Great-grace, the King's Champion.

penny ; but that as God would have it, I was cloathed with armour of proof. Aye, and yet, though I was so harnessed, I found it hard work to quit myself like a man; no man can tell what in that combat attends us, but he that hath been in that battle himself. (i)

Hope. Well, but they ran, you see, when they did but suppose that one Great-Grace was in the

way.

Chr. True, they have often fled, both they and their master, when Great-Grace hath but appeared; and no marvel; for he is the King's Champion; but, I trow, you will put some difference between Little-faith and the King's Champion. All the King's subjects are not his Champions; nor can they, when tried, do such feats of war as he. Is it meet to think that a little child should handle Goliah as David did? Or that there should be the strength of an ox in a wren? Some are strong, some are weak; some have great faith, some have little: this man was one of the weak, and therefore he went to the wall. (k)

(i) Who can stand in the evil day of temptation, when beset with Faint-heart, Mistrust, and Guilt, backed by the power of their master Satan? No one, unless armed with the whole armour of God; and even then the power of such infernal foes makes it a hard fight to the Christian. But this is our glory, The Lord shall fight for us, and we shall hold our peace; we shall be silent as to ascribing any glory to ourselves, knowing our very enemies are part of ourselves, and that we are more than conquerors over all these, (only) through HIM who loved us, Rom. viii. 27.

(k) Pray mind this, ye lambs of the flock, whose knowledge is small and whose faith is weak. O never think the God ye believe in, the Saviour you follow, is an austere master, who expects more from ye than ye are able. When he calls for your service, look to him for strength: expect all power and strength for every good work out of the fulness of Christ; the more you receive from him, the more you will grow up in him, and be devoted to him.

The power of Great-grace nearly overcome.

Hope. I would it had been Great-grace for their sakes.

Chr. If it had been he, he might have had his hands full: for I must tell you, although Great-grace is excellent good at his weapons, and can as long as he keeps them at the sword's point, do well enough with them; yet, if they get within him, even Faintheart, Mistrust, or the other, it will go hard, but they will throw up his heels. And when a man is down, you know, what can he do?

Whoso looks well upon Great-grace's face, shall see those scars and cuts there that shall easily give demonstrations of what I say. Yea, once I heard that he should say, (and that when he was in the combat,) "We despaired even of life." (1) How did these sturdy rogues and their fellows make David groan, mourn and roar! Yea, Heman and Hezekiah too, though champions in their days, were forced to bestir them when by these assaulted and yet, notwithstanding, they had their coats soundly brushed by them. Peter, upon a time, would go try what he could do; but though some do say of him, that he is the Prince of the apostles, they handled him so, that they made him at last afraid of a sorry girl.

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Besides, their king is at their whistle; he is never out of hearing; and if at any time they be put to the worst, he, if possible, comes in to help them, and of him it is said, "The sword of him that layeth at

*Job xli. 26.

(1) Now here you see what is meant by Great-grace, who is so often mentioned in this book, and by whom so many valiant things were done. We read, "With great power the apostles witnessed of the resurrection of Jesus." Why was it? Because-" GREAT GRACE was upon them all." Acts iv. 33. So you see all is of grace, from first to last, in salvation. If we do great things for Christ, yet, not unto us, but unto the great grace of onr Lord be all the glory.

Job's Horse.

him cannot hold; the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon he esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrows cannot make him flee; sling stones are turned with him into stubble; darts are counted as stubble: he laughed at the shaking of a spear." What can a man do in this case? It is true, if a man could at every turn have Job's horse, and had skill and courage to ride him, he might do notable things. "For his neck is clothed with thunder; he will not be afraid of the grasshopper; the glory of his nostrils are terrible; he paweth in the valley, rejoiceth in his strength, and goeth out to meet the armed men. He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted, neither turneth back from the sword. The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield. He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage, neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. He saith among the trumpets, Hah! hah! and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunders of the captains and the shoutings."

But for such footmen as thee and I are, let us never desire to meet with an enemy, nor vaunt as if we could do better, when we hear of others that they have been foiled, nor be tickled at the thoughts of our manhood, for such commonly come by the worst when tried. (m) Witness Peter, of whom I made mention before: he would swagger; aye, he would: he would, as his vain mind prompted him to say, do better, and stand more for his master than all men ;

*Job xxxiii. 19.

(m) The falls of our fellow Christians should not puff us up with pride, or cause us to imagine that we should have acted better, had we been in their case. These thoughts proceed from ignorance of our own weakness.

The necessity of a guide.

but who so foiled and run down by these villains as he. (n)

When, therefore, we hear that such robberies are done to the king's highway, two things become us to do; first, to go out harnessed, and to be sure to take a shield with us: for it is for want of that, that he who laid so lustily at Leviathan could not make him yield; and, indeed, if that be wanting, he fears us not at all. Therefore he that hath skill hath said, "Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.*

It is good also, that we desire of the King a convoy; yea, that he will go with us himself. This made David rejoice when in the valley of the shadow of Death; and Moses was rather for dying where he stood, than to go one step without his God. O my brother, if he will but go along with us, what need we be afraid of ten thousands that shall set themselves against us? but without him the proud helpers fall under the slain. (0)

I, for my part, have been in the fray before now:

* Eph. vi. 16.

† Exod. xxxiii. 15.

Ps. iii. 5. 8.-xxvii. 1. 3. Isa. x. 4.

(n) From this sweet and edifying conversation, learn not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think; but to think soberly, according to the measure of faith which God has dealt to you, Rom. xii. 3. Now it is of the very essence of faith to lead us out of all self-confidence and vain vaunting. For we know not how soon Faintheart, Mistrust, and Guilt, may spring up in us, set upon us, and rob us of our comforts, and spoil our joys.

(0) But how contrary to this is the walk and conduct of some who profess to be pilgrims, and yet can wilfully and deliberately go upon the devil's ground, and indulge themselves in carnal pleasures and sinful diversions! Such evidently declare in plain language, that they desire not the presence of God, but that he should depart from them but a day will con, which will bring on terrible reflections of mind for such things.

The Pilgrims seduced by the Flatterer.

and though (through the goodness of him that is best)
I am, as you see, alive, yet I cannot boast of my man-
hood. Glad shall I be, if I meet with no more such
brunts: though I fear we are not gone beyond all
danger. However, since the lion and the bear has
not yet devoured me, I hope God will deliver me from
the next uncircumcised Philistine.
Then sang
Christian;

"Pocr Little-faith! hast been among the thieves?
"Wast robb'd? Remember this, whoso believes,
"And get more faith; then shall you victors be
"Over ten thousand, else scarce over three."

So they went on, and Ignorance followed. They went then till they came at a place, where they saw a way put itself into their way, (p) and seemed withal to lie as straight as the way which they should go; and hence they knew not which of the two to take, for both seemed straight before them; therefore here they stood still to consider. And as they were thinking about the way, behold a man black of flesh, but covered with a very light robe, came to them, and asked them why they stood there? They answered, they were going to the Celestial City, but knew not which of these ways to take. Follow me, said the man, it is thither that I am going. So they followed him in the way that but now came into the road, which by degrees turned, and turned them so from the city that they desired to go to, that in a little time their faces were turned away from it: yet they followed him.

(p) By this way, and a way, it is plain the author means the way of self-righteousness, and the way of the imputed righteousness of Christ. The former sticks fast and cleaves close to pilgrims all their days. Whenever we turn aside to it, we get out of the way to the city; yea, we see by degrees their faces were turned away from it, and they were entangled it the net of pride and folly.