for love, it would utterly be contemned." When love is in exercise, the foul hates evil, and is ready to cry out, "Depart from me, all ye evil doers; for I will keep the commandments of my God." What but the love of God made Joseph to give fuch a repulfe to the hellish attack made upon him by his adultrefs miftrefs, "How fhall I do this great wickednefs, and fin against God?" See the influence of the love of Chrift in the triumph of the apoftle, Rom. viii. at the close, "Who fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift? fhall tribulation or distress," &c.

3. Difplays of the glory of Chrift infpire the foul with courage and ftrength to oppofe the enemy, when he comes in like a flood. By the fight of the great Captain of falvation, the believer becomes bold as a lion, to encounter the powers of hell. and corruption. O! fays the believer, when he gets a fight of Chrift, "Through him affifting me I can do all things." Pfal. xxxiv. 5. "They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not afhamed."

4. Difplays of the glory of Chrift, by the word and Spirit of the Lord, difpirit the enemy, though coming in like a flood. The devil and his auxiliaries know very well, to their fad experience, that Christ is match and more for them; the head of the ferpent bears the marks of Chrift's heel, his wound fhall never be healed. And therefore, whenever Chrift takes the field, to efpoufe the cause of the poor foul oppreffed by the enemy, immediately he lofeth heart, and gives way: hence is that prayer of David, Pfal. Ixviii. 1. 2. "Let God arife, let his enemies be fcattered: let them also that hate him, flee before him," &c.

V. The fifth thing was the Application. And the firft ule may be of Information, in a few particulars. Is it fo that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him? then,

1. See hence what it is that makes a church" terrible as an army with banners," to the powers of hell, and the wicked of the world. It is not carnal wisdom and policy; it is not a yeilding to the humours of men in the matters of Chrift; it is not a fquaring our conduct according to the wisdom of this world: no, it is the prefence of the Spirit of the Lord, and a following the ftandard of the word, which he has given for "a lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our paths." terrible was the church of Scotland in the days of our refor mation, when the Spirit of the Lord refled upon our worthy reformers, enabling them to contend earneftly for the faith, and for the royal prerogatives of the King of Zion, in oppo

How

fition to Papists, malignants, and other enemies of a covenanted reformation? A faithful minifter, and his moyen with God, by the confeffion of the queen of Scotland, was at that time more terrible and dreadful to her, than an army of ten thousand men. But, alas! the Spirit of the Lord is departed in a great meafure, and a worldly, politic, carnal, selfish, party-spirit is come in its room, which cannot miss but make us base and contemptible both in the eyes of friends and foes.

2. See from this doctrine the ground and cause of all our defections and backflidings at this day; why, the Spirit of the Lord, that lifts up the ftandard, is departed hence, the enemy comes in like a flood. We have grieved the Spirit, quenched the Spirit, refifted the Spirit; and hence it is that he does not lift up a standard against the floods of error, profanity, tyranny, and oppreflion, that are broke in upon us. If you afk, what way have we grieved the Spirit, and provoked him to depart from us? I answer, It is by our not re garding or following the ftandard, when lifted up in the dispenfation of the glorious gofpel. When Chrift is not received; when the precepts and promises of the word are not believed or regarded; when magiftrates, ministers, or people, do not in their feveral stations thew a regard to the convictions of the Spirit, or his motions on their hearts; this grieves him, and provokes him to depart from a church, or a particular perfon.

3. See hence what it is that makes the gofpel fuccessful among a people, for deftroying Satan's kingdom, and pulling down his ftrong holds; it is the Spirit of the Lord, accompanying the preaching of the word, and difplaying the glory of Chrift therein. However contemptible the gospel may appear to a blind world, who look on it only with the eye of carnal reason; yet to them that believe, it will be found to be the power of God to falvation: "The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds." It is not the flourish of words, it is not the force of human rhetoric, or flaunting harangues of morality, that will ever ferve the turn: no, it is a faithful difplay of the glory of Chrift, a fimple propofal of the gospel, an opening of the myfteries of the kingdom. This is the chariot in which the Spirit of God rides; and O when he rides in his own chariot, he rides profperously, and the people fall under him.

4. See hence what it is that makes the ordinances of the gofpel fo fweet and defirable to a gracious foul, infomuch that one day in his courts is better than a thousand." What makes preaching fweet, or a communion-table fo de

firable

firable to the faints? Why, there they find the Spirit of the Lord lifting up the ftandard, difplaying the glory, fulness, fuitableness, and excellency of Chrift and his love: Cant. ii. 3.4. "I fat down under his fhadow with great delight, and his fruit was fweet to my taste. He brought me into his banqueting-houfe, and his banner over me was love." In gofpel-ordinances, believers are privileged with discoveries of the love and loveliness of a glorious Redeemer; hence is that of David, Pfal. xxvii. 4. One thing have I defired of the Lord, that will I feek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."

