[4.] By delighting in him and the testimonies of his love above all things else. Faith must breed such a confidence in Christ as keepeth up our delight in him, and such a delight and well-pleasedness of mind as we find not elsewhere : Ps. iv. 7, ' Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased ; ' and Cant. i. 4, ' We will be glad and rejoice in thee ; we will remem- ber thy loves more than wine.' The choicest contentments of the flesh are nothing so satisfying as the joy of his salvation. This joy is called ' unspeakable and glorious,' as being better felt than uttered, 1 Peter i. 8. The strength of it is seen when other comforts fail : ' How pre- cious are thy thoughts unto me, 0 God ! how great is the sum of them ! ' Ps. cxxxix. 17.
Sixthly, The sixth property of faith is victory over the world : 1 John. V. 4, 5, ' For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith : who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? ' I shall despatch this briefly, and shall show you —
1. What is the world that is to be overcome ? All worldly things whatsoever, so far as they lessen our esteem of Christ and heavenly things, or as they hinder us in our duty to God. In short, the delights and terrors of this world ; for we must be armed on both sides with the armour of righteousness, both on the right hand and the left, 2 Cor. vi. 7. The fears of this world are apt to stagger us, so do snares prevent and inveigle us. Moses had temptations of all kinds, right- hand temptations from riches, honours, pleasures : Heb. xi. 24-26, ' By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt ; ' left-hand temptations : ver. 27, ' By faith he forsook Egypt, not fear-
SERMONS UTOX 2 THESSALONTANS I. 3. 141
ing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible.' The armour of the right hand is called temperance ; of the left hand, patience : 2 Peter i. 6, ' To knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience.' In the parable of the sower sowing his seed v/e read that which fell on the stony ground withered in persecution : Luke viii. 13, * They on the rock are they which, when they hear, re- ceive the word with joy ; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. That which was sown in the thorny ground was choked with the cares, riches, and pleasures of the world : ver. 14, ' And they which tell among thorns are they which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.' If the terrors of sense assault our constancy, we must set loss against loss, pain against pain, fear against fear : Mat. x. 28, ' Fear not him that can kill the body, and do no more, but fear him that can cast both body and soul into hell.' If they threaten a prison, remember God threatens hell ; if they threaten fire, God threatens everlasting fire ; if they threaten loss of estate, loss of heaven is much worse. If the delights of sense are likely to corrupt us, to pervert or divert our minds from better things, we must look to it, and remember what better tilings are reserved for us. Persecution is opposite to profession with- out, but this obstructs the very vigour, life, and power of godliness within : 1 John ii. 15, ' If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' And then for pleasures : 2 Tim. iii. 4, ' Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God ; ' Heb. xii. 16, ' Or profane person as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.' Honours are baneful to our faith : John v. 44, ' How can ye believe which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only ? ' They eat out the heart of it. These are our daily temp- tations.
2. The necessity of overcoming the world.
[1.] It is by the world that our spiritual enemies have advantage against us. The devil seeketh to tempt or fright the fleshly nature in us either by the terrors or allurements of sense. Therefore conquer the world, and the tempter is disarmed ; he blindeth us as the god of this world : 2 Cor. iv, 4. ' In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.' He vexeth as the prince of this world, and having a strong party in the world, he findeth it no great matter to entice a sensual worldly mind to almost anything that is evil. The baits and provi- sions of the flesh are in the world: 1 John ii. 16, ' For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.' The world fits us with a bait agreeable to every appetite, or a diet that suiteth with every distemper of our souls. A proud mind must be honoured and humoured, and will go nothing lower than high place and pomp of living. A sensual mind must have its pleasures, and the covetous the increase of wealth, and religion is either cast ofi" or neglected and made an underhng.