The Sacred Philosophy of the Holy Scripture, Article 1 · Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP. II. What God is, And that He is Everlaſting.
HOw is it poſſible to define or bound an infinite Being? If we looke upon the Creature to find a name for him thereby, though Hee bee the cauſe of all, though all things ſpeake his praiſe; yet Hee for ever dwelt in Eternity, before any thing in the Creature was. If wee looke upon the excellencies of the Creature, the goodneſſe, or wiſdome, or power, or glory, or virtue, or whatſoever elſe our words or thoughts can reach unto; yet all theſe excellencies are from him, the footſteps onelyonly of his paſſage by them. The whole Creature therefore with all the excellencies thereof cannot afford him a name, whereby to know what his Being is: So wonderfull is He, ſo ſuperexcellent above all names. Yet ſuch is his mercy, as that in his holy word, he hath been pleaſed to liſp with us, as a mother with her infant, and to give us names as certaine remembrances whereby our hearts may be lifted up unto him. Of theſe, ſome are given onelyonly by way of compariſon, of which you may reade more in the 8. Chap. Some are onelyonly negative, by which we may better underſtand what he is not, than what he is, as S. Paul ſpeakes 1. Tim. 1.17. VntoUnto the King Everlaſting, Immortall, Inviſible, the onelyonly wiſe God be honour and glory for ever and ever, Amen. Other attributes we give unto God, which ſignifie perfections ſupereminently; as that he is the Chiefeſt good, the firſt beginning, the prime and principall perfection, and ſuch like; whi…h although by the force of reaſon we are compelled to give vntounto God: yet becauſe theſe generall expreſſions are too farre from our experimentall knowledge, we attribute unto Him better, and more fitly thoſe perfections for which we have example in his word; wherof there be certain likeneſſes and experiments in the viſible creature; which becauſe it is his workemanſhip, we know there can be nothing therein, which is not ſupereminently in him that is the cauſe: as goodneſſe, wiſdome, vertue and ſuch like; wherein after a ſort we are his image. Now among theſe, there can be none like that deſcription which God doth make of himſelfe Exo. 34.6, 7. where, of fifteene attributes which God doth take to himſelfe, the firſt three ſhew to us his eternitie, his infinitie, and his omnipotencie, one his truth, eight (according to the number of the bleſſings Matth 5.) are all of mercy; three onelyonly concerne his juſtice. And all th…ſe things follow neceſſarily one upon another.
For if God be without beginning (as was ſhewed before) Cap. 1. Re. 1.2. &c. it muſt needs be, that he be alſo without ending: becauſe, He can have nothing before him, and ſo can have no ſuperiour which might bring him to nothing. Therefore God is eternall, both before, and after; as they ſpeake, à parte ante, & à parte poſt. Now eternitie is an infinite continuance, therefore whatſoever is eternall, is alſo infinite. Moreover whatſoever hath infinite continuance, hath an infinite a power to continue infinitely. Therefore God is Almighty, and of endleſſe power. By this therefore that God is everlaſting, infinite and almighty, we may very well conclude, that this glorious Being is moſt worthy to be God; ſeeing nothing can be before or after him, being eternall, nothing greater than he, nor yet equall unto him, ſeeing he is infinite; neither all things, nor nothing able to reſiſt him, becauſe he is Almightie. If God then be moſt worthy to be God, it is neceſſarie that he be moſt wiſe, moſt good, moſt true, moſt mercifull, moſt juſt, and moſt glorious. For otherwiſe he were neither worthy, nor yet poſſibly could he be God, if any thing might be more wiſe, good true, mercifull, juſt, or glorious than He. Therefore God is wiſe, and wiſdome it ſelfe, good, and goodneſſe it ſelfe, true, mercifull, juſt and glorious, truth, merciemercy, juſtice, and glorie it ſelfe. Neither can he move, or be moved from place to place; who fills all, and is infinite beyond all places: Neither can he be ſubject to any accident, whoſe being is moſt ſimple and pure perfection. And this is our God, thus deſcribed, as farre as the dimme ſight of our underſtanding is able to deſcry him. But that the truth of all theſe things may better appeare; ſeeing we now lay the ground of thoſe proofes which muſt follow hereafter: you ſhall for every one of theſe, or as many as is needfull, have a reaſon or two, and firſt.
