Gospel Revelation, Treatise 1

Gospel Revelation · Treatise 1

p. 1The Firſt SERMON ON The Nature of God.

THE laſt day, you may remember, wee opened that Point of the condition that men are in that live without a God in the world; It is evil to bee without bread, without friends, without outward comforts; how great an evil then to bee without a God in the world? and who they were that did live without a God in the world, that knew him not, that had no intereſt in him, and the like; and then was promiſed, Therefore ſeeing there are ſo many poor wretched creatures, ſo many Families that live without a God in the world, that know nothing of him, and live as if they expected nothing from him, and fear no evil to come from him at all; therefore wee promiſed to labour to ſet forth before you ſomewhat of God that might help you to know him, to ſhew you what hee is: And to that end turn to that Scripture, Pſal. 148. part of the 13. verſe.

For his Name alone is excellent.Text.

THis Pſalm is a Pſalm of praiſe, praiſing of God for all the glorious manifeſtations of himſelf in his great p. 2Works, and calling upon all creatures to praiſe him, becauſe hee is glorious in every creature; but the Pſalmiſt reſts not in this, in praiſing God for the glory of him that appears in the creatures, but hee riſe… higher, and takes indeed the riſe from thence to praiſe and bleſs God for what there is in himſelf, above that which doth appear in any creature. For ſo it is clear, that to this the Pſalmiſt doth ariſe in my Text, Let them praiſe the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the Earth and Heaven. The Earth and Heaven, and all creatures therein, are called to praiſe Gods name, and David praiſes the name of God for what appeared there, but ſaith hee, Praiſe the Lord: for his Name alone is excellent, and his glory is above the Earth and Heaven. His Name, the Name of God is either taken for God himſelf, or for the manifeſtation of God; often in Scripture for God himſelf,Prov. 18.10.Prov 18:10 as, The Name of the Lord is a ſtrong Tower, the righteous run unto it, and are ſafe; that is, God himſelf, Hee is the ſtrength and Tower, hee is the object of the truſt of his people; and ſo other Scriptures; or otherwiſe, that whereby God may bee known;Pſal. 76.1.Ps 76:1 His Name is great in Iſrael: And here we are to underſtand both; for his Name alone is excellent, that is, God himſelf is excellent alone, the Name of him, of him alone, is high, is lifted up, is excellent; and that wee are to underſtand by the Name of God here, God himſelf, as well as his Manifeſtations, appears in the words at the end of the verſe, His glory is above the earth and heaven. Now Gods manifeſtation is either in heaven or earth. But there is a further glory of God that is in himſelf, that is beyond all that is, or can bee manifeſted in, or to any creature; ſo that from the words thus opened, there are theſe two doctrinal Points one (I wil but only touch it) is raiſed from the connexion of the words with the former, and the other, that is, the ſubſtance of the Text, that wee ſhall abide a while upon.

The firſt is this, That a gracious heart is not ſatisfied p. 3with praiſing God onelyonly for his works, but riſes higher to praiſe him, and eſpecially to praiſe him for himſelf, for that that it ſees in himſelf.

I ſay, a gracious heart doth not ſtick in the Works of God; nor is it onelyonly inlarged to praiſe God for what it ſees in Gods works, but it will riſe higher than all the works of God, and praiſe him eſpecially for that it ſees in himſelf; Thy ſelf O Lord is excellent, the glory that is in thy ſelf, it is above the earth, and above the heaven. While wee praiſe God for what wee ſee in his works, our thoughts and hearts are limited; for Gods manifeſtations of himſelf are finite, and ſo there is not that ſpaciouſneſs that a gracious heart deſires to let our its ſelf in: but when it can riſe up to God himſelf, and look at the infinite excellency that there is in himſelf above all that doth appear in his works, then the heart inlarged with grace can expatiate it ſelf to the uttermoſt, and that is that which doth delight him, then is a gracious heart indeed in its own element, when it is expatiating it ſelf even in God himſelf.

And further God in ſetting himſelf before the ſoul in way of Covenant,Jer. 31.33.32.39.24.7. Ezek. 11.2…. Gen. 15.1.Jer 31:33Jer 31:32Jer 31:39Jer 31:24Jer 31:7Ezek 11:2Gen 15:1 hee doth not onelyonly tell thoſe that hee takes into Covenant, that hee will do ſuch and ſuch things for them, but hee would have them to cloſe with himſelf, I will bee your God. The Lord told Abraham that hee would bee his exceeding great reward, but that would not ſatisfie Abraham, What wilt thou give mee? Verſ. 2.having an eye to Chriſt, and the enjoyment of God in him; ſo let God ſay that hee will do never ſuch things for a gracious heart, that is not enough, except God himſelf bee the portion of the ſoul, the ſoul cannot bee ſatisfied with any thing that God doth; if God ſhould ſay to one whoſe heart he hath inlarged with grace, I will give thee all the world to poſſeſs, thou ſhalt have all the glory, all the pomp, all the ſweetneſs, all the comforts in the world; nay more than that, I will make ten thouſand worlds more, and give thee them all, and they ſhall have all of them more excellency than this preſent world hath; why all this would not ſatisfie p. 4a heart inlarged with grace for the portion of it, though ſuch a one ſees its ſelf unworthy of the leaſt crum of bread, yet it cannot bee ſatisfied with all the world, what then will ſatisfie him? onelyonly God himſelf, for ſo God propounds himſe f unto his people in way of Covenant,Pſal. 16.5.Ps 16:5 I will bee thy God, I will bee your portion; And upon this, thoſe that are in Covenant with him, though they do rejoyce to ſee God manifeſting himſelf in all his Names, they bleſs God for the beholding ſo much as they do of him in his works; but the thing that their hearts are moſt upon; is God himſelf, the excellency that there is in God above all his works.

And as it is in praiſing God, ſo alſo it is in other workings of the heart towards God, as now grace doth not love God ſo much for what God gives to it, as for what God is himſelf; that is the difference between true ſanctifying grace, and common grace; common grace may make mee love God for what I receive from him, o… for what I hope to receive from him; but ſanctifying grace makes mee to love God for what is in himſelf, more than for what I receive from him, or expect to receive; and ſo there may bee the fear of God for ſome works of God, when God doth manifeſt his power and dreadfulneſs in his works, in thundring or lightening, then the heart of a ſinner may fear God, though there bee no grace; but now where there is grace, ſuch a one fears God more, becauſe of that excellency hee ſees in God himſelf, than from any dreadful works of God; and this would bee a good rule to try your ſelves by: You ſay you fear God, why? if you fear God, if it bee the right fear of God, you will fear God more for what you ſee in God himſelf, than for any works of God, than for any works of his judgements, or threatnings, and the like: And ſo in the deſires of the heart after God, why, where the heart is gracious it works after God for himſelf, and not for his gifts; It is an argument of a falſe love, a whoriſh love, for the wife to love her husband for that ſhee ſhall have by him, and not to love his perſon more: And ſo it is a ſign of a p. 5baſe ſlaviſh ſpirit for a childe to love his fathe… becauſe hee gives him meat and drink, and cloaths, and will leave him an inheritance, and not rather to love the very perſon of his Father; ſo the heart is but falſe with God that loves God, and that deſires after God, more for any thing that God doth, than for what God is; and as theſe workings of heart, love, and fear, and deſire, are more in reſpect of God himſelf, than of his works; ſo praiſes of God, and delighting in God, where it is from true grace, it is more from what the ſoul ſees in God, than from the manifeſtation of all the glory of God in all his works, for, Praiſe the Name of the Lord, For his Name is excellent, his glory is above the earth and heaven (but wee ſhall let this paſs.) The main Point in the Text which wee are to pitch on is this,

That God is a moſt excellent being above all things. Doct. 2

This is the work that now I have to do, to endeavour to preſent God in the excellency of his being to you, onelyonly you muſt by way of caution know before wee do begin, That God dwells in that light that is unapproachable, 1 Tim. 6.16. That it is but little that wee do, or can know of God. And before wee begin to ſet forth the excellency of Gods being to you, you muſt know, that there is infinitely more than either the tongue of Man or Angel can expreſs; when wee have done all wee can, there is more in God that is beyond what wee can ſay, or Angels could preach unto you; I ſay, more than the glorious light of the Sun is more than a little glittering of a gloe-worm in the night, more than all the Sea is beyond, and above a ſpoonful, a drop of water.

And further by way of Caution, you muſt know this, that it is impoſſible to ſet before you the excellency of Gods being, and yet to ſpeak ſo as every thing ſhould bee plain to every one. Many things in the opening of Gods Nature to you, muſt needs have ſome difficulty in them, becauſe the ſubject that wee are ſpeaking of, is ſo high above us; eſpecially it muſt needs bee difficult to unclean ſpirits, to ſpirits that have p. 6alwayes been groveling below in the dirt, to drouſie ſpirits that think nothing to bee excellent, but onelyonly to eat and drink, and ſatisfie their fleſh; when they hear the excellency of Gods Being ſet out unto them, it muſt needs bee an argument above their reach; it cannot bee expected that it is poſſible to ſpeak ſo as their hearts ſhould cloſe with what is ſaid, to apprehend it.

But howſoever wee do not know what God may do in going along with his word, how hee may come by his Spirit even to thoſe that are of the weakeſt capacity, therefore I ſhall endeavour to do that that is my work, that is, to ſhew you ſomewhat of God, what an excellent being hee is, and ſo leave the work of the Spirit of God to himſelf, to make known thoſe things that ſhall bee propounded, and to ſettle them upon your hearts. Wherefore then God is an excellent being above all things.

