A Complete Body of Divinity, Sermons · 16 (Question 4 cont.)
SERMON XVI.
VI GOD diſcovers his Alſufficiency to us, in his Eſſence, and in his Subſiſtences. It is in this way of his manifeſting himſelf to us, that our Faith is guided to trade with him for life. Our Salvation depends on One God, in Three Perſons. Man, as he is a Reaſonable Creature, ſtands in need of a Deity to make him happy; and as he is a Sinner, he wants a Trinity, to ſave him: and we have both theſe fully diſplayed to us in Scripture. The Eſſence is firſt in order to be conſidered of; and that becauſe the Godhead is the Ultimate Object of our Faith; it muſt aſcend thither, and reſt there. The Abſolute Being of God is the ſubject of all his relations, and we believe in all the Divine Perſons, becauſe they are God. Joh. 14.1. Ye believe in God, believe alſo in me.
VII. THE Divine Eſſence is God, the moſt Abſolute Firſt Being. I might here treat of the Unity of the Eſſence, but becauſe our Catechiſm gives us a particular queſtion for that, I wave it till we come thither. We may briefly take the opening of the Deſcription given in a few Concluſions.
1. BECAUSE Being is better than not being, we hence aſcribe Being to God; as if he had ſomething in common with other Beings, or as tho' there were a general Nature, in which there were an agreement or participation between him, and the Creature; and it is a notion, without which we can entertain no Conceptions of God at all. God himſelf therefore tells us his Name is, I AM: and the Apoſtle tells us, that here is the foundation of our Faith, Heb 11.6. He that cometh to God, muſt believe that He is.
2. THAT in the order of Beings, God is the Firſt. This therefore is a diſtinguiſhing Epithet we put upon him, and by it we know him from the Creature. All other Beings are ſecondary, derived, originated: He is before them all; He therefore aſſumes this title, Iſai. 44.6. Thus ſaith the Lord the King of Iſrael, and his redeemer the Lord of hoſts, I am the Firſt. And on this account, He is called, The Ancient of Days, Dan. 7.9. Here obſerve two things.
1. THAT there is a Firſt Being. This is neceſſary, for it is impoſſible, that all things ſhould ſucceed & follow one after another. Where there is a ſucceſſion, there muſt be a beginning; where there is a ſecond & third, there was a firſt, from which, they are ſo denominated. All Beings cannot be originated, and therefore there muſt be an Original. We muſt firmly believe this Principle, as the bottom of our Faith; for faith runs up to the higheſt, and reſolves it ſelf there. Faith can never trade for life, with th…ſe that have borrowed their own being & life from another; but it goes to the Sun for light. (Pſal. 84.11.) It depends upon the Fountain. Jer. 2.13.
2. GOD is this Firſt Being. It is to ſuch a Being, and no other, that we acknowledge a Deity; and when we ſay he is the Firſt, two things are intended.
(1.) THAT no other Being is before him, or Co-…val with him: but that he is before all other Beings. It he be the firſt, then there is no other that can anticipate his being: He acknowledgeth none elder than himſelf. Iſai. …3.10. Ye are my witneſſes, ſaith the Lord, and my ſervant whom I have …ſen: that ye may know & believe me, and underſtand that I am …e: before me there was no God formed, neither ſhall there be after me. Nay there was none with him, or his Contemporary; for then he could not be the firſt. He that is firſt, goes before all other. When no other thing had any exiſtence, when there was none but he, then he was. Pſal. 90.2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadſt formed the earth & the world,—Thou art God.
(2) THAT all other Beings are derived from him. He is therefore called the Alpha, the beginning; (Rev. 1.8.) He is the Father of all Creatures; all other beings have their being in him; they derive from him by participation, and without his influence their being would vaniſh into nothing. Act. 17.…5. He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things: v 28. For in him we live, and move, and have our being. They are vain & empty, yea meer Cyphers without him, leſs than nothing. See, Iſai. 40.15, 17. His word is the ſpring of their being, & for that reaſon is he called JEHOVAH, becauſe he gives being to his word, he ſpeaks not words but things. Rom. 4.17. God who quickeneth the dead, and calleth th…ſe things which be not, as though they were. All the great & wondrous beings that are in the world, came out of his mouth. Pſal. 33.9. For he ſpake, and it was done; he commanded, and it ſtood faſt.