That God is Eternall or Everlaſting.
1 IF God be not eternall, then it followes that he was brought forth from not being, into being: but it is impoſſible that God ſhould be brought forth from not being into being: for not being cannot be a cauſe: or if he were brought forth from not being by another that was before him; then ſhould that other bee more worthy to be God. But this is confeſſed, that nothing can either be, or yet be conceived to be more worthy than God. Therefore God is, and was for ever that which he is: and whatſoever hath been for ever, hath power to continue for ever: for otherwiſe the act of being ſhould be without the power of being (that is to ſay, a thing might be when it were not poſſible to be) but that is impoſſible. Therefore God is everlaſting, and can neither have beginning nor ending.
2. Whatſoever is being, and once was not, muſt of neceſſitie bring on the being of ſome cauſe which brought it to that being which it hath: for nothing which onelyonly may be, can come into perfect and actuall being, but by ſuch a powerfull being, as is already actuall. Therefore there is either one firſt and chiefe being, the cauſe of all things, which is of it ſelfe actually perfect, and powerfull eternally; or elſe nothing at all is, or elſe there is a ſubordination of cauſes infinitely. The former of theſe two is falſe and againſt ſence: for I am, and thou art; the latter is impoſſible: therefore the firſt is b neceſſarily true. Now the falſhood of this later appeares in this; for if there be a ſubordination of cauſes infinitely, then ſeeing every effect is brought to perfection in a finite time, it muſt follow that c infinite cauſes may worke in a time finite, and ſo infinite may be in that which is limited and finite. But this is impoſſible; therefore there cannot be a ſubordination of cauſes infinitely. Moreover ſeeing every effect doth naturally anſwer the cauſe thereof, and ſeeing the effects are of ſo different kinds, it muſt follow, that there is not onelyonly an infinite ſubordination of cauſes; but alſo that there be infinite ſubordinations of cauſes of kinds infinitely different, according to the different effects brought forth. But this is impoſſible: for the cauſes being ordained for the effect, and the effect being the end of thoſe cauſes, that which is finite ſhould be more noble and excellent than that which is infinite. Thirdly if there be a ſubordination of cauſes infinitely, of which one is moved orderly by another, it muſt needs follow that there is no moving, and conſequently no cauſing at all: for every cauſe being moued by that which is before or above it, if there be no firſt cauſe given, there can be no moving. But it is apparent, that in infinitie of cauſes there can be no firſt nor laſt, and ſo there ſhould be no moving, nor no immediate cauſe of the effect. Therefore there is one cauſe of all, which is infinite and eternall.
3 If God be not eternall, then either the world was a beginning unto it ſelfe, or elſe it was eternally, and ſo ſhall continue eternally. But neither was the world a beginning unto it ſelfe, as is proved Cap. 1 Re. 1. neither is the world eternall, as ſhall be proved Cap. 13. Therefore God is eternall.
4. And this truth of Gods everlaſting being, the holy Scripture teacheth every where, as Gen. 21.33. And Abraham called on the …ame of the everlaſting God. Exod. 15.18. The Lord ſhall reigne for ever and ever. Deut. 32.40. I live for ever. Pſal. 90.2. Before the mountaines were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world were made, thou art God from everlaſting to everlaſting. So Pſal. 41.13. & 106.48. and Rev. 11.17. We give thee thanks Lord God Almighty, which art, which waſt, and which art to come. Pſal 145.13. Thy kingdome is of all eternity, and thy dominion in every generation.
Notes.
