A Glimpse of God, Part 5
General Rules for the better underſtanding, What God is.
Exod. 3. 14. And God ſaid unto Moſes, I AM THAT I AM.
CHAP. I.
HAving briefly gone over the glorious Titles and Names of God, I will proceed to a plain handling of his glorious Attributes and properties. Before I come to particulars, I muſt lay down ſome general Rules for the better underſtanding of the nature of God.
1. The Attributes or Properties ſhew to us, what God is in himſelf; declare him to be moſt Wiſe, moſt Holy, Good, Perfect, Infinite, Eternal, &c.
2. Theſe Divine Excellencies are called Attributes, becauſe the Scripture aſcribes them to God; acknowledges Him to be Infinite, Eternal, Omnipotent, Omnipreſent, &c.
3. Gods Attributes are not accidental Qualities in Him; Goodneſs, Wiſdome, Infiniteneſs, Omnipotency, are his very Eſſence, not Accidents, as in creatures; Wiſdome, Goodneſs. Holineſs, Power, are qualities in creatures, as in Men and Angels.
Neither are they in God as foreign naturales, natural faculties: Underderſtanding and Will is in Man and Angels.
Neither are they in God as Affections and Paſſions: Love is in God, Hatred is in God, Joy is in God, not as they are in his creatures, affections, or paſſions.
But all the Attributes are really the ſame with his Eſſence; therefore they are ſpoken of God in abſtracto, God is love, God is Mercy, God is Goodneſs, God is Juſtice, &c.
4. Though there are many Properties attributed to God, yet all theſe Properties are not really diſtinguiſhed from each other, but they are all one and the ſame Eſſence: As when we ſay, God is infinite, God is merciful, God is powerful, &c. we are not to conceive, that his Mercy is really diſtinct from his Juſtice, his Wiſdome, really diſtinct from his Power; but as they are the ſame with the Divine Eſſence, ſo they are with each other. As the Divine Eſſence is omnipotent, infinite, eternal, perfect, &c. Some Divines expreſs this by a piece of Gold: a piece of Twenty ſhillings doth not contain in it twenty ſeveral diſtinct pieces of Silver; but 'tis one and the ſame piece which contains ſo many pieces in worth and value. So that the multitude of Attributes in God, is not in reſpect of ſo many glorious Excellencies really diſtinguiſhed among themſelves in God, but onelyonly in reſpect of our manner of conceiving.
Our underſtandings are unable, and too weak to apprehend all his glorious excellencies: By one act of conceiving we cannot conceive God to be infinite, omnipotent, holy, juſt, good by one act, but by divers acts.
Then again, there is not one Attribute ſo large, as to comprehend or expreſs his incomprehenſible and inexpreſſible Being: Therefore this we ſay, the divine Properties are not ſo many really diſtinct Vertues in God; but they are that Unica Eſſentia ad omnia ſufficiens, one onelyonly Eſſence, which is moſt merciful, moſt perfect, moſt holy, moſt powerful.
5. All God's Attributes are equally and moſt unchangeably perfect in him, although we are not able to conceive an equality of them: God is as juſt as he is merciful, God is as merciful as juſt; God is infinite in Power, in Wiſdome, in Goodneſs, in Holineſs.
One Reaſon is, Becauſe they areReaſ. the ſame with the Divine Eſſence, which is infinite. Then God is incommutably juſt, merciful, holy, good; Non recipiunt majùs & minùs: God is always the ſame God, and always moſt holy, moſt merciful, moſt good, moſt powerful.
2. Becauſe he is infinite. A thing actually infinite cannot decreaſe nor increaſe; then he could not be infinite. What unſpeakable comfort is this to the godly broken hearts, that the Lord is as gracious, as merciful now as ever, and ſo to eternity! what unſpeakable terrour to the wicked, that God is as juſt now as ever, and ſo to eternity.
6. There is no contrariety in Gods Attributes: His Mercy is not contrary to his Juſtice, nor his Juſtice to his Mercy: Although there be Love and Hatred in God, yet none are contrary, quia ipſa miſericordia in Deo eſt juſtitia, becauſe the very Mercy of God is his Juſtice.
The Attributes are diverſe in reſpect of their objects, not in reſpect of themſelees: Mercy hath reſpect to the creature in miſery, and Juſtice hath reſpect to the ſinfulneſs of the creature.
1. There can be no contrariety in God's Attributes; becauſe contrariesReaſ. work the mutual deſtruction of each other; as heat deſtroys cold, light expels darkneſs, fire quencheth water.
2. Becauſe two contraries cannot be in one ſubject in the higheſt degree; one and the ſame thing cannot be firey hot, and icy-cold: Now all God's properties are in ſummo gradu; God is ſummè juſt us, juſt in the higheſt manner, and ſummè miſericors, merciful in the higheſt degree.
