A Stock of Divine Knowledge, Chapter 22
OF THE POWER OF GOD. CHAP. XXII.
IOHN 9.19.
If I ſpeake of ſtrength, lo he is ſtrong.
THE power of God, which as you have heard, was two fold; foreign than is authority, and foreign that is power, and might; of the former we have ſpoken, of the latter we are to ſpeake, concerning the power of God.
The next queſtion is:
Queſt. What is the power of God, or of the Divine Eſſence?
Anſw. It is a communicable Attribute, whereby he is able to doe all things what he will, and many things that he will not: this muſt be unfoulded; the thing that is deſcribed is power; the Maſter of Reaſon: Phyloſophie tells us, there is a double power; one paſſive, and another active: paſſive, by which a thing is able to ſuffer ſome change, in ſubſtance, or accident; when we ſpeake of God, we may not think of this power, becauſe God is Immutable without chang; Iam. 1. he therfore having perfection, cannot change, nor ſuffer in ſubſtance, or in accidents, which he hath not, and therefore he cannot die, nor deny himſelfe; and this doth eſtabliſh his power, as after I will ſhew: Active power, we confeſſe is to be given to God, not that God hath accidents in his Eſſence, but we ſpeake after mans capacity; and hereof this place is meant: So, Exod. 34.6. in the deſcription of God, he is ſaid to be ſtrong; So in the fowrth verſe, of the ninth chapter of Iob, that we have read for this time, he is wiſe in heart, and mighty in ſtrength: the former part of this chapter, is but a deſcription of the power of God: and Chriſt hath taught us, Mat 6.13. thine is the power, that is, this active power that we have deſcribed, we ſay, that it is a communicable Attribute: for the reaſon we have before ſpoken of; The next, that he is able to doe all things whatſoever he will; hereupon he is ſaid to be omnipotent, whatſoever he will, whatſoever he pleaſe that he can doe; this power admits another diſtinction, it is either active, or abſolute; active is that by which he hath, and doe whatſoever he will, Pſal. 115.3. Looke what it pleaſeth him, that hath he done in heaven, alſo in the earth. And ſo alſo, Ephe. 1.11. He works all things, according to the counſell of his owne will: and by his actuall power, he workes, ſometimes immediatly, and ſometimes mediatly; immediatly by his word, and beck; and ſo he doth what he will, without the concurrence of the creature: mediatly, when he uſes the miniſtry of the creatures, for the working of what he will: and this active power of his, is as large as his will, and is limited by his will; he can do whatſoever he will, and what he will not, that he doth not: hereupon is that Saint Cyprian ſpeakes, Gods will is to doe, if he will, it is his deed: Tertullian makes a difference between the will of God, and the power of God, (if there be any) Gods power is more large then his will. The next, he can do, what he doth not; and what he will not, he hath power to do it: this is called abſolute power, by which he can do all things: heerupon is that which Chriſt hath, Mat. 19.26. Luke 1.37. There is nothing unpoſsible to the Lord. Ephe. 3.20. Iob 4.2. I know thou conſt doe all things: This power is not limited by his will, he is able to doe more then he will; and whatſoever he hath done, he could doe it better, after a ſort if he would, Matth. 26.33. I could pray unto my father, and he would give me more then twelve legions of Angels: And yet Chriſt, would neither pray for them, nor the father give them. Matth. 3.9. He can raiſe up children of ſtones, that which he never did, yet thus the Scriptures ſhewes, that his power, is beyond his will; Ephe. 1.3. Who is able to doe exceeding abundantly, above all that we are able to aske, or thinke: who would call it into queſtion, but that God, if he would, could have made many, and alſo other worlds? nay, as many men more as there are: Saint Auguſtine ſaith, that he could, and can doe many things, that he will not doe; ſo that this is manifeſt, that he cannot onelyonly do all things, that he will, but alſo what he will not, &c. but yet we muſt obſerve, that ſome things, ſometimes are ſaid to be impoſſible, and it is not abſurd; neither can any offend in ſaying, that there are ſome things, unpoſſible for God to do, even by his abſolute power: firſt, there are ſome things impoſſible to be done in themſelves, and their owne nature; of which number, are thoſe things, that imply a contradiction; the affirming, and denying of the ſame thing, in the ſame time, in the ſame reſpect, is called a contradiction; for inſtance, to affirme that Peter, lives and breathes, at one and the ſame time, and yet to ſay, Peter doth not live, and breath; to ſay, it is light, and to deny it is light; to ſay the world was created, and not created, theſe are contradictions; then we apply this, God cannot make contradictions true; he cannot make the world, and then make it never to have been; when he hath created it, he may deſtroy it, but yet it had a being. &c. Secondly, we ſay that there are ſome things impoſſible, not becauſe they are impoſſible to be done, but for God to doe them; the evill of ſinne is impoſſible for the creator to doe; but for the creature, it is poſſible; to cat, to ſleep, to walke it is impoſſible for God to doe: to the like purpoſe, the Apoſtle 2 Tim. 2.13. ſaith, God that cannot deny himſelf. 1 Titus 2. God cannot lie: man can lie, man can deny himſelf: Hab. 1.15. Thou art of pure eies, &c. that is, thou canſt not ſee ſinne, goe unpuniſhed; men may, but God cannot: theſe things are poſſible to the weakneſſe, and to the infirmities of man, but they are not poſſible to God: and thus I have explaned this deſcription, of the power of God.
