those now who misunderstanding this text and other Scriptures of the like nature affirme that as simple and ignorant men did heretofore without any learning or premeditation at all preach and expound the mysteries of God by the power of Gods Spirit so simple and ignorant men may do the like now and why because the power of Gods Spirit is the same still that it was and bloweth where it listeth and therefore may be perfected as well in their weaknesse now as it was in the weaknesse of others in former times but this is no good plea and therefore they that put the spirit to this now deceives themselves and tempt the power of Gods blessed Spirit for there is a great deale of difference in the times God gave the gifts of illumination and of knowledge to simple and ignorant men by inspiration extraordinary and miraculously in the infancy of the Gospel and it was fit for those times for the reason before mentioned but now in a fetled Church such miracles are ceased and God gives divine knowledge and understanding unto men by labour industry and study but God doth still make perfect the power of his grace in the weaknesse of simple and unlearned by bestowing upon them the spirit of regeneration and sanctification and therfore the most simple and illiterate man alive may beleeve as well and as much as the greatest Clerk in the world and he that weareth the linnen frock may be as holy as he that is brought up in scarlet feedeth delicatly and the mayd servant that is behind the mill yea the beggar that imbraceth the dunghill may bee as rich in faith and in grace as he that sitteth in a throne of glory Fifthly the power of Gods grace is made perfect in the weaknesse of temptations And to apply the medicine to the malady this was the Apostles case God suffers his children to come many times in their temptations ad ripam unto the very brinke of dispaire and perdition and then the power of his grace helps them for God is faithfull and will not suffer us to bee tempted above our ability but when the temptation is at the highest then he will make a way for us to escape 1 Cor. 10. God permits Satan to tempt us and his temptations are the soarest of all but he will not suffer him to overcome us latrare potest mordere non potest saith Saint Augustine Hee thinkes by his temptations to breake us and to take us and hold us captive at his will but indeed hee takes himselfe in his owne Gins The more weight is laid upon an Arch the stronger it is and the winds which shake the trees makes them faster at the rootes Satans temptations like bellowes blow and kindle that holy fire that is within our breasts even the power of Gods grace let us not then be afraid of temptations For qui hortatur ut pugnemus adjuvat aut vincamus saith Saint Ambroose He that incourageth us to incounter with temptations doth and will helpe us by his grace to overcome them Et habebimus victoriam in eo quae nunquam victus est and we shall be more then conquerours through him who for our sakes was tempted and overcome that we in him might overcom also when we are tempted The arrowes which are often shot against a rock are so blunted that afterwards they can do little or no harme at all now Christ hath so blunted all the arrowes and darts of Satans temptations by his resistance that though they hit us yet they cannot hurt us Sixthly the power of Gods grace is made perfect in the weaknesse of our humiliation for our sinnes when a man is ashamed to lift up so much as his eies to heaven when a man humbles himselfe and afflicts his soule with weeping and mourning for his sinnes when a man denies himselfe and believes in his heart and confesseth that he is the greatest sinner in the world when a man judgeth himselfe not onely unworthy of the least of all Gods mercies but also most worthy of all the paines and torments in hell for offending God when a man loathes himselfe in his owne sight for the sinnes which he hath committed when a man abhorres himselfe and repents in dust and ashes Yea when a man brings himselfe downe so low that the shadow of death rests upon his eye lids and his speech whispers out of the dust as it is Esay 29.4 then doth the power of Gods grace begin to be made perfect in him then doth God come nigh to him to dwell with him and to save him for he that is on high will dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the spirit of the contrite to heale his sin-broken heart and to bind up his wounds of sorrow Esay 57.18 Psal 143.3 And then what consolation in Christ what peace of conscience what joy in the holy Ghost doth the power of Gods grace presently produce in his soule which none can understand but hee that feeles and none can feele but the child of God the truely penitent sinner Peccator de peccato dolet de dolore gaudet saith Saint Augustine the penitent sinner sorroweth for his sinnes and rejoyceth in his repentance unam fudi lachrimam unam inveni consolationem I shed one teare for my sinnes and I found thereupon one comfort decem fudi lachrymas decem inveni consolationes I shed ten teares for my sinnes I found as many comforts for the same quantumcunque fuit pondus lachrymarum tantus fuit numerus consolationum and as the weight of my teares