7. The Attributes of God are ſpoken of God both in concreto & abſtracto, in the concrete, and in the abſtract: God is Juſtice it ſelf, Mercy it ſelf, Goodneſs it ſelf, Wiſdome it ſelf, Holineſs it ſelf; God is love, ſaith the Apoſtle; it is in the abſtract: Then in the concrete, God is juſt, wiſe, holy, good, perfect. They are ſpoken of God in the abſtract, to ſhew that he is eſſentially holy, good, &c. and ſpoken in the concrete, & ſubjectivè, to ſhew that God is good to his creatures, and that he doth truly exiſt.
For the diſtinction of his Attributes, obſerve but this one.
There are incommunicable Attributes, and communicable, per participationem & analogiam. His incommunicable Attributes are his Infiniteneſs, his Eternity, his Simplicity, which no creature is capable of. His communicable Attributes are his Juſtice, Mercy, Holineſs, Power, Goodneſs, &c. which are in the creatures, as in Man and Angels, by way of reſemblance and likeneſs.
They are in God, after an infinite eminency and perfection; in creatures by participation, as a drop in reſpect of the vaſt Ocean; are as light in a ſpark, in reſpect of the light of the Sun.
CHAP. II. Of the Simplicity of God.
THeſe are the General Rules concerning his Attributes or Properties: I will now proceed to the handling of each particular Attribute; and the firſt Attribute ſhall be the Simplicity, or ſimpleneſs of God's nature, which is one of the incomunicable Attributes of God, of which no creature is, or can be partaker, but onelyonly by way of a ſmall reſemblance.
True it is, the word Simplicity, as applied to God, is not uſed in Scripture; yet the ſenſe is found, as in this Text, wherein God nameth himſelf, I am that I am; which noteth, that God is ſimply of himſelf, and by himſelf moſt perfect; that whatſoever is…i quid in D…o eſt, D…us eſt. in God, is God.
I need not to ſtand upon the coherence of the words: Moſes was commanded to fetch captived Iſrael out of Egypt, and before he would go, he deſired God to tell him his Name, what he ſhould ſay unto them, to perſwade them to follow him; here God commanded him to tell them, that, I am that I am, hath ſent him; which name importeth, that God is ſimply that he is; and the Septuagint tranſlate it,…XX. Int…. …. foreign, I am the Being, plainly noting to us, the Simplicity of God. Hence I note,
That God is moſt ſimple.Obſerv.
In the handling of this Attribute, this ſhall be my method: Firſt, to ſhew what is meant by God's Simplicity; then prove it by Scripture and Reaſon; then apply it.
1. Simpleneſs or Simplicity is taken three ways.
1. For want of diſcretion or wiſdome: So men void of wit or common capacity, are ſaid to be ſimple, Prov. 1. 4. Solomon ſheweth what the uſe of his Proverbs was, namely, to give ſubtilty to the ſimple. Prov. 9. 15. A fooliſh woman is clamorous, ſhe is ſimple, and knoweth nothing: She calleth to paſſengers, Whoſo is ſimple, let him turn in hither. They are called ſimple, becauſe they want ſpiritual wiſdome and diſcretion; and till Go…'s Spirit anoint their eyes, they do not or cannot diſcern what is truly good, what is truly evil.
2. Simpleneſs or ſimplicity, is taken for ſincerity and uprigh…neſs: Simple men in this ſenſe are taken for plainhearted men, void of hypocriſie, diſſembling, and wicked plots and devices. Pſal. 116. 6. The Lord preſerveth the ſimple, that is, the upright in heart, the ſincere perſons, Rom. 16. 19. This ſimplicity the Lord approves of, and it is called by the Hebrews foreign uprightneſs: Thus God commanded Abraham to be ſimple, Walk before me, and be upright, or ſimple;Gen. 17. 1. ſhun all hypocriſie & diſſimulation wth men: To be without guile and fraud is ſimplicity; uptight dealing is ſimplicity.
3. Simplicity, is taken in oppoſition to mixture and compoſition: Thus refined Gold is pure and ſimple Gold, it is not mixed with droſs: Water is ſimple, but mix it with Wine, 'tis compounded of ſeveral kinds. Simplicity, as 'tis attibuted to God, 'tis oppoſed to mixture and compoſition: There is no compoſition or mixture in God, but he is a pure Eſſence.
There are divers kinds of compoſition, there is not the leaſt ſhadow of any one of them in God. There is a Compoſition
Phyſical,
Logical,
Metaphyſical.
1. A Phyſical Compoſition is to beF… materi… & ſormâ. compounded of Matter and Form; as Man is compounded of Soul and Body, the Body compounded of the fou… Elements. This were groſs, to conceive ſuch a compoſition in God.
