to tbe E PH E SlAN S. f< rth when God raifed Chrlll from the dead i a power that could not be relifled; ~~ '""' :tpowerthat lhould as certainly _ra!fe him up as God ts God, and _it was impoffi- &r.~X~L ble it lhould be otherwtfe. I wdl gtve you Scnpture for tt and re•lon. . . ~ The Scripture is, .Afl. z. 24. Whor!Z God h.Jth raifrd up, havwg loo{ed the painr of dttzth, bmzuft it wtU ':ot po(/ib!e he fhou!d be holdm by tt. Now the power that works in a Believer IS fuch a power as works accord1~g to tile eflica~ cy of the might and !lrength that wrought in Chnll m tatling bun from Death to~~~~ to gather up this. The Apoille her.e would have tl1em apprehend two things concerning the power of God that_ Is mgaged to them. He woul~ have them firll to apprehend the excellency or .tt, that they Intght admlfe It as It IS tri. God. That is the fcope of the firfl word, To k11ow the exceedi11g greatiJejs of his power to tu-ward who belrew, that as it i! Ephrj: >: io. To bun_ thru i r able to dotxcttdi11?, abrmdam!y above all that we ask or tbtnk, w;to htm beglory m the Churchesfor ever. He layeth open tile great11e{s of his power as it is in it felf in the fidt words that they might admire it in God, and thank him for it. But fecondly he addetl1 the efficacy that this power will have in them to bririg tilem to falvation in the next words, .Accordi11g to the worki11g of the mtgbt of his po"'·er to the end to comlort them. l-ie addetl1 the one that they might ad~ mire the power in God; he addetb the other to comfort them, when they !hall fee fuch a power works as lhall eflicacioully bring athing to pafs, and as effedu• ally and irreti!lably as It wrought m rOiling up Chnflform the dead. That as It· was impollible that God lhould lo~fe hiS Son, and !m elde~ So~, as he had loft him when he was not ratfed up agam; therefore when he ratfed htm up, he faith; Thou art my Son thu day have I begottm thee; he was loll before. This power faith he, !hall work in you and bring you to Salvation; that power that wrought in Chrift when he railed him from death to Glory. I will but add one thing more with which I will end ; and tllat is, the Perfori~ whom this great power ofGod, this exceeding greatnefs of his power, a power as great as God himfelf, a power as efficacious ·as what wrought in Chri!l when he was raifed from the dead; to whom is all this power ingaged ? It is ingaged toU!-ward: That is the Second thing. I w .11 but fpeak a weird or two to it, and fo conclude. The Firlt Obfervation is this; That the jimplt cotrjideratio;, of what power iJ 06ferv, 11 i11 God, of Mercy ortmy other attrtlmte, wiU IJtVer comfort a mml:s heart; tm- !efs that he have a knowltdge that it u f.o tu-ward, andfor ourgood. The Apo1\le doth not, you fee, pray limply that they may know what is the Exceedt!if, g'reatnefs of his power in it felf, that would have done them no good ; but he prayeth that they may know what is the Exceeding gre,anejs of hrs power to tu-wart!, The Devil! they know what mercy is in God; yea, but fay they, it is not to us-ward; therefore all their knowledg of it cloth them no good. So likewife you may read, 2 Pet. 5·9· fpeaking of the Mercy of God to men,and as is thought, peculiarly to the .Jews to whom te there writeth,faith he, lt is his lo11g- (uffermg to u~-w,zrd, not wiUiHg tb,zt mry fbou!d pertjb, but that all fbou!d come to Repmtauce, Here lieth that which works the comfort in a man's heart: that it is, the power of God to us-ward: To us a Cbtldir 6orn,totl! a S011 u givm; and Peace o1t Earth, not in Hell; becau(e there is peace on earth to us-ward; this is it that draweth a mans heart; this is it which giveth the comfort. Thac is the fir!\ Obfetvation. But the fecond is the main Obfervatiori, and it is this; That tow.1rdthe S,;ilrts, 0 6ferv. z. tmdfor their$ood a11dtheir S,;/v,ltion, God dotb ingage the 11tttrmof/ of all hi.i .Aitrt6utes; mg,7geth the uttermofl of power, the exceedirtg great11efs of -his powtr to us-ward. It is not fo in any work elfe, faith he, or roward any Crea. ture elfe ; but it is to tu-ward. He cloth ingage the greatefi of his Mercies, the uttermo~of them to tu-ward: I !hall give you Scripture for both by and·by, He had mentiOned tn Verf. I I. the power ofGod that works all thmgs; He wor" ktth aJJthi11gs by the Comtcit of his will, faith he. But there is a peculiarrrefs of power, the power that works in us th.at believe; it is the exceedinggreatne{s Pp ~
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