A Stock of Divine Knowledge, Chapter 12
OF THE WILL OF GOD. CHAP. XII.
ISIA. 46.10.
My counſell ſhall ſtand, and I will doe all my pleaſure.
IN order, knowledge is before will; for that we will, we know, and what we know, that we may will; therefore we have firſt handled the wiſedome, and the knowledge of God: and now we are to ſpeake, of the will of God, whereby he willeth thoſe things, that he knowes; for which I have made choice of this text, my will, or counſell ſhall ſtand, and I will doe all my pleaſure: In ſpeaking of which, we will keepe our order, and firſt ſhew what his will is; the queſtion is:
Queſt. What is the will of the divine Eſſence?
Anſw. The anſwer is, it is a communicable Attribute, whereby it doth freely, and immutably will it ſelfe, and all other things, whatſoever it doth will: the opening of which in the ſeverall parts, will manifeſt this plainly unto us. Firſt, we ſay the will of God, and not the wills of God, becauſe there is but one will of God: and this appeares in as much, as uſually the Scripture ſpeakes of it in the number of one, as in this place, My counſell ſhall ſtand: there is but one will; the like we finde, Prov. 19.21. My counſell ſhall ſtand: Matth. 6.10. our Savi…ur hath taught us to pray, Thy will be done: Ephe. 1.5. According to the good pleaſure of his will: ſo then there is but one will: Againe I ſay, it is a communicable Attribute, given to this divine Eſſence; I call it communicable (as I ſaid before) not becauſe it is in any creature as it is in God; but becauſe there is the ſame in proportion in man, there is ſome thing like it; whereby it freely, and immutably wills it ſelfe, and all other things: Firſt, the divine Eſſence moſt freely willeth it ſelfe: for howſoever it willeth it ſelfe by neceſſity of nature, yet it willeth freely without any compulſion: ſo as the Apoſtle ſpeakes, in other things, the Lord cannot deny himſelfe; ſo we ſay, the Lord out of the neceſſity of his nature, wills himſelfe: but yet voluntarily, out of the goodneſſe of his nature: but when he wills other things, there is no ſuch neceſſity of nature, but he wills them moſt freely: but whatſoever he wills, he wills freely, out of his owne will, there being no cauſe of Gods will, but the will it ſelfe, which is the cauſe of all cauſes: as appeares, Matth. 11.25.26. I thanke thee oh heavenly father, that thou haſt hid theſe things from the wiſe, &c. even ſo, for it is thy good pleaſure. It is not lawfull for me, to doe what I will with my owne, ſaith Chriſt: Rom. 9.18. It is not in him that willeth, nor in him that runneth, but in God that ſheweth mercy: he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy: there is nothing in man that moves him, it is ſtill his will, he wills freely.
The next thing is, that this will is immutable; that is, when he hath willed, it is without change: this was drawne out of the mouth of the falſe Prophet, Num. 23. The Lord is not as man that he ſhould lie, nor as the ſon of man that he ſhould repent: the Lord cannot repent: I am the Lord, I change not, Mal. 36. The Lord of hoſts hath ſworne, ſaying: ſurely as I have thought, ſo ſhall it come to paſſe, and as I have purpoſed ſo ſhall it ſtand; Iſai. 14.24. He hath ſaid and will he not doe it? Num 23.19. So that whatſoever he doth will, he wills it alwaies, and eternally; my will ſhall ſtand for ever; God wills from eternity; whatſoever he wills, as the Apoſtle, Acts 4.24. Thou haddeſt determined before to be done. God might have willed otherwaies before, but when he hath willed, it ſhall ſtand.