2. There is a compoſition; of a Ex g…nere e… d…ff…rentiâ.a kind, and a reſtraining difference, as man is compounded of a living creature and reaſonable, this alſo is groſs to conceive of God.
3. There is a compoſition ex eſſentia Ex actu e… ſo… â.& exiſtentia, ex actu & potentia, of being and exiſtence, or of an actual being, or of a poſſible being: this com…oſition is in the moſt ſimple creatures, as in Angels whoſe eſſence and exiſtence differ; who had once no actuall being; but a being in a power, termed obedientiall, before they were created: now God's exiſtence and eſſence is one and the ſame; and God is purus actus; he is eternal, he did actually exiſt from all eternity, There is a compoſition of a ſubject and accident, as the wall and the colour in the wall: this compoſition is likewiſe in Angels; they are compounded of ſubſtance and accidents; and ſo the ſouls of men are, which are comparatively ſimple creatures, as the power, goodneſs, holineſs, wiſedome in Angels, are created qualities in them, they are not the eſſence and being of an Angel: now there is no ſuch compoſition in God: his properties are his eſſence: Gods holineſſe is not a quality, but his very being and nature: ſo that when we ſay, God is moſt ſimple, we mean, that God is void of all compoſition and mixture.
CHAP. III.
NOw to prove the ſimplicity of God; it is ſaid, John 4. 14. God is a Spirit: where to take men off from reſting in ritual worſhipping him, he ſheweth, how God will be worſhipped of us, in ſpirit and truth, and his reaſon is, becauſe God is a ſpirit: So are Angels, ſo are the ſouls of men Spirits: but God is moſt ſpiritual, beyond all created ſpirits, there is no compoſition in God, as in created ſpirits. God is light, and in him is no darkneſſe at all. 1. Joh. 1. 5. he is all light, all mercy, and pure mercy he is all juſtice, and pure juſtice; he is all love and pure love: he is all holineſs, without the leaſt ſpot of defilement; he is all power, and without the leaſt degree of weakneſſe; he is all wiſdome, and without the leaſt degree of folly; God is ſimple, holy, wiſe, good, perfect: ſo when God is ſaid to be life it ſelf, it importeth his ſimplicity.
1. One Reaſon is, becauſe if GodReaſ. were not purely ſimple, void of all compoſition, then he could not be from eternity, becauſe whatſoever is compounded, is made of ſomething, which in time is before it, all compounds are after the component; but God is eternal: Before me there was no God, ſaith the Lord. Iſa. 43. 10.
2. If God be a compounded being; then the parts of which he conſiſts muſt be before him, at leaſt before in order of nature, if n…t in time: ſo God ſhould not be eternal and immutable, but may be reſolved into nothing.
3. If God were compounded, then he could not be ens primum, ens a ſe, & ens per ſeipſum; not ens primum, becauſe the efficient would before him; not ens a ſe, becauſe then he had being from the efficient, not per ſe, by himſelf.
4. Becauſe God is moſt perfect; therefore moſt ſimple: the more perfection, the more ſimplicity: God being moſt perfect, muſt of neceſſity be moſt ſimple.
5. God admits no diverſity or compoſition in himſelf, nor in the perſons, nor in their operations: not in himſelf, becauſe God is his own eſſence: not in the perſons, becauſe the whole and the ſame eſſence, is in all three perſons: not in their operations or works, becauſe the ſame eſſence, which is the principle of all Divine actions is the ſame in all.
Before I make uſe, I will deduce theſe corollaries from Gods ſimplicity. 1. There is but one God, becauſe there can be but one moſt ſimple being which is God.
2. Then Quicquid in Deo eſt, Deus eſt: Whatſoever is in God is God, Deus eſt foreign totaliter totum; for if there be any thing in God, which is not God, then he ſhould not be moſt ſimple, but compounded of his being and that which is of him, but it is not God.
3. Then whatſoever is ſpoken of God, is not accidentally, but eſſentially ſpoken of him: mercy is ſpoken of God eſſentially; his very eſſence is power, mercy, juſtice, All-ſufficiency.
CHAP. IIII.
IF God be moſt ſimple; then whatſoeverUſe 1. God giveth, promiſeth, or threatneth, he is ſincere in all. Jam. 1. 5. God giveth to all men liberally; ſaith our tranſlation, but the greek word foreign is ſincerely and uprightly. without any fraud or diſſimulation: ſo the Lord is moſt upright, and ſincere and ſimple in all his promiſes, and likewiſe in all his threatnings. Hath the Lord promiſed to give ſuch and ſuch mercies, a believer may be confident he ſhall have them, God will not deceive him, he will not prom…ſe one thing and give another, but what he hath ſpoken: be thou upright toward him, he will ſincerely make good his word: God never did nor can deceive any that put their truſt in him.
