Treatise of Divinity, Book 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
SO much concerning the affections attributed to God, his vertues follow; which, as they have their seate in man, in the will and affections: so it is not inconvenient for methods sake to referre them to the same in God. Gods vertues*Vertues in men are certain excellent and confirmed habits, by which they are made apt and prompt to use their faculties well and orderly. are his essence considered, as it alwaies worketh orderly, fitly, and agreeable to perfect reason. They are not things differing from his essence as in us, but we must conceive of them according to our capacity, and handle them distinctly.
By vertues we understand first in generall the idea of vertue, or the chiefest morall perfection, by which God is in himselfe absolutely the best, and in respect of which all the vertues of Angels and men are onelyonly slender shadowes and representations. For God is Summum bonum the chiefest good and most perfect goodnesse, both metaphysically and morally; so that his nature and will is the first rule of goodnesse and rectitude,Luke 18. 19. with which as farre as things agree,Matth. 19. 17. so farre they are, and are called good. 2. He is the cause of all goodnesse in the creatures, which have so much goodnesse as God works and keeps in them.
Gods Goodnesse is an essentiall property whereby he is infinitely and of himselfe good,Exod 33 19. Psal 34 8, 9. & 73. 1. & 117. 2. Rom. 2. 4. and the authour and cause of all goodnesse in the creature.
Goodnesse*Bonum est id quod omnes appetunt. Aristotle seu quod natura sua appetibile est. Goodnesse is a property of things by which they are fit to produce actions requisite for their owne and the common welfare. David seemeth to give us this description of Gods goodnesse, Psalm 119. 68. Bonitas Dei est, qua Deus in se maximè perfect… & appetibilis, o…niumque extra se appetibilium & bonorum causa est. Wendeli…us. Goodnesse is the fitnesse of every thing for its owne end, and for the actions which for that …nd it ought to performe. Whatsoever thing is excellent in the creatures, is much more in God, Ja… 1. 17. is the perfection of thiugs for which they are desirable; good and appetible are convertible; what is good, is to be desired. God is to be desired of all, he is the chiefest good. The properties of which are these:
1. It is propter se amabile, to be desired for it selfe; so onelyonly God.
2. It is able to satisfie the soule, and that satisfaction which it gives is perpetuall. In God there is both satiety and stability; satisfaction of the appetite and continuance of that satisfaction.
2. God is causally good, worketh all goodnesse in the creature, and doth good to them, Psal. 33. 5.
3. Eminently and absolutely good, the onelyonly good. There is a goodnesse in the creature, its nature is good, but goodnesse is not its nature; so there is none good but God, viz. essentially, originally.
Our Saviour Matth. 19. 17. reproved one for calling him good. Not that he is not so essentially, but because he thinking him to be no more then a Prophet, did yet call him so. God is onelyonly good essentially, independently; comparatively to God the creature is not good; as a drop is no water compared to the Ocean.
The Scripture proveth Gods goodnesse,
1. Affirmatively, when it affirmeth that God is good, and commends his goodnesse.Psal. 25. 8.
2. Negatively, when it denieth that there is any evill in him. Psal. 92. 16. Deut. 32. 4.
3. Symbolically, when it celebrateth the riches of his goodnsse, Rom. 2. 4.
4. Effectively, when it affirmes that all the workes of God are good,There are naturally, the good Heavens, the good Sun, and Moone, good Food, and Rayment. Spiritually, good Angels and Men, because there is a good God. Gen. 1. 31. It was said of every thing particularly when it was made, The Lord saw that it was good; and in the conclusion of the whole creation, God saw all his workes that they were good, yea, very good; that is, commodious for the comfort of man, and all other creatures. He made all things good, therefore he is good himselfe. This may be proved by the godnesse which still remaines in the creatures; each creature hath yet remaining in him a power and fitnesse to doe much good, and bring much comfort to man, as daily experience proves; therefore he that notwithstanding the rebellion of man hath continued yet much good in the world, is surely good; the beasts doe good to their young, man to his children; this power they received from God.
5. God is to be loved, honoured, praised, and served by man, therefore he is good; or else he were not worthy this respect from the creature.
The goodnesse of God is either considered ad intra and absolutely, or else ad extra and respectively. For the first, God in himselfe is good. This appeares:
1. In reckoning up all the kinds of good things that are, for there is 1. Bonum utile, the profitable good; now how happy must they needs be who have him which can command all things; if thou hast him thou hast all things else in him. 2. There is bonum jucundum, Psal 34.taste and see how sweet he is, at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore. 3. Bonum …onestum, he is the holy God, the authour of all holinesse, and the exemplar of it.
2. This goodnesse of his cannot be increased, it being his essence, it cannot be made better; for God hath in him not onelyonly all the actuall, but all the possible goodnesse that is in the creatures; any creature still may be better; thy riches, honours, comforts may be better; but thy God cannot be a better God; therefore we should infinitely affect him more then all creatures.
