Serra. CXCVI. fearingCodmore thanMan. s. That they cannot do this without the divine permifiìon., 2. That ifthey be permitted to do their worft, theycan but do this after that they bave noniere that they can do. I. Theycannot do this without thedivine permifíion. The Devil, tho'he hath greater natural Power than Men, yet hecould not touch7ob, either inhis fubftance or his body, without God's leave and permiflìon. Men axe apt to arrogate to them- (elvesa great deal of Power, forgetting whence they derive it, and on whom it de- pends. Knowefl not thou that Ihavepower wcrucifie ¿ixe, andpower to releaf thee? faid Pilate to our Saviour : but he tellshint, Thou cozildfl have nopower at all a, gainft me, except it were given theefrom above, John 19. ao; s s. All the power that men have, they have it from God, and he cancheck and countermand it when he pleafeth ; he can reatlrain the rage ofmen, andput z hookin their noflrils ; he can 'fill the noife ofthefea, and the tumult of thepeople. God's Providence is continually vigilant over us, and unlefs it feem good to the divine wifdom to permit men, they cannot touch or hurt us. It is added immedi- ately after the Text, that the Providence of, God extends to .Creatures much lofs confrderable than we are, and to the mof inconfderable things thatbelong to us; Are not twofparrows foldfor a farthing, and yet not one of them isfòrgotten before God, orfalls to the ground, without the will of our father ? yea the very hairs; of our heads are they not all nun:bred? Much more is the Providence of God con, cerned in our lives, and the more conuiderable accidents and events which befal us we are always under God's eye and care , and no man can do us the leaf hurt Without his permiflion. 2. If men be permitted to do their worft, they canbut do this ; theycan but kill the body, after that they bave no more that they can do. Now this implies feveral limitations of men's power, and abatementsof the terrorof it. a. They canbut kill thebody, that is, theycanonly injure thewontand leafcon, fiderablepart ofus. The power ofthe Devil reaçheth no farther than this, this was the worft mifchiefhis malice could devife to (kilo yob, to touch his boue and his flefh, and to take away his life ; and all that the fury and rage of man cando; is to wound thefe vile bodies, and to fpurn down theft houfee ofclay, whole foun- dations are, already in the dula: but the man's Soul, which is himfelf, that they cannot touch ; tho' they may pierce and break the Cabinet; yet theycannot feize the Jewel that is in it, and get that into their power and poffefí'aon ; when they have broken open this cage, our Soul will efcape like a bird to his mountain. Men may invent feveral iniruments to torture and aflti& the Body; but no weapon can be formed againft the Soul that can touch it or do it harm. 2. When they have kill'd the Body, by doing this, they do but prevent nature a little, they do but antidate an evil a few moments; and bring our fears upon us a little fooner; theykill that which muf die within a few days, tho'-they fhould let it alone; they do but cut afunder that thread which would thorny break of it Pelf, by its own weaknefs and rottennefs ; fo that as the Lepersreafoned, when the famine was in Samaria, 2 Kings 7. 3, 4. Whyfit we here until we. died If wefay, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we(hall die there r ',and ifweftflill here, we die alfo. Now thereforecome; and let usfallunto the he the Syrians : if theyfave us alive, we Pall live ; and if they kill us, we (hall but die; fo we may reafon in thiscafe, Why fhouldwe fo muchdeliireto fit Rill tillwe die? If men perfecute us; and do their worft, we that( die; and if they do not, however we (hall die ; therefore let not the fear of any danger from Men make us to forget our duty to God, for ifthey kill us, weJhallbut die. 3. They can but kill the body; and what argument of Power is this, to be able to killthat which is mortal? as ifyou fhould fay, theycan break a Glafs, they can throwdown thatwhich- is falling. This is nofuchwonderful effect of power, to be able to do that , which alinoft every thing can do, which the leaf thing in the world, whichdiepooref creature can do; a pin, or a thorn, or a grape atone; there is hardly any thing in the whole creation fo inconfiderable, but it can do this which men are apt to boaft ofas fo great an evidence of their power, We are frail crea- tures, and 'tis no more malanchollyconceit that we are made ofGlafs, and as wepafs thro', F.37
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