250 SIXTH SERMON to go against Goliath, an armed giant : and it pro -. duced in his proud heart much disdain and insultation, 1 Sam. xvii. 41 -43. But when we hear David mention the name of God, in the strength and confi- dence whereof he came against so proud an enemy, this makes us conclude weak David strong enough to encounter with great Goliath. It is not our own strength, but the love of God which is the foundation of our triumph over all enemies, Rom. viii. 38, 39. But some will then say, Then we may be secure, if God's grace and power be our alone strength, then let us commit ourselves and our salvation unto him, and in the mean time give over all thoughts and care of it ourselves, and live as we list ; no act of ours can frustrate the counsel of the love of God. To this we answer with the apostle, God forbid ! Though the enemies of free grace do thus argue, yet they who indeed have the grace of God in their hearts, have better learned Christ. For it is against the formal nature of the grace and Spirit of Christ to suffer those in whom it dwelleth to give over themselves unto security and neglect of God ; for grace is a vital and active principle, and doth so work in us, as that it doth withal dispose and direct us unto working too. The property of grace is to fight against, and to kill sin, as being most extremely contrary unto it ; and there- fore it is a most irrational way of arguing to argue from the being of grace to the life of sin. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ? Rom. vi. 2. If we be dead to sin, this is argument enough in the apostle's judgment, why we should set our affections on things above, Col. iii. 2, 3. The grace of God doth not only serve to bring salvation, but to teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this
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