3. It is independent goodnesse, he is omnis boni bonum; hence he is said to be onelyonly good, that is, essentially and immutably.
4▪ It is essentiall; the essence and goodnesse of the creatures is different; goodnesse in the Angels the perfectest creatures is a superadded quality to them, they may be good; but ille bono suo bonus est. He is good with his owne goodnesse, he can not be God if he be not good.
5. It is illimited goodnesse, infinite, without all bounds, above all that can be conceived; he being essentially so, and not limited to this or that being, neither is his goodnesse.
6. It is immixed goodnesse, 1 John 1. 5. He is light, and there is no darknesse in him, not the least evill of sin.
7. It is the sampler and forme of all goodnesse in the creatures so far a thing is good as it doth resemble him.
All the good of a creature is in God alwaies.
1. Eminently, as you consider it in its kind, without imperfection.
2. Efficiently, as he is the Authour and cause of all the good the creature hath.
3. Exemplarily, as he is the rule and patterne of all goodnesse.
4. Finally, as he is the chiefest good of all creatures, so that all terminate their desires in him.
Secondly, God is good respectively, in what he doth to the creatures, that appeareth in the good things bestowed upon them. He gives to all liberally, especially the rationall, creatures, as Men and Angels partake of his goodnesse, being made capable of enjoying him for ever.James 1. 2. In the evill he keepes of from the elect; as he will withhold no good thing, so he will let no evill befall them.
Ob. God is infinitely good (say the Arminians) therefore he can not but naturally will good to the creature.
Sol. It doth not follow; for out of his goodnesse he made the world, his goodnesse freely communicated, not out of necessity, then it will follow that he naturally made the world. 2. God is infinitely just; therefore he also naturally wils the perdition of all sinners, which they will not admit. 3. He is infinitely good in himselfe,R…etor sortis▪ not therefore so to his creatures, for so he should will all good to them, and actually communicate it, and so should save all. Notwithstanding Gods goodnesse of nature he suffered man to fall;Bonitas D…i erga creaturas est merè voluntaria atque arbi…ria, nisi quum est aliquid in creatura quod referat Dei imaginem qua sanctus est. but yet he was so good that he would not have suffered it, unlesse he could have shewed as much goodnesse to man another way; and indeed Christ is a greater good to us by faith, then Adams innocency could have been: but yet since that evill is come into the world, how many calamities might befall thee, did not Gods goodnesse prevent it? that the earth swallowes thee not up tis Gods goodnesse. The goodnesse of God is so great, that no creature should suffer punishment,Fieri non potest ut creaturam suam non …met in qua re fulgere videt imaginem suam, at cum aliquid est in creatura ab illa imagine abhorrens & ei repugnans, tum sapientia moderatur bonitatem. Cameron praelect. in Manh. 16. 20. but that the justice of God doth require the same, or else some greater good may be drawn from thence. Ezek. 33. 11.
Ob. How doth it agree with Gods goodnesse, that it is said Psalm 18. 27. With the froward he will shew himselfe froward?
Sol. In the generall, the meaning is, onelyonly that Gods judgements shall agree with mens manners, and David shewes not how God is in himselfe, but relatively how he is to us.
We should 1. love God because of his goodnesse,Consectaries from Gods goodnesse. Two things make men happy in Heaven, 1. Because they w…ll, nothing but what is good. for it is the proper object of love. That which is the chiefe good ought to be the principall object of all the powers of our soules. God is the principall good. O that we could account him so, and accordingly carry our selves toward him.
2. Imitate him, be good as he is good, be like our Heavenly father, good to all, Rom. 12. 9. cleave to that which is good, we should still be doing or receiving of good.
3 Gods goodnesse will support his children in their calamities,2. They enjoy what they will. Nehem. 1. 7. and arme them against poverty, and the feare of death it selfe. I doe not feare to die (said Ambrose) because we have a good Lord.G…lat. 5. 22. Paul cals it the riches of Gods goodnesse, Rom. …. 4. and maketh this use of it, that it should lead us to repentance, to consider, 1. What we were originally, good, the Creator being so, the creature must needs be; and … what we are now, unlike him. Nec pudet vivere nec piget …ori, quia bonum habemus Dominum.
We are much to be blamed for sleighting, despising,Esay 5. 25. or neglecting him the fountaine of all goodnesse. Man is a most loathsome creature, that hateth, and foolish that sleighteth this chiefe good.
Here is a use of thankfulnsse to Gods people, which enjoy the goodnesse of God in part here in the creature,Luke 6. 36. and shall hereafter immediately and fully. God is good to all in bestowing upon them gifts of nature, of body or of mind; but he is especially good to some, whom he hath chosen to life eternall.
We may see the great evill of sinne; nothing is so opposite to this attribute of Gods goodnesse as sinne; the Divels are not evill as creatures, but as sinfull.