Natura naturata which is nothing else but the course of things This could not create 1. Because we see some things which come not from nature as heroicall vertues in men 2. If by nature then the natural courses of things should not be hindred but they have been hindered therefore all things were made by a supream Essence 3. There are innumerable creatures in the world there is a diversity of their natures and contrariety of creature against creature yet that there is such an harmonious concord between them argues there is a God that governs and over-rules all What a difference is there between the heavens and the earth and seas and if the creatures in their kinds fish foul beasts creeping things and all make but one World there is an hand that plays upon this Instrument which makes the strings of divers notes to make such an harmony as they do In a word The whole world of creatures are a world of demonstrative arguments to prove there is a God such as these 1. The consideration how all creatures in the world the upper and lower serve to one main end sc the good of man 2. The constant course of the creatures the sun knoweth his going down Psa 104. 19. The sun ariseth and the sun goeth down and hasteth to the place where he arose Eccl. 1. 5. The sun is said freely to run his course or which is all one to rejoyce to run it Psal 19. 5. The wind goeth toward the south and turneth about unto the north it whirleth about continually and the wind returneth again according to his circuits All the rivers run into the sea yet the sea is not full unto the place from whence the rivers come thither they return again Eccl. 1. 6 7. 3. The variety of seasons as spring summer harvest winter Seed time and harvest cold and heat summer and winter day and nighr cease not Gen. 8. 22. With these various seasons we are also to consider the particular passages in them as rains and showrs and the fruitfulness of the seasons Can any Jer. of the vanities of the Gentiles give rain it is in vain to cry O Baal hear us The continual preservation and maintenance of the world and the ordination of each several kind of creatures to their particular end these things do sufficiently prove that there is a God Many more arguments of this nature might be brought but I will conclude this argument with that speech of Hugo Cardinalis Hugo Card. There is saith he a threefold voice of every creature to every man 1. There is Vox famulantis they tell thee they are thy servants the Sun Moon and Starrs tell thee they are thy servants they are restless and move every day to give thee light the clouds tell thee that they are carried about upon the wings of the wind to water the earth for thee the earth tells thee that she is plowed up and brings forth corn and grass for thee the beasts tell thee that they are for thy use and serve 2. There is vox admonentis admonishing and instructing us of our duty to God that we should love that God glorifie that God as God praise that God that hath made them for our use service and comfort 3. There is vox comminantis the creatures do threaten the Atheists and all abominable disobedient wretches unto their God to be their destructions and instruments of horrible vengeance to them The fire threatens to burn the Atheists and those that will not honour God but rebell against him the water threatens to drown them the earth to swallow them up and to devour them Sect. 3. The second argument shall be this Arg. 2. All nations in the world did and do acknowledg a deity it makes nothing for the Atheist that they worshipped many Gods as the Host of heaven Beasts Herbs yea some a red clout hanging upon a pole Yet in that they had always something which they worshipped in a religious manner and called in their own language God iâ— is argument sufficient that all nation did acknowledg there is a God Yea every man doth acknowledg there is a God for those that are reckoned and esteemed of for most professed Atheists yet 't is more then probable that they do not altogether deny a God but onely deny that God Aquinas takes any care in governing the lower and inferiour matters in the world So Aquinas thinketh Others again say that professed Atheists did not nor ever could deny there was a God but did endeavour to extinguish the knowledg of God in them Or as others optativè they did wish in their hearts that there were no God at all and therefore gave themselves over to act all wickedness against the knowledg of God that so they might extinguish that shining knowledg of God in their hearts but could never S. Augustine saith of Atheists that albeit there be some who think or would perswade themselvs that there is no God yet the most vile and desperate wretch that ever lived would not say There was no God They that made it their work to study Atheism could never extinguish the knowledg that there is a God Sect. 4. Because I had rather deal with wicked Atheists themselves I will argue from Atheists themselves that there is a God 1 From that discerning judgment of Arg. 1. good and evil in every man all men do and can discern evil from good and say Such an act is evil and unreasonable such an act is good which would