for his duty. Ts there a command to pray ? There is also a promise to ena])le for prayer, Zech. xii. 10 ; Rom. viii. 26. Doth God require us to give him our heart?—' My son, give me thy heart,' Prov. xxiii. 2G. Tlie promise saitli, ' He will give a new heart to us,' Ezek. xxxvi. 26. Doth he command us to mortify our corruptions, and doth he not promise, that sin shall not have domi- nion over us? Rom. vi. 14. Now, to obtain this promise, thou must plead and press it believingly at the throne of grace : what the precept commands, the prayer of taith begs and receives. Look, therefore, thou take God in thy way. First, Besiege heaven, and then fear not but thou wilt overcome sin and hell when thou hast conquered heaven. Now thou art at war at God's cost ; he that sets thee on, will bring thee off. David was a man at arms, and could handle his weapon against this enemy, as well as another, yet dares not promise himself success till he hath made God his second ; Psa. cxix. 132, ' Order my steps in thy word, and let not iniquity have dominion over me.' But if thou thinkest to steal a victory by the strength of thy own resolution, expect an overthrow. And it will be a mercy thou shouldst be so served ; for a defeat will teach thee humility for the future, but a victory would increase thy pride : and that is a sad victory, when one sin cai-ries away the spoils which thou hast taken from another. Jehoshaphat took the right course to speed, who, though he had almost a million of men that he could draw into the field, without draining his garrisons, yet bespeaks God's help, as if he had not a man to fight for him ; 2 Chron. xx. 12, ' We have no might against this great company that cometh against us, neither know we what to do, but our eyes are upon thee.' If an Alexander, or a Caesar, had been at the head of such an army, I warrant you they would have known what to have done, and not doubted to can-y all before them. But Jehoshaphat, a holy, humble man, was better instructed. He knew a host signifieth nothing, which hath not the Lord of hosts with them ; and that the most valiant can find neither heart nor hand in the day of battle, without his leave who made both. Nor wilt thou. Christian, be able to use thy grace in an hour of temptation, without new grace from God, to excite and enforce what thou hast already received from him ; and if thou expect this from him, he expects to hear from thee ; neither is God unwilling to give what he hath promised, because he pays not the debt of the promise until it be sued for at the throne of grace ; no, God takes this method, only to secure his own glory in the giving, and also to enlarge our comfort by receiving it in this way of prayer.
CHAPTER XXVIIL
HOW THE CHRISTIAN MAY USE THE SWORD OF THE WORD FOR HIS DEFENCE, IN ANY affliction; and a DIRECTION TOWARD IT.
I COME now to give some little help, by way of direction, how the Christian may use this sword of the word for his defence against the last enemy, but not the least. And this is an army made up of many bands of afflictions, which from without invade and within distress him. The Christian, in this world, stands not as you may see some houses, so fenced and shadowed with hills or woods, that the wind beats but upon one side of them : no, he lies open to storms and tempests from all quarters. We read of a strange kind of wind that at once smote the four corners of the house in which Job's children were. Truly, thus the Christian's afflictions beset him round, no corner left unassaulted, and very often he is smitten on all sides at once ; crossed in his estate, feeble in his body, and afflicted in his spirit ; and when so many seas of sorrows meet, it is not easy work for the poor Christian's heart to stand unbroken amidst the con- current violence of their waves. Though this is certain, that those dejections and perturbations with which the minds of the best saints are so discomposed and ruffled, yea, sometimes dismayed and distressed, cannot be charged upon any deficiency of the gospel's principles for their su])])ort and comfort; but rather on their own impotence and unskilfulness to aj;ply them in their several exigencies. My present task is to drop a few words of counsel to the weak Christian, how he may use this sword of the word for his defence and comfort in any affliction without, or distress of spirit from within, that may assault him. Here I nuist not descend to particular cases, (that were a voluminous work,
gj^ AND THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.
ajid not so proper for tliis place,) but content, myself with some general rules, that may be applicable to all. Now, the cordial and restorative part of the word, which principally is prepared and provided for the soul's comfort in all its discomforts and distresses, is contained in the promises ; these well studied and improved can alone make thee a comfortable Christian.