wise that hath no Mate for Wisdom * 1 Tim. 1.17 none wise besides himself If he knew that thing this day which * 1 Tim. 1.17 he knew not before he would not be an only wise Being for a Being that did know every thing at once might be conceived and so a wiser Being be apprehended by the mind of man If God understood a thing at one time which he did not at another he would be changed from Ignorance to Knowledge As if he could not do that this day which he could do to morrow he would be changed from Impotence to Power He could not be always Omniscient because there might be yet something still to come which he yet knows not though he may know all things that are past What way soever you suppose a change you must suppose a present or a past Ignorance If he be changed in his knowledge for the perfection of his understanding he was ignorant before If his understanding be impaired by the change he is ignorant after it 2. If God were changeable in his Knowledge it would make him unfit to be an Object of Trust to any rational Creature His Revelations would want the due ground for entertainment if his Understanding were changeable for that might be revealed as truth now which might prove false heareafter and that as false now which hereafter might prove true and so God would be an unfit Object of Obedience in regard of his Precepts and an unfit Object of confidence in regard of his Promises For if he be changeable in Knowledge he is defective in Knowledge and might promise that now which he would know afterwards was unfit to be promised and therefore unfit to be performed It would make him an incompetent Object of dread in regard of his threatnings for he might threaten that now which he might know hereafter were not fit or just to be inflicted A changeable mind and understanding cannot make a due and right judgment of things to be done and things to be avoided No wise man would judge it reasonable to trust a weak and flitting person God must needs be unchangeable in his Knowledge But as the Schoolmen say that as the Sun always shines so God always knows as the Sun never ceaseth to shine so God never ceaseth to know Nothing can be hid from the vast compass of his Understanding no more than any thing can shelter it self without the Verge of his Power This farther appears in that 1. God knows by his own Essence He doth not know as we do by habits qualities species whereby we may be mistaken at one time and rectified at another He hath not an Understanding distinct from his Essence as we have but being the most simple Being his Understanding is his Essence and as from the infiniteness of his Essence we conclude the infiniteness of his Understanding so from the unchangeableness of his Essence we may justly conclude the unchangeableness of his Knowledge Since therefore God is without all composition and his Understanding is not distinct from his Essence what he knows he knows by his Essence and there can then be no more mutability in his Knowledge than there can be in his Essence and if there were any in that he could not be God because he would have the property of a Creature If his Understanding then be his Essence his Knowledge is as necessary as unchangeable as his Essence As his Essence eminently contains all perfections in it self so his Understanding comprehends all things past present and future in it self If his Understanding and his Essence were not one and the same he were not simple but compounded if compounded he would consist of parts if he consisted of parts he would not be an independent Being and so would not be God 2. God knows all things by one intuitive act As there is no succession in his Being so that he is one thing now and another thing hereafter so there is no succession in his Knowledge He knows things that are successive before their existence and succession by one single act of intuition by one cast of his eye all things future are present to him in regard of his Eternity and Omnipresence So that though there is a change and variation in the things known yet his Knowledge of them and their several changes in nature is invariable and unalterable As imagin a Creature that could see with his eye at one glance the whole compass of the Heavens by sending out beams from his eye without receiving any species from them he would see the whole Heavens uniformly this part now in the East then in the West without any change in his eye for he sees every part and every motion together and though that great Body varies and whirls about and is in continual agitation his eye remains stedfast suffers no change beholds all their motions at once and by one glance * Suarez vol. 1. pa. 137. God knows all things from Eternity and therefore perpetually knows them the reason is because the Divine Knowledge is infinite * Psal 145.5 His understanding is infinite and therefore comprehends all knowable Truths at once An eternal Knowledge comprehends in it self all Time and beholds past and present in the same manner and therefore his Knowledge is immutable By one simple Knowledge he considers the infinite spaces of past and future 3. Gods knowledge and Will is the cause of all things and their successions * Austin Bradwardine There can be no pretence of any changeableness of knowledge in God but in this case before things come to pass he knows that they will come to pass after they are come to pass he knows that they are past and slide away This would be something if the succession of things were the cause of the divine Knowledg as it is of our knowledge but on the contrary