First, from Scripture. All our ability, whether for the performance of duties, or for the opposing of corruption, is in Scripture entirely ascribed unto the power of God; thus the Apostle exhorts the Ephesians in Chap. 6.10. My Brethren, says he, be strong, but in whom, what, in your selves? no, says he, but, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, for in his Almighty Power, though mighty corruptions rush in upon you and threaten your ruin, though the Devil and the Powers of Hell push sore at you to make you fall; yet God calls upon you to stand, and to withstand them all; stand, alas! how can we? Such poor weak feeble creatures as we are, how can we stand? Why, says the Apostle, be strong in the Lord, there's your security against all the force of your Spiritual Enemies, lay hold on his Almighty Power, and engage that for you, and this will bring you off the Field with victory and conquest: So again in 2 Cor. 5. and 3. We are not sufficient, says the Apostle, of our selves, to do any thing as of our selves, not sufficient to think a good thought, and therefore not sufficient to resist an evil thought; for our ⟨p. 257⟩resisting of an evil thought, must be by thinking a good one; if an evil thought rise up in our hearts, we cannot of our selves so much as think that, that thought is evil, nor think that it ought to be suppressed and stifled; and much less can we then of our selves suppress any sin; and what should we do under this utter impotency and inability, but call in Divine help and assistance? our sufficiency is of God. Why now, yet in this we cannot think our sufficiency to be of God, nor can we depend upon the sufficiency of God to enable us to do it, for it is God, says the Apostle, that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, both to think and to act; so you have it in Philippians 2.12. so that it is most evident to all that will not wilfully shut their eyes against the light of truth, that both the first motions, and the whole succeeding progress of the Soul, either to the performance of duty, or to the resistance of sin, is wholly from God's Almighty power engaged for them, and strengthening them to the one, and for the other.
First, from Scripture. All our ability, whether for the performance of duties, or for the opposing of corruption, is in Scripture entirely ascribed unto the power of God; thus the Apostle exhorts the Ephesians in Chap. 6.10. My Brethren, says he, be strong, but in whom, what, in your selves? no, says he, but, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might, for in his Almighty Power, though mighty corruptions rush in upon you and threaten your ruin, though the Devil and the Powers of Hell push sore at you to make you fall; yet God calls upon you to stand, and to withstand them all; stand, alas! how can we? Such poor weak feeble creatures as we are, how can we stand? Why, says the Apostle, be strong in the Lord, there's your security against all the force of your Spiritual Enemies, lay hold on his Almighty Power, and engage that for you, and this will bring you off the Field with victory and conquest: So again in 2 Cor. 5. and 3. We are not sufficient, says the Apostle, of our selves, to do any thing as of our selves, not sufficient to think a good thought, and therefore not sufficient to resist an evil thought; for our ⟨p. 257⟩resisting of an evil thought, must be by thinking a good one; if an evil thought rise up in our hearts, we cannot of our selves so much as think that, that thought is evil, nor think that it ought to be suppressed and stifled; and much less can we then of our selves suppress any sin; and what should we do under this utter impotency and inability, but call in Divine help and assistance? our sufficiency is of God. Why now, yet in this we cannot think our sufficiency to be of God, nor can we depend upon the sufficiency of God to enable us to do it, for it is God, says the Apostle, that worketh in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure, both to think and to act; so you have it in Philippians 2.12. so that it is most evident to all that will not willfully shut their eyes against the light of truth, that both the first motions, and the whole succeeding progress of the Soul, either to the performance of duty, or to the resistance of sin, is wholly from God's Almighty power engaged for them, and strengthning them to the one, and for the other.
