3. In temptations from Satan.

4. In afflictions.

5. With this present evil world.

6. With sin.

7. With death.

First, There is a fight of faith, in a call to some more than ordinary work or duty. Sometimes the Lord takes trial of his people by calling them to some extraordinary piece of duty. Thus Abraham was called out to this field, Gen. xxii. 1; Moses to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, Exod. iii; and Jonah, to preach to the Ninevites.

Here the believer gets his hands full, as much as he is able to wrestle with; yea, and sometimes as much as lays him by, his faith failing. Thus Jonah was so put to it in this fight, that he goes to fly towards Tarshish, to shift the duty.

Now, what makes the difficulty here, are, (1.) The hardness of the work in itself, as in Abraham's case. (2.) A deep sense of our inability for it, as in the case of Moses, when commanded to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, Exod. iv. 10. For sometimes it is that which the Christian seems of all things to be most unfit for. (3.) The great danger there may be in it, so that the Christian must run a risk in setting about it. Sometimes he must risk his reputation, as in Jonah's case; sometimes he must risk even his safety or life. Here there is a particular fight of faith to be fought. And therein faith is to be exerted,

1. In complying with God's call in the faith of the promise of strength for it. Hence says the apostle, Philip. iv. 13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." God never calls his people to any duty, but what they have ground to expect furniture for from himself in the way of believing: "No man goeth a warfare on his own charges." God's call implies a promise of furniture: "The way of the Lord is strength to the upright." And God suits the back to the burden. It is much alike then whether it be little work and little strength, or great work and strength conform.

2. In following the duty, in the faith of divine protection, as far as he sees good. Faith trusts God with one's safety in the way of duty, according to the promise, Psal. xci. 11, "He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." As long as one is found in the way where God bids him go, he may be sure God will set a hedge about him, and make all work together for his good.

Secondly, There is a fight of faith in desertion. Here the believer is on the dark mountains in a special manner, the Lord in the depth of soverign wisdom withdrawing from him. And in this case there may be several things very heavy.

1. Darkness covering the believer's spirit, Is. 1. 10, whereby he goes mourning without the sun. Their former light is taken away, and clouds and mists arise, so they cannot know their way.

2. Indisposition for duty, proceeding sometimes from a listlessness to communion with God, Cant. v. 2, sometimes from the extremity of trouble, Psal, lxxvii. 4. So that the soul is not more unfit for duty, than when there is most need.

3. An army of doubts and fears attacking them, doubting of their love to God, and God's love to them, Psal. lxxvii. 7, downwards.

4. The terrors of God set in battle-array against them, Job. vi. 4. They "remember God, and are troubled," Psal. lxxvii. 3, The man is carried captive from Sion to Sinai; the discharge is lost, and the law bends up a process against him. God appears an enemy, Psal. lxxxviii. 15.

Now faith's part here in this fight is,

1st, To justify God in the dispensation, Psal. xxii. 3, and to submit to sovereignty, Job ii. 9, 10, believing he doth all things well. The man has to do with him whose will is the supreme law, and so must not adventure to call him to an account.

2dly, To cleave to God in Christ by a faith of adherence; saying with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, Job xiii. 15. He must resolutely adhere, over the belly of discouragements.

3dly, To believe an outgate in due time; saying with the church, Mic. vii. 8, "When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me." Hence is that exhortation, Is. 1. 10, "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God."

4thly, To hold the conclusion of our interest, notwithstanding the arguments drawn from the divine dispensation to prove us naught. Hence says Job chap. xxvii. 5, 6, “Till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live."

5thly, Continuing in the way of duty notwithstanding; as Job did, chap. i. 20, 21, who, notwithstanding all the calamites that befel him, blessed God.

Thirdly, There is a fight of faith in temptations from Satan. He is the declared enemy of God and mankind. Natural men be tempts to sin, to get them kept the surer in his gripes; the godly, that he may mar their communion with God, their comfort and growth, and may make their lives bitter, if he cannot get them

by ck entirely to his service; both that he may get God dishonoured ey them. The temptations of Satan are too many to be reckoned up particularly; but I shall take notice of these eight things following, in which ye would set yourselves to fight the fight of faith.

1. Temptations to sin, after some seeming or real enjoyment of God in ordinances or providences. Nothing is more ordinary than a subtile or furions attack of the devil on a person brought into a better case than ordinary, Cant. v. 1, 2. Thus after solemn ordinances. So after Christ's baptism, Matth. iv. 1; and the disciples after the first communion. Satan is a proud, envious Spirit. The better it is with a soul, the more likely is the honour of God to be advanced, and their own salvation. And neither of these can that malicious spirit endure. In this case faith is to manage a fight, by,

1st, Believing the Scripture warnings and instances of this: Luke xxii. 31, "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." 2 Cor. xii. 7. "And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure." Hereby the soul will be set to watch before the temptation come, and so be in better case to resist it; and when it is come, will see that it is no more than what God's people have met with.