Firſt, Hee is, and there is none elſe beſides him. The truth is, wee can ſcarce ſay that any thing is but God, Exod. 3.14. When God came to Moſes to ſend him to Pharaoh, and Moſes would know the Name of God, hee bid him ſay, I am that I am; I am hath ſent mee; and God only deſcribes himſelf thus unto Moſes, I am, I am a being; and ſo the name Jehovah is a name proper to God, that ſignifies Gods being: Now might Moſes ſay, Lord, is this a name that will diſtinguiſh thee from any thing elſe, to ſay I am? cannot any man ſay ſo, I am? but yet God gives this name of his, as his proper name meerly, I am a being, and I am that being that I am; and that is all the name God would tell Moſes, when Moſes did deſire to know ſo much of him, and how hee might expreſs him that did ſend him,foreign I am that I am:

Ʋt haereditare faciam id quod … eſt, from thence comes foreign eſſentia, ſubſtantia.For indeed Gods being it is that that is proper, and all other creatures in compariſon of this God, have but a ſhadow of being, therefore in Prov. 8.21. ſaith Wiſdome there (that is Godlineſs) I cauſe to inherit ſubſtance, the words are tranſlated by the Learned, that which is Grace carries to God, and ſo by Grace being carried to God, wee come to p. 7inherit that which is, as if all the while wee inherited any thing in the world, wee did not inherit that which is. God himſelf properly is; So in Iſa. 45.5, 6. I am Jehovah, and there is none elſe beſides mee. There is nothing that hath a being beſides mee (that is) not ſuch a being, as we ſha…l further open, yea and in compariſon no being; therefore in Iſa. 40.15, 17. Wee have a moſt excellent expreſſion of the excellency of Gods being in compariſon of all other things, All the Nations of the world they are as the drop of the bucket, and as the ſmall duſt of the ballance in compariſon of God, Yea they are all nothing, leſs than nothing? What an expreſſion is here; take all the Nations of the world, put them all together, they are all but as the drop of the bucket, that you ſhall ſee hang a little at the bottome, but as a little duſt of the ballance; how ſoon may you take your finger, and wipe off the drop of the bucket? why ſo even all Nations of the world may as ſoon periſh in reſpect of God; yea as if the Holy Ghoſt had ſaid too much when hee compared the Nations of the world to God (as if hee ſhould ſay) what, did I ſay they were as the drop of the bucket, and as the ſmall duſt in the ballance? nay, they are nothing at all; nay, and I muſt go lower, they are leſs than nothing. And thus you ſee the Name of God is alone excellent, becauſe indeed hee is ſuch a being, as in compariſon of him there is nothing that is worthy of the name of a being. That 40. of the Prophecie of Iſaiah, when you come home, it will bee a good Chapter to read in your Families, to ſet out the greatneſs of God, for that is the work wee are about to ſhew, you what a God you have to deal withall in all your wayes, the Name of God is excellent; Read that Chapter, and you will finde Gods Name ſet out as excellent indeed there. But that is the firſt.

In the ſecond place, God, hee is a preſent being, I am, ſaith hee, that is, God injoyes himſelf, that infinite being of himſelf altogether, there is no ſucceſſion at all in the being of God, as there is in other creatures, the creature p. 8injoyes but little of its own being; I beſeech you conſider the difference between God and the creature in this, when (I ſay) hee is a preſent being, that is ſet forth in the words I am; I ſay the creature injoyes but very little of its own being; why, becauſe whatſoever is paſt, it cannot injoy, and whatſoever is to come it injoyes not; now all that it doth injoy of it ſelf, it is only what it hath at an inſtant, this preſent inſtant what it hath, that it may be ſaid to be; but now with God there is nothing paſt, there is nothing to come; there is nothing paſt, I ſay, in reſpect of Gods beeing, there is nothing to come, but his beeing is alwayes preſent, he alwayes ſaith, I am; therefore Chriſt ſpeaking of his Divine Nature, in John 8.58.foreign. ſaith hee, Before Abraham was, I am; Chriſt doth not ſay, I was before Abraham was, no, but before Abraham was, I am. Certainly this had been no good Engliſh to have ſpoken of any creature; If any man ſhould ſay thus, Before ſuch a thing was, I am; if any Angel ſhould ſay ſo, this were no proper ſpeech; but Chriſt ſaith ſo, Before Abraham was, I am, becauſe Chriſt in regard of his Divine Nature hath no ſucceſſion of beeing at all; wee cannot ſay that God hath ſo many years added to him ſince the world began, God was as eternal before the world was, as hee is now, or ever ſhall bee; it cannot bee ſaid that hee was, not will bee, but alwayes it may be ſaid I am; I am, was, and will bee, the difference of time, it is in reſpect of the creature, not in reſpect of God, and that is the reaſon of thoſe phraſes in Scripture, That a thouſand years with God are …s one day, 2 Pet. 3.8.2 Pet 3:8and one day as a thouſand years; There is no difference of time with God at all: And that is the ſecond thing, therefore hee alone is excellent.

Thirdly, This beeing of God it is in all places. His excellency it is every where throughout the world, and that, firſt, Not virtually onelyonly, God is not in every place onelyonly virtually by his power,Enter, praeſenter Deus hic & ubique potenter that is, hee works in every place, but hee is in every place eſſentially. Secondly, God is not in every place by motion, from one place to another, and ſo gradually is p. 9in all places, but God is every moment in every place.

Thirdly, God is not in every place to fill heaven and earth, Deus eſt nullibi incluſive, ſed ubique ſecundum exiſtentiam.that is, one part in one place, and another in another, as a great thing that fills ſuch a room, one part is in one place, and another is in another; but God fills heaven and earth, that is, all of God is every where, all that God is, is in every place: Yea further,Centrum ubique circumferentia nullibi. God is as much beyond every place, as hee is in every place; hee is as much beyond the circumference of the heavens, and the earth, as hee is in them; yea if God ſhould make ten thouſand worlds more, hee would fill all thoſe as well as hee doth this, without any motion at all, hee would not move from one place to another to fill up ten thouſand worlds (if there were ſo many new ones made) but in the ſame inſtant in which they were all made, that immenſe being of his would fill up all. Surely God is a moſt excellent Being then above all other things whatſoever.

Fourthly (for I intend but meerly to preſent the chief things of the excellency of God before you, and not to ſtand handling of theſe at large, for every one of them might require a large tractate, but now onelyonly to preſent before you what a God it is that you have to deal with) God is a Being that is All-ſufficient in himſelf; Hee ſtands in no need of any creature; in Acts 17.25. verſe. Hee hath need of nothing, of none of us, hee hath enough within himſelf; before the world was, God was as bleſſed in himſelf as now hee is; there can bee nothing added to him, there is ſuch an excellency even in Gods being its ſelf, that there can be nothing added to him; wee are poor creatures, that ſtand in need of a thouſand things continually, the air to breathe in, the earth to bear us, fire to warm us, cloaths to cover us, meat and drink, a thouſand things; wee ſtand in need of the meaneſt creature, and if God ſhould take away the uſe of ſome mean contemptible creature, our lives would bee made miſerable to us; but that is the excellency of Gods being that hee hath need of nothing, hee hath all within himſelf, all the creatures in heaven and earth, cannot p. 10adde to him; no if there were ten thouſand worlds more, although God did poſſeſs them all, yet they would not adde one whit unto what is in God himſelf; therefore though the Lord hath made the heaven and earth,God hath an eſſential and an attributed glory, his attributed glory is augmented or diminiſhed by mans obedience or diſobedience, therefore ſinners are ſaid to rob God of his glory, and Saints to give him glory; but his eſſential glory cannot bee increaſed or diminiſhed. and all things therein, yet wee muſt not think that God is ever a whit the better for theſe things, or hath the more glory; hee had as much glory and bleſſedneſs in himſelf, as now hee hath, or can have; when all the Angels and Saints ſhall bee eternally bleſſing God in heaven, yet they can adde nothing to Gods glory: Wee ſay the Sun is a glorious creature, but doth that adde any light to the Sun? ſo for Saints and Angels to bee praiſing and bleſſing God, what doth that adde to God? And in this the Name of God is excellent.

5 But further, in the fifth place, His Name alone is excellent in this thing, that his excellency is univerſal, that is, all excellencies that are in all creatures in heaven and earth, they are all in him virtually, and eminently, hee hath them all in his own being, Pſal. 94.9. Shall not hee that made the ear hear, hee that formed the eye ſhall not hee ſee? the argument there will confirm this to us, that whatſoever is in the creature that hath any excellency in it, that excellency is in God in an eminent way; the creature, one hath one drop of excellency, and another hath another drop of excellency in it, and ſo a third a third, every creature hath its particular excellency in it, but God is an univerſal good, all excellencies in all creatures are in God, all beauty, all comfort, all goodneſs, whatſoever hath any lovelineſs or deſireableneſs in it, I ſay it is all in God, and I know not any one conſideration that will help us more to underſtand God while wee are here in the fleſh than this, for in regard of our weakneſs, wee can know little or nothing of God, but by looking into the creature, and ſo riſing from them.

Now then when wee come to look upon the creatures, and wee ſee an excellency in one creature, and another in another, Now if wee can conceive as it were the quinteſſence of all theſe excellencies drawn out, and conceive p. 11a being that hath all theſe together in him, this being is an excellent being indeed; this would make us to look upon God above the creature when wee look upon every thing that is good in the creature to bee in God himſelf, why then what ever the creature hath to draw the heart, why that the ſoul ſaith is in God; and indeed this one conſideration of God, and the preſenting of God to the ſoul in this manner, is a ſpecial work of Gods converting a ſoul to himſelf; when I ſay, the Lord intends to draw a ſoul to himſelf, to have the heart that was let out after creature-comforts, now to cloſe with himſelf, and chooſe himſelf for his portion, the Lord doth ſhew this to the ſoul: Soul what wouldeſt thou have, thou wouldeſt have this comfort, and the other comfort to delight and content thee; Know there can bee nothing in any creature that thou ſeeſt, but thou mayeſt have it in mee. Now this indeed wee cannot by ſenſe ſee, the comforts of the creature are ſenſibly before us, and wee ſee them by our ſenſes; but now God is above our ſenſe, God hee is above our reaſon, and there muſt bee faith to cloſe with him; but now when God would convert a ſoul to himſelf, hee doth ſhew himſelf in ſuch a way to the ſoul, as the ſoul doth ſee that there is all good in him that there is in the creature, and that it is in God in a more ſatisfying and eminent manner.

