Treatise of Divinity, Book 2 · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
SO much be spoken concerning Gods will,God is Omnipotent. affections, and vertues:2 Cor. 6. 18. there followeth Power in God, by which God by the bare beck of his wil,Revel. 1. 8. effecteth all things which he wil, and howsoever he will,Luke 18. 28. perfectly without labour and difficulty, and can doe perfectly all things which he can will;Matth. 19. 26. this is called Absolute *Matth. 3 9.Power,Ephes. 1. 19. by which he can doe more things then either he doth or will.Phil. 3. 21. ActuallaPsalm 135. 6. & 115. 3. power is when God causeth those things to exist which he will have exist.
Both Gods Absolute and Actuall power is ActivebEphes. 3. 20. onelyonly, and no way Passive.
This power of God is infinite,1 In se & per se quia idem est cum essentia divina. Wendelinus.
1 In respect of the Divine essence, since it flowes from the infinite nature of God; for it is a most certaine rule, that the faculties and powers of the Subject flow from the forme and agree with the forme.
Secondly, in respect of the object*Potentia Dei infinita est respectu objectorum: quia innumera sunt, quae produci ab ea possint. Respectu actionis infinita est: quia nunqnam effectum producit tam praestantem, quin praestantiorem possit producere. Wendelinus. and effects, for God doth never so many and so great workes, but he can doe more and greater; although we must hold that God can not make a creature of infinite perfection simply, or creatures indeed infinite in number, for so they should be Gods; for the Divine power is so farre exercised on the object as the passive power of the object extends it selfe, but infinite perfection imports a pure act.
Thirdly, in respect of duration, which is perpetuall as his essence is,Luke 1. 37. therefore this force and power of God is deservedly stiled Omnipotency, Job 42. 2. Gods power is not onelyonly potentia, or multipotentia, but omnipotentia, for degree infinite; shall …ny matter be hard for the Lord?
The Scripture con…irmes the omnipotency of God,Revel. 15. 3.
1 Affirmatively,Omnipotent is often put for God. when it cals God Abbir, Job 34. 20. Shaddai Alsufficient, Gen. 35. 11. Deut. 10. 17. Psalm 89. 13. Gibbor powerfull,Ruth 1. 20, 21. Deut. 10. 17.
2 Effectively,Job 21. 15. & 27 10. & 31. 2. when it witnesseth, that God can doe all things, Matth. 3. 9. & 19. 16. Marke 14. 36. Luke 18. 26. Ephes. 3. 20. Hitherto belong all the works of the divine power and supernaturall miracles.
3 Negatively, when it denies any thing to be difficult to him, much lesse impossible, Gen. 18. 14. Jer. 32. 17, 27. Luke 1. 37. Matth. 19. 36.
4 Symbolically, when it gives him a strong right hand, a stretched out arme, 1 Chron. 29. 12. Jer. 32. 17. Ephes. 1. 19.
Reason proves it also.
1 His essence (as was said) is infinite, therefore his power.
2 He is most perfect, therefore most powerfull.
3 Whatsoever good thing is to be found in any creature,There is strength in Angels, Men, beasts, and all creatures in their kind, therefore it is much more perfectly and eminently in God from whom they have it. the same is perfectly and infinitely in God.
Some observe that this is expressed seventy times in Scripture, that God is Almighty. He is the onelyonly Potentate, 1 Tim. 6. 15. The Psalmist saith, Power belongeth to God▪ the first Article of our faith teacheth us to believe that God is omnipotent.
God can worke by weake meanes, without meanes, contrary to meanes.
Gods power is
Essentiall and Independent, it is the cause of all power, John 19. 8. it reacheth beyond his will, Matth. 26. 35.
2 It extends to things that are not nor never will be,Power is Gods originally and p…imarily, all power of all creatures is derived from him, and continued and ordered by him. as to raise up children of stones to Abraham, Matth. 3. 9. to give Christ more then ten legions of Angels.
The object of Divine power are all things simply and in their owne nature possible, which neither contradict the nature of God, nor the essence of the creatures; those which are contrary to these are absolutely impossible; such things God can not doe, because he can not will them, nor can he will and doe contrary things,God can doe all things, quae …abent rationem fallibilitatis, quae contradictionem non implicam. as good and evill, or contradictory, as to be, and not to be, that a true thing be false, that any thing while it is should not be; God cannot sinne, lie, deny, change or destroy himselfe, suffer, he can not, not beget his Sonne from eternity: for all these things doe ex diametre, oppose the Divine, Immutable, Simple, most true and perfect essence.Titus 2. 2. God can not create another God, nor cause a man to be unreasonable,2 Tim. 2. 13. nor a body to be infinite and every where, for these things contradict the essentiall definitions of a creature,There are impossibilia naturae which exc…ed natures sphere, as to make a thing of nothing, to raise the dead to life, these God can doe; and impossibilia na…ura, those things which are by themselves simply impossible. G…d can not will the same thing at the same time to be and not to be, nor cause that which hath been not to be, this would argue inconstancy. Propterea quaedam non potest, q…ia omnipotens est. There is impossibility ex parte Dei & ex parte rei. See Dr. Willet on Gen. 18. 12. of a man and a body; not to be able to doe all these things is not impotency but power, for to be able to doe opposite things is a signe of infirmity, being not able to remaine altogether in one and the same state.
