The Remaining Discourses on the Attributes of God, Sermon 12
SERMON XII.Vol. VII. The Immenſity of the Divine Nature.
PSAL. CXXXIX.7, 8, 9, 10.
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, 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.
THAT Attribute of God which I laſt diſcours'd of is moſt Abſolute, and declares his Eſſence moſt immediately; the ſpirituality of the Divine Nature. I ſhall in the next place ſpeak of thoſe which relate to the manner of his Being, Immenſity and Eternity, that is, the infiniteneſs of his Eſſence, both in reſpect of ſpace and duration; that the Divine Nature hath no limits of its Being, nor bounds of its duration. I ſhall at the preſent ſpeak to the firſt of theſe, his Immenſity, and that from theſe words which I here read to you, Whither ſhall I go from thy ſpirit, &c. The meaning of which is this, That God is a Spirit, infinitely diffuſing himſelf, preſent in all places, ſo that wherever I go, God is there; we cannot flee from his preſence. If I aſcend into heaven, he is there; if I go down into the grave, the place of ſilence and obſcurity, he is there; (for that is the meaning of the Expreſſion, If I make my bed in hell.) 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; that is, if my motion ſhould be as ſwift as that of the light, which when the Sun riſeth darts it ſelf in an inſtant from one part of the World to another, over the Earth and the Sea, the remoteſt parts of the World which are unknown to us, yet would God be preſent to me in the motion, and all along as I go muſt I be led and upholden by him; ſo that all theſe Expreſſions do but ſignifie to us the Immenſity of God's Eſſence, that his Being is infinitely diffuſed and preſent in all Places.
In ſpeaking to this Attribute of God's Immenſity, I ſhall Firſt explain it to you a little.
Secondly, Prove that it doth belong to him.
Thirdly, Anſwer an Objection or two that may be made againſt it.
Fourthly, Draw ſome doctrinal Inferences from it.
Fifthly, Make ſome uſe and improvement of it.
Firſt, For the explication of it. By the Immenſity of God, I mean that his Being hath no bounds or limits, but doth every way ſpread and diffuſe it ſelf beyond what we can imagine; ſo that you cannot define the preſence of God by any certain place, ſo as to ſay here he is, but not there; nor by any limits, ſo as to ſay, thus far his Being reacheth, and no further; but he is every where preſent after a moſt infinite manner, in the darkeſt corners and moſt private receſſes; the moſt ſecret Cloſet that is in the whole World, the Heart of Man, darkneſs and privacy cannot keep him out; the preſence of another Being, even of a Body, which is the groſſeſt ſubſtance, doth not exclude him; the whole World doth not confine him; but he fills all the ſpace which we can imagine beyond this viſible World, and infinitely more than we can imagine.
Secondly, For the proof of it. I ſhall attempt it,
I. From the natural Notions and Dictates of our Minds.
II. From Scripture and Divine Revelation.
III. From the inconvenience of the contrary.
I. From the natural Notions and Dictates of our Minds. We find that the Heathen, by the Light of Nature, did attribute this Perfection to God. Tully tells us, De Nat. deor. That Pythagoras thought, Deum eſſe animam per naturam rerum omnem intentum & commeantem, That God is as it were a Soul paſſing through and inſpiring all Nature. And in l. 2. de leg. that this was Thales his Opinion which he commends, Homines exiſtimare oportere deos omnia cernere, deorum omnia eſſe plena, That Men ought to believe, that the Gods ſee all things, that all things are full of them. So Sen. Epiſt. 95. Ʋbique & omnibus praeſto eſt; He is every where preſent and at hand. & de Benef. L. 4. Quocunque te flexeris, ibi illum videbis occurrentem tibi, nihil ab illo vacat, opus ſuum ipſe implet; Which way ſoever thou turneſt thy ſelf, thou ſhalt find him meeting thee, nothing is without him, he fills his own work. Not much differing from the Expreſſion of the Pſalmiſt here.
