enemy do
you carry about with you, that you take fire
upon the fmallet touch, and are ready to be blown up
with the flame?-Does not fad experience witness, how
foon the ftrongeft refolution, even under the sweetest
gales, will evanifh; that you are not oft in the evening
what you was in the morning, nor for many hours do
you keep the ground you had attained; and how quick-
ly you deftroy that which grace hath built, infomuch,
that if grace were not ftronger to fave and preferve,
than you are to mar and deftroy, you would be undone
for ever? Is it not paft reckoning, how oft your heart
hath thus deceived you? And is it not plain that the
word of God knows your heart better than you do, de-
claring it to be deceitful above all things, and defperately
wicked?-Does not fad experience fhow you, that the
devil, who heads and leads the nations of lufts and cor-
ruptions, hath the advantage of the ground; and knows
how to correfpond with your corruption, and fuits his
temptation to your natural temper, to your calling and
company, and predominant inclination, and even to
your retirement and folitude; and that he can even
then most dangeroufly tempt, when the temptation is
leaft feen and difcovered; and that by his temptation he
drives not only at the bringing fin to the thoughts, but
to the act, for putting fome blot upon your walk and
converfation?-Does not fad experience fhew you, that
it is hard, difficult, and dangerous, to dance about the
fire, and not be burnt; and that the temptation, which,
at a diflance, feemed fmall, upon a near approach you
have found had more bands on your heart than you
could have dreamed it would have had; and how im-
poflible it is, many times, to ftop the current to which,
through unwatchfulness you have given a vent?-Does
not fad experience witnefs, how the power and preva-
lency of corruption hath confumed the vitals of your spi-
ritual life, and tumbled you down headlong into con-
fufion; efpecially when you have given confcience a
wramp, by doing violence to light, in fiding with the
enemies, and adventuring on the occafions of a temp.
tation? When you have gone, with Peter, to the high-
prieft's hall, without a warrant or a call, hath it not cost

you

you dear, infomuch, that you have found bold finning hath made faint believing, and turned all your comfort to the door, leaving nothing behind but bitterness and death? - Do you not find your fins have a weakening, captivating, vexing, and tormenting power?-But many fad experiences of this fort, and thousands of them in their life-time, may even the true Ifrael of God have, whereby they find, to their fad coft, that the nations of corruptions are alive and powerful; as this gradual conqueft, by little and little, declares.

2. It shows also, that they have many fweet experiences on the other hand, of fome little fuccours and auxiliaries, fome fmall aids and fupplies from heaven, whereby the enemy is driven out, and destroyed, from time to time; and this all the days of their life alfo, till the warfare be accomplished at death. I am fpeaking of thefe that have been brought to the field of battle, as I fhewed before; and how the Lord, by little and little, makes the nations of lufts fometimes to flee before them. But by how many littles, in the believer's life-time, this warfare is carried on, who can tell? And how many little recoveries, little revivings, little fupplies, little fupports, little ftrengthening meals, little fin-killing antidotes, little foul-reftoring cordials; how many of thefe little fweet things, or fweet little things, the Lord their God allows them, from time to time, that by little and little they may gain the day, is not poffible to tell, they are fo many. The poor fighting believer may get a thousand of them in a year; and ten thousands of them in his life-time; and, perhaps, more than half a score of them at one communion.-Sometimes he gets a little new discovery of the glorious Captain, after he hath been long out of fight, and hiding himself: and a new fight of the glory of the Lord fills the Ifraelite's heart with new life and courage, and hope of prevailing; for then he fees Chrift to be a full magazine of all military provifion, and an open magazine to give out armour for the war; and fo he becomes ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Indeed, fo many little glances of the glory of Chrift that the believer gets, fo many little victories does he get over the enemy.-Again, fomeDd4

times

times he gets a little out-pouring of the Spirit of prayer, and of the Spirit of adoption, crying, ABBA, Fatber: O Father, may he fay, pity a poor child, haraffed with the devil, and captivate by the power of indwelling lufts and corruptions. O! but this gives the believer a little ease and relief, when he can get his heart poured out into the bofom of his belt, and most glorious friend, complaining of the tyranny of the tempter, and the prevail ing of the nations. Here is a little victory, when he gets a little grace to put the enemies of his foul into the hands of his Captain, faying, Vengeance, Lord; vengeance be executed upon thefe enemies, that dishonour thy name, and difturb the peace of my foul.—Again, fometimes he gets a little difcovery of the enemy's power and policy, and strongest holds; fo as, knowing the depths of Satan, and not being ignorant of his devices, the believer is thereby put in cafe to be upon his guard: and efpecially he is made to fee and obferve the old man of fin, that deadly cut-throat, that lies within his bofom: and while he is bemoaning himself, with Ephraim: and crying out with Paul, Ob wretched man that I am! who fhall deliver me from this body of death? The enemy is lofing ground.-Again, fometimes he gets a little communication of life, after a deadness of spirit that seized him; and a little recovery, after a fit of the falling-ficknefs and backfliding: and the new communication of life and health to the foul, makes him ftart up to his feet again, renew the affault, and purfue the enemy with more vigour and refolution than ever; like a man that grows ftronger than before. Indeed, that fpiritual ficknefs of the believer is not unto death, but unto the glory of God; which his being recovered from, makes him fight more courageously, and watch more carefully against the enemy than ever he did. Again, fometimes he gets a little grip of a promife, fuch as that, I will fubdue thine iniquity; fin fhall not have dominion over thee; fear not, for I am with thee; the God of peace fhall bruife Satan under your feet bortly: and having thefe promises, he is encouraged to the holy war, namely, to cleanse himself from all filthinefs of the flesh and of the fpirit, and to perfect holinefs in the fear of the Lord. Why, the

