Confider this which way you will.

In eo quod fumus: in that we are. In him we live.

Ineo quod facimus, in that we do: the good that we do,

he doth it himself: O Lord, thou haft wrought all our works in us. Ifai.26.12. The skill that we have in our feverall profeffions and trades and myfteries, it is his fpirit that giveth it, the ftrength that we have to labour in our feverall callings is his ftrength, and that bleffing was included in the curfe of man. Thou shalt eat Gen.3.19. thy bread, in the fweat of thy face: that God would give man ftrength to earn his bread, and his labour fhould be his phyfick, it fhould make him breath out evill and noxious vapours in his body, which might offend health, in sweat.

And if we confider with what coarfe fare, and little reft, and mean apparell, the labouring man doth paffe through great labour, we cannot but acknowledge that experience hath fealed this doctrine, that God is the ftrength of man; for man layeth on load upon man, and they that live at eafe, feel not the burthens that they do lay upon their brethren.

you

God is our strength, in eo quod patimur, in that we fuffer, for could we fore-think our felvs able to bear that forrow and mifery, which captivity and war doth bring upon us? do not hear fome fay, they cannot eat fuch and fuch meat, they cannot rife early, they cannot brook the air, their tender flesh cannot endure any hardneffe.

Can fuch endure to spend their whole time in prayfing the goodneffe of God toward them for his great mercy, that he putteth them not to it, to try what they can fuffer, let them hear the Prophet feremie complain.

The pretions fons of Sion, comparable to fine gold, bow are they Lam.4.2. efteemed as earthen pitchers?

They that did feed delicately are defolate in the streets, they that 5. were brought up in fcarlet, embrace dunghils.

The women fed on their own aborrements,and did eat their own unripe fruit, children of a fpan long. Such as were fo tender, that they could fcarce endure to touch the ground of the ftreet with the foals of their fhoes, even to fuch God fent

word

Lam. 2.20.

word that, Her own feet should carry her a far off to fojourn. When it fhall pleafe God to turn the wheel of providence, and to fet Princes and high perfons in the rank of common men, in the condition of miferable and diftreffed men, tender hands will learn to labour, and God will give ftrength.

The ordinary, the extraordinary, the outward, the inward, the expected, the fodain calamities of life are manifold, to bear them all with patience, to digeft them with cheerfulneffe, to turn them into the nourishment of our faith and hope, this is the ftrength of the Lord in us, our foul would foon grow weary of them, if God did not eftablish our hearts: for the fenfe of evils incumbent, and the fear of evils ingruent, would foon diftract and diftemper us, if the ftrength of the Lord did not fuftein us.

has

This doctrine which informeth us whence we have our ftrength, directeth us alfo in the use of it, for fo God himself hath taught us.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy foul, with all thy might.

We must put our whole strength to his fervice, and to the obedience of his Law.

All other use of our ftrength for this life is fubordinate to this, for they miftake their own creation, that think they were made for themselves, and employ their wits, and time, and ftrength, to fupport, to adorn, and to make pleafant and eafie this temporall life of ours.

Chrift faith, that this love of our God must be AUS TÜ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς toxos oo, with all our ftrength.

Some abufe their ftrength to oppreffion and fpoil to wrong their brethren: fo Babylon is called the hammer of the whole eat for God did use these Chaldeans as the rods of his fury, to punish the tranfgreffing nations: but there came a time, when this hammer was cut afunder and broken.

How is the hammer of the whole earth cut afunder and broken? how is Babylon become a defolation among the nations?

I have laid a fnare for thee, and thou art also taken, O Babylon,

and

and thou waft not aware, thou art found, and also taken because thou haft striven against the Lord.

Let the oppreffours of their brethren confider this, the fnare of God is full of danger, for it hath three dangers in it. 1. To catch fuddenly: thou waft not aware.

2 To hold fast: thou art taken.

3 To deftroy, for they that are taken in the fnare of God are at his mercy, in his power. Upon the wicked, he will rain Pfal.1.6, Snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempeft: this fhall be the portion of their

cup.

Some give their ftrength to women, and by unchaft and lewd converfation, weaken those bodies, and defile the Temples of God, where Gods holy fpirit fhould dwell.

It was the advice which Batfbeba the mother of Solomon gave quer beloved Lemuel, and the putteth it home in a mothers holy paffion.

2

What my fon, and what the son of my womb, and what the son of Prov.31.2. my vows?

