with the enemy below ; and the victory, it is plain, was not got by Joshua's sword, so much as by Moses's prayer. Jehoshaphat, when he liad near a mil- lion of men mustered for the field besides his garrisons, yet we find him praying as earnestly, as if he had not had a man ; ' We know not what to do, but our e3'es are upon thee,' 2 Chron. xx. 12. Now, if these worthies, when they had but flesh and blood, men like themselves, to contest with, did yet fetch in their help from heaven, and make such use of prayer, and that when other helj s were not wanting, lest they should be found xnuler the neglect of an indispen- sable duty and prevalent means in order to their defence; how much more doth it behove the Christian, both in point of duty and prudence, to take the same course in his spiritual war against principalities and powers ! For the saint's graces, when best trained and exercised, are without prayer far less able to stand against Satan, tlian they, with their military preparation, were to repel the force of men like themselves. ' Watch and pray,' sailh our Saviour, ' lest you enter into temptation,' Matt. xxvi.41. They, not keeping this pass, gave the enemy, Satan, a fair occasion to come in upon tliem; for we see, not taking Christ's counsel, they were all (though holy men) shamefully foiled. Most of them shifted for themselves by a cowardly flight, while they left their Lord in his enemies' hands: and he that thought to sliew more courage than his fellows, at last came ofl:" with deeper guilt and shame than them all, by denying his Mas- ter, who was even then owning him in the face of death, yea, his Father's wrath. And it is observable, that as they were led into temptation through their neglect of prayer, so they were rescued and led out of it again by Christ's prayer, which he mercifully laid in before-hand for them, Luke xxii. 32 : ' I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' But that which above all commends this duty to us, is Chi-ist's own practice, who, besides his constant exercise in it, did upon any great undertaking, wherein he was to meet opposition from Satan and his instruments, much more abound in it. At his baptism, being now to enter the stage of his public ministry, and to make his way thereunto thi'ough the fu- rious assaults of Satan, with whom he was to grapple, as it were hand to hand, after his forty days' solitude, we find him at prayer, Luke iii. 21 ; which prayer had a present answer, heaven opening, and the Spirit descending on him, with this voice, saying, ' Thou art my well-beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased,' ver. 22. And now Christ marcheth foi-th undauntedly to meet his enemy, who waited for him in the wilderness. Again, when he intended to com- mission his apostles, and send them fiorth to preach the gospel, which he knew would bring the lion mad out of his den, also the world's wrath upon those his messengers ; he first directs them to pray, Matt. ix. 38 ; and then spends the whole night himself in the same work, Luke vi. 12. But, above all, when he was to fight his last battle with the prince of this world, and conflict with the wrath of his Father, now armed against him, and rcadj' to be poured upon him for man's sin, (whose cause he had espoused,) on the success of which depended the saving or losing his mediatory kingdom, O, how then did he bestir himself in prayer ! It is said, ' He prayed more earnestly.' As a wrestler that strains every vein in his body, so he put forth his whole might, ' with strong cries and tears to him that was able to save him from death,' Heb. v. 7; and was heard, so that he won the field, though he was himself slain upon the place ; the spoils of which glorious victory believers now divide, and shall enjoy to all eternity. And what is the end of all this, but to shew us the necessity and prevalcncy of prayer ? Without this we cannot gain a victory, though we have our armour ; but this, with that, will make us coiupierors over all.
Section II. — -Now we proceed to shew why prayer is so necessary a means with our other armour for our defence. The first reason is taken from the co-ordination of this duty, with all other means for the Christian's defence, and that by divine appointment. He tliat bids us ' take the girdle of truth, breastplate of righteousness,' &c., commands us also not to neglect this duty. Now, what God joins we must not sever. The cHicacy of co-ordinate means lies in their conjunction. Tiie force of an army lies not in this trooj), or m that one regiment, but in all the parts in a body. And if any single troop or com- pany shall presunu! to fight the enemy alone, what can tliey expect but to be routed by the enemy, and pimislied by their general also? Let not any say, they use this means, and that ; if any one be willingly neglected, the golden
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(526 prAying alwavs, etc.