we cannot easily reach in our language; it is as if we should say, We over-over-come. Now, I shall shew in eight or ten respects, how true believers may be said to be more than conquerors. And,

1. They are more than conquerors, in so far as their Captain, who fights for them, is more than man, more than a complete match for all his enemies. Christ, the Captain of their salvation, is their almighty General: this is the ground of their conquest; it is through him that loved them, as we may shew afterward. Only here we may observe, that having him on their side, it may well be said, as in ver. 31. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" And as Elisha said to his servant, 2 Kings ii. 16. " Fear not, for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them :" and when his eyes were opened at the prayer of Elisha, behold the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

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2. They are more than conquerors, in so far as they can glory in their cross; and not only bear it with patience, but triumph in it with pleasure, as the cross of Christ; for a man to glory in his own crown is no great matter, but to glory in his cross is more than a victory over it: thus did Paul, Gal. vi. 14. when he is opposing himself to the false teachers of his time, who sought to glory in these as their converts, whom they could persuade to be circumcised, and to submit to the legal yokes they wreathed about their necks: but, says Paul, God forbid, that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." Thus were the apostles more than conquerors, when they could glory in tribulation, Rom. v. 3. and rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's sake, Acts vi. 41.

3. They are more than conquerors, in so far as they conquer the greatest enemies in a little time; and with the least ado, or with little strength; and by very weak and feeble means. Amongst men it is usual for that party that hath the greatest forces to carry the day:

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but take a view of grace when first cast into the soul, particularly faith, it is but like a grain of mustard seed it is like nothing, were it not for the strength of Christ that helps and makes it victorious. If a great army conquer a small handful, it is but a victory: but if a small handful conquer a great army, this is more than a victory; as when that small grain of mustardseed overtops, and overcomes the whole world; for, "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." The children of God sometimes conquer with a little strength, and by very weak and feeble means it is all one to God to conquer by many or few.

4. They are more than conquerors, in so far as they can conquer without any loss to themselves, but rather gain. When one army defeats another, but with loss of thousands, or of the greatest part of the army, it may be called a victory; but when the one routs the other, without any loss, and with great gain, then it is more than a victory. What does the believer lose, when he conquers the world and its lusts, when he conquers the devil and his confederates? Nay, he gains unspeakably by the conquest; for, he divides the spoil; he reaps profit and advantage by his tribulations; for, "Tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad upon his heart, by the Holy Ghost." They conquer with the least loss, and yet the greatest advantage to themselves.

5. They are more than conquerors, in so far as they conquer to the greatest loss and disadvantage to the enemy. Their greatest enemies are at first disabled, and at last destroyed. A man may conquer his enemy for the present; but he may recruit and recover again, and fall upon him with a second encounter, and be stronger than ever he was before: but a child of God, in conquering his enemies, not only foils them, but disables them; for the heaviest stroke the devil and his instruments can give, brings in most profit to them, and does most disable the enemy; as the last stroke the devil gave to our ever-glorious Head, did most of all

disable the devil; for, when he bruised the heel of Christ's human nature to death, our Lord gave the serpent's head a kick, as it were, and thereby brake his legal power; for," By death he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." Thus the most bloody stroke the enemies give, tends most of all to disable and weaken their power; while the believer renews his strength the more, and waxes valiant in fighting. Our Lord Jesus, the Captain, is also to sit at the Father's right-hand, till all his enemies be his foot-stool: and therefore all the believers' enemies shall be at last perfectly subdued unto them, sin, and misery, and tribulation, and sickness, and death itself, they shall be all swallowed up in victory, 1 Cor. xv. 54.

6. They are more than conquerors, in regard they can be sure of the victory before the war be at an end. What assurance have they of this? Why,

(1.) Christ their Head, hath overcome, and gained the prize already; and there cannot be a victorious head, and a conquered body: if the head be raised from the dead, the body shall rise. Their final victory is as sure, as Christ their Head is already victorious.

(2.) Their weapons are invincible; the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, cannot fail to be victorious.

(3.) They are assured by the promise of God; for if is promised, that the God of peace will bruise Satan under their feet.

(4.) They are assured by the earnest of the full victory; the Spirit enabling them sometimes to mortify the deeds of the body and as this Spirit is the earnest of the inheritance, so the earnest of the full and complete victory. "God is a rock, and his work is perfect:" he hath begun the good work, and will perfect it. If then he that is assured of the victory before the war was ended, is more than a conqueror, every believer in Christ may be so.

7. They are more than conquerors, in regard that they conquer, even when they do not fight; for, even the rest of God's people is glorious and victorious, Isa. xi. 10. They are sometimes called just to stand still,

and see the salvation of God; "Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord. The Lord shall fight for you, and you shall hold your peace, Exod. xvi. 13, 14. The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong" but when his children only go to the field of battle, he just takes their work and warfare off their hand, as the church, Song iì. 3. "I sat down under his shadow;" thereafter it follows," He brought me to the banquetting-house, and his banner over me was love." He took me off my own hand; " His own arm got him the victory.'

8. They are more than conquerors, in regard they conquer when they are conquered, and overcome the enemy, even in that wherein the enemy thought to have overcome. Any man can overcome in his victories; but the child of God overcomes in his foils and defeats, that he meets with; his very losses themselves are victories; what enemies design for their greatest overthrow and debasement, issues in their greatest honour and advancement; "But as for you, ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive," Gen. 1. 20. He overcomes even there where he is beaten and overthrown. And hence these things that seem to be the means of ruining, are the means of raising him; yea, matter of gloriation; most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then am I strong; his strength is made perfect in weakness," 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10. Hence also here the apostle says, "In all these things we are more than conquerors." What things are these? You see them in the preceding verse," Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, and sword." These things which seem to be so distant and remote from conquering, so opposite and contrary to conquest, even "in all these things we are more than conquerors." The devil's aim, in all the sufferings of God's children, is to draw them off from Christ, to make them murmur and

despair, and desert their colours; but, in this he is defeated and disappointed: for, God inspires his children with such a generous and noble spirit, that sufferings abate not their zeal and patience, but rather increase it: as one of Julian's nobles said to him, "We Christians ἐσ laugh at your cruelty, and grow the more bold and "resolute." Thus they beat their enemies with their own weapons.

9. They are more than conquerors, in regard that they conquer and overcome themselves: Fortior est, qui se quam qui fortissima vincit, mania: He that can, through grace, conquer himself, is more than he that 'can conquer a castle.' "He that ruleth over his own spirit, is more than he that taketh a city," Proverbs xvi. 31. Here is a notable conquest, for a man to have a command and victory over himself, and his own heart; for, it enables him easily to defeat all other oppositions; this we could never do, if we do not conquer ourselves; for, he that is a slave to his lusts, will be a slave to his enemies; he that never conquers his carnal affections, will never conquer his crosses and afflictions. The carnal nature man is a captive to every temptation that he meets with he is like a city without walls, that is easily taken. Where the strong holds of sin in the heart are pulled down, other enemies would be the sooner subdued; "O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries," Psal. lxxxi. 13, 14. This is the way to get adversaries subdued; "He that overcometh, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron," Rev. ii. 26, 27.

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10. In a word, lastly, They are more than conquerors, in regard they conquer HIM that is unconquerable, and overcome him that is invincible. The children of God, to speak with holy reverence, do in some respects conquer GOD himself: and that two ways, namely, by the beauty of their graces, and the efficacy of their prayers.

(1.) By the beauty aud loveliness of their graces,