not be if there were not a God which is the supream Law-giver who writes his laws upon the hearts of men by which they judg of good and evil If this distinction of good from evil were from men then what man did appoint to be good though evil in it self should be good and what man did determine to be evil though good in it selâ— should be evil then the adulteâ—er would have his uncleanness to be no sin the drunkard would haveâ— is drunkenness to be no sin the murderer wouâ—d have murther to be no sin men would not have any vices that they themselves are addicted unto to be sin But we plâ—inly see that men who are addicted to base lusts ever condemn them for vices both in themselves and others So again other common notions of the law engraven upon the consciences of all men prove there is a God as that God is to be worshipped that parents are to be honoured and such like these shâ—w that there is an universal cause stamping these upon mens hearts which cause is God A second argument is taken from Aâ—g 2 their own conscience by this Athâ—ists may be convinced there is a God O Atheist why doth tâ—y conscience terrifie thee when thou dost evâ—l gripe thee with fearfull accusations condemn thee bring old sins to thy remembrance and witnesse them against thee if it be not because 't is Gods Vice-gerent in thy soul The wicked flees when no
to conceive something may be greater than God but it is impossible for the understanding of Men or Angels to conceive a thing may be greater than God See in what manner the Prophet prayeth to God and then tell me whether we can conceive any thing greater than he Jer. 32. 17 18 19. Ah Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched-out arm and there is nothing too hard for thee Thou shewest loving kindness to thousands c. The great the mighty God the Lord of hosts is his name Great in counsel and mighty in working For thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings He is called the blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who onely hath immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto whom no man hath seen nor can see to whom be honour and power everlasting Amen 1 Tim. 6. 15 16. Now these three things may fully evince that God is infinite and incomprehensible 1. Because God is absolutely and eminently perfect not so much as a negative imperfection is in God All perfections are his essence or rather his essence is all perfections all infinite power infinite mercy infinite justice infinite wisdom therefore he is called Pelagus essentiae a sea of being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We may behold great perfection in the creatures Angels are great in power great in wisdome but all the perfections that are in creatures are but as a drop of a bucket in comparison of the main Ocean they are as nothing 2. God is infinitely powerful therefore infinite in his essâ—nce that he is infinite in power witness his Creation of the world there is an act and work proper onely to infinite power witness the upholding the whole world by the word of his power 3. From his great Creatures which he hath made we may apprehend the Iâ—finiteness of God Quod efficit tale est magis tale ex pede Herculem The Earth and Water are a vast and great globe the Heaven especially the Heaven of Heavens is of a most vast and inconceiveable circumference the very Sun and but one Star in the Heavens is far greater then the World is now if God hath made such great things he must needs be infinite see what the Scripture speaks of the great creatures in comparison of God Isa 40. 10. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and meted out heaven with a span and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a ballance Behold the Nations are as a drop of a Bucket and accounted as the small dust of the ballance behold be taketh up the Isles as a very little thing All Nations before him are as nothing they are counted to him lesse then nothing and vanity ver 15. 17. CHAP. V. IF God be infinite hence you may Vse 1. learn what an evil sin is that it is an infinite evil because it is committed against an infinite God We measure sin by the act and not by the object the act is transient it passeth away an idle word a vain thought a vain thought as a vain thought is little and so we are apt to think the sin little because we measure it according to the act not by the object against whom it is committed Men make nothing of an Oath of a Lye of being drunk even such gross sins as these are bâ—cause they measure them by the act but this is but a wrong Rule to measure your actions by you must measure sin by the object against whom it is committed which is God and so every sin is an infinite evil Thy idle words are infinite evils because sinâ— against God much more thy blasphemies Words spoken against the Kâ—ng and a small wrong done to his person is Crimen laesae Majestatis is high treâ—son but worâ—s spoken against an ordinary man are not so because 't is the King against whom they are spoken makes them treasonable and brings death and destruction to him that speaks them Hence it is that God will punish every sin with an infinite