The Christian's Life Here Is a Continual Wrestling With Sin and Satan

The Christian's life here is a continual wrestling with sin and Satan

           

Doctrine.  The Christian’s life is a continual wrestling.  He is, as Jeremiah said of himself, born ‘a man of strife.’  Or what the prophet [said] to Asa, may be said to every Christian; ‘From hence thou shalt have wars:’ from thy spiritual birth to thy nat­ural death; from the hour when thou first didst set thy face to heaven, till thou shalt set thy foot in heaven.  Israel's march out of Egypt was, in gospel-sense, our taking the field against sin and Satan; and when had they peace?—not till they lodged their colours in Canaan.  No condition wherein the Chris­tian is, here below, is quiet.  Is it prosperity or adver­sity? here is work for both hands, to keep pride and security down in the one, faith and patience up in the other; no place which the Christian can call privileged ground.  Lot in Sodom wrestled with the wicked in­habitants thereof; his righteous soul being vexed with their unclean conversation.  And how fares he at Zoar?  Do not his own daughters bring a spark of Sodom's fire into his own bed, whereby he is inflamed with lust?  Some have thought if they were but in such a family, under such a ministry, out of such occasions, O then they should never be tempted as now they are!  I confess change of air is a great help to weak nature, and these forenamed as vantage-ground against Satan; but thinkest thou to fly from Satan's presence thus?  No, though thou shouldst take the wings of the morning he would fly after thee; these may make him change his method in tempting, but not lay down his designs; so long as his old friend is alive within, he will be knocking at thy door without.  No duty can be performed without wres­tling.  The Christian needs his sword as much as his trowel.  He wrestles with a body of flesh; [and] this to the Christian in duty is as the beast to the traveller, he cannot go his journey without it, and [has] much ado to go with it.  If the flesh be kept high and lusty, then it is wanton and will not obey; if low, then it is weak and soon tires.  Thus the Christian rids but little ground, because he must go his weak body's pace.  He wrestles with a body of sin as well as of flesh; this mutters and murmurs when the soul is taking up any duty, so that he cannot do what he would.  As Paul said, I would have come once and again, but Satan hindered me.  I would have prayed, may the Christian say, at such a time, and meditated on the word I heard, the mercies I received at another [time], but this enemy hindered.  It is true indeed, grace sways the sceptre in such a soul; yet, as school-boys taking their time when the master is abroad, do shut him out, and for a while lord it in misrule, though they are whipped for it afterwards, thus the unregenerate part takes advantage when grace is not on its watch to disturb its government, and shut it out from duty.  Though this at last makes the soul more severe in mortifying, yet it costs some scuffle before it can recover its throne; and when it cannot shut from duty, yet is the Christian woefully yoked with it in duty.  It cannot do what it doth as it would.  Many a letter in its copy doth this enemy spoil, while he jogs him with impertinent thoughts.  When the Chris­tian is a praying, then Satan and the flesh are a prating; he cries, and they louder to put him out or drown his cry.  Thus we see the Christian is assailed on every side by his enemy; and how can it be other, when the seeds of war are laid deep in the natures of both, which can never be rooted up till the devil cease to be a devil, sin to be sin, and the saint to be a saint? Though wolves may snarl at one another, yet are soon quiet again, because the quarrel is not in their nature; but the wolf and the lamb can never be made friends. Sin will lust against grace, and grace draw upon sin, whenever they meet.