the divine Knowledge and Will is the cause of the succession of them God doth not know Creatures because they are but they are because he knows them All his works were known to him from the beginnig of the world * Acts 15.18 All his works were not known to him if the events of all those works were not also known to him If they were not known to him how should he make them he could not do any thing ignorantly He made them then after he knew them and did not know them after he made them His Knowledge of them made a change in them their existence made no change in his Knowledg He knew them when they were to be Created in the same manner that he knew them after they were Created before they were brought into act as well as after they were brought into act before they were made they were and were not they were in the Knowledge of God when they were not in their own nature God did not receive his knowledge from their existence but his Knowledge and Will acted upon them to bring them
by our own or think it to be of so gross a Temper as a Created mind that he hath Eyes of Flesh or sees or knows as man sees Job 10.4 We can no more measure his Knowledg by ours than we can measure his Essence by our Essence As he hath an incomprehensible Essence to which ours is but as a Drop of a Bucket so he hath an incomprehensible Knowledg to which ours is but as a grain of Dust or meer Darkness his thoughts are above our thoughts as the Heavens are above the Earth The Knowledg of God is variously divided by the Schools and acknowledg'd by all Divines 1. A Knowledg visionis simplicis intelligentiae the one we may call a Sight the other an Vnderstanding the one refers to sense the other to the mind 1. A Knowledg of Vision or Sight Thus God knows himself and all things that really were are or shall be in time all those things which he hath Decreed to be tho' they are not yet actually sprung up in the World but lye couchant in their Causes 2. A Knowledg of Intelligence or simple Vnderstanding the object of this is not things that are in Being or that shall by any Decree of God ever be existent in the World but such things as are possible to be wrought by the Power of God tho' they shall never in the least peep up into Being but lye for ever wrapt up in Darkness and nothing Suarez de Deo lib. 3. cap. 4. p. 130. This also is a necessary Knowledg to be allowed to God because the object of this Knowledg is necessary The possibility of more Creatures than ever were or shall be is a conclusion that hath a necessary Truth in it as it is necessary that the power of God can produce more Creatures tho' it be not necessary that it should produce more Creatures so it is necessary that whatsoever the Power of God can work is possible to be And as God knows this possibility so he knows all the objects that are thus possible and herein doth much consist the Infiniteness of his Knowledg as shall be shewn presently These two kinds of Knowledg differ That of Vision is of things which God hath Decreed to be tho' they are not yet That of Intelligence is of things which never shall be yet they may be or are possible to be if God please to Will and Order their Being one respects things that shall be the other things that may be and are not repugnant to the Nature of God to be The Knowledg of Vision follows the Act of Gods Will and supposeth an Act of Gods Will before Decreeing things to be If we could suppose any first or second in Gods Decree we might say God knew them as possible before he Decreed them he knew them as future because he Decreed them For without the Will of God Decreeing a thing to come to pass God cannot know that it will infallibly come to pass But the Knowledg of Intelligence stands without any Act of his Will in order to the Being of those things he knows he knows possible things only in his Power he knows other things both in his Power as able to effect them and in his Will as determining the Being of them such Knowledg we must grant to be in God for there is such a kind of knowledg in man for man doth not only know and see what is before his eyes in this World but he may have a conception of many more Worlds and many more Creatures which he knows are possible to the Power of God 2. Secondly There is a speculative and practical knowledg in God 1. A speculative knowledg is when the truth of a thing is known without a respect to any working or practical operation The knowledg of things possible is in God only speculative Suarez de Deo lib. 3. cap. 4. p. 138. and some say Gods knowledg of himself is only speculative because there is nothing for God to work in himself and tho' he knows himself yet this knowledg of himself doth not terminate there but flowers into a love of himself and delight in himself yet this love of himself and delight in himself is not enough to make it a practical knowledg because it is natural and naturally and necessarily flows from the knowledg of himself and his own Goodness he cannot but love himself and delight in himself upon the knowledg of himself But that which is properly practise is where there is a dominion over the action and it is wrought not naturally and necessarily but in a way of freedom and counsel As when we see a beautiful Flower or other thing there ariseth a delight in the mind this no man will call Practise because it is a natural affection of the Will arising from the virtue of the object without any consideration of the Understanding in a practical manner by counselling commanding c. 2. A Practical knowledg which tends to operation