punishment in respect of duration those sins of which thou makest no reckoning the infinite God will inflict wrath upon thy soul for them Thou makest no matter of thy idle words and vain thoughts oh know that God will punish thy idle words and vain thoughts with infinite wrath Psal â—0 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath Here is an Use of singular Comfort Use 2. to all broken-hearted sinners God's mercies are infinite his mercy is incomprehensible You think your sins are greater then can be pardoned yet though thy sins be great and numberless God's mercies are infinitely more infinite Thou canst not out vie God's mercies Lay down as many sins as thou canst at stâ—ke God will lay down infinite multiâ—udes of mercies Turn thou from thy wicked ways and believe and prove whether the Lord will not pour down mercies that there shall not be room enough to receive them God will abundantly pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord For as the Heavens are higher then the earth so are my ways higher then your ways and my thoughts then your thoughts As if God should say your thoughts are that you are the most notorious sinners that are that your sins are unpardonable you think with your selves is it possible that such a sinner should find mercy Will God be gracious to such a vile wretch as I am Thou hast saith God too shallow thoughts concerning me my thoughts are not like thine thy thoughts of my way of mercy are but finite poor conceits but my thoughts of love and mercy to broken hearted sinners that humble themselves unfeignedly are like my self infinite I have infinite thoughts of mercy toward you I have infinite thoughts of mercy for you for as the heaven is higher then the earth so are my ways higher then your ways and my thoughts higher then your thoughts Isa 57. 7. 8. 9. When men do think their sins unpardonable what do they they but make God finite his mercies finite his mercies comprehensible 3. If God be an infinite majesty Use 3. this may serve as an use of instruction to us 1. Then it concerns us to behave our selves with all humility and reverence when we draw nigh to God by how much greater a prince is the more reverence we shew to him God is great infinite majesty therefore worthy of all fear submission and reverence the Angels in heaven cover their faces standing in His presence Isa 6. Beholding his infinite and most glorious majesty and their own nothing this is Solomon's exhortation to all that pray to consider what
God must needs know all because God doth not concurr with the creature ignorantly or rashly but with knowledge and counsel 3. God must necessarily know all Reas 3. things because there is nothing done but what God did fore know and from eternity decree should come to pass All his decrees are acts of the Understanding and Will of God but God did decree what should be God knoweth he can make a thousand Worlds and many thousand Creatures more than he hath made onely God decrees to make but so many who took an handful of clay out of the infinite mass and made this world So there is no action of any creature but God hath decreed it as it is an action therefore he must needs foreknow it There is not a thought in thy mind nor a word in thy tongue nor an action of thy hand but comes within rhe compass of God's decree therefore he is said to know our thoughts afar off and the same may be said concerning his knowledg of our words and actions yea every circumstance of all thy actions what words or what thoughts at such a time of such an object therefore he must needs know all things altogether 4. God doth order guide direct Reas 4. all creatures and their actions to some determinate end therefore he must needs know all things otherwise he could not guide and direct them He guides and governeth all the inanimate creatures and all the brutish creatures to their proper particular ends Yea when the World seemeth to be all out of order the course of nature to be in a confusion God wisely guideth tumults and confusions to a good end God doth order guide and direct the sins of wicked men therefore he must needs know all their sins he prefixeth a time how long they shall sinne the number of their sins the measure of their sins therefore he must needs know all their sins he could not otherwise guide direct limit permit restrain them wicked men cannot sin when they please nor do what they list 5. Because God's understanding is Reas 5. infinite intensivè extensivè His understanding is his own Essence therefore he must know infinite objects which could not be if he did not know all things every particular individual object that is or can be Whither shall I go from thy Spirit saith David Psal 139. 