There is a secret ohcdience in all things to God, when his will is that they shall do this or that. Why doth the sea keep his hounds, whenas the nature and position of the sea is to he above the earth ? It is the command of God, that hath said. Let it be there, and ' hither shall thy proud waves go, and no further,' Job xxxviii. 11. I might give many instances how God doth all by his word. The devils are at his word ; the whales ; the sea, when Christ rebukes it, obeys.
Use. It should teach us not to displease this God, that can strike us in the midst of our sins even with a word. Let us fear this God. Put case we had no enemy in the world : God can arm a man's humours against him. He can raise the spirit and soul against itself, and make it fight against itself by desperate thoughts. He needed not foreign forces for Ahithophel and Saul, he could arm their own souls against themselves. And when he will take down the greatest giant in the world, he needs not foreign forces. It is but working of a disease, but giving way to a humour, but inflaming the spirits, and the soul ' shall abhor all manner of meat.'
Again, He gives a command, a rebuke, and they are r/one presently. Therefore let us not ofiend this great God, that is commander of heaven and earth ; let us labour to please him, and it is no matter who else wo displease. For he hath all things at his command, even the ' hearts of kings as the rivers of water,' Prov. xxi. 1. When Esau sought for Jacob to hurt him, there was a secret command God set upon him to love him. Therefore we should fear him, and all other things shall fear us. We need fear nothing, so we have a care to fear God, further than in God and for God. But not so to fear them, as to do evil for them and oflend the great God, that can with a word command sickness to come, or bid it begone.
Again, In that God, when all second causes fail, can ' heal by his word,' therefore let its never be discourar/ed from jyrayiug. /Though we see a hurly- burly and tumult in the church, though we see all Europe in combustion, and the church driven into a narrow corner, let us not give over prayer. For Christ, that with a word commanded ' the waves to be still,' and ' the devils to be gone,' and they presently obeyed him, he can still the waves of the church ; he can put a ' hook into the nostrils' of his enemies, and draw them which way he please ; he can still all with ' his word.' There- fore, howsoever things seem to run contrary and opposite to our desires, yet let us not give over. He that sees no ground of hope in carnal fleshly reason, let him despair of nothing. Despair shuts the gate and door of mercy and hope, as it were. You see here, when all means fail, when they were ' at the very gates' and entry of death, God fetcheth them back again. How ? With physic ? No. He is not tied to physic. There is diflerence between God and between nature and art. Nature and art can do nothing without means ; but the God of nature and art can do it with his word. How made he this heaven and earth, this glorious fabric ? With his word, ' Let there be light, and there was light,' &c., Gen. i. 8. And how shall he restore all again ? With his mighty commanding word. How doth he preserve things ? By his word. How are things multi-
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plied ? By bis word, * Increase and multiply,' a word of blessing. He dotb all tbings witb bis word.
So be can confound bis enemies witb a word. Nay, Cbrist in bis greatest abasement, wben tbey came witb staves and arms to take bim, ' Whom seek ye ? ' saitb be. Tbat word ' struck down all tbe officers of tbe Scribes and Pbarisees ; tbey fell flat on tbe ground,' Jobn xviii. 4, seq. Could be in bis bumiliation, before bis great abasement on tbe cross, strike down bis enemies witb bis word ? Wbat shall he do at tbe day of judgment, when all flesh shall appear before him ? And wbat can be do now at tbe right hand of God in heaven ? Let us never despair, wbat state soever we be in, in our own persons, or in respect of tbe church or commonwealth. Let us yet pray, j-et solicit God, and wrestle with him ; for we see here, when tbey were at tbe ' gates of death,' he fetcbeth them again witb ' his word.' He can fetch tbings again when tbey are at destruction, as it were. Wben man's wit is at a loss, tbat be knowetb not what course to take, God with a word can turn all things again.
' Ob that men would therefore praise tbe Lord for bis goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! Let them sacrifice the sac- rifice of thanksgiving, and declare his works witb rejoicing.'