increased for my sinnes so the number of Gods comforts increased in my soule according to the saying of the Psalmist In the multitude of the sorrowes even of the sorrowes for my sinnes which I had in my heart thy comforts have rejoyced my soule Psal 94.19 Lastly the power of Gods grace is made perfect in the weaknesse of sicknesse and of all manner of sufferings unto which the weake nature of man is subject And first in the weaknesse of sicknesse When Iacob was sicke in his bed unto death and ready to give up the Ghost and when his eyes were dimme with age that hee could not see yet then did hee foresee and foretell what should befall the twelve tribes of Israel in the last daies what high and mysterious prophecies did he then deliver in the several blessings of his twelve Sons and with whatstrength of words you may reade in the 29. of Genesis When Iob was smitten with sore boyls from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head when he sate down among the ashes and scraped himselfe with a potsheard when his skin was black and broken and his bones were burnt with heate when he could not swallow his spittle and when he took his flesh in his teeth when the poisoned arrowes of the Almighty dranke up his spirits and his reines
God of heaven and earth bestow his blessings and shew his mercy upon us without our praiers Secondly because our praiers shew our confidence in Gods power and providence in his mercy and love A father can give his beloved son all that he wants without his praiers but he will not because he delights to have him sue to him Yea but Gods decrees are immutable and his will is unchangeable how then can our praiers incline him this way or that way Thus indeed have wicked wits reasoned against praier but it is a true and a well known rule subordinata non pugnant inter se things which are subordinate are not contrary one to the other and such are Gods decrees and our prayers as God hath ordained the end so hath he ordained the meanes now Gods purposes are not hindred by our praiers but rather executed and our praiers are as it were the midwives to deliver them and the second causes and meanes to effect his decrees Christ knew that all those things which hee prayed for would be granted before he prayed but yet he prayed for them But now as our prayers in affliction must be fervent so must they bee frequent too and therefore the Apostle prayed often ter thrice that this thing this affliction might depart from him which is the third branch of this Petition A medicine must be often applied otherwise it will not worke the cure here is a certaine number for an uncertaine thrice for often as ter beatus thrice happy is very happy so when the Apostle said here ter rogavi I prayed thrice he meanes often or very much importunately even untill the Lord answered him Is thy praier denied the first and the second time why then it is very likely thou hast made some fault in thy prayer Yee aske and receive not because ye aske amisse saith St. Iames Iames 4.3 go to it therefore the third time and by often praying thou shalt finde out the error of thy prayer If God heare thee not in thine affliction at the first and second knocke it is to prove thy patience thy faith and thy love Ostium Coeli forsitan proptere◠clausum est ut ta fortiùs pulses Heaven gate is therefore perhaps shut that thou maist knocke the longer and the lowder give not over knocking then untill the doore be opened Magna beneficia magnis precibus sunt comparanda great blessings are not to bee obtained but with importunate prayers Did the unrighteous Judge in the Gospell yeeld at last to the importunate prayer of the widow And shall not the righteous Judge of heaven and earth thinke ye yeeld to the importunate prayers of his owne deare servants in their afflictions The Kingdome of Heaven suffereth violence and the violent take it by force what force Why the force of prayer haec vis Deo grata saith Tertullian and this violence is most pleasing unto Go◠Vincunt invincibilem ligant omnipotentem our frequent and importunate prayers overcame him that is invincible and binde him who is omnipotent But if our love and obedience to God cannot excite us to this frequency of prayer yet I am sure the thorne of affliction will urge us to call often upon the Lord who is our onely refuge in time of trouble rogavi Dominum I prayed unto the Lord c. which is the first branch of this Petition We have neither precept nor practice in all the canonicall Scriptures for praying to any other in heaven but onely unto the Lord. Whom have I in heaven but thee said David Psal 73.25 but the Papists are not of Davids Religion in this point for they have their St. Franc is and St. Bennet and thousands more in heaven whom they pray unto besides the Lord nay they have almost for every severall kinde of evill a severall Saint they pray unto their Saint Apollonia against the toothach to their Saint Petronella against a fever to their Saint Roch against the plague to their Saint Liberius against the stone to their Saint Nicholas against a tempest at sea to their St. Leonard against bonds and imprisonment and to other Saints against the like evills as Cornelius a lapide one of their