that as he can doe whatsoever he will so nothing can be done or willed by him which may derogate from the endlesse exercise of his infinite Majestie power truth or goodnesse The use of this doctrine concerning the prerogative of Omnipotencie and the absolute impossibilitie of doing any thing that may derogate from it is in generall this As no opinion in the judgement of Philosophers can be convinced of absurdity untill it be resolved into a contradiction either unto it selfe or unto some principle of nature from which it pretends some Originall title of Truth so the only rule for the discovering impiety of opinions in Divinitie or for cōvincing their Authors of heresie or infidelitie is by manifesting their repugnancie or contradictiō to some one or other divine Attribute or to some special promise or asseveration made by the Almightie in Scriptures and whosoever denies or contradicts any part of Gods word doth contradict the divine truth or veracitie which no man hath any temptation either to deny or contradict but from some doubt or deniall of his Omnipotencie Of such opinions as either contradict this Article of Omnipotency or falsely pretend some colourable title of truth from it wee shall have occasion to speake in the particular Articles against which these Errors are conceived or whose truth they prejudice Having hitherto declared the object and meaning of this Arcle we are in the next place to proove the truth of it against the Atheist CHAP. 3. This visible world did witnesse the invisible power and vnitie of the Godhead unto the Ancient Heathens LEst any man should misconceive the former title of Almightie to bee but as a faire promising frontispice to an unresponsible worke we have the fabricke of this Vniverse the whole world it selfe and all things in it produced as witnesses of the Almightie fathers alsufficiencie for effecting whatsoever either this grand Attribute of Omnipotencie or any other Article of this Creed may promise or intimate unto us For when wee professe our beliefe that there is a father Almightie who made the heaven and earth wee must beleeve not onely that hee made both but that hee which so made them both is both able and willing to effect all things for us for which wee have his promise euen things which neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard things which cannot possibly enter into the heart of man by any bodily sense To this purpose the Nicene Creed expresseth this article more fully I beleeve in one God the Father Almightie maker of Heaven earth and of all things visible and invisible Hee that hath already made many things to us invisible cā prepare those things for us which neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard The inspection of this great visible sphere did convince the understandings of such as had no other booke besides this great booke of nature to instruct them the understandings of men altogether unacquainted with Moses writings that the Author of this great Booke was the onely God the onely invisible power which deserved this soveraigne title For though it be probable that Plato had read Moses his historie and his Law there is no probabilitie that either Orpheus or Pythagoras both farre more ancient then Plato had read or seene them or could understand the language wherein they were in their times onely extant Yet Iustin Martyr one of the most ancient Christian writers produceth the testimonie of Pythagoras an heathen Philosopher against the Heathen as a Second to Orpheus for confirmation of that truth which we Christians in this Article beleeve 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let him that sayes I am a God win homage by his deed And lay a world like this to pawne before I give him creede 2. Now albeit neither Orpheus nor Pythagoras were Canonicall writers though their joynt authoritie be not infallible yet the holy Ghost a teaer most infallible hath declared the reasons which they used to be most infallible by the testimonie of two Canonical writers The first is that of the Psalmist Psal 96. 4 5. The Lord is great greatly to be praised he is to be feared above all gods For all the gods of the Nations are Idols or gods no-gods but the Lord made the heavens The Prophet Ieremy is more expresse and more peremptorie chap. 10. vers 10 11 12. But the Lord is the true God he is the living God and an everlasting King at his wrath the earth shall tremble and the Nations shall not bee able to abide his indignation Thus shall yee say unto them The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth even they shall perish from the earth and from under those heavens Hee hath made the earth by his power he hath established the world by his wisdome and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion 3. The consonancie between the live oracles of God and the dictates of reason in heathen men afford us this Aphorisme that it is not nature her selfe which is never otherwise than negatively or at the most Privatively opposed to the goodnesse of God but the corruption of nature which is alwaies contrarie to the good Spirit of God whereby men are seduced unto Atheisme And seeing this corruption of nature whereof Atheisme is the symptome is the onely disease of the soule the disease and the symptome cannot more kindly be cured then by reviving the strength of nature The receipt for reviving and strengthning nature must be compounded of these two Truths both evident by light of reason not eclipsed by interposition of corrupt affections or malignant habits or freed from these by illumination of the spirit The first truth is that this visible world did not make it selfe but had a maker which gave it beginning and continuation of being the second that the making of this visible world doth evince the maker of it to be Omnipotent and able to effect whatsoever he hath promised But before the former truth can have its operation upon the humane soule which is misaffected the objections of the Atheists must bee removed All his objections may be reduced to these two ex nihilo nihil fit of nothing nothing can bee made whence seeing we acknowledge Creation either to be a making of all things of nothing or at least to suppose that some things are made of meere nothing the truth which we Christians in this Article beleeve may seeme directly to contradict a Philosophicall truth or principle in nature This first objection is seconded by another To create or to make something of nothing is to bee active or thus Creation supposeth an agent and euery agent presupposeth a patient Now if there were any patient or passive power praeexistēt to the Act of creation this passive power or patient wherein it lodgeth was not created but must have a beeing from Eternitie From the difficultie included in this last objection some philosophers did conceive an unfashioned or