Queſt. Why is power Attributed to God, or the Divine Eſſence?
Anſw. Becauſe he can make, mar, and deſtroy. Secondly, he can bring light, out of darkneſſe; good, out of evill. Thirdly, he gives to every creature, what power ſoever it hath; therefore doe we juſtly attribute power to God: to explane theſe; firſt, he makes, and deſtroies with his word, which the greateſt power in the world cannot doe, for that muſt uſe the power of others; but God if he ſpeak the word, it ſhall be done, it is out of his wiſdome, and goodneſſe, to man and not out of any neceſſity to himſelf, that he uſeth the helpe of the creature in working; for whatſoever he doth will, he can doe it with his beck; therefore it muſt neceſſarily follow, that power muſt be attributed to him. The next reaſon is, power is attributed to him, becauſe he can bring light, out of darkneſſe; good, out of evill: he hath taught men indeed that art, that they can make good out of naturall evill; but out of morall evill, they cannot; none have this power, to bring good out of ſinne, but He: Saint Anguſtine ſaith, that what is done beſides his will, is not done againſt his will, in that he ſuffered it to be done, and he never ſuffers againſt his will: and that he would never ſuffer evill to be done, but that out of his omnipotency, he would make good come out of that evill; ſo it commeth to paſſe, that though a thing, be done contrary to the will of God, yet the will of God is done in it; as Iudas in the betraying of his maſter; the act as he did it, was contrary to Gods will, yet it is ſaid, that he did nothing, but it was afore determined, by the will, and counſell of God; therefore power is to be attributed to God. The laſt reaſon, there is no power that any creature hath, but they have it from him; great is the power, that is given to creatures, to Angels, to men, Iob 40. When Iob ſpake to God &c. The Lord ſaith unto him, hath man the ſtrength of theſe creatures, the Behemoth, and Leviatham, that ſcorn the Armies, where had they it? I have given them it, ſaith God; the power that Angels have, we read that one Angel ſlew an hundred foureſcore and five thouſand of the enemies of God, in one night; then what power is he of, that gives ſuch power to one of one kinde of creatures? therefore power is juſtly attributed to God.
Queſt. Why doe you ſay that God is abſolute, to doe whatſover he will?
Anſw. The anſwer is, becauſe his power is infinite: for ſeeing God is infinite, his power muſt be infinite; for indeed the power of God, is nothing elſe but the Eſſence of God, and the Eſſence of God is infinite: Gods power is infinite in three reſpects: infinite in nature, in effect, and intention: infinite in nature, becauſe it is Gods Eſſence; for as an infinite power cannot poſſibly be in an infinite ſubject, ſo an infinite ſubject cannot poſſibly be without infinite power: infinite in effects, the power of every thing is meaſured by the effects: for inſtance, the Sunne is more powerfull then all the other ſtars, becauſe it doth produce more effects in the things below, then all the ſtars; and if the ſunne could produce infinite effects, it ſhould be infinite: now God is infinite in his Eſſence, becauſe he can doe infinite things; &c. as in creating, he could have created more worlds; indeed his power is in the operation limited by his will, but he hath a greater power in himſelf, infinite in effects: Thirdly, infinite in intention, the School-men tell us, that Gods favour is infinite, extenſively, and intenſiveſy; extenſively, becauſe it can extend it ſelf to infinite effects: intenſively, becauſe it could be more powerfull in every worke, then actuall it is: and thus God is able to doe above all we are able to think.
Queſt. Why is it ſaid, that God is able to doe whatſoever is abſolutely poſsible?
