inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel?" 2 Chron. xx. 7. When we have not any statute law and promise to plead, we may plead his power, together with the former precedents and acts of it. The centurion had nothing else to act upon, but the power of Christ, and some evidences of it in the miracles reported of him; but he is silent in the latter, and casts himself only upon the former, acknowledging that Christ had the same command over diseases, as himself had over his soldiers, Matt. viii. 8, 9. And our Saviour, when he receives the petition of the blind men, requires no more of them in order to a cure, but a belief of his ability to perform it; "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" Matt. ix. 28. His will is not known but by revelation, but his power is apprehended by reason, as essentially and eternally linked with the notion of a God. God also is jealous of the honour of this attribute; and since it is so much virtually discredited, he is pleased when any do cordially own it, and entirely resign themselves to the assistance of it.

Well then, in all duties where faith is particularly to be acted, forget not this as the main prop of it: do you pray for a flourishing and triumphing grace? Consider him as able to make all grace to abound in you, 2 Cor. ix. 8. Do you want comfort and reviving under your contritions and godly sorrow? consider him as he declares himself, "The high and lofty One," Isa. lvii. 15. Are you under pressing distresses? take the advice of Eliphaz to Job, when he tells him what he himself would do if he were in his case; "I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause," Job v. 8; but observe under what consideration, as to one that "doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number," ver. 9. When you beg of him the melting your rocky hearts, the dashing in pieces your strong corruptions, the drawing his beautiful image in your soul, the quickening your dead hearts, and reviving your drooping spirits, and supplying your spiritual wants, consider him as one able to do abundantly, not only above what you can ask, but above what you can think, Eph. iii. 20. Faith will be spiritless, and prayer will be lifeless, if power be not eyed by us in those things which cannot be done without an arm of Omnipotence.

[3.] This doctrine teaches us humility and submission. The vast disproportion between the mightiness of God and the meanness of a creature, inculcates the lesson of humility in his presence. How becoming is humility under a mighty hand! 1 Pet. v. 6. What is an infant in a giant's hand, or a lamb in a lion's paw? Submission to irresistible power is the best policy, and the best security: this gratifies and draws out goodness, whereas murmuring and resistance exasperate and sharpen

power. We sanctify his name and glorify his strength by falling down before it; it is an acknowledgment of his invisible strength, and our inability to match it. How low should we therefore lie before him, against whose power our pride and murmuring can do no good, who can outwrestle us in our contests, and always overcome when he judges! Rom. iii. 4.

[4.] This doctrine teaches us, not to fear the pride and force of man. How unreasonable is it, to fear a limited above an unbounded power! How unbecoming is the fear of man in him, who has an interest in a strength able to curb the strongest devils! Who would tremble at the threats of a dwarf, that has a mighty and watchful giant for his guard? If God does but arise, his enemies are scattered, Psal. lxviii. 1; the least motion makes them fly before him; it is no difficult thing for him, that made them by a word, to unmake their designs, and shiver them in pieces by the breath of his mouth. He brings princes to nothing, and makes the judges of the earth vanity; they wither when he blows upon them, and their stock shall not take root in the earth. He can command a whirlwind to take them away as stubble, Isa. xl. 23, 24. Yea, with the shaking of his hand, he makes servants to become rulers of those that were their masters, Zech. ii. 9. Whole nations are no more in his hands than a morning cloud, or the dew upon the ground, or the chaff before the wind, or the smoke against the motion of the air, which though it appear out of a chimney like a black invincible cloud, is quickly dispersed, and becomes invisible, Hos. xiii. 3. How inconsiderable are the most mighty to his strength, which can puff away a whole world of proud grasshoppers, and a whole sky of daring clouds! He that by his word masters the rage of the sea, can overrule the pride Where is the fury of the oppressor? It cannot overleap the bounds he has set it, nor march an inch beyond the point he has prescribed it. Fear not the confederacies of man, but "sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread," Isa. viii. 13. To fear men is to dishonour the name of God, and regard him as a feeble Lord, and not as the Lord of hosts, who is mighty in strength, so that they that harden themselves against him shall not prosper.

and

power

of men.

X

[5.] Therefore this doctrine teaches us the fear of God. The prophet Jeremiah counts it as an impossible thing for men to be destitute of the fear of God, when they seriously consider his name to be great and mighty: "Thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations?" Jer. vi. 7. Shall we not tremble at his presence, who has placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree; that though the waves thereof toss themselves,

VOL. II.-17

yet they cannot prevail? Jer. v. 22. He can arm the weakest creature for our destruction, and disarm the strongest creatures for our preservation. He can command a hair, a crumb, a kernel to go awry, and strangle us. He can make the heavens brass over our head, stop close the bottles of the clouds, and make the fruit of the fields droop, when there is a small distance to the harvest: he can arm men's wit, wealth, hands against themselves: he can turn our sweet morsels into bitter, and our own consciences into devouring lions: he can root up cities by moles, and conquer the proudest by lice and worms. The omnipotence of God is not only the object of a believer's trust, but a believer's fear. It is from the consideration of this power only, that our Saviour presses his disciples, whom he entitles his friends, to fear God; which lesson he presses by a double repetition, and with a kind of asseveration, without rendering any other reason than this of the ability of God to cast into hell, Luke xii. 5. We are to fear him because he can, but bless his goodness because he will not. In regard of his omnipotence, he is to be reverenced, not only by mortal men, but by the blessed angels, who are past the fear of any danger by his power, being confirmed in a happy state by his unalterable grace. When they adore him for his holiness, they reverence him for his power with covered faces: the title of the Lord of hosts is joined in their reverential praise with that of his holiness, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts," Isa. vi. 3. How should we adore that power which can preserve us, when devils and men conspire to destroy us! How should we stand in awe of that power. which can destroy us, though angels and men should combine to preserve us! The parts of his ways which are discovered, are sufficient motives to an humble and reverential adoration: but who can fear and adore him according to the vastness of his power, and his excellent greatness, since "the thunder of his power who can understand?"