owne writers is not ashamed to confesse in his Commentaries upon the second Chapter of Saint Pauls Epistle to the Hebrewes He must bee a good Arithmetician that can reckon up the names of all their Saints upon whom they cal when they are in any trouble or danger thus they dishonour God and rob him of his worship by their superstitious invocation of Saints departed who cannot hear nor help them That same cantlike argument of the Romanists that we must not or we should not presume to goe immediately to a King with our petitions but we must first make our way by a Master of Requests or by a favourite doth not deserve a scholarlike answer for God is is every where and his ears are open to our prayers and he knoweth the thoughts of our hearts long before they are thought and hee hath no other Master of Requests but the Spirit it selfe to make intercession for us no other favourite to present out praiers but his deare Son and our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ who is our Advocate at the right hand of God And so I come to the end of Saint Pauls Petition which was that the thing which did so trouble him might goe away from him Vt discederet à me that it might depart from me Afflictions in themselves are unpleasing and contrary to our nature and therefore in themselves not to be wished for or desired but to bee borne with patience comfortand joy when God sends them as being profitable for us As medicines in physicke which are made of corrected poysons are very good for us and therefore we are willing to take them but wee would not have them stay with us but when they have done their worke we would have them depart from us it is even so with our afflictions But in the meane time although these thornes of affliction be not presently pluckt out these messengers of Satan doe not straight way depart from us yet they shall never make us despaire of Gods goodnesse and mercy neither shall they vex us for ever Accepit diabolus tentandi licentiam sed non accepit subruendi capiam saith Saint Ambrose although Satan have leave to tempt us yet he hath not power to overcome us for there shall no temptation 〈◊〉 affliction take us but such as is common to man humane and moderate so indulgent is God to his children for God is faithfull and will not suffer us to be tempted or afflicted above that we are able to beare but when the temptation is at the highest when the affliction is at the worst God will make an issue that we may escape 1 Cor. 10.13 The bush that Moses saw burned but was not consumed Exod. 3. The ship wherein Christ and his Disciples were was covered with waves but yet it
did not sinke Matth. 8. And when Peter was walking upon the sea and ready to be drowned then Christ put forth his hand and saved him Matth. 14. God suffereth his servants many times to come to the very brinke of destruction and then hee delivereth them Dejicit ut erigat vulnerat ut sanet ut pressura verâ—â—tur in gratiam afflictio in coronam God hath to the us but he will heale us he hath smitten us but he will binde us up againe Hosea 6.1 I have seene in my experience divers of the servants of God sometimes by the violence of a fever sometimes by the dampe of melancholy and sometimes by Satans temptations brought even to the gates of hell who have reasoned very eloquently and strongly against their owne salvation and that for many daies together even to the approaching of death and upon persons in the like case we must take heed we doe not passe any rash judgement but impute their despairing speeches unto the distemper of their brains or unto the sway of their temptations and not unto the desertion of grace And yet in the end how have they been raised up again how have they been restored according to the words of the Psalmist in the multitude of the sorrowes which I had in my heart thy comforts have refreshed my soule Psal 94.19 I have done with Saint Pauls petition I come to Gods answer which is my second generall part And therein I observed first Gods deniall Saint Paul had an answer to his Petition after many prayers and in it a deniall and this did not a little satisfie him that hee had an answer though it were a deniall For many times the long and perhaps endlesse expectation of an answer is more grievous then a deniall Et dixit mihi and he said unto me But how God did answer Saint Paul here whether immediately by himselfe or mediately by an Angel whether by Vision or Revelation whether by lively speech or by the secret inspiration of his blessed Spirit Saint Paul hath not told us here and therefore we must not bee curious to inquire It is enough for us to know that God did answer the Apostles but as for the manner of the answer it is not for us to dispute it Well then the answer for the effect thereof was a deniall the Apostle prayed often that the thorne of affliction which did so trouble him might be pluckt out but it would not be but yet he shall have an antidote against the anguish thereof My grace is sufficient for thee A naturall man would marvell that St. Pauls complaint being so lamentable and his desire so reasonable God should deny the importunate prayers of his owne servant an Apostle and give him a repulse Exauditur