II. From Scripture and Divine Revelation. I ſhall inſtance in ſome remarkable places; 1 Kings 8.27. Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. Job. 11.7, 8, 9. Can'ſt thou by ſearching find out God? canſt thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Iſa. 66.1. Thus ſaith the Lord, behold, heaven is my throne, and the earth is my foot-ſtool: where is the houſe that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my reſt? Jer. 23.23, 24. Am I a God at hand, ſaith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himſelf in ſecret places that I ſhall not ſee him, ſaith the Lord? do not I fill heaven and earth, ſaith the Lord? Amos 9.2, 3. Tho' they dig into hell, thence ſhall mine hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, thence will I bring them down. And though they hide themſelves in the top of Carmel, I will ſearch and take them out thence: and tho' they be hid from my ſight in the bottom of the ſea, thence will I command he ſerpent and he ſhall bite them. Acts 17.27, 28. Tho he be not far from every one of us. For in him we live, and move, and have our being, as certain alſo of your own Poets have ſaid, For we are alſo his off-ſpring.
III. From the inconveniences of the contrary. And this is the moſt proper way of proving any of God's Perfections; for as I have told you formerly, there being nothing before God, nor any cauſe of his being, his Perfections cannot be proved by way of demonſtration, but of conviction, by ſhewing the abſurdity of the contrary. The firſt and moſt eaſie Notion that we have of God, is, that he is a Being which hath all Perfection, and is free from all Imperfection; now if I prove that the Immenſity of God's Eſſence is a Perfection, or which is the ſame, that the contrary is an Imperfection, I do ſufficiently prove the thing intended.
Now to ſuppoſe the Divine Eſſence to be limited, or confined, and his preſence to be any where excluded, doth contradict both this neceſſary Perfection of God, his univerſal Providence; and this neceſſary Duty of Creatures, to worſhip and truſt in him; and the voluntary manifeſtation and appearance of God, in the Incarnation of Jeſus Chriſt.
1. It contradicts the univerſal Providence of God. The univerſal Providence of God ſuppoſeth many Perfections, viz. infinite Knowledge, and infinite Power, his Omniſcience and Omnipotence, neither of which can be imagined without Omnipreſence. We find that all finite Beings, have a finite Knowledge, and a finite Power; and it cannot be conceived how infinite Underſtanding and Power can be founded any where elſe than in an infinite Eſſence. To have an infinite Knowledge of all things, even thoſe things which are moſt ſecret and hidden, to be able to do all things, to ſteer and govern the Actions of all Creatures, and to have a perfect care of them, ſeems to all the Reaſon of Mankind to require immediate Preſence.
2. It contradicts the neceſſary Duty of the Creature, which is to worſhip God, to depend upon him for every thing, and in every thing to acknowledge him. Now all Worſhip of God is rendred vain, or at leaſt uncertain, if God be not preſent to us to hear our Prayers, to take notice of our Wants, and receive our Acknowledgments; it will much abate our Confidence in God, and our Fear to offend him, if we be uncertain whether he be preſent to us or not, whether he ſees our Actions or not.
3. It contradicts a voluntary Manifeſtation and Appearance of God in the Incarnation of Chriſt. He that ſuppoſeth God not to be every where preſent by his Eſſence, muſt in all reaſon confine his Preſence to Heaven, and ſuppoſe him to be preſent elſewhere only by his Virtue and Power: but if this were ſo, how could the Divinity be eſſentially united to the Humane Nature of Chriſt, which was here upon Earth? How is God with us; How does he pitch his Tabernacle among Men; if his eſſential Preſence be confin'd to Heaven?
Thirdly, I come to anſwer Objections againſt this Doctrine.
There are two Objections againſt this.