God is therefore omnipotent, because he cannot doe these things which argue impotency, as if I should say the Sunne is full of light, it cannot be darke. Yet it is not so proper a speech to say God can not doe these things, as to say, these are acts too meane, base, and worthlesse to be effects of Divine power, Haec non possunt …ieri, rather then, Deus non potest facere, saith Thomas.
Gods omnipotence lies in this,*Matth 3. 9. that he is able to doe whatsoever is absolutely, simply and generally possible. A possible things is that, the doing of which may be an effect of Gods wisdome and power, and which being done would argue power and perfection; and impossible that which can not be an effect of wisdome and power, but if it should be done would argue weakenesse and imperfection in God. 2 In respect of manner,Psam 148. 5. he doth it with a word, Let there be light, said he, and there was light. 3 He can doe all things of himselfe without any creatures helpe. Gods power is …iled Might of power. Eph…s. 1. 19. and it is seen in his workes of creation, making all things of nothing, therefore that followes the other in the Creed. 2 In his workes of providence. 3 In his Word, Rom. 1. 16.
Gods power is limited and restrained.
1 By his nature, he can not contradict himselfe.
2 Regulated by his will, he can not doe evill.
3 By his glory, he can not lie, he is truth it selfe, nor be tempted of evill, Jam 1. 13.
There is a difference between foreign and foreign, potentia and p…t…stas▪ foreign or potestas is pr…perly authority, right to do a thing, as a King hath over his Subjects, a father over his chil… dren, a husband over his wife, a master over his servants, of wch Chri…t speaks John 17. …. Matth. 28. 18. foreign or potentia is properly strength to doe something, as some great King may have power to overcome his enemies over which he hath no authority. A lay-man hath power to give Bread and Wine, but he hath not potestatem a calling or right to doe it.
It serves both for a spur…e to doe well,Consectaries from Gods power or omnipotency. Whatsoever God hath promised or uttered, we may be sure shall be fulfilled. Acts 26. 8. Matth. 22. 29. since God is able to save, Gen. 17. 1. and a bridle to restraine from evill, seeing he hath power to destroy, we should therefore humble our selves under his mighty hand, 1 Pet. 5. 6. Luke 12. 5.
It reproves the wicked which care not for Gods power, but provoke the Almighty God, Matth. 10. 28. and so contend with power it selfe, none shall deliver them out of his hand, 1 Cor. 10. 22.Ephes. …. 20. and it condemnes the godly which distrust the power of God,Prov. 18. 10. Num. 11. 21. John 21. 32. Remembring not that he hath unlimited power. The Lords Prayer ends thus, For thine is the power.
This ministers comfort to those which have God on their side,John 10. 39. Rom. 8. 38. 2 Tim. 1. 12. This power of God is not idle but creates sustaines, and governes all things. they need not fear what man or devil can do against them. He can strengthen them in spirituall weaknesses against sin, and unto duty, all the divels in hell are not able to plucke them out of his hands, Matth. 16. 18. John 10. 28, 29. If a people fall from him he is able to graffe them in againe, Esay 44. 22. Rom. 11. 23. they are kept by his power through faith to salvation, 1 Pet. 1. 5. He can protect them against their enemies, though they be never so many, Dan. 3. 17. Psalm 3. 6. He can and will make you strong in his power to beare patiently all afflictions. God is able to raise them up againe when they are rotten in the grave at the generall resurrection, Heb. 11. 19.
We should not despise a weake Christian,Of all the Attributes of God, this onelyonly is mentioned in the Creed, I believe in God the Father Almighty, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, because our faith is specially to be fixed on the power of God and Christ. God is able to make him strong; we should by this strengthen our faith in Gods promises, as Abraham Rom. 4. 22. it is prefixed in the Creed as the prop of our beliefe in the Articles of our Christian faith. That Commandement be strong in Christ and in his power, includes a promise, that he will give us his power, if we seeke to him and rest on him; for it were a very mocking to bid us be strong in him, if he would not communicate his strong power to us; if we have any strength either of body or mind to doe any thing, we must returne to him the glory of it, and be ruled by him in the use of it, because we have it from him, and hold it at his meere pleasure. Oh saith God to Job can you doe this and that, and then who made the clouds? by which question he would cause Job to see his own impotency, and Gods omnipotent power.