ers, have you always faith in this? Does your experience and your conduct show, that you always believingly rest your soul upon the Divine omnipotence? Rather do you not, by your needless fears, frequently give us reason to suppose that you do not believe in the power of the arm of God? This being the case, let your minds be stirred up by way of remembrance, that you may be encouraged to trust in the Lord Jehovah, by beholding, that" in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength." We are not now called to dwell upon Jehovah's creating power, or to see how easily he can dash a world to pieces. It is not the power of his anger, which solicits your attention now. It is not what he can do to beautify and bless angels, or to torment with eternal anguish the lost spirits in hell; but it is what he can do in your behalf; what he can accomplish for you, who are, without his assistance, helpless as the new-born infant, or weaker than the feeble worm. And let us observe, that he is able to fulfil, and to exceed, the most enlarged prayer of faith, or the most vast desire of the heart. Our text shows us that he can exceed,

1. The most enlarged prayer of faith. "He is able," says my text, "to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask." In our petitions at the throne of the heavenly Majesty, we never need be afraid to ask too much. 66 Open thy mouth wide," says the Lord of all, "and I will fill it ;" be not scanty in your desires. Ask what I shall give thee, and for the sake of Jesus it shall be all bestowed. Is any grievous trial before you ? O display the same faith in the power of God, that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did, when they said, "Our God whom we serve, is able to

deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king." Are you fearing that the Redeemer's interest will not succeed in the world, when you plead the cause of Zion? Recollect that he is able, "of these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham." Are you afraid that you shall one day fall into the hand of your enemy, or backslide from the Lord that bought you, when you pray for persevering grace? Remember, that "he is able to make you stand." Are the stores of the Divine bounty exhausted? Is there not a perfect fulness of grace in the Saviour? Cannot our God supply all our need " according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus?"

Ask then for spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, and you shall receive them; for God is able to bestow them. Not only will he fulfil the desire of them that fear him, but he will far exceed it; for "he is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask." This is illustrated in a memorable part of the experience of Solomon he asked wisdom of the Lord; he gave it him, but said to him, "And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor; so that there shall not be any among the kings like unto thee, all thy days."

Abraham, the father of the faithful, seemed to be, in the midst of trial, firmly persuaded of the truth stated in my text, that God was "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that he could ask or think;" hence, says the apostle, "he offered up Isaac, of whom it was said, that in Isaac shall thy seed be called; accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure." So let us all believe and act upon the truth, that he is able to

save to the very uttermost, all that come unto him by the Son of his love. And when a Christian has been constantly praying for years, and has asked for all the blessings, the need of which his mind suggested, he may still say, He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that I ask. He is able also to exceed,

2. The most secret desires of the heart. He can "do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think." There are some periods in our experience, when certain blessings can only be thought on by us, and we have not faith to plead for them with our heavenly Father; we seem to look at them with a wishful eye, but scarcely dare say, Lord, make them mine! But the ability of our covenant God, however, extends to this. Let us not limit the Holy One of Israel, but see that he can exceed all that we can even think. When a child of God has received any particular blessing from heaven, for which he is, as he ought to be, especially thankful, we may say to him, as the man of God said to Amaziah, "The Lord is able to give thee much more than this." "For it has not entered into the heart of man to conceive, what God has prepared for them that love him;" and, therefore, he must do more than we can think. We sometimes see the cup of blessing in the dear Redeemer's hand, and secretly long to taste. Well, at that time he shall say, Drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved." Our highest thoughts shall be surpassed by the stores of his grace, and that grace shall be exceeding abundant towards us with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. Yea, though at times we dare not think of possessing hereafter a station among God's redeemed ones in glory; yet 66 an entrance shall be

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administered to us abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." O, then, let us not stagger at the promises," but be strong in faith, giving glory to God." Let us rejoice, that what he has promised he is able to perform; and if he is so abundant in goodness and truth, as to exceed our strongest and largest desires, surely his loving-kindness is excellent; "therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of his wings." Yea, we shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of his house, and he shall make us drink of the river of his pleasures; for with him is the fountain of life, and in his light shall we see light."

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Think over as many temporal and spiritual blessings as you can; anticipate as many favors from the hand of God as possible; enumerate covenant blessings till you can proceed no further; and yet say, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we think." Surely he gives like a God, and withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly. This is what God will do. Let us view,

II. The proof that he has already given of it.

Even in the power that worketh in us; for, says my text, "He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us:" thus intimating, that the energy of Divine grace, as operative on the heart, is the best evidence that God could give us of his ability to exceed our desires and wishes.

This power, you know, was exerted in snatching you as a brand from the burning, in calling you from darkness to light. It made you willing to submit to the righteousness of God; it worked effectually in you; hence you threw down your

weapons of hostility against the Saviour, and took up, yea, put on the whole armor of God, that you might go forth to fight the battles of the Lord. You would have had no grace in your heart, had it not been communicated with power from on high; and so even now this mighty power worketh in you, whereby he is able to subdue your evil passions and propensities to himself, and shall ever be exerted in your behalf.

The apostle's argument, then, seems to stand thus there is a Divine power continually exerted in your behalf, constantly maintaining the life of faith in your soul: now, since God has exerted, and continues to exert, his potent arm in your behalf, you may learn from it, that he will even exceed your largest desires, and give you all necessary good. And we might indeed dwell with peculiar pleasure on this part of our subject, in endeavoring to show how it is that the power of Divine grace, as exerted within us, affords us an evidence of the truth of Jehovah's ability to exceed all that we ask or think; but we will briefly remark, that this power displays itself in subduing our corruptions, in confirming our faith, in preserving us near to himself, and in enabling us to glorify his name; and that all this is but an earnest of better things.

1. This power is put forth in subduing our corruptions.

What but the arm of Omnipotence could crucify the old man? What but the effectual working of the Redeemer's power could mortify the flesh with its affections and lusts? And this power does prevent sin from having dominion over us; it restrains our appetites and passions; it keeps the body of death in subjection. Inbred corruption would in