The next thing is, that he wills himſelfe; that as he knowes himſelfe, ſo he wills himſelfe; that is, his owne glory; the willing of himſelfe, is the willing of his own glory: Pro. 16. He hath made all things for himſelfe, for his owne glory: I will not give my glory to another; our Saviour teacheth us to pray principally, Hallowed be thy name; a thing moſt to be deſired; and whatſoever you doe, let it be done to the glory of God, ſaith the Apoſtle, thus he wills himſelfe. Secondly, he wills all other things; other things, are of two ſorts, good, and evill; now God wills that which is good, the things which himſelfe doth, are good: Gen 1. He looks upon all that he had made, and loe they were exceeding good. Pſal. 116.3. The Lord is in heaven, and doth whatſoever he will: So he hath choſen us according to the good pleaſure of his will; the like may be ſaid of other things, that others doe good things God wills, for he commands them to be done, and approves them, when they are done; he doth delight in them, and rewards them, that doe them.
Finally, he wills evill things, and they are of two natures: Firſt the evill of ſinne. Secondly, the evill of puniſhment: the evill of ſinne, doth not properly fall under the will of God; he cannot will ſinne, as ſin: Thou art not a God that loveſt iniquity: Pſal. 5.4. therefore in this caſe, it is not willed by God; notwithſtanding, it may in ſome reſpect, be ſaid to be under Gods will, becauſe he doth permit it: as appeares Acts 14.16. The Lord ſuffered all nations to walke in their owne waies: He ſuffered them, not becauſe he could not hinder every thing from being, but becauſe he would not; when God doth not hinder ſin, he is ſaid to permit it: Pſal 81.12. I gave them up to their owne hearts luſts, to walke according to their own evill wares. Secondly, the evill of puniſhment, falls under Gods will; here the will of God is the chiefe cauſe; he willingly plagues men with evill, for their neglecting of good; for though there be ſome things in man, which would bring evill upon him, yet the chiefe cauſe is in God: Iſai. 45.7. I create evill, I make peace, I the Lord doe all this: ſhall there be evill in the City, and I not doe it? Even all evill, the evill of puniſhment, the evill of ſinne, as it is a puniſhment of ſinne commeth from God; and that is manifeſt, in that the Lord hardens mens hearts, as a puniſhment of precedent hardneſſe, ſo alſo of the lying ſpirits that were in the mouthes of Ahabs falſe Prophets. It is ſaid the Lord put a falſe ſpirit into the mouths of them; not as the Author, but as the puniſher of ſinne: ſo it is ſaid, God gave them up to vilde affections, and all this was as a puniſhment. 2 Theſ 2. God gave them up to ſtrong deluſions, to believe lyes: Finally, adde to this, one thing more, the tranſgreſſions of men, as they are actions come from God, for in God we live, move, and have our being; but as they are tranſgreſſions of the law and ſo evill, they are from men. The next queſtion, to amplifie the proofe of this, is this:
Queſt. Why ſpeake you of the will of God as of one?
Anſw. The anſwer is, becauſe his will is himſelfe, and he is but one, therefore there cannot be many wills; his life is himſelfe, his wiſedome himſelfe, his will himſelfe, nothing in him but himſelfe; then it followes that his will muſt needs be but one; but underſtand thus much, that howſoever his will is but one, yet it may be ſaid to be many, in reſpect of us, and that two waies; either in reſpect of the diverſity of the things willed, or in the divers maner of willing; we manifeſt both: Firſt, in reſpect of the diverſity of things willed; there are ſome things in the Old Teſtament, and ſome things in the New that are divers. Againe he wills ſome things that he will doe to man, and ſomethings he will have done by man, leſt his anger breake out upon him. Secondly, in the divers manner of willing, he wills diverſly; he wills good for it ſelfe, and bad for ſome other good; he wills ſometimes abſolutely, and ſometimes conditionally; yet ſo that there is no condition with God, but with us, and according to this manner we are to conceive of the will of God. The next queſtion is;
Queſt. Why ſay you that he wills freely and Immutably?