and practise and is the principle of working about things that are known as the knowledg an Artificer hath in an Art or Mystery This knowledg is in God the knowledg he hath of the things he hath decreed is such a kind of knowledg for it terminates in the act of Creation which is not a natural and necessary act as the loving himself and delighting in himself is but wholly free for it was at his liberty whether he would create them or no this is called discretion Jer. 10.12 He hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion Such also is his knowledg of the things he hath created and which are in being for it terminates in the government of them for his own glorious ends 'T is by this knowledg the depths are broken up and the clouds drop down their dew Prov 3 20. This is a knowledg whereby he knows the essence qualities and properties of what he creates and governs in order to his own glory and the common good of the World over which he resides so that speculative knowledg is Gods knowledg of himself and things possible practical knowledg is his knowledg of his creatures and things governable yet in some sort this practical knowledg is not only of things that are made but of things which are possible which God might make tho' he will not for as he knows that they can be created so he knows how they are to be created and how to be governed tho' he never will create them This is a practical knowledg for it is not requisite to constitute a knowledg practical actually to act but that the knowledg in it self be referrible to action Suarez de Deo l. 3. c. 4. p. 140. 3. There is a knowledg of approbation as well as apprehension This the Scripture often mentions words of understanding are used to signifie the acts of affection This knowledg adds to the simple act of the understanding the complacency and pleasure of the will and is
foundation remains tho' it hath put on variety of forms the Body of Abel the first man that died nor the body of Adam are not to this day reduc'd to nothing Indeed the quantity and the quality of those bodies have been lost by various changes they have past through since their dissolution but the matter or substance of them remains intire and is not capable to be destroy'd by all those transforming alterations in so long a revolution of Time The body of a man in his infancy and his old Age if it were Methuselah's is the same in the foundation in those multitude of years tho' the quantity of it be alter'd the quality different tho' the colour and other things be changed in it the matter of this body remains the same among all the alterations after Death And can it be so mixed with other Natures and Creatures as that it is past finding out by an Infinite Vnderstanding Can any particle of this matter escape the eye of him that makes and beholds all those various alterations and where every mite of the substance of those bodies is particularly lodged so as that he cannot compact it together again for a habitation of that Soul that many a year before fled from it Daillè Serm. 15. p. 21. 22 23 24. Since the Knowledg of God is infinite and his Providence extensive over the least as well as the greatest parts of the World he must needs know the least as well as the greatest of his Creatures in their Beginning Progress and Dissolution all the forms through which the Bodies of all Creatures roul the particular instants of time and the particular place when and where those changes are made they are all present with him and therefore when the Revolution of time allotted by him for the re-union of Souls and Deceased Bodies is come it cannot be doubted but out of the Treasures of his Knowledg he can call forth every part of the matter of the Bodies of men from the first to the last man that expired and strip it of all those forms and figures which it shall then have to compact it to be a lodging for that Soul which before it entertain'd and tho' the Bodies of men have been devour'd by Wild Beasts in the Earth and Fish in the Sea and been lodg'd in the Stomachs of Barbarous Men-eaters the matter is not lost There is but little of the Food we take that is turned into the substance of our own bodies that which is not proper for nourishment which is the greatest part is separated and concocted and rejected whatsoever objections are made are answered by this Attribute Nothing hinders a God of Infinite Knowledg from discerning every particle of the matter wheresoever it is dispos'd and since he hath an eye to discern and a hand to recollect and unite what difficulty is there in believing this Article of the Christian Faith he that questions this reveal'd Truth of the Resurrection of the Body must question Gods Omniscience as well as his Omnipotence and Power 5. What semblance of reason is there to expect a justification in the sight of God by any thing in our selves Is there any action done by any of us but upon a scrutiny we may find flaws and deficiency in it What then shall not this Perfection of God discern them the motes that escape our eyes cannot escape his 1 John 3.20 God is greater than our hearts and knows all things so that it is in vain for any man to flatter himself with the rectitude of any work or enter into any debate with him who can bring a Thousand Articles against us out of his own Infinite Records unknown to us and unanswerable by us If Conscience a Representative or Counterpart of Gods Omniscience in our own Bosoms find nothing done by us but in a Copy short of the Original and beholds if not blurs yet Imperfections in the best