Sin runs us against reason, and causeth us to act not only wickedly, but foolishly: Is it not folly and madness for weakness to contend with Omnipotency? When a sinner hath strengthened himself the best he can, the very weakness of God (as the Apostle speaks) is stronger then he. What King (saith Christ, Luke 14.31.) going to make War against another King, doth not first sit down, &c. As if he had said, The Kings of the Earth are not so foolish, so brainless, and counsellesse to contend with those, whom they cannot match; they will hardly venture a Battle with ten thousand against twenty thousand, they will rather make a disadvantageous Peace, then proceed in a War upon such disadvantages. The King of Israel reproved the challenge which the King of Judah sent him, by the Parable of the Thistle in Lebanon, aspiring to match with the Cedar in Lebanon (2 Kings 14.9.) Whats a Thistle to a Cedar? Then what is man to God? See then what a reasonless, yea senseless creature man is, who will needs go out against God to Battle, though all the number he can muster, is not only as disproportionable as ten thousand to twenty thousand, as a Thistle to a Cedar, but more then one single man is to a Million of men, or then a bruised Reed to the strongest Oak. God with ease made all the power of man alone, and he, though alone, can more easily destroy it: it cost him but the speaking of a word to set it up, and he can pull it down with, yea without a word speaking. Many men have been styled, The great, The strong, The mighty: But no man ever durst own this style, The Almighty: This title of God in the Text, The Almighty, should make the mightiest of ⟨p. 138⟩men, the Nimrods of the World afraid to meddle, yea to think a thought of meddling with God. The absurdity of men in strengthening themselves against the Almighty, may appear yet more distinctly in three particulars.
Sin runs us against reason, and causeth us to act not onely wickedly, but foolishly: Is it not folly and madnesse for weaknesse to contend with Omnipotency? When a sinner hath strengthned himselfe the best he can, the very weaknesse of God (as the Apostle speaks) is stronger then he. What King (saith Christ, Luke 14.31.) going to make Warr against another King, doth not first sit downe, &c. As if he had sayd, The Kings of the Earth are not so foolish, so brainlesse, and counsellesse to contend with those, whom they cannot match; they will hardly venture a Battell with ten thousand against twenty thousond, they will rather make a disadvantageous Peace, then proceed in a Warr upon such disadvantages. The King of Israel reproved the challenge which the King of Judah sent him, by the Parable of the Thistle in Lebanon, aspiring to match with the Cedar in Lebanon (2 Kings 14.9.) Whats a Thistle to a Cedar? Then what is man to God? See then what a reasonlesse, yea senselesse creature man is, who will needs goe out against God to Battell, though all the number he can muster, is not onely as disproportionable as ten thousand to twenty thousand, as a Thistle to a Cedar, but more then one single man is to a Million of men, or then a bruised Reed to the strongest Oake. God with ease made all the power of man alone, and he, though alone, can more easily destroy it: it cost him but the speaking of a word to set it up, and he can pull it downe with, yea without a word speaking. Many men have been styled, The great, The strong, The mighty: But no man ever durst owne this style, The Almighty: This title of God in the Text, The Almighty, should make the mightiest of ⟨p. 138⟩men, the Nimrods of the World afraid to meddle, yea to think a thought of medling with God. The absurdity of men in strengthening themselves against the Almighty, may appeare yet more distinctly in three particulars.
