I know what manner of works they are 2. The Lord knows our hearts he knows the sinfulness of the heart he knows the deceitfulnesse of the heart he knows wâ—at abominations are in the heart The heart of man is deceitfull above all things and desperately wicked who can know it he answereth I the Lord search the heart I try the reins even to give every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings Jerem. 17. 9. 10. The Lord knoweth all the errors and sins which thou didst act in thy heart who can understand his error saith David cleanse thou me from the secret faults Psal 19. 12. They are a people that do erre in their hearts saith the Lord. Psal 95. 10. God knows all the thoughts of our hearts how momentany suddain and transient soever they be though they come in and go out again in a moment in the twinckling of an eye yet he knows and observes them all The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man that they are vanity Psal 94. 11. Job acknowledgeth this to God I know that thou canst do every thing and that no thought is with-holden from thee Job 42. 2. He knoweth all the imaginations of man's heart God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually Gen. 6. 5. The Lord likewise knoweth all the purposes and intentions and counsels of the heart he knoweth what your aimes are in all your undertakings whether you intend his glory or your own self interest his word is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. When the Jews came with questions to Christ as if they desired to be informed by him our Saviour knowing their thoughts knew that they came to entrap him 3. The Lord knoweth all the words that we speak There is not a word in my tongue but loe Oh Lord thou knowest it altogether Psal 139. 4. The Lord knows every idle word that you speak and will one day bring you to an account for it Matt. 12. He hath likewise a book of remembrance to set down every good word that they that fear the Lord speak one to another Malach. 3. 16. 3. God knoweth all things to come Thou understandest my thoughts afar off saith David Psal 139. 2 When God sent Moses to Pharaoh he tells him I am sure that the King of Egypt will not let you go no not by a mighty hand and I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof and after that he will let you go Exod. 3. 19. 20. so he speaks of the Israelites I know their imaginations which they go about even now before I have brought them into the land which I sware Deut. 31. 21. CHAP. IV. Of the Properties of God's Knowledg NOw concerning the Properties of God's Knowledg we are to understand that 1. God beholdeth all things uno intuitu by one simple act not by divers as Angels and Men do he knoweth all things intuitivè not discursivè or successivè as a man may see many particular objects at once that lie before him but God sees infinite objects intuitively at once and therefore all things are said to be before him even things past and things to come there is no praeterition nor futurition in God's Knowledg to speak properly for all things are present before him 2. God knoweth all things most perfectly and evidently not in part or obscurely as men do but he knoweth all things fully and exactly his knowledg is a perfect knowledg that cannot be increased or diminished God most perfectly knoweth himself he also most perfectly knoweth all other things besides himself His understanding is infinite Psal 147. 5. he knoweth things actually infinite 3. God knoweth all things distinctly not confusedly or universally but he knoweth every particular and individual whatsoever and by this distinct and proper knowledg he knoweth singular things to come even contingent for to him their first cause they are necessary things in respect of second causes contingent and by this distinct knowledg of his he knoweth all the circumstances of all our words and actions with all the aggravations of them as to persons time place c. The Lord distinctly knoweth the persons of all his chosen people The foundation of the Lord standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. I am the good shepherd and know my sheep saith our Saviour Joh. 10. 14. he knoweth all their names So the Lord to Moses Thou hast found grace in my sight and I know thee by name Exod. 33. 17. he knoweth the number even of the very hairs of their heads they are all numbred by him Luk. 12. 7. 4. God knoweth all things necessarily immutably and infallibly God is his own knowledg he understandeth all things therefore necessarily and infallibly neither can the knowledg of God be any more deceived than his will this knowledg of God is semper eadem always the same not subject to any change or alteration There be many devices in man's heart but the counsel of the Lord that shall stand Prov. 19. 