Reas. 1. — -The command is express for it, 1 Pet. v. 9 : ' Whom resist sted- fast in the faith.' Set yourself in battle against him, as the word imports ; fight him whenever he comes. Soldiers must keep close to their commission, whatever comes on it. When Joab sent Uriah to stand in the fore front of the battle, in the face of death itself, he could not but see his danger, yet he dis- putes not the matter with his general; obey he must, though he loses his life upon the place. Cowardice and disobedience to the leader's command are counted, among the Turks, the most damning sins ; and shall they be thought peccadillos, little ones, by us, that have Christ for our captain to serve, and sin and the devil for enemies to fight ? To resist some temptations may cost us dear. ' Ye have not yet resisted unto blood,' saith the apostle, ' striving against sin,' Heb. xii. 4, implying it may come to that; and if it should, it alters not the case, nor gives a dispensation to shift for ourselves, by choosing to sin, rather than to suffer. The Roman captain said it was necessary to sail, not to live ; and shall a Christian be afraid of his duty, when it is attended without hazard ? The soldier carries his prince's honour into the field with him, and so doth the Christian his God's, whenever he is called to contest with any temptation. Now it will be seen at what rate he values his honour. David's subjects valued him wortli ten thousand of their lives, and therefore would die every man of them rather than hazard him. O how unworthy is it, then, to expose the name of God to reproach rather than ourselves to a little scorn, temporal loss, or trouble ! It was Pompey's boast, that at a word or nod of his he could make his soldiers creep up the steepest rock on their hands and knees, though they were knocked down as fast as they went up. Truly, God is not prodigal of the blood of his servants ; yet sometimes he tries their loyalty in hard services and sharp temptations, that he may, from their faithfulness to him, and holy stoutness in their sufferings for him, triumph over Satan, who was so impudent as to tell God that one of his choicest servants did but serve him- self in serving of him : ' Doth Job fear God for nought V As if, when any sharp encounter came, he would turn head, and rather curse God than submit to him ; and therefore we find the Ivord glorying over Satan, Job ii. 3 : ' Still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him ;' as if the Lord had said, What dost think now, Satan ? Hath not Job proved thee a loud liar ? I have some servants, thou seest, that will serve me without a bribe; that will hold fast their integrit}' when they can hold fast nothing else. Thou hast got away his estate, servants, and children, and yet he stands his ground, and thou hast not got thy will of him, nor his integrity from him.
2. God furnisheth us with armour for this end, that we should stand it out valiantly, and not yield to Satan tempting. To deliver up a castle into an enemy's hand, when it is well provided with ammunition to defend it, is shame- ful, and unworthy of such a trust. This makes the Christian's sin more dis- honourable than another's, because he is better appointed to make resistance. Take a graceless soul, when solicited (suppose) to a sin that promiseth carnal pleasure or pi'ofit, it is no great wonder that he yields at first summons, and delivers up himself prisoner to Satan. The poor wretch, alas! hath no armour on to repel the motion. He tastes no sweetness in Christ ; what marvel is it if his hungry soul, for want of better food, falls on board upon the devil's cheer? that he who hath no hope of another world be made to shark and prowl to get some of this? The goat, we say, nnist browse where she is tied,
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