ble creation are not of much confequence; they are all to wax old as a garment; and as a vesture fhall they be rolled up at laft. The change that God's power makes upon the foul is compared to a new creation, a new birth. It is expreffed by quickening. It is a refurrection of the foul that was dead in trefpaffes and fins. It is compared to that operation of God's power that raised Chrift himself from the dead; that is, as it were, a manifestation of power beyond raising the bodies of other perfons from the dead, Eph. i. 19. 20. " According to the "mighty working of his power which he wrought "in Chrift when he raised him from the dead.” 2. Another property of this power is, that it is exercised continually upon the fouls of God's people: If. xxvii. 3. fpeaking of God's garden, or his vineyard, "A vineyard of red wine, I the Lord will "keep it, I will water it every moment; left any "hurt it, I will keep it night and day." He is the author and finisher of our faith. As that fame power that created the world out of nothing, ftill fupports all things, particularly fupports ourselves, and our natural life; fo the fame operation of grace that begins fpiritual life, ftill fupports and carries on the good work till the day of Christ, that perfects it. This is matter of great confolation, that God's people at all times have access through Jefus Chrift, if they be not wanting to themselves, to obtain grace in time of need. 3. It is alfo neceffary for us to acknowledge, that it is free and undeferved. Though a man fhould | acknowledge, that it is the power of God that fanctifies him; yet if he think God obliged to exercife it, he does not glorify his free grace. Hence we fee, that to the good pleasure of God is ascribed our regeneration, and turning to him: Ja. i. 18. "Of his own will begat he us by the word." 2 Theff.i. 11. The Lord fulfil in you "all the good plea"fure of his goodness, and the work of faith with (C power." power." That power is his good pleasure. That is not an acknowledging of God's grace, to acknowledge his power as the caufe of fanctification, unless we acknowledge that powerful opera ion an act of fovereign goodnefs. It is an arguing againft experience, against God, and against eafon, to pretend, that God is under an obligation to fanctify every wicked, corrupt, polluted creature. God's law is perfectly juft and righteous; all his commandments are full of righteoufnefs; he has laid all his creatures under the ftrongeft obligations to obey him; and what does he require, but what is just in the highest degree? It is we that are obliged to have juft and holy inclinations. There is no obligation on God to fanctify and cleanfe rebellious and wicked creatures. If he were obliged to fanctify us, he would be obliged not to punish us; but he is not obliged to forbear punishment; and therefore may juftly leave us under the power of fin and corruption. Therefore, in order to acknowledge and glorify God's grace, we ought always to acknowledge, that whatever good things he works in the fouls of finners, it is not only the fruit of his power, but of his good pleasure, fovereign, free, undeferved mercy. These properties of God's power ought to excite in us high and exalted thoughts of him, and to make us delight in meditating on and acknowledging it. For this end it is neceffary to get our minds freed by God's grace of the many prejudices that are ready to rife against it. It is a principal part of that knowledge of God, against which Paul tells there are many high thoughts and imaginations that exalt themselves. There are weapons in God's word mighty through God for pulling down thofe high thoughts, and which ought to be made ufe of by us for that end. VI. I fhall therefore confider fome of the chief grounds grounds of prejudice against this comfortable and glorious doctrine, the efficacy of God's grace. 1. It is ufeful for us to confider, that the great ground of prejudice against it is unbelief, or for getfulness of God's almighty ftrength and power, of that unlimited power that he has over all his creatures, and not acknowledging an abfolute dependence upon him, or mean and weak thoughts of that power that belongs to God. These words are ne ver to be forgotten that our Saviour has to the Sadducees concerning the caufes of their error in his time, Matth. xxii. 29. "Ye err," fays he, "not "knowing the fcriptures, nor the power of God.” These are the two fources of all error, not knowing the fcriptures and God's power, particularly of the error about the truth we are now fpeaking of. Chrift is there fpeaking about the refurrection from the dead, and the change to be wrought upon the nature of men at that time. What makes it the more applicable to this prefent fubject is, that the turning of fouls to God is indeed a