21. CHAP. V. Reasons to prove God's Omniscience THere are many Reasons may be given to prove God is Omniscient 1. Because God created all things Reas 1. therefore no creature is hid from him but is open and naked before him because all are the works of his hands Now the Rule is this Agentes cum consilio those Agents that do work with counsel do know all their works and what Agent worketh with counsel if the most wise God doth not He makes all things with most deliberate and wise counsel so then for the things themselves God doth fully know them making them by his knowledg and wise counsel he knoweth thee likewise unless thou wilt deny thy self to be his Creature 2. Because there is no action which Reas 2. any creature doth but God cooperates and concurreth with and in the action God enableth natural causes to produce natural actions contingent causes to produce contingent actions free and voluntary agents to produce free and voluntary actions You cannot think a thought you cannot speak a word you cannot do an action without God 'T is the Lord enableth you to lie down to rise up or whatsoever any man doth the Lord enables him to do it yea no wicked man can commit sin act sin either in secret or in publique if God did not uphold him in the act every action as it is an action is from God but the sinfulness or obliquity of it is from the Devil or our selves the Drunkard could not go to an Ale-house nor the Adulterer to the house of the strange woman if God did not uphold them in their actions and motions in Him the worst sinner liveth moveth and hath his being even in the worst action that he goes about Therefore
points that I would draw from hence and handle shall be only these two 1. That the Lord Jehovah doth only Obser 1. subsist of himself and all things subsist by him 2. That the Lord will make good all his promises because he is Jehovaâ— For the first God only subsisteth to speak properly no creature can say I AM absolutely no creature can say I will be but onely God can say I am Alpha and Omega the beginning and the ending which Was and which Is and is to come I will shew the difference between God's subsistence and ours The difference lieth in these things that follow God's subsistence is eternal Thou Differ 1. art God from everlasting to everlasting Psal 90. 2. Before the mountains were brought forth or ever the Earth and the World were formed God had a subsistence and he can subsist if all the world were dissolved again into nothing our subsistence is in time Angels and men that shall live to eternity yet are not from eternity all other suâ—sistent beings shall be turned into nothing God subsisteth independently he Differ 2. depends upon no second causes nor former causes he is All-sufficient his own essence is his own happiness but creatures depend on secondary causes Angels and men and all other creatures depend on him 't is he that continueth all created beings in their being in him we live move and have our being if he command Return ye children of men into dust he turneth them to destruction and they are swallowed up of the grave if he say come again all things shall stand and live before him God subsisteth immutably My Differ 3. name saith he is I AM that is I am the same from eternity to eternity the same yesterday to day and for ever there is not so much as a shadow of change in God There is no encrease or decay in God but he is as holy as just as powerful as merciful as perfect and blessed as ever he was he is God merciful from everlasting to everlasting now the subsistence of the creature is mutable We know there was a mutation among Angels some of them kept not their first estate but left their own habitation Jude v. 6. Man also is a very mutable creature he is subject to many changes we see how all sublunary creatures continue not at one stay but like the Moon sometimes they are in the increase sometimes in the full sometimes in the decrease some creatures as Angels become immutable by participation God keeps and preserves them in their immutable condition God can put an end to all the perfections in the creatures and then change them again God subsisteth immediately by himself Differ 4. without means we do subsist by means and by his blessing upon the means we must eat drink sleep or we cannot long subsist and have a Being in the world The Reason is because the Lord Jehovah hath being from himself therefore he subsisteth by himself and not by any other yea he was from eternity because from no cause therefore independently and immutably because from no first cause but we subsist in time dependently and mutably because we depend on him as the first cause and therefore as God will so we subsist or not subsist According to the presence of the sun so is the light continued in the air if the Sun withdraws his light then darkness covereth the earth because light in the air subsisteth by the presence of the sun so because our life health strength and all the comforts we do enjoy do depend on God and subsist by him according to his presence they stand if he withdraw they soon fall when the sea floweth the rivers swell when the seas ebb the rivers fall so it is with creatures according to the presence or absence of God CHAP. V. THis discovers the folly of all such Vse 1. as set their hearts upon any thing but God that set their hearts upon riches which cannot subsist but take to themselves wings and flie away as an Eagle toward heaven Prov. 23. 