1. From Reaſon.
2. From Scripture.
1. Obj. Reaſon will be ready to ſuggeſt, that this is a diſparagement to the Divine Nature, to tye his Preſence to this vile Dunghil of the Earth, and fordid Sink of Hell. This is a groſs Apprehenſion of God, and a meaſuring of him by our ſelves. Indeed if we look upon God as capable of Injury, and Suffering, and Offence from the Contagion of any thing here below, as we are, then indeed there were ſome ſtrength in this Objection: but he is a bleſſed and pure Being, Mens ſegregata ab omni concretione mortali, A Mind free from all mortal Compoſition or Mixture. Tully; foreign, diſentangled from every thing paſſible; as Plut. Thoſe things that are nauſeous to our Senſes, do not affect him: Darkneſs is uncomfortable to us, but the Darkneſs and the Light are all one to him. Wickedneſs may hurt a man, or the ſon of man; but if we multiply our tranſgreſſions, we do nothing to God, as Elihu ſpeaks, Job 35.6. Nothing can diſquiet or diſcompoſe his happy and bleſſed Nature, but he converſeth here in this dark and troubled World with leſs danger of Diſturbance, or any impure Contagion, than the Sunbeams.
2. Obj. Does not the Scripture tell us, that God ſits in the Heavens, and dwells on high, that Heaven is his throne, and that it is the City of the great God? Doth not the Lord's Prayer teach us to ſay, Our Father which art in heaven? Is he not ſaid to look down from heaven, and to hear in heaven his dwelling-place? Is it not ſaid that he doth not dwell in temples made with hands? And does not Solomon, 1 Kings 8.27. put it as a ſtrange queſtion, will God indeed dwell on the earth? Is he not ſaid to come down and draw near to us, and to be afar off from us? Now how does this agree with his Immenſity and Omnipreſence?
For anſwer to this, I muſt diſtinguiſh the Preſence of God. There is, 1ſt, his glorious Preſence, that is, ſuch a Preſence of God as is accompanied with an extraordinary manifeſtation of his Glory, and that is eſpecially and chiefly confined to Heaven, in reſpect of which it is called his Seat, and Throne, and the Habitation of his Glory. Some degree of this was in the Temple, which is the reaſon of Solomon's Admiration, will God indeed dwell on Earth?
2dly, There is his gracious Preſence, which diſcovers it ſelf by miraculous effects of his Favour, and Goodneſs, and Aſſiſtance, and thereby he is ſaid to dwell in the hearts of good Men, and with them that are of an humble and contrite Spirit, Iſa. 57.15. and in reſpect of this he is ſaid to draw near to us, to look down upon us; and in reſpect of the abſence of this to be far from us.
3dly, There is his eſſential Preſence, which is equally and alike in all Places; and this is not excluded by thoſe former Expreſſions which the Scripture uſeth to denote to us the glorious and gracious Preſence of God.
Fourthly, To make ſome Inferences. I will mention only ſuch as the Scripture here takes notice of, ſpeaking of God's Immenſity.
I. Inf. That God is a Spirit. This neceſſarily flows from his Immenſity; for if the Eſſence of God be every where diffuſed, the Divine Nature muſt be ſpiritual, otherwiſe it could not be in the ſame place were Body and Matter is, but muſt be ſhut out of the World. But this I ſpoke more largely to, in my Diſcourſe of God's being a Spirit. This the Pſalmiſt obſerves here, Where ſhall I go from thy Spirit? If he were not a Spirit, we might go from him, and hide our ſelves from his Preſence.
II. Inf. That God is Incomprehenſible. That which is infinite cannot be meaſured and comprehended by that which is finite; and this alſo the Pſalmiſt takes notice of, in the Verſe before my Text, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is high, I cannot attain it.
III. Inf. That God is Omniſcient. If God be every where, then he knows all things, yea even the hidden things of Darkneſs, the Secrets of our Hearts; nothing can be hid from an infinite Eye; he is preſent to our Thoughts, intimate to our Hearts and Reins; this the Pſalmiſt takes notice of, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 12 Verſes.
IV. Inf. That God is Omnipotent. He can do all things. Diſtance limits the Power of Creatures, and makes their hands ſhort; but God is every where, nothing is out of his reach; and this alſo the Pſalmiſt intimates in the Text, v. 10. Even there ſhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand hold me.
