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gainft principalities, powers, rulers of the darknefs of this world, and spiritual wickedneffes in heavenlies: and we have many friends that wait upon us, and minifter to us, and perfuade us in their spiritual and mysterious way to thofe effential duties of peace and patience, gentlenefs and meeknefs; of both these you will read in the following treatise; and they will lead you on to another duty of looking unto Jefus, wherein if we spend all the time we can spare for fuch a contemplation, we fhall find work enough befides unneceffaries, to bufy our minds and confciences upon; and furely bleffed is that fervant, (let the world fay what it will) whom his Lord, when he cometh, fhall find fo doing, Matth. xxiv. 46. I know you are full-handed with several high and neceffary employments; I refolve therefore to make no long epistle: If you please to patronize the following work of WAR with DEVILS, and COMMUNION WITH ANGELS; both which I hope you will find confonant to holy fcriptures, I fhall be yet more engaged to acknowlege myself, and to remain,

Your Honour's

Humble, faithful Servant in Christ,

ut olim, ut femper,

ISAAC AMBROSE.

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то

MONGST the means, duties, ordinances, which I

A did difcover in their right method, manner, and pro

ceedings, I obferved three ordinances made little use of, tho' moft neceffary. The firft is war with devils, held forth in Eph. vi. 12. The second is ministration of, and communion with angels, held forth in Heb. i. 4. The third is looking unto Jefus, held forth in Heb. xii. 2. Thefe three have fome fuitableness among themselves, and accordingly I have obferved fome fuitablenefs in this work: In themfelves it is fuitable that war with devils fhould have encou. ragement from holy angels, and yet that we fhould not stay here, or dwell on them, but look a little further, and rest on nothing on this fide Jesus Christ. In the work, I have firft enlarged by way of preface on each duty; I fee they are ordinances little practifed or made use of, and therefore I thought a confirmation of each duty, and a persuasion to it, as well as direction in it, was not altogether labour in vain: In the direction itself, I have followed each one from firft to laft: War with devils begins with the beginning of our life, and continues to death: Miniftration of, and communion with angels begins at the beginning, and continues till the end of this world, or refurrection-day: Looking unto Jefus begins with eternity, and continues to eternity; it minds what was before the world was, and minds what fhall be when time shall be no more. Now in that I have obferved fuch a correfpondency in all these ordinances, I thought it not amifs to join all thofe together; and tho' for the largeness they contain two volumes, yet to comprise them in one work.

Thou haft now my last works of practical divinity, that ever I mean to publish to the world; and if last words are wont to bear the greatest weight, and to make the deepest impreffion, much more let these laft practical lines find fome entertainment from thee for thy fpiritual good. This (next to God's glory) is my chiefeft end, and fo I leave thee, and the book together in God's hands; may his Spirit infpire good motions, when thou readeft my directions, and bring them to good iffue. It is the prayer of,

Thy unworthy Friend, and

Servant in Chrift's vineyard,

ISAAC AMBROSE.

THE FIRST BOOK.

EPH. vi. 12. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against Principalities, against Powers, againftthe Rulers of the darkness of this World, against Spiritual Wicked neffes in Heavenlies.

CHAP. I.

SECT. I.

The Coherence and Divifion of the Words.

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MONGST other exhortations, our apoftle gives in this, Be ftrong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, Eph. vi. 1o. And to this end he propounds, 1. The means, Put on the whole armour of God, ver. II. And, 2. The motives, drawn from a Chriftian's fight and combat; wherein is, 1. The kind of combat; called wrestling, we wrestle. 2. The combatants themselves, to wit, Chriftians and devils; we are the defendants, and they are the affailants: They, who are they? 1. Negatively, or comparatively, not flesh and blood. 2. Affirmatively, or pofitively, principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness in this world, and spiritual wickedness in (or about) heavenlies.

SECT. II.

Of the feveral Doctrines deduced from the words.
ROM

FRO

2.

every part we may deduce a feveral doctrine: As, 1. Our fpiritual combat is a wrestling. All God's people are to be in the fight. Our enemies are more than flesh and blood. 4. They are mighty and malicious enemies that war against us, even principalities, powers, rulers, and fpiritual wickedneffes. My defign is to infift on the firft, only we fhall begin with the three latter, and briefly fay fomething of every one of them. CHA P. II. SECT. I.