5. And as Birds do flye from this tree to that tree so do riches from this house to that house from this man to that man It likewise sheweth the folly of those that set their hearts upon pleasures which are transient and perish in the very use and of those that make flesh their arm put confidence in friends or in the favours of men seeing none of these subsist of themselves but on a suddain perish We see that men do not subsist always sometime their wealth decayeth sometime their favour and love decayeth sometime their beauty decayeth surely then all those that depend upon them do decay with them all outward things are but sandy foundations for us to build all our hopes and comforts upon look over all the creatures and see what creature can say I am that I am I will be what I will be Riches honours pleasures preferments friends cannot say so and therefore it is the greatest folly in the world to set up the creatures that cannot subsist and to neglect God There is a curse pronounced against all those that trust in an arm of flesh and do idolize and deifie creatures and neglect God This may exhort you to trust in the Use 2. Lord Jehovah who onely is and subsisteth by himself who hath said He will never leave thee nor forsake thee Now consider these Motives 1. The Lord Jehovah can give being and doth give being to all things he can create peace comforts mercies health strength friends grace and every good thing he can command loving kindnesse he can command comfort and deliverance to Jacob when he speaks the word all things shall subsist according to thy desire so then let thy condition be what it will if God be thy confidence he can proportion all things to thy condition Art thou in want he can make plenty subsist Art thou poor he can make riches subsist Art thou friendless he can make friends to subsist again Art thou in terrours fears and doubts God can make pardon grace and full assurance of faith to subsist 2 Because God Jehovah as he subsists and gives being so he can continue the being and subsistence of all mercies as far and as long as they shall make for thy good he can make thy health to subsist thy riches to subsist thy strength thy friends thy life it self to subsist all comforts inward and outward spiritual and temporal to subsist for it is God that bears up the world and all the creatures and according to his will and pleasure so shall thy comforts subsist 3. When outward things decay God will subsist God wil subsist immutably when there is a change of conditions fals out as all outward things are perishing unconstant and mutable Jehovah saith I the Lord change not when riches decay God saith I Jehovah am riches c. I AM that is my name so that all decays are made up in
made good what evil he hath threatned to bring upon the impenitently wicked all shall come to pass Balaam said God is not a man that he should lie neither the son of man that he should repent Numb 23. 19. God is not a man that he should lie that is promise and not perform falsifie or go back from his word threaten and not put his threatnings in execution 5. God is immutable in all his Affections in his Love in his Hatred Whom he loveth he loveth to the end he loveth his Elect from everlasting to everlasting Whom he hateth he hateth to the end the Damned are the immortal objects of his eternal hatred 6. God is immutable in all his saving Gifts Rom. 11. 29. The gifts and calling of God are without repentance When God pardoneth justifieth sanstifieth calleth reconcileth any soul to himself he never repenteth of so doing to any man but what he doth shall stand inviolate CHAP. IV. MAny Reasons may be given to evidence to us that God is unchangeable 1. God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is the Lord Jehovah Reas 1. hath being from himself and not from any other cause He is absolutely independent and dependeth upon no other All creatures have received their being from him and depend upon him therefore God onely is immutable and all Creatures are changeable and continue not in one stay For the ground of change is to have being or any perfection from another and always to be at the will and disposing of him from whom they have what they have as a Subjects honours and dignities are received from his Prince's favour and are at the will and disposing of his Prince if he withdraw the influence of his favour his dignities wither and are taken from him Thus all Creatures receiving their being from God are at God's disposing if he speak the word Let a Creature be made thus and thus it is so if he say Let that Creature be turned into destruction it is destroyed If God withdraw the influence of his favour and supportance from the Creatures they cannot subsist for a moment but suffer a pitiful change but now God depending upon no superiour cause not liable to the will pleasure disposing of a supreme power abideth the same for ever without the least shadow of change 2. God is Immutable because he Reas 2. is most simple void of all composition he is purus actus a pure act there is no passive power in him All Creatures are therefore mutable because there is some composition in them Man is obnoxious to dissolution because compounded of a body and soul his body liable to alteration and corruption because 't is compounded of the elements Even the Angels themselves and the Souls of Men which are the most simple yet