The Incomparableness of God, Treatise · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. God incomparable in his Being, as it is Infinite and Incomprehenſible.
GOd is an infinite Being: He is a Being that knoweth no bounds, no limits. His Being is without all meaſure, all degrees and determinations. His Ʋnderstanding (i. e. Himſelf, who is all Underſtanding) is infinite, Pſal. 147.5. God is a Sphear, whoſe center is every where, and whoſe circumference is no where. Behold the Heavens, and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain thee, how much leſs this Houſe which I have built, 1 Kings 8.27. The ſtarry Heavens, or Firmament, is large, it compaſſeth the whole Earth and Ocean; this terreſtial World is but a point to it, but the Heaven of Heavens, or the emperial Heaven is larger; it containeth the lower Heaven, but cannot contain the God of Heaven. No ubi, no place can define or circumſcribe him: He is neither ſhut up in any place, nor ſhut out of any place. He is above place, without place, yet in all places. Whither ſhall I go from thy Spirit? or whither ſhall I flee from thy preſence? If I aſcend up into Heaven, thou art there; If I make my Bed in Hell, (Heaven and Hell are moſt oppoſite places) Behold thou art there: If I take the wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the Sea; Even there ſhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand ſhall hold me, Pſal. 139.7, 8, 9, 10. God is in Heaven, Earth, Sea, Hell, and infinitely more, where there is neither Heaven nor Earth, nor Sea, nor Hell.
O what a Being is the bleſſed God, who is boundleſs not onelyonly in his duration, of which we have ſpoken before, and in all his Perfections and Attributes, of which we ſhall ſpeak hereafter, but alſo in his Eſſence and Being. No place can circumſcribe him, and no ubi can define him. He is over all (Creatures by his Power and Dominion) in you all (by his Eſſence and Influence) and through all (by his Providence) Epheſ. 4.6. He is every where, not onelyonly virtually, as the Sun by his beams; nor authoritatively, as a King, by ſubordinate Officers; not at all by multiplication, as the Loaves filled that place, which they did not before the Miracle; or by extention, as the rational Creature filleth that place, when a Man, which he did not, when an Infant; nor by local motion, from one place to another, as all bodily animate Creatures; or by diviſion, as our Bodies are part in one place, and part in another; or by commixtion, as the Air mingleth it ſelf with the terreſtrial World; but eſſentially, after an unſpeakable manner. As Philoſophers ſay of the Soul, It's whole in the whole body, and whole in every part of the body: So I may ſay of God, He is whole in the whole World, and whole in every part of the World; yea, if he ſhould pleaſe to make 10000 Worlds, he would fill all, and his whole Eſſence be in every part of each World, and yet without the leaſt extenſion or multiplication, or motion.
Homo eſt in loco circumſcriptive, Angelus definitive, Deus Repletive.But are Men or Angels like to God in this? Alas, they are finite limited Beings, leſs then drops to this Ocean. Man is in a ſmall place, ſo as to fill it up by commenſuration of parts, and to exclude all other Bodies, but himſelf is circumſcribed in it. Angels though they are not in a place ſo as to exclude Bodies, yet they are in an ubi, or ſpace, ſo as to conclude themſelves therein; they are in a finite compaſs, beyond which their being extendeth not; they are ſo here, that they are not there; ſo in Heaven, that they are not on Earth at the ſame time. But God is every where in his whole Eſſence every moment; He filleth all in all, Eph. 1. ult.
