SERMON XXV. 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. WE are handling of this, the 'exceeding greatness of the power' which God in this life putteth forth toward believers. I have proved at large that the power here extended toward believers is not to be restrained only to the resurrection at the latter day,-that he will raise up our mortal bodies, as he raised up Christ's body unto glory, but that he speaks of the power of God in this life, as the same Apostle expresseth it, chap. iii. 20, according to the power which worketh in us,' that worketh at present; that is the power he here meaneth. The power of God is either seen in the first work of turning us to God, and that is mainly and eminently in the Apostle's eye; for, saith he, in a coherence to these words in the second chapter, ver. 1, 'And you who were dead in sins and trespasses' (it must have a verb) 'hath he quickened,' speaking of their conversion; and so at the 5th and 6th verses you find it plainly expressed. Or else this power is shewed toward us in continuing the work of faith; and it is hard to say in which more power is shewn and spent. I have made entrance upon the first, as an instance and a demonstration enough of all the power that works afterward; for we are kept by the power of God unto salvation, so saith the Apostle. The power that God sheweth, the 'exceeding greatness of his power,' I propounded for the method of handling it these two things The former, That there is an exceeding greatness of power shewn in it. The second, That it holdeth proportion with that power which wrought in Jesus Christ when he was raised from the dead. For the former, for the demonstration that an exceeding greatness of power is shewn in working faith, and in quickening us at our first conversion unto God; that power, I said, was shewn in two things Either, first, (I went by degrees in it,) in what he doth for a believer, though not upon a believer; the word siç us will not only bear what is done in him, but what is done for him, and done toward him. As the throwing out of Satan out of a man, as I shewed out of Luke xii., is a work that is done for a Christian; but it is not a work so much upon him as upon Satan that is cast out. Now,' saith he, John xii. 31, 'is the judgment of this world, now shall the prince of this world be cast out;' he speaks, when the world should be converted to Christ, that conversion is called the judgment of the world; as in John xvi. 11, 'He shall convince the world of judgment,' that is, of that holiness and righteousness which they ought to take up and walk in; and he addeth, 'for the prince of this world is judged.' That this is done by a strong hand, I shewed in the last discourse: 'If I by the finger of God cast out devils.' The finger of God must go to it. Then, secondly, if you come to the work that he doth in us, it ariseth not only to a greatness of power, but to an exceeding greatness of power. I paralleled it with the first creation, in which there was a greatness of power shewn; there was a making of something, yea, of all things out of nothing, and between nothing and the least thing there is an infinite disproportion. But when he comes to work upon the heart of a man that is dead by nature in sins and trespasses, he doth not only find nothing to work upon, but he findeth all things against him, so that his power is not simply drawn out in creating grace out of nothing, but in subduing and destroying of corruption; and so I shewed you the Scripture expresseth it. There is not only nothing to help or further, but there is all things to oppose. I shewed this at large in the last discourse, and how to subdue that which opposeth there is required a greatness of power. But then, in the second place, there is an exceeding greatness of power, there is a doubling of power. There is not only a power to destroy what is opposite, as I shewed both upon the understanding, the will, and affections, but there is a putting in and a creating of a new principle, a contrary principle, maugre all the opposition that the heart of man makes against it. And so, because there is a doubling of power, there is an exceeding greatness of power cometh to be spent in this work. In handling of this I shewed that the very creation itself of the new creature was of a higher kind, as the Scripture expresseth it, than the first creation was; because that grace is the most excellent of all God's creatures. James i. 18, speaking of the work of conversion, and of God's begetting us again, 'Of his own will,' saith he, he hath begotten us.' And what followeth? That we should be a kind of first-fruits; but, as I shewed you in the last discourse, the eminent first-fruits of all his creatures, the choicest of all; for so doth the grace given by regeneration make a man. And that it was a higher creation than the first, the putting in of new principles thus into the heart, I shewed you by the phrase that is used, Col. ii. 11, where he calleth the sanctification of a sinner the circumcising the heart, which, as in Deuteronomy, is that we may love God. He calleth this new work in us sinners a circumcision made without