actions God must much more discern them we never knew a Copy equally exact with the Original If our own Conscience be as a Thousand Witnesses the Knowledg of God is as Millions of Witnesses against us If our Corruption be so great and our Holiness so low in our own eyes how much greater must the one and how much meaner must the other appear in the eyes of God God hath an unerring Eye to see as well as an unspotted Holiness to hate and an unbribable Justice to punish he wants no more Understanding to know the shortness of our actions than he doth Holiness to enact and Power to execute his Laws Nay suppose we could recollect many actions wherein there were no spot visible to us the consideration of this Attribute should scare us from resting upon any or all of them since it is the Lord that by a piercing eye sees and judges according to the heart and not according to appearance The least crookedness of a Stick not sensible to an acute eye yet will appear when laid to the Line and the impurity of a Counterfeit Metal be manifest when applyed to the Touchstone so will the best action of any meer man in the World when it comes to be measur'd in Gods Knowledg by the strait Line of his Law Let every man therefore as Paul though he should know nothing by himself think not himself therefore justified Since it is the Lord who is of an infinite Understanding that Judgeth 1 Cor. 4.4 A man may be justified in his own sight but not any living man can be justified in the sight of God Psal 143.2 in his Sight whose eye pierceth into our unknown secrets and frames It was therefore well answered of a good man upon his Death-bed being ask't What he was afraid of I have laboured saith he with all my strength to observe the commands of God but since I am a man I am ignorant whether my works are acceptable to God since God Judges in one manner and I in another manner Let the consideration therefore of this Attribute make us join with Job in his Resolution Job 9.21 tho' we were perfect yet would we not know our own Souls I would not stand up to Plead any of my vertues before God Let us therefore look after another Righteousness wherein the exact eye of the Divine Omniscience we are sure can discern no stain or crookedness 6. What honourable and adoring Thoughts ought we to have of God for this Perfection Do we not honour a man that is able to Predict Do we not think it a great part of Wisdom Have not all Nations regarded such a faculty as a character and a mark of Divinity There is something more ravishing in the knowledg of future things both to the person that knows them and the person that hears them than there is in any other kind of knowledg whence the greatest Prophets have been accounted in the greatest veneration and men have thought it a way to glory to Divine and Predict Hence it was that the Devils
to see and he hath a great Wrath to Punish The Wheels in Ezekiel are full of Eyes A piercing Eye to behold the Sinner and a swift Wheel of Wrath to overtake him God is Light and of all things Light is most difficultly kept out The secretest Sins are set in the light of his Countenance * Psal 90.8 as legible to him as if writ with a Sun Beam More visible to him than the greatest Print to the sharpest Eye The Fornications of the Samaritan Woman perhaps known only to her own Conscience were manifest to Christ * John 4.16 There is nothing so secretly done but there is an infallible Witness to prepare a Charge Though God be invisible to us we must not imagine we are so to him 't is a vanity therefore to think we can conceal our selves from God by concealing the Notions of God from our sense and practice If Men be as close from the Eyes of all Men as from those of the Sun yea if they could separate themselves from their own Shadow they could not draw themselves from Gods Understanding How then can darkness shelter us or Crafty Artifices defend us With what shame will Sinners be filled when God who hath trac'd their Steps and writ their Sins in a Book shall make a Repetition of their Ways and unvail the Web of their Wickedness 2. What a dreadful Consideration is this to the juggling Hypocrite that masks himself with an appearance of Piety An infinite Understanding judges not according to Vails and Shadows but according to Truth He judges not according to appearance * 1 Sam. 16.7 The outward Comeliness of a work imposeth not on him his Knowledg and therefore his Estimations are quite of another Nature than those of Men. By this Perfection God looks through the Vail and beholds the litter of Abominations in the secrets of the Soul the true Quality and Principle of every Work and judges of them as they are and not as they appear Disguised Pretexts cannot deceive him the Disguises are known afar off before they are weav'd he pierceth into the depths of the most abstruse Wills all secret Ends are dissected before him Every action is naked in its outside and open in its inside all are as clear to him as if their Bodies were of Chrystal so that if there be any secret reserves he will certainly reprove us * Job 13.10 We are often deceiv'd we may take Wolves for Sheep and Hypocrites for Believers for the Eyes of Men are no better than Flesh and dive no further than appearance but an infinite Understanding that fathoms the secret depths of the Heart is too knowing to let a Dream pass for a Truth or mistake a Shadow for a Body Though we call God Father all our days speak the language of Angels or be endowed with the Gifts of Miracles he can discern whether we have his Mark upon us He can espy