"The Lord is my helper; I will not fear what men or devils can do against me:"" " I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me."

In APPLYING this subject to the different classes of professing Christians, we should first address ourselves to the self-confident.

It is the solemn declaration of God, that "by strength shall no man prevail." We might hope that men would be convinced of this truth by their own experience. Who amongst us has not made vows and resolutions without number, and broken them again almost as soon as they were made? Who ever resolved to devote himself unfeignedly to God, and did not find, that he was unable stedfastly to pursue his purpose? What folly it is then to be renewing these vain attempts, when we have the evidence both of scripture and experience that we cannot succeed! How much better would it be to trust in that

mighty One, on whom help is laid! Learn, brethren, before it be too late, that "without CHRIST you can do nothing:" that "all your fresh springs are in him:" and " of him must your fruit be found:"" " him alone shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.'* If you will not "be strong in him," you will continue "without strength:" but if once you truly " know him, you shall be strong, and do exploits."

We would next claim the attention of the timid. It is but too common for the Lord's people to be indulging needless fears, like David, when he said, "I shall one day perish by the hands of Saul.'"* But surely such deserve the rebuke which our Lord gave to Peter, "O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt?" If thou doubtest the Lord's willingness to save thee, say, wherefore did he die for thee, even for the chief of sinners? If thou callest in question his power, what is there in thy case that can baffle Omnipotence? If thou art discouraged on ac

count of thy own weakness, know that the weaker thou art in thyself, the stronger thou shalt be in him; and that " he will perfect his own strength in thy weakness. If thou fearest on account of the strength and number of thine enemies, he meets thy fears with this salutary admonition; "Say ye not a confederacy, a confederacy; but sanctify the Lord of hosts himself, and let him be your fear and let him be your dread." Only trust in him; and though weak, he will strengthen thee; though faint, he will revive;d though wounded, he will heal thee; though captive he will liberate thee; though slain, he will raise thee up again, and give thee the victory over all thine ene. mies." "Be strong then and very courageous." Abhor the thought of indulging a cowardly spirit, as long as "God's throne is in heaven;" and assure yourselves, with David, that though your " enemies encompass you as bees, in the name of the Lord you shall destroy them."k

m

Lastly, let the victorious Christian listen to a word of counsel. We are apt to be elated in the time of victory, and to arrogate to ourselves some portion of the glory. But God solemnly cautions us against this:! and if, with Nebuchadnezzar or Sennacherib, we take the glory to ourselves, the time is nigh at hand when God will fear. fully abase us. We cannot do better than take the Psalm. ist for our pattern: he was enabled to perform the most astonishing feats, and was honoured with the most signal victories: yet so careful is he to give the glory to God, that he repeats again and again, the same grateful acknow. ledgments, confessing God to be the sole author of his success, and ascribing to him the honour due unto his name." Let it be remembered, that " our enemies still live and are mighty:" and therefore we must not boast as

z 2 Cor. xii. 10.

a Ib. ver. 9.

b Isai. viii, 12, 13,

• Issi. xxvi, 6.

d Isai. xl. 29-31.

e Exod. xv. 26. Isai. xxxiii. 23. f Isai, xiv. 2, and xlix. 24, 25.

Isai. x. 4. This is a a threatening: but it may be applied to God's

if the time were come for us to put off our armour. We need the same power to keep down our enemies, as to bring them down at first: we should soon fall a prey to the tempter, if left one moment to ourselves. Let our eyes therefore still be to Jesus, " the author and the finisher of our faith;" depending on his mighty power for "strength according to our day," and for the accomplishment of the promise which he hath given us, that no weapon formed against us shall ever prosper."

° 1 Kings xx. 11.

P Deut. xxxiii. 25. 4 Isai. liv. 17.

DCII. THE MEANS OF WITHSTANDING SATAN'S WILES.

Eph. vi. 11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

TO be possessed of courage is not the only requisite for a good soldier; he must be skilled in the use of arms; he must be acquainted with those stratagems which his adversaries will use for his destruction; he must know how to repel an assault, and how in his turn to assault his enemy; in short, he must be trained to war. Nor will his knowledge avail him any thing, unless he stand armed for the combat. Hence the apostle, having encouraged the Christian soldier, and inspired him with confidence in "the Captain of his salvation," now calls him to put on his armour, and by a skilful use of it, to prepare for the day of battle.

