see the prayer of faith blended with human exer- tions : and it was made manifest, for the instruction of that and all future generations, that, whatever means God himself might use, prayer was the most powerful of all weapons. When the hands of Moses hanged down through weariness, Amalek prevailed over Israel ; but when he held up his hands, Israel prevailed over Amalekb; so that, in fact, it was the prayer of Moses, rather than the sword of Joshua, that gained the victory. It is in this way also that we must vanquish our spiritual enemies. We must fight against them indeed, and seek their utter de- struction ; but our reliance must be altogether upon God, whose blessing we must obtain in a way of prayer. In vain shall wre attempt to combat Satan in any other way. He laughs at an arm of flesh ; and yields to Omnipotence alone. To him may be justly applied that lofty description of Leviathan ; " Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish-spears ? Behold, the hope of him is vain : shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him ? His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. His heart is as firm as a stone, yea, as hard as a piece of the nether mill-stone. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold, the spear, the dart, nor the harbergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. Darts are counted by him as stubble ; he laugheth at the shaking of the spear. He is king over all the chil- dren of pride c." But prayer he cannot withstand ; the man who fights upon his knees is sure to vanquish him : and the weakest Christian in the universe, if he has but a heart to pray, may say with David, " I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and so shall I be saved from mine enemies'1."
To prevent mistakes, however, it will be proper to shew,
II. What kind of prayer that is that will secure to us the victory —
b Exod. xvii. 11. « Job xli. 7, 9, 15, 24, 26, 27, 29, 34.
d 2 Sam. xxii. 4.