The Sacred Philosophy of the Holy Scripture, Article 1 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. That God is altogether as infinite in working, as he is in Being.
A Moſt neceſſary truth, and needing ſufficient proofe, not onelyonly for the cleering of that which hath beene ſpoken; but eſpecially for laying the ſure ground-worke of that which is to follow concerning the Trinity. Therefore lend me the eare of your underſtanding that we may goe together, in a matter of ſuch weight; And although the word worke in our common Engliſh, in which I deſire to ſpeake, is growne to meane almoſt onelyonly bodily toyle; yet you know there is the working of the minde alſo, and according to the things ſpoken of, you are bound either in your wit, or honeſty, ever to be as gentle as you can in the meaning of words, and to take them according to their greateſt fitneſſe. But firſt (you will ſay) it ought to appeare that God doth worke. For as Epicurus thought, He neither troubles himſelfe with any care or buſineſſe of his owne; neither yet is troublous to any other; or mindes what they doe, or ſay. For if ſo: then (as he ſuppoſed) He cannot in any wiſe be happy, that hath ſo many things to thinke of. But againſt this thickeskin lazy opinion of Epicurus it ſhall appeare, that this working or Action of God is his endleſſe glory. But you muſt underſtand that this worke whereof I ſpeake, is not meant of that, whereby the dignities of God are manifeſted without in the creature; but of that which is in himſelfe alone. And that he doth worke is moſt plaine.
1. For as an infinite action cannot be without an infinite power, ſo an infinite reſting cannot bee but either with an infinite unableneſſe, or want of skill, or infinite unwillingneſſe to worke; but an infinite unableneſſe cannot ſtand with an infinite power, nor want of skill with infinite wiſdome, nor unwillingneſſe with infinite will. And it was proved before, that the power, wiſdome, and will of God are infinite; therefore he worketh alſo infinitelie: but if the reſting be not infinite, but ſuppoſed to be ſlackneſſe onlie, or by turnes, becauſe of wearineſſe; that cannot ſtand with an infinite power, nor with the ſimplicitie of the divine being: for wearineſſe cannot befall but to ſuch a being onelyonly as hath heavineſſe of parts: but in God is neither heavineſſe nor parts. And ſo He workes, and that infinitely.
2. God is infinite, and ſo evermore as great as he may be, and that not in being only, but alſo in working: for otherwiſe greateneſſe and leſneſſe ſhould be in him. And becauſe nothing can be in him, beſide His very being: if the infinitie of greatneſſe were in his being, and a leſneſſe in his working, greaterneſſe and leſneſſe ſhould bee his very being; ſo finite and infinite, perfection and want, good and ill, ſhould be convertible in him: but theſe things are impoſſible. Therefore God doth either worke infinitely, or elſe he cannot worke at all; but ſo ſhould he not be worthy to be God, ſo ſhould not his power be infinite: and if his power be infinite and yet he cannot worke at all, then ſhould his power bee altogether in vaine. But all theſe things are impoſſible, therefore God doth worke, and that infinitely.
3. The wiſdome of God is infinite, as was proved, and by the infinitie of his wiſdome hee doth underſtand the infinitie of his owne being; but that cannot be but by an infinite action of underſtanding: therefore the working of Gods wiſdome is infinite. And as theſe reaſons againſt Epicurus, that God doth worke and that infinitely; ſo alſo theſe that follow prove the queſtion fullie: for if the being of God be one, and that moſt ſimple, and that nothing can be in him but eſſentially, as was proved Chap. 9. §. 5. & 6. if hee worke as is ſhewed, then his working or action muſt be his very being; which becauſe it is proved to be infinite, it muſt follow, that his action is alſo infinite.
4. The working of infinite goodneſſe, wiſdome, power, life, truth, &c. in eternitie is the moſt deſireable thing that may be, and wherein the greateſt glorie can conſiſt; which action of God, if by his will He would not; then muſt he will a ceaſing of the action of goodneſſe, wiſdome, power, &c. and that in eternitie. So ſhould theſe dignities be infinite in vaine, ſo his will were not anſwerable to the reſt of his dignities, ſo ſhould hee not will the infinitie of his owne glorie, nor being. But all theſe things are impoſſible: therefore the working of his dignities are anſwerable to their being; and therefore infinite.