Anſw. Becauſe ſome things are abſolutely impoſſible to be done, as things that are repugnant to the perfect wiſdome, and purity, and goodneſſe of Gods nature; and yet it is not want of power, not to be able to do theſe: for inſtance, as we ſaid before, he cannot doe the workes of a naturall body, he cannot eat, nor drinke, ſleep, &c. why? becauſe theſe things are repugnant to the perfection of his nature; for theſe are workes of weakneſſe, and of a naturall body, and not workes of an infinite Eſſence; he cannot change, becauſe he is infinite, and eternall; he cannot die becauſe he is life it ſelfe: it is the greateſt power, not to be able to doe theſe things: Saint Auguſtine ſaith, the power of God is not diminiſhed, when we ſay he cannot die, nor deny himſelfe; the reaſon is, becauſe if he could do theſe things, he ſhould be of leſſe power, for theſe come from weakneſſe, not from power; and the power of God appeares in doing whatſoever he will, not in doing that he will not, or that cannot be done for the infirmity thereof; God therefore is able to doe, whatſoever is abſolutely poſſible: we may explane this further: God cannot doe this, or that: why? becauſe it is contrary to his truth, to make a man an Aſſe at the ſame time, is contrary to truth; to make a body circumſcribed, and not circumſcribed, is to make that which is faulty, true; theſe things are impoſſible for him: if any man ſhall ſay, if God be omnipotent, let him make theſe things that he hath made, not to be made; this is to ſay, (ſaith Saint Auguſtine) let God not be true: and this is that the Apoſtle ſaith, 2 Tim. 2.13. God is faithfull; the father there tells us, that whatſoever is contrary to the nature either of God, or the creature, that is abſolutely impoſſible to be done by divine power; for it were weakneſſe to do ſuch things, he cannot lie, &c. becauſe it is contrary to his nature: Saint Auſtin ſaith, God cannot doe unjuſt things, becauſe he is the chiefeſt juſtice; ſo alſo the ſunne cannot make darkneſſe, becauſe it is light it ſelfe: Saint Ambroſe ſaith, what is impoſſible for him to doe, that can doe all things; but that which he is not willing to doe? all things then that can ſtand with the nature of God, he can doe? whatſoever is repugnant to his nature, that he cannot doe; not onelyonly becauſe it is no power to doe them, but the greateſt power that can be, is never to be able to doe them.
This Doctrine thus conceived, will make a man able to defend the power of God, againſt all the idle objections that fleſh and blood can make againſt it: there is nothing that can be brought, but it is eaſily anſwered, by ſome one part of this deſcription that I havedelivered: if you looke to be grounded in theſe things, ye ſhall be able to informe both your ſelves and others.
Vſe 1. Here is great matter of comfort to the godly: what a comfort is this, that they being once in the eſtate of grace, ſuch as God hath eſpecially favoured, actually calling them and aſſuring them of his mercy, they cannot fall away from that eſtate? ſay the old Pelagians and new Arminians what they wil; their calling, their grace is of the power of God, and God is able to keepe them. God is able to doe whatſoever he will: I ſay, he can doe it, if he will; and he will doe it, for he hath called them, and given them grace without themſelves: and promiſeth by Ieremiah 52.40. that he will marry them to himſelfe, with an everlaſting covenant, that he will never turne away from them to doe them good. But how ſhall this be made good? Here is the aſſurance; He is able to doe whatſoever he will, and none can ever faile, whom God will uphold. Indeede, if God will change his will, and looſe his power, a man that is called might fall away; but who ſhall make him to faile? Bernard ſaith, that God hath two hands, one latitude, and the other fortitude; the one is rich in mercy, the other ability in power: by the one hand, he gives bountifully, and by the other, he powerfully defends whatſoever he hath given. He that thinkes ſuch a man may fall away, he cuts off, as it were, one of Gods armes: 2 Tim. 1.12. I know whom I have beleeved: we have beleeved on him that is omnipotent: whilſt we have his word and power, we are ſure; not that we ſhould preſume and grow deſperate, but that we ſhould worke out our ſalvation with feare and trembling; and labour to ſee how weake we are in our ſelves: and yet when we looke up to the power of God, ſhould triumph and rejoyce.
Is God thus?
This teaches us to labour to feare this great God: Who will not feare thee, oh King of Nations? Ier. 1.10. are you ſtronger then God? who art thou then that dareſt provoke God to his face, and pleaſe thy ſelf in ſinne? if he were a weake God, that thou mighteſt make thy party good with him, it were ſomewhat; but when he is a ſpirituall God, of ſuch might and power to avenge himſelfe; how ſhould this worke feare in thee? two evils draw men into ſinne, and are occaſions of much evill; preſuming on Gods mercy, and fearing mans power; theſe two ſaith Saint Auſtin, are a cauſe of much evill: many periſh by preſuming, others by fearing the power of men, becauſe they can kill the body; how ſhall men be able to prevent theſe? in few words, to reſiſt theſe poyſoned darts, conſider of the power of God; when thou conſidereſt he is mercifull and gracious, thinke withall, that he is powerfull and juſt, that by preſuming thou ſinne not againſt him: if he were a God of patience without power, then a man might doe what he liſt: againe, if a man take this God to be omnipotent, then he will not feare him that can kill the body: when theſe ſtand not together, the power of men and the power of God, then feare the great power of God, which is able to take thee body and ſoule, and throw thee to hell. And thus much for this Attribute.