7. that is from Gods understanding so Spirit is taken there I can go no where but God will know where I am what I do think or speak in Heaven in Hell at the uttermost part of the earth in dark or lightsom places Gods Spirit is there he understandeth and knoweth what thou and I do 6. Again we may draw a Reason from two Instances 1. That God knoweth what every man doth in publique or secret may appear by the griping accusations of our own Consciences bringing to mind our old transgressions acted a gâ—eat while since and it may be forgotten for a long time yet Conscience hath brought them to mind Now who make Conscience to consider and to call to mind by-past transgressions but God who is greater than our Consciences and knoweth all things and presenâ—s these to the eye of our Consciences And what is the language of our Conscience but God will judge thee for these things 2. Again God manifesteth the knowledge of all our counsels plots and secret devices because he often turneth the malicious counsels of Devilish Achitophels into their own shame and destruction 'T is God that knoweth the thoughts of men to be vanity and turneth their thoughts into vanity their wisdom into folly their mischievous plots into their own downfall and destruction he takes the wise in their own craft God did reveal to David what the men of Keilah would do to him and how Saul would follow him to Keilah and so disappointed them this is a most pregnant Argument of Gods Omnisciency When wicked men sit and take counsel together against the Lord and his Anointed God sits in Heaven and laughs them to scorn 7. Because without knowledge of Reas 7. all particulars of our thoughts words and actions with all their circumstances God who is the just Judge of all the world cannot give righteous judgment God hath said That he will judge every man according to his works which he cannot did not he know the actions of men good and evil with all their circumstances Verily saith our Saviour Men shall give an account of every idle word then God must know every word altogether that we speak In the last day God will judge the secrets of mens hearts how can he judge thee for thy secret thoughts and intents and aims if the Lord did not know thy thoughts every particular action of thy mind though they pass away in thy mind in a moment Gods judgment is infallible if he did not know all he may be deceived and we might hide many things from God Gods judgment is true did not he know all things he would not know how to judge men either to eternal death or eternal life Gods judgment shall be perfectly proportionable to the good or evil actions of men How can he render proportionable vengeance to wicked men and render to every man according to his works if he did not know all particulars Gods judgment will be publique in respect of bringing to light all secret wickednesses and all secret duties and this he could not do did not he know all things CHAP. VI. Sect. 1. 1. THe first Use of this Point is for Vse 1. Terrour to the wicked whose atheistical hearts licence them to commit sin upon this blasphemous conceit Tush God knows not what we do God regards and sees us not Well! He that made the eye and gives to thee a seeing eye he sees thee there is for all thy actions He that gave man the hearing ear he heareth every word there is for all thy words He that gives to man the knowing heart he knoweth all there is for all thy thoughts Therefore rejoyce thou Atheist and let thy heart chear thâ—e be filthy still in thy thoughts and affections be thou unjust still in thy words and actions but yet know the Lord knows all and for these things will bring thee to Judgmâ—nâ— Mark what God will one day say to the wicked and all Hypocrites Depart from me ye wicked I kniw you not ye workers of iniquity You may see God is said to know and not to know the wicked He knows that they are workers of iniquity and knows all their works He knows the Drunkard and his drunkenness c. He knows their persons and their actions so as to hate them He knows them so as to bring them to judgment for all their works of iniquity He knows them so as to take vengeance on them and to destroy them from his blessed presence but yet God knows them not so as to approve of their persons or courses so as to shew them the least
appears by this Chapter and by the fourth and tenth Chapters In his speaking of Christ he sets him forth two ways 1. In his absolute and personal excellency in the beginning of the first Chapter 2. In his comparative excellency being compared with Angels Prophets and Priests and Levitical Sacrifices he sheweth how Christ infinitely transcends all these He sheweth how far he excelleth all the glorious Angels in the first Chapter and that in divers particulars 1. He is the natural Son of God 2. He is the heir of all things 3. He is the Creatour and Lord of Angels him all the glorious Angels worship and adore Then he shews Christs transcendent excellency above all Prophets he instanceth in Moses the first and Prince of Prophets here in this third Chapter setting forth the excellency of Moses in an high manner that he might the better declare the transcendent excellency of Christ above him The thing chiefly commended in Moses was his faithfulness in Gods House by house understand not a material but a spiritual house his Church Now Christ excelled Moses in two things 1. Christ was the Son of God Moses a Servant 2. Christ was builder and Master of the House Moses was part of this house Now in the following Verses the Apostle strongly inferreth that Christ is more excellent then Angels and Moses We ought to give