provokes the whole world against himself. And this no man either can do, or dares do, except he be first endued with this power of the Spirit, coming on him. And therefore saith Micah, chap. iii. 8. I am full of power by the Spirit af the Lord, and of judgment, and of might; to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

The world, of all other things, cannot endure the reproof of sin, and the declaration of its evil ways. And therefore it is exceedingly offended, yea, and extremely rages against the faithful teachers of the word, with all sorts of punishments and persecutions; as the examples of all the prophets, apostles, and faithful teachers of the word of God, in all ages do declare. Yea, and Christ himself testifies touching himself; Therefore the world hates me, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil. But now, they that will connive at sin, and flatter the world in its own ways, these are the only men of reckoning, and live in all wordly honour and prosperity. And all ages can witness, that all teachers are not of that strength and resolution, to contemn the hatred and fury of the world; nay, the most are quite overcome with the prosperity of this present life, and with the desire of friends, and riches, and preferments; and so wink at the sins of the world, and are ministers in whose mouths are no reproofs, though the whole world lie in wickedness. For, thus they escape the rage and violence," and obtain the favour and love, of the men of this world. And thus weak and unworthy are those men who are only endued with their own spirits: But now, saith Micah, I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might; to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

As if he should have said, "The power of the Spirit of the Lord dwelling in me, puts forth itself two ways, in judgment, and in fortitude."

1. In judgment; and this signifies the reproving and

the condemning sin and wickedness, as the prophet himself explicates; saying, that I might declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. But seeing their being full of judgment doth not want danger, but exposes a man to a thousand evils, inasmuch as the world can endure nothing less than the reproof of sin; therefore I am, by the power of the Spirit, not only full of judgment, but also,

Secondly, full of might; as the spirit of judgment exposes me to danger, so the spirit of might enables me to contemn those dangers. So that, though the world, because of the spirit of judgment, threatens never so many evils; yet the prophet is not frighted from his office, but, through the spirit of might, discharges it faithfully, in despite of all those threatnings.

And whenever ministers want this spirit of might, though out of danger, they may be confident; yet, at the very first encounter of evil, they will bend and yield, and speak and do all things for the favour of the world; rather than, for the truth's sake, they will expose themselves to the hatred and opposition of the world.

5. Without this power of the Spirit, they are unable to wrestle with, and overcome the devil; whose subtilty, and wrath, and malice, and power, they must needs encounter with, in the work of the ministry. Christ, as soon as he was endued with this power, and anointed by the Spirit to preach, was immediately led into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil; who would fain have taken him off from the work of the ministry, if it had been possible: but Christ, being endued with this power, overcame the devil. And Christ, before he sent his apostles to preach the kingdom of God, as you may see, Luke ix. 1. called them together, and gave them power and authority over all devils and when they returned, they told him, that the devils themselves were subject to them. But now, the seven

sons of Sceva, who were destitute of this power, when they took upon them to call over one who had an evil spirit, the name of the Lord Jesus; and to say, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth; the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And so "the man in whom the evil spirit was, leaped upon them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, and they fledaway naked and wounded;" Acts xix. So that they being destitute of this power from on high, the devil was presently too hard for them, and they were overcome by the devil. But now, they that are invested with this power of the Holy Spirit, are able to wrestle with principalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world; and to out-wrestle them, and to tread satan himself under their feet.

Sixthly: Without this power of the Holy Spirit, they are unable to suffer persecution for the word; but the least touch of evil causes them to pull in their horns; and each reproach, and opposition, and persecution shakes them down. Whereas, this power makes them confident, courageous, comfortable, and invincible, in the midst of all evils. See this in some examples. Our Lord Jesus Christ being anointed with the Holy Spirit, and with power, did not only preach the truth in his life, but also witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate, and sealed to the truth with his death. Paul, who was endued with the same power, when Agabus foretold him by the Holy Spirit, of his bonds at Jerusalem, and the brethren hearing it, came weeping to Paul, and besought him to keep, himself out of bonds, by not going up thither; Paul reproved them, and told them, that he was ready, not only to be bound, but to die at Jerusalem for the Lord Jesus. Chrysostom was endued with the same power, and so resolved to preach the truth, and not to depart from the truth, though the whole world should wage war against him alone; and professed,

