We are not, however, to expect that this Victory will be easily or speedily obtained. The Canaanites were suffered to keep possession of the land of promise for a considerable time, lest the Children of Israel, instead of ascribing the glory of the conquest solely to the LORD OF HOSTS, should vainly arrogate it to themselves, and, in consequence of this, lose all sense of their dependence upon him. Many strong and powerful temptations may be permitted to remain unsubdued, to exercise the Christian's Faith, to keep him humble, and duly sensible of his own weakness and inability. Besides, there is a wonderful analogy betwixt natural and spiritual things. The Child of Grace, as well as the Child of Nature, must have a gradual growth, during which many an anxious interval, many a severe pang, many an arduous conflict, must be endured. For let this truth be ever present to our minds, that the Inward Man increases in strength, in proportion as the outward man weakens and decays; and the earthly nature must be totally subdued, before "the BORN OF GOD" can attain the "measure of the stature of the fulness, which is in CHRIST." Nor let what hath been said discourage those sincere and upright minds, who have but lately turned their backs upon the world, and entered into the school of CHRIST. Our trials are always suited to our strength: "GOD will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear." The Child, the Young Man, and the Father in CHRIST, have exercises proper to their different states; they are led on to glory by an unerring hand, which supports them by its invisible, but powerful influence, through the most rugged thorny paths of the Christian course. There is no spiritual adversary too strong for the Christian, that engages in the Strength of his REDEEMER. David, though a stripling, vanquished with ease the giant of Gath, because "he went out against him," not in his own strength, but in "the Name of the LORD of Hosts, the _God_ of the armies of Israel." The world, with all its temptations and allurements, will be as easily overcome by him, who is truly "born of GOD," as the uncircumcised Philistine was by the hand of David. To conclude: A worldly spirit is one of the greatest enemies we have to encounter, because it insinuates itself into our hearts under as many different forms, as there are different earthly desires predominant. The man of business, according to the more common acceptation of the phrase, hath obtained the name of a worldly man. But the truth is, wherever a worldly temper prevails, whether it manifests itself in the pursuit of wealth, or honour, or pleasure, or literary applause, or indeed of any object, interest, or end, that is confined merely to this transient state of things; there is the Worldly Spirit, the foe to our real happiness, the "man of sin, the son of perdition;" from which may GOD of his infinite mercy deliver us, for the sake of the Son of his Love, CHRIST JESUS our Saviour!