with his grace. Walk humbly, therefoi'e, before thy God, and husband well that strength thou hast, remembering that it is borrowed strength. Nemo prodiget quod mendicat. Who will waste what he begs ? or who will give that beggar that spends idly his alms ? When thou hast most, thou canst not be long from thy God's door. And how canst thou look him in the face for more, who hast embezzled what thou hast received ?
CHAPTER III.
OF ACTING OUR FAITH ON THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF GOD.
The third branch followeth, which contains an encouraging amplification annexed to the exhortation, in these words; 'And in the power of his might;' where a twofold inquiry is requisite for the explication of the phrase. First, What these words import, ' The power of his might?' Secondly, What it is to ' be strong in the power of his might? '
For the first, — 'The power of his might.' It is an Hebraism, and imports nothing but his mighty power ; like that phrase, Ejjh. i. 6, ' To the praise of the glory of his grace ; ' that is, to the praise of his glorious grace. And his mighty power imports no less than his almighty power ; sometimes the Lord is styled ' mighty and strong,' as Psa. xxiv. 8 ; sometimes most mighty; sometimes Almighty : no less is meant in all than God's infinite almighty power.
For the second, To be strong in the mighty power, or power of the Lord's might, implies these two acts of faith :
First, A settled firm persuasion, that the Lord is almighty in power. ' Be strong in the power of his might;' that is, be strongly rooted in your faith, con- cerning this one foundation truth, that God is almighty.
Secondly, It implies a further act of faith, not only to believe that God is almighty, but also that this almighty power of God is engaged for its defence : so as to bear up in the midst of all trials and temptations undauntedly, leaning on the arm of God Almighty, as if it were his own strength ; for that is the apostle's drift, as to beat us off' from leaning on our own strength, so to encourage the Christian to make use of God's almighty power as freely as if it were his own, •whenever assaulted by Satan in any kind. As a man, set upon by a thief, stirs up all the force and strength he hath in his whole body to defend himself, and offend his adversary ; so the apostle bids the Christian ' be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;' that is, Soul, away to thy God, whose mighty power is all intended and devoted by God himself for thy succour and defence. Go, strengthen and entrench thyself in it by a stedfast faith, as that which shall be laid out to the utmost for thy good. From whence these two notes, I conceive, will draw out the fatness of the words.
L That it should be the Christian's great care and endeavour, in all tempta- tions and trials, to strengthen his faith on the almighty power of God.
2. The Christian's duty and care is not only to believe that God is almighty; but strongly by faith to rest on this almighty power of God, as engaged for his help and succour, in all his trials and temptations.
Doct. First, It should be the Christian's great care, in all temptations and trials, to strengthen his faith on the almighty jDower of God. When God liolds forth himself as an object of the soul's trust and confidence in any great strait or undertaking ; commonly this attribute of his almighty power is presented in the promise, as the surest holdfast for faith to lay hold on ; as a father in a rugged way gives his child his arm to lay hold by, so doth Crod usually reach forth his almighty power for his saints to exercise their faith on. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whose faith God tried above most of his saints before or since, for not one of those great things which were promised to them, did they live to see performedin their days ; and how doth God make known himself to them for their support, but by displaying this attribute? Exod. vi. 3: 'I apjieared unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, by the name of God Almighty.' This was all they had to keep house with all their days ; with which they lived comfortably, and died triumphantly, bequeathing the promise to their children, not doubting (because God Almighty had promised) of the performance. Thus Isa. xxvi., where great mercies are promised to Judah, and a song penned beforehand, to be sung on that joyous day of their salvation ; yet because there was a shai-p
AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT. 13