8 Be firong in the Lord. weakcreature, conflieting with enemies ftronger then it felfe,and therefore cannot keep the field without an auxiliary ftrength from Heaven. The weakell goes to the wall, if no fuccour comes in. Grace in this life is but weak, like a King in the Cradle, which gives advantage to Satan to carry on his plots more ftrongly, to the diflurbance of this young Kings reigne in the foule, yea, he would loon make an end of the war in the ruine of the believers grace, did not Heaven take the Chriftian in- to proteCtion. 'Tis true indeed, grace whereever it is, bath a principle in it felfe, that makes it desire and endeavour to pre- ferve it felf according to its ftrength, but being over-powered nuts perifh, except al-lifted by God, as fire in green wood, (which deads and damps the part kindled) will in dine go out except blown up, or more fire put to that little ; fo will grace in the heart. God brings his grace into the heart by Commit: now as in aconquered City, though fome yield and become true fubjeCts to the Conquerour ; yet others plot how they may (hake off this yoke ; and therefore it requires the fame power to keep, as was to win it at firft, The Chriftian bath an unregene- rate parr, that is difcontented at this new change in the heart, and difdains as much to come under the fweet government of Chrifis Scepter, as the Sodomites that Lot fhould judge them, What, this fellow, a Stranger, controule us ? And ,Satan heads this mutinous rout againft the Chriftian fo that ifGod fhould not continually re-inforce this his new-planted Colony in the heart, the very natives (I mean corruptions) that are left, would come out of their dens and holes where they lie lurking, and eat up the little grace the holieff on earth bath, it would be as bread to thefe devourers. A third demonfrration may be taken from the grand defigne, which God propounds to himfelf in the Saints falvation ; yea, in the tranfacclion of it from firft to laft. And that is two- fold. Firflo God would bring his Saints to heaven in fuch a way, as might be molt expreflive -of his Beare love and mercy to 2. them, Secondly, he would fo expreffe his mercy and love to them, as might rebound back to him, in the higheft advance of his own glory poffible : Now how becoming this is to both, that Saints
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