An Expoption of the Epi~ie ~ in fome works and lefs in others,) in the works of falvation toward believers, Sermoll therein he lheweth the exceedtng greatnefs of ills power. The power of God XXIIJ. ( as I !hewed,) is feen in Hell; the power of his wrath. The power of God ~ was feen in Creating the World, but the greatnefs of !Hs power, the exceeding greatnefs of his power;_ to us-ward. The love that IS 111 God calleth forth all his ftreni?th, and ingageth 1t for the good of believers.. As he lheweth fon~, not only mercy, but riches of mercy, yea, exceedmg nches of mercy! as '.t 1s Eph. 3 . 8. it is the fame word, .;,.~,r~<@- ..,,;.@-, that Is here. So hkew1fe 1t IS faid of his power to us-ward, he iheweth forth the greatncfs of Ius power, the exceed· ing greatnefs of Ills power. Now, my Brethren, raife up your thoug~ts, you that are believers. If ex. ceeding great~efs of mercy fball be the contnver ot what good you /hall lllve, and if the exceeding greatnefs of power fball be the worker, and undertake to work all that mercy doth contrive; what will God do wnh you then ? What will God bring you to, upon whom he will /hew forth, (ere he hath done, ) the-ex– ceeding riches of his Grace,the exceeding greatnefs of his Power? And fo much now for the Perfons,,to uo-ward. The Third Head, which i propounded to be handled out of thefe words, and which is indeed the mofl d,fficult, is wherein this greatnefs of God's power is fbewed. One inflance you have of it, wherein it was fbewed, in railing up our Head, our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrill, from Death to Glory ; that he inflan– ceth in plainly, The jt1mepower (faith he,) that wro11ght ilt Clmf/ wbm hr ra:– fed himf'rom the dead, mzdJet h:m at hi<ow11 right hm1d, i11 the beav,mty placts; there is no quellion made of that by non~ that opon thefe words. But then, in what work this greatnefs of power proportionable to the railing ChriO: Jrom death to life, can be fpent as wrought in us; of that there is a great controverfie about the words. There are fome of our Divines , and Interpreters that reflrain the ApoJlles fcope only to the working of faith at firfl, and they make the coherence of the words thus and thus only, Thatyott .may k11ow whr~t is thuxceedi11g greatne(s of his power to tu-ward. There make a flop, Who believe accordiug to tbe worki11g of his mighty power; joyning, who believe, and, according to tht worki11g of his m1ghty powtr, together; their meaniAg is this, who have hadfaith wrougbt . in them, accord111g to the worki11g of his mighty power; fo that now all this mighty power is in the working of faith at lirO:, and fo they reflrain it ; as if the Apoflle hadfaid, you know what power went to work faith in you, it was not the power of your own will, but it was the exceeding greatnefs of his power, you believed according to the working of the might of his power; ft1ch as was in Chrift when he was raifed from the dead. That is the lirfl fenfe given of it. The Remo11jlrmzts, or thofe whom you call the followers of Armi1zi11s , they goaclean contrary way, and they quote Catvi11 himfelf againfl the former Opi· nion; and indeed to reflr~in it only to faith and the working of faith, which Cal– vin is againfl. Ilut then they contend the fcope of the Apoflle to be only to i!1eW whatthepowerof Godilull boinus, in raifingus up at the lafl day to glory, and that that is the Apoflles fcope and his only fi:ope here; they would cut off all the power of God working in us atfirfl when we believe, yea and cut off from the Apoflles aim here, all the power that works in us before the latter day; but that power that fballt3!fe us up from the dead, and fetus in glory, that is the power which the Apoftle meaneth .here, whicl1 is anfwerable to the C3i– iing up of Chrift from death to life. And there is a great deal of appear· ance for it, tfiat this fbould be. the A oflles fcope. He had fpoken ofHeaven in the very words before, what u the riches of the l 11hcritance of the Sai11ts; pow he fpeaks therefore of that power that raifeth the Saints up to that glory; then in the words following you have the inflance of Chrifl raifed up from death to glory as your Head, as apawn that God will raife you up likewife from the bo· d1ly death of the grave to hfe and glory ; and It IS a great comfort to believers to know that the Jium power that raifed up Chrifl, /hall one day raife up them. Now
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