The Incomparableness of God, Treatise · Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI. 3. Ex. Give God the glory of his incomparable excellency: with ſome conſiderations to enforce it.
IF God be ſuch an incomparable God, give him the glory and honour of his incomparable excellencies: His incomparable perfections muſt have incomparable praiſes. Praiſe him, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, according to his excellent greatneſs, Pſal. 159.2. But alas! what tongue, what underſtanding of men or Angels can do it, can praiſe him according to his excellent greatneſs? But though we cannot praiſe him according to the utmoſt of his excellencies, we muſt praiſe him according to the utmoſt of our abilities. The higheſt God, Pſal. 92.1. muſt have the higheſt praiſes. Pſal. 149.8. The high praiſes of God are in their mouths. The greateſt God, Pſal. 145.3. muſt have our greateſt praiſes. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praiſed. Low or little praiſes are a diſpraiſe to one ſo eminently, ſo infinitely high and great.
Ordinary commendations of an extraordinary perſon are a diſcommendation to him. According to thy name, ſo, O Lord, is thy praiſe to the end of the earth, Pſal. 48.10. Therefore his name alone being excellent, Pſal. 148.13. his praiſe alone muſt be excellent. David tells God, I will praiſe thee yet more and more, Pſal. 71.14. He had already praiſed him much, but he would endeavour to praiſe him more; and when he had done ſo, he would praiſe him more, and ſtill more. We read of ſongs of degrees, Pſal. 120, 121. We ſhould aſcend in our praiſes of God by an holy climax, till we come to the higheſt degree that is poſſible, and ſcrew up our faculties herein to the utmoſt pitch that they are capable of.
Praiſe him for the incomparableneſs of his being. That he is an independent, all-ſufficient, abſolutely perfect, incomprehenſible, omnipreſent, eternal, infinite being, ſhould much affect our hearts. Praiſe ye the Lord, Praiſe him, O ye ſervants of the Lord, Praiſe the name of the Lord; Bleſſed from this time forth, and for ever: From the riſing of the Sun, to the going down of the ſame, the Lords name is to be praiſed: (why) the Lord is high above all Nations, and his glory above the Heavens; who is like to the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high? Pſal. 113.1, to 6.
Praiſe him for his incomparableneſs in his attributes, for the incomparableneſs of his power. O Lord God of Hoſt, who is a ſtrong Lord like unto thee? Pſal. 89.8. For the incomparableneſs of his holineſs, Who is a God like unto thee, glorious in holineſs? Exod. 15.11. For the incomparableneſs of his mercy, Who is a God like unto thee, pardoning iniquity, and paſſing by the tranſgreſſions of the remnant of his heritage, becauſe he delighteth in mercy?
Praiſe him for the incomparableneſs of his Words; O that men would praiſe the Lord for his goodneſs, and for his wonderful works to the children of men, Pſal. 107.8.15, 21, 31. Pſal. 72.18. Pſal. 136.4. Praiſe him for the work of Creation, Pſal. 114.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Job 38.4, 5, 6. Praiſe him for his works of Providence, Pſal. 97.8, 9. Pſal. 136. throughout, Pſal. 107. Praiſe him eſpecially for the work of Redemption, Bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael, who hath viſited and redeemed his people. Luk. 1.68. Pſal. 9.1. Rev. 15.3.
Praiſe him for the incomparableneſs of his Word, Wonderful are thy Teſtimonies, Pſal. 119.129. How often doth the ſweet Singer of Iſrael praiſe God for them, as a ſingular kindneſs? Pſal. 147. two laſt verſes, He gave his Statutes to Moſes, his Laws and Commandments to Jacob: He hath not dealt ſo with every Nation. Praiſe ye the Lord.
