SERMON VIII.

GOD's Almighty Power, by what Acts manifefted, and in what Sense to be understood.

Gen. xvii. 1.

The Lord appeared unto Abraham and faid unto him, I am God Almighty.·

SERM. A familiar to our minds, it arifes from

S the idea of power is one of the most

VIII.

a multitude of occafions, from an attention to our own activity, and the many changes we fee in material objects, which lead us to the confideration of a caufe or causes, that is, power producing them; fo Omnipotence is one of the first perfections which reafon has taught men to ascribe to the Supreme Being. We cannot avoid observing a great verfity of operations and effects; and confequently a great difference in the degrees of power: But the highest measure of this perfection must belong to the firft univerfal

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Caufe,

Cause, whose characters have in the preceding SER M. discourses, been prov'd; and indeed by all who VIII. believe his existence, are acknowledg'd to be intelligence and activity. If there is one immenfe, neceffarily existing and eternal Spirit, the defigning original Author of all appearances and of all powers diftinct from his own, in the universe, his power must be the greatest of all,

nay, the greatest and most abfolute that can be. For it must be fufficient for its own productions, fuperior to all which are derived from it; and to suppose the poffibility of a greater, is to suppofe that a fuperior power may proceed from an inferior and insufficient cause, or from nothing. Accordingly, all of mankind who acknowledg'd the one fupreme eternal Deity, have constantly agreed in attributing to him the character which the God of Abraham claims for himself, that he is Almighty: However they might differ in their notions concerning his other perfections, here they are unanimous. The idea of power always accompanies that of Divinity. The prophet Ifaiah therefore having afferted the supremacy of the God of Ifrael, which is prov'd by his wonderful works, reproaches the heathen idols with weakness. He calls upon them to fhew their Godhead by the operations of their power, either in doing good or evil+; for an + Ifaiah xli. 23.

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SER M. impotent God is an abfurdity, in the opinion VIII. of every man. But if there be one indepen

dent God for everlafting, on whom all things depend, there appears no colourable pretence for denying that he is All-powerful. And as this is among the first principles univerfally receiv'd in speculation; fo it has a most direct and immediate influence to the purposes of religion. For tho' all the Divine perfections concur in exciting religious difpofitions ; and taken together, they form that amiable character, which is the object of our devout affections; yet the confideration of Almighty power, in a particular manner ftrikes the mind with awe, and produces that fear which is a great fecurity of our obedience. I fhall therefore in this difcourfe endeavour to explain the attribute of Omnipotence, which by the clearest evidence of reafon, we are convinc'd, belongs to God. And I will, First, fhew wherein it confifts, and by what works it is manifested. Secondly, In what sense and with what limitation it is to be understood.

First, Let us confider wherein the Omnipotence of God confifts, and by what works it is manifefted. The principle itself, the Almighty Power of the Deity, by which can be meant nothing else but his infinitely active Nature, is too high for us to understand. All the idea

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we can have of it is by its operations, which S ERM. is inadequate, but it reprefents the object to our VIII. minds as being very great; fince the effects by which we form it, even those of them which fall within our own particular knowledge, are many and fo wonderful. All things that are in the univerfe, the firft Cause himself only excepted, are his works, and all power is derived from him. Now, if the effects vaftly tranfcend the capacity of the human mind, how can it by fearching find out the Caufe? If we cannot reach to the utmoft limits of created nature, nor comprehend the productions of Divine Power, how thall we comprehend the Power itself, which must be fuppos'd to be far fuperior to them? What pretence can there be for denying or doubting that he can do whatever pleaseth him, who made the heavens and all the hofts of them, the earth and all things that are therein, the fea and all that therein is, and who preferveth them all? But we need not puzzle our thoughts by endeavouring to imagine the utmost extent of poffibility, when we begin to form an idea of Divine Power; let us confider it as manifested in actual existence, for that will furnish us with inftances to which we fhall find our understandings unequal.

The giving being to things that were not, is an exercise of Power which furpaffes our Nehemiah ix, 6.

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SERM. comprehenfion, because it is unparallel'd in VIII. other causes, and far beyond any activity that

we are confcious of in ourselves, or can by means of our fenfes difcern in others, which requires pre-existent materials to work upon. A power to change the exterior and visible forms of matter is what we can easily comprehend, for that we find ourselves able to do in many inftances; and the more difficult operations of nature in changing the inward frame of things, whereby the fame substance paffes into a variety of very different appearances. For example, that which is now earth and water having undergone feveral preparatory alterations, becomes corn and other vegetables; afterwards it is converted into animal juices; from whence fome of it perspires in small particles and mixes with the air, the reft adheres to the folid parts of the animal body, or is discharged in various forms: These, I fay, and fuch like operations, however it may exceed our fkill to imitate, or even to comprehend them fully, yet are familiar to us, being daily exemplified before our eyes in natural generation and corruption. But to bring fomething out of nothing, or cause that to exist which had no existence before in any form, requires a Power so much superior to ours, and is fo unlike any agency which falls