5 54 Chap. qo. nAn Expofition upon the Book of J o s. Verf. 9, f}rength to help, efpecially whenwe know that he bathan incli- nablenefs` of will to help us. Hath not the Lord a f}rong arm ? bath he not an inclinable will.? Let us then inall our needs pray as the Church did (lfa. 5 i.9.) an)aka ,.awake, put onfirength, O armof the Lord (theLord and his arm are the tame) awake as in the ancient dayes, in the generations of old ; art thou not it that bath cut Rahab, and wcunded the dragon ? The Lordbath a migh- ty arm, yet his arm or power feemeth tobe fometimes (as it were) afleep that is, not to a&, or not to take notice how it is, . or howmatters go with the Church.. Now, when at any time it is thus, our duty is toawaken the Lord bycarnet prayer; Awake, put on firength,O armof the Lord, It is a mercywhen we have an heart to pray, and aGod to prayunto, who can quickly put on firength ; that is, give undeniable evidences that he bath a.flrong arm , yea, infinitely the fironget} arm ; which may be A fecond obfervation, taken or arifing from thefe words, as fpokencomparatively,. Halt thou an arm like God ? Thearm or power of the creature, is nothing to the arm or power of god.; no creature bath an armlikeGods. There is nothing in the worldconfidered ina gradual diffe- rence, founlike another, as the arm of God, and the arm of manare.. Mans arm is fo fmall a thing compared with Gods, that it isa very nothing, not fo much as a candle to the Sun, nor as adrop to theOcean, nor as one tingle duff to the globe or body of the whole earth.NoRhetorick can fpeakdiminutively enough of mans arm, compared with Gods, nor can anydivinity utter- ed by men or Angels t. yet how apt is man to have too high thoughts of mans arm , and too low of Gods.. Were ir . not that men are apt to have too high thoughts of mans arm, and too low of Gods, this quefiion had never been put tofob, Haft' aheman armlike, God? Job, had been a man of as big anarm, as mot} in his days, 'Tis faid of him, that he was thegreateff of all . the men of the Fall (Chap. E. 3.)° And he faid of himfelf (Chap. 29. 25.) That hefate chief, anddwelt ae King in the aflrmy Now fhotld we look upon fobs arm , not as ( when God fpake this tohim) lean and thin, and extreamly fallen away, if not quite withered,, but as it was at bell, fulleff, thicket}, f}rongef}, . beforehe fell into thatafiiiaion,or after his ref}auration out of it; yet
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