Praiſe him by admiring him. Wonder at his being, As they of Chriſt, What manner of man is this, that the winds and ſeas obey him? Math. 8.27. What manner of God is this, who knoweth no bounds, no beginning, no ſucceſſion, no addition? An amazing admiration of him, is an high commendation of him. And indeed our ſilent wondering at his perfections, is almoſt all the worſhip we can give him, Pſal. 65.1. Praiſe waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion, Heb. Praiſe is ſilent for thee, O God, in Sion: not that praiſe was dumb or tongue-tyed in Sion; for praiſe in no part of the world ſpeaks higher or louder than in Sion: but to ſhew that when the people of God ſet themſelves to praiſe him, they are ſtruck with amazement and wonder, at his matchleſs being and beauty, at his infinite excellencies and perfections; and wanting words to expreſs them, they ſit down in a ſilent admiration of them. Thou wouldſt wonder at Adam, if he were now alive, for his age; O wonder at him that is from everlaſting to everlaſting, that is the cauſe and original of all things, that is what he is, that is, and nothing elſe is; that is all he is in one indiviſible point of eternity.
Wonder at his attributes, admire his holineſs. Behold he putteth no truſt in his Servants, he chargeth the Angels with folly, Job 4.18. Behold, wonder at it. Again, Behold he putteth no truſt in his Saints, the Heavens are not clean in his ſight, Job 15.15. Admire his wiſdom, cry out with the Apoſtle, O the depth of the wiſdom and knowledg of God, Rom. 11.33. Admire his love, Behold what manner of love hath the Father loved us with, 1 Joh. 3.1. Admire his power, that he can do what he will do: Who is a ſtrong Lord like unto thee? Pſal. 89.8.
Wonder at his Works. Thou art ready to wonder at the rare works of ſome curious Artiſt; alaſs, all their works are toyes to the works of the mighty Creator and Poſſeſſor of Heaven and Earth. O Lord, how marvellous are thy works! Pſal. 104.24. His work is honourable and glorious, Pſal. 111.3. and worthy thy greateſt wonder.
What a piece is the Creation! how marveilous! how myſterious! Pſal. 8.1, 2, 3, 4, 5. The Heavens declare his glory, Pſal. 19.1. and the earth is full of his goodneſs, Pſal. 104.24. What a work is Providence? read Pſal. 104. and 107. How many rarities, curioſities, myſteries, are wrapt up in it, which are only ſeen in the other world? Pſal. 77.19.
What man is this, ſay they, for he commandeth with authority, and the unclean Spirits come out of men? Mark 1.27.
What a Maſter-piece, what rare workmanſhip indeed is Redemption? a work that the Angels are alwayes prying into, and wondering at, Eph. 3.8. 1 Pet. 1.10.
Wonder at his Word. When thou heareſt it, doſt thou not perceive a Majeſty and Authority awing thy Conſcience accompanying it? And they were all amazed and aſtoniſhed at his Doctrine, Luk. 4.32. The very Officers who were ſent to apprehend Chriſt, could not but wonder at his words, and returned to them who ſet them a work, Never man ſpake as he ſpake, Joh. 7.47. There are great things in the Law of God, Hoſea 8.12. things that are wonderful, Pſal. 119.18. which may well be wondered at; And all, ſaith the Evangeliſt, bare him witneſs, and wondred at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, Luk. 4.22.
Praiſe him by ſpeaking alwayes highly and honourably of him. If his name alone be excellent, take heed that thou doſt not take his excellent name in vain. Thy apprehenſions of him muſt be ever high, and thy expreſſions of him honourable. Thy Tongue is therefore call'd thy glory, becauſe therewith thou mayeſt glorifie thy God, Pſal. 57.8.
Never ſpeak of God raſhly, or at random, without a ſerious conſideration of whom thou ſpeakeſt; and let thy expreſſions of him, and to him, be becoming his vaſt perfections, Aſcribe greatneſs to our God, Deut. 32.3.
Speak honourably of his being, So Moſes Exod. 15.11. Who is a God like unto thee, glorious in holineſs, fearful in praiſes? So Solomon, 1 Kings 8.23. Lord God of Iſrael, there is no God like unto thee in Heaven above, or in the Earth beneath. So David, 1 Chron. 29.11.