2dly, Resisting, not in confidence of vows, purposes, and resolutions, the present frame of the heart, or grace already received; but in confidence of the grace that is in Christ, and the new supplies of it: 2 Cor. xii. 9, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." 2 Tim. ii. 1, "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." It is confidence in what we have in ourselves that mars all.

2. Temptations to the sin that one is most easily laid aside unto : Heb. xii. 1, "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." Satan will be sure to attack you on the weak side, where he is most likely to prevail. He knows what is the sin of one's constitution, age, calling, and the like, and there to set on where the wall is weakest. But he that minds for heaven, must resist, and fight against him, and that in faith.

1st, Believing the necessity of overcoming, even in that particular: Matth. v. 29, 30, "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it

from thee for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell." Men would do well to remember that there the one thing lacking, which ruins all, may lie, Mark x. 21. And if the devil can get the man kept under the dominion of any one lust, it will serve his purpose for that man's eternal ruin, though he have otherwise many good things about him.

2dly, Believing, that such temptations may be overcome and got mastered: Luke xvii. 6, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustardseed, ye might say unto this sycamine-tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.” These temptations men do so naturally incline to comply with, that they are ready to think, it is in vain to offer to resist them, for it will not do, Jer. ii. 25, "Thou saidst, There is no hope. No, for I have loved strangers, and after them will I go." This is the language of unbelief, which faith must contradict, if one would stand.

3dly, Believing, that, in the use of appointed means, he shall overcome, through grace and strength from the Lord: Mark xi. 24, "What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." This faith makes the soul in this case like a giant refreshed with wine, opposing Christ's promised strength to its own weakness, and the force of the temptation; and so brings it off victorious, Is. xl. ult. and xlv. 24.

3. Temptations to the grossest sins. these, while in this world, 1 Cor. x. 12,

Nobody is out of hazard of "Let him that thinketh he

standeth, take heed lest he fall." Satan makes great hellish gain by these; he wastes and defiles the conscience, gets God greatly dishonoured, and religion exposed to reproach by them. He gets the mask pulled off many hypocrites by them; and gets sincere Christians sometimes made to go halting to the grave by them, Prov. vii. 26. They that would see heaven must resist, and resist in faith,

1st, Believing that they are snares for soul-ruin, according to the word, Prov. vi. 27, 28, " Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burnt? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burnt?" and chap. i. 17, "Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird." It is the work of faith to discern, by the glass of the word, Satan's devices, and arts of destruction; that the soul, seeing them so, may conceive a horror of them. Hence says the apostle, Rom. xii. 9, "Abhor that which is evil."

2dly, Believing that it is not the temptation, but the yielding to it, that will provoke God against you. I own, that such tempta

tions are often sent as a punishment for other sins, as Judas' covetousness was punished with a temptation to betray Christ for money and by such means God often shakes himself loose of hypocrites, as in Judas' case, and spues them out of his mouth, leaving them to yield to them, Rev. iii. 16. And it is often the thought of serious souls, that temptations to sins so very gross are a sign of the Lord's hatred against them: yet that is a plain mistake; for what sin is there so gross but a child of God may be tempted to it? Asaph was tempted to deny a providence, Psal. Ixxiii. 13. Agur saw himself in hazard of atheistical contempt of God, Prov. xxx. 9. Job was tempted to blaspheme and curse God, Job i. 11, 12. to self-murder, chap. vii. 15. Christ himself was tempted to distrust, self-murder, and worshipping of the devil, Matth. iv. The faith of these things will be strengthening under such horrid temptations.

3dly, Believing the word condemning and forbidding these sins, and so opposing Heaven's word of command and threatening unto the temptation. Thus our Lord resisted all his temptations in faith, Matth. iv. This is faith's wielding the sword of the Spirit against the tempter, which is fitted to awe the heart with the authority of God, and fill it with abhorrence of the temptation. Whenever the temptation is given, there should presently be some apt Scripture to oppose to it in faith; and as oft as the temptation is repeated, do ye repeat the word in faith, and Satan will fly at length. So in such cases ye should have such Scriptures as these ready, Deut. xxviii. 58, 59; Psal. xiv. 1; 1 John iii. 15; Eph. v. 5, 6.

4thly, Believing the promises suited to the case. There is no temptation any can be in, but there is a promise suited for it in the word, which is the armour faith must wield in order to overcome: 1 Cor. x. 13, God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." James iv. 7, "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." And in the faith of the promise make resistance, not doubting but it shall be accomplished in your case and according to your faith of the promise in the use of means, so shall it be; as with Peter on the water, and the army against Amalek with Moses' hands lift up.

4. Temptations artfully suited to one's circumstances. Satan has a hellish art of framing his temptations upon his observation of people's circumstances, wherein they are most likely to take with them. Thus Christ being an hungered, the devil tempted him to distrust, Matth. iv. 3. Job was tempted to blaspheme and despair under his afflictions.

Achan was tempted to steal, a fair op