For we wrefile. 159 Saint in the Congregation ; great and ,fmall, Minifter and peo- ple, all mutt wreftle: Not one part of Chrifts Army in the field, and the other at eafe in their quarters, where no enemy comes, here are enemiesenough to engage all at once. Thirdly, the permanency or durationof this combate, and that lies in the tenfe rot, hiOP 'Wain. Not, our wreftling was at first Converfion, but now over, and we paft the pikes ; not, we (hall wreftie when fickneffecomes, and death comes, but our wreftling is ; the enemy is ever'in fight ofus, yea, in fight with us, there is an evil of every dayes temptation, which (like Paoli bonds5) a- bides us wherever we become. So that thefe particulars fumm'd up will amount to this Point: SECT. H. The Chriftians life is a continual wrefiling. He is as 7eremy Doti; faid of himfelf, borne a man f firifir ' or what the Prophet to Ala, may be laid to every Chriftian ; From hence thou /halt have Wars, from thy spiritual birth to thy natural death, from the hourehen thou first diddeft set thy face to heaven, till thou fhalt let thy foot in heaven. Trois march out of Egypt was in Golpel-fenfe our taking the field againfl fin and Satan, and when had they peace ? not till they lodged their colours in Ca- naan. No condition wherein the Chriftian is here below is quiet. Is it profperity or adverfity, here is work for both hands, to keep pride and fecurity down in the one, faith and patience up in the other : no place which the Chriflian can call priviledgl ground. Lot in Sodom wrefiled with the wicked inhabitants thereof, his righteous foule beingvexed withtheir unclean converra- tion. And how fares he at Zoar ? do not his own daughters bring a fpark of Sodom fire intohis own bed, whereby he is in flamed with lufl? Some have thought if they were but in fuch a family, under such a Miniflery, out of such occafions 0 then they fhould never be tempted as now they are; I confefl'c change of aire is a great help to weak nature, and thefe forenamed as vantage-ground againft Satan ; but think'ft thou to file from Satans pretence thus ? No, though thou fhouleft take the wings of the morning he would flie after thee, thefe may make him change
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