Speak honourably of his attributes, Pſal. 68.34. of his power, mercy, truth, juſtice, wiſdom, and holineſs, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hoſts, Iſa. 6.3.
Speak honourably of his words, Pſal. 86.8. Among all the Gods, there is none like unto thee; neither are there any works like unto thy works, Pſal. 145.10.
Speak honourably of his Word. The Commandments of the Lord are pure, Pſal. 19.7. Thy word is very pure: The Statutes of the Lord are right, Pſal. 19.10. The Law is holy, juſt, and good, Rom. 7.12. Though Paul's corruption took occaſion by the Laws prohibitions, to become the more unruly (as the water at a Bridge roars the more for the ſtop) yet he dares not lay the leaſt fault upon the Law, but layeth all upon himſelf: was the Law Sin? God forbid, v. 7. Far be it from me to have the leaſt ſuch thought: No, the Law is holy, but I am carnal, ſold under ſin, v. 14. So when he ſpeaketh of the Goſpel, how honourably doth he ſpeak of it? ſomtimes he calls it the glorious Goſpel, 2 Cor. 4.4. the myſteries of the Goſpel, Eph. 6.19. the word of Truth, 1 Coloſſ. 5.
Praiſe him by walking circumſpectly and cloſely with him. Live alwayes as one that believeth, he hath at all times to do with this incomparable God; and is created and preſerved, and redeemed, to ſhew forth the praiſe of this God. When the Pſalmiſt had admired the incomparableneſs of this God in his being and doings, Pſal. 86.8. he preſently ſubjoyns, v. 9. All Nations whom thou haſt made, ſhall come and glorifie thy name, and worſhip before thee: For thou art great, and doſt wondrous things, thou art God alone. O Friend, this incomparable God, muſt have incomparable obedience, Be ſtill, and know that I am God, Pſal. 46.10. Be ſtill, be quiet, O ſinner, ceaſe, forbear any farther to offend me, and know that I am God, incomparable in knowledge, acquainted with all thy wayes and works, inward, outward, ſecret, private, publick; incomparable in holineſs, and perfectly hate all thy wickedneſs; incomparable in power, able to revenge my ſelf on thee every moment, to turn thee body and ſoul into hell; incomparable in juſtice, and will by no means clear the guilty; yet incomparable in mercy, and will accept and receive Prodigals, that, ſenſible of their folly and filthineſs, return home to me their Father, in the Son of my love. Be ſtill, ſinner, Know this, that I am God, and obey my Laws. But I have ſpoken more fully of this in the informations; only remember, that the praiſe of thy life, is the life of thy praiſe; becauſe hereby thou doſt in ſome meaſure repreſent the excellencies of this incomparable God viſible to the world, 1 Pet. 2.9. Math. 5.18. Offering praiſe, and ordering the converſation aright, are joyned together by God himſelf, and let not us part them aſunder, Pſal. 50. laſt verſe but one.
To help thee a little, that thou mayſt give God the praiſe of his incomparable perfections, Conſider,
1. This God is excellency it ſelf: he is not only excellent, Pſal. 8.1. and alone excellent, Pſal. 148.13. but excellency, Job. 13.11. Should not his excellency make thee affraid? nay, he is greatneſs of excellency, Exod. 15.7. nothing but excellency, 1 Joh. 1.6. Now think with thy ſelf what honour is due to one that is excellent, alone excellent, excellency it ſelf, and nothing but excellency. Can thy higheſt honour be high enough, or thy moſt excellent praiſes be excellent enough, for ſuch an excellency.
