[3.] I come to show that this is a great sin, God takes it ill to be circumscribed and limited in his power. It is his complaint, Ps. Ixxviii. 41, ' They limited the Holy One of Israel.' The great sin of Israel in the wilderness was circumscribing and confining God to the course and circle of second causes. So he that doubted, 2 Kings vii. 2, 'If the Lord should make windows in heaven, might this thing be ? ' And you know what exemplary judgment God laid upon him, God let him live to see it, and then he was trodden to death — God let him live to see his unbelief confuted, but he had no benefit by it. Now why is it such a heinous sin to question God's power ? Partly, because this is to deny him to be God ; if God were not omnipotent, he could not be a help to his friends nor a terror to his enemies. And partly, to deny him his power is to pull him out of the throne, because we have so much to prove and evidence the omnipotency of God that there- fore it is the more heinous sin to deny it. It is a thing plainly dis- played in the creation : Rom, i. 20, ' The invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead.' His good- ness is wrapt up in the covenant ; his love is displayed in the church ; but his power is displayed before all the world. The heathens see the invisible things of his goodness and power. We cannot be certain of his will in many things, but there is enough to inform us of the power of God.
[4.] To direct you how to make use of God's power so as to find support in it. I answer —
(1.) In mercies absolutely promised we may reason from his power
374 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. [SeR. LIII.
to his will. If God be able, surely it will be accomplished : Eom. xi. 23, ' They shall be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.' It is the apostle's own argument. In the temple there were two pillars, Jachin and Boaz, 1 Kings vii. 21 ; the one signifies ' strength and might,' and the other ' God will establish it.' So Dan. iii. 17, the three children having particular instinct and revelation, therefore they say, ' Our God is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us.' So John x. 28, 29, ' They shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.' Christ reasons from his power ; he would have us secure our souls upon the omuipotency of God ; he must pluck God out of his throne, before he can hinder the salvation of his people.
(2.) In mercies conditionally promised, there we are to mngnify his power, and refer the matter to his will: as Mat. viii. 2, ' Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.' Give him the glory of his power, and refer your case to his wuU ; God will do what is for the best.
(3.) In all cases take this rule : whatever be your discouragements to weaken faith, difficulty or unlikelihood should be none, because of the almighty power of God in whom we trust. Usually the great cause of discouragement is danger and difficulty, now that is dishonourable to God ; we should conceive of him by his power : Job xlii. 2, ' I know that thou canst do everytliing ; ' so Dan. iii. 17, 18, ' Our God is able, and he wilt deliver us ; but if not, we will not serve thy gods' ; we will not be discouraged wilh the difficulty of the case. This will strike all discouragements down, when we have right apprehensions of God's power.
Use. If this be the great attribute that will support our faith, the power of God, then it presseth you to meditate often upon the power of God. The life of faith and confidence lies in it. How shall we do to improve the ])ower of God in meditation ?
1. Consider how much God's power can outwork our thoughts. God were not infinite if he could be comprehended ; surely he hath more power than we are able to apprehend, therefore we can never be com- petent judges of it. Look, as we cannot empty the ocean with a nut-shell, so neither can we fathom the depth of God with the plummet of our thoughts. We no more know God than a worm knows a man. There is a greater distance between God and a man than between a worm and a man ; both are finite creatures, but God is infinite, and therefore we cannot fathom God, and so we are unmeet judges of his power. When our thoughts are able to reach no farther, yet God can outreach our thoughts : Zech. viii. 6, ' If it be marvellous in your eyes, should it also be mai'vellous in mine eyes ? saitli the Lord of Hosts.' The Lord was angry there because they confined him to the model of their own thoughts — because they Avould measure infiuiteness by their own last — because we cannot see how a thing should be done, shall we conclude that therefore God cannot do it ? God can outgo our thoughts: Eph. iii. 20, ' Unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.'