SERMON XXIV. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward, who believe, according to the working of the might of his power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.-VER. 19, 20. I SHALL repeat nothing I have delivered, but only lay open the method I have proceeded in handling of these words. : I propounded these four things to be considered in them :- three I named 1. The excellency of that power, described in these words, 'the exceeding greatness of his power.' 2. The efficacious working of his power, in these words, according to the effectual working'-the energy of his power-of the might of his power.' They are all words to note out an efficaciousness in the thing here mentioned. 3. The proportions of the power of God; ' according,' saith he. He putteth forth more or less power in some works than in other, as himself pleaseth. The second was, the persons toward whom this exceeding greatness of his power is exercised; it is to us-wards. Thirdly, here is the work wherein it is exercised. It is all the works that God hath upon Christians, both from first to last; this I shewed in the last discourse, especially the work of conversion; 'who believe, according to the working of the might of his power.' And when he had discoursed at large, from the 20th verse to the end of the chapter, what a power wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, he having said that he putteth forth the same power in them that believe, he telleth them in the 2d chapter, from the 1st verse to the 7th, that he put forth the same power in raising them up, in quickening their hearts, in working grace in them. Read over the coherence, and you will find it to be especially meant of the work that he had wrought in them, when he converted them and brought them to believe. I am yet upon the third thing, viz., wherein this power is manifested. I proved in the last discourse-and I thought to have added something, but that the time cut me off from what I have now to deliver-that the thing wherein this power is manifested, this exceeding greatness of power, is at the present in believers; it is not only meant, as some would have it, of his power in raising them up at the last day. For this I shewed reasons, which I will not repeat. I proved it, first, to be the scope of the Apostle. Now, the second thing will be, What it is in the work of conversion that doth draw forth the exceeding greatness of the power of God. And the third thing is this, That it holdeth proportion with that power that raised up Jesus Christ from death to life. Now then, to handle, in the first place, that second thing mentioned, viz., What it is in the work of conversion,—which I have proved to be the scope of the Apostle to take in, and especially to aim at,-I say, What is that should draw forth so great a power from God, to have all these high and mighty expressions of it: 'the exceeding greatness of the might of his power.' There are great disputes in the world, what power God putteth forth in converting men to him. My brethren, believe not discourses of it, but believe the Holy Ghost himself. If you would know what power is put forth in any work, ask the agent himself. Who is he that lets fall these words but he that hath converted millions of souls, who is 'the power of the Highest,' as he is called, Luke i. 35? He it is that hath indited this scripture, and he saith no less goeth to it than the 'exceeding greatness of his power.' Oftentimes the standers-by discern it not. When the woman was healed by a touch of the hem of Christ's garment, those that stood by discerned no such thing. Hear Christ speak: saith he, 'Virtue is gone from me.' He could best tell; because the Holy Ghost doth work oftentimes in men's hearts in a trice; like unto a strong man that hath a sleight of hand, takes up a weight in show easily; hence therefore, men think that there is no great power goeth to the work, but the man himself that doth the thing thus slightly, he can tell you what strength he putteth to it. So the Holy Ghost, he that was the inditer of this epistle, telleth us that the exceeding greatness of his power went to the converting of you. Now, my brethren, though this be enough to settle your hearts in it, yet consider the work itself: what it is that requireth this power. All wise agents do proportion their power unto the work they have in hand; he that spends more power than the thing requireth, it is folly. And God, you know, works all things in weight and measure. Let us consider, therefore, what there is in this great work should draw forth the exceeding greatness of the power of God. 'According,' saith he, 'to the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward.' The word sis nuas either is toward us, as noting an extrinsical agency, an agency without us, yet which concerns us; or it noteth out in us. We will consider, first, what God doth when he bringeth a man home to him, which is an extrinsical work out of him; and, secondly, what he doth in him: and so we shall by degrees shew you that there is an exceeding greatness of power required to this work. In the first place, what God doth extrinsically toward a man, and for a man, besides what he doth in him. First, when he converteth a man, he casteth the devil out of him; that is one thing that is done for a man, besides what is done in his own heart; and there is an exceeding greatness of power goeth to this. In Matt. xii. 28, our Saviour Christ there, from his having cast out a devil, and their saying he did it by the prince of devils, he clears the point, and he riseth up to the point of conversion,-for that is his scope likewise, and he sheweth that it must be a divine power that must cast the devil out of a man, and when you are turned to God the devil is cast out of