diabolus petens Iobum tentandum non exauditur Paulus petens stimulum removendum saith Saint Austin Satan desired leave of God to tempt Iob and it was presently granted him the Apostle prayed often to God that the meslenger of Satan might depart from him and it was denied him this seems to be a strange thing but yet neither did S. Paul displease God with his praier neither was God unmercifull to him in his deniall for although God did not grant St. Paul that thing which he prayed for yet he granted him a better thing which he prayed not for and this is Gods fashion many times to his owne children Non semper exaudit nos ad voluntateÌ„ nostram sed semper exaudit nos ad utilitatem nostram saith S. Austin God doth not alwaies heare us according to our wills but he doth alwaies heare us for our good A father denieth a knife to his young childe because he knowes he may quickly hurt himself therewith and yet he denies it him in love God is our Physitian and he will not give us cold drinke when wee are sicke of an ague though we beg never so much for it Coelestis medicus non facit voluntatem ut faciat sanitatem our heavenly Physitian will not doe alwaies that which pleaseth us but which helpeth us I have done with the deniall I come now to the divine aid which God gave Saint Paul against the thing which did so trouble him wherein the first thing I observed is the nature and quality thereof it was his Grace Gratia mea my Grace is sufficient for thee This life begins and ends in Grace the other begins in Glory but never ends Grace is the preparation to Glory and Glory is the reward of Grace but let us see what Grace of God this was whereof the Lord spake unto the Apostle for there is a twofold Grace of God First there is Gratia Dei extra nos the Grace of God without us even in God himselfe which is the eternall love and favour of God whereby he loved us and elected us in Christ Jesus unto eternall life before the foundation of the world was laid Ephes 1. And here by the way I cannot but observe the ungracious dealings of the Romish Schoolemen with this grace of God which is the fountain of all our happinesse they never discusse nor handle it at large in their disputations they onely name it and so away we never finde them magnifying this grace of God as they ought to doe what 's the reason Because it makes against their proud doctrines of election for good workes foreseene and of justification by good workes done Now some Divines understand the answer of God here of this grace of God which if a man have he is safe enough from the hurt and danger of all temptations and afflictions whatsoever Deus meus omnia saith Saint Austin give me the love and favour of my God and I have all things But now although this grace of God be here first meant yet this grace alone is not here meant Secondly there is Gratia dei intra nos the grace of God within us as all the gifts of Gods holy Spirit in us which are truly called Gods graces because they are the fruits and effects of that eternall Grace the love and favour of God towards in Christ now of this grace also infused into the soule of a Christian man is the answer of God here to the Apostle as that by which he was to wrastle with and in the end to overcome the thing that did so trouble him of this grace Saint Peter speaketh We are kept by the power of God unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 What power Why the power of this grace and from what are we kept Why from the hurt of all temptations and afflictions whatsoever this grace was St. Pauls token in all his Epistles which he writ alwaies with his owne hand 2 Thes 3.17 This is the pretious jewell and ornament of the soul of man and as the soule is the life of the body so this grace is the life of the soule This stirreth us up to all goodnesse and restraineth us from evill this keepes us from pride in
here in earth then are wee in heaven When we can doe nothing then can we doe all things When we are sorrowfull then do we rejoyce When we are mortified then are we quickned When we are dead then are we alive When we would doe evill then would we doe good When we lose our lives then do we find them When we are sinners then are we righteous These mixtures of power and infirmity are riddles and paradoxes indeed to flesh bloud to nature reason and a naturall man cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned but they are Evangelicall Axiomes yea they are principles of Faith and Religion to us that are Christians and they are verified in us without any contradiction at all as you shall heare When wee are weake in body by reason of sicknesse or any distresse then are we strong in the Lord and in the Spirit of his might unto all patience with joyfulnesse Eph. 6.10 Colos 1.11 When we are poore in spirit even in the inmost recesses of the soule to the acknowledgement of our owne unworthinesse and wickednesse then are we rich in Faith and then doe we make many rich in Christ Iam. 2.5 2 Cor. 6.10 When wee are fooles in the opinion of the world then are we wise in God unto salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 When we are miserable in enduring afflictions and reproaches then are we happy being thereby tried