God is an incomprehenſible Being, ſuch a Being as no Creature, whether Man or Angel can comprehend, or perfectly underſtand. This floweth from the former; if he be infinite, he muſt of neceſſity be incomprehenſible, for a finite Being (as all are beſide himſelf) can never comprehend what is infinite. There is no proportion between a boundleſs Being and a bounded Underſtanding: But there muſt be a proportion between the mind of the Creature, and that object which is fully underſtood by it. The Sun may be contained in a ſmall chink, and the Sea in a Nutſhell, ſooner then God can be contained in the limited underſtanding of Men or Angels; Job 26.14. Lo theſe are parts of his wayes, (viz. Hell is naked before him, ver. 6. He hangeth the Earth upon nothing, ver. 7. He bindeth up the Waters in his thick Clouds, and the Cloud is not rent under them, ver. 8. He hath compaſſed the Waters with bounds, ver. 10. The Pillars of Heaven tremble at his Reproof, ver. 11. &c.) but how little a portion is heard of him. The Vulgar read it, How little a drop; Others, A whiſper, or ſmalleſt part of a Voice; that which is known of God, to that which God is, and is in God, is but like a drop to the vaſt Ocean; and as a Whiſper, to a loud terrible Thunder; How little a portion is heard of him. Surely much is heard of him, from the Voice of his Almighty Works of Creation and Providence, and eſpecially from the Voice of his Word and his own Mouth in the holy Scriptures: But how little is heard of him, in compariſon of that immenſe excellency which is in him, and which he is. Heathens hear ſomewhat of him, Rom. 1.20, 21. His Saints on Earth hear much more of him, Pſal. 63.3, 4, 5, 6. Perfect Spirits in Heaven hear moſt of all of him, 2 Cor. 12.3, 4. 1 Cor. 13.12. Yet by all theſe, a very little portion is heard of him.
The Being of God is like the Peace of God, which paſſeth all underſtanding, Philip. 4.7. And like the Love of Chriſt, which paſſeth all knowledge, Epheſ. 3.19. This onelyonly can be known of God, that he can never be known fully; and this onelyonly can be comprehended of him, that he cannot be comprehended: Canſt thou by ſearching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty to perfection? It's as high as Heaven, what canst thou do? Deeper then Hell, what canſt thou know? The meaſure thereof is longer then the Earth, and broader then the Sea, Job 11.8, 9. Canſt thou by ſearching find out God: It's a ſtrong Negation, i. e. 'Tis impoſſible by all the help and advantage of Nature and Art, and Grace and Diligence; yea, and perfect Glory too, to find out God fully. Doſt thou a poor mean vile man (ſaith Zophar) think to contain and comprehend him, whom the Heavens, and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain or comprehend? Art thou ſo ſilly as to conceive, that the ſhort line of thy underſtanding ſhould fadom his bottomleſs Being. It is not in vain for thee to ſeek him, but it is altogether in vain for thee to ſearch him. Though he be not far from thee, yet he is far above thee, and far beyond thee; far above thy thoughts, and beyond thy conceptions: He dwelleth in that Light that is inacceſſible, whom no man hath ſeen, nor can ſee, 1 Tim. 6.16. They who ſee him face to face, i. e. moſt clearly and fully ſee but little of him: Clouds and Darkneſs are in this ſenſe ever about him. As in a dark day we ſee the beams, but not the body of the Sun; ſo even in Heaven the higheſt Angels rather ſee his rays and beams, then his infinite Being.
Canſt thou find out the Almighty to perfection: Men who ſeek God, may find him, Prov. 8.17. Math. 7.7. but they cannot find him to perfection: The word for perfection ſignifieth the height or utmoſt accompliſhment of a thing. Somewhat of God may be known, but not all; They who find out moſt, are far from finding out the utmoſt of him. The Sun and all the coeleſtial Lights may ſooner be graſped in the hollow of mans hand, and the vaſt Hills and Mountains weighed in a pair of common Scales, then the Almighty found out to perfection. Natural queſtions ſoon poſe the moſt learned men; the forms even of inanimate Creatures are Riddles to moſt. How frequently do the greateſt Schollars betake themſelves to ſecret Sympathies and Antipathies, and occult qualities, as the Cloak and cover of their Ignorance: Eccleſ. 11.5. Canst thou know how the Bones grow of her that is with Child? O how much more muſt Divine queſtions exceed humane underſtanding.