2. This God is the ſtandard of all excellency. Nothing is excellent but becauſe of its relation or likeneſs to him. Every thing is more or leſs excellent as it is more or leſs related or conformable to him. Saints are the excellent of the earth, Pſal. 16.3. more excellent than their neighbours, Prov. 12.26. but it is becauſe of his affection to them. Since thou art precious in my ſight thou art honourable, The excellency of Jacob whom he loved.Iſa. 43.4. and becauſe of their relation and likeneſs to him, Deut. 33.29. 1 Pet. 2.9. Pſal. 48.2, 3. The Scriptures are the moſt excellent of books, none like them. I have written unto thee excellent things, Prov. 22.20. But what's the reaſon? Surely becauſe they are the word of God, Eph. 3.16. his mind, 2 Cor. 2. ult. All Scripture is given by inſpiration of God. 2 Tim. 3.18. The Sabbath is the moſt excellent of days, the queen of days, the golden ſpot of the week, becauſe it is his day, ſet apart by him, and devoted to him: My holy day, the holy of the Lord, honourable, Iſa. 58.13. Grace is excellent, the beauty and glory of the creature, Prov. 4.7. 2 Cor. 3.18. more excellent than gold or fine gold, than rubies or pearls, Prov. 3.14, 15. but why? becauſe it's his Image, it's a conformity to his nature, 2 Pet. 1.4. 2 Cor. 3.18. When the Holy Ghoſt would render any thing excellent, he mentions it with relation to God: The Cedars of God, the City of God, the Trees of God, the Mountains of God, &c. that is, the moſt excellent Cedars, Cities, Trees, and Mountains.
3. He is ſo excellent, that even Angels vail their faces in his preſence. The excellent Cherubims & Seraphims, who are ſpotleſs in their natures, and faultleſs in their lives, who are the higheſt and honourableſt, and ancienteſt Houſe of the Creation, who, as his ſpecial friends and favourites are allowed to wait on him continually, to behold him face to face, and to enjoy him fully and perfectly; yet theſe Angels vail their faces before him (as it were) aſhamed of their Star-light in the Preſence of the Sun, and their drops in the preſence of the Ocean, Iſa. 6.1, 2, 3. I ſaw the Lord ſitting on a Throne high and lifted up; about it ſtood the Seraphims, each had ſix wings, with twain he did fly, with twain he cover'd his feet▪ with twain he cover'd his face. To cover the face is a ſign or fruit of baſhfulneſs, as in Rebekah, Gen. 24.65. The face of an Angel is void of all ſpots and wrinkles, it is full of beauty and brightneſs, a moſt excellent face. And all the Councel looking ſtedfaſtly on him, beheld his face as if it had been the face of an Angel, Acts 6. ult. yet this face, as excellent as it is, they cover (as it were) aſhamed of it before that God who alone is excellent.
4. He is ſo incomparably excellent, that he humbleth himſelf to take notice of his perfect Spirits, his heavenly hoſt, and their perfect Service in Heaven. It is not only great and infinite condeſcention with him to obſerve the higheſt perſons on earth, as Kings, and Princes; and the holieſt perſons on earth, as the moſt eminent Saints, and the higheſt and holieſt performances of theſe Saints; but it is boundleſs humiliation in him to look upon (with the leaſt reſpect) the perfect Spirits of juſt men, the Principalities and Powers that are in Heaven, and their pure perfect Worſhip and Service, Pſal. 113.5, 6. Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high, who humbleth himſelf to behold the things that are in Heaven?