Give not thy ftrength to women, nor thy wayes to that which de 3. froveth Kings.

Ít feemeth that Solomon had taken out his mothers leffon, for he giveth all that fear God warning, to take heed of the ftrange woman, for he faith.

She bath caft down many wounded, yea many ftrong men have Prov.7.26. beea fain by her.

Her house is the way of hell, going down to the chambers of 27. death.

Some give their strength to drunkenneffe, they have a woe 3 for their labour.

Woe unto them that rife up early in the morning, that they may Ifai.5.11. follow ftrong drink, that continue till night, till wine enflame them.

Some give their strength to covetoufneffe, fome to pride, fome to their bellies, fome waft and confume their ftrength in idleneffe, God gave them not their ftrength to any of thefe evill ends.

It is his ftrength that they abufe, and he calleth for all of it in his fervice.

Ecce

Me

4

Rom. 6.19.

Use 2.

Me thinks the Apoftle doth plead for God very reasonably, and therein he teacheth us to try our felves, whether we be innocent or faulty in thiskond:

As you have yielded your members fervants to uncleannesse, and to iniquity, to iniquity: So now yield your members fervants to righteoufneffe unto bolineffe.

It is unreafonable, when God defireth but the fame fervice done to him, that made and preferveth us, and would fave us, that we give to Satan, who goeth about like a roaring lyon to deftroy us; and it is a good way between God and confcience, to try our hearts, whether we have done our God the right that we fhould do him in our ftrength, for have we had as great delight in the Bible, and have we read that with as much diligence, as we have read other books of delight and pleafure? have we heard the Word with as much attention and profit, as we have heard, other vain and wanton tales: have we bestowed as many private hours in prayer, as we have done in game.

Have we as much delighted in the Lords Supper, the fouls feaf, as we have done in the feafts and banquets of the body? Nay, have we not ufurped fome of Gods day for our temporall bufineffe, and neglected the Church affembly, and the miniftery of the word, to eat, and drink, and game, and fleep, & take our eafe? would we have done fo,if fome comand from fome fuperiour powers had comanded us any speciall fervice.

This is the way to try us: furely we have not given our whole ftrength to the Lord, if we have done these things, and therefore unleffe we redeem the time, and amend our ways, our confciences will tell us, that his fervants we are whom we obey, and the fervants of fin muft look for the wages of fin, that is death..

But let us do no more fo, feeing the Lord is our ftrength, let our ftrength be the Lords, let it ferve him for himself, our brethren for his fakeout riding la

Another use of this point I learn from the fong of Mofes, the man of God, and of the children of Ifrael after they came out of the red fea.

The

The Lord is my strength and fong: let him that is our ftrength, Exod.15. be our fong alfo, that is, let us praife him with joy and thankf giving, it is the honour that David giveth to the Lord as his ftrength is always from him, fo he promifeth. My fong shall be always of him; & he defireth that his mouth may be fil'd with his prayfe all the day long, these be called the calves of the lips of them that confeffe his name, they are facrifices of righteousneffe, and they pleafe God better then bullocks that have horns and hoofs: this is, anxapela: reasonable fervices | ebot

It followeth there, and it is another ufe of this point: The Use 3. Lord is my strength : I will prepare him an habitation.

In which words though literally, there be a propheticall reference to the Tabernacle of God,which God did after appoint, to be erected and confecrated to his fpeciall worthip; and further yet to the building of the Temple at herufalem; the joy of all the earth; yet in thankfull retribution to God for the ftrength that we have from him, every faithfull foul muft within it self erect an habitation for God and his anointed..

Know you not that your bodies are the temples of the holy ghoft? doth not Chrift dwell in us by faith? is not the foul the body of the Church? is not the understanding and intellectu all part the holy of holies, the chancell of the Church, where the glory of God dwelleth, and where the memorials of his mercies are kept?is not the heart the altar wherupon all our facrifices of thanksgiving, & the incenfe of our praiers are burnt? Is not the mouth of them that confeffe his name the beautiful porch of this Temple ?..

Doth not Chrift stand at our doors, and knock, and defire our entertainment ? 19 2017120

O let us receive him, he is our ftrength, there is not a stronger man to come in and bind him and caft him out, that day we receive him, that day is falvation come home to our house. Let him not come in as a gueft and fojourner, to carry a night and be gone, let him have the rule of the houfe. Chrift, will then tell us, that the Kingdome of God is within us, and where he ruleth; there is peace which paffeth all understanding.

Eeee 2

3 The