and made fit for heaven Rev. 2.10 When we are unknowne to the world then are we well knowne and opproved of God and good men 1 Cor. 8.3 Rom. 14.18 When we are despised of wantons and prophane persons then are we pretious and honourable in Gods sight Esay 43.4 and before his holy Angells who rejoice at our repentance Luke 15.10 and also in the eyes of all upright and just men Psal 15.4 When we are simple concerning evill then are we prudent and wise unto that which is good Rom. 16.19 When we are humble in our selves before God and men then doe we boast and glory in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ Gal. 6.14 and also in reproaches in necessities in persecutions in distresses for Christs sake in the tenth verse of this Chapter When we are besides our selves in any heavenly extasie or divine rapture and contemplation of Gods goodnesse mercy and love to us which Saint Bernard calls sanam sanctam quandam insaniam a sound and an holy kinde of madnesse which Moses and Peter and Paul had then are we sober in our selves and towards men 2 Cor. 5.13 When we must please no man by flattery or for our own ends then must we please all men in all things that are good for their edification that they may be saved Rom. 15.2 1 Cor. 10.33 VVhen we must be carefull for nothing inordinately and immoderately and with distrust then must we provide all things honest in the sight of men 2 Cor. 8.21 1 Tim. 5.8 VVhen we have nothing of this worlds upon which we set our hearts and desires then do we possesse all things in contentment 2 Cor. 6.10 VVhen we are here in earth in our persons then are we in heaven in our conversation Phil. 3.20 VVhen we can doe nothing of our selves then can wee doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth us Phil. 4.13 what all things indeed that can be done No but all things necessary and fit for us to doe VVhen we are sorrowfull for our distresses then doe we rejoyce in the Lord 2 Cor. 6.10 Phil. 4.4 that is in his protection in his favour in his promises and in his service yea when ye are sorrowfull for our sinnes then doe we rejoice in our repentance 2 Cor. 7.10 VVhen we are mortified in the flesh then are we quickned in our mortall bodies by the Spirit Rom. 8.11.13 VVhen we are dead unto sinnes then doe wee live unto righteousnesse 1 Pet. 2.24 VVhen we would doe evill by the suggestion of the old man then would we doe good by the motions of the new man Rom 7.19 VVhen we lose our lives for Christs sake and the Gospells here in this world then doe we save them in the world to come Marke 9.35 VVhen we are sinners in our selves then are we righteous before God in Christ being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 and having the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us Rom. 4.5.8 And so having taken a generall view of the Text I come to a particular survey thereof My power is made perfect in weaknesse The power of God is one and the same in it selfe but it is diverse to us in respect of the severall objects and matters wherein it doth operate and in this sense I finde three kindes of the power of God in the Scriptures and but three First there is virtus brachii the power of Gods arme vvhereof vve read in the 20. Psalme and the 6. verse in the 51. of Esay and the 9. and in the 27. of Ieremy and the 5. and everywhere almost in the Scriptures Secondly there is virtus gratiae the power of Gods grace which Saint Paul calls in the verse next after my text the power of Christ of which we reade everywhere almost in the Epistles of the Apostles Thirdly there is virtus gloriae the power of Gods glory or his glorious power 2 Thess 1.9 which shall be shewed in the world to come But the weaknesse of the creature especially of man is manifold yea of infinite variety but I may reduce all unto these three severall heads or sorts the weaknesse of nature the weaknesse of sufferings now and the weaknesse of corruption of consumption and as it were of annihilation after death Now under these three kindes of power exercised by God and under these three heads of weaknesse appearing in man I will comprise all my ensuing meditations upon this text And I will shew first that the power of Gods arme is made perfect in the weaknesse of the creature in generall but particularly of mans nature Secondly that the power of Gods grace is made perfect in the weaknesse of mans sufferings here in this life Thirdly that the power of Gods glory is made perfect in the weaknesse of corruption consumption and annihilation by the resurrection of the body out of the dust of the earth unto life eternall I begin with the first The power of Gods arme is made perfect in the weaknesse of the creature in generall and particularly of mans nature Virtus mea c. My power is made perfect in weaknesse God made man the master-piece of all his Creation not of any precious stone nor of gold or silver oare nor of brasse or any other metall nor of a rocke nor of oake or any other tree nor of any fruit or flower but of vile and dull earth yea ex pulvere terrae of the very dust of the earth Gen. 2.7 the basest and barrenest part of the earth Why so to shew his power the more in mans weaknesse and to teach us not to