A Discourse Grounded on Proverbs, Part 2 · Section 20 – Section 22
Sect. XX.
TO Think Him the ONELYONLY true GOD,OnelyOnly God John 17, 3 2 Cor 16, 26 (and the Gods of the Heathen but vanity, Idols, and by Nature no Gods,) The Only Wiſe God; Gal. 4.8 Rom. 16 27 1 Tim. 6, 15 16The hleſſed and onelyonly Potentate, who onelyonly hath Immortality, who Alone is Holy, And there i… none good but HE, And therefor… no GOD hut HE;Levit 16, 4 Matt 19, 17 Deut. 6.4 Hear O Iſrael the Lord thy God is but ONE GOD
Unity yet TRINITYThat the Being is One, th… Subſtance undivided, and yet th… Subſiſtence diſtinguiſhed;Pſalm 2.7 ſo th… the Father is not the Son, but B… gets him; The Son is not the Father, but Begotten of him;Hebr. 1, 5 The Holy Ghoſt is neither the Father nor the Son, John 1, 14but proceedeth from both,chap. 15, 26 (The Spirit that proceeds from the Father, whom I will ſend, ſaith Chriſt,) yet theſe three are God, 1 John 5, 7.and yet God is but One, for theſe three are One, without Diviſion, Compoſition, or Confuſion. And O how High, and Holy, High thought.and Reverend ought the Thought to be that receives this Myſterie? And therefore to help his weak Thoughts in this, The Believer perhaps fixeth his Thought on the Sun in the Firmament,Sun & Soul of man ſhort ſhaddows of this Myſterie, where he finds light, heat, and motion, yet but One Sun; or to come nearer both to the Thing and Himſelf, He thinks perhaps of the Soul in his Body, where he finds an Vnderstanding, Will, and Memorie, yet but One Soul. But alas, thinks he, theſe are ſhort ſhadows, and dark reſemblances of ſo great and high a Myſtery, for that light is not the Sun, though it be Sunlight, &c. and that Vnderſtanding is not the Soul, but the Souls underſtanding power or facultie; But Jeſus Chriſt is the LORD, and the Holy Spirit is GOD, and yet to us there is but One God, 2 Cor. 8, 6and One Lord. But this He thinks, That All that is IN God (Eternally,All in God, GOD. Imminently, Unchangeably) muſt needs be God, As verily He thinks that GOD Is. And that God the Father hath a perfect KNOVVLEDGE of Himſelf in Himſelf, God knows HimſelfThis alſo He cannot but Think; and that this Knowledge, WISDOM,Wiſdom or WORD is God, becauſe it is IN the Father, who is God;Prov. 8, 22 23, 25 John 1:1 Word V. 30 Image of God: And further, that He cannot but LOVE Himſelf, whom He thus Knows, and ſeeth in tha… expreſs Image of Himſelf, begotten in Himſelf; And this Imag… o… begotten WORD being in God, Hebr. 1, 3 Loves Himſelf.and therefore being God, cannot love God again; And this Infinite, Mutual liking, Loving and good will Proceeding from Both, Fathers love to the Son declared by the H Ghoſtand being in Both, cannot but be, what Both are, (viz.) GOD Thus We ſee, when there was a viſible manifeſtation of the Divine complacencie (with a loud voice from Heaven, ſaying, Verſe 16,This is my beloved Son in whom I am mell pleaſed.) The Word being now made Fleſh, It was made by the Deſcending of the Holy Ghoſt, like a Dove, from the Father, and resting on the Son. But Alas, after all, thinks He of Himſelf,Myſterie exceeding thought, who is he that hideth Counſel without knowledge? Therefore have I thought that I underſtood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not. Yet is to be thought, for God is able to do above thought.God hath indeed told me that THESE THREE are ONE, And …f I cannot tell how to think it, yet I will think it; Eph. 3.26For ſeeing Scripture teacheth me to Think that he is able to Do exceeding abundantly above all that I can think, Therefore is above thought.well may I Think that He Is above All that I can Think;T…inity one in w…rking, yet each his peculiar work… And therefore though it be above my thought 'tis the fitter (ſeeing He ſaith it) to be thought of him, that is ſo much above me. Theſe three thus gloriouſly but myſteriouſly, coequally, coeſſentially and coeternally One, muſt be thought alſo to be One in Working as well as Being, John 5, 17 19, 20, 21 Phil. 1:19 compared with 4:19and yet each one to have his own peculiar work. Thus Gods ſupplying by Ieſus Chriſt, is called the ſupply of the Spirit.
Sect. XXI.
God onelyonly properly Eternal.THis God We muſt think a… ETERNAL Being, and nothin… properly Eternal but God; Created Spirits, Angels, and Souls o… men (and the bodyes of theſe raiſed Spiritual bodies at the laſt day) being OnelyOnly Ever-lasting; Pſa. 106, 48Pſalm 90:2But from Everlaſting to Everlaſting thou art God; Art not thou from Everlaſting, O Lord my God? Hab. 1:12And as if God were making anſwer to this Queſtion, ſaith He, Hearken O Jacob, and Iſrael my Called, …ſa ah 48 12I am He, I am the Firſt, I alſo am the Laſt, I am the Firſt, I am the Laſt, chap. 44:6and beſides Me there is no God, Verſe 8.(and after ſaith He,) Is there any? I know not any. There is no Eternal,Jerem. 2 32. no Firſt and Laſt but God onelyonly: And therefore Our First Thoughts and Our Last Thoughts, Hebr. 7.…yea and all Our Thoughts ſhould be of Him, and for Him. Thoughts ſhould be Laſting where the Theme is Everlaſting. But O burning ſhame that We ſhould forget him days without number who hath neither Beginning of Days, nor end of Life, but is Eternal.
Sect. XXII:
Gods Immenſe omnipreſence filling all thingsTHoughts alſo muſt be Holy and Reverend of the Infinite Immenſity, as well as Eternity of this one true God, His OMNIPRESENCE filling all things, Hell with his glorious Juſtice and Severity, Heaven with the glory of his Grace,Pſalm 33:5 Earth with his Goodneſs, Patience, and Providence; If I aſcend up into heaven thou art there, Pſ. 139, 8, 9If I make my Bed in hell behold thou art there; If I dwel… in the utmoſt parts of the Sea, even there ſhall thy hand lead me. Je…. 23:23 24Am I a God at hand ſaith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himſelf in ſecret places that I ſhal… not ſee him? ſaith the Lord, do … not fill heaven and earth? ſaith the Lord. And 'tis repeated ſo, that the Lord ſaith this, becauſe vain men do ſo little think of this▪ Thus doth he fill all things, but is contained of none; contained of none:But will God in very deed dwell with men on earth? behold heaven, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. 2 Chr. 6:18Alas! How ſhould it? Can a Man be contained in his own Span,Iſai: 48, 13 My right hand hath ſpanned the heavens, ſaith God. Alas how little can Our very Hearts hold, or Our Thoughts contain, of this Great God! now the leſs we can comprehend, the more and the greater ſhould our Admiring Thoughts be.