heart by a holy life, as the flesh which plasters over the frame of man's body, though it receive its heat from the vitals within, yet helps to preserve the very life of those vitals ; thus good works and gracious actions have their life from faith, yet are necessary helps to preserve the life of faith ; thus we see some- times the child nursing the parent tha' bare it, and therein performs but his duty. Thou art fi'uitful in good works, yet thou art not out of the devil's shot, except thou addest * to thy virtue, knowledge.' This is the candle, without which, faith cannot see to do its work. Art thou going to give an alms? if it be not ociiJata charitas, if charity hath not this eye of knowledge to direct when, how, what, and to whom thou art to give, thou mayest at once wrong God, the person thou relievest, and thyself Art thou hmnbling thyself for thy sin ? for want of knowledge in the tenor of the gospel, Satan may play upon thy ignorance, and either jiersuade thee thou art not humbled enough, when God knows thou art almost drowned in thy tears, and even carried down by the impetuous torrent of thy sorrow, into desjiair ; or else, shewing thee thy blubbered face, may flatter thee into a carnal confidence of thy humiliation. Perhaps thou seest the name of God dishonoured in the place where thou livest, and thy spirit is stirred within thee, as Paid at Athens ; now if knowledge sits not in the saddle to rein and bridle in thy zeal, thou wilt be soon carried over hedge and ditch, till thou fallest into some precipice or other by thy irregular acting : neither is know- ledge enough, except ye be armed with ' temperance,' which, I conceive, is that grace, whereby the Christian, as master of his own house, so orders his afl'ections, like servants to reason and fai:h, that they do not iri'egularly move, or inordinately lash out into desires of, cares for, or joy in the creature comforts of this life, withoul: which Satan will be too hard for thee. The historian tells us, that in one of the famous battles between the English and French, that which lost the French the day was a shower of English arrows, which did so gall their horse, as put the whole army into disorder ; their horses knowing no ranks, did tread down their own men. The aiFections are but as the horse to the rider, on which knowledge shovild be mounted: if Satan's barbed arrows light on them, so that the desires of the creature prove unruly, and jostle with thy desires of Christ, thy care to keep thy credit or estate, put thy care to keep a good conscience to disorder ; and thy carnal joy in wife and child trample down, or get before thy joy in the Lord ; judge on which side victory is like to fall. Well, suppose thou marchest, provided thus far in goodly array, towards heaven, while thou art swimming in prosperity, must thou not also pro\ ide for foul way and weather ; I mean, an afflicted estate 1 Satan will line the hedges with a thousand temptations, when thou comest into the narrow lanes of ad- versity, where thou canst not run from this sort of temptation, as in the campaign of prosperity. Possibly thou that didst escape the snare of an alluring world, mayst be dismounted by the same when it frowns ; though repentance kept thee from being drunk with the sweet wines of those pleasin-es, yet for want of * patience,' thou mayest be dnmk with the wine of astonishment, which is in affliction's hand : therefore, saith the Apostle, 'to temperance, add patience ;' either possess thyself in patience, or else some raving devil of discontent will possess thee. An impatient soul in aflliction is a bedlamite in chains ; yea, too like the devil in his chains, that rageth against God whilst he is fettered by him. Well, hast thou patience ? an excellent grace indeed, but not enough ; thou must be a pious man as well as a patient. Therefore, saith the Apostle, ' To patience add godliness.' There is an atheistical stupid patience, and there is a godly christian patience : Satan benumbs the conscience of the one, and no wonder he complains not that feels not; but the Spirit of Christ sweetly calms the other, not by taking away the sense of pain, but by overcoming it with the sense of his love. Now godliness comprehends the whole worship of God, inward and outward. If thou art never so exact in thy morals, and not a worshipper of God, then thou art an atheist. If thou dost worship God, and that devoutly, but not by scripture rule, th(m art an idolater. If according to the rule, but not in spirit and trutli, then thou art an hypocrite, and so fallest into the devil's mouth. Or if thou dost give God one piece of his worship, and detiiest another, still Satan comes to his market, Prov. xxviii. 9 : ' lie that turneth back his ear from hearing the law, his prayer is an abomination to the
gg PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.