more heed to the word spoken by him then to the word spoken by Angels or by Moses and this he presseth from the danger of unbeleif after men have heard and received the Gospel of Christ Those that did not beleive Moses were not suffered to enter into Canaan but perished in the Wildernes Now the Apostle tells the Hebrews that as God dealt with their forefathers for their unbelief so will he deal with all unbeleivers they shall never enter into his glorious rest but shall perish eternally My Text is a serious admonition to all to beware of unbeleif seeing it shuts men out of heavenly rest and throws them headlong into hellish torments Wherefore Calv. in loc for so Calvin thinketh is to be referred to this twelfth verse all the foregoing words being a Parenthesis take heed lest there be in any of you c. In the words there are these three things considerable 1. A dangerous disease to which those that make profession of Christ are subject viz. Apostacy from Christ who is here stiled a living God 2. The cause of that dangerous disease is an evil heart of unbeleif it is an hebraism put for an evil unbeleiving heart where the Apostle doth describe unbeleif by an elegant paranomasia 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unbeleif is Apostacy 3. The cure and remedy both of the root and disease Take heed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 look about you look circumspectly above all things take heed of an unbeleiving heart for in time of trial it will make you to fall off from God There are these four points observable from these words 1. That an unbeleiving heart is Observ the evil heart 2. That an unbeleiving heart is the cause of Apostacy from God 3. Christians must specially watch and keep their own hearts 4. That our God is a living God CHAP. II. MY purpose is onely to handle the last point viz. that attribute of the life of God That God from whom unbeleivers back-slide is a living God The life of God is taken two ways in Scripture 1. For that life whereby God liveth Vita Dei dicitur vel quâ vivit in nobis qui regenerati sumus in his Saints or a Saints godly life â—ph 4. 18. The Apostle setting forth the state of unregenerate persons men addicted to their lusts saith They are alienated from the life of God that is have no acquaintance with the holy heavenly and spiritual life this life is here called the life of God and Gal. 2. 20. it is called the life of Christ I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me this life is also called the life of the spirit and beleivers are also said to live in the spirit Gal. 5. 25. But this life I am not to speak of 2. T is taken for that essential Vel quà ipse vivit in sese life of God or that life which God liveth himself and in himself and which is very God himself In him was life saith John of Christ as God John 1. 4. that is essentia vivens ab aeterno in aeternum that living essence who lives for ever and ever giving life to all others and this I am to speak of As the life of God is taken two ways so again living God is taken two ways in Scripture 1. Either it is opposed unto dead and false gods 1 Thes 1. 9. Ye turned from idols which cannot hear speak or do any thing for you to the living and true God Or 2. Living God implies that God is a powerful lively and effectual God Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God most powerful able to destroy body and soul or who eternally liveth to take eternal vengeance on your immortal souls This being premised I will briefly shew what the life of God is Thus it is described It is Gods own divine being Descr who of himself doth all things and is the Author of all life in his creatures Or thus It is the divine being who of himself understandeth willeth and loveth infinitely and is the fountain of all life being and motion in all his creatures both bodily and spiritual Let me give it in parts 1. It is the divine being so it is Anima vivere operationes vitae distinguished from the life of creatures for in their life are three things the soul by which it liveth the life it self and the actions of life distinguished in the creatures but in God the essence life and the actions of life are one and the same his life is nothing else but his very being hence he is called that life and life eternal and the living God 2. Who of himself doth all things or of himself understandeth willeth and loveth all things and in this he is distinguished from the life of creatures for they live in another live move and have their being in God but he most independently lives of himself understandeth and willeth of himself therefore called Jehovah who hath being from himself 3. He is the Author of all life in his Creatures in him they live if he withdraw himself Creatures are turned into destruction if he say Return again ye sons of men they live Psa 90. 3. of dry bones he makes living men and of living men he makes dry bones T is said he breathed the spirit of life into Adam and he takes away mans breath again Some Divines make a fivefold life of men 1. The life of nature and this God is the Author of he made man a living soul In him was life and that life was the light of men