I 5 s For we wrefile. is it were in a ring to behold the bloody iffue of that duel. Now this is more fierce then to fight in an army, where though the barrel be (harp and long, the fouldier is not alwayes engaged, but falls off when he bath difcharged, and takes breath a while yea, poflibly mayefcape without hurt or ftroak, becaufe there the enemies aime is not at this or that man, but at the whole heap, but in wreffling one cannot fcape fo, he being the par. titular objet.} of theenemies fury, mull needs be fhaked and tried to purpofe. Indeed the word ,77rAn fignifies fuch a firife, as makes the body (hake again, quia wpm aetVe7zu. Satan bath not only a general malice againft the army of Saints, but a fpite againft thee John, thee7eane : he'll fingle thee out for his ene- my. We finde ?acob, when alone, a man wreftled with him. As God delights to have private communion with his fingle Saints, fo the devil to try it hand to hand with the Chriflian, when he gets him alone. As we lofe much comfort, whenwe do not apply the Promife and Providence ofGod to our particu- lar perfons and conditions, God loves me, pardons me, 'takes care of me the water at the town-conduit cloth me no good, if I want a pipe to empty it into my cifterne; fo it obflructs our care and vvatchfulneffe, when we conceiveof Satans wrath and fury, as bent in general againft the Saints, and not againfl me in particular. 0 how careful would a foule be in duty, if as going to Church or Clofet he had fuch a ferious meditation as this, Now Satan is at my heels to hinder me in my work, if my God help me not! 2. Secondly, "cis a dole combate. Armies fight at fome diftance. Wrefllers grapple hand to hand. An arrow fhot from afar may be feen and fhunn'd, but when the enemy hath hold of one there is no declining, but either he muff refill manfully, or fall fhame- fully at his enemies foot. Satan comes clofe up, and gets within the Chriftian, takes his hold ofhis very flefhand corrupt nature, andby this shakes him. 2. Secondly, the univerfality ofthe combate,We wreftle 414if zAn, whichcomprehends all, on purpofe you may perceive the A- pollle changed' the pronoune L'itti&s in the former verfe, into 41217 in this, that he may include himfelfas well as them ; as if he had faid, the quarrel is with every Saint. Satan neither feares to al- fault the Minifler, nor defpifeth to wreftle with the meaneft Saint
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