are compounded â—x actu potentia ex subjecto accidente therefore are they liable both to alteration as we see in Devils and also to annihilation for God can turn them into nothing again But now in God there is no mixture no composition but whatsoever is in God is God is his Essence therefore no alteration or mutation can be in him 3. Because God comprehendeth in Reas 3. him all fulness of perfection he is infinitely perfect therefore he is immutable There is a double alteration which the Creature is liable unto there is Alteratio perfectiva Alteratio corruptiva A perfective alteration A destructive alteration A Creature may alter from good to bad from bad to worse so from bad to good from good to better There is no creature but is capable of more perfections then they have Angels though they have great perfections yet may be more gradually perfect but God being infinitely perfect admits of no diminution nor increase being infinitely wise he cannot be wiser being infinitely good he cannot be better for if God should thus change then were he imperfect and were not infinite Now to say that there may be a decrease of his perfections then should God become imperfect and if God should lose some of his perfections he might lose more then God should be no God 4. God is unchangeable in his Decrees Reas 4. Promises and Threatnings of which I touched before 1. In his Decrees because God is omniscient so he foresees all inconveniences to prevent errour or mistake he cannot err because he infallibly foreknows all Men may alter their Decrees because they are ignorant and cannot foresee inconveniences to prevent errors but God foresees all without the least error therefore what he decreeth shall stand firm 2. Because God is omnipotent therefore he can overcome all impediments that may hinder and frustrate the execution of his Decrees Men are hindred in their decrees by some over-powering impediment but who can resist the omnipotent will of God He is unchangeable in his Promises and threatnings because he is able and faithful true and just therefore will not nor cannot deny himself CHAP. V. Objections about God's Immutability answered NOw let us clear some Questions or Objections touching God's unchangeableness If God be immutable how is he Object 1. then said to repent It is said that he repented that he made man on the earth Gen. 6. 6. And upon the repentance of the Ninivites it is said God repented of the evil that he had said he would do unto them and did it not Jon. 3. 10. Repentance is spoken of God for our Sol. 1. understandings sake when the Scripture saith That God did repent of this or that thing it speaks of God after the manner of men for our learning 2. God is said to repent not as if there were a change of mind in God as when men repent but when there is a change wrought in the creature their change is his repentance The destruction of the old World is Gods repenting of making man upon the earth The removing of plagues and curses the evils which he inflicts upon us is Gods repentance of the evils he inflicteth So the preventing of evils threatned his bidding the Angel to put up his Sword drawn forth to destroy Jerusalem is Gods repentance of the evil So then there is a double change subjectiva or in agente objectiva or in patiente The change is altogether in the creature the object and patient not in God the agent If God be Immutable how then is Object 2. it said That God is sometime angry with his people and that sometimes he is said to rejoyce over them Now he smiles upon them and kisseth his Spouse anon he withdraws himself and frowns upon her this argues a change of affections We must distinguish between Gods Sol. 1. love to us and joy over us and our apprehension of his love and joy between his affection and the sense of his affection to us Gods love is immutable there 's no decay in it but there may be a decay and want of apprehension in us 2. The change is in us not in God our loose
tongue to speak of it If God be perfect so as that he wanteth Object 3. nothing why then doth he require our worship and service I answer Not that he needeth our Sol. 1. service Other Lords need the service of their servants the greatest Princes in the world need the service of their Subjects but God doth not he is perfectly happy if we did not serve him If thou sinnest what doest thou against him or if thy transgressions be multiplied what doest thou unto him If thou be righteous what givest thou him or what receiveth he at thy hand Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art and thy righteousness may profit the son of man Job 35. 