Certain Questions and Answers Concerning the Knowledge of God, Part 8 – Part 10
God is inuisible.
Q. What els is God by nature?
A. Inuisible, that is, he hath not bene seene with any mortall eye, neither can any man possibly see God.
Q. How proue you that?
A. Two waies, First by Scripture. 2. By reason. That no man hath seene God, It is plaine set downe in 1. Iohn 4.12.
That no man can see God, It is as plainlie proued in Exod. 33.20. 1. Tim. 6.16.
By reason, it is manifest, First we can not see our owne soules which are ten thousand times a more grosse substance then God, much lesse can we see God, which is a most pure and spirituall substance.
Q. We reade in Gen. 18.1. that God appeared to Abraham. And in Deut. 5.24. that he shewed himselfe to the Israelites, therefore he is not inuisible, how answere you this?
A. God gaue them in deede some outwarde sights, wherby they might be certaine of his presence, and therefore it is said that the Lorde appeared vntounto them, but his substaunce or essence they saw not:Iohn. 6.46. For to know God perfectly is proper to God onelyonly.
Q. We reade in Gen. 1.26. that man was made according to the image of God, therefore God is visible, for man is visible, How answere you this?
A. The image of God consisteth not in the shape and figure of the bodye, but in the minde and integritie of nature,Coloss. 3.10. Eph. 4.24. or (as the scripture saith) in wisedome, righteousnesse, and holinesse.
Q. To what vse serueth this doctrine?
A. For manie vses, but especially to driue away all grosse conceites of God out of our harts, and all pictures and similitudes of God out of our sight; for seeing that God was neuer seene, whereunto shall he be resembled?Deut. 4.12.15.16.17.18.19. Moses vrged this point hard and oftē to the Israelites, saying, Ye hard the voice, but saw no similitude: Take therefore good heede vntounto your selues, marke how he saith not take heed, but take good heed. And therefore take good heed. For (saith hee againe) yee sawe no image in the day that the Lord spake vntounto you in Horeb, &c.
Now he cometh to the thing that they must therefore take heed of. That ye corrupt not your selues, and make you a grauen image, or representation of anie figure, whether it be of male or female, &c.
Q. VVhat else is the nature of God?
A. By his nature hee is euerie where, that is in all places of heauen,Psal. 139.7. Iere. 23.24. and earth, and the sea, and hell and all at one time, and this is witnessed by the Scriptures as well as the rest.
Q. Is God eueryevery where bodily?
A. No, for he hath no bodie.
Q Is God euerie where in speculation onelyonly?
A. No. For he worketh in euerie thing which hee beholdeth.
Q. How then is he euerie where?
A. Hee is euerie were essentially: For his essence is not contained in any place, because hee is incomprehensible.
Q. Is he not halfe in one halfe of the world, and halfe in the other halfe of the world?
A. No. But as the whole soule is wholy in euerie part of the bodie: so God is whole and wholy in euerie part of the world.
1 Obiection. If God be euerie where essentially, then he is in the most filthie sinke and puddle.
Answere. To this obiection I answere three wayes. First, it is no abasing of the glory of his maiestie, to say that hee is there, no more then it is to the Sunne, whose beames and light are there, or to a Phisitian to be amongst those that be sicke.
Secondly, all the creatures of God in themselues are exceeding good, and when hee is in the most filthie sinke in the world, he is not in a more filthie place then our selues, whether wee bee sicke or sound.
Thirdly, they are his workmanship. And it is no abasement of the workemaister, to be amongst his workes.
2 Obiection. If God be euerie where: Psal. 2.4.why is it said he dwelleth in the heauens?
Answere. Because his glory and maiestie which is eueryevery where alike, shineth most prosperous and visible in heauen.
3 Obiection. It is said in Num. 14.42. He is not amongst the wicked.
Answere. That is true. For hee is not amongst them with his grace and fauour, to protect and defend them: But otherwise by his power and prouidence hee is amongst them, to bridle their raging affections, to plague their furious obstinacie, and to dispose of their desperate attempts to his owne glorie, and the good of his people.
4 Obiection. If God bee eueryevery where at the same instante of time, how is he said to be somtimes neerer, Esai. 56.6.somtimes further of?
Answere. God is said to be neare vntounto vsus, when by his word or any other meanes he offereth vsus grace and fauour. And when he heareth and graunteth our praiers, as Moses saith, What nation is so great vntounto whom the Gods come so neere vntounto them, as the Lord our God is neere vntounto vsus,Deut, 4.7. in all that wee call vntounto him for.
5 Obiection. If God be in hel, thē al goodnes is there for he is al goodnes, & so cōsequētly there is no want of ioy in the dāned.
Answere. The damned in hell feele no part of his goodnesse, that is, of his merciemercy and louing fauour, but of his power and iustice, so that God is in hell, by his power, and in his wrath.
God is a liuing God.
Q. What else is God by nature?
A. A liuing God. For so is he called *Heb. 10.31.in the Scriptures. Ier. 10.10. Hereof is that speach in the scripture so often vsed. The Lord liueth *Num. 14.21.. And hereof is that forme of taking an othe so common in the Scripture. As the Lord liueth. Both *Rom. 14 11.God and *1. Sam. 19.6.man vsed it. And may bee vsed *Ier▪ 4.2.when we may lawfully sweare, and not else.
Q. Why is God called a liuing God?
Iohn 5.26.A. For foure causes. 1 Because he onelyonly hath life in himselfe, and of himselfe, and all other creatures hauehave life from him.
Acts 17.28.2 Because hee is the onelyonly giuer of life vntounto man. Gen. 2.7.
Matt 22.32.3 Because he is the God especially, not of the dead, but of the liuing.
Psal. 115.56.4 To distinguish him thereby from all the false Gods of heathen, which hauehave no life in them.
God is eternall.
Q VVhat else is God by nature?
Psal. 90.2. Esay 40.8.A. Eternal, that is he hath neither beginning, nor end of being, as the Scriptures testifie.
Q. VVhy is God called eternall in the Scriptures?
A: First in respect of vsus his children, because hee hath promised to giuegive vsus of his eternall goodnesse, and to hauehave a continuall care of vsus through all eternitie, and will hauehave a kingdome in Angels and men, whereof shall be no end.
Q. Is it necessarie that we should know this?
A. Yea, that wee may here stay our selues with the certaine hope of eternall life, grounded vponupon his eternitie.
Q. Howe may that hope bee grounded vponupon his eternitie?
A. Verie well:Psal. 48.13. Psal. 103.17. For God being eternall, he can for euer preserue vsus. And seeing he hath promised, he will for euer preserue vsus.
Q. VVhy else is God said to be eternall?
A. That so hee might be discerned from all other things created,Esai▪ 40.18. Psal. 113.45. for nothing is like vntounto God, if the scriptures speake truth.
Q. Is it necessarie we hold God to be eternall, that so he may be discerned from all things created?
A. Yea, and wee holde it in that respect for two causes.
1. Because certaine heretikes hauehave thought either all the creatures, or some of the creatures at least,Vrsinus▪ to be deriued from the verie nature and essence of God by propagation, as children from their mothers wombe.
2 That all idolatrous cogitation of God may be excluded out of our mindes.