" the powers of earth or hell ever to "separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus." Yea, such an anchor shall it be to our souls," that we shall be steadfast' in the midst of this tempestuous world, and be enabled to outride the storm, which causes many to "make shipwreck of their faith"," and ultimately sinks them to everlasting perdition". Let me then entreat you, first, to get this helmet. Be not satisfied with a delusive hope that will fail you in the day of necessity; but bring it to the trial: see whether it be able to endure the assaults of your adversary compare it with the description which God himself gives of that which is true and saving. Look well to it that it be not self-righteous, presumptuous, or hypocritical. Be well assured that it is of heavenly temper: and let daily experience shew, that it enables you to "lift up your head above all your enemies," whether outward or inward, terrestrial or infernal. Think with yourselves, how awful it would be to find, either in the hour of death or in the day of judgment, that you had deceived yourselves with some phantom of your own imagination, and formed expectations of happiness that cannot be realized. O do not expose yourselves to such a dreadful disappointment. Remember the fate of the foolish virgins: they hoped that their lamp of profession would suffice, though they were destitute of the oil whereby alone they could make their light to shine. Through this they perished', as thousands of others have done, by resting in their religious privileges, or their outward conformity to the Divine will, when they had not the inward principle of renewing, sanctifying grace. But let it not be so with you. Judge yourselves, that you may not be judged of the Lord." And beg of God to give you that "hope that shall never make you ashamed." Next, we would urge you to keep on this helmet in all your conflicts. Constant will be Satan's endeavours 66 x Rom. viii. 31-39. a Heb. x. 39. e Matt. vii. 21-23. y Heb. vi. 19. z 1 Tim. i. 19. e Rom. v. 5. to deprive you of it; and great his triumph if he succeed. Above all things, be careful that you "cast not away your confidence, but hold fast the rejoicing of your hope firm unto the end?" If at any time you begin to be distracted with doubts and fears, instantly check yourselves as David did; Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God." Though you are to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling"," you must "not run as uncertainly, or fight as one that beateth the air1:" you must remember who is engaged for your support; and that "he is faithful who hath promised." It is true," you have need of patience, that after you have done the will of God you may receive the promise':" but "if you hope for that you see not, such a hope implies, that you will with patience wait for it.” St. James proposes to you the examples of the husbandman: "Behold," says he, "the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient: stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh";" and then shall your confidence be richly rewarded. "Gird up then the loins of your mind; be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that shall be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ"." This is the way, the sure way, to conquer. "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord; knowing assuredly, that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord"." Lastly, let that which is your defence, be also your ornament. There is not a more ornamental part of the soldier's armour, than the helmet. Nor is there any thing that more adorns the Christian, than a lively, steadfast, and consistent hope. In the exercise of hope, he stands, as it were, on the top of Pisgah, f Heb. iii. 6, 14. i 1 Cor. ix. 26. m Rom. viii. 25. P 1 Pet. i. 13. g Ps. xlii. 11. k Heb. x. 23. n Jam. v. 7, 8. q 1 Cor. xv. 58. h Phil. ii. 13. • Heb. x. 35. and surveys the land of promise, the land that floweth with milk and honey'. He longs to leave this dreary wilderness, and to "enter into the joy of his Lord." Knowing that "when his earthly tabernacle shall be dissolved, he has a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, he groans, earnestly desiring that mortality may be swallowed up of life." If he had crowns and kingdoms in his possession, still he would account it "far better to depart and to be with Christ." He is " He is "looking for, and hasting to, the coming of the day of Christ";" and thus has "his conversation in heaven," while yet he remains a sojourner upon earth. View the Christian in this frame, and confess, that the sun shining in his meridian strength, glorious as it is, "has no glory, by reason of the Christian's glory that excelleth." This, this, Christians, is the state in which you ought to live. Were you more habitually in this frame, your years of warfare would seem as nothing, for the greatness of the prize for which you contend". You can scarcely conceive what an energy such a frame would give to your souls. You would soon come to Jesus with joy and wonder, like his Disciples of old, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name:" and he in return would increase your confidence by saying, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you Do but consider, how weak will Satan's temptations be, when you thus abound in hope! how little will any thing be able to move you, when you are thus, by joyful anticipation, sitting already with Christ in heavenly places!" Beloved brethren, this is your perfection: "you will come behind in no gift, when you are thus waiting for the coming of the Lord Jesus"." 66 Whatever you have to do, you will do it heartily, as unto the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance." May God enable you thus to live, till faith shall be lost in sight, and hope be consummated in enjoyment! c Col. iii. 22. MMCXXXIII. THE CHRISTIAN'S SWORD. Eph. vi. 17. Take..... the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. THE Christian's warfare is principally of the defensive kind; yet not so entirely, but that he must follow up the advantages which he has at any time gained, and seek the utter destruction of those enemies which infest his soul: after sustaining their assaults, he must himself become the assailant; having resisted the world and sin, he must proceed to overcome, condemn', and crucify them; and having withstood Satan, he must go on to "bruise him under his feet." That he may be enabled to carry this into effect, God has provided for him an offensive weapon, which, if skilfully used, shall accomplish the ruin of all his enemies. To the consideration of this we are led by the text; in elucidating which we shall notice, I. The description given of the Christian's sword— II. Its usefulness to him in all his combats- I. Let us notice the description given of the Christian's sword— What the sword is to a warrior, that the Scriptures are to a child of God; they enable him to inflict a deadly wound on his adversaries, and to subdue them before him. a 1 John v. 4. Gal. v. 24. and vi. 14. b Heb. xi. 7. Now the appellation here given to the Scriptures is deserving of particular attention. They are called, "the word of God," and "the sword of the Spirit." They are called with great propriety, "the word of God;" first, because they were inspired by him. They were indeed written by men; but men were only the agents and instruments that God made use of: they wrote only what God by his Spirit dictated to them: so that, in reality, the whole Scripture was as much written by the finger of God, as the laws were, which he inscribed on two tables of stone, and delivered to his servant Moses. And to this the Scriptures themselves bear witness; for in them it is said, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of Gode;" and again, "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost'." But they are called the word of God, not merely as being inspired by him, but also as being a revelation of his mind and will to man. In them his eternal counsels are opened to the world. In them he has declared in what way he will be reconciled to his offending creatures. In them he has displayed all the riches of his grace; and exhibited all his perfections as united and glorified in the person of Christ. In short, whatever could lead to the establishment of truth, or the refutation of errors, to the correction of sin, or the promotion of righteousness, all is contained in that inspired volume, in which there is nothing superfluous, nothing defective: which therefore may be wholly, and exclusively, called, "the word of God." But there is yet another, and a very important, ground of this appellation, namely, that the Scriptures are the voice of God to every individual of mankind. It is thought by some, that the Scriptures are a mere record of transactions that passed many hundred years ago; and that, however true and authentic they may be, they are no otherwise interesting to us, than as matters of curiosity and pleasing VOL. XVII. • 2 Tim. iii. 16. f 2 Pet. i. 21. 8 2 Tim. ii. 16. Πρὸς ἔλεγχον. K K |