Fifthly, The Uſe and Improvement I ſhall make of this, ſhall be,
1. To awaken our Fear of him.
2. To encourage our Faith and Confidence in him.
1. To awaken our Fear of him. The Conſideration of God's Preſence ſhould awaken in us a Fear of Reverence. The Preſence of an earthly Majeſty will awe our Spirits, and compoſe us to Reverence; yea the Preſence of a wiſe and good Man; how much more ſhould the Preſence of the great and glorious, the wiſe and the holy, and the juſt God ſtrike an awe upon our Spirits? Wherever we are God is with us, we always converſe with him, and live continually in his Preſence; now a Heathen could ſay, cum Diis verecunaè agendum, We muſt behave our ſelves modeſtly becauſe we are in the preſence of God.
And it ſhould awaken in us a Fear to offend God, and a Fear of the divine diſpleaſure for having offended him. Fear is the moſt wakeful Paſſion in the Soul of man, and is the firſt Principle that is wrought upon in us from the Apprehenſions of a Deity, it flows immediately from the principle of Self-preſervation which God hath planted in every Man's Nature; we have a natural Dread and Horror for every thing that can hurt us, and endanger our Being or Happineſs: now the greateſt Danger is from the greateſt Power, for where we are clearly over-match'd, we cannot hope to make Oppoſition nor Reſiſtance with ſecurity and ſucceſs, to r…bel with Safety: now he that apprehends God to be near him, and preſent to him, believes ſuch a Being to ſtand by him as is poſſeſt of an infinite and irreſiſtible Power, and will vindicate all Contempt of the Divine Majeſty, and Violation of his Laws. If we believe God to be always preſent with us, Fear will continually take hold of us, and we ſhall ſay of every place, as Jacob did of Bethel, ſurely God is in this place, how dreadful is this place? When we have at any time provoked God, if we believe the juſt God is at hand to revenge himſelf, and if we believe the power of his anger, we ſhall ſay with David, Pſa. 76.7. Thou even thou art to be feared, and who may ſtand before thee when thou art angry? Pſa. 119.120. My fleſh trembleth becauſe of thee, and I am afraid of thy Judgments.
Sinners conſider this, It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, and every time you ſin, you are within his reach. Let then the conſideration of God's Preſence deter us from Sin, and quicken us to our Duty. The Eye and Preſence of a Superior will lay a great reſtraint upon Men; the Eye of our Prince, or our Maſter, or our Father, will make us afraid or aſham'd to do any thing that is fooliſh or unſeemly: And will we do that under the Eye of God, which we ſhould bluſh to do before a grave or wiſe Perſon, yea before a Child or a Fool? Did but Men live under this apprehenſion, that God is preſent to them, that an holy and all-ſeeing Eye beholds them, they would be afraid to do any thing that is vile and wicked, to profane and pollute God's glorious name, by a trifling uſe of it in cuſtomary ſwearing and curſing. Whenever you ſin, you affront God to his Face; and provoke the omnipotent juſtice which is at the door, and ready to break in upon you.
And the conſideration of this ſhould eſpecially deter us from ſecret Sins. This is the uſe the Pſalmiſt here makes of it. If we believe that God ſearcheth us and knows us, that he knows our down-ſitting, and our up-riſing, and underſtands our thoughts afar off, that he compaſſeth our path, and our lying down, and is acquainted with all our ways, that there is not a word in our tongue, but he knows it altogether, that he hath beſet us behind and before, that the darkneſs hideth not from him, but the night ſhineth as the day, and the darkneſs and light are both alike; I ſay, if we believe this, how ſhould we live in an awful ſenſe of the Majeſty which is always above us, and before us, and about us, and within us, and is as inſeparable from us, as we are from our ſelves, whoſe Eye is upon us from the beginning of our Lives to the end of our Days? Did Men believe that God is always with them, that his Eye pierceth the Darkneſs, and ſees through all thoſe Clouds with which they hide and muffle themſelves, and pries into the moſt ſecret Receſſes of their Hearts, how would this check and reſtrain them from deviſing miſchief in their hearts, or in their Bed chamber? The holy Preſence, and the pure Eye of God would be to us a thouſand times more than to have our Father, or our Maſter, or our Prince, or him whom we moſt revere, to ſtand by us. Did but Men repreſentare ſibi Deum, make God preſent to them, by living under a continual ſenſe of his Preſence, they would, as the Expreſſion of the wiſe Man is, be in the fear of the Lord all day. Magna ſpes peccatorum tollitur, ſi peccaturis teſtis adſiſtat: aliquem habeat animus quem vereatur, cujus authoritate etiam ſecretum ſuum ſanctius facit; The main hope of Sinners is to remain undiſcover'd, let but ſome body be privy to their deſigns, and they are utterly diſappointed: 'Tis fit for the Mind of a Man to have an awe of ſome Being, whoſe Authority may render even its privacy more ſolemn. This is the Character of wicked Men, Pſa. 86.14. that they have not God before their Eyes. One great cauſe of all the Wickedneſs, and Violence, and Looſeneſs that is upon the Earth is, they do not believe that God is near them, and ſtands by them.