Certainly, whatſoever there is in the effect, it muſt needs be in the cauſes; now as all effects are to be reſolved into the cauſes, ſo all cauſes are to bee reſolved into this excellent being, that is the firſt cauſe of all things; for theſe creaures that are effects, they have other cauſes of them, yet thoſe cauſes are effects of ſome higher cauſes, at length wee muſt come to the firſt cauſe, and all muſt bee reſolved into that; nay all excellencies in the creature are more in God, than the excellency of the effect is in its cauſes; for the cauſes when an effect is reſolved into them, the cauſes if they bee not united to produce ſuch an effect, they cannot do immediately that thing that the effect could do; but now all excellency is ſo in God, as look p. 12what power any creature hath, or what thing it can do by any excellency it hath, that God can do; look what comfort it can bring by any good it hath in it, the ſame comfort God can bring; ſo that all is to bee reſolved into God; not that God hath all formally in him, as fire, air, meat, and drink, but what good there is here, what excellency there is here, it is eminently in God, that is, God is able to do of himſelf by his own being, whatſoever any creature is able to do, though all the creatures in the world ſhould bee annihilated (taken away) and thou onelyonly let live, God by his immediate power is able to let out to thee all thoſe variety of comforts that all the creatures the world had before could do: Now when wee can finde all made up in God (as we ſay ſometimes, that in ſome one good diſh, there is all diſhes made up (that is but a ſimilitude) but here it is really that whatſoever any childe of God loſes in the creature, ſuch a one can finde it to bee made up in God) Indeed this is the art and skill of Religion: Godlineſs doth teach this art and skill, to make up whatſoever is wanting in a creature, in God himſelf, and that is the chief ground of the ſatisfaction and contentment of a gracious heart in the want of creature-comforts; and becauſe the men of the world have no skill in this myſtery, they think it a meer notion, a conceit of men, they are not able to apprehend any reallity in it, therefore it is that they vex and fret ſo much when they want creature-comforts, for they know not whither to go to make them up in any other being: But the Saints know that all is in God, all excellency in all creatures is in God, therefore when you look thus upon God, as having all good that all creatures have, and that in himſelf; and when you come thus to God as ſuch a being ſo much above all creatures, then you have in ſome meaſure a right apprehenſion of God: And that is the fifth thing.

6 But ſixthly, The Name of God is excellent above all: For not onelyonly all excellencies in the Creature are in him; but all thoſe varieties of excellencies that are ſcattered up and p. 13down ſeverally in Creatures, are united into one excellency in him; for a water may have the quinteſſence of many herbs in it; there are many things in the water at that time; though but one drop of water, yet there are many things in it: So there is ſuch an union of all excellencies in God, that I ſay it is but one in God; there is an indiviſible union of all variety: Things that are various in the Creature, they are all united in one in God, that muſt needs be a glorious excellency indeed. If one man had all the beauty and ſtrength, and all the wiſdome that all the men in the world ever had, or have, and united into one, what beauty, what ſtrength, what wiſdome would that one man have! now it is ſo in God, that all beauty, and wiſdome, and ſtrength, are united into one excellency, ſo that God he is one otherwiſe than any other Creature can be one; other Creatures may bee made one by compoſition, but now God hee is not one by the union of many things together; for there is but one thing in God, God is but one, there is a variety, as wee conceive, as the Sun when it ſhines upon different glaſſes, red, or blew, or yellow, it hath a variety, I but all this is but one Sun, ſo all the attributes of God that we ſpeak divers times of, theſe are the ſeveral manifeſtations of that one excellency that there is in God, all united into one; therefore by this the Saints come to be the more happy, for they may not onelyonly enjoy all the good that there is in the Creature, but injoy it all in one, and wee ſay, the ſtronger is a thing, the more it is united; now in God all good whatſoever is united in one, all good in the Creature, yea and all good in himſelf, that is, all his attributes; ſo you muſt conceive of God; onelyonly the manifeſtation is divers; and therefore you muſt not conceive that there is any one thing in him more than another; you may not conceive of God, as if there were more mercy than juſtice, or more juſtice than mercy, or more of either of theſe, than there is of truth, wiſdome, and holineſs: Indeed God may manifeſt himſelf unto the Creature, more in one, than in the other, but as they are in his own beeing they are not, onelyonly p. 14one as much as the other, but they are all but one thing, onelyonly ſeveral manifeſtations, as but one Sun that hath divers reflections by divers glaſſes; ſo all Gods attributes are but one excellency that is in him; therefore his Name is excellent above all things, becauſe hee is but one God in this manner.

7 Further, Not onelyonly all good and excellency is in God, but all poſſible good, what can poſſibly bee imagined (as we know that the power of God that made the world, could make thouſands of worlds) all this is in him, and infinitely in him, When wee do ſpeak of any thing to bee in God, wee muſt be ſure that we do not limit our thoughts, as when we ſpeak of God to bee a great God, do not limit it, hee is great, but infinitely ſo; when wee ſpeak of his wiſdome, hee is wiſe, but infinitely wiſe, and ſo of his holineſs, and juſtice, and truth, and knowledge; all muſt bee lookt upon without any bounds whatſoever; in the Creature there are ſuch and ſuch things, but they are all limited by their cauſes, but God having no cauſes at all to limit him, therefore hee is infinite, whatſoever is in him it is infinitely in him, whatſoever is in him, is not onelyonly infinite in the kinde, as there is all the wiſdome and holineſs that can bee; but I ſay, it is abſolutely infinite; as it is in him, it is ſo infinite, that there is no kinde of being but is included within it; ſpeak but any one thing of God, I ſay, it is not onelyonly infinite in the kinde, but ſo as it includes whatſoever hath beeing, in the infinite Ocean of beeing that is in himſelf; wee are very ready when wee look upon God to have limited thoughts, and therein wee bring him down to the Creature; this is the very reaſon why God doth hate Images ſo much as hee doth, becauſe that Images do make a kinde of a repreſentation of him, as though hee were finite; as Papiſts, they tell us they think not that ſuch an Image is God, I, but being put in mind of God by ſuch an Image, there is a kinde of limiting the infiniteneſs that is in God; and therefore God hates it, and will not have that infinite excellency of his to bee repreſented by any Image whatſoeever; p. 15whenſoever thou thinkeſt of God, or ſpeakeſt of God, do not onelyonly compare him with that which is in the Creature, but when thou haſt made thy compariſon, let thy thoughts bee infinitely above it; there is no one attribute of God doth help us more to underſtand what God is, than when wee conceive him to be infinite in all that hee is or hath.

8 Yea and further, All the good that there is in God, and excellency, it is eternally in him; it may bee ſuch a Creature hath an excellency, but how long hath it had it? it was not long before but it was nothing: but God hath been what hee hath been (if wee may ſpeak ſo) hee hath been eternally; now that is a mighty ſwallowing conſideration; the conſideration of eternity; as a man that is an Accountant, if hee writes a figure of one, add but ſix ciphers to it, and it is ten hundred thouſand, now if hee ſhould be adding and adding all his life time, yea if hee ſhould have lived from the beginning of the world to have added to the figure of one, what an infinite ſumme would this bee! but it is nothing to eternity; either if you look back to eternity it is nothing, or if you look forward to eternity, it is nothing; (the Saints indeed ſhall live eternally in reſpect of that which is to come, the ſouls and bodies of the Saints ſhall bee eternally for time to come with God, and the ſouls and bodies of the ungodly ſhall bee eternally in Hell) Now all the excellency that there is in God, is eternally in God, which way ſoever you look.

9 Further, Not onelyonly eternally, but immutably in him; and therefore his name is alone excellent, it is immutable, that is, God hath ſuch an infinite excellency, that it is impoſſible that hee can bee better, or other than hee is; if God ſhould bee otherwiſe than hee is, hee would inſtantly ceaſe to bee a God; the beeing of God hath that excellency in it, that there can bee no addition, no ſubſtraction, add any thing to him, and you deſtroy him, take any thing from him, and you deſtroy his beeing, alter any thing in him, and hee ceaſes to bee God; ſo the Scripture ſaith, With him p. 16There is no ſhadow of change. Jam. 1.17.Jas 1:17Indeed there is a change in the creature, but nothing at all in God; as if you bring a peece of wax to the Sun it melts it, and clay, it hardens it, here is a different effect of the Sun, but the Sun is the ſame; ſo bring the creature in one diſpoſition to God, and the love of God, and delight of God is in it; bring the creature in another diſpoſition to God, and the wrath of God is upon it, yet God is the ſame, onelyonly the variety is in the creature. And therefore his Name alone is excellent, and the creature, whatſoever excellence it hath, it changes up and down: As there is no ſhadow of change with God, ſo no ſhadow of conſtancy in the creature.

10 Further in the next place, All theſe things are eſſentially in God; Quicquid eſt in Deo eſt Deuswhatſoever is in God, it is his being, its God himſelf: This one thing would much help you to underſtand the Nature of God, that whatſoever can bee truly ſaid of God, it is God himſelf; as thus, Gods wiſdome is God himſelf; Gods mercy is God himſelf; Gods power is God himſelf: it is not ſo in the creature, a mans wiſdome is not a mans being, they are ſeparable, one may bee ſeparated from the other; but Gods wiſdome is Gods being; a mans power and ſtrength is not his beeing, but Gods is, ſo a mans mercy and goodneſs is not his beeing, but Gods is, and therefore (as before) theſe things that are variouſly conceived by us, they are not onelyonly one in God, but his very beeing, and this doth mightily adde to the glory of God, that whatſoever is in God, it is the very eſſence and beeing of God himſelf: Theſe things that wee ſpeak of God (as I told you) becauſe God is ſo infinitly above us, it is very hard to make them plain to every underſtanding; and no marvel, becauſe wee are fallen ſo far from him; and as I have gone along, I fear that a great many are ready to think, Lord what are theſe things, wee cannot apprehend them; why then go thy wayes home and bee humbled for that great fall of mankinde, Oh how far is man fallen by his ſin? wee ſee now why God dwells in the thick cloud and darkneſs: Oh how far am I fallen from p. 17God? for God made man at firſt able to know him; certainly Adam did know all theſe things perfectly: it was the happineſs of Adam in his firſt creation to bee able to look upon the face of God, and know what ſuch things as theſe meant; but now ſince our fall, wee are ſaid not onelyonly to bee in the dark, but darkneſs it ſelf; Eph. 5.8.Eph 5:8and therefore it is but very little that wee can know of God; wee have ſuch a ſight of God, as a poor man that lives all his dayes in a Dungeon, if hee ſhould have one day a little creviſe opened, where a little beam of the Sun ſhould ſhine, certainly hee would ſtand and admire at it, if hee never ſaw it before, but how little would that man know of the nature of the Sun that had but a little creviſe opened for a beam to ſhine in a little time? Truly all that ever the Miniſters of God can tell you, or if God ſhould ſend his Angels to preach to open the Nature of God to you, it can bee no other but a little glimmering. But I hope if you bend your mindes you may know ſo much as to make you deſire after the knowledge of him; for if there bee no other effect than this, yet it will bee worth the while to make you to ſee that you do not know God; and therefore your thoughts not being thus of God, as I have ſpoken, the truth is, you have made God unto your ſelves but as an Idol (for if wee conceive otherwiſe of God than hee is, wee do but make him an Idol to our ſelves) now, Oh that it might have but this effect at leaſt (this that I have ſaid, with ſome few other things that are to bee ſpoken) to cauſe men and women to humble themſelves before God for want of the knowledge of God, and to bee crying to God, that hee would bee pleaſed to make himſelf known unto them in another way than they have known him, that ſo when they come to worſhip God, they may bee able to look upon him in another way than they have done: And therefore I beſeech you, bee not diſcouraged, to think, I ſhall never know theſe things, if God be thus, I ſhall never know what God is, bee not diſcouraged, for this God hee is able to communicate himſelf beyond that way that any creature is a…le p. 18to communicate its ſelf, God can let out himſelf to any creature as much as hee pleaſes, and it is no matter whether the creature bee capable or no, the Lord can make it capable; and therefore bee not diſcouraged becauſe of thy weakneſs; but if thou in the uprightneſs of thy heart doeſt ſeek to God, and doeſt deſire to know him above all things, If thou ſearcheſt after the knowledge of God as after ſilver, Prov. 2.3, 4.Prov 2:3Prov 2:4thou ſhalt come to know God more than ever thou diddeſt; and certainly to have but a few glimpſes of this infinite firſt being of all things, it is a kinde of infinite ſatisfaction unto the ſouls of th… ſervants of God, and though at firſt they finde it hard to know God, yet by ſeeking long after the knowledge of him, they have found that knowledge of God that they would not bee without for ten thouſand thouſand worlds; its onelyonly the rational creature that is able to know any thing of God at all, and this is a great part of that worſhip and homage you owe to God, that you ſhould know him, and ſo, that you might honour him as a God, that you might glorifie him as a God: Oh my brethren, how would people live, had they but the real ſight of ſuch a God with whom they have to deal in all their wayes? when wee put you upon the ſearching, to know what God is, wee put you not upon the ſearching to get notions to diſcourſe of: I confeſs in the right knowledge of the infinite firſt being of all things, there are moſt excellent notions to bee learned, but that that I endeavour to put you on to, is this, that you might ſearch to know this God, to the end that you might fear him, and chooſe him to bee your portion, that you might love him and ſerve him, and bleſſed is that ſoul that ſhall thus know him.