3. HENCE it follows that God is a moſt Abſolute Being. For, if he be the firſt, then he cannot be a Being by participation; for ſuch preſume one before them, from which they participate. The firſt Being muſt of neceſſity be Being it ſelf: all other things have but ſome ſhreads of Being derived from him, who is an Univerſal Sea & Ocean of Being, the engroſſer of all Being in the latitude of it. And this is alſo intimated in that Name, I AM; becauſe it is his only prerogative Royal, to be. Creatures are ſhadows of Being, have no Entity in compariſon with him, (Forecited, Iſai. 40.17.) and this alſo is intimated in his Name JEHOVAH, which implies, both that he is himſelf, and that he gives Being to all Creatures; that he is, was, and will be; that he hath ſuch a Being, which, as it was before all, ſo it remains in entity, and will do, in ſpite of all adverſe powers that ſeek to raze it out. Pſal. 90.2. Even from everlaſting to everlaſting, thou art God.
VIII. GOD is pleaſed to reveal his Eſſence to his people by diverſe Attributes, which he aſſumes to himſelf. The Divine Eſſence, (we have heard) is in it ſelf not to be comprehended by us; and yet God is well pleaſed to let us know enough of him to make us happy: which that he may, he takes ſuch Attributes upon him. And here let me (firſt) tell you, what the Divine Attributes are, and (then) give ſome general Rules about them.
1. THE Attributes of God are his Eſſence, which is in it ſelf a pure Act, diverſly apprehended by us. It is a neceſſary conſectary, from God's being the moſt abſolute firſt being, that he is a meer act; that his Nature is ſimple, and altogether void of any ſort of compoſition; and hence it follows, that in his being there can be no diviſion. Now becauſe this act cannot be known by us altogether, at one ſight of our Underſtanding; but we muſt needs have a diverſified repreſentation of it, it being too big for our ſingle comprehenſion; Hereupon God hath taken Attributes to himſelf, which are ſo many ſeveral expreſſions of the ſame Eſſence and Act: and theſe are more properly ſaid to be aſſumed by him, than to be ſo many ſeveral Perfections of him. An Attribute is the conſequent of an Axiome. Every Axiome, or ſentence in a ſpeech, conſiſts of an Antecedent, expreſſing the ſubject, and a Conſequent expreſſing the Attribute, which is predicated of it; and this is our Humans way to conceive of things; and therefore they are due to God from us. Pſal. 29 2. Give … the Lord the glory due to his Name. For it is by them that we come to know any thing at all of him.
NOW the reaſon, why this pure act muſt be diverſly apprehended by us, is, becauſe tho' God be to be ſeen by an eye of Faith, yet he muſt be ſeen by an eye of Reaſon too: for tho' Faith ſees things above Reaſon, yet it ſees nothing but in a way of Reaſon, which diſcerns all things by Arguments, which are conceived as diſtinct from the thing, and among themſelves. Attributes are the arguments of a thing. Now an argument is that whereby a thing is aſſerted to evidence another thing, either as Cauſe or Effect, Subject or Adjunct, &c. E. Gr. When we ſay, God is Great, Wiſe, &c. our reaſon looks upon God as the ſubject, and his greatneſs as one Adjunct, &c. and ſo we joyn theſe two together: and our manner of conception and expreſſion, makes a diſtinction between his Being, and his Holineſs, Wiſdom, &c. Yea, and it conceives a difference among the Attributes themſelves: it diſtinguiſheth between his Wiſdom, and his Holineſs, between his Juſtice and his Mercy. So that the Eſſence comes into our Underſtanding, under a various repreſentation; through which, as through ſo many ſeveral glaſſes, we have ſo many diſcoveries made to us, of this glorious Eſſence; and therefore this diſcovery is called the manifold wiſdom of God, Eph. 3.10.
2. FOR our help to improve theſe Attributes for our acquaintance with God, it will be profitable to lay down ſome general Rules for the guiding of our Conceptions of them, viz.