you. Saith he, 'If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you; else,' saith he, how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house?' To open this place unto you a little : Every man before his conversion, as he is a child of Satan, so, as chap. ii. 2 of this epistle hath it, the devil works effectually in him while he is a child of disobedience; he doth ride and act, and fill the hearts of men, as you have it, Acts v. 3. You shall find this in Scripture, that the wickedness of men is expressed to you by how many devils they have in them; as, Luke xi. 26, when he would describe a man's state to be in a worse condition than his former, he takes seven devils worse than himself, and they enter into the man. According to the proportion of a man's wickedness in the state of nature, accordingly hath he devils that possess his soul; that is certain. 'According,' saith he in that Eph. ii. 2, 'to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that works now in the children of disobedience,' works not in you as he was wont to do, for he is cast out; he works now, but not in you; you walk thus and thus, not according to the power of the prince of the air. Therefore, in John xvi. 11, he saith that the Spirit shall convince the world of judgment, for, saith he, 'the prince of this world is judged.' When a man is converted, Satan is judged, is cast out. Before, a man was 'taken captive of him at his will,' 2 Tim. ii. 26. My brethren, this is a mighty power, to throw the devil out of a man. In Matt. xii. 28, he saith, 'If I by the Spirit of God cast out devils.' Look Luke xi. 20, 'If I by the finger of God.' The finger of God, you know, was applied to a miracle that no creature could do, Exod. viii. 19. He is called 'the strong man;' and, saith he, if I throw the devil out of any man, I must overcome him by strength, for he is a strong man. He compareth him to a giant, and, saith he, he will never yield; he must be bound; there is no quarter, no moral persuasions will turn the devil out of a man's heart. And he saith-I remember it is an expression in Luke xi. 22-that he hath avonλiav, armour; he hath all sorts of armour for to defend himself, and to keep the heart, which, in the 21st verse, is compared to his castle. He compareth him to a strong man that hath his castle, and he hath goods there; for so he calleth them there, a spoiling of his goods, for every sin is the devil's goods; it is more the devil's work than ours, he is gratified in it more than we; it is our loss, but it is his gain, for he is the father of all sin. Now, saith he, if I cast the devil out of a man's heart, he must be bound, it must be by main strength; therefore, saith he, a man must enter in that is stronger than he, and bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house. Here is, you see, one part of the greatness of power put forth in the work of conversion; but here is but the finger of God, it is no more in comparison of what followeth; yet this is somewhat toward it. Here is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us, or to us-ward. But, secondly, let us come to the exceeding greatness of his power in us. To open that to you, for indeed that is the main. You shall find there are exceeding great expressions of Scripture about the work of grace in us. It is compared to creating at the first, that expression is often used,—to a metamorphosis, a transformation. It is a word that is used Rom. xii. 2. It is such a transformation as when beasts are turned into men; for so you know the word metamorphosis is. It is the title of a book that describeth the metamorphosis, the change of men into beasts, and beasts into men. So it is described Isa. xi. 6; he telleth us there that the wolf and the lamb should dwell together, and the lion and the calf should lie down together; that is, God under the gospel would change these creatures, the wildness of them; he would metamorphose them. And Isa. xliii. 18, 19; it is a place that the Apostle doth allude to, and therefore I quote it. You shall find in 2 Cor. v. 17, saith the Apostle, 'If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' Now, that place in Isaiah is quoted for this; and if you read there, where he useth the same words much to that purpose, he telleth you that the beasts of the field shall honour him. He had mentioned before, 'Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old;' here old things are passed away. 'Behold, I will do a new thing; the beasts of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls.' He would go and convert heathenish men, men that were beasts, that were as remote from honouring God even as beasts are in some regard. But how would he do this but by a creation? Saith he, ver. 21, 'This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.' Here is that the Apostle saith, old things are past, all things are become new; it is with a transformation. Now, my brethren, where have you in Scripture-mark what I shall now say-any one that fell away from God, that it is said of him he was a new creature, or was born again, which is the infusion of a new life, or a new soul; or that he was quickened and raised from the dead? All these phrases are put to express the greatness of his power. It is nowhere said in all the word of God, of any such man, that he fell away. Why? Because to that work that shall never fall away goeth a power answerable to the work of creation; it is the infusion of a new nature, it is the raising of a dead man. There is a counterfeit of it indeed, which these phrases are never applied unto. But, you will say, these are metaphors. Suppose they be but metaphors many of them, yet still in this they agree, that the same power that created, the same power that shall change a beast into a man, makes that transformation; the same power that shall quicken a dead man, the same power doth go to convert. In this they agree. My brethren, I ask you this question, To what end doth God set forth the work of grace to us by these metaphors? He setteth them forth that he might have real thanks; therefore certainly there is something in these expressions that answereth the work of creation that is real; for God would not have you give thanks above his proportion, above what his power in working is. Do but compare Eph. ii. 10 with Col. iii. 10. In Eph. ii. 10, saith he, 'We are his workmanship.' How? Produced by creation. If he had meant any other working,-will you mark my reason?