p. 19The Second SERMON ON The Nature of God.

PSAL. 148.13.

For his Name alone is excellent.

11 THE next thing is this, All excellencies are in God purely, and immixtly, that is, God hath all excellencies in him, and nothing elſe but excellency; the creature it may have ſome excellency, but it hath a mixture of imperfections; it may have ſome power, but there is a mixture of weakneſs; it may have ſome goodneſs, but there is a mixture of ſome kinde of evil in creatures as they are in themſelves; the very Angels themſelves, though they are upheld by God, yet they have that in them that might make them ſin againſt God, if God did but leave them to themſelves: So there is a mixture of weakneſs in all creatures, but God alone is excellent, for hee hath nothing elſe in him but that which is excellent, 1 Joh. 1.5. The Lo…d is light, and in him there is no darkneſs; this cannot bee ſaid of any creature, that the creature hath excellency p. 20in him, and there is no darkneſs at all in him; there is darkneſs in every creature, but the Lord is light, and in him there is no darkneſs; that that is ſaid concerning light here, may bee ſaid concerning any thing elſe, the Lord hath ſuch and ſuch Excellencies, and in him there is no defect, all is in him purely.

12 Next, All is in God originally; that is, all is from himſelf: Now there is no excellency in God that is by participation; Hee hath it from himſelf, and in himſelf. Whatſoever the creature hath, it hath it derivatively, not originally, it receives it from another: but all that is in God it is originally, it is in himſelf, and by himſelf, and from himſelf, all is in him as the ſpring of all kinde of excellency.

13 But in the next place, As all is in him originally, that is, hee hath all from himſelf, So God is the fountain of all excellencie to all creatures whatſoever; if there bee any good in any creature, it is but a beam from this Sun, and a drop from this infinite Ocean, it all flows from that infinite Sea of all good, which lets out it ſelf to this creature, or the other creature, in this or the other manner: So God is the fountain of all good to all creatures whatſoever, they are to look upon him as having all coming from him. And therefore hee alone is excellent, and his glory is above the Heavens and Earth.

14 Further, As all things are from him, ſo they depend upon him; all excellencies that are in the creature, as they come from God, ſo they have their abſolute dependency upon God, ſo as God need do nothing to deſtroy a creature: if hee doth but withdraw himſelf from it, it falls to nothing preſently; take the moſt glorious Angels, and the higheſt Heavens, Sun, Moon, Stars, Sea, and Earth, if God ſhould but withdraw his hand from theſe creatures, they would preſently fall down to nothing; they do depend upon God, as the light upon the Sun, there is no more light if the beams of the Sun bee withdrawn; ſo if God withdraw his influence from the creature, it can do nothing, p. 21and its nothing preſently; ſo that the influence that there is from God to the creature, it is to maintain the creature in his being; every moment the Lord muſt put forth as infinite a power to maintain thee and mee, and every creature, as hee did at the firſt for the making of the world.Heb. 1.3.Heb 1:3 And this is Gods excellency to uphold all things, they do ſo depend upon him. If a work-man make a houſe, hee goes away, the houſe can ſtand without him; but when God built the world, the world could not ſtand one moment without him. And not onelyonly God muſt have an influence into the creature to preſerve the being, but likewiſe to inable the creature to act; the creature cannot act one moment without God, no creature can ſtir in the leaſt degree,Act. 17.28.Acts 17:28 except the Lord concur with it; Therefore the Name of God alone is excellent; By him, ſaith the Scripture, wee live, wee move, wee have our being; not onelyonly wee are upheld in our being and lives, but wee move, wee cannot ſtir one moment, but God muſt concur with his creature for the motion and action of it.

15 Further, God alone is excellent in his operation, in his power, in the manner of his working; though God give a power to other creatures to work, yet God works in a different way from all other creatures.

Firſt, God hee doth whatſoever hee pleaſes either in heaven or earth. The will of God, as I ſhewed you before, it cannot bee beyond Gods power, God cannot will to do more than hee hath power to do,Pſal. 115.3. Pſal. 135.6. Eccleſ. 8.3.Ps 115:3Ps 135:6Eccl 8:3 Therefore the Lord hee doth whatſoever hee pleaſes in heaven and earth. The power of every creature can but work within the ſphere, ſo far as the cauſes give a vertue and efficacy, ſo far it is able to work, and no further.

Secondly, The power of God appears in this, that the Lord doth the greateſt, and the moſt difficult things, as eaſily as hee doth the leaſt and the eaſieſt; as thus, God makes the whole world as eaſily as hee can make a crum of dirt; God can make the Heavens, Sun, Moon and Stars, and all the Seas and Earth, with as much eaſe as hee can make a flye. God p. 22can make ten thouſand Angels, as ſoon as hee can make one worm. And therefore God, hee can as ſoon ſpeak the word to the ſoul of a man that is dead,Joh. 5.25.John 5:25 to live, hee can as ſoon raiſe a…l the dead out of their graves, as hee can give them a peece of bread to eat while they are alive, ſuch is the infiniteneſs of Gods operation.

3 Further, God is excellent in all that hee doth. There is nothing that God doth in any time, but was decreed to bee done from eternity; that is, the excellency of Gods working; the creature works ſomething, but perhaps a man did not think of what hee doth, a few dayes ago, but God doth nothing, nor never will do any thing, but it is that that was decreed from all eternity that hee would do, and God will never do any thing to all eternity, but what hee had decreed from all eternity before; yet it is for us creatures to obſerve according to his revealed will; but this is the excellency of God above all creatures whatever.

4 And then there is a further thing that is as conſiderable as any of the other, God is ſo far from needing any matter to work upon, or inſtrument to work by, when he doth do anything, as there is no more required for any creature to bee, or work at any time when God would have it, but the alone act of Gods will that was from eternity. As now the world it was not made ſix thouſand years ago; Now God willed from all eternity that there ſhould bee a world in time, and there was nothing required to make this world but that act of Gods will that was from all eternity, that it ſhould bee at that time. Man, hee doth will and decree to do ſuch a thing; now when the time comes, then hee beſtirs himſelf, and takes this tool or inſtrument, and puts forth a power that hee did not put forth before: But the act of Gods will from all eternity was ſufficient to make all creatures that ever ſince have been made, and to provide for all creatures that ever ſince have been provided for, one act of Gods will hath done all this; and that act of the will of God that hath been from all eternity hath done it; p. 23there are not ſeveral acts of Gods will, but Gods act is himſelf.

Divers other things might bee ſhewed, as this,

5 Where God hath done any work, all his works adde nothing to him. The creature hath ſomewhat added to him by his works; as thus, A man that is a work-man hee can make a houſe, and ſo hee hath the benefit of it to dwell in, to keep off the weather, and ſo hee makes cloath, and hath the benefit of it: But all the works of God adde nothing to him. A man can do ſomething by the work that hee hath made that hee could not do without his work: but God can do nothing by any work that hee hath made, but hee can do the ſame without that work; when hee hath made all his works, they are not helpful to him (but this was a branch of the All-ſufficiency of God.)

16 In the next place, God alone is excellent in the manner of his communication of himſelf, God doth ſo communicate himſelf to his creatures, as one creature cannot to another.

Firſt, God can let out as much of himſelf as hee will to any creature; now one creature cannot let out as much as hee pleaſes to another; for inſtance, A man that hath learning, hee cannot make another as learned as hee will; a man that hath holineſs and goodneſs, cannot make another as holy, and as good as hee will: but God can, this is Gods propriety, hee can let out of himſelf as much as hee pleaſes, as much holineſs, as much goodneſs, as much power as hee pleaſes hee is able to let out.

Secondly, the creature, When it doth communicate any excellency, the more it lets out, the leſs it hath; but God hath never a whit leſs by that that hee doth let out to his creatures; as thus, the Sea is full of water, yet if you take out but a little water, the Sea hath ſo much the leſs; therefore ſome of the Fathers would ſet out Eternity by this, that if a Sparrow ſhould but once in a thouſand years fetch one drop of water from the Sea in the bill of it, yet the Sparrow would ſooner empty all the Sea, than the torments p. 24of the damned ſhould bee at an end; ſo that if a drop bee taken out of the Sea it is the leſs: but God is ſuch an infinite ocean of beeing, of excellencies, of happineſs, that let him let out, and communicate never ſo much of himſelf, yet hee hath as much ſtill as ever hee had: God hath let out excellency, and good to all his creatures ever ſince the world began, all the good, the comfort, the happineſs, the ſweetneſs, the beauty and excellency of all creatures have been from God that infinite fountain, but now this fountain is as full as ever it was, and will bee as full to all eternity as ever it was: And here lyes the excellency of God beyond all creatures whatſoever.

