Chap. a7. An Expofìtion upon-theBookof J O.S. -- Verf., 9 himfelf, fo he i °to his people : And the rearmwhy his peo- ple are evertáftingly .(frong,is,becaufehe is fo, Even theyouths ¡hall faintand be weary,and the young men(hall utterlyfall,but they that wait upon the LordPall renew their firengtb, they (hall mount up with wings as Eagles, they¡hall run andnot be weary,and they 'hall walk,andnotfaint (Ifa. 40.30,3E) But why -flu il the youths faint,and the young men utterly fall ?are not beginners in grace as lure to be upheld as the ancient or men of dayes ? and why is fainting and falling the lot of youths and young men, who are fuppofed in their fpiritual capacity, or in their natural, to have the greateft flrength ? The Apofile Johns experience of the young men feemes to differ very much from this Prophefie of them, I write unta j o eyoung men(faith he, i Epifl.2.I4.)becaufe ye areffrong, and the wordof God abideth inyou,,andye have overcome the wick- ed one.How Both Ifaáahfay,theyoung men (hall utterly fall, and yet John faith,They have overcome the wicked one?that is, The Devil.Every vit`ory is an argument of flrength, efpeci- ally a víftory over himwho is very ftrong. I anfwer, The Prophet and the Apofile do not fpeak of the fame young men : TheProphets young men are any men that boaft of their own ftrength in Ipirituals, and truit upon it there of what age foever they be, he calls young men , not becaufe like youngmen they have a real great strength, bdt becaufe ( which young men are very apt to do in the' firength they have)they truit in a strength which indeed they have not ; fo that thefe are called young men, becaufe they boalt of,and truft in their fuppofed (trength,nnt becaufe they are really very firong ; and therefore there young men (hall not only faint,but utterly fall. But the Apo(tle Johnsyoung men,are fuch as have muchtlrength in them, and yet live, and walk, and fight in the firength of Jeff's Chrift , there young men are fo far from falling utterly, that they (hall (land (Or ever, and all their enemies (hall either flee or fall before them, becaufe as thebattei reneweth, fo Chri(t will renew their flrength, and recruit their hearts with further aide at every further charge. Only by going out of our own ftrength, we get ftrength, that was Pauls experience of himfelf ( 2 Cor. 12. 9, to.) When I am weak, then I am ffrong ; that is, when I am weak in 48i
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