any issue from pure love But God is love yea love is his Essence as Creator In that he is the Author of being hee is the Author of goodnesse to all things that are Being unto every thing in its owne proper being is good and goodnesse in an intelligent Donâ—r is alwayes the fruit of Love Hence saith the Wiseman of him that is wisest of all of him that can neither deceive nor be deceived He hateth nothing that he hath made For even their being and that goodnesse which accompanies it is an undoubted pledge of his love If to blesse God the maker and to curse men which are made after his similitude argue in the Apostles supposall a dissolution of that internall harmony which should be in the humane nature to hate some and love others of his best creatures all being made after his owne image would necessarily infer a greater distraction in the indivisible Essence besides the contradiction which it implyes to infinite goodnes To love the workes of his owne hands is more essentiall to him that made all things out of meere love than it is unto the fire to burn matter combustible and if his love be as he is truly infinite it must extend to all seeing all are lesse than infinite 2 Love were it perfect in us would perfectly fulfill Gods Law and make up a compleate body or System of morall goodnes Now the most absolute perfection of that love whereof the humane nature though uncorrupted could bee capable would be but an imperfect shadow of our heavenly Fathers most perfect love which hath the same proportion to his goodnesse that love in us were it as perfect as it possibly might bee should have to our morall goodnesse That is it is his compleat communicative goodnes And though these two in him bee rather different names than divers attributes yet wee love his goodnes better whiles it is attired with the name of Love For of men that doe us equall good turnes we love them best whom we conceive to love us most and loving kindnesse seemes good and lovely even in the eyes of such as reape no profit from it besides the sight of it The very exercise of it in others excites our weake inclinations to the like and our inclinations moved stir up a speculative assent or secret verdict of conscience to approve that truth which wee cannot follow in the practice Beatius est dare quam accipere It is a more blessed thing to give than to receive No man measureth that which wee call a good nature as of men some are better natured than others either by the means it hath to benefit or by the benefits bestowed but by the fervency of unfaigned good will and hearty desires of doing good to all This is that wherein especially when it is holpen by grace we most resemble the divine nature which is infinitely better than the humane nature though takeÌ„ at the best not only in respect of his ability to do good but of his good wil to do the best that may be And this his good will exceeds ours not intensively only but extensively For we are bound to imitate him as well in the extension of our unfaigned good will towards all as in the fervency of our desires to do the best good we can to some because his loving kindnes to man is both waies infinitly perfect Thus saith the Lord Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome nor the strong man glory in his strength neither the rich man glory in his riches But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindnes judgement and righteousnesse in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Ier. 9. 23 24. The first then most native issue of infinite goodnesse is the exercise of bounty or loving kindnesse which floweth from it without matter or motive to incite it This is that which gave being and with being some portion of goodnesse unto all things that are it alters the name but not the nature in the current To prevent others with good turnes before they can expect or deserve them is the highest point of bounty whereto the ability of man can reach But God gave vs that we most desire proper being with the appurtenances before we could desire it for it is the foundation of all desire From Bounty or loving kindnesse or from that Goodnesse whence they spring Mercy and Compassion differ only in the extrinsecall denomination taken from different objects Compassion is good will towards others provoked from notice of their miserie and Mercy is but an excesse of Bounty not estranged from ill deservers in distresse so long as the exercise of it breedes no harme to such as are more capable of bountifull love and favour This incompossibility betweene the exercise of Mercy and bounty towards particulars ill deserving and the preservation of common good occasioneth the interposition of Iustice punitive whose exercise is in a sort unnaturall to the Father of mercy For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Lamen 3. 33. Nothing in good men can provoke it towards offenders but the good of others deserving either better or not so ill which might grow worse by evill doers impunity To take pleasure in the paine or torture of notorious malefactors is a note of inhumanity their just punishment is onely so farre justly pleasant as it procures either our owne or others welfare or avoydance of those grievances which they more justly suffer than wee or others of the same societie should doe The more kind and loving men by nature are the more unwilling they are to punish unlesse it be for these respects How greatly then doth it goe against his nature who is loving kindnesse it selfe to punish the workes of his owne hands Man especially who is more deare unto him than any child can be unto his Father for hee is the Father of all mankind For it is he that made us and not we our selves not those whom we call Fathers of our flesh for even they likewise were made by Him Hence he saith Call no maÌ„ Father on earth for one is your Father which is in Heaven Mat. 23. ver 9. Is the title his peculiar more than the realty answering to it Is he more willing to bee called the onely Father of all the sonnes of men than to doe the kinde office of a Father to them No like as a Father pittieth his owne children so the Lord pitieth them that feare him For he knoweth our frame he remembreth we are but dust Psal 103. 13 14. It seemes this Psalmist either was or had a most kinde and loving Father and hence illustrates the kindnesse of his Heauenly Father by the best modell of kindnesse which hee knew But if God truly be a father of all mankind he certainly exceeds all other fathers as farre in fatherly kindnesse as hee doth men in