refurrection. It is a bringing a foul out of its grave, when it is turned to God, Ezek. xxxvii. The foul itself is a grave before that change be wrought, a fepulchre full of rottennefs inwardly, however painted outwardly, as our Saviour expreffes it about the hypocrite. Profane men are but fepulchres without that paint. It may feem to fome, that there is not great need to infift upon fo plain a truth as the almighty power of God. Yet David tells at the end of the 62d pfalm, "God has spoken once, yea, twice I heard it, that power belongs to God." The unlimited power of God over all his creatures, the greatnefs of his power, and our dependence upon him, is a thing that we have need to have twice, that is frequently, repeated to us, and to have our minds much dwelling upon it. Nicodemus ufed to acknowledge God almighty; yet when our Saviour difcourfed him on the fubject we are at prefent con fidering, fidering, he said, "How can these things be?" To which we may add this, the fcriptures frequently put us in mind of God's power to begin and carry on this work of grace in the fouls of finners. Such expreffions are frequently in Paul's epiftles, "To him who is of power to establish you to the end," Rom. xvi. 25. Jude, at the end, fays, "Who is "able to keep you from falling." Let us confider alfo this in thofe fcriptures that give the largest commendations of the faith of fome eminent faints of God. Their faith in God's power is one of the chief things for which they are commended; as in that great commendation we have of Abraham's faith, Rom. iv. 20. "He ftaggered not at the pro"mife of God through unbelief; but was ftrong in "faith, giving glory to God; being fully perfuaded, "that what he had promifed, he was able to per"form and therefore it was imputed to him for righteoufnefs," If we confider other fcriptures about Abraham's faith, we fhall find, a principal part of that faith for which he was commended, was the deep impreffion he had of God's almighty power. Another inftance is the centurion's faith. We have two things in his difcourfe to our Saviour: 1. An acknowledgement of his own unworthiness, "he was unworthy that Chrift fhould come under "his roof;" but this is not fo properly an exercise of faith as of repentance. 2. He acknowledged Chrift's power, that if he would fay the word, his fervant fhould be whole. The commendation given of his faith has fomething in it extraordinary: Chrift had not found fo great faith in Ifrael. The high impreffions he had of the power of Chrift is a principal thing for which his faith is commended. It is obferved, both in the Old Teftament and the New, that in thofe places that speak of the work of redemption, and of the work of grace, there are large accounts of God's power in the works of nature joined together, that the one may make us 3 P eafily eafily perfuaded of the other: "God that com"manded light to shine out of darkness, hath fhined "into our hearts." In the 40th chapter of Ifaiah, we have these great accounts of the almighty power of God brought in, in order to give due and right impreffions, how in the work of redemption, "God "would make bare his ftrength, and caufe the lighting down of his glorious arm to be feen." We ought to have a due impreffion of the power of God. We are ready to fpeak of God's power over all creatures, as if the fpirit of man was excepted; whereas, though it is a noble fpirit, yet it is a creature, and confequently cannot refift the will of the creator. God is called the Father of fpirits, and the God of the Spirits of all flesh; and it is useful for us to confider, that every moment we have experience of the dependence of our spirits upon him; that it is he that formed the fpirit of man within him; and, as it is faid, Job xii. 10. "that he has "the foul of every living thing in his hand." It is he that gives us to know more than the beasts that perif; and has an abfolute power over our undertandings, will, and affections. There is nothing that men are more ready to think their own, and out of the power of outward caufes, than this, their thoughts, their reafon, the exercise of their reason. We fee frequently how fmall a grain of matter, efpecially in the brain, will make the greateft wifdom turn to diftraction. We ought to confider the fubjection of our fouls and fpirits to him who is the Father of fpirits, who could produce all thofe chan ges in the foul, though they were not united to the body at all. Job, chap. 12. gives feveral accounts that deferve our fericus confideration, how God's unlimited power over his creatures can give wif dem, or take it away, as he pleafes. And as he has power over our understanding, fo alfo over our will, aflions, defires, and inclination. He can turn the heart of man as the rivers of water, and fafhion the |