Anſw. The anſwer is, becauſe there is nothing before nor greater then the will of God, for which he ſhould doe any thing. Secondly, becauſe he is omnipotent, and moſt wiſe, and cannot be reſiſted. To explane theſe: Firſt, he wills moſt freely, becauſe there was nothing before him, nothing greater then himſelfe; if there were nothing before him, nor greater then he, what ſhould move him to will? for that which moves this will, muſt be before and greater then this will; that there was nothing before, nor greater then his will, appeares by this, becauſe whatſoever is in him, is from his will; therefore it cannot be before, nor greater then his will: thus then there is nothing without God that can move him, neither is there any thing within him; if any thing, it muſt be his knowledge; but beſides that, his knowledge extends further then his will (he knowes things he wils not;) his knowledge and his will are both his Eſſence, one and the ſame thing in God, and therefore to be moved by his knowledge to will, is to be moved by himſelfe; his own Eſſence moves it ſelfe to will. Secondly, we ſay he wils immutably, becauſe he is omnipotent, and moſt wiſe; for if his will be mutable, the mutability of it muſt needs come from one of theſe two; either firſt, becauſe it is reſiſted by a greater power which cannot be, becauſe he is omnipoten, as you heard out of the 115. Pſalm. 3. he hath done whatſoever he will, he is in heaven. Secondly, or elſe becauſe ſome unexpected accident not foreſeene falls out, which occaſions him to reſcinde his determination; but neither can this be, becauſe as it hath beene ſhewed, God knowes all things, both paſt, preſent, and to come, with one moſt ſimple act of underſtanding; as the Apoſtle, knowne unto God are all his workes from the beginning of the world; therefore ſeeing that no power can hinder the execution of his will, who is omnipotent, nor no accident be ſuddaine to him, who is moſt wiſe: It followes neceſſarily, that he wills immutablely. The next queſtion is;
Queſt. Why it is ſaid that he wills himſelf and other things?
Anſw. The anſwer is, becauſe the object of his will is good, or goodneſſe, therefore he muſt needs principally will himſelfe, for he is goodneſſe it ſelfe; he wills himſelfe principally, becauſe himſelfe is the chiefeſt good, and chiefeſt to be beloved. In other caſes, whatſoever he wills, he wills it as in himſelfe; the object of the underſtanding is truth; falſehood doth not fall into the underſtanding, but by reaſon of truth; God underſtands himſelfe, as being the firſt truth, and other things in himſelfe. The object of the will is goodneſſe; God is the chiefeſt good, and therefore he wills himſelfe firſt, and he wills other things that are good as they are good, and as they have in them impreſſions of his Image, and as they tend to him that is the principall good, and ſo he wills every thing.
Queſt. Why then doth he will evill?
Anſw. Becauſe it is the execution of juſtice, and ſo good, for it is good which is juſt; for whatſoever is juſt, is certainely good; if it be evill, yet if it be the execution of juſtice, it is good; whereupon the ſinnes of men which are brought as puniſhments of ſinners, are good. Thus ſaith Saint Auſtine, this is the Juſtice of God, but not the ſinfulneſſe of God; this is the execution of Juſtice, and ſo good: and thus I have confirmed and explaned the Doctrine of the will of God, &c. By order we are to come to the uſes, but there are many doubts, whether the will of God be free, and unchangeable, but out of many, we will ſpeak but of a few.
Object. To will freely, and immutably, are oppoſite, for freedome is that which is mutable.
Anſw. There is a freedome, where there is immutability, for immutability takes not away the freedome of actions. Adam was created with a free will to good, and evill: Adam, now glorified, hath a free will, onelyonly to good: the Divells, and damnned have an immutable will to evill, and yet free, and Gods wil is moſt immutable, and yet moſt free. God wils himſelfe by the neceſſity of nature, he cannot doe otherwiſe, but muſt needs will himſelfe, and yet this he doth moſt freely, becauſe not by conſtraint or compulſion: God wills other things, not out of any ſuch neceſſity, he might not have willed that which he doth will, or he might have willed another thing then what he wills, but when he hath once determined his owne will, it remaines for ever. Immutably determined from the neceſſity of his nature; for God cannot denie himſelf: this determination of his will, was moſt free: meerely, and only from himſelfe. In a word, to will freely, and to will immutably are not oppoſite, but are in God, who wils all things out of himſelf freely, becauſe he might have not willed them; and immutably, becauſe having willed them, he will not, nor can he reſcinde his own decree.
