"word of the Lord." Here we fee the hand of the Lord was the caufe that produced that one heart; and the inftrument by which it was produced was the word of the Lord. We have the like expreffions in feveral parts of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Thefe men having been eminently affifted by God to build his church and his temple in Jerufalem, the expreffion by which they fignify that divine power that accompanied them, is, "that "the hand of the Lord was upon them that feek "him for good." Thus Ezra vii. 9. we have an account of the effects of the good hand of God being upon them: "Upon the first day of the firft "month began he to go up from Babylon, and on "the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerufa"lem, according to the good hand of his God up

on him." The effect of it was, his heart was prepared to feek the law of the Lord. The fame expreffion occurs frequently in the book of Nehemiah, fhowing it was the good hand of God upon them, that made thefe men ready fcribes in the law of Mofes, and that made them capable to teach ftatutes and judgements, and that inclined and enabled them to build. We are to understand the words in the text, no doubt, as fignifying, that the hand of God was upon the fpeakers, but fo as not to exclude the hearers. The hand of the Lord was with the fpeakers, as with Jeremiah, chap. i. 9.; where we are told, that "the Lord put forth his hand, and touched his mouth, and faid unto him, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." And as to the hearers, the power of the Lord was prefent to heal them.

3. We have an account of the fuccefs that followed: A great number believed, and turned to the Lord; that is, as it is expreffed, 2 Theff. i. 11. 12. God fulfilled in them all the good pleasure of his goodnefs, and wrought the work of faith with power, that the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift

3 K 2

might

might be glorified in them. It was given them to believe with that faith which is the gift of God; and it was a fincere faith. It could not be otherwife when the hand of the Lord wrought it. They believed with the whole heart, and turned to the Lord. Faith and repentance, as we are taught by Paul, Acts xx. are the whole counfel of God, the fubftance of the gofpel; and they are alfo the ef fects of it, when, as at that time, the hand of the Lord accompanies it. The Lord turned them, and they were turned. It is faid, that this effect was wrought on a great number. Not but that the fame power is required to work it upon a few, or upon one; as in the fermon where Lydia was a hearer, though there is none mentioned but her, yet it is faid, the Lord opened her heart. There is joy in heaven, we are told, at the converfion of one finner; much more at the converfion of a great num ber. And accordingly we fee what joy this caufed among the church of God on earth; which is but a part of that family, of which the principal part is in heaven. It is a melancholy truth, but it is ufe ful to confider, that, in the largeft accounts of the fuccefs of the gospel, though fometimes it may be faid, that many believed, yet we never read, that the whole auditory believed, and turned to the Lord, not where the apostles were preachers, not even where the Son of God him felf was the preacher. The refult was, fome believed the things that were fpoken, and fome believed not; fome trembled at God's word, and others mocked. But wif dom is ftill justified of her children; and where the gofpel is not the favour of life unto life, it is the favour of death unto death.

The doctrine that I defign, through God's grace, to infift upon from thefe words, is this, That we ought to confider the power of God as the caufe, and his word as the inftrument, of converfion, or of mens believing, and turning to the Lord. We

ought

ought to have a high efteem of God's word, as it is the power of God to falvation; but ftill to confider, that the excellency of the power is from God that in order to its bringing forth fruit, it must come, not only in word, but also in power. This is one of the most important truths contained in the fcriptures, and one of the truths that the carnal mind has the greatest enmity at. There is fcarce any doctrine that there has been more, I fhall not fay oppofition, but rage and fury, exercised against in all ages, though it be a doctrine that fhows the greatest good-will of God towards man.

I. Confidering our neceffity, our corrupt and weak natures, it is of the greatest usefulness for us to have the evidences of this doctrine richly dwelling in our minds. I fhall mention a few..