And as the conſideration of God's Preſence ſhould deter us from Sin, ſo it ſhould quicken and animate us to our Duty. It is ordinarily a great Encouragement to Men to acquit themſelves handſomely, to have the Eyes of Men upon them, eſpecially of thoſe whoſe Applauſe and Approbation they value. God alone is amplum Theatrum, he's a greater Theater than the World, and it ſhould be more to us that he ſtands by us, than if the Eyes of all the World were fix'd upon us. Sen. adviſeth it as an excellent means to promote Virtue, to propound to our ſelves, and ſet before our Eyes ſome eminently virtuous Perſon, as Cato or Laelius, ut ſic tanquam illo ſpectante vivamus, & omnia tanquam illo vidente faciamus: That we may live juſt as if he were locking upon us, and do all things juſt as if he beheld us. How much greater incitement will it be to us, to think that God looks upon us, and ſees us, and really ſtands by us, than faintly to imagine the Preſence of Laelius or Cato?
This ſhould have an Influence upon all the Duties we perform, and the manner of performing them, that we do it to him who ſtands by us, and is familiarly acquainted with us, and is more intimate to us than we are to our ſelves. This Cic. in l. 2. de leg. looks upon as a great principle of Religion, ſit igitur hoc perſuaſum civibus, & qualis quiſque ſit, quid agat, quid in ſe admittat, quâ mente, quâ pietate religiones colat, deos intueri, & piorum impiorumque rationem habere: Let Men be throughly perſwaded of this, that the Gods obſerve, both the diſpoſition and the actions of every particular Man, what he conſents to, what he allows himſelf in, particularly with what meaning, with what degree of inward Devotion he performs his religious worſhip; and that they diſtinguiſh between the pious and the impious.
2. To encourage our Faith and Confidence in him. When we are in Straits, and Difficulties, and Dangers, God is with us; when Trouble is near to us, God is not far from us; where ever we are, how remote ſoever from Friends and Companions, we cannot be baniſht from God's Preſence; if we dwell beyond the utmoſt parts of the Sea, there his hand leads us, and his right hand holds us. Pſa. 16.8. I have ſet the Lord always before me; becauſe he is at my right hand, I ſhall not be moved. The conſideration of God's Preſence is the great ſtay and ſupport of our Faith, Pſa. 46.1, 2. God is our refuge and ſtrength, a very preſent help in trouble; therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midſt of the Sea. In the greateſt Commotions, and the moſt imminent and threatning Dangers, this ſhould charm and allay our Fears, that God is a preſent help.
This was the ſupport of Moſes his Faith in his Sufferings, as the Apoſtle tells us, Heb. 11.27. he endured, as ſeeing him who is inviſible.
To conclude all, when ever we are under any Preſſure or Trouble, we ſhould rebuke our own Fears, and challenge our anxious Thoughts, with David, Pſa. 42.11. Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? and why art thou ſo diſquieted within me? truſt ſtill in God; believe that God is with thee, and that Omnipotent Goodneſs ſtands by thee, who can and will ſupport thee, and relieve thee, and deliver thee when it ſeems beſt to his Wiſdom.