that he desired nothing more than to suffer for the cause of Christ; and that, "If it were offered to him of God, whether he would immediately go to heaven, or stay on earth and suffer for Christ; he would a thousand times rather choose this latter than the former." Because, in going immediately to heaven, he should seek himself, but in staying on earth to suffer for Christ, he should wholly deny himself, and seek his honour alone. Luther was endued with the same spirit of power; and so when he was called to Worms, before the emperor Charles the fifth, and before all the estates of the empire, to render a reason of his doctrine; and some of his friends (perceiving undue dealing among his adversaries) persuaded him not to go, to expose himself to danger; but he answered with a mighty spirit (g), " I have decreed, and am resolved, because I am called, to go into the city, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; though I knew there were so many devils to oppose me, as there are tiles on all the houses of the city." And when he was called to return to Wittenberg by the people, which he could not do without most evident and apparent danger, he being already condemned by the edicts and authority, both of the pope and emperor; and so in regard of them, could expect no less than a violent death every day; yet for all this, he was resolved to return to his charge; and upon this occasion, hath this passage to the duke of Saxony (h).

(g) Mihi vero qui vocatus sum, decretum & certum est ingredi urbem, in nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi, etiamsi scirem tot diabolos mihi oppositos, quot sunt tegulæ in omnibus totius urbis tectis.

(h) Verum quid faciam? urgent me causæ inevitabiles, Deus cogit & vocat, hic nulli creaturæ tergiversandum est. Age fiat igitur in nomine Jesu Christi qui est Dominus vitæ & mortis. Nihil habeo quod possim perdere ; Domini ego sum; si perdor, Domino perdor, id est invenior. Alium ergo quære quem terreas. Verum ego scio & certus sum, Josum Christum Dominum nostrum vivere & regnare : quo sci

"But what shall I do? unavoidable causes urge me, God himself calls and compels me, and here I will turn my back to no creature. Go to then, let me do it in the name of Jesus Christ, who is Lord, both of life and death." Again, in his answer to the Dialogue of Silvester Prierias, who had threatened him; he saith, "I have nothing that I can lose; I am the Lord's, and if I am lost, I am lost to the Lord; that is, I am found. And therefore seek somebody else to fright, for me you cannot." Again, in his Answer to Ambrotius Catharinus, he saith of the pope and his instruments," they seek not to overcome me with scriptures, but to destroy me out of the earth; but I know and am sure, that Christ our Lord lives and reigns. And being even filled with this knowledge and confidence, I will not fear many thousands of popes: For greater is he that is in us, than he that is in the world." And again, in his epistle to his father, he hath this remarkable passage; "What if the pope shall kill me or condemn me below hell? He cannot raise me up again when I am slain, and kill me a second and third time. And having once condemned me, I would never have him absolve me. For I am confident that the day is at hand, wherein that kingdom of abomination and destruction shall be itself destroyed. But would I might first be counted worthy, either to be burn

entia & fiducia inflatus, non timebo etiam multa millia Paparum. Major est enim qui in nobis, quam qui in mundo est. Quid si me occidat Papa aut damnet ultra Tartara? Occisum non suscitabit, ut bis & iterum occidat : damnatum vero ego volo ut numquam absolvat. Confido enim, instare diem illum quo destruetur regnum illud abominationes & perditionis. Utinam nos primi digni simus, vel exuri vel occidi ab eo, quo sanguis noster magis clamat, & urgeat judicium illius accelerari. Sed si digni non sumus sanguine testificari, hanc saltem oremus & imploremus misericordiam, ut vita & voce testemur, quod Jesus Christus solus est Dominus & Deus noster, Benedictus in secula seculorum. Luther. in Epist. ad Patr.