(a) HAth power to continue infinitely] the Schoolemen ſay, Thom. contra Gentes lib. 1. cap 16. and often elſewhere. Quod poteſt eſſe, poteſt etiam non eſſe; which you may conſtrue, That which hath power to be, hath alſo power not to be; or that which may be, may alſo not be; which ſeemes directly to croſſe this argument. But you muſt underſtand the Doctor there, to ſpeake of a thing which is in the power of being, whereto it hath not yet attayned, as a kernell is in power to become a tree; in which the power of being is paſſive, importing a privation of the being to come. But in this place power to be, meanes an actuall power, not privative, but poſitive, whereby the thing which hath the power, ſhewes by the actions the power which it hath: as of the underſtanding to applie it ſelfe to this or that. The paſſive power can no way be in God. The ſecond is a power of abſolute perfection, without which he could not be God.
(b) Impoſſible neceſſarily.] See the rule of this conſequence Logono. Cap. 18. n. 7. & Cap. 26. n. 1.
(c) Infinite cauſes. Re. 2.] That which is infinite in power may worke in a time finite; not that which is infinite in number onelyonly which is here meant.
That God is Infinite. CHAP. III.
INfinitie cannot here be meant of multitude: for the more that multitude is increaſed in any kind the more the dignities of one are abated. Neither yet can this infinitie be of quantitie: for infinity cannot be in quantity, no more than eternity can be in time. a Neither is God a body, which onelyonly is capable of quantity; yet is not infinity of extenſion denyed; in as much as he fils all places infinitely beyond all place, as the Prophet Eſay ſpeaks Chap. 40.12. That he meaſures the waters in his fiſt and the heavens in his ſpan. Neither is God infinite privatively, in regard of any defect or want of being: becauſe he hath the complement of all perfections in himſelfe. But he is infinite negatively: becauſe there is no limit or bound to be ſet to his being, to his perfection, or ſuperabundance in goodneſſe, wiſdome, power, truth and glorie. The reaſons are theſe.
1. Whatſoever is ſuperſupreme, or higheſt in all degrees of perfection, muſt needs be infinite; becauſe there is nothing above it which may limit or reſtraine it. But ſuch is the being of God, above which it is confeſſed, that nothing can be thought more excellent. Therefore God is infinite.
2. Being taken abſolutely; that is, ſimply by it ſelfe without any limitation, muſt needs be infinite: becauſe infinite things by infinite meanes may be partakers thereof. But ſuch is the being of God, that is abſolute and ſimple: for neither is his being from another as the cauſe thereof, ſeeing he is eternall; neither yet in another, as a forme in the matter: for ſo ſomething ſhould be more excellent than he; as every totall is more excellent than any part thereof: or as the accident in the ſubject; for ſo ſomething ſhould be before him, and alſo be more worthy than he, as every ſubject in regard of the accidents. Neither yet is he for any other as the end thereof: for as all things are from him and by him as the firſt cauſe; ſo are they for him, as for their firſt and chiefeſt end, and ſecondly for themſelves, to finde themſelves happy in him as farre as they are capable, as the Apoſtle concludes Rom. 11.36. Of him, through him, and for him are all things, to him be glory for ever, Amen. Therefore God is infinite.
3. If the being of God be not actually infinite, then ſhould it be inferiour to the poſſibilities of the creature: for mans underſtanding though actually finite, yet admits the poſſibility of an infinite actuall being, as was ſhewed in ſpace and in numbers. Chap. 1. Re. 6. But it is impoſſible that the being of God ſhould be inferiour to thoſe poſſibilities which the creature can reaſonably give unto him: for ſo the activitie of the underſtanding ſhould be created in vaine, if there were no being actually infinite to be apprehended thereby. So alſo the effect, that is the underſtanding, ſhould be extended beyond the being of the cauſe, that is God, if it could conceiue any excellency of being, goodneſſe, wiſdome, &c. greater than his. Therefore it is neceſſarie that God be infinite. You may ſee more Reaſons Chap. 10. and there alſo the ground of this diſcourſe.
4. The authorities of Scripture are theſe. Pſal. 143.3. Great is the Lord, and moſt worthy to be praiſed, and his greatneſſe is incomprehenſible. Pſal. 93.3. The Lord is a great God, a great king above all Gods. Pſal. 104.1. O Lord my God, thou art exceeding great, thou art clothed with majeſtie and honour.
Note.
(a) God is not a body pref.] The proofe of this, ſee in the ninth chapter.