17 In the next place, God alone is excellent, there is no compariſon to bee made between him, and any thing elſe; as thus, Take the creature in what wee think it comes neareſt to God, and the truth is, to ſpeak properly, it comes no nearer to God than thoſe things that wee think come leſs; as when wee ſay that God is a great God and fills all places, if you ſhould ſuppoſe a body that ſhould fill all this world, it is no nearer to Gods immenſity than a moat that flyes in the Sun: or thus, Take never ſo many thouſand years, as wee ſpoke the laſt day, if an Accountant that ſhould write down figures all his life time, they would come wee think, to an infinite ſumme; yet all thoſe infinite millions of years come no nearer to Gods eternity, than one minute doth, and the reaſon that I give is unanſwerable, becauſe that there muſt needs bee alwayes an infinite diſtance between what is finite, and what is infinite, and greater than an infinite diſtance there cannot bee; now take ſuch a body as ſhould fill the ſpace between heaven and earth, there remains ſtill an infinite diſtance between the Immenſity of God, and this body, and take ſo many numbers of years as poſſibly can be imagined by Men or Angels, yet there will remain an infinite diſtance between Gods eternity, and thoſe numbers of years; now greater than an infinite diſtance there cannot bee; therefore all p. 25thoſe years do not come nearer to eternity than a minute, and all the greatneſs doth not come nearer to Immenſity than a moat in the Sun; God is beyond all compariſon whatſoever, and the underſtanding that God is an infinite beeing, will help us to underſtand all the reſt that I have named.

18 And there is one more, and that is this, Hee is the last end of all things; Hee is the higheſt end, for which all Creatures had their beeing, and the more any Creature is ſubſervient unto God, the more excellency a Creature hath, For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, Rom. 11.36.Rom 11:36to whom be glory for ever. All things muſt tend to God as the higheſt end; curſed bee that Creature that ſhall challenge to bee the higheſt end of any good thing whatſoever; this makes it to bee a curſed thing for any man to make himſelf to bee his laſt end, to make his name, honour or credit to bee the end that hee aims at; and indeed, this is the very thing that makes pride to bee ſo great a ſin; the Scripture never ſpeaks ſo of other things, as it doth of pride; it is ſaid of other ſins, that God hates the workers of iniquity, but it is ſaid of no ſin, that God doth reſiſt it, onelyonly the ſin of pride; why?James 4.6. 1 Pet. 5.5.Jas 4:61 Pet 5:5 becauſe a proud man doth croſs God in that which is indeed his excellency, and that is this, That God is the higheſt end of all things, for whom all things were made, now a proud man croſſes God in this, nay ſaith hee, I will aim at my ſelf as the higheſt end; wee may aim at our own good in a ſubordinate way, but wee muſt bee ſure to lift up God as the higheſt end of all, becauſe hee is excellent above all; now put all theſe together.

Firſt, That God hee is, and there is none elſe; Hee is ſuch a beeing, as in compariſon of him nothing elſe hath a beeing; Hee is that beeing that hath no ſucceſſion, that is alwaies the ſame; Hee is an excellency in all places, that fills all places without any local motion at all; Hee is a beeing that hath all ſufficiency in himſelf, hee hath all excellencies, in him is an univerſality of all excellencies, hee p. 27hath all excellencies united in one that are ſcattered up and down in Creatures; yea, all the attributes of God are in him but one, hee hath in him all poſſible good whatſoever; all things that are in God, are equally in him, they are all infinitely in him, they are eternally, immutably, eſſentially, purely, without mixture, originally, hee is the fountain of all good to the Creature; all excellencie in the Creature doth abſolutely depend upon him; hee is excellent in his operation, hee can do whatſoever hee will, hee can do the greateſt thing as eaſily as the leaſt, and one act from eternity, is enough to do all that ever hee hath done; Hee can communicate as much of himſelf as hee will to his Creature, and hee hath never a whit the leſs in himſelf; there can bee no compariſon between him and the Creature, the higheſt Creature comes not nearer him than the leaſt, and hee is the higheſt end of all things whatſoever; and this God is our God; this is the God that wee profeſs to ſerve, that wee profeſs to worſhip, and theſe are to bee the thoughts that wee are to have of God when we come before him; Now you cannot but imagine that there muſt needs bee abundance of ſtreams of Uſe and Application that muſt follow from theſe things; all that I have done, it is but to preſent what God is.

Now meethinks I hear many that give their minds to underſtand what God is, even ſaying within themſelves, Oh that wee did but acknowledge God to bee thus, ſurely there is a farther excellency in God than wee have imagined, and might wee have but further ſight into theſe things that have been thus briefly preſented to us, Oh of what excellent uſe might all theſe be! I ſhall endeavour therefore to preſent but to you, and even as briefly as I have done the other, the ſeveral uſes that may flow from all theſe things, I will onelyonly give you a hint of one or two now.

Oh what infinite cauſe have wee all to bee aſhamed of thoſe low thoughts wee have had of God! Uſe. If God bee thus as hee hath been (but a little) preſented to us now, and by what p. 26wee ſee, wee may gather, that there is infinitely more in God, and God is infinitely higher than ever wee thought of (I ſay) then upon the very hearing of ſuch things as theſe are, and eſpecially wee being conſcious to our ſelves how little wee are able to underſtand of them, wee may ſee cauſe to bee aſhamed of the poor and low thoughts that wee have had of this infinite Majeſty; the unworthy thoughts that wee have had of him, when wee have come into the preſence of God; you have come to prayer to God, have you come to prayer as unto ſuch a God? have you had ſuch kind of thoughts as theſe are, that hee is that high Majeſty? Certainly you cannot ſanctifie Gods Name but you muſt have high thoughts of God; and though I will not ſay, that thoſe do not ſanctifie Gods Name, that have not every one of theſe thoughts of God, yet thus much I will ſay, that thoſe that have not apprehended every one of theſe things of God, have not ſanctified Gods Name as much as they ſhould, for wee are to apprehend what it is poſſible for us to apprehend here in this world, or otherwiſe wee do not ſanctifie Gods Name ſo as wee ought; when wee come to God in prayer, or to worſhip him in any other duty of his worſhip, if wee do not apprehend of God as much as wee poſſibly can in this world, wee do not ſanctifie Gods Name as much as wee ought to do, and wee are to bee aſhamed that wee have not ſuch apprehenſions of God as wee might poſſibly have; if God bee ſuch a God as this, what poor thoughts of God are theſe, that hee is as an old man in Heaven? ſome have ſuch poor apprehenſions of God, and when they hear the Scripture ſpeak of Gods eyes, and ears, and hands, they think that God hath a body, when as the Scripture doth but ſpeak to our capacities, that is, what a man can do with his eyes, or hands, or ears, that God is able to do by his infinite power. I appeal to you, have you apprehenſions of the majeſty and glory of God, beyond all majeſty and glory that any Creature is capable of in this world? wee do not ſanctifie Gods Name, except, I ſay, wee apprehend p. 28God higher in majeſty and glory, than all creatures in the world are. Suppoſe you were to come to a King that had all the glory and honour put upon him that ever any creature had in this world, with what fear and trembling would we come before ſuch a Majeſty as this is? but if thou haſt not come with further trembling and fear before God, when thou cameſt into his preſence, if thou haſt not come with higher thoughts of that God that thou haſt to deal withall (I ſay) thou haſt not glorified God as a God; no marvel though people are ſo ſlight and vain in the duties of Gods worſhip, becauſe they do not know what a God hee is that they have to do withall.

Uſe 2 This ſheweth you the dreadful evil there is in ſin, why? becauſe it is againſt ſuch a God as this God is; doſt thou know whom it is that thou ſinneſt againſt? Oh thou ſinner! doſt thou know whom it is thou ſtrikeſt at? it is this infinite God that is thus preſented to you, Whoſe Name alone is excellent, and whoſe glory is above the Earth and Heavens. Know ſinner, and the Lord ſmite this upon thy heart, thou that art a wicked and ungodly man all the daies of thy life, thou haſt done nothing elſe but fought againſt this God, this infinite and glorious God thou haſt been an enemy to all the daies of thy life, and every time thou reneweſt thy ſins, thou doſt do nothing elſe but ſtrike at this infinite God, and provokeſt the wrath of this infinite deity againſt thy ſoul and body; and dareſt thou ſtand out againſt this God? wilt thou put it to the trial, to ſee whether that God that thou ſinneſt againſt bee ſuch a God as this is? wilt thou put it to the ttial, that God ſhould ſet thee apart to make thee an object upon whom to exerciſe all that infinite power that there is in God, to bring evil, and miſery, and torments upon thee for thy ſin? this is the caſe of all deſperate ſinners that do go on in a deſperate way of ſin; the language of their ſin is this, I do hear much ſpoken concerning the greatneſs, and excellency, and glory of God, Ile try and venture, Ile put it to the experiment, whether God bee ſuch a God or no, p. 29as hee hath manifeſted himſelf in his word: Oh woe to that Creature that ſhall come to feel what the greatne…s of God doth mean! Oh it is infinitely better for thee to fall down before him and therefore this ſhould bee the Exhortation to all ſinners; Conſider,Exhort. Oh ſinful man or woman, what a God it is thou doſt conteſt withall! ſhall the potſheard ſtrive with his Maker? let one potſheard ſtrive with another, but let not the Creature ſtrive with the Almighty, for hee will bee infinitely too hard for thee, and hee will appear alone to bee excellent; thou doſt lift up thy will above his will, as if ſo bee that thou wouldeſt riſe above this infinite God, but know, in deſpite of thy heart hee will bee above thee, hee hath thee under his feet this moment, and the ſword of his juſtice is at thy very heart, and hee can take thy heart blood when hee pleaſes, and ſend thee down to eternal miſeries; there is no ſtriving with ſuch a God as this is, who is alone excellent;Iſa 45.23. Rom. 14.11.Isa 45:23Rom 14:11 the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in Righteouſneſs, that every knee muſt bow unto him, and every tongue muſt confeſs this God; certainly one way or other hee will have his glory out of thee; God can as well ceaſe to bee, as not to have his glory out of every Creature; do but conſider of this, and learn to tremble before this God; The Lord is excellent and glorious above all things, and hee is reſolved that hee will have his glo…y from every Creature one way or other, and if it prove that hee comes upon thee to force it out of thee, better ten thouſand times that thou hadſt never been born;1 Pet. 5.6. James 4.10.1 Pet 5:6Jas 4:10 therefore according to the Exhortation of the Holy Ghoſt in Scripture, Oh! let us humble our ſelves under the mighty hand of God, and let us all ſay, Thou O Lord art alone excellent, and thy glory is above the Heavens and Earth, and the deſire of our ſouls is to l…ft up thy Name as the excellent thing above all Creatures. While wee live here in this world, this is our excellency, and bleſſed is that man or woman that comes to ſee this to bee his or p. 30her excellency, namely, that I might lift up Gods Name in the place where hee hath ſet mee; heretofore I have lift up other things as excellent, if I could get an Eſtate, &c. But the Lord hath made mee to ſee that hee alone is excellent, and his excellency hath darkned all the excellency of the Creature in my eyes; I ſee nothing excellent but God, and all in order unto God; that is a good ſign of the work of grace in a man or woman, when hee ſhall ſee ſo much of the excellency of God, as Gods excellency ſhall darken all the excellency in the world.

p. 31The Third SERMON ON The Nature of God.

