his controul, and concur with men and devils to fulfil his will. Would he deprive Job of his substance ? hosts of Sabeans and Chaldeans come at his call, to plunder him u. Would he destroy all his family ? the wind rises at his command to smite their house, and overwhelm them in its ruins x.
Such are the enemies with whom we have to con- tend. If we desire to prosecute earthly things, we can go on with ease ; we can follow them without in- terruption from day to day, and from year to year : with respect to these things, the devils would rather help us forward, than obstruct our way. But the very instant we begin to seek " heavenly things," all hell is in alarm, just as all the Canaanites were, when they understood that Joshua's spies had been seen in their landy. If we begin to listen to the word of God, he will send some emissary, some child of his, whom he has endued with peculiar subtilty, to turn us from the faith2. If the word, like good seed, be sown upon our hearts, he will send a host of devils, like birds of the air, to pick up the seed3. If any, in spite of his efforts, take root in our hearts, he will instantly sow tares to grow up with the wheat b, and thorns to choke itc. We cannot go into the presence of God to pray, but " Satan will be at our right hand to resist usd." The conflict we have to maintain with him, is not like that which is common to our armies, where a part bear the brunt of the battle, and the rest are reserved for exigencies : in this view it is more properly compared to " a zvrestling" where every man meets his antagonist, and must continue the contest, till the fall of one party decides the victory. Such the Scripture describes our contest to be ; and such it is proved to be by every man's experience : there is no man who, if he will only observe the ease with which he enters upon his worldly calling, and keeps up his attention to it, and the comparative difficulty he finds, as soon as ever
u Job i. 12, 15, 17. x Job i. 19. y Josh. ii. 9, 11.
z Actsxiii. 7 — 10. a Matt. xiii. 4, 19. b Matt. xiii. 25.
c Matt. xiii. 7, 22. (1 Zech. iii. 1.