import terminum a quo the terme onely of the Action not any matter or subject and yet the tearme thus imported can bee no positive Entitie but a meere negation of any positive Entitie precedent To make the heauens and earth of nothing is in reall value no more then to make them not of any matter or Entitie praeexistent whether visible or invisible on which their Maker did exercise his efficient power or efficacie but to give them such beeing as they then first began to have that is a corporeall beeing or existence by the meere efficacie or vertue of his word As suppose the Sunne should in a moment be suffered to transmit his light into a close vault of stone we might truely say this heavenly bodie did make light of darknesse tanquam ex termino in that it made light to be there where was no light at all before but meere darkenesse And thus to make light out of darknesse doth no way argue that it turned darknesse into light or that darknesse did remaine as an ingredient in the light made After this manner did the Amightie make the heaven and earth of nothing that is he made the corporeall masse or substance out of which all things visible were made where no limited substance whether visible or invisible was before and by the same efficiencie by which this masse was made he made place or spatiousnesse quantitative which had no beeing at all before he did not turne indivisibilitie into spatiousnes or meere vacuitie into fulnes fulnes and spatiousnesse were the resultance of that masse which was first made without any Entitie or ingredient praeexistent To make something of nothing in this sense implies no contradiction there is no impossibilitie that the heaven and earth should be thus made but this will not suffice to refute the Atheist or infidell For many things are possible which are not probable and many things probable which are not necessary The next question then is what necessitie there is in the infallible rules of nature and reason that the Heavens the earth should be made of nothing Against the probabilitie onely of Moses his historie of the first creation the Atheist will yet oppose this generall induction That all bodily substances that begin to be what before they were not that all things which we see made are alwayes made by some efficient cause not out of meere nothing but of some imperfect being praexistent To examine then the general rule pretended to amount from this generall induction s or what truth there is in that philosophicall maxime ex nihilo nihil fit is the next point CHAP. 5. By what manner of induction or enumeration of particulars universall rules or Maximes must bee framed and supported That no induction can bee brought to proove the Naturalists Maxime Of nothing nothing can be made 1 TO frame a generall rule or principle in any facultie Art or science there is no other meanes possible besides induction or a sufficient enumeration of particular experiments to support it The particulars from which this sufficiencie must amount may be in some subjects fewer in others more How many soeuer the particular instances or alleaged experiments be the number of thē will not suffice to support an universall rule unlesse they erect our understandings to a cleare view of the same reason not onely in all the particulars instanced in but in all that can be brought of the same kind Vnlesse there bee a cleare resultance of the same reason in all the induction failes and the rule which is grounded on it must needes fall For this cause universall rules are easily framed in the Mathematiques or in other Arts whose subjects are more abstract or not charged with multiplicitie of considerations or ingredients from whose least variation whether by addition or subtraction whether by further commixture or dissolution the cause or reason of truth so varies that the rule which constantly holds in a great many like particulars will not hold in all because they are not absolutely or every way alike Hee which seriously observes the manner how right angles are framed will without difficultie yeeld his assent unto this universall rule That all right angles are equall because hee sees there is one and the same reason of absolute equalitie in al that can be imagined And this negative rule will by the same inspection win our assent without more adoe that if any two angles be unequall the one of them at least can be no right angle The consideration likewise of a few particulars will suffice to make up these universall never-failing rules 1. First that the greater any circle is the greater alwayes will the angle of the semicircle be 2. The second that the angle of the least semicircle which can be imagined is greater then the most capacious acute-angle that can be made by the concurrence of two right lines And yet it will as clearly appeare from the inspection of the same particulars from which the former rules do amount that the angle of the greatest semicircle imaginable cannot possibly be so capacious as every right angle is The consideration of the former rules specially of the first and third will clearly manifest that the quantitie contained in these angles how little soever they be is divisible into infinite indeterminate parts or divisible into such parts without possible end or limitation of division But albeit the difference of quantitie between a right angle and the angle of a semicircle bee potentially infinite or infinitely divisible according to parts or portions in determinate yet will it not hence follow that the one angle is as great againe as the other according to the scale of any distinct or determinate quantitie or expressible portions And this observation in Mathematicall quantitie would quickly checke or discover the weaknesse of many calculatory Arguments or inductions oft-times used by great Divines in matters morall or civill As for example that every sinne deserveth punishment infinite because every sinne is an offence committed against an infinite Being or Majestie And the greater or more soveraigne the Majestie is which wee offend the greater alwayes will the offence be and meritorious of greater punishment Yet all this onely proves an infinitie of indeterminate degrees in every offence against the divine Majestie by which it exceedes all offences of the same kinde committed onely against man it no way inferres an infinite excesse or ods of actuall determinate punishment or ill deserts For this reason wee have derived the just award of everlasting supernaturall paines unto temporarie and transeunt bodily or naturall pleasures from the contempt of Gods infinite goodnesse which destinates no creatures unto everlasting death but such as he had made capable of everlasting joyes nor were any of them infallibly destinated unto everlasting death untill they had by voluntary transgression or continuance in despising of the riches of his goodnesse made themselves uncapable of the blisse to which hee had