1. THAT theſe Attributes are in God, but one moſt pure & ſimple act. They are therefore called Attributes, becauſe they may more properly be ſaid to be aſcribed to him, than to be really in him: for in him, who is the firſt Being, & void of compoſition & by conſequence a moſt P…e act, there can be no diviſion or proper diſtinction in his Being: And hence the Attributes do but convey to us what is to be known of God according to our manner & meaſure; and when we have ſaid all of God that can be, we muſt look at a…l in him to be but One God, without diviſion in Eſſence or Faculties. Hence,
2. ALL the Divine Attributes are to be conceived in God in the Abſtract. as well as in the Concrete. Thus we do not only ſay, God is wiſe, but God is wiſdom: He is Love, 1 Joh. 4.5. Light, 1 Joh. 1.5. and the reaſon is, becauſe whatſoever is in God, is God himſelf; which follows from his being void of any compoſition; and otherwiſe there were in him ſucceſſion & diviſion; ſomething in him which is not abſolutely firſt; and ſo ſomething that is not himſelf, which were a contradiction.
3. THE Divine Attributes are altogether in God, in the ſame Eternity, tho' they appear not ſo to us. He was in all his perfections, before the foundations of the World, in which Eternity there is no diſtinction of Priority or Poſteriority. Joh 8. 58. Jeſus ſaid unto them, Verily verily I ſay unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Tho' ſome appear to us earlier, others later. Wiſdom, Power and Goodneſs appeared in the Creation; Revenging Juſtice, not till the Fall; nor ſpecial Grace till afterwards. Tit. 3.4 But after that the kindneſs & love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. God manifeſted his perfections, as man had need of them; but they were in him really before, and that becauſe he is eternally Unchangeable, never aſſumes any thing anew, but is the ſame for ever.
4. THE Divine Attributes are always in him in the higheſt degree, tho' in execution there is a different application. Extenſively, as to Divine diſpenſations, in Providential Effects, God proceeds gradually in his dealings with men; as in diſpenſing Juſtice, he doth not at once give men the full of their deſerts; and hence flows his Patience and Long ſuffering ſo in his diſpenſing of Mercy, whence there is a difference between Grace and Glory.
5. THE Divine Attributes in God are not contrary one to another. There is no claſhing between them; but they do perfectly agree in their Eſſence. God cannot diſagree with himſelf; His Attributes are but the ſame Eſſence; and therefore cannot diſſent. I …ſſent ariſeth from contrary Principles, and declares ſuch a Being to be changeable and corruptible; but God is all Juſtice, and yet he is all Mercy too; neither doth his being all juſt, hinder his being all merciful, or contrarily.
6. THE Attributes as they are in God, are not diſtinct from the Eſſence, nor one from another. For they are all God himſelf, whoſe proper Name is, I AM, (Exod. 3.14.) His Mercy is God, and his Juſtice is God; and they are both one and the ſame undivided God. As the Sun by one and the ſame light, enlightens, warms, hardens, ſoftens, nouriſheth & dries up things; as all lines meet in their Center, in one individual point, as all waters are one in the Sea.
7. IN …ar Conception there is ſ…me foundation of a diſtinction of th…ſe Attributes in God, and that both in regard to our underſtanding, and to the things themſelves. For,
(1.) IN Reaſon Reaſoning, or in our Underſtanding, we conceive of God, and of his Holineſs, and of his Juſtice, &c. by a compound act, which firſt conceives of God; and then of his Holineſs, as of an adjunct to the ſubject; and theſe two our reaſon lays together, and frames a ſpeech of him, and ſays, God is holy; for without diſtinction & compoſition, our reaſon knows nothing: and this God allows us.
(2.) In Reaſon Reaſoned, or in the things themſelves, from whence our Underſtanding draws arguments extrinſecally, God's Attributes do ſhine forth after a diſtinct manner. When God puniſheth, then he declares his wrath: when he ſaves then he makes known his mercy; (Rom. 9.22, 23.) ſo that we may ſay, God doth not puniſh by his pity, nor doth he ſave by his anger, or deſtroy by his love.
8. OF his Attributes, ſome are ſaid to be Incommunicable; others to be Communicable. The former are the Divine properties, which ſo belong to God, as there is no ſhadow of them in the Creature, and it is blaſphemy to aſcribe them unto it: ſuch as Immenſity, Eternity, Immutability. The latter are ſuch as ſomething like them in our conception is in the Creature, as wiſdom, juſtice, pity, &c. but yet vaſtly differing Of which difference take theſe few Rules.
