and earth to witness, whether ever they suffered a hotter persecution of the tongue, than in this apostatizing age. A new generation of professors are started up, that will not know them to be the ministers of Christ, though those before them (as well in grace, as time, more able to derive their sjnritual pedi- gree than themselves) have to their death owned them for their spiritual fathers. And must not the ark needs shake, when they that carry it are thus struck at, both in their person and office? What are these men doing? Alas, they know not; ' Father, forgive them;' they are cutting off their right hand with their left ; they are making themselves and the nation naked, by despising the gospel, and those that bring it.
Use 3. Consider your deplored estate, who are wholly naked and imarmed. Can you pity the beggar at your door, (when you see such in a winter-day, shiver- ing with naked backs, exposed to the fury of the cold ;) and not pity your own far more dismal soul-nakedness, by which thou liest open to heaven's wrath, and hell's malice? Shall their nakedness cover them with shame, fill th.nn with fear of perishing, which makes them with pitiful moans knock and cry for relief, as it is reported of Russia, where their poor (through extreme neces- sity) have this desperate manner of begging in the streets; ' Give me and cut me, give me and kill me ? ' And canst thou let Satan come and cut thy thi'oat in thy bed of sloth, rather than accept of clothes to cover, yea, armour to de- fend thee? (I mean Christ and his grace, which in the gospel is tendered to you.) And do not lightly believe your flattering hearts, if they shall tell you, you are provided of these already. I am afraid many a gaudy professor will be found as naked in regard of Christ, and truth of grace, as diimkards and swearers themselves : such there are, who content themselves with a Christ in profession, in gifts, and in duties, but seek not a Christ in solid grace, and so perish ; those indeed are an ornament to the Christian, as the scarf and feather to the soldier, but these quench not the bvdlet in battle, it is Christ and his grace doth that, therefore labour to be sound rather than brave Christians. Grace embellished with gifts is the more beautiful, but these without grace, only the richer spoil for Satan.
The second branch of the first general part of the words follows ; and that is, the quality or kind of that armour, the Christian is here directed to provide. It is not any trash will serve the tvu'n, better none than not armour of proof, and none such, bixt armour of God. In a twofold respect, it must be of God. First, In institution and appointment ; Secondly, In constitution.
CHAPTER II.
SHEWETH, THAT THE ARMOUR WE USE AGAINST SATAN, MUST BE DIVINE IN THE INSTITUTION, SUCH ONLY AS GOD APPOINTS.
Obs. First, the Christian's armour which he wears must be of divine in- stitution and appointment. The soldier comes into the field with no ai'ins, but what his general commands ; it is not left to every one's fancy to bring what weapons he please, this will breed confusion. The Christian soldier is bound up to God's order ; though the army be on earth, yet the council of war sits in heaven ; this duty ye shall do, that means ye shall use ; and to do more or use other than God commands, though with some seeming success against sin, such shall surely be called to an account for this boldness. The discipline of war among men is strict in this case. Some have suff'ered death by a council of war, even when they have beaten the enemy, because out of their place, or beside their order. God is very precise in this point ; he will say to such as invent ways to worship him of their own, and, coining means to mortify corrujJtion, obtain comfort in their own mint : ' Who hath required that at yoiu- hands ? ' This is truly to be ' righteous over-much,' (as Solomon speaks) when we will pretend to correct God's law, and add supplements of our own to his rule. Who will pay that man his wages, that is not set on work by God? God tells Israel, the false prophets shall do them no good, because they come not of his errand, Jer. xxiii. 22. So neither will those ways and means help, which are not of God's appointing ; God's thoughts are not as man's, nor his ways as ours, which he useth to attain his ends by. If man had been to set forth the Israelitish army, now to march out of Egypt, surely his wisdom would have
PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD. ,^1