the Treason of Judas in a Kiss Herod's intent of Murdering under a specious pretence of Worship A Pharisees fraud under a broad Philactery A Ravenous Wolf under the softness of a Sheeps Skin And the Devil in Samuels Mantle or when he would shrowd himself among the Sons of God * Job 1.6 7. All the Rooms of the Heart and every atome of Dust in the least chink of it is clear to his Eye He can strip Sin from the fairest Excuses pierce into the Heart with more ease than the Sun can through the thinnest Cloud or Vapour and look through all Ephraims ingenuous Inventions to excuse his Idolatry * Hos 5.3 Hypocrisie then is a senseless thing since it cannot escape unmasking by an infinite Understanding As all our force cannot stop his Arm when he is resolved to Punish so all our sophistry cannot blind his Understanding when he comes to Judge Woe to the Hypocrite for God sees him all his juggling is open and naked to infinite Understanding 3. Is it not also a senseless thing to be careless of Sins committed long ago The old Sins forgotten by Men stick fast in an infinite Understanding Time cannot raze out that which hath been known from Eternity Why should they be forgotten many years after they were acted since they were foreknown in an Eternity before they were committed or the Criminal capable to practice them Amalek must pay their Arrears of their ancient Unkindness to Israel in the time of Saul though the Generation that committed them were rotten in their Graves * 1 Sam. 15.2 Old Sins are written in a Book which lies always before God and not only our own Sins but the Sins of our Fathers to be requited upon their Posterity * Isai 65.6 Behold it is written What a vanity is it then to be regardless of the Sins of an Age that went before us because they are in some measure out of our knowledge are they therefore blotted out of Gods remembrance Sins are bound up with him as Men do Bonds till they resolve to sue for the Debt The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up * Hos 13.12 As his fore-knowledge extends to all acts that shall be done so his remembrance extends to all acts that have been done We may as well say God fore-knows nothing that shall be done to the end of the World as that he forgets any thing that hath been done from the beginning of the World The former Ages of the World are no further distant from him than the latter God hath a Calendar as it were or an Account Book of Mens Sins ever since the beginning of the World what they did in their Childhood what in their Youth what in their Manhood and what in their Old Age He hath them in store among his Treasures * Deut. 32.34 He hath neither lost his Understanding to know them nor his Resolution to revenge them As it follows * Verse 35. To me Vengeance belongs He intends to enrich his Justice with a glorious manifestation by rendring a due Recompence And it is to be observed that God doth not only necessarily remember them but sometimes binds himself by an Oath to do it Amos 8.7 The Lord hath sworn by the Excellency of Jacob surely I will never forget any of their works Or in the Hebrew If I ever forget any of their works That is Let me not be accounted a God for ever if I do forget Let me lose my Godhead if I lose my remembrance 'T is not less a Misery to the Wicked than it is a Comfort to the Godly that their Record is in Heaven 4. Let it be observed That this infinite Vnderstanding doth exactly know the sins of Men he knows so as to consider He doth not only know them but intently behold them * Psal 11.4 His Eye-lids trie the Children of Men a Metaphor taken from Men that contract the Eye-lids when they would wistly and accurately behold a thing 't is not a transient and careless look Psal 10.14
Thou hast seen it Thou hast intently beheld it as the word properly signifies He beholds and knows the actions of every particular Man as if there were none but he in the World And doth not only know but ponder * Prov. 5.21 and consider their works * Psal 33.15 He is not a bare Spectator but a diligent Observer * 1 Sam. 2.3 By him actions are weighed To see what degree of good or evil there is in them what there is to blemish them what to advantage them what the quality and quantity of every action is Consideration takes in every Circumstance of the Considered Object Notice is taken of the place where the minute when the Mercy against which it is committed the number of them is exact in Gods Book They have tempted me now these ten times * Numb 14.22 against the demonstrations of my Glory in Egypt and the Wilderness The whole Guilt in every Circumstance is spread before him His knowledge of Mens Sins is not confused such an Imperfection an infinite Understanding cannot be subject to 'T is exact for iniquity is markt before him * Jer. 2.22 5. God knows Mens miscarriage so as to judge This use his Omniscience is put to to maintain his Soveraign Authority in the exercise of his Justice His notice of the Sins of Men is in order to a just Retribution Psal 10.14 Thou hast seen mischief to requite it with thy hand The Eye of his Knowledge directs the Hand of his Justice and no sinful action that falls under his Cognizance but will fall under his Revenge they can as little escape his Censure as they can his Knowledge He is a Witness in his Omniscience that he may be a Judge in his Righteousness He knows the hearts of the Wicked so as to hate their Works and testifie his abhorrency of that which is of high value with M n * Luke 16.15 Sin is not preserved in his Understanding or written down in his Book