14 Beftrong in the Lord. their wings; if their feathers be clipt, their power broken, he is loft.; but in the Army of Saints, the flrength of every Saint, yea, of the whole hofte ofSaints lies in the Lord of hoftes. God can overcome his enemies without their hands, but they cannot fo much as defend themfelves without his arme. It is one of Gods names, Theflrength ofIfrael, I Sam. Is. 19. He was the flrength of Davids heart, without him this valiant Worthy (that could, when held up in his armes, defie him that defied an whole Ar- my) behaves himielfftrangely for feare, at a word or two that sdrop'c from the Philiftines mouth. He was the flrength of his bands, He taught his fingers tofight, and fo be is the ftrength of all his Saints in their war againft fin and Satan. Some propound a quellion, whether there be a fin committed in the world, in which Satan bath not a part ? but if the queftion were,whether there be any holy aftion performed without the fpecial affift- ance of God concurring ? that is refolved, ?Anis. 5. without me youcan do nothing. Thinking flrength ofGod, a (or. 3. 5. Na that we are fufficient of our felves, to think any thing 41 ofour felves, but our fujficiency is of God. We Apoffles, we Saints that have habitual grace, yet this lies like water at the bottome of a Well, which will not afcend with all our pumping, till God poure inhis exciting grace, and then it comes. To will is more that to thirk, to exert our will into aftion, more then both; tilde are ofGod, Phil. Z. 1 3. it is god that worketh in you to Will, and to do of his good pleaftsre. He makes the heart new, and having made it fit for heavenly motion, letting every wheele (as it were) in its right place, thenhe windes it up by his afte- ating grace, and lets it ongoing, the thoughts to fir, the will to move, and make towards the holy object prefented ; yet here the chariot is let, and cannot afcend the hill ofaftion, till God puts his Moulder to the wheele, Rom. 7. To will is prefent with me, but how toperforme that Which is good 1 finde not. God is at thebottome of the ladder, and at the top alio, the Author and Finifher, yea, helping and lifting the foule at every round, in his afcent to any holy anion. Well, now the Chriftian is let on work, how longwill he keep clofe to it ? Alas, poor foul, no longer then he is held up by the fame hand, that impowered him at Ertl. He. hath loonwrought out the flrength received, and therefore to maintain the tenureof a holy courfe. there muff be renew- . . .
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