§17. 2. He guides and directs them in their way, They know not the way that leads to happiness and glory; and they want ability to discern it aright, when it is shewed them; and in both they are relieved and assisted by their glorious leader. In the first by his word; in the latter by his Spirit. Had there been any thing belonging to their way which he had not revealed to them, he had not been their perfect captain of salvation. And men do nothing but presumptuously derogate from his glory, who will be adding and imposing their prescriptions about this way. He gives them eyes to see, as well as provides paths for them to walk in. It had been to no purpose to have declared the way, if he had not also given them light to see it, And by this means he is to us, what he was to the church in the wilderness, when he went before them in "a pillar of fire," to guide them in their way, and to shew them where they should rest. And herein lies no small part of the discharge of our Lord's office towards us, as the captain of our salvation. Whatever acquaintance we have with the way to glory, we have it from him alone; and whatever ability we have to discern the way, he is the fountain and author of it. For these encouraging purposes, was he designed and called. And doth not he deservedly wander, yea deservedly perish, who in war will neglect the orders and directions of his general, and yet will attend to every idle tale of silly men pretending to shew him a way that they have found out, better than that which his captain hath described for him?

$18. 3. He supplies him with strength by his grace, that they may be able to pass on their way. They have much work lying before them; much to do, much to suffer; and without him they can do nothing, John xv, 5. Wherefore he watcheth over them,

4

"to succor them that are tempted,” Heb. ii, 18; and to
administer help to them all "in time of need," chap.
iv, 17. And hence they who have "no might," no suf-
ficiency, can "do all things through Christ that strength-
eneth them," Phil. iv, 13. Nothing is too hard for.
them, nothing can prevail against them, because of the
constant supplies of grace, which the captain of their
salvation communicates unto them. And this makes
the ways of the gospel marvellous, both to the world
and to believers themselves. It is marvellous to the
world. Their life is, "hid with Christ in God," Col.
iii, 3. And they have "a new name that no man
knoweth," Rev. ii, 17. The world seeing poor, mean,
weak, contemptible creatures, willing, ready, and able
to suffer, to endure, and even to die for the name of
Christ, stand astonished, not knowing where their
great strength lies; as the Philistines did at the might
of Samson, whom they beheld with their eyes, as an-
other man.
He gives them the spirit of truth, which
the world neither sees nor knows, John xiv, 17, and
therefore wonders from whence they have their abil-
ity and constancy. They cry, What, will nothing
turn these poor foolish creatures off their way? They
try them one way, and then another; add one weight
of affliction and oppression unto another, and think
surely this will effect their design; but they find them-
selves deceived, and know not whence it is. It is
marvellous to believers themselves. When they con-
sider their own frailty and weakness, how ready they
are to faint, how often they are surprised, and withal
take a prospect of what opposition lies against them,
from indwelling sin, Satan, and the world, which they
are acquainted with, in several instances of their power
and prevalency, they neither know how they are
kept so long in their course as they have done; nor

how they shall continue: but they are relieved when they come to the gospel. There they see whence their preservation proceeds. They see this captain of their salvation in whom is the fulness of the Spirit, and to whom are committed all the stores of grace, supplying them daily and hourly as the matter requires. As the captain in an army doth not at once give out to his soldiers the whole provision that is needful for their way and undertaking; which if he should, most of them would soon imprudently waste it, and so quickly perish for want; but he keeps provisions for them all in his stores, and distributes to them according to their daily necessities; even so deals this great leader with the sons of God. He keeps the stores of grace and spiritual strength in his own hand; and from thence imparts unto them according as they stand in need.

§19. 4. He subdues their enemies. Many enemies they have, and unless they are conquered and subdued they can never enter into glory. Satan, the world, death, and sin are the chief, or heads of them, and all these are subdued by Christ; and that two ways; in his own person for them, and by his grace in them. In his own person for them; for they all attempted him, and failed in their enterprise, John xiv, 30. He "bruised the serpent's head," Gen. iii, 15; and “destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Destroyed his power in a glorious and triumphant manner. "He spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in his cross." He also overcome the world, John xvi, 33, "Be of good cheer," saith he, "I have overcome the world." Both itself and the prince of it were put under his feet. Death also was subdued by him; he swallowed it up in victory, 1 Cor. xv, 54. He plucked

out the tyrant's sting, broke his power, disannulled his peremptory law, when he shook it off and rose from under it. Sin also set upon him in his temptations, but was utterly foiled; as all sin is destroyed in its very being, where it is not obeyed. And this was for the advantage of the sons of God. For he hath given them encouragement in shewing them that their enemies are not invincible; their power is not uncontrolable, their law not peremptory or eternal; but that having been once conquered, they may be the more easily dealt with. They know also, that all these enemies set upon his person as the great defender of the faithful in their quarrel; so that although they were not conquered by them in their own persons, yet they were conquered in their cause; and they are called in to be sharers in the victory, although they were not engaged in the battle. They moreover know, that he subdued them by God's ordinance and appointment, as their representative, declaring in his person who is the head, what should be accomplished in every one of his members. And by his personal conquest over them, he hath left them weak, maimed, disarmed, and utterly deprived of that power which they had to hurt and destroy before he engaged with them. For he hath thereby deprived them of all their right and title to exercise their enmity against, or dominion over the sons of God. Before his dealing with them, they had a certain right over mankind. Satan to rule, the world to vex, sin to enslave, death to destroy, and give up its prey to hell. And all this right was enrolled in the law and hand-writing of ordinances which was against us. This was cancelled by Christ, nailed to the cross, never to be pleaded more, Col. ii, 14. And when they have lost their right and title to any thing, whatever their strength be, they are greatly weakened. But he

hath herein deprived them of their strength also. He took away the strength of sin as a law, and the sting of death in sin, the arms of the world in the curse, and the power of Satan in his works and strong

holds.

$20. But this is not all, he not only subdues these enemies for them, but also by his grace in them. "Thanks be to God," saith the apostle, "who giveth us the victory by Jesus Christ," 1 Cor. xv, 57. He enables us in our persons to conquer all these enemies. "Nay, "saith he, "in all these things we are more than conquerors," Rom. viii, 37; because we have more assurance of success, more assistance in the conflict, more joy in the trial, than any other conquerors have: or, we do not only conquer, but triumph also. He tells believers, in reference to Satan, that they have "overcome the wicked one," 1 John ii, 13, 14. And shews how it came to pass that they should be able to do so, chap. iv, 7. It is because "greater is he that is in them, than he that is in the world." The good spirit which he hath given them for their help and assistance, is infinitely greater and more powerful than that evil spirit which rules in the children of disobedience. And by this means is Satan bruised even under their feet. A conflict indeed we must have with them; we must wrestle with principalities and powers in heavenly places, but the success is indubitable through the assistance we receive from this captain of our salvation. The world is also subdued in them and by them, 1 John v, 4, "Whosoever is born of God overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith." Faith will effectually and infallibly do this work; it never failed in it, and never will. He that believeth shall overcome; the whole strength of Christ is engaged for him. Sin is the worst