—if he had meant any other working than creation, he would never have said, 'his workmanship created;' it had been enough to have said, 'his workmanship,' for that implieth the power of God. Why doth he add 'created?' Certainly, to shew that is as great a work as creation. Therefore, in Col. iii. 10, (compare with this likewise Eph. iv. 24,) he compareth the image of God before the fall to the image of God now renewed in the heart of a Christian. Saith he, 'We are renewed,' so it is in the Colossians, 'after the image of him that created him,' namely at first. All the world grants that it was an immediate power of creation wrought that image at first. Now then, look Eph. iv. 24, and there you shall find that this image is said to be created likewise, 'after the image of him that created them' at the first. So that this is his meaning; as it is the same image, so there is the same power goeth to work it; it is a creation works it now, as a creation wrought it before. He useth the same expression both of the one and of the other. Will you come to particulars, this is but in general, you shall find it is a power exceedeth the creation. I will but take for my ground Ezek. xxxvi. 26; you shall see there what goeth to convert a man. The power of God is put forth there in three things: It is put forth, first, in the removing of what hindereth; there is amotio impedimenti; it is called the taking the stony heart out of your flesh, so ver. 26. There is, secondly, a giving of a new capacity to perform, a new nature and new disposition, which is called giving a new spirit, and by 'new spirit' he meaneth another thing than the Holy Ghost. Why? For he mentioneth him afterward; 'I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes.' That is at the 27th verse, but this new spirit is at the 26th verse. And then, thirdly, there is not only a power given, new and holy dispositions that shall make a man capable by the actings of the Holy Ghost to do well; it is a workmanship created to good works, it is fit for it; but he telleth us, 'I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes,' so saith ver. 27. And to shew that he it is that doth all this by an almighty power, what saith he at ver. 36? After he had set down enlargements of promises, saith he, 'I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it ;' as he is Jehovah he will do it. Now, let us but consider these three things, and you shall see what a mighty power goeth to turn a man to God. Consider, first, what God takes away; 'I will take,' saith he, 'the stony heart out of your flesh.' It is not a hardness, such as is of wax, that by an extrinsical power may be melted; the fire will melt it, the sun will melt it; but no fire, no sun, will melt a stone; you can deal with that no way but by taking it away; therefore that is the phrase, I will, saith he, take away the heart of stone, or 'the stone of the heart.' You see here is something to be destroyed, therefore it is called a new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17. Why new? Because all new respecteth all old to be taken away, as Heb. viii. 13, 'In that he saith a new covenant, he hath made the first old;' he abolisheth that: so the words following imply, and so indeed it followeth in 2 Cor. v. 17, 'He that is in Christ is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.' There is a passing away, a taking away of old things, and there is not a whit of the old remaineth in the new; all is become new, saith he; not a stick, not a stud that was in a man's natural estate will serve afterward, more than the soul and the faculties of it. All old things pass away, and all are become new. Now, my brethren, will you compare it with the creation, that you may see it is a thing far exceedeth it? God sheweth forth power in creating; he sheweth forth here greatness of power, and exceeding greatness of power; will appear before we have done. it Herein lay the power of God in the creation, that he created something out of nothing, as it is Rom. iv. 17, ' He called things that be not as if they were;' yet that is made even and equal with the raising of the dead in that very place. But here is a calling things that are to nothing first, and when he hath done that, then there is a calling things that are out of nothing. There is a doubling of his power in this; there is not only a calling things out of nothing, but there is a bringing to nothing old things. Now, it is a rule in politics, and it holdeth true in philosophy likewise, Ejusdem potestatis est destruere cujus est constituere,-The same power that goeth to make laws is it which destroyeth laws, disannulleth laws; there is as much power goeth to bring old things to nothing, as there is to create new things out of nothing. Now then, here is a double power, you see; here is not only power, but greatness of power; it will come to exceeding greatness anon. The conversion of a sinner is not expressed only by putting in a new heart, but the Scripture doth usually express it by destroying old things; and as much by that as the other, because the power of God is seen as much in |