pray against thy lust, hath bid thee shun the occasions of it ; ' Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house, lest thou give thine honour unto others,' Prov. v. 8 ; that is, lest thou be enticed by the occasion. Thus Joseph, that he might not be drawn to lie with his mistress, would not stay alone in the room with her. Gen. xxxix. 12. So Prov. xxiii. 20, ' Be not among wine-bibbers ;' and ver. 31, ' Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup,' because looking may induce liking. Now, art thou conscientiously careful to keep out of the way that leads to sin, and to shun the occasion that might betra-y thee into it? Certainly, he that would not have his house blown up, will not set gunpowder in the chimney-corner. Again, God, who bids thee pray against thy lusts, commands thee also to take the sword of his word, by meditating on it, that thou mayest obtain a victory over them. Thus David hid the word in his heart, that he might not sin. Thou prayest against covetousness, — what dost thou toward thy delivery from this lust ? Here is a sword put into thy hand, whose edge is sharp enough to kill it. This sets forth how vile and base a sin covetousness is ; it takes away all occasion of inordinate desires for the world, by many sweet promises, — what he hath laid up in another world for lis, and what care in his providence he will take for us in this. ' Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have,' Heb. xiii. 5. What use dost thou make of this ? Doth it strengthen thy assent to the truth of these promises ? Affect thy heart with the sweetness of them, and then draw forth this sword to defend thyself against this lust? If so, thou wert sincere in thy prayer. A false heart contents itself with a few lazy prayers against this lust, but is afraid to use this sword against it. Now to raise thyself to the greater vehemency in praying against thy lusts, pray to have thy heart affected with what a fearful plague it is for a soul to be given up of God to the power of his lusts. This will make thee lay siege to God with the utmost importunity, knowing thou art undone if thou speedest not. When God intends to smite home, he takes his aim at the heart, he gives the creature over to his lust : thus he hardened Pharaoh to a final obstinacy : ' I will send all my plagues upon thine heart,' Exod. ix. 14. They did not only light upon the beasts and fruits of the field, or npon their own bodies, but chiefly on their hearts, hardening them into obstinacy to their destruction. This indeed is to send all plagues in one ; others that reach only to the estate or body are consistent with the love and favour of God ; he can smite the body, and smile on the soul ; blast the man's estate, and bless him with spiritual riches ; make him poor in the vv'orld, and rich in faith. But he that is given uj) to his lust is abhorred of God. A saint may be delivered up to Satan, to correct him, for the destruction of the flesh and saving of his spirit ; but it is the brand of a reprobate to be delivered up to Satan, that his lusts may have full power over him ; which judiciary act of God portends the sin- ner's destruction, Dent. ii. 30 ; 2 Thess. ii. 11. Outward plagues are sometimes in the sinner's mouth as a bridle to prevent him from sinning, but this restraint serves only to increase his appetite ; it takes away the sense of sin, and then the wretch follows his lusts, and nothing can stop him, but to hell he will go.
Pray against the power of thy lusts, deliverance from which is a branch of the gospel covenant. God is not bound by the first covenant to stir a foot for man's help. Man went of his own accord over to the devil's quarters ; he deserted God, and chose a new lord, and in his hands God might have left him, without offering any help. It was not any tie that man had upon God by the covenant of nature which obliged him, but his own free grace that moved him to undertake his recovery : and this he doth by making a new covenant on the ruins of the old. So that whoever will pray against his lusts with suc- cess, must first become a covenanter with God, by accepting the terms upon which he offers to save us from our sins, and they are faith and repentance ; when the soul doth thus turn from his sins to close with Christ, then he be- comes a covenanter with God, and may, through faith, call God into the field for his help against this huge host of lusts and devils that come against him. God's chariots are his, the whole army of heaven is engaged in his quarrel. 'Sin shall not have dominion over you;' and why? — ' For ye are not under the law, but under grace,' Rom. vi. 14 ; that is, you are not under the law covenant made with Adam, but imder the gospel covenant made with Christ,
WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION. 7^5