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'* Bat perhaps ive *wre/ile net ^thjiejh and hlocd^
bccaafe we are entirely taken up with icr eft ling
tigainft Principalities^ Po^wers^ and ffiritual IVicked^
ntjfti in high places,^*

Alas ! 1 fear this is not the cafe. Few of us
know what it is to cry out of the deep^ to pray and
believe, till in the name of Jefus we force our way
beyond fleih and blood, come within the reach of
the internal world, conflidl in an agony with the
powers of darknefs, vanquifh Apollyon in all his
attacks, and continue wreflling till the day of eternity
break upon us, and the God of Jacob blefs us with all
spiritual benedidions in heavenly places. John Bun-
yan's pilgrim, the old Puritans, and the fird Quakers
had fuch engagements, and gained fuch *vidories ;
but they foon got over the edge of internal adivity
into the fmooth eafy path of Laodicean formality :
Mofc of us called Methodills have already followed
them ; .and when we are in that fnare, Satan fcorns
to conHidl with us ;, puny flcfh and blood are more
than a match for us. We fall afleep ur>der their
bewitching power, and begin to dream ftrange
dreams : ** Our falvation is finiftied, we have got
above legality, we live without frames and feel-
ings, we have attained C^rillian liberty, we are
perfed in Chrift, we have nothing to do, our cove-
nant is fure," &c. True! But unhappily it is a
covenant with the fleih : Satan, who is too wife to
break it by rouzing us in the fpirit, leaves us to
our delufions ; and we think ourfelves in the king-
dom of God, when we are only in a fool's pa-
radife.