pro

promife takes hold of his heart, and his heart takes hold of the promife, and therein he fees that the ftrength of Ifrael is engaged to carry him through the hoft of his enemies. And thus, every little grip of a promise by faith, is a little victory; there needs no more to give a chafe to the enemy, than a little upftirring of faith, on a promifing God in Chrift, and dependence on him, under the conduct of his Spirit.-Again, fometimes he gets a little grace to wait upon the Lord, while the promife is not yet accomplished, until he bring forth judgment unto victory; and, "The Lord is a God of judgment, bleffed are all they that wait for him: He that believes, fhall not make hafte:" knowing, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the ftrong:" And hence the believer will find that his ftrength is to fit ftill, and quietly to wait for the falvation of the Lord.-Again, fometimes he gets a little godly forrow, that works-repentance unto life: gofpel-repentance, iffuing from a fight of crucified Chrift, brings along with it a train of artillery for fubduing the enemy; "What carefulness does it work, fays the apoftle; yea, what clearing of ourselves; yea, what indignation yea, what fear; yea, what vehement defire; yea, what zeal; yea, what revenge?" 2 Cor. vii. II. When the heart is melting before the Lord in godly for. row, O what revenge is it meditating against the nations of lufts and corruptions! O how glad would the believer be then to wash his hands in the blood of all his fpiritual enemies! For, at the fame time, he gets a little refentment of his own ingratitude, faying, O do I thus requite the Lord, O foolish and unwife? A little holy fhamte and blufhing before the Lord, at the thoughts of his own brutifhnefs, faying, Behold I am vile! and a little fouldebasement, cafting indignity upon himfelf, and giving glory to the Lord, faying, Truth, Lord, I am a dog, I am a beaft, I am a devil; but yet I come to thee, to caft out the devil, and get glory to thy name.--Further, fometimes he gets a little intimation of peace and pardon, a little fprinkling of the blood of Chrift upon the confcience, to purge it from dead works; and a little application of that blood by the hand of the Spirit, fhewing him that

the

the blood of Chrift cleanfeth from all fin. And this bloody banner of the Lamb, being displayed, makes the nations to flee before him: They overcome by the blood of the Lamb.-Sometimes they get a little opening of the heart, like Lydia, at the hearing of the word; infomuch, that their hearts, that were dead within them like a ftone, or ever they are aware take life and need-fire, with a word of grace, a word of power; and the more the heart opens to let in the King of glory, the more is the enemy fhut out.-Sometimes they get a little freedom and boldnefs at the throne of grace, when they come thither to obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need: and when there they get a little strength to wrestle with the Lord for a bleffing, faying, Lord, I will not let thee go, till thou blefs me; they get even power with God himself, as it is faid of Jacob, Hof. xii. 4. "He had power over the angel, and prevailed." And when a man is an overcomer in this fenfe, to have power with God; much more will he have power over the nations of enemies; "To him that overcometh, will I give power over the nations," Rev. ii. 26.-Sometimes they get a little anointing of the oil of gladnefs wherewith Chrift is anointed above his fellows; and when the joy of the Lord is their ftrength; and a little fhower of the fanctifying and comforting influences of the Spirit of Chrift, for watering their graces, and drowning their corruptions. Sometimes they get a little look and glance of the kind and compaffionate eye of Chrift, even after a denial, as he gave to Peter; and when they find him thus graciously looking to them, and kindly rebuking them, they go out and weep bitterly: and while they are fhedding the tears of faith, they are fhedding the blood. of their enemies.-Sometimes they get a little back-look upon an old experience of the Lord's putting the enemy to flight before them, faying, "I will remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, and from the hill Mizar" or a little back-look upon an old promife that the Lord gave them with power: and when they are helped to plead it, faying, "Lord, remember the word on which thou haft caufed me to hope;" the enemy gets a new dafh. Sometimes they get a little opening of the

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