So again, he is ſincere in all his threatnings, he will execute upon the ungodly what he denounced againſt them. Doth he threaten damnation to an impenitent wretch, then there damnation ſlumbers not: men through ignorance and ſelf love think that God is not▪ and will not be ſo ſevere and terrible, as his word ſets him forth to be: but deceive not your ſelves, God is ſincere, and if he ſpeak the word, God is ſincere, and if he ſpeak the word, it ſhall come to paſs▪
2. Seeing God is moſt ſimple,Uſe 2. hence it is, that he approveth of all ſincere hearts, and accepts of all duties where he ſeeth ſincerity: he paſſeth by many imperfections of his ſervants, becauſe he ſees they pray, they hear, they give almes, and whatſoever they do, they do all in ſincerity of heart unto him: he hath promiſed to be a ſhield and ſun to them who walk uprightly. Pſal. 84. 11. A ſhield to preſerve thoſe that are ſincere and ſimple in heart, a ſun to comfort and refreſh them.
And indeed 'tis all the comfort of the Godly, that whatſoever they do to God and for God, is in ſimplicity of heart. 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this, the teſtimony of our Conſcience, that in ſimplicity and godly ſincerity, &c. We have had our converſation in the World. Though many imperfections and infirmities may adhere to the beſt duties of upright men, yet if conſcience teſtifie to thee, thou doſt them in ſimplicity and ſincerity of heart, here is thy rejoycing: uprightneſs breeds boldneſs and heavenly joy.
Hence it is that he abhors all hypocrites, in whoſe heart and performances there is abundance of fraud and guil; who have (as the Pſalmiſt ſpeaks) an heart and an heart, a double heart, becauſe ſuch perſons are moſt oppoſite and contrary to his moſt ſimple nature; therefore he throws away all duties of hypocrites (how glorious ſoever they are to outward ſhew, to publique view) as ſo many abominations, as hateful things in his ſight, for want of ſimplicity and ſincerity of heart, which he looks into. When we go to duty, the Lord ſpeaks as Jehu to Jehonadab, is thy heart right, plain and ſimple as mine is? then give thee mine hand, then pray and I will hear thee, then I will accept of all that thou doſt: but if thy heart be falſe, double, full of fraud and guile, then bring no more vain oblations, your incenſe, your prayers are an a…omination to me, who am a moſt ſimple God, upright, ſincere.
Sincerity is the life and ſoul of all our works, without which (how beautiful ſoever our works are in the eyes of men) they are ſtinking and abominable in the eyes of God; as loathſome in God's eyes, as ſtinking and putrifying carcaſſes are in ours: many ſplendid performances doth God reject, when not done with a perfect heart.
3. Seeing God is moſt ſimple, letUſe 3. us ſtrive after ſimplicity and ſingleneſs of heart: our ſimplicity is our ſincerity and ſingleneſs of heart; 'tis our perfection, 'tis our conformity to God.
What is it to do things in ſimplicityQueſt. of heart?
An heart is ſaid to be ſimple, whenSol. it propoſeth one object or end to it ſelf; and a double heart, when it propoſeth a double end or object; as when a man propoſeth God and himſelf for his ends, God's glory and his own credit, and eſteem among men; to give alms, to pray, preach, hear, to aim at himſelf and God together; ſuch an one is an hypocrite, and God abhorreth his works: But ſingleneſs of heart propoſeth none but God for his end and object onelyonly; I will do ſuch and ſuch good works, ſaith a ſincere ſoul, in obedience to God's command, that God may be glorified, and I rejoyce in my performances as in that which is well-pleaſing to him.
To this purpoſe conſider theſe Motives.
1. 'Tis the higheſt perfection of our works and perſons, that we are ſincere: There is no poſſibility for us to attain to a perfection of degrees, but to ſincerity in this life.
2. The more ſingle in heart and ſincere thou art in all duties, the more doeſt thou grow in a conformity to God, who is moſt ſimple.
3. Sincerity and ſimplicity (like love) covereth abundance of infirmities and imperfections in our performances: Though Satan ſhould feed thee with a thouſand ſuggeſtions in thy duties, yet if Conſcience ſhall give thee this teſtimony, that thou didſt them in ſimplicity of heart, thou haſt matter of rejoycing.
4. It is the higheſt perfection of glorified Saints in Heaven, to be ſimple and ſincere; for though neither Angels nor Saints ſhall have ſimple beings, yet then and there they ſhall be without the mixture of all hypocriſie and guile; they ſhall be perfectly holy, pure, upright, they ſhall delight wholly in God, and purely love him.
Admire God's ſimplicity, and giveUſe 4. him the glory of this moſt glorious Property of his, that he is ſo pure, that there is not in his nature the leaſt mixture of pollution, nor the leaſt tincture of defilement; he is ſo holy, that he is holineſs onelyonly, & totaliter ſanctus, wholly, and altogether holy.