PSAL. 148.13.

For his Name alone is excellent.

BUt a ſecond Uſe is this that wee are now to proceed in, Oh how vile is ſin then that is committed againſt ſuch a God as this is? there is nothing in the world can ſhew a ſoul the evil of ſin, but the ſight of God. If wee ſhould tell you never ſo much of the terrours of the Law, and of hell fire, though you might ſee the deſert of ſin ſomewhat, yet until you come to ſee with what a God you have to deal, you can never know what the evil of ſin means. Againſt thee, thee onelyonly have I ſinned, Pſal. 51.4.Ps 51:4ſaith David, that was the thing that ſtrook Davids ſpirit, David knew that it was againſt God that hee ſinned; when God ſhall come to the conſcience of a ſinner, and preſent himſelf before his conſcience, and ſay, Oh wretched ſinner, it is I that you have ſinned againſt, as Chriſt did in Act. 9. unto Saul, Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou mee? Act. 9.4.Acts 9:4So p. 32when God ſhall ſay, Sinner, ſinner, why doſt thou rebel againſt mee? If God would but give us one ſight of himſelf, that wee might behold him as hee is upon his Throne, in this excellency of his Name above all things, it were impoſſible but the heart of a ſinner ſhould even break at ſuch a ſight. Certainly one day every ſinner ſhall have a ſight of God: Happy it is now for us to have ſuch a ſight of God here in this world, that may cauſe us to ſee the evil of our ſins, for otherwiſe the ſight of God hereafter, will certainly ſink our ſouls into the bottomleſs gulf of horrour and deſpair. When Daniel was about to confeſs his ſin, in Dan. 9. Mark how hee begins, becauſe hee would get his heart to bee affected with his ſin, and the ſins of the people that there hee confeſt: Mark how hee begins his prayer,Dan 9.4.Dan 9:4 And I prayed (ſaith hee in the 4. verſe) unto the Lord my God, and made my confeſſion, and ſaid, O Lord, the great and dreadful God; thus hee begins, I made confeſſion (ſaith hee) I prayed and made confeſſion of ſin, and ſaid, Oh Lord, the great and dreadful God: firſt hee looks upon God how great and dreadful hee was, and this it was that cauſed him to confeſs his ſin with humiliation: you that ſay your prayers, and will confeſs that you are ſinners, did you but at the beginning of your prayers, when you go to confeſs your ſin, caſt up one eye to heaven, and behold this God upon his Throne, and ſee him to bee the great and dreadful God, it would cauſe you to confeſs ſin after another manner than ever yet you have done: It is a good thing therefore in our prayers, when wee are about to confeſs ſin, firſt to ſet before our ſouls the greatneſs and the dreadfulneſs of that God that wee have ſinned againſt. When this Prophet Daniel would humble that proud Belſhazzer, in Dan. 5.23. Mark what hee ſaith, And the God in whoſe hand thy breath is, and whoſe are thy wayes, haſt thou not glorified: This ſpeech ſet home upon a mans conſcience, were enough to break the proudeſt and ſtouteſt heart in the world. If ſo bee that the eyes of the proudeſt ſtouteſt ſinner were opened to p. 33ſee God in his glory, and to hear the Lord ſpeak thus to him, that God in whoſe hand is the breath of thy noſtrils, and all thy wayes, that is the God that thou haſt not glorified, thou doeſt not think with whom it is that thou haſt to deal; but that is the God that you have heard preached of thus, Whoſe Name alone is excellent, ſuch an infinite and glorious Deity is that Deity that thou haſt neglected and deſpiſed, and preferred thy luſts before: Oh if God would but give commiſſion unto your conſciences to ſpeak this with power to you, that God that is thus glorious and excellent you have ſinned againſt, oh it would bee of wonderful force to break the hardeſt heart of men. And in Pſal. 104.1, 2.Pſal. 104.1, 2.Ps 104:1Ps 104:2 Do but ſee there how David had his heart riſing againſt ſin and ſinners upon the conſideration of the excellency of God, there hee ſpeaks of the ſame argument that wee have here in the Text, Bleſs the Lord, Oh my ſoul: my God, thou art very great, thou art cloathed with honour and majeſty (and ſo hee goes on) who covereſt thy ſelf with light as with a garment. Hee proceeds in the Pſalm deſcribing the greatneſs and excellency of God: But then when hee had done deſcribing Gods excellency, and found his heart warmed and inlarged, and raiſed with the meditation of the excellency of God, Mark how hee breaks forth in the laſt words of the Pſalm, Let the ſinners bee conſumed out of the earth, and let the wicked bee no more; Verſ. 35.bleſs thou the Lord, Oh my ſoul: As if holy David ſhould have ſaid thus, Oh Lord, I ſee thee to bee very great, and thou art cloathed with honour and Majeſty, and thy Name is excellent above all things: What? And are there any wretched creatures that will dare to preſume to rebel againſt thee who art ſo great, that will dare yet to ſet their will againſt thy will, and to prefer their luſts before thee? Oh curſed bee thoſe ſinners, Let the ſinners bee conſumed from the earth, and let the wicked bee no more. There is infinite reaſon that wicked wretched creatures ſhould bee for ever conſumed, that ſin againſt ſuch a God as thou art, who art ſo great as thou art. My brethren, it is no marvel p. 34though the people of God are ſo afraid of ſin; many of you wonder at the niceneſs of the conſciences of many people, that they dare not commit any known ſin for a world; you wonder at them why they ſhould bee ſo nice, you think it is fooliſhneſs: Would you know the reaſon? It is this, God hath ſhewed unto their conſciences a ſight of himſelf, they have had a ſight of the glory of the Majeſty of the great God, Whoſe Name alone is excellent, and it is that that makes them afraid of ſin for ever, and makes them look upon ſin as the greateſt evil, and even tremble at the leaſt temptation unto any ſin whatſoever. And that is the ſecond Uſe, Great is the evil of ſin, if committed againſt ſuch a God.

Uſe 3 Thirdly, Hence then if God bee thus excellent above all, from the meditation of the Excellency of God and his glory, wee ſee cauſe to bee vile in our own eyes; the higher wee ſee God to bee, the lower wee ſhould bee in our own eyes, there is nothing will take down the ſpirit of a man more than God: I dare ſay of every proud heart in the wor…d, ſuch a one knows not God, never had a ſight of the glory of God that hee hath to do withall; the ſight of God will wonderfully humble the heart before him, Job 42.5. is very famous for this, Job ſaith, With the hearing of the ear I have heard of thee, but now mine eyes have ſeen thee (what follows then upon that) Wherefore I abhor my ſelf, and repent in duſt and aſhes. Verſ. 6.Job that was a holy man, yet hee confeſſes that hee had but even heard of God, hee never had ſuch a ſight of God as God gave him at this time, and upon the ſight that hee had of God, though hee were a holy, and a gracious man, and could ſtand in his uprightneſs, yet ſaith hee, Mine eyes have ſeen thee, and therefore I abhor my ſelf, and repent in duſt and aſhes. Oh that God would give ſuch a fight of himſelf to all your ſouls, to thoſe proud, ſtout, and rebellious ſinners that have gone on in wayes of rebellion againſt him. You have heard of God by the hearing of the ear, but have your eyes ever ſeen him? If God would but give you a ſight of what I have briefly ſpoken to you, p. 35you would certainly fall down before him, and abhor your ſelves in duſt and aſhes: So the Prophet Iſaiah, though a godly man, yet in Iſa. 6. hee heard the Cherubins and Seraphins praiſing of God, and crying, Holy, Holy, Iſa. 6.1, 2, 3.Isa 6:1Isa 6:2Isa 6:3Holy is the Lord of Hoaſts; And there was a viſion of God upon his Throne to the Prophet, what follows? ſaith the Prophet, Woe unto mee, for I am undone! Why? For I am a man of polluted lips, and I dwell among a people that are of unclean lips; Woe unto mee, for I am undone, for I have ſeen the King, the Lord of Heaſts! I ſee the Lord upon his Throne, and I behold the bleſſed Angels how they admire at his glory, Oh woe to mee, I am undone. If ſo holy a man ſhall thus cry out upon the ſight of God, and ſay, Woe to mee, I am undone, becauſe I am a man of polluted lips! Oh what mayeſt thou do then, that art a man of polluted lips, and polluted heart, and polluted life? Oh how are thy lips polluted! The Prophet Iſaiah, hee was no ſwearer, neither was hee one that would talk filthy unclean talk, but yet hee complains hee was a man of polluted lips, and cryes, Woe to mee, I am undone, becauſe I have ſeen the Lord: Oh how would thy heart then bee humbled? What cauſe at leaſt is there that thy heart ſhould bee humbled that art ſo polluted as thou art? the ſight of God ſhould mightily humble us before God, Pſal. 8 the beginning, Oh Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth? ſaith the Prophet David, and ſo hee goes on to ſhew the excellency of God; then hee cryes out in verſe 4. What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the ſon of man that thou viſiteſt him? Lord thou that art ſo excellent in thy ſelf above all things, it is a wonder that thou ſhouldeſt vouchſafe ſo much as to look upon man. It may bee thou lookeſt high, becauſe thou art a little above thy brethren, but if thou hadſt a ſight of God, thou wouldeſt wonder that this God ſhould look to thee, Pſal. 113.6. there you have ſuch an expreſſion, That God doth humble himſelf to behold the things that are done in heaven: Why what an expreſſion is hereof Gods excellency? God is ſo excellent that hee doth p. 36humble himſelf to behold the things that are done in heaven: now if hee bee ſo excellent as to humble himſelf to the beholding of the things in heaven, then how doth God humble himſelf to behold things done in earth, to behold ſuch wretched vilde creatures as thou art? Oh bee vile in thine own eyes upon the ſight of the great God, and by theſe three Uſes, you may have three Notes whether ever God hath made known himſelf to you, or no.

