that you loft, by his gracious, powerful, fanctifying and comforting prefence? And thus do you not find even after fin's victory over you, which makes you

judge

judge the nations are increafing on your hands; do you not find (I fay) your hatred of fin increafed, your felf-abhorrence increased, your dependence on the Lord for ftrength increased, your defire to be rid of fin increased, and your heart longing for the final victory over the nations, and the full poffeffion of Canaan? Why, what is this but the Lord your God putting out the nations before you by little and little? Mean time, during thefe battles, is it not ground of comfort, 1. That there is a sentence past in your favour against the nations, even a sentence of condemnation and deftruction; and accordingly Sin is condemned in the flesh, Romans viii. 3. and Satan is condemned to deftruction; The God of peace will bruife Satan under your feet. 2. Is it not ground of comfort, that the fentence paft against fin and Satan is executed in part? Your old man is crucified, the head of the ferpent is bruifed: For this caufe was the Son of God manifefted, to deftroy the works of the devil; and, by death he hath deftroyed him that had the power of death. 3. Is it not ground of comfort, that the day of full and final execution is at hand, wherein he will take vengeance on the nations? For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, Ifa. lxiii. 4. the year of my redeemed is come; the day of the Lord is at hand, wherein he will bring forth judgment into victory, and death fhall be fwallowed up in victory: Chrift will reign till all bis enemies bceome bis footflool; to him every knee fhall bow. 4. Is it not ground of comfort, that the remaining power of the nations in the interim fhall never be able to break the relation that is betwixt your captain-general and you, nor to caft you out of his covenant, out of his heart, nor out of his love? My

covenant

covenant will I not break, fays he, my loving-kindnefs will I not take away, Pfal. lxxxix. 33, 34. He is ftill the Lord thy God, and therefore he will put out the nations before thee by little and little. I offer you,

2dly, a word of Counfel. O believer, are you indeed engaged in battle against the nations? And has the Lord begun to drive them out before you? Then pursue thy victory, and fight out the good fight of faith, for the Lord thy God is he that does fight for thee, as the apostle says in a like case, Phil. ii. 12, 13. Work out the work of your falvation with fear and trembling; for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Even to fight out the battle against the nations, for the Lord thy God will put them out before thee by little and little. And, fince the battle is the Lord's, and your captain goes before you to divide the fpoil with the strong, go on couragioufly: And, that you may do fo the more fuccessfully, I fhall branch forth this word of counsel in these few particulars.

1. Put on the whole armour of God; and go not forth against the nations in your own ftrength, otherwise you will find them too hard for you; but go on in the frength of the Lord, making mention of bis righteousness, and his only; being frong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; and strong in the grace that is in Chrift Jefus; having no confidence in the fef, but always your confidence in, and dependence upon the Lord Jefus Chrift, the captain of your falvation.

2. Search out these nations that are most invifible and hidden; for your greatest danger is from your

moft