First, That the power of God is necessary both to the beginnings of grace, and the progress. Christ must be not only the Author, but the finisher of our faith. Heb. 12:2. When the Apostle, 1 Pet. 1.3. had showed, that God through his abundant mercy had begotten us again, he showeth this is not enough, but we are kept afterwards by his power; only the power of God in working grace in us, at first finds us in a different estate, then when it preserveth or keepeth us. At first the power of God finds us dead in sin, and in respect of any holiness, like that Chaos at first without form and void. Therefore Ephes. 2. it's a quickening power, which infuseth supernatural life, and so maketh us of spiritually dead, to live: It's an Omnipotent, insuperable Power, like that of Creation, which was out of nothing; and therefore we are said to be created, and his new-creatures. But in the progress of Grace, the power of God finds us not dead, but with spiritual life, only there cannot be any further motions or actings of this life without power from above, Acti agimus, and moti movemus, it's God that enableth us to believe, to hunger and thirst after the enjoyment of him: Even as Conservation doth not find the creature in the Womb of nothing, as Creation did, only it continueth that being already existent, which otherwise would fall into nothing: Thus did not the Lord bear up daily by his power, that heavenly building raised up by him at first in thy soul, it would become a very ruin, and not a stone left upon a stone. It's this later kind of power, the godly need all the day long, if his right hand bear them not up, they immediately fall to the ground.
First, That the power of God is necessary both to the beginnings of grace, and the progress. Christ must be not only the Author, but the finisher of our faith. Heb. 12:2. When the Apostle, 1 Pet. 1.3. had shewed, that God through his abundant mercy had begotten us again, he sheweth this is not enough, but we are kept afterwards by his power; only the power of God in working grace in us, at first findes us in a different estate, then when it preserveth or keepeth us. At first the power of God findes us dead in sinne, and in respect of any holiness, like that Chaos at first without form and void. Therefore Ephes. 2. it's a quickning power, which infuseth supernatural life, and so maketh us of spiritually dead, to live: It's an Omnipotent, insuperable Power, like that of Creation, which was out of nothing; and therefore we are said to be created, and his new-creatures. But in the progress of Grace, the power of God findes us not dead, but with spiritual life, only there cannot be any further motions or actings of this life without power from above, Acti agimus, and moti movemus, it's God that inableth us to believe, to hunger and thirst after the enjoyment of him: Even as Conservation doth not finde the creature in the Womb of nothing, as Creation did, only it continueth that being already existent, which otherwise would fall into nothing: Thus did not the Lord bear up daily by his power, that heavenly building raised up by him at first in thy soul, it would become a very ruine, and not a stone left upon a stone. It's this later kinde of power, the godly need all the day long, if his right hand bear them not up, they immediately fall to the ground.
