First, The word of encouragement to battle. With this he begins his speech : * Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord ;' the best way indeed to prepare them for the following directions. A soul deeply possessed with fear, and dispirited with strong impressions of danger, is in no posture for counsel. As we see in an army when put to flight by some sudden alarm, or apprehension of danger, it is hard rallying them into order till the fright occasioned thereby is over ; therefore the apostle first raiseth up their spirits, ' Be strong in the Lord :' as if he should say. Perhaps some drooping souls find their hearts fail them, while they see their enemies so strong, and they so weak ; so numerous, and they so few ; so well appointed, and they so naked and unarmed ; so skilful and - expert at anns, but they green and raw soldiers : let not these, or any other thoughts dismay you ; but with undaunted courage march on, ' and be strong in the Lord,' on whose performance lies the stress of the battle, and not on your skill or strength. It is not the least of a minister's care and skill in divid- ing the word, so to press the Christian's duty, as not to oppress his spii-it with the weight of it, by laying it on the creature's own shoidders, and not on the Loi'd's strength, as here our apostle teacheth us.
In this verse. First, here is a familiar appellation ; ' My brethren,'
Secondly, Here is the exhortation ; ' Be strong.'
Thirdly, Here is a cautionary direction annexed to the exhortation ; ' In the Lord.'
Fourthly, Here is an encouraging amplification of the direction ; ' And in the power of his might,' or in his mighty power.
CHAPTER I.
OF CHRISTIAN COURAGE AND RESOLUTION, WHEREFORE NECESSARY, AND HOW OBTAINED.
We shall wave the appellation, and begin with the exhortation, ' Be strong ;' that is, be of good courage, so commonly used in scripture phrase : 2 Chron. xxxii. 7. 'Be strong and courageous.' So Isa. xxxv. 4, ' Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong ;' or unite all the powers of your souls, and muster up your whole force, for you will have use of all you can make or get. From whence the point is this.
Doct. The Christian, of all men, needs courage and resolution. Indeed, there is nothing he doth as a Christian, or can do, but is an act of valour. A
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cowardly spirit is beneath the lowest duty of a Christian : Josh. i. 7, ' Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest' — what ? stand in battle against those warlike nations ? No, ' but that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee.' It requires more prowess and greatness of spirit to obey God faithfully, than to command an army of men ; to be a Christian, than to be a captain. What seems less than for a Christian to pray ? yet this cannot be performed aright without a princely spu-it ; as Jacob is said to behave himself like a prince, when he did but pray; for which he came out of the field God's banneret. Indeed if you call that prayer which a carnal person performs, nothing more poor and dastard-like. Such a one is as great a stranger to this enterprise, as the cowardly soldier is to the exploits of a valiant chieftain. The Christian in prayer comes up close to God, with a humble boldness of faith, and takes hold of him, wrestles with him ; yea, will not let him go without a blessing, and all this in the face of his own sins, and divine justice, which let fly upon him from the fiery mouth of the law ; while the other's boldness in prayer is but the child, either of igno- rance in his mind, or hardness in his heart ; whereby not feeling his sins, and not knowing his danger, he rushes upon duty with a blind confidence, which soon fails when conscience awakes, and gives him the alarm that his sins are upon him, as the Philistines on Samson : alas ! then in a fright the poor-spi- rited wretch throws down his weapon, flies the presence of God with guilty Adam, and dares not look him in the face. Indeed, there is no duty in a Christian's whole course of walking with God, or acting for God, but is lined with many difficulties, which shoot like enemies through the hedges at the Clu-istian, whilst he is marching towards heaven : so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes. They are only a few noble-spirited souls, who dare take heaven by force, that are fit for this calling. For the fiu'ther proof of this point, see some few pieces of service that every Christian en- gageth in.