to be moth-eaten as an old Manuscript but to be open'd one day and Copied out in the Consciences of Men He writes them to publish them and sets them in the light of his Countenance to bring them to the light of their Consciences What a terrible consideration is it to think that the Sins of a day are upon Record in an Infallible Uunderstanding much more the Sins of a week What a number then do the Sins of a Month a Year ten or forty Years arise to How many actions against Charity against Sincerity what an infinite number is there of them all bound up in the Court Rolls of Gods Omniscience in order to a Tryal to be brought out before the Eyes of Men Who can seriously consider all those Bonds reserv'd in the Cabinet of Gods Knowledge to be sued out against the Sinner in due time without an unexpressible horror 4. The fourth Use is of Exhortation Let us have a sense of Gods Knowledge upon our hearts All Wickedness hath a spring from a want of due Consideration and sense of it David concludes it so * Psal 86.14 The proud rose against him and violent Men sought after his Soul because they did not set God before them They think God doth not know and therefore care not what nor how they act When the fear of this Attribute is remov'd a Door is open'd to all Impiety What is there so villanous but the minds of Men will attempt to act What Reverence of a Deity can be left when the sence of his infinite Understanding is extinguisht What Faith could there be in Judgments in Witnesses How would the Foundations of Humane Society be overturn'd The Pillars upon which Commerce stands be utterly broken and dissolved What Society can be preserved if this be not truly believed and faithfully stuck to But how easily would Oaths be swallowed and quickly violated if the sense of this Perfection were rooted out of the minds of Men What fear could they have of calling to Witness a Being they imagine blind and ignorant Men secretly imagine that God knows not or soon forgets and then make bold to Sin against him * Ezek. 8.12 How much does it therefore concern us to cherish and keep alive the sense of this If God writes us upon the Palms of his Hands as the Expression is to remember us let us engrave him upon the Tables of our Hearts to remember him It would be a good Motto to write upon our Minds God knows all he is of infinite Understanding 1. This would give check to much iniquity Can a Mans Conscience easily and delightfully swallow that which he is sensible falls under the Cognizance of God when it is hateful to the Eye of his Holiness and renders the Actor odious to him Doth he not see my ways and count all my steps saith Job * Job 31.4 To what end doth he fix this Consideration To keep him from wanton glances Temptations have no encouragement to come near him that is constantly arm'd with the thoughts that his Sin is Book't in Gods Omniscience If any impudent Devil hath the face to tempt us we should not have the impudence to joyn issue with him under the sense of an infinite Understanding How fruitless would his Wiles be against this Consideration How easily would his Snares be crackt by one sensible thought of this This doth Solomon prescribe to allay the heat of Carnal imaginations * Prov. 5.20 21. It were a useful Question to ask at the appearance of every Temptation at the entrance upon every Action as the Church did in Temptations to Idolatry * Psal 44.21 Shall not God search this out for he knows the secrets of the heart His Understanding comprehends us more than our Consciences can our acts or our understanding our thoughts Who durst speak Treason against a Prince if he were sure he heard him or that it would come to his knowledge A sense of Gods knowledge of Wickedness in the first motion and inward contrivance would bar the accomplishment and execution The Consideration of Gods infinite Understanding would cry stand to the first glances of the heart to Sin 2. It would make us watchful over our hearts and thoughts Should we harbour any unworthy thoughts in our Cabinet if our heads and hearts were possess'd with this useful truth That God knows everything which comes into our minds * Ezek. 11.5 We should as much blush at the rising of impure thoughts before the Understanding of God as at the discovery of unworthy actions to the knowledge of Men If we lived under a sense that not a thought of all those millions which flutter about our Minds can be conceal'd from him how watchful and careful should we be of our hearts and thoughts 3. It would be a good preparation to every Duty This Consideration should be the Preface to every service The Divine Understanding knows how I now act This would engage us to serious
Will which no Effects which he hath wrought can drain and put to a stand As he can raise Stones to be Children to Abraham * Mat. 3.9 so with the same mighty Word whereby he made one World he can make Infinite numbers of Worlds to be the Monuments of his Glory After the Prophet Jeremy 32.17 had spoke of Gods Power in Creation he adds And nothing is too hard for thee For one World that he hath made he can create Millions For one Star which he hath beautified the Heavens with he could have garnisht it with a Thousand and multiplied if he had pleased Rom. 4.17 every one of those into Millions for he can call things that are not not some things but all things possible The barren Womb of Nothing can no more resist his Power now to educe a World from it than it could at first No doubt but for one Angel which he hath made he could make many Worlds of Angels He that made