hands. I observed this upon it, that that phrase, 'made without hands,' is used only of three things, whereof grace or the new creature is one. It is used of that glory which God will put upon his saints and children hereafter in heaven; which all the world must acknowledge is a work transcending that first creation: 'We have a house not made with hands,' saith he, 2 Cor. v. 1. It is used, secondly, of that framing the body of Christ, the human nature of Christ, both body and soul, and uniting it to the Godhead; that human nature, so united, is called a tabernacle made without hands, Heb. ix. 11. And then, thirdly, here, in this Col. ii. 11, he calleth the sanctification of a sinner, and working holiness and grace in him, circumcising the heart to love God; he calleth it a circumcision made without hands. You have the like, as you shall see by and by, in Isa. lxvi. 1, 2. Only observe first what followeth there in Heb. ix. 11, when he said that the body of Christ is a tabernacle made without hands. What doth he add by way of explication? He saith that it is not of this creation;' so the word in the original is; as if he should say, the tabernacle and the bodies of men, of ordinary men, though the one made by man and the other made by God, yet they are a more slight, a more ordinary kind of work. But, saith he, this Wills The finger of God must go to it. f power, but to an exceeding greatness of power. I on the heart of a man that is dead by nature large And what is the exceeding greatness of his according to the working of the might Christ, when he raised him from th hand in the heavenly places.-VEP WE are handling of this, the 'exceer The power of God is Or else this T and it is hard I have ma enough of of God ur The P propou وله Ay what in which oppoeeth there is re he least thing there is an infinite disproportion. man's heart is a nigher kind of work n the works of the first but I will dwell in a circum not of this creation, that is of a much for the general, That the putting atter of more transcendent power than the shewed you in particulars the power of God in eth;-I went over the understanding, shewed what a mighty power went to destroy the strongholds there; will and affections, shewed you what opposeth there like and all inordinate affections and love of pleasures, and the did this in the negative part, in the destructive part, so I will do also in this positive part. And I will shew you, this is the scope, God to work grace in your understandings, to know things aright, h you think is most easy, there is an exceeding greatness of power going less than went to the first creation; yea, much more; it is not of creation: so likewise to put in holy principles into your will and affec tions. Therefore, all that goeth to frame a Christian from first to last must needs be an exceeding greatness of power. I am forced thus to repeat things, that I may clear my method as I go along. Jes Th T this it, no And, first, What God doth upon your understandings when he doth convert you. Why, it requireth an exceeding greatness of power, though you little think it, to believe: 'Who believe, saith the Apostle, according to the working of his mighty power.' I will not run over all things that may be said of believing, but I will speak of spiritual knowledge, to know things spiritually and aright as Christians do, that it requireth an exceeding greatness of power to work it. I shall demonstrate this unto you, first place, in a more general way; and, secondly, more particularly by two things. in the In the first place, in the general. For to make a soul to take a thing re authority, and therefore to believe it, is as great a work as nd it requireth as much power,-mark what I shall say to as much power to work faith in the heart to believe God s it is for God to do it. in myself,-though I shall not follow my instance for illustration's sake,-this is my meaning: at up all our bodies from the dust to glory. To ht, and to work your hearts to believe it, reod to do it, when he cometh to do it. So TO THE EPHESIANS. 371 The finger of God must go to it. ng hand, I shewed in the last discourse: 'If I by the finger of ou come to the work that he doth in us, it ariseth not is not simply drawn out in stroying of corruption; is not only nothing ed this at large there is re wer, ول e for it, and it is in Mark ix. 21, 22. have a miracle done for him; what nything, saith he, wilt thou heal f thou canst do anything;' so h to him: 'Jesus said unto to him that believeth.' an said, If thou canst do chou canst believe, all things ty for him to do the thing, and a matter for the man to believe this, rk faith in him, as it was for Christ to addeth, To him that believeth, all things andeth all the power in God; as if he should infinity of power required to work faith in thee to and to do the thing. So far as anything is possible, e, it is believable. you a supposition. If God should reveal by me infallibly, as reak by the prophets and apostles, that he would make a new to-morrow, it were as hard a thing for God to work this faith in you, for him to make this world; he might make this world upon the same rate as he