The Incomparableness of God, Treatise · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. God is incomparable; 1. In his Being.
THe Doctrine which I ſhall raiſe out of the words, is this, That God is incomparable; Or, there is none among the higheſt, the holieſt, in Heaven or Earth like unto Jehovah. Take the greateſt, the moſt excellent of Beings in this or the other World, yet they come infinitely ſhort of this Being of Beings? Pſal. 86.8. Among the gods, there is none like unto thee, O Lord; Mark, the Pſalmist doth not chooſe a weak Adverſary for God to contend with and conquer, but the ſtrongeſt. He doth not compare God with the meaneſt and loweſt, but even with the higheſt, and prefers God before them. Among the gods, there is none like unto thee, O Lord.
1. Among thoſe that are Gods by unjust uſurpation, as evil Angels are, who are called The Princes of the Powers of the Air, Eph. 2.2. And the gods of this World, 2 Cor. 4.4. Or, as Antichriſt, who exalteth himſelf above all that is called God, or is worſhipped; So that he as God ſitteth in the Temple of God, ſhewing himſelf that he is God, 2 Theſſ. 2.4. Among theſe, there is none like unto thee, O Lord. Theſe unclean Beaſts are unworthy to be mentioned with the High, the holy God.
2. Among thoſe that are gods by mens erroneous Perſwaſions and Opinions, as Idols, and thoſe Deities which the Heathen worſhip; There is none like to thee, O Lord. Their Idols are Silver and Gold, the Work of mens hands: They have Mouths, but they ſpeak not, Eyes have they, but they ſee not. They have Ears, but they hear not; Noſes have they, but they ſmell not: They have Hands, but they handle not; Feet have they, but they walk not, neither ſpeak they through their Throat, Pſal. 115.4, 5, 6, 7. Idols are the work of the Creatures, and their Makers are infinitely below the Creator; therefore they themſelves are much more. We know that an Idol is nothing in the World, and that there is none other God but one, 1 Cor. 8.4. Though an Idol be ſomewhat materially, yet it's nothing formally, as to the intent or purpoſe for which it is worſhipped.
3.Minuiſti illum paululum à deo. Calvin. Among thoſe that are gods by Divine Ordination, as Angels, Pſal. 8.5. Magiſtrates, Pſal. 82.66. (who have the Image of a Deity ſtamped on them, in their Authority and Dominion over others,) none is to be compared to Jehovah. Theſe are gods by derivation, by deputation; as ſubordinate Magiſtrates are commiſſionated by the Supreme, and have a Beam of his Power communicated to them, but ſtill remain weak Creatures, limited by his Precepts, and liable to his Judgment. So Angels and Kings have ſome impreſſions of a Deity on them; but their Power is derivative from God, and limited by his will; yea, their Eſſence is from him, their Subſiſtence is by him, and their Dependance is every moment upon him. Hence he is called the moſt high, Pſal. 92.1. O thou most high. Kings and Princes are high, Angels and Arch-angels are higher; but Jehovah onelyonly is the most high, Eccleſ. 5.8. He that is higher then the higheſt conſidereth.
For the explication of this Doctrine, the truth of it will be evident, if we conſider the true God, and compare him with the higheſt, and moſt excellent in Heaven and Earth.
1. In his Being.
2. In his Attributes.
3. In his Works.
4. In his Word.
1. God is incomparable in his Being: God hath not onelyonly a Being, but an excellency in his Being; therefore he is called, His Excellency: Should not his Excellency make you afraid, Job 13.11. And he is ſaid alone to be Excellent, Thy Name alone is Excellent, Pſal. 148.13.
By Name, is meant ſometimes any thing whereby God makes himſelf known, Exod. 20.7. But here the Being of God, or God himſelf, as Prov. 18.10. The Name of the Lord is a ſtrong Tower; i. e. God himſelf is a ſtrong Tower, Pſal. 76.1. His Name is great in Iſrael; i. e. The Being of the great God is magnified in his Church, or among his Choſen. Now his Being alone is excellent, becauſe there is no ſuch Being as his: There is no Being excellent beſides his, becauſe there is no Being excellent like his. He is excellent in all, above all, and beyond all.
His Being is ſuch a Being, that he alone is, and all beſides are non entities, and no Beings in compariſon of him. His Name ſpeaks the incomparable nature of his Being. And God ſaid unto Moſes, Thus ſhalt thou ſay unto the Children of Iſrael I am hath ſent thee. I am, I a Being that really is, beſide whom there is none hath ſent thee: What Prince, what Potentate can ſay I am? What Angel, what Arch-Angel can ſay I am? No, this is the proper name of Jehovah.
Therefore when he promiſeth himſelf to be the Reward of his People, he doth promiſe himſelf under the Notion of Eſſence, Being, Substance, in oppoſition to all others which are but Shadows and Nothings to him; Prov. 2.7. He layeth up ſound Wiſdom (Hebr. eſſentiam Eſſence) for the Righteous: Prov. 8.21. I will cauſe them that love me, to inherit Substance. Junius reads it, Ʋt poſſide aut id quod est, I will cauſe them that love me to poſſeſs that which is. God is, and all other Beings are not in compariſon of him, Dan. 4.35. All the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as Nothing. God is, and all others are Nothing; yea, if it were poſſible to apprehend it, leſs then Nothing. It's a notable expreſſion of the Holy Ghoſt, to ſet forth the excellency of Gods Being; and the pitifulneſs, meanneſs, and nothingneſs of all other Beings, Iſa. 40.15, 16, 17. Behold! (a note of Attention and Admiration) the Nations (the Chaldeans that are our Lords and Maſters, or all Nations of the World, be they never ſo high, great, ſtrong, or glorious) are as the drop of a Bucket, (which falleth from the Bucket, or hangeth on it, when the water is powred out, yet diminiſheth not the meaſure) and the ſmall dust of the Ballance, (which cleaveth to the Scales, when the Spice is put out, yet altereth not the weight, it is ſo little). Behold! (wonder, be amazed at it,) he taketh up the Iſles (the great, large, vaſt Iſlands of the World) as a very little thing, (as poor ſmall inconſiderable things:) All Nations before him are as nothing. (Not onelyonly the great Iſlands, but alſo the Continents, with the ſeveral innumerable Creatures in them, are not onelyonly little to this God, but as nothing, as no Being to his Being,) and they are counted to him leſs then Nothing and Vanity; (Put them in the Scales with God, and they are not only leight, and without any weight, Nothing at all; but if Men were capable of concieving any thing leſs then nothing, ſuch were all the World to God.) Though the World be abſolutely ſomewhat, yea very great; yet comparatively to God, it's nothing, leſs then Nothing and Vanity.