Object. The will of God is not immutable becauſe he changeth his will; for he willeth one thing under the law and he abolliſhes that, and wils another thing under the Goſpell.
Anſ. The anſwer is eaſie, there is no change in the will of God; for whatſoever was done in time, was willed from all eternity; he willed that, that which was under the law, ſhould be for a time, and then be changed; and willed that, which is under the Goſpell ſhould ſucceede it, and continew, and this outward manifeſtation of the will of God, is but the execution of his will, which was from eternity.
Object. The Lord is ſaid to repent: Gen. 6.6. It repented the Lord that he made man; 1 Sam. 15.15. It repented the Lord that he had made Saul King, therfore his will is not immutable.
Anſ. The anſwer is thus, there is no change in God, but in the workes that are done by God: Theſe ſpeeches are figurative; God is not as man that he ſhould repent, but is ſayd to repent when he doth in time make a change in the matters of the world, which he had decreed ſhould be changed before the world was.
Object. One thing more he threatens ſomtimes and never does it, nor never meant it: 2 King. 20. As to Hezechias; Put thy houſe in order for thou ſhalt die: So Ionah. 3. Yet fourty daies and Nineveh ſhall be deſtroyed; yet neither Hezechiah died, nor Nineveh was deſtroyed.
Anſ. The anſwer is, you muſt marke the difference betwixt the denouncing, and underſtanding of theſe threatnings; theſe are abſolutely denounced, but not to be abſolutely underſtood, but with the condition that ſtands after this manner; namely, if they doe not uſe the meanes to prevent it; and they are ſuch meanes as hee hath appointed: Hezechiah prayed earneſtly, and the other repented, for the Lord had a purpoſe that Hezechiah ſhould live ſtill; and hee threatned death to ſtirre him up to prayer; he purpoſed, Nineveh ſhould not be deſtroyed, and threatned deſtruction, that by repentance it might be prevented: and this is to be underſtood, for in Iere. 18.7.8. If I ſpeake againſt a Nation, &c. If that Nation repent, I will repent alſo; where the change is not in him, but in them; it is in other things, not in God. A man walks by a Church, backwards, and forwards, and the Church ſtanding ſtill, is ſomtimes on his right hand, and ſomtimes on his leſt hand; there are changes, not in the Church, which is not moved, but in him that walketh too and fro; ſo God, ſometimes is on the right hand of men, and ſomtimes on the left hand; that is, when they change: So that this is a full anſwer to this: and this is a profitable anſwer that Saint Gregory hath; God doth not know how to alter his counſell, but how to alter his ſentence: the reaſon is, that the Lord doth not alwaies pronounce ſentence, according to his counſell, but according to the ſecond cauſes, or according to the mindes of them, to whom he pronounceth it: as Hezechiah was taken with ſickneſſe, no way thinkes he but death; this was his ſentence, but Gods counſell was, that he ſhould live: and ſo when he ſaith, Yet forty daies and Nineveh ſhall be deſtroied: his ſentence was, that it ſhould be deſtroied; but his counſell was, that it ſhould be ſaved: the peremptory pronouncing of his ſentence, makes way to his counſell;Clem. Alex. Paeda. l. 1. c. 8. becauſe it is that which ſtirs them up to repentance, ſo that there is no alteration in this; for if he had a purpoſe to have deſtroied, then he would not have threatned but deſtroied: and thus much we have ſeen of the will of God.