It is as high as Heaven, what canſt thou do? It's as the highneſſes of Heaven: Take all the Heights and Elevations, all the Spheres and Altitudes of Heaven, and try if thou canſt reach them with thy ſhort Arm; yea, climb up the higheſt Stories, the loftieſt Pinnacles, touch, if thou canſt, the ſeveral Orbes; yet the knowledge of this God, or this God the object of knowledge, is above and beyond all. What a Fool would he be thought, who ſhould undertake to aſcend the ſtarry Heavens; yet he who would find out God to perfection, muſt climb much higher. The Heavens are famous for their height; yea, the ſtarry Heavens, that ſome wonder that the eyes of man are not tired before they reach them; Prov. 25.3. The Heavens for height, and the Earth for depth; Yet the third Heavens are much higher then they; but the moſt high God is far higher then the higheſt Heavens.
Deeper then Hell, what canst thou know? Heaven and Hell are at the greateſt diſtance, and are moſt remote from our apprehenſions. Who knoweth what is done in Heaven? what in Hell? what is enjoyed in the one, or ſuffered in the other? no more can any know what God is. Who knoweth the nature, number, order, motions, influence of the heavenly Bodies; ſomething is conjecturally delivered about them, nothing certain; much leſs doth any know the number, nature, order, wonder, worſhip of the coeleſtial Courtiers in the third Heavens, of the thouſand thouſand that are before God, the ten thouſand times ten thouſand that miniſter to him; leaſt of all can any know that Being that made all theſe, that preſerveth all theſe, that ordereth and governeth, animateth and actuateth all theſe; that gives them all that they are, and enableth them to all that they do.
Deeper then Hell, what canst thou know? Who knoweth the Mines and Minerals which lie in the boſome, in the bowels of the Earth? Who knoweth the place of Saphires, the Coral, the Pearls, and the precious Onix: Job 28.5, 6, 7, 8. Out of the Earth cometh Bread, &c. The ſtones of it are the place of Saphires, and it hath duſt of Gold: There is a path which no Fowl knoweth, and which the Vultures Eye hath not ſeen: The Lyons Whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce Lyon paſſed by it. Much leſs doth any know the Miſeries of the Damned, the extremity, univerſality, eternity of their Torments? Who ever returned from that place, to tell us what they ſuffered there; or if they had, whoſe Underſtanding is large enough to conceive them: Who knoweth the Power of thine Anger? according to thy Fear, ſo is thy Wrath, Pſal. 90.11. Leaſt of all can any know that God,Job 28.3. who ſetteth an end to Darkneſs, and ſearcheth out all Perfection; the ſtones of darkneſs and the ſhadow of Death: Before whom Hell and Deſtruction are naked and open; who formeth the coſtly Jewels, ſecret from the Eyes of covetous Mortals; who layeth the dark Vault of Hell, and ſtoreth it with Fire and Brimſtone, and gnawing Worms, and blackneſs of darkneſs, and all the Inſtruments of eternal Death.
The meaſure thereof is longer then the Earth: The Earth is long, from one end of it to another. Mathematicians tell us, from Eaſt to Weſt, it's 22000 miles, but the knowledge of God is much longer; the meaſure thereof is beyond all meaſure.
And broader then the Sea: The Ocean is exceeding broad, it ſeems to them that Sail on it, to be without Banks or Bounds. Hence we read of the Arms of the Sea, Dan. 11.22. becauſe of its breadth. And David calls it, Pſal. 104.25. A great and wide Sea. So is this great and wide Sea, wherein are things innumerable, both ſmall and great. But the knowledge of the great God is far greater and wider: How are the Dimenſions of height, depth, length and breadth, in their greateſt extent and dimenſions obvious to humane Underſtandings. The Heavens are high, yet their height is finite: Hell is deep, yet its depth is determined; the Earth is long, yet its length is limited; the Sea is broad, yet its breadth is bounded: But God is infinite, boundleſs, and beyond all theſe.