Firſt, Are you aſhamed and confounded in your thoughts for thoſe low poor thoughts you have had of God?

Secondly, Hath the ſight of God cauſed you to ſee the dreadfulneſs of the evill that there is in ſin?

Thirdly, Hath the ſight of God made you to bee vile in your own eyes? That is a good evidence that you have had ſome ſight of God indeed.

In the fourth place, If God bee thus excellent, and his Uſe 4 glory ſo great above the earth and heavens; Hence wee may learn to know the vanity of the creature. Set but God now, and the creature together, nay, all the creatures in the world together, Oh how is the vanity of all creature-comforts in the world made known to us. There are many wayes to convince us that there is a vanity in all things in the world, by the ſtrength of reaſon wee may bee convinced, and by experience: A man ſometimes that hath an eſtate, God doth but touch his body, and layes him upon his ſick-bed; ſuch a man ſaith, Oh what a poor thing is it to injoy all the world? had I all the world at my command, I could have no comfort in it, and therefore what a vanity is there in the creature: And another perhaps by arguments and reaſons, will tell you that every thing is vain, and there is no contentment, nor continuance in any thing in the world: When wee ſee men that are rich and great dye, and carry nothing with them, wee are ready to ſay, Oh how vain the world is! theſe are ſome means to cauſe us to ſee the vanity of the creature: But what are all theſe to the ſight of God? The ſight of the p. 37glory of God, it is infinitely more powerful to diſcover the vanity of all things in the world to us: That man, or woman, that hath had once a real ſight of this God in his infinite excellency, wil not much regard what becomes of him concerning outward things in this world. Hee that ſees God to be great, will ſee all other things to bee ſmall. And indeed wee never ſee God to bee truly excellent, except wee ſee him alone to bee excellent. Thou thinkeſt thou knoweſt ſomewhat of God, I but ſtill the excellency of the creature is glorious in thy eyes: Certainly thou doſt not know God aright: If thou knoweſt God aright in his excellency, thou knoweſt him Alone to bee excellent, and therefore if thou kneweſt no other excellency but God, all other things would bee but vanity in thine eyes. In 2 Cor. 3.10. ſaith the Apoſtle there concerning the glory of the Law, compared with the glory of the Goſpel, That that which was made glorious, now had no glory by reaſon of a greater glory that is come: So I may ſay in this caſe, the things of the world that were glorious in thine eyes before, yet now they are not glorious, but all darkned, becauſe there is a greater glory that now comes and ſhines in upon thee. If a man had lived in a dark Dungeon under the ground all the dayes of his life, and never had the glimpſe of any light whatſoever, never ſince hee was born, if on a ſudden a candle ſhould bee brought to him, hee would admire at that glory; but now if this man ſhould afterwards bee brought into the world, and ſee the glory of the Sun, the glory of the candle would bee nothing to him: So the men of the world, becauſe they live as it were in darkneſs, they have ſome comforts in the creature, and they think them to bee glorious, for they know no better: But that ſoul that hath had a ſight of God, comes to ſee that all things in the world are but darkneſs to him. There is nothing can diſingage the heart of a man from the creature, ſo, as a ſight of God. You have a notable Scripture for that, how a ſight of God doth diſ-ingage the heart of a man from the creature, in Act. 7.2. And hee ſaid, Men, Brethren, and p. 38Fathers, hearken, The God of glory appeared unto our Father Abraham, when hee was in Meſopotamia before hee dwelt in Charran, and ſaid unto him, Get thee out of thy Country, and from thy kindred, and come into the Land which I ſhall ſhew thee: And ſo hee ſhews how Abraham was content to forſake all his friends and Country; Why? the God of glory appeared to him: it is ſaid upon this, when the Holy Ghoſt would ſhew what it was that brought Abraham out of his Country, that took off his heart from all his friends and Country, to go into a ſtrange Country, ſaith the Holy Ghoſt, The God of glory appeared to our Father Abraham: Let a mans heart bee never ſo much glewed to any contentments that are here in the world, let but the God of glory appear to that man, and all things are vanity, then the heart quickly comes off from any thing. And indeed though there may bee many arguments that may make men and women to deny themſelves very much the uſe of creature-comforts, yet the heart is never throughly taken off till the God of glory appear to the ſoul. A notable example of ſelf-denial it that of Moſes, Moſes that might have had all the riches and glory of Egypt, might have been next to the King himſelf, an heir, for ſo ſome write, that Pharaoh had no ſon, and that Pharaohs daughter did adopt Moſes, to the end that hee might bee an heir to the Crown, and yet Moſes that had all riches, and the treaſures of Egypt at command, yet hee forſakes a…l; but though hee forſook all for a while, yet you will ſay, did hee not repent him afterward? No, ſaith the Text, Heb. 11.27. By faith hee forſook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the King, for hee indured, as ſeeing him that is inviſible, that was the thing that did it, it made Moſes forſake all the riches of Egypt, and indure, to go on, and never repent him for making ſuch a choice: What was the great thing that did take Moſes off from the creature? It was the ſight of God, that God that was inviſible: My brethren, the ſight of God, it puts a mighty magnanimicy upon a mans heart; there is nothing great to a great ſpirit, nor nothing can greaten the ſpirit of a man or woman, p. 39ſo as the ſight of the great God; no men and women in the world have ſuch great ſpirits as thoſe that have ſeen the great God: And the oftner any one hath the ſight of the great God, I ſay, the greater will ſuch mens and womens ſpirits bee; they are raiſed to that height, that all the world will not ſatisfie ſuch a ſoul for the portion of it. And this again in the fourth place, may bee a Note of Trial, whether ever you have ſeen God alone to bee excellent; Hath it taken off your hearts from the creature? Hath it ingaged your hearts fully to God himſelf, that you can ſay, There is none in heaven, Pſal. 73.25.Ps 73:25nor none in earth that I deſire in compariſon of thee.

In the fifth place, Is Gods Name alone excellent? Oh my Uſe 5 brethren, ſtudy to know God then: Labour to ſearch into this Excellency ſo far as wee may, and God gives us leave; God hath revealed much of himſelf to us in the Scripture, and in the book of the creature, and God expects that what is revealed of him in the Scripture, and in the book of the creature, that the rational creatures, Angels and Men, ſhould labour and ſearch to know: There is nothing ſo ſweet, ſo amiable, ſo lovely, ſo delightful unto a rational creature (if it bee purged from the filthineſs and corruption of ſin) as the ſight of the infinite firſt being of all things: Why here is concluded all excellent ſights whatſoever; ſome men are take… with ſuch a ſight, to behold fair buildings, and others to behold brave pictures, one with one thing, and another with another: Oh but the ſight of God hath all ſights in it that may delight the ſoul, and give content to the heart of Man or Angel: and therefore labour to know the excellency of God. You poor creatures that have minded little all this while but meer…y to underſtand your Trades, and how you may get a ſhilling or two to provide for your families. Oh but know there is a higher ob…ect for you to buſie your thoughts and hearts about: Learn to know this God, who alone is excellent, and bee not diſcouraged at thoſe things that have been ſpoken, though they are above thy reach at firſt, yet if your hearts p. 40bee pure, and cleanſed from filthineſſe, you have the promiſe, in Matth. 5.8. Bleſſed are the pure in heart, for they ſhall ſee God. It may bee you that are poor people, you can never come to get learning to have the knowledge of Arts and Sciences, and ſuch things; I but if you have clean hearts you are bleſſed in this, God ſaith you ſhall ſee him: Labour to ſtudy God, and labour to know God more; Pſal. 91.14. Mark how acceptable it is to God for his creature to labour to know him, I will ſet him on high, becauſe hee hath known my Name. Thy Name, O Lord, alone is excellent, and thy glory above the heavens and earth. And I will ſet him on high, becauſe he knows my Name. Oh, ſaith God, yonder is a poor creature that above all things in the world deſires to know mee: hee hath had a little glimpſe of …y glory, and oh how earneſt is his heart to know mee! I will reveal more of my ſelf to him, and then I wil ſet him on high, becauſe hee knows my Name, the Lord ha…h a hath account of thoſe that know his Name: As for thoſe ignorant creatures, let them bee what they will in regard of outward things, yet if they bee ignorant of God, they are vile and low, and baſe in Gods eſteem; but take a ſoul that knows Gods Name, the Lord will ſet him on high; ſuch a one is high in the very thoughts of God, and the Lord doth take pleaſure to make ſuch a ſoul to bee high: Paul in Phil. 3.8. did account all things dung and droſs (for what?) for the excellency of the knowledge of Jeſus Christ: For indeed in the knowledge of Chriſt, God is known; and if you would ſtudy the knowledge of God, it muſt bee in Chriſt, you can never know God but in Chriſt, Matth. 11.27. ſaith Chriſt there, No man knows the Father but the Son, and him to whom the Son ſhall reveal him. It muſt bee Chriſt that muſt reveal the glory of God to our ſouls, or elſe wee can never come to know him ſavingly.

Uſe 6 Sixthly, If God bee thus excellent above all, and his glory thus above the earth and heavens, hence we are taught to labour to keep the ſenſe of the infinite diſtance that there is between God and his creatures alwayes in our hearts: And this is a p. 41point of marvellous conſequence, the ſenſe of the diſtance between God and us: If God bee infinitely above the creature, then God expects that wee that profeſs any knowledge of him, that wee ſhould evermore have our thoughts upon Gods excellency, raiſed in a kinde of infiniteneſs above what wee think of the excellency of any creature; and our hearts then ſhould work after God in a kinde of infiniteneſs more than ever they did work after any creature, as there is an infinite diſproportion between the excellency of God, and the excellency that there is in any creature. I beſeech you obſerve what I am ſpeaking, for it is of marvellous uſe to help us to ſanctifie God in all our wayes; as there is an infinite diſtance between the excellency of God, and of all creatures, ſo there ought to bee in a kinde, an infinite diſtance between what our hearts are in the working after God, and the working after the creature, otherwiſe wee lift not up Gods Name in his excellency and glory. And indeed a gracious heart will make it ſo; and in this I conceive the very work of grace conſiſts, in that it is ſuch a principle in the ſoul of a man or woman that is converted, that though ſuch a one bee a finite creature, yet it hath a kinde of infiniteneſs in the working of it after God. You will ſay, Infinite, how can that bee? True, I confeſs properly it cannot bee infinite, but thus it is infinite in its kinde, that is, ſuch a creature hath ſuch a principle as it would fain, if it were poſſible, work infinitely after God: And

