An Expofttion of the Epiftle ~ enlig'ttned eyes to knowwhat was the exceedi11g greafnefs of his power to .u– Sermon w.1rdwho believe. If it be true what Job faith of the works of Nature, Job· XXVIII. 26. '4· is much more true of the work of grace. He fpeaks in the former part ~ of the Chapter, of the works of Nuure, and how cloth he conclude it? Lo, tbefr (faith he, j are pu:rs of. his wages;, but how /mle a portiOn, (or how little a drop as fame read tt,) ts heard of h1m? But the Thunder of h1s power who ca11 tmderjl.md? In working all thefe works of Nature faith he, God mokes as fiill a noifc as when a drop falleth which we can fcarce hear; but the thunder of his power, that is the force of his power, (it is not the noife ofhis power, Thun– der 1S put for force, fo it is in that book of Jo6 often, as Chapter l9· J g. and elti;. where,) who ctmtmderfland? So I may fay to you,when you hear gre~t things fpoken of convcrfion, yet fiill how little a drop of his power is that; how little a noife cloth it make in mens fpirits? There is a Thunder ofpower goes to work ir, a mighty force goeth to work it, but yet it makes but the noife of a drop, it is but a little drop which we hear; there is a fiill voice in which God is, and m which his mighty power is, and he palfeth by and we know it nor. My, Brethren, when we tell you there ·is fuch a mighty power in converfion, your thoughts run to nothing but thundering works, you think prefently this power mufrly in thundring men down to Hell with terrors. No, it lies in clung– mg mens hearts by an omnipotent power, but that power it is but a frill work, tt is but a drop and it falleth as a drop; for fo converfion is compared, My 'Doefrme fhall dijlill a; the 'Dew, it foaks into mens hearts, and there is a thunder of pow• er goeth with it though it is not heard. The converfion of a Sinner, the power of it and his not feeling it, I may corn • pare to that change which fhall be at the latter day. We {halt 1101 all die (faith he,) but wejhalt atl6echanged. Suppofe you lived at the latter day, and were Saints and Believers when Chrifr came to Judgment; you ·fbould fee.fome mens bodies rnifed out of the Grave, but your own Bodies and Spirits will be changed, changed in an infrant; you will not find a mighty power upon you fenfibly, but you will find a mighty work, wherepy you !hall find your felves not to be the men you were; your Bodies will thine as the Sun 'in an infrant. So is it here my Bre– thren, there is a change wrought ina mans heart in a frill way, this is a mighty thing, if a man will judge it by what he feeleth, if he will judge it by any vio– lent power put forth in it; there is exceeding little, aman feeleth nothing, he feeleth fiirrings and workings in his Spirit indeed, as there will be when a man is thus changed, there will be an elevation of the Spirit and of the Body at the lat– ter day, butforanyvio!entworkrherewillbe none; to often times· is it here, yet it is the fame power that changeth men,that cloth raife them outoftl1e grave, from the dufr, and as much is the one as the other, . And as I may very well compare it thus, Men that have difpolitions never fo near Grace, yet as I faid before, and I will give you this comparifon now : to put Grace into their hearts and to change them trl\ly, is like the change that will be wrought at the latter day in mens Bodies and Minds that are Believers, they have life already, but to change them theremnfr go an Almighty power, and the fame power that goes to raife others nut oftheir Graves. Now, My Brethren, what is the fcopeof all this? It is not only to comfort poor Believers, though they have not found a work of fo much noife in their hearts, of fo much v10lence and difrurbance, that is not it, wherein God cometh forth in the exceeding greatnefsof his power, he came in the frill fmall voice, when he was not in the Earthquake and in the rending of the Rocks;thou mayeft have a mighty work upon thee, and yet not know the exceeding greatnefs of power that goes to work it. This I fay is not the fcope lo much, but it is that you fhould not cenfure fuch whofe judgments are,that there is not fo great a power put forth in converfion, they may have grace lor all that; for the Apofrle prayeth here that they may know, they that had Grace, thrJt they may k11ow wh,Jt is the exceediHggreat11ejj· of' his power to tls-wardthatbelieve. You are not to ceo– fure them therefore, not !imply for that. That is the lirfi Obfervation that be· longeth to the Third head. The
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