6 7 8. If we sin we hurt him not we onely make our selves miserable Do ye provoke me to anger no wretches it is to the confusion of your own faces If we be righteous he is not benâ—fited by us he needeth not our prayers our obedience our faith onely we are blessed in so doing Our serving of God is our perfection and the more holy we are the more we grow up in perfection and resemblance of our heavenly Father 2. God requireth our service in way of justice because we are bound to serve him who is our Lord. 3. God requireth our service not for his own benefit because being perfect he needeth it not but for our own happy benefit and profit Our disobedience is our greatest imperfection and the procuring cause of all our misery our obedience to him is our perfection and an anâ—ecedent condition of our perfect glory and happiness CHAP. V. Practical Inferences from the consideration of God's Perfection HEnce see that it is of meer grace Infer 1. that any are saved What if all the sons of men had been for ever cast into the pit of perdition it had been nothing to God as when the old world was drowned what was it to God his perfection was not diminished when they all perished Dispute not why so few are saved wonder rather that any are saved seeing God was infinitely perfect in himself when no man or creature had any being and will be perfect if all had been lost He needeth neither men nor Angels to praise him therefore every one that is saved may say Lord we are saved not because thou didst need us or our services or praises but because thou art gracious to whom thou wilt be gracious 2. This should wean us and all our Infer 2. thoughts and affections from all creatures which are full of imperfections at best they have but a diminutive or derivative perfection and place them upon God who is an infinitely perfect good What need we to set our hearts on drops of perfection when we may have the incomprehensible and â—athomless sea of perfection CHAP. VI. THis informs us why God throws Use 1. away and loatheth the duties sacrifices and performances of the wicked viz. because they are done with rotten unsound and wicked hearts He being a Spirit a perfect God looks at those that serve him with perfect hearts and where the heart is found or imperfect He regards no more the wicked man's praying than he doth the blessing of an Idol yea he hates his most glorious duties as wilful murder Malac. 1. 8. It was a great sin in the time of the Law to offer up the lame and the blind of the flock to God who required the best of the herd and of the flock for sacrifice It is no less an evil to offer up lame or blind prayers or any act of lame or blind obedience What makes your duties so lame so blind but your rotten and imperfect hearts Your imperfect hearts make your duties and persous abominable It is said of Amaziah King of Judah that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart 2 Chron. 25. 2. the good duties of the wicked are sins to them both they and their services are rejected This will cut the unsound heart to the quick when he shall hear Christ say to him It is true these and these good works thou hast done these duties and such like thou hast performed but yet he will say to them as sometime he did to the Angel of the Church in Sardis I have not found thy works perfect before God Rev. 3. 2. therefore all thy works are but lost labour 2. If God be a most perfect God this Use 2. infinite perfection of God should make us the more to humble our selves before God to be low and base in our own eyes and that in diverse Respects 1. In respect of our great imperfections God is light we are darknesse God is Almighty we Impotent God is Eternal we Mortal God is Good we Evil God is Holy we Impure God only Wise we Foolish we are very Beasts before him God hath all perfections we all imperfections in us 2. In respect of the very graces in us the consideration of Gods infinite perfections should make us be base and low in our own eyes though we were full of the graces of Gods Spirit because our very perfections have much imperfection in them our faith is mingled with much unbelief our repentance with impenitency our patience with impatience and our obedience with much disobedience If the most perfect God should observe the imperfections of our perfections the defects of our graces the ungodlinesse of our very godliness as I may so speak who then could stand before him yea had we our created perfection and were as perfect as Adam in innocence yet still we should be base in our own eyes looking to Gods infinite perfections The glorious Angels who are the most perfect creatures yet cover their faces standing before God as being unworthy to behold the infinite perfections of so glorious a God 3. Be humbled in respect of all your Services and duties that ye do to God and for God and that in three respects 1. In that all we do is but little in comparison of what God requireth at our hands We do not bring in that full Tale of bricks of prayers of duties of works which God requireth at our hands and which we are bound to perform to our God He that doth most is very deficient therefore we should be humbled considering what perfection God requireth at our hands 2. In respect of the manifold imperfections that adhere to all our services and duties As we said but now of graces so of duties if God should mark the imperfections of them woe unto us woe unto us for our praying and hearing c. woe unto us for our duties and services considering what perfection of duties the perfect God requireth how God commandeth us to pray to hear his Word to meditate upon it to examine our selves than he that prayes and heareth and meditateth most and best may be in his own eyes as if he had not prayed nor heard nor done any thing at all 3. In this respect