Further, This principle of grace doth cauſe this in the heart, that it will never limit its ſelf in any working after God, and therefore hath a kinde of Infiniteneſſe; and here is the difference between one that hath true grace, and the moſt glorious hypocrite in the world; An hypocrite hee will ever bee bounding his working after God, and think thus much is enough, what need any more? If I do thus and thus, why I may do well, and go to heaven at laſt, and ſo doth bound himſelf: But now where there is the leaſt dram of true grace, though there bee many p. 42weakneſſes in the ſoul, yet ſuch a ſoul doth never bound its ſe…f in working after God. I indeed heretofore have …et out my heart to the creature, but now I would fain, if I could, let out my heart infinitely after God: Why? For I ſee an infinite diſtance between the good there is in the creature, and the good there is in God; certainly where this is, there is grace, and this one note were enough to diſcern the truth of grace in the heart: If the ſight of God have wrought this, that whereas heretofore thy heart hath been let out after ſuch and ſuch creature-comforts, now thou doſt deſire, if it were poſſible, to let out thy heart infinitely after God; here is the work of grace, and in this thou goeſt beyond any hypocrite: Oh keep this conſtant in thy ſoul, this is the eſpecial ſanctifying of Gods Name in all our wayes; when wee ſee that God gives us leave to let out our hearts towards the creature in ſome meaſure, then there is a great deal of danger, that wee ſhould have our hearts ſtick in the creature, and that we ſhould not have that diſproportion in the letting out of our hearts to the creature, and to God, as ought to bee: And this is the ground of all Idolatry in the world, when men have ſeen ſome excellency in the creature, they have been taken with it, and there have ſtuck, and have not been carried from the creature to God. And that is Heathens Idolatry, when they ſee an excellency in the Sun, they think that is God: So Chriſtians Idolatry may bee in this, If there bee any creature-comfort that thy heart cloſes withall, and there thou doſt ſtick, and thy heart is not carried to God, yea, is not carried to God in ſuch a diſproportion as there is between him and the creature; I ſay, ſo far as thou wanteſt that that thou art capable of in this kinde, ſo far thou art guilty of Idolatry. Oh that this one note might ſtick upon us, There is none like unto thee, O Lord: Canſt thou ſay this out of the uprightneſs of thy ſoul, as in the preſence of God, Lord thou that knoweſt all things, knoweſt that though I have a vile heart that is let out after the creatures more than it ought to bee, yet Lord thou knoweſt that my heart is let out after nothing p. 43ſo much as after thee? that would bee a good argument of a gracious work of God upon thee: Surely if none bee like unto the Lord, then our hearts ſhould bee after nothing ſo as after the Lord: Wee muſt not content our ſelves with a little love to God; Is there ſuch a diſproportion between thy love to the creature, and thy love to God, as there is between God, and the creature? Thou ſayeſt thou loveſt God, I but it may bee thou loveſt the creature as well: Doeſt thou think that this will ſatisfie God? When thou heareſt that Gods Name alone is excellent, God expects that thy love to h…m ſhould bee in a kinde infinite above that love of thine to any creature elſe.

And there is this one thing further, with which I will conclude, Uſe 7 Surely if Gods Name alone bee excellent, then in a proportion Gods people alone are the excellent people upon the earth. According as a mans God is, ſo is hee; as you know men conceive their excellency to bee according to the excellency of him whom they ſerve; according as a mans God is (I ſay) ſo is hee: Now if God alone bee excellent, and hee bee thy God, then thou art excellent; the people of God are therefore excellent, becauſe their God is ſo excellent; this is the reaſon of that phraſe that you have in Prov. 12.26. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: Why is a righteous man more excellent than his neighbour? It may bee the righteous man is a poor man, and his neighbour is a rich man, perhaps this poor good mans next neighbour is a Knight or a Noble-man, yet hee is more excellent than his neighbour: Why? becauſe his God is more excellent, becauſe the infinite Lord of heaven and earth is the portion of a righteous man: If God bee alone excellent, then the righteous is alone excellent; and I will give you a Scripture or two to ſhew, that according to the excellency of God, in a proportion doth appear the excellency of the children of God; compare Deut. 33. and the 26. verſe, and the 29. verſe together: In verſe 26. There is none like unto the God of Jeſurun: then, in verſ. 29. Happy art thou O Iſrael, who is like unto thee? You ſee that there is a reflection of the glory of God upon p. 44his Saints, there is none like to God, and there is none like to Gods people. And ſo in 2 Sam. 7.22. you have an expreſſion to the ſame purpoſe, Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God, for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beſides thee, according to all that wee have heard with our ears: then in verſe 23. And what one Nation in the earth is like thy people? So that wee ſee here, that according to the riſe of Gods excellency, ſo is the riſe of the excellency of his Saints. In a proportion they riſe in their excellency as God riſes in his: If God be alone excellent, certainly they are the excellent people in the world: And why? becauſe the excellency of God is manifeſted over them to do them good.Note. Here is a note that hath abundance of ſoul-ſatisfying incouragement to all the Saints of God in any of their afflicted conditions whatſoever; thou haſt heard that Gods Name is alone excellent, ſo adde this to it for thy comfort, who art one of Gods, that God accounts his chief excellency in his manifeſtation of himſelf in all the world, to bee, that hee might let out himſelf for thy good, and do good to thee, and that I will ſhew you by a Scripture or two, in Pſal. 68.34. His Excellency (ſaith the Text) is over Iſrael: Oh Lord, there is an excellency in thee, and how doth this work, where doth this excellency of thine appear? why it is over Iſrael; The Excellency of God it is over Iſrael; ſaith God, I have choſen out my Church, and mine Excellency ſhall bee over them, and manifeſted towards them for good; therefore in Exod. 15.7. there where Moſes is praiſing God for the great things that hee doth for his people, ſaith hee, in the Greatneſs of thine Excellency thou haſt done this thing; ☞ſo that God doth delight to ſhew his Excellency, yea to ſhew the Greatneſs of his Excellency for the good of his people: Oh how ſhould the Saints of God make their boaſt of their God, and rejoyce in him, and bee incouraged in God alone! though thou haſt no other portion then God alone, thou haſt portion enough. In Micah 5.4. there is an admirable Scripture for the incouragement of the hearts of Gods people in God p. 45alone, And hee ſhall ſtand and feed in the ſtrength of the Lord, in the Majeſty of the Name of the Lord his God: It is a Prophecie there of Chriſt, and as it is true of Chriſt, ſo of all the members of Chriſt, they may ſtand when the world falls, whatſoever becomes of the world, whatſoever troubles are about them, they are to ſtand, and rejoyce themſelves in the Name of the Lord, in the ſtrength of the Lord, and in the Majeſty of the Lord their God: the knowledge of this reference that the Saints have to God, it is that that ſhould put courage and boldneſs into their hearts before all the world, Rev. 22.4. And they ſhall ſee his face, and his Name ſhall bee in their fore-heads. They ſhall ſee the face of God (and what then) then the Name of God ſhall bee in their fore-heads, they ſhall have a boldneſs and courage in the cauſe of God; whatſoever becomes of the world, yet wee have happineſs enough in God: Oh rejoyce, rejoyce in this (I ſay) you that are the people of God, for there is none excellent ſo as you are excellent, and if ſo be that God now inveſts you with this excellency. Two or three more Uſes might bee to finiſh the Point.

What cauſe then haſt thou to fear this God, and to ſerve this God in all thy wayes, and to worſhip him as a God whoſe Name is alone excellent? Who would not fear thee? there is none like unto thee, Jer. 10.7. Who would not fear thee, Oh King of Nations, &c. Let this God bee feared by us, let us labour to hold forth the excellency of this our God in our lives and converſations, in our whole courſe: Oh that it might bee written upon our lives, The Name of God is alone excellent; all you that profeſs to have any intereſt in this God, you ſhould walk ſo in your converſations, that it may bee written upon your lives, The Name of God is alone excellent, and his glory is above the earth and heavens. Oh take heed that this bleſſed Name of God, that is alone excellent, bee not diſhonoured and polluted by you; that wee might have been large in, if wee had time. James calls it, about Jam. 2.7. That worthy Name of the Lord: you that profeſs your ſelves to bee Chriſtians, and profeſs p. 46godlineſs more than others, know, that you have the Name of God upon you, and this Name of God it is excellent and glorious, let it not ſuffer by you: Oh woe to you that ever you were born, if you ſhould bee inſtruments of polluting the Name of God. Mee thinks any one that makes profeſſion of Gods Name, ſhould think with himſelf, it were better that I were dead and rotten under the clods, than that ever I ſhould live to pollute this bleſſed Name of God that is ſo excellent: What? was I born that I might live to have my hand in ſo great a miſchief as that this glorious Name of God ſhould bee darkned by mee? Oh, the Lord forbid: Know what the Name of God is that you profeſs, and meditate how excellent it is, and let this bee a ſtrong argument to keep you from ſin: When any temptation comes, oh ſet this againſt it, Shall I pollute this Name of God that is ſo infinitely excellent? No man or woman can dye with peace, and have peace upon their ſick-beds, except they can bee able to look back into their lives, and to ſay, Lord, though there hath been much weakneſs in mee, and in many things I have diſhonoured thee, yet it hath been my care in my generation, and in the place that thou haſt ſet mee…, to lift up thy Name, and I have done ſome thing through thy grace to lift up thy Name. Oh that I could leave this point upon your hearts, that every one of you might go home and make but this one Uſe of it; I have heard That the Name of God is excellent alone, and his glory is above all: This likewiſe I have heard to bee my duty, that this was the great work that I was born for, that I ſhould do ſome thing to make Gods Name great before all thoſe with whom I do converſe; think every one of this, how long haſt thou lived? Many of you will bee ready to ſay, I have lived thus long in ſuch a place, and it may bee that you can ſay that you have done no man wrong, but good; But what canſt thou ſay to this Queſtion? I appeal to thy conſcience, Hath the Name of God been made great by thee? Haſt thou done any thing to lift up this glorious Name of God in the place wherein p. 47God hath ſet thee? It may bee thou haſt not thought that this was thy work; but this is the work that God expects from thee, that thou ſhouldeſt give up thy ſelf to ſtudy by all the means that poſſibly thou canſt, to lift up Gods Name, and deny thy own Name; no matter though that bee caſt into the dirt, ſo bee it the Name of God bee lifted up; with this reſolution, Oh that you would but go away, and that this one note might ſtick in your hearts, I am convinced that the Name of God is infinitely glorious, and therefore for the time to come, through his Grace, whatſoever becomes of mee, yet I will do what I can to lift up his Name.

Conſider what hath been ſaid in the Text, and the Lord give you underſtanding.