1. THEY are in the Creature only by way of Analogy, or ſimilitude. Their is a likeneſs, Mat. 5. ult. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. But there is as vaſt a diſproportion between them, as there is between Finite, and Infinite: An Angel's wiſdom is folly when it is laid by his.
2. THEY are attributed to the Creature only in the Concrete: not in the abſtract. For they are truely & properly Adjuncts to the Creature; but in him they are his Eſſence. We may therefore ſay of ſuch an one, he is wiſe; but of God only, that he is Wiſdom. To ſay ſo of any ſecond being, is a ſtrain of Rhetorick, which ſavours of Blaſphemy.
3. THEY are chiefly in God, and but ſcantily in the Creature. We indeed tranſlate them from the Creature to him, when we ſee a perfection in that, we aſcribe it to him in an eminent manner; we diſcover the footſteps of Wiſdom, Holineſs, &c. in men; and becauſe they are noble perfections, we acknowledge them to God: but they are indeed primarily in him; for the Creature derived them from the Creator. He therefore had them, elſe he could not have imparted them. They were firſt in him, elſe they had not been in us. Creature-perfection is but a draught, or imperfect copy of His which is the Prototype or Pattern: His is the Original, theirs is but a tranſlation, Mat. 5. ult.
4. THESE Perfections are in God, void of all that imperfection, which accompanies them in the Creature. There is no good quality in the Creature, but it is there in a limited manner; it is reſtrained to its de…re…s, becauſe it is a created goodneſs; and therefore it muſt have its meaſure. Hence there is none ſo wiſe, but hath ſome ignorance; none ſo holy, but hath ſomething of impurity, if not poſitive, yet comparative. Job 4.18. Behold, he puts no truſt in his ſervants; and his angels he charged with folly: So Chap. 15.15. Behold, he putteth no truſt in his ſaints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his ſight. But there is no gradation in the Divine Attributes; they are ſuperlative; and hence there can be no imperfection. So that we muſt remove all this from his perfection 1 Joh. 1.5. This then is the meſſage which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkneſs at all. His Attributes do not only contain all the degrees to which they arrive in Creatures, but they infinitely tranſcend them. Hence we add a name to them.
USE 1. WE here ſee the way how to come to the right knowledge of God. i. e. by viewing his Eſſence in his Attributes: This is his Name; and every ſeveral Attribute is one letter of it; and by putting of them together, we may come to ſpell what he is, ſo far as is for our ſafety, and ſufficiently for our ſatisfaction. By gazing upon the naked Eſſence, we deſtroy our ſelves, and come to no knowledge at all; but are altogether confounded: but by a careful eying him in his Attributes we may come to the diſcovery of that which is illuminating, delightful, and ſaving. We muſt ſee him as he is to be ſeen. The bold eye, that will dare to gaze upon the ſplendid Meridian Light of the Sun, is dazled & put out, & ſees nothing at all; but he that looks upon it in its beams, ſees clearly, and it it is a pleaſant thing. Let us Mortals content our ſelves with theſe ſpeculations; he that experimentally knows thus much of God, is happy enough. Hence,
USE 2. LET it humble us, that when God hath ſo gloriouſly diſcovered himſelf to us, we ſhould know no more of him. That, when he hath written his Name to us in ſuch legible Characters, we are able to ſpell ſo little out of them. If it was an inexcuſable thing for the Heathen, that they learnt no more of God out of the Book of Nature, (Rom. 1.20.) needs muſt it be far more ſo for us, who live under the light of the word of God, in which he hath written all theſe Attributes of his in Capital Letters. For ſhame then let us lay aſide this ſloth. & put off all unhappy diverſions, & bend our minds more intenſely to the ſtudy of Gods Perfections. Let us know, it is our life; and if we will thus do, pains muſt be taken, and there muſt be a running to & fro; and to all we muſt add Prayer earneſt & fervent, that God will give us ſuch a diſcovery of himſelf, as may engage our hearts to him, to chuſe him for our Portion. Theoretical knowledge is not to be neglected, being the firſt ſtep to true Wiſdom; but it is not to be reſted in, becauſe it is not that knowledge which is eternal Life; but if our Children be not taught that, there is little hopes they will reach after the other. But when once we ſo … God as to be able upon knowledge, to and call it ours, that is a knowledge to be prized above Rubies.
MARCH 26. 1689.