one with so much ease as by a Word cannot want Power to make many more till he wants a Word The Word that was not too weak to make One cannot be too weak to make Multitudes If from One Man he hath in a way of Nature multiplied so many in all Ages of the World and covered with them the whole Face of the Earth he could in a Supernatural way by One Word multiply as many more 'T is the breath of the Almighty that gives life Job 33.4 He can create infinite Species and kinds of Creatures more than he hath created more variety of Forms For since there is no searching of his Greatness there is no conceiving the numberless possible effects of his Power The Understanding of Man can conceive Numberless things possible to be more than have been or shall be And shall we imagine that a Finite Understanding of a Creature hath a greater Omnipotency to conceive things possible than God hath to produce things possible When the Understanding of Man is tyr'd in its Conceptions it must still be concluded That the Power of God extends not only to what can be conceiv'd but infinitely beyond the measures of a Finite faculty Touching the Almighty we cannot find him out he is excellent in power and in judgment Job 36.23 For the Understanding of Man in its Conceptions of more kind of Creatures is limited to those Creatures which are It cannot in its own Imagination conceive any thing but what hath some foundation in and from something already in Being It may frame a new kind of Creature made up of a Lion a Horse an Ox but all those parts whereof its Conception is made have distinct Beings in the World though not in that composition as his Mind mixes and joyns them But no question but God can create Creatures that have no resemblance with any kind of Creatures yet in Being 'T is certain that if God only knows those things which he hath done and will do and not all things possible to be done by him his knowledge were finite so if he could do no more than what he hath done his Power would be finite 1. Creatures have a power to act about more objects than they do The Understanding of man can frame from one Principle of Truth many Conclusions and Inferences more than it doth Why cannot then the Power of God frame from one first Matter an infinite number of Creatures more than have been created The Almightiness of God in producing real Effects is not inferiour to the Understanding of man in drawing out real Truths An Artificer that makes a Watch supposing his liâ—e and health can make many more of a different form and motion And a Limner can draw many Draughts and frame many Pictures with a new variety of Colours according to the richness of his Fancy If these can do so that require a preexistent Matter fram'd to their hands God can much more who can raise beautiful Structures from nothing As long as men have matter they can diversifie the matter and make new Figures from it So long as there is nothing God can produce out of that nothing whatsoever he pleases We see the same in Inanimate Creatures A spark of Fire hath a vast Power in it it will kindle other things increase and enlarge it self Nothing can be exempt from the active force of it It will alter by consuming or refining whatsoever you offer to it It will reach all and refuse none and by the efficacious power of it all those new Figures which we see in Metals are brought forth When you have exposed to it a multitude of things still add more it will exert the same strength yea the vigour is increased rather than diminisht The more it catcheth the more fiercely and irresistibly it will act you cannot suppose an end oâ— its operation or a decrease of its strength as long as you can conceive its duration and continuance This must be but a weak shadow of that infinite Power which is in God Take another Instance in the Sun It hath power every year to produce Flowers and Plants from the Earth and as is able to produce them now as it was at the first lighting it and rearing it in the Sphear wherein it moves And if there were no kind of Flowers and Plants now created the Sun hath a power residing in it ever since its first Creation to afford the same warmth to them for the nourishâ—ng and bringing them forth Whatsoever you can conceive the Sun to be able to do in regard of Plants that can God do in regard of Worlds produce more Worlds than the Sun doth Plants every year without weariness without languishment The Sun is able to influence more things than it doth and produce numberless effects but it doth not do so much as it is able to do because it wants matter to work upon God therefore who wants no matter can do much more than he doth He can either act by second Causes if there were more or make more second Causes if he pleas'd 2. God is the most free Agent Every free Agent can do more than he will do Man being a free Creature can do more than ordinarily he doth will to do God is most free as being the Spring of Liberty in other Creatures He acts not by a necessity of Nature as the waves of the Sea or the motions of the Wind and therefore is not determin'd to those things which he hath already called forth into the World If God be infinâ—tely wise in contrivance he could contrive more than he hath and therefore can effect more than he hath effected He doth not act to the extent of his Power upon all occasions 'T is according to his will that he works Eph. 1. 'T is not according to his work that he wills his work is an evidence of his will but not the rule of his will His Power is not the rule of his Will but hâ—s Will is the disposer of