To open fully the direction before us, we must shew you, first, the wiles of the devil; and next, the means of defeating them.

I. We shall endeavour to lay before you " the wiles of the devil."

Satan is the great adversary of God and man; and labours to the uttermost to destroy the interests of both. In prosecuting his purpose, he has two grand objects in view, namely, to lead men into sin, and to keep them from God.

We must consider these distinctly; and point out the stratagems he uses for the attainment of his ends.

1. To lead men into sin.

To effect this, he presents to them such temptations as are best suited to their natural dispositions. As a skilful general will not attempt to storm a fort on the side that it is impregnable, but will rather direct his efforts against the weaker parts, where he has a better prospect of success; so Satan considers the weak part of every man, and directs his artillery where he may most easily make a breach. He well knew the covetous dispositions of Judas, and of Ananias and Sapphira: when therefore he wanted the one to betray his Master, and the other to bring discredit on the Christian name, he wrought upon their natu ral propensities, and instigated them with ease to the execution of his will. Thus he stimulates the proud or passionate, the lewd or covetous, the timid or melancholy, to such acts as are most congenial with their feelings, to the intent that his agency may be least discovered, and his purposes most effectually secured.

Much craft is also discoverable in the seasons which he chooses for making his assaults. If a general knew that his adversaries were harassed with fatigue, or revelling and intoxicated amidst the spoils of victory, or separated from the main body of their army, so that they could have no succour, he would not fail to take advantage of such circumstances, rather than attack them when they were in full force, and a state of readiness for the combat. Such a general is Satan. If he finds us in a state of great trouble and perplexity, when the spirits are exhausted, the mind clouded, the strength enervated, then he will seek to draw us to murmuring or despair. Thus he acted towards Christ himself when he had been fasting forty days and forty nights; and again, on the eve of his crucifixion. The former of these occasions afforded him a favourable opportunity for tempting our blessed Lord to despondency, to presumption, to a total alienation of his heart from God:d the latter inspired him with a hope of drawing our Lord to some act unworthy of his high character, and subversive of the ends for which he came into the world. Again, if we have been elevated with peculiar joy, he well knows how apt we are to relax our vigilance, and to indulge a carnal security. Hence, immediately on Paul's descent from the third heavens, the paradise of God, Satan strove to puff him up with pride, that so he might bring him into the condemnation of the devil. And with more success did he assault Peter immediately after the most exalted honour had been conferred upon him; whereby he brought upon the unguarded saint that just rebuke, "Get thee behind me, Satan; for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." Above all, Satan is sure to embrace an opportunity when we are alone, withdrawn from those whose eye would intimidate or whose counsel would restrain, us. He could not prevail on Lot, when in the midst of Sodom, to violate the rights of hospitality; but when he was in a retired cave, he too successfully tempted him to repeated acts of drunkenness and incest. And who amongst us has not found that seasons of privacy, or at least, of seclusion from those who knew us, have been seasons of more than ordinary temptation?

The means which Satan uses in order to accomplish his purpose will afford us a yet further insight into his wiles. Whom will a general so soon employ to betray the enemy into his hands; as one who by his power can command them, or by his professions can deceive them? And is it not thus with Satan? If he want to draw down the judgments of God upon the whole nation of the Jews, he will stir up David, in spite of all the expostulations of his courtiers, to number the people. If he would destroy Ahab, he becomes a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets to persuade him, and by him to lead Jehosaphat also and the combined armies into the most imminent peril.* Would he have Job to curse his God? no fitter person to employ on this service than Job's own wife whom he

é John xiv. 30. Luke xxii. 44, 53.

$1 Tim. iii. 6, 7.

i Numb. xxi. 1-4.

f 2 Cor. xii. 7.

Matt. xvi. 16-19, 22, 23. * 1 Kings xxii. 21, 22. See the in

stance also of Elymas the sorcerer, who on account of his efforts is called " a child of the devil." Acts xiii. 10.