5. See hence what it is that spirits a believer to hold on his way, even though death and hell, the devil and the world, stand in his way; why, the Spirit of the Lord lifts up the ftandard; and you know, as the army is heartened to keep and stand their ground by the fight of the standard, so are believers heartened by displays of the glory of Chrift: "They hall fing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord." Let a believer but fee Chrift in his glory, he is able to look the law, justice, conscience, and the world, in the face, and fay, "Who can lay any thing to my charge?" Then it is that he rides upon his high places; being clothed with the fun, he treads the moon of this world under his feet: then is he able to encounter death, the king of terrors, in his most formidable afpect; and to fay with Paul, “ I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jefus."

"One

6. See hence whence it comes that we fhall frequently find fuch furprising turns in the cafe or exercife of the Lord's people. Sometimes the believer is at such a low ebb, that he is giving up the day for loft, quitting the field, yielding the cause to the enemy, as if all were loft, like David, day or other I fhall fall by the hand of the enemy;" the armies of hell, and fwarms of corruptions, are too strong for me: but all on a fudden recovers his fpirit, girds himself with gladnefs, puts on his harness, triumphing in his high places, giving a bold defiance to hell and all its emiffaries, faying with David, Pfal. iii. 5. 6. "I laid me down and flept; I awaked, for the Lord fustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that fet themselves against me round about." Whence comes this fudden change and alteration with the believer? The matter is this, when the enemy was coming in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord lift up a standard against him; and the very fight of the standard, an uptaking of the glory of Chrift, puts new spirits and life

in him; fo that he goes forth, like a giant refreshed with new wine, unto the field of battle.

7. See hence what is the moft expedite and effectual method to mortify the deeds of the body of fin, or to put a check upon the infurrections of enmity, unbelief, pride, vanity of fpirit, and other heart-evils, which, like the daughters of Heth, make the believer fometimes weary of his life: why, the best way in the world is, to call in the affiftance and aid of the Spirit of the Lord, that he may lift up a standard against him. No fooner does the Spirit of the Lord take the field, and begins to teftify of Chrift, or to manifeft his glory to the foul, but thefe locufts of hell fhrink, and hide their heads. The wild beafts of the foreft, which range through the fields in the darknefs of the night, they retire to their dens whenever the fun arifes: fo, whenever the Sun of righ teousness arifes upon the foul, these enemies flee before him. A difplay of the glory of Christ will break the ftrength of the most violent temptation, and knock down the strongest and most turbulent lufts; these enemies are not able to behold the standard lift up by the Spirit of the Lord. And therefore, poor believer, whenever thou art like to be worsted by any of thy fpiritual enemies, call in the aid of the Spirit, that he may drive them back: "For we through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body."

8. See hence when we may look for a work of reformation to be revived in the land. It is matter of fad exercise to many of the Lord's people at this day, to think how far we are carried down the stream and tide of error, profanity, and defection; and they are ready to fay," By whom fhall Jacob arise? for he is fmall;" when will a work of reformation be revived from under the rubbish? Why, here is an answer to this melancholy queftion: Thefe things will be done, when the Spirit fhall be poured out from on high; when the Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a standard, then shall the enemy be driven back, though he hath come in like a flood. And it may be matter of comfort to the mourners of our Zion, who are fighing and crying for all the abominations that are done in the midst of us, that this promife in my text is pofitive and abfolute, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a standard against him." And therefore, if we would get the better either of the evils of our own heart, or of the evils of our day or generation, let us take the promife and believe it, and plead it; for "God is not a man, that he fhould lie, neither the son of man, that he fhould repent." Let us put him to his word, and give him no reft till he do as he hath faid. This is the courfe he directs us to take when

when we would have the Spirit, or any promifed good of the covenant conferred upon us, Ezek. xxxvi. 37. "For thefe things I will be inquired of by the house of Ifrael, that I may do it for them."

ORWELL SACRAMENT;

LAST SABBATH OF JULY, 1730.

ISA. lix. 19.-The Spirit of the Lord fhall lift up a standard against him.

PROCEED now to a fecond use of this doctrine, which shall

I now to a

be by way of Trial. There is not a foul hearing me, but is either under the standard of Heaven or of hell; for between these two standards the whole world is divided; there is no middle state, no neutral. In this combat, either you are waging war with Heaven, under the ftandard of the prince of the power of the air; or else you have deserted the devil's colours, under which you were born, and turned in under the ftandard of Heaven, lift up by the Spirit of the Lord. I fuppose there are few hearing me, but profefs to be under the ftandard of Heaven; your name, as Chriftians, fays so much; your attendance upon the ordinances of divine appointment, is a profeffed lifting yourfelves under the banner of Chrift, And if not, what is your bufinefs here, where Chrift's volunteers attend his colours? And in a special manner, you who have been at a communion-table, and have gotten the facrament, you have come under the military oath; you have fworn to cleave to the ftandard of Chrift, in oppofition to all his and your enemies, by laying your hands on the body and blood of the Son of God. But, Sirs, allow me to tell you, there are many who go out profefledly under Chrift's colours, who yet are heart-friends to his enemies, and who never yet broke their covenant with hell, and their agreement with death; and therefore, this matter wants to be a little further tried, whether you be really under Chrift's standard, or under the standard of the enemy. I told you, in the explication of thir words, that the ftandard lift up by the Spirit of the Lord, whereby the enemy is beat back, is just

Christ