5. He is ſo incomparably excellent, that he is above the higheſt adoration and worſhip of his Creatures. Worſhip is the moſt high and honourable of all our works. Bleſſing and Praiſing God is the moſt high and honourable act of worſhip; therefore this is that part of worſhip which ſuits the higheſt and honourableſt ſtate of the Creature in Heaven, and muſt continue for ever. As all our graces, of faith, and hope, and patience, &c. ſhall e're long be melted into love, and joy, and delight; ſo all our duties of Confeſſion, Petition, Hearing and Reading the Word, receiving the Sacraments, ſhall all be melted into Praiſe and Thankſgiving, Rev. 7.11, 12. And the Angels and Elders that ſtood about the throne fell on their faces before the throne, and worſhipped, ſaying, Amen, Bleſſing, and honour, and thanksgiving, be unto our God for ever; and therefore David calls upon Angels, and the Heavenly Hoſt, to praiſe God, Pſal. 148.2, 3. But this incomparably excellent God is above all this worſhip, this higheſt worſhip; though he be not above it, ſo as to deſpiſe it, Pſal. 50.15. and ult. yet he is above it, ſo as to exceed it; that his Saints and Angels, though their powers are enlarged to the uttermoſt, though the ſtrings of their faculties are wound and ſcrewed up to the higheſt pitch and peg, to ſound forth his praiſe, even then they will fall infinitely ſhort of praiſing and bleſſing him, according to his deſerts, Nehem. 9.5. Bleſſed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all bleſſing and praiſe. He doth not ſay, the name of God is exalted above the bleſſing and praiſe of men, of Saints on earth, in their imperfect ſtate; nor above the bleſſing and praiſe of Spirits of juſt men, in heaven made perfect; but above all bleſſing and praiſe, above the bleſſing and praiſe of Men, of Angels, of the holieſt Men, of the higheſt Angels, above all bleſſing and praiſe whatſoever, and of whomſoever.
6. He is ſo incomparably excellent, that his excellencies are beyond the underſtanding and apprehenſion of Men and Angels. The excellency of God is not only beyond all our expreſſions, verbal in our words, vital or real in our lives; but alſo beyond all our apprehenſions. A fluent tongue may ſpeak much of the excellency of God; an enlarged rational underſtanding can apprehend much more, (The mind of man is much wider than his mouth) but the excellency of God is infinitely beyond all our apprehenſions of him; His works are unſearchable, Rom. 11.33. Lo, he goeth by me, and I ſee him not; he paſſeth on, and I perceive him not, Job 9.11. He goeth by me in his works, he paſſeth by me in the operations of his hands, and I perceive him not. There are ſuch motions of God in the heavenly bodies, earthly plants, ordinary providences, the growth of a Child in the womb, &c. that men are nonpluſt at them, they are at a loſs about the nature, reaſon, and mode, or gradual progreſſions of them. How much more is his being unſearchable, and his eſſence paſt finding out? If his footſteps are unconceivable and inviſible, much more is his face; if his works cannot be apprehended, much leſs can his nature; becauſe his works are in ſome reſpect finite, as they are terminated on limited beings, and they are alſo many of them viſible, and ſo obvious to our ſenſes; but his eſſence is wholly, and altogether, and in all reſpects infinite, and is no way viſible or liable to apprehenſion by our ſenſes, 1 Tim. 6.16. Who dwelleth in that light that is inacceſſible. As no mortal eye can behold the Sun in its full ſtrength (the attempt of which, according to ſome, hath ſtruck the adventurers blind) ſo no creature whatſoever can apprehend the incomparable God in his full beauty and brightneſs, in his boundleſs excellency and perfection. It's the voice of God to Moſes, Thou canſt not ſee my face, for no man can ſee me, and live, Exod. 33.20. No man cloathed with a mortal body, or in this eſtate of imperfection, can behold an extraordinary created appearance of God; but he is thereat filled with fears and frights, Job 4.12, 13, 14, 15. Job 21.22. Dan. 10.8.16, 17. Habbak. 3.16. No man, no, nor Angel, can behold God in his infinite eſſence, to the utmoſt of his perfections, but would be thereat crumbled into nothing.
Reader, if God be thus incomparably excellent, that he is excellency it ſelf, the ſtandard of all excellency, that Angels hide their heads as aſhamed of themſelves before him, that he condeſcendeth to ſhew the leaſt reſpect to his high and perfect Hoſt in Heaven, that he is infinitely above all their bleſſings and praiſes, all their conceptions, and apprehenſions; what praiſe, what honour, what glory ſhouldſt thou give to this God? Though thou art unable to give him all the glory that is due to his name, (yea, the thouſand thouſandth part thereof) yet do thou give him all the glory, thy mind, will, heart, affections, all thy faculties united together, and enlarged to the utmoſt, can poſſibly give him. Say to thy Soul, Bleſs the Lord, O my Soul, and all within me praiſe his holy name, Pſal. 103.1.