would work this faith in your hearts. To believe a thing upon divine authority doth require an omnipotent power. To believe things upon slight grounds, that is easy; "The fool believeth everything,' saith Solomon in the Proverbs; but to believe this in earnest is a work of an almighty power. And so much in general, that the power of God in doing anything for us is but proportionable to the working of faith in us that he will do it, or that he is able to do it; yet you think this is easy, and yet you see what the Scripture saith. To come now particularly to shew you what a mighty power goeth to work faith and spiritual knowledge; and it is but to believe the thing, not to believe that it is yours; but to believe the thing in a spiritual manner requireth an exceeding greatness of power. I shall shew you it by two things: The first is, to work a principle of faith. You know I told you in the last discourse that this new creation, much of the power of it was spent in working habits as we call them,—that is, inward abilities,-to work a formal principle, such as is to work sight in a blind eye. You know there is the act of seeing, or seeing itself, and there is a principle of seeing, a power to see; a framing of an eye and of a soul to see, as I may so express it, or of a faculty of seeing. Now in the understanding, to understand things spiritually and aright, there must be an almighty power go to it, to put a new principle in you, to make you capable to believe and know spiritual things. rage against Christ, and though all in a man thus be up in arms, yet God will set his Son upon this holy hill, upon a man's heart, before he hath done. My brethren, this must be an almighty power that must do it; it is not all the persuasions in the world will do it. You may persuade Self-love to much; to serve God, and to do many things so far as will stand with its prerogative, so that he may remain king still; but to depose him, and that God shall be king, and he God's favourite, this must be an almighty power to do it. So likewise for the love of pleasures, that is the second thing. When Selflove cometh to be deposed thus, as in conversion it is, from being king, saith every lust, every poor inferior lust, If this government be altered, I shall lose this pleasure and that pleasure, if you turn the world upside down thus. There is nothing in the heart, my brethren, but is for pleasure in some kind or other. A man liveth in pleasure, that is the expression, as a fish doth in its element. Take him out of carnal natural pleasures in some creature or other, his soul dieth; it will fight for pleasure as for his life. Saith the Apostle, 2 Peter ii. 14, They have eyes full of adultery, they cannot cease from sin;' they cannot, till a further power cometh. Luke xiv. 20, I have married a wife,' saith he, and in plain terms, 'I cannot come ;' he makes that his excuse; for such lusts as these are have a mighty power upon a man's heart. How great? See what Christ's own expression is, that was the Saviour of souls, and knew what belonged to the converting of them, for he died for them. In Matt. xix. 24, there was a rich man came to him, and he was an ingenuous man. Christ preached the gospel to him, moved his heart a little, he used all moral persuasions to him that could be, told him that he should have eternal life; yet he goeth away. What doth Christ infer upon this? You shall find the story of that young man is the introduction to the words I quote this place for; A rich man,' saith he, shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.' Hardly? That is no great matWhat doth our Saviour Christ? He riseth higher in his expression: 'And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God; not for one that is rich simply, but Mark telleth us, chap. x., for one that 'trusteth in his riches,' that is his expression. ter. First, he saith it is hard. Secondly, it is so hard, as it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. It was a proverb among the Jews, and it is in many of the rabbins extant to this day. You will say that it is an absurdity to use such an expression, a camel to go through the eye of a needle; the more absurdity there is in it, the more it expresseth the impossibility. In the third place, saith Christ, with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible;' it is impossible for all men in the world to do the work for another man; that is simply impossible; but with God all things are possible: why doth he say all things? If it were a slight work he would not say so; but, saith he, with God that works all things else, that hath an omnipotent power to subdue all things to himself, with him it is possible, he must do this. I find this word, 'all things are possible,' used but in one or two cases. It is used upon the incarnation of Christ; when the angel had told Mary that Jesus Christ should be born of her, saith he, with God all things are possible,' and that was the highest work that ever he did, he 'shewed strength with his arm' there. So it is said of his working in us, Eph. iii. 20; and the like you have, Phil. iii. 21, According to the power whereby he subdueth |