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DoEi.
God
can and
doch
worke
molk
power-
fully for
the
good
of
his.
Yf
I.
PfaLyB.
rg.
Tim!.
tn.
Ephe/ians,Chap.
;.
Y
ER.2o,21,
In the
verfe firft we
confider,
the
incomprehenfible powerful! working
of
God
for
the good
of
hit.
lob.
9. t o.
He
Both
great
things and
tonfear-
cheable;
yea
marvellous
things
without number.
If
one would examine
the preferving
of
his
Church
when the world perifhed, the
preferving
of
it
in
the
fire,
.
the burning
6afh, and
not confuming
ir.
When
all
thingshave feemed defperate and paft hope
of
recovery,the Lord
hath
put forth
the
exceeding greatneffe of
his
power
in
the
deliverance
of
his
Church.
He
can make
a
way
in
the
Sea, and
the
waters
a wall
for
his people: He can fufpend and flay
the courfe
of
nature,
lace
can
fuffer
his
children to
becalf
into the
fire, and
then fo qualify
and coole the
fornace,
that not
a
hayre
of
their
heads (hall perifli.
We
have
fees
this
truth
in all ages
of
the
Church
abundantly exemplifyed.
We
muff make this
ufe
of
ir,
confidering
that
his
work
is
incompre-
henfible, we muff
not
meafure his
power by our
fcnfe and
concei-
ving, we
mutt not
flint him and circumfcribe him Paying, can
this or
that
bed
as
thofe unbeleivers,
Can Godprepare a table
in
the wilderneffel
And
as
he faid,
2
Kings.
7. 2.
If
the
Lord
would make
windowes
in
hea-
ven, might
this
thing
6e!
when
God
hath
undertaken
to
doe
it
:
For
our
fpanne may compaffe
the
heaven, and
a
fpoonc contaiae
the
Sea
more
eafily,
then our
reafon can fully
meafurethe power
of
God.
Yet
we muft
not
ufe
this fentenceas mad -men
doe
fwords, for
the
Papifts
and Lutherans when
they prefume monftrous things
againft
Gods
will, willtherefore have
us
beleive
them,bccaufe Gods power
to work
is
above our
reafon: But as
to
deny the power of God
in
doing that
flee
hath
Paid
hec will doe ,
doth
make
an
hererique
:
So
applying it
to
that which
God
will
not doe
,doth
make an hererique likewife.
We
goe foundly that know the power
of God
is
incomprehenfible
in the
fulfilling
of
fuch
things
as
he
hath promifed.And betides,
becaufe God
is
powerful!, therefore
he
cannot doe
Tome
things which
we may
fan-
cy,
as
things
ofinfirtnity, or
implying contradiétion, to deny himfelfe,
it argues impotency, not power.
It
mull
teach
us
to
fandtify
God
in
our
heart
by
trolling on
him: for
this confideration
doth
much
ferve
to ftrengthen faith; what
if
we be
in fuch evills
that wecannot
fee
how it
is
poflible
to outgrow them,
as
poverty,
ficknefse, fuch
as
the Phyfttian
(hakes his head
at,
here
is
our
ftay,God
works for
his above all we can imagine:
what
if
ourpray-
ers
befull
of
defeéts, much
troubled,too
too
imperfe
&;
what
if
confci-
enceofunworthinefTe will
not let
us
apply things
as
we would
;
God
works
abundantly
above
that
we
think
or,aske
:
What
if
in fanéti(ica-
tion, the great enemy
againft
it,
Both
make
us
thinke
is
im potlibie
that
ever
wefhould
fee
things we
defire;
yet here
is
comfort. This
ufe
Paul
makes
of
the power
of God.
He was
in
many
troubles, yet
he
was
not
daunted with
them,
becaufe he
did
build upon this foundation,
God
was
able
to
deliver him
out
of
them
a11.
For the
which
caufe
I
fuffer
thefe
things,but
I am
not
afhamed,for
I
know whom
I
have trufled,&
I
am
per
-
fwaded that
be
is
able to
keep
that
which
I
have
committed
to
him:
This
we
muff
afore
our
felves
of, that Gods power
is
able
in
it
felfe and
Al
mighty