God for ever and ever, for wisdom and might are his; I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might," Dan. ii. 19-23. An excellent spirit and power wrought in Daniel, and he acknowledges all to the Giver; "Wisdom and might are his." How God's power and glory went in the sanctuary, is turned into a psalm of praise; made to echo to the Author. The very degree thereof is noted; "So as I have seen them." "That I may see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen them in the sanctuary," Psa. Ixiii. 2. What he did enjoy, was thankfully acknowledged; what he would enjoy again, was heartily panted after. How you see and feel power and glory go in the ordinances, how in your hearts, I beseech you acknowledge to Christ; let him have the glory of every powerful working here. We are men as yourselves; that our weapons are mighty, is through God. He does all, admire him, adore him. Heart-smitings, heart-embracings, or kickings secretly; they are the kisses of his lips, and the spurnings of his power, give him the glory of all. How prevailingly Christ hath revealed power in thee! What a lust he hath discovered, subdued! What an eternal state ruined, hath he repaired! What wounds he hath healed! What inward issues he hath stayed! What bones, what broken bones, and how many he hath set and made to rejoice! -let him have the glory of all.

We should meet our Father with joy. Every revelation of power in the heart, is your Father's coming towards you, to take you nearer home to himself. We call power little, some revelations thereof in comparison of others, because the scripture doth so speak of it for our weakness' sake; but this know, it is no little power that will stir your

hearts, it is an arm of the Lord, which is no small limb-" to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed ?" it is more than a finger, shall God reveal an arm in you, and lose it in you? "He made the sun, moon, and stars; praise him," saith the psalmist. But that power which hath made sun and stars in your hearts; which hath bespangled your spirits with various glories, should not this much more make matter of praise? As power heightens itself in working, so should we heighten it by extolling it. As any revelation hath less or more of God in it, so it should busy and take up the heart to return it; "In thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great," &c. 1 Chron. xxix. 12. As God's hand did work for David, so did David's heart and tongue work for God. He turned power into praise, and so sent it home again in state to heaven. But more of his expressions in that place are very observable to this purpose and point I am pressing. "But who am I," saith he, " and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly?" 1 Chron. xxix. 14. "That we should be able, and able so willingly," here is the very degree of enabling power praisingly noted. As high as power sets a lesson of love, so high it should be sung.

Do but consider some poor souls that sit by you, which have no power of God stirring in them, but lie dead; and then be you dead if you can, to give thanks for that power which hath quickened and raised you from the dead! God will turn grace into our glory hereafter; we should turn grace into his glory here.

SERMON IV.

COLOSSIANS I. 11.

STRENGTHENED WITH ALL MIGHT, ACCORDING TO HIS GLORIOUS POWER, UNTO ALL PATIENCE AND LONG-SUFFERING WITH JOYFULNESS.

It is as it ought to be, when apprehension makes full and due impression upon affection. When the soul works out for God in desire and prayer according as it apprehends the need of him, the necessity of his power, love, or the like, for himself or others. Suitable to what the apostle apprehended, he prayed. Suitable to what he judged these would need of God, of his power and might, so he heartily wished to them.

Apprehension is placed by God as a sentinel in the soul, the actions of it should stir all. It is a power in man to see at a distance, and to give warning to all other powers, that the heart may more look out, and work out according to what is or will be needed.

God is come within sight of man when apprehension reaches him. According to what of God is in sight, so should the soul stir. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes," Job xlii. 5, 6. Whilst Job had not such an apprehension of divine the less power as it was, sinful was it that his soul did not stir in reference to it as he ought, but as soon as he rightly under

stood it, all other powers stirred thoroughly, and Job answerably repented and went about his business to stoop to that power which he saw above him.

Every faculty must have the honour of its place. Divine ordination must have the honour of its end, or the man dies for it. "When ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh," &c. saith the scripture; that is, make use of what you apprehend, and answerably stir and prepare, or you will perish with the world. So you shall have expressions frequent. When you hear this or that, then do thus and thus; that is, when one faculty does its office, let all the rest do so too, or else you are lost men. If any sentinel shoot off, and be not regarded, the whole army dies for it.

Any soul-power misworking overthrows all; so any soul-power disobeyed in working by other powers overthrows all. If apprehension be blind and sleepy, the soul is undone; if apprehension see and speak in and by conscience, and yet the heart lie still, all will miscarry by surprise. Apprehension is a power placed to prevent surprise: sad things concerning man, by divine ordination, work at a distance for a time. That man has his eyes in his head who sees this, saith Solomon; that is, apprehension discharges its office. If this office and power be slighted by other powers in the heart, all is taken by surprise.

I think apprehension now does its office in most of you; how is it obeyed in heart, in other main powers of the soul? Surely now no man but must needs apprehend, that he may want much of God speedily, as much as the apostle apprehended these might do, "much might,” "all might:" now what

stirring of heart under all that you apprehend! Ye are convinced: are ye converted? Do ye stir now for yourselves as the apostle did for these? Do ye wrestle hard with God for all that ye apprehend ye may need? Can ye apprehend the necessity of much, and be stirred little? Canst thou see better blood than thine own shed, and yet make no preparation for the loss of thine?

Dost thou not yet set to separate between sin and thy soul? Art thou resolved to die in thy sin? Wilt thou bleed to death in thy sin? What a deadly bleeding is that when soul and body bleed to death together! When the soul bleeds as fast with wounds from conscience, as the body with wounds from man! When soul and body bleed mortally together! Ah! let me not be near that man: how will he sigh! How will he look, speak, gasp, and groan! And yet many such sad sights may be, for ought I can discern, in many men's preparations to this hour!

Sinners, God deals with you now as with Balaam; he stands before you with a drawn sword, he threatens your death if ye make a step further; ye cannot but apprehend this now as well as I; Balaam and his ass too must needs see it now. What now will ye do? Will ye make no use of such palpable apprehension? How exceeding sinful will that sin become which rides it out now against death, and will live when the man must no longer live. I beseech you all, consider the dealings of God, and consider your eternal state. Does apprehension make due impression? Do ye work out heavenward, as the apostle doth here, answerable to what ye apprehend you and yours may want?

Sin is in great power where the soul will not give