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Of the first doctrine to be handled.
LL God's people are to be in the fight, We wrestle.
This we is either exclusive or inclufive: 1. Exclu-

five, not the wicked. 2. Inclufive, but we that are faints, and the people of God.

1. Not the wicked; they serve not in this war; instead of fighting the Lord's battles, they spend their time in chambering and wantonnefs, in lufts and uncleanness, in careleffnefs and idleness; they fleep in fecurity, they make no refiftance for they are altogether ignorant of Satan's affaults. On the men's eyes were opened! Oh that fuch men would know they are none of the we in this text! they are not the Lord's foldiers, but the devil's revellers; and therefore they fight not against him, nor will he fight against them: for they have made a covenant with death, and with hell are they at agreemet, Ifa. xxviii. 15.

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2. All the faints must be in this fight, We wrestle. I Paul, and you Ephefians, and all God's people from first to laft. First for Paul himself, I have fought a good fight, 2 Tim. iv. 7. and then for Paul and others jointly; for 'tho' we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh, ⚫ for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but migh⚫ty thro' God to the pulling down of ftrong holds,' 2 Cor. X. 3, 4. Or if we may bring in the examples of God's faints in all ages, Adam had his combat, Job his temptations; Mofes, and Aaron, and Lot, and David, and all the patriarchs, and all the prophets, had their feveral onfets: Nor was it thus only before Chrift's time, but fince his coming; Peter was winnowed, Paul was buffeted; the Hebrews endured a great fight of affliction, Hcb. x. 32. and Timothy was encouraged by Paul, Thou, O man of God, fly these things, and follow after righteoufnefs, godlinefs, faith, love, patience, meeknefs, fighting the good fight of faith,' 1 Tim. vi. 11, 12. But to what purpose should I inftance? Never was there any member of Chrift's church, who was not exercifed with this Chriftian warfare: Not Adam in innocency; not the apoftles of Chrift; no, nor Christ himself, when he was upon earth, Then was • Jefus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be temp⚫ted of the devil,' Mat. iv. I.

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SECT. II. Ufes.

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RE all God's people to war with devils? then confider all of you what religion will cost you:

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You that are strangers, know, that a Chriftian foldier muft endure hardness; Thou therefore endure hardness as a good foldier of Jefus Chrift, 2 Tim. ii. 3. Saints must be winnowed, and buffetted, and tried, and tempted; fharp war, fudden violences, dreadful dangers, are the portion of God's people; They must thro' much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God, Acts xiv. 22, they muft proceed from one action into another: Was it not Paul's cafe? How was he ia labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prifons more frequent, in death oft, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by countrymen, in perils by heathens, in perils in the city, in perils in the wildernefs, in perils in the fea, in perils amongst false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in bunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, 2 Cor. xi. 23, 26, 27. Certainly Christianity is not fo eafy as many take it to be. I speak not these things to difmay any, but to awaken all, and to advise all to caft up their accounts, and to be refolved men.

Ufe 2. Are we to fight with devils? then courage, Christians! you that are of the right ftamp, of the number of this we. O be not dejected because of the enemy, but be you of good heart! What, are you afraid of Satan's fiery darts? know they are but as the waves toffing the air, yet faving Noah; or as the whale fwallowing up, yet preferving Jonah; or as the dragon purfuing the woman, yet procuring her great prefervation; or as the file grating the iron, yet making it clearer and brighter than before; or as the mill grinding the wheat, yet making it ufeful; or as the coals heating perfume, yet making it thereby more odoriferous. You fay this war is troublefome; this indeed is Jacob's voice, for never an Efau complained thus: But do you feel your fpirits fharpned, your pride depreffed, your flesh cooled, your old man deftroyed, your new man renewed day by day? Tell me, are not you provoked to more earnest and-ardent prayers by this war? Do not you accustom yourselves to more patience, as now experiencing the fragility and frowardness of your natures? Are not Satan's temptations as thorns in your ways to keep you from ftraying and running wrong? O then be you nor

afraid!

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