5. The power of God is infinite, as was proved; by which infinitie of power, all the other dignities of God, may both be and worke infinitely. And if the goodneſſe and other dignities of God did not worke infinitely when by his power they might; there ſhould be an inequalitie or want in his goodneſſe, which ſhould not be anſwerable to his power; and the deprivation of the working of an infinite goodneſſe, would enforce an infinite ill, ſo God ſhould ceaſe to be infinitely good. But all theſe things are impoſſible. Therefore the action of Gods goodneſſe, is of neceſſitie infinite.
6. The power of God is ſuch, as that hee is thereby enabled to worke, and if by his infinity, he were not able to worke infinitelie; then his infinitie ſhould be of leſſe force to withſtand littleneſſe and not being; than his power is to withſtand weakeneſſe: ſo defect and want ſhould be in his infinitie, which of all his other dignities is ſet moſt againſt it, and ſo his power ſhould be infinite onelie in the poſſibilitie of working, but finite in the action. But theſe things are impoſſible: therefore the power of God is as infinite in the working as it is in the being.
7. If the working of God were not infinite, he could not know it to be infinite, but finite onelyonly and in defect: but a God cannot know any defect in himſelfe, in whom no defect is poſſible to be; Therefore his working is infinite.
8. If infinite working and being be not all one in God, then there muſt of neceſſitie be in him, either a multiplicitie of being, or of accidents, or of being and accidents. But all theſe things have been ſhewed to be impoſſible: chap 8. & 9. therefore infinite being and working are in God all one. So then his working is infinite.
9. An infinite glory cannot be without the conditions of infinitie, and eternitie; nor yet without the being of goodneſſe: but neither can it be ſaid to have the being of goodneſſe, if it ſpread not it ſelfe in the action of goodneſſe; neither yet of infinite and eternall goodneſſe, if it worke not infinitely and eternally: but the glory of God is infinite, with all the conditions of infinitie, eternitie and goodneſſe. Therefore it workes infinitely and eternally, according to the being of infinite and eternall goodneſſe.
10 The truth of God was proved to be infinite and one: but if in the divine dignities there be a greatneſſe in being and a leſneſſe in working; the truth in God muſt likewiſe be divers and not one, ſo neither ſimple nor infinite. But this is impoſſible: therefore the working of his dignities is infinite as his being.
11. The infinitie of God is ſuch, that b no abatement, want or leſneſſe may be underſtood or found therein: but littleneſſe or abatement might bee found therein, if it were not as great in the action thereof, as in the being: for every abatement or want, whether it bee of the being, or of the working, in goodneſſe, power, wiſdome, &c. is not onelyonly a leſſening, but even an utter taking away of the infinitie thereof. So that to denie the infinite working of God, is to denie his infinitie, and ſo his being.
12. If all the dignities of God be infinite both in being and working, it will follow that their equalitie and concord one with another, is alſo infinite; ſo that they be eſſentially one God, and the ſame convertibly one with another, the reſpects onelyonly different as hath beene ſhewed Chap. 9. note (h) ob. 1. But if theſe dignities bee not infinite in working, as they are in being, the diſagreement will bee infinite: becauſe betweene no working or a finite working, and a being every way infinite, there is an infinite diſtance; and to put this diſtance in God, whoſe being i… moſt ſimple and one, would be utterlie impoſſible: therefore God is altogether infinite in being and working. If further proofe ſeeme yet needfull, you may take hereto an inducement or two.
13. The underſtanding of man is the image of God in him, and as the underſtanding will not reſt: ſo is it much more meet to thinke of an endleſſe wiſdome. Nay the very fantaſie or thought though bodily, though tyed to the five outward wits alone, yet will it not reſt: and when it cannot worke upon the reaſon, as in ſleepe (becauſe reaſon will ſee that the fantaſie was not deceiued in the outward ſences) then will it preſſe upon the remembrance, as it appeares in dreames.
14. If Hee which is cauſe of all working ſhould ceaſe to worke, then all things at once ſhould ceaſe alſo both to worke and to be, becauſe c the firſt mover ceaſing to move, all the enſuing motion muſt be at a ſtand. And if his power and the working thereof upon the creature did ceaſe; as the creature by his power was raiſed from nothing, ſo would it returne to nothing, if by the ſame it were not continually upheld. Therfore God doth worke continually, and as the worker is infinite, d ſo is his working infinitely.
