on the Lord's Prayer. . jOI Power and Narural · E~ergy introduce various Forms i;Ho Things, yet ali rhe Mauer they have ro work upon was firfi God's Workmanlliip ; and there is norhing made by Man bur it is the Creature of God; at lcafr a? ro the Matter and_Firft Principle of it, Now it is only Infinite Power that can bring Something our of Nothing; . yea, and :c is lnfinirt: Creating Power that can fOrm Things our of Matter utterly. indifpofed ro 1eceive the Stamps offuch Natures as God imprims upon them ; for no Created Agent can work either where there is nothing to work upon, or where it is altogether unfit and uncapable naturally robe form'd into fuch a Bdng as rhe Agent , intends; and therefore the Apoille tells us, Rom. I. zo. That th< invijiblc Things of God frOJit zhe Creation of the ftTorld are dearly feen, being underfloed by tbe 'Ibings tbat at~! tr.a.fe, even his Eternal Power and Godhead. Secondly, Thelnfinite Power ofGod is demonftrated in thofe Miraculous EffoEls which have b::en extraordinarily produced in the World: It mull needs be an Almigh~ ty Arm that can Arrea the Courf~ and lmpttJu of Nature, and turn it quire cmmary to its own Byafs ; for no Created Power1 either in Heaven or Eanh, can by rbeir own Efficacy work a lvliracle, nay> they cannot be fo much as Natural lnHrumems, bl.l[ only Moral in the ProduE\:ion of what is hliracHioru: Indeed Angels, borh Good a11d Bad, may produce very ftrange and marvellous Things by their fuddaio, invifible, and efJ:i::Uual, applying of pwper Aflh1eS to Paffi\'eS, and by fuiting the fecrer an~ unknown Virtues ofCaufes to fit and difpofcd Patients; bur they caimot produce any Thing that is miraculous, and wholly either abO\·e or contrary to fbe Courfe and Sphere of Nature: And tbofe Men who have been fo highly 1dignified as to be the Morallnllruments of Miraclu, (as we fay that Mofes and Elij•b, and the Apoftles of Cbrift, wrougbtmany Miracles,) yet they did not perform tboie Works by any Natural or Proper Phyfical Influence, but only by their Prayers- and commanding Faith; ic is God alone that is the immediate, efficient, Caufl! cf whatfoever Events have been MiracJJlous in the World; and therefore when fome raifed the Dead, and others cured the Blind and Lamt, when Moju firft deft the Sea, and afierwards rhe Rock> with his wondrous Rod, when Jojhua ftopr the Sun in its Courfe, and lfaiah turn'd it Ten Degrees backward, all thef~ Exrraordinary and Supernatural Effe£\s are no othetwife to be afcribed unto them than as to remote Inftrumems, who by their Prayers and Interceffions prevailed with God ro manifdt his Power, as an Atteftation of that Comrni£Iion they had received from him : His Infinite Pow.: er is the SoleAuthorofrhem, and to this End barb he wrought them, that thofe who take little notice ofhis Power, in the common and ordinary ProduEts of it, may b!' feized with Admiration and Afioni!hment when they hear of fuch Events, as neither Reafon nor /l.'at11rt can give any Account of, and may be forced to acknowledge, with the Magiciant of .!Egypt, that it is the Finger of God; or more Religioufly wirh the Pfalmijl, Pfal. 89. '3· Thou hojl a Mighty ilrm, ftrong is t!Jy Hand, and hig!J is tbjl Rigbt Hand. Thirdly, The Power of God is Infinite, even in the common Courfe and EffeEls of his Pmvidence: Whatfoever comes to pafs is through the fntinice Power ofGod: There is not the leaft Spire ofGrafs that fprouts out of the Earrb, not the leaft Atome that plays and wanders tO and fro in the Air, not any Motion ofany Creature, how inconfidcrable foever it be. butthe Almighty Power of God is to be ft:en in it; for alchough one Second Caufemay depend upon another in a long Series, yer are they all ultimately refolved into the Firft Caufe of all, and invigorated by his Influence. Sec tOqhisH/{foa 2. 21. I will bear the lleavenr, Jaitbthe Lord, and they fhall bear tb~ ~arth, and the Earth /hall bettr the Corn, and the Wine, and tbe Oil, aitd tbey ftJall h-.r Jezreel. Be the Chain of Suond Caufcs never fo long, yet God holds the firfl; Link in his own Hands, and conveys his Power through them all to their !aft Effi:Els; fotbat if we duly pondertheMylleriesand Wonders ofNawre, it will appear that it is as much Infinite Power to make a poor ~Vorm to crawJ, or a Sparrow to fty, or to fall to the Eanh, as it was at fir(t to Create the World. lt requires no more Pot.Otr in God to work Miracles than the mo.A: ordinary and common Evems that happen; only rhofe are faid to be M;racles which are againftor above theCourfeofNature; and rhofe robe Natural Events which are according to it; but to a confidering Mind both the one and the other do equally declare the Almighty ~nd Infinite Power ofGod. ~o~ this Power .is in the Text afcribed to God by Way of Empba/is and Eminency ; Thmc u the Powtr; which notes unto us fome Peculiarity in the Power ofGod, which dillinguifheth it from all Created Powers whatfoever, and it confifts in thef< follow· ing Things. Firft,
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