DISCOURSE XI.

ON THE HOLINESS OF GOD.

EXOD. XV. 11.-Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!

THIS verse is one of the loftiest descriptions of the majesty and excellency of God in the whole Scripture. It is a part of Moses's 'Exivixiov, or triumphant song, after a great and real,

I Trap. in loc.

and a typical victory; in the womb of which all the deliverances of the church were couched. It is the first song upon holy record, and it consists of gratulatory and prophetic matter: it casts a look backward, to what God did for them in their deliverance from Egypt; and a look forward, to what God shall do for the church in future ages. That deliverance was but a rough draught of something more excellent to be wrought towards the closing up of the world; when his plagues shall be poured out upon the anti-christian powers, which should revive the same song of Moses in the church, as fitted so many ages before for such a scene of affairs, Rev. xv. 3. It is observed, therefore, that many words in this song are put in the future tense, noting a time to come; and the very first word, ver. 1, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song," is, "shall sing;" implying, that it was composed and calculated for the celebrating some greater action of God's, which was to be wrought in the world. Upon this account some of the Jewish rabbins, from the consideration of this remark, asserted the doctrine of the resurrection to be meant in this place; that Moses and those Israelites should rise again to sing the same song, for some greater miracles God should work, and greater triumphs he should bring forth, exceeding those wonders at their deliverance from Egypt. 1

It consists of, a preface, ver. 1, "I will sing unto the Lord.” 2 An historical narration of matter of fact, ver. 3, 4, "Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea;" which he ascribes solely to God, ver. 6. "Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy;" which he does prophetically, as respecting something to be done in after-times; or further, for the completing of that deliverance; or, as others think, respecting their entering into Canaan; for the words in these two verses are put in the future tense. The manner of the deliverance is described ver. 8. "The floods stood upright as an

heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.' In the 9th verse, he magnifies the victory from the vainglory and security of the enemy; "The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil," &c. And ver. 16, he prophetically describes the fruit of this victory, in the influence it shall have upon those nations, by whose confines they were to travel to the promised land; "Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over-which thou hast purchased." The phrase of this, and of the 17th and 18th verses, seems to be more magnificent, than to design only the bringing the Israelites to the earthly Canaan: but seems to respect the 1 Manass. Ben. Israel, de Resur. lib. 1. cap. 1. p. 7.

2 Pareus in Exod. xv.

gathering his redeemed ones together, to place them in the spiritual sanctuary which he had established, wherein the Lord should reign for ever and ever, without any enemies to disturb his royalty; "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever," ver. 18. The prophet, in the midst of his historical narratives, seems to be in an ecstacy, and breaks out in a stately exaltation of God in the text.

"Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?" &c. Interrogations are in Scripture the strongest affirmations or negations. It is here a strong affirmation of the incomparableness of God, and a strong denial of the worthiness of all creatures to be partners with him in the degrees of his excellency: it is a preference of God before all creatures in holiness, to which the purity of creatures is but a shadow, in desert of reverence and veneration, he being fearful in praises. The angels cover their faces when they adore him in his particular perfections.

"Among the gods." Among the idols of the nations, say some: others say, it is not to be found that the heathen idols are ever dignified with the title of strong or mighty, as the word translated gods, doth import; and therefore understand it of the angels, or other potentates of the world; or rather inclusively, of all that are noted for, and can lay claim to the title of strength and might upon the earth or in heaven. God is so great and majestic, that no creature can share with him in his praise.

3

"Fearful in praises." Various are the interpretations of this passage to be reverenced in praises; his praise ought to be celebrated with a religious fear. Fear is the product of his mercy as well as his justice; he hath forgiveness that he may be feared, Psal. cxxx. 4. Or, "fearful in praises;" whom none can praise without amazement at the considerations of his works. None can truly praise him without being affected with astonishment at his greatness. 2 Or, "fearful in praises;" whom no mortal can sufficiently praise, since he is above all praise. Whatsoever a human tongue can speak, or an angelical understanding think of the excellency of his nature and the greatness of his works, falls short of the vastness of the Divine perfection. A creature's praises of God are as much below the transcendent eminency of God, as the meanness of a creature's being is below the eternal fulness of the Creator. Or rather, fearful, or terrible in praises; that is, in the matter of thy praise: and the learned Rivet concurs with me in this sense. The works of God celebrated in this song were terrible; it was the miraculous overthrow of the strength and flower of a mighty nation: his judgments were severe, as well as his mercy was seasonable. The word signifies glorious and

1 Rivet.

2 Calvin.

3 Munster.