1. The firft evidence of it may be drawn from thofe fcriptures that give us the plaineft account of the causes of regeneration and fanctification; for in thofe fcriptures we have thefe truths frequently joined together, to wit, that the power of God is the caufe, and that his word is the means, or the inftrument. Thus, James i. 18. we have a remarkably clear evidence to this purpose: "Of his

..

own will begat he us by the word of truth, that "we might be a kind of firft-fruits of his creatures." Here we fee it is God that begets us again, but that the means by which this is done, is by the word of truth; that word that is called, 1 Pet. i. 23. the incorruptible feed; "being born again, not of cor

ruptible feed, but of incorruptible, by the word "of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." One of the most obvious doctrines in the fcripture is, That finners are born again by the Spirit of God; which we have at large John iii. Here we have an account of the means by which it is done; "born again, not of corruptible feed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God." The original bears it, and

many

many expound the following words to be underftood of the word, as well as of God himself, which liveth and abideth for ever: All flesh is grafs, but "the word of the Lord endureth for ever." It is immortal feed; and where it is once implanted by God's grace, it never dies. And we are told, 1 Pet. i. 25. what this word of the Lord is that endureth for ever: "And this is the word which by the gospel "is preached unto you." And if God's power be the caufe, and his word the means, of regeneration, it is plain, that faith has the fame caufe that regeneration has. When finners are born again, they are the children of God; and Gal. iii. 26. fhows, that we are the children of God by faith: John i. 12. They that have received Chrift, they that believe in his name, are they who are born, not of fleth, nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the fcriptures that give the plaineft accounts of fanctification, exprefs the fame great principle we are fpeaking of, to wit, That God's power is the caufe, and his word the inftrument; as in Chrift's prayer, John xvii. 17. "Sanctify them by "thy truth: thy word is truth." And Eph. v. 26. we are told, that Chrift gave himfelf for his church, "that he might fanctify and cleanfe it with the wafhing of water by the word." We are faid to be cleanfed by the word; which fignifies, that the word is the means of cleanfing. This is evident, when we compare the 2d and 3d verfes of John xv. In the 2d verfe, it is faid, "Every branch in me that "beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring "forth more fruit." It is God that is the caufe What are the means

of purging the branches. made ufe of, we are told y 3. "Now ye are clean "through the word which I have spoken unto "you." Which words are parallel to thofe already mentioned, Eph. v. 26. that he might fanctify and cleanfe it with the wafhing of water by the word." And therefore it is alfo the caufe of true

faith, and turning to God; for four hearts are purified by faith. It is evident of itself, indeed, that faith cannot be wrought in our fouls, without knowledge of the truths contained in the word; for how can we believe them without knowing them? But that is not all that is included in thofe fcriptural affertions. It is the word of God, in reading or hearing it, that is the means in which we may expect that the Spirit will come into our fouls, in order to turn us from idols to ferve the living God, and to wait for his Son Jefus Chrift, who delivered us from the wrath to come.

2. Another general evidence of the doctrine may be drawn from fcriptures that fpeak of a divine power accompanying the word, befide that extraordinary manifeftation of God's power by miracles in the days of the apoftles. Thus, Rom. i. 15. 16. the apoftle fays, "I am not afhamed of the gospel." He means more than he expreffeth; he means, that he had the greatest efteem for it, counted all things but lofs and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Chrift contained in it. We ought to obferve the reafon he gives for that efteem: "For it is the power of God to falvation." To whom? To all that believe; to the Jews and to the Greeks. Now it is plain, that it is not merely the power of God manifested in outward miracles that is there fpoken of; for miracles were wrought upon, and in the prefence both of them that believed not, and them that did believe. The power of God there fpoken of, is a power felt only by them that believe; fo that, whatever the enemies of the free grace of God may endeavour to fuggeft, it cannot be meant of thofe extraordinary manifeftations of power in healing mens bodies, and the like, but that inward teaching and drawing of the Father; of which the prophets foretold, that it would be beftowed in a large manner in gofpel-times. This is a way of fpeaking that frequently occurs in the fcriptures;

and