nations compaffing him about, iniquity prevailing against him; and lusts again and again, and a thoufand times ftirring, and working, and warring, and overthrowing him, and treading upon him: And, on the other hand, notwithstanding all this, he hath many fweet tales to tell of the Lord's humbling and healing, convincing and converting him: Many convictions, many converfions does he get from time to time; and the next conviction more deep than the former, and the next converfion more fweet than the former; and one converfion on the back of another, because of one defection on the back of another, through the power of the nations of hell within and without him. As a dying faint, that was asked, When he was converted? faid, he had been converted a hundred times: So, in this fenfe, it is poffible fome believers of long standing may be converted a hundred times, and a hundred too. That faints may need converfion, is plain from what Chrift faid to Peter that was a faint, When thou art converted, ftrengthen thy brethren. Yea, every new converfion of the believer may be more remarkable than another, while the Lord is thus by little and little destroying the enemy; because every touch of the nations power and policy in drawing him afide from the Lord, and the recurring power of corruption is fo horrible and monftrous to him, that he thinks with himself, O will ever the Lord return again to the like of me? And, when the Lord returns, he wonders more than ever.

5. Hence we may fee, why there is no juftification by the deeds of the law, nor mortification by the means of the law: No juftification by legal works, nor fanctification and mortification by legal How does this follow, fay you? Indeed it

means.

is plain, there can be no juftification by the deeds of the law; for the beft believer on earth must own, that at best he hath two nations in his womb, and the company of two armies; an army of lufts, and an army of graces; the flesh lufting against the fpirit, as well as the fpirit against the flesh: And when he finds a nation of lufts and corruptions in his womb, in his heart, can he expect to be juftified by the deeds of the law, by a legal righteousness of his own? No; he is made content to be obliged to grace, free grace, through the righteousness of Chrift, for juftification. And as there is no juftification by legal works, fo there is no mortification by legal means; they never faw the power of corruption, that are not convinced of this, that nothing in the world but the power of God can deftroy it. The Lord thy God will put out these nations before thee by little and little. O pity ignorant Papifts, that think their whipping, and fcourging, and beating themselves will do it: Pity ignorant profeffors, that think their fasting, and praying, and legal endeavours, will do it. It is true, our Lord fpeaks of fome devils that go not out but by fafting and prayer: Not that thefe means of themselves do it; nay, let our Lord explain his own word, The Lord thy God will put out the nations, he will fubdue your iniquities; fuch things go not forth but by fafting and prayer, that is, by Chrift Jefus fought and found in these means. Neglect not the means then; but, for the Lord's fake, remember, that if you go forth against lufts in the ftrength of means, or only with a verbal mention of the strength of Chrift, without ever having engaged with his glorious captain, or being joined to him in order to draw ftrength from him, your Leviathan-lufts

will but laugh at the fhaking of your fpear. Therefore,

6. Hence we may fee where the believer's ftrength lies. You heard before where the ftrength of the enemy lies; but now, where lies the ftrength of the Ifrael of God? Even in the God of Ifrael, the king of Ifrael: The Lord thy God will put out these nations before thee. Pfal. Ixxiii. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the firength of my heart, and my portion for ever. My outward advantages, inward vigour, and all fail me; me; but my God will not fail me. More particularly, Ifrael's ftrength lies in God, as manifefting himself in Chrift. There are two things in Chrift that ftrength lies in, for the believer's fafety and deliverance from the power of fin, and victory over the nations of lufts and devils: One is the blood of Chrift; we overcome by the blood of the lamb; the death of Chrift was the death of fin, for he nailed fin to the crofs, and destroyed the devil's power: Another is the fpirit of Chrift, who being in the believer, greater is he that is in them, than he that is in the world; and the spirit mortifies fin: Here lies the believer's great ftrength for actual mortification of fin, and victory over it, Rom. viii. 13. If ye through the Spirit mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. And the fpirit carries on this work, ft, By the application of the death of Chrift to the foul; for it is the virtue flowing forth from the death of Chrift, that deftroys fin; and the fpirit applies that virtue, and implants the foul into Chrift, that being ingrafted in him, and united to him, the fin-killing, foul-quickning virtue of Chrift may flow into the believer. 2dly, By the implantation of grace, and of grace contrary to corruption: In oppofition to Unbelief, he implants

4

implants Faith; in oppofition to Enmity, he implants Love; in oppofition to Slavish Fear, he implants Fortitude and fpiritual Courage. 3dly, By the excitation of the grace that he hath implanted; which, tho' it be active in itself, yet, by reason of our indifpofition, needs to be whetted and actuated: When the spirit lets grace alone, fin revives, and gathers ftrength. 4thly, By drawing forth faith especially to a lively exercise; and then this is the victory whereby we overcome the world, even our faith; while the spirit of faith draws forth the grace of faith: For faith carries up the foul to him in whom ftrength lies, and then fays, I can do all things through Chrift Strengthening me; and faith employs the strength of Christ against the ftrength of the enemy, and fo triumphs in its noble general, being frong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Faith begets in the foul an antipathy against all fins and lufts purifying the heart, and fetting it directly against fin. Tell a carnal heart, fin lies at the door; why, let it come in, it is a friend of mine: But, tell a believer, exercifing faith, that there is fin in fuch a thing; O it is an abomination. Faith difcovers the danger the foul is in by the nations of lufts that encompass it, and excites all the faculties of the foul to rife up against it, faying, Rife, Samfon, for the Philiftines are upon thee; canft thou fleep in the midst of troops and armies of lufts? And fo it rouzes the foul to figh, and groan, and pant, and pray, and cry, and wrestle; and fo to overcome, under the standard of the glorious captain.

Third ufe is for examination. Hence we may fee matter for trying of our ftate by: What is the mark of a candidate for heaven, a traveller to Canaan? Why, the Lord his God is driving out the

nations

nations before him by little and little. Is the battle with the nations begun? And is the Lord gradually carrying it on?

Queft. How shall I know that?

You may take a mark or two out of the bofom of the text.

1. Have you got a view of the nations that are in your way? I mean, a view and discovery of your corruption, your original and actual fin, and your natural bondage and flavery by reafon thereof? Have you feen nations of lufts within you? And have you seen them to be fuch powerful nations, that nothing but the power of omnipotence can drive out? And confequently, have you feen your own utter impotency to drive them out of yourself? Have you seen them to be fuch politick nations, and fo fraudulent, that nothing but the infinite wifdom of God could counteract this policy of hell; knowing your heart to be deceitful above all things, as well as defperately wicked? Have you seen them to be fuch fpiritual nations, spiritual wickednesses in high places, that no carnal weapon could avail in this warfare, but only fuch Spiritual weapons as are mighty through God to the pulling down of Strong bolds? Have you feen them to be fuch numerous nations, that your name is Legion, a legion of lufts, legion of devils, that nothing but a word from Jefus can put out? Now, this mark excludes all that never faw themselves, and their own natural bondage and thraldom; they are yet ferving the nations, which they ought to be driving out. They that know the plagues of their own heart, and have experienced the power of these nations in their way, look more like the travellers to Canaan. But take this mark in conjunction with what follows. Hh

VOL. II.

2. Have