Notes.
(a) GOd cannot know any defect in himſelfe. R. 6.] See the reaſon of this ſpeech Chap. 6. note. (b) n. 2. & 3.
(b) No abatement may bee underſtood therein. R. 10.] You have need to know that this reaſon, and the like which wee make from our owne underſtanding, hath a moſt ſure foundation and ground in the truth of God: for therefore is the light of reaſon and underſtanding in man, as a glaſſe or image of the divine wiſdome created by him in us Iohn 1.4. Epheſ. 4.24. that we thereby might be led unto the knowledge of Him, and ſo unto that happineſſe for which wee are created: therefore the underſtanding doth evermore apply it ſelfe unto the truth, and makes the will to joy therein, and to hate that which is falſe, and impoſſible. For reaſon in man being the image of Chriſt the ſecond Adam, is ſet in the Paradiſe of God, freelie to eate of every tree therein, that is, to conſider the whole creature, which yeelds unto reaſon infinite truths as fruit whereon to feed, to the praiſe of him that hath created it: but if ſhee that is given to him for his help, that is, the imagination his Hevah the mother of all living (for by the imagination alone the formes of all things live and are lively preſented to reaſon) if ſhee (I ſay) deale treacherouſly with him, and without him entertaine ſpeech with the craftie Serpent: then is he by her eaſily perſwaded to taſte of the forbidden fruit; to follow her fooliſh and wicked ſuggeſtions, and to let into his underſtanding falſhood and errours, which cannot ſtand with the light of the truth, but are onelyonly according to the traditions of Arts, falſlie ſo called, a…d the authorities of men miſled by opinions. Concerning authorities See Poſtell. de Nat. Med. pag. 16. 17. and log. Cap. 23. n. 8. and note (a)
(c) The firſt Mover ceaſing to move. R. 14.] Though this reaſon ſhew the truth of the concluſion a poſteriori, yet is not this argument proper to this place, becauſe the queſtion here is onelyonly about the inward actions of God in himſelfe, not that which is outward upon the creature, of which you ſhall hereafter underſtand more at large in the 13. Chapter.
(d) So is his working infinitely. ib.] Seeing it is firmely agreed unto, both by Divines and Philoſophers, that God is altogether unmoveable, not onelyonly by thoſe kindes of motion properly ſo called, See Log. introduct. ſect. 4. Append. n. 1. but alſo improper and metaphoricall; as change of the will, anger, deſire, or other paſſions; it may ſeeme that this concluſion of Gods infinite action or working is enforced utterly againſt the truth: becauſe it ſeemes that no working can be without motion. I anſwer, that motion and operation or working are very different; theſe are like to motions, but neither are motions, nor yet with motions: for to feele, to ſee, to underſtand, to will, or any other action immanent or dwelling in the worker, are actions, operations or workings of the fences, the underſtanding and will: but yet no motions, but moſt improperly, and onelyonly in likeneſſe: for all working, action, or operation, is of a thing that is in perfection; but motion properly ſo called, is alwayes with imperfection, and leaves the thing wherein the motion is, in poſſibilitie onelyonly to a further perfection. And yet the very moving from place to place may be an example of this working, which I have proved in God to be infinite. For if you ſet a ruler upon a pin, and turne it with violence upon that centre, you ſhall perceive no part of the ſurface ouer which it is turned, which you ſhall not ſee covered every where with the ruler, and the ſwifter it is carried about, the better and more cloſely doth it cover it: ſo that if you ſuppoſe that motion to be infinite in ſwiftneſſe, with continuance for a certaine time, then every part of the ruler in the continuall ſucceſſion of that time, muſt of neceſſity be every whereupon the under ſurface, according to the length of that time, which the ruler doth make from the navell point to the hemme or circumference. So that you cannot more rightly call it motion than reſt, when every part of the ruler is continually upon every part of the ſurface under it. And even ſo this working which I have proved to be in the Godhead, becauſe it is infinite, may moſt truly according to this example be called reſt; becauſe his owne action in himſelfe is that wherein above all other he can take moſt glorie and delight; as being in the perfection of goodneſſe, power, wiſdome, truth and glorie, &c. And thus according to the meaſure of our weake underſtanding, having conſidered what God is in his being, it followes that we enquire alſo, what Hee is according to the manner of his being.