1. SERM. I. The First Sermon on the Nature of God.
SERM. I. The First Sermon on the Nature of God.
T he last day, you may remember, we opened that Point of the condition that men are in that live without a God in the world; It is evil to be without bread, without friends, without outward comforts; how great an evil then to be without a God in the world? And who they were that did live without a God in the world, that knew him not, that had no interest in him, and the like; and then was promised, Therefore seeing there are so many poor wretched creatures, so many Families that live without a God in the world, that know nothing of him, and live as if they expected nothing from him, and fear no evil to come from him at all; therefore we promised to labor to set forth before you somewhat of God that might help you to know him, to show you what he is: And to that end turn to that Scripture, Psal.
148, part of the 13th ver.
For his Name alone is excellent.
This Psalm is a Psalm of praise, praising of God for all the glorious manifestations of himself in his great Works, and calling upon all creatures to praise him, because he is glorious in every creature; but the Psalmist rests
not in this, in praising God for the glory of him that appears in the creatures, but he rises higher, and takes indeed the rise from thence to praise and bless
God for what there is in himself, above that which doth appear in any creature. For so it is clear, that to this the Psalmist doth arise in my Text, Let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name alone is excellent, his glory is above the Earth and Heaven. The Earth and Heaven, and all creatures therein, are called to praise God's name, and David praises the name of God for what appeared there, but saith he, Praise the Lord: for his Name alone is excellent, and his glory is above the Earth and Heaven. His Name, the Name of God is either taken for God himself, or for the manifestation of God; often in Scripture for God himself, as, The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower, the righteous run unto it, and are safe; that is, God himself,
He is the strength and Tower, he is the object of the trust of his people; and so other Scriptures; or otherwise, that whereby God may be known; His
Name is great in Israel: And here we are to understand both; for his Name alone is excellent, that is, God himself is excellent alone, the Name of him, of him alone, is high, is lifted up, is excellent; and that we are to understand by the Name of God here, God himself, as well as his Manifestations, appears in the words at the end of the verse, His glory is above the earth and heaven. Now God's manifestation is either in heaven or earth. But there is a further glory of God that is in himself, that is beyond all that is, or can be manifested in, or to any creature; so that from the words thus opened, there are these two doctrinal Points one (I will but only touch it) is raised from the connection of the words with the former, and the other, that is, the substance of the Text, that we shall abide a while upon.
The first is this, That a gracious heart is not satisfied with praising God only for his works, but rises higher to praise him, and especially to praise
him for himself, for that that it sees in himself.
I say, a gracious heart doth not stick in the Works of God; nor is it only enlarged to praise God for what it sees in God's works, but it will rise higher than all the works of God, and praise him especially for that it sees in himself; Thy self O Lord is excellent, the glory that is in thyself, it is above the earth, and above the heaven. While we praise God for what we see in his works, our thoughts and hearts are limited; for God's manifestations of himself are finite, and so there is not that spaciousness that a gracious heart desires to let our itself in: but when it can rise up to God himself, and look at the infinite excellency that there is in himself above all that doth appear in his works, then the heart enlarged with grace can expatiate itself to the uttermost, and that is that which doth delight him, then is a gracious heart indeed in its own element, when it is expatiating itself even in God himself.
And further God in setting himself before the soul in way of Covenant, he doth not only tell those that he takes into Covenant, that he will do such and such things for them, but he would have them to close with himself, I will be your God. The Lord told Abraham that he would be his exceeding great reward, but that would not satisfy Abraham, What wilt thou give me?
Having an eye to Christ, and the enjoyment of God in him; so let God say that he will do never such things for a gracious heart, that is not enough, except God himself be the portion of the soul, the soul cannot be satisfied with anything that God doth; if God should say to one whose heart he hath enlarged with grace, I will give thee all the world to possess, thou shalt have all the glory, all the pomp, all the sweetness, all the comforts in the world; nay more than that, I will make ten thousand worlds more, and give thee them all, and they shall have all of them more excellency than this present
world hath; why all this would not satisfy a heart enlarged with grace for the portion of it, though such a one sees itself unworthy of the least crumb of bread, yet it cannot be satisfied with all the world, what then will satisfy him? Only God himself, for so God propounds himself unto his people in way of Covenant, I will be thy God, I will be your portion; And upon this, those that are in Covenant with him, though they do rejoice to see God manifesting himself in all his Names, they bless God for the beholding so much as they do of him in his works; but the thing that their hearts are most upon; is God himself, the excellency that there is in God above all his works.
And as it is in praising God, so also it is in other workings of the heart towards God, as now grace doth not love God so much for what God gives to it, as for what God is himself; that is the difference between true sanctifying grace, and common grace; common grace may make me love
God for what I receive from him, or for what I hope to receive from him; but sanctifying grace makes me to love God for what is in himself, more than for what I receive from him, or expect to receive; and so there may be the fear of God for some works of God, when God doth manifest his power and dreadfulness in his works, in thundering or lightening, then the heart of a sinner may fear God, though there be no grace; but now where there is grace, such a one fears God more, because of that excellency he sees in God himself, than from any dreadful works of God; and this would be a good rule to try yourselves by: You say you fear God, why? If you fear God, if it be the right fear of God, you will fear God more for what you see in God himself, than for any works of God, than for any works of his judgments, or threatening's, and the like: And so in the desires of the heart after God, why, where the heart is gracious it works after God for himself, and not for his
gifts; It is an argument of a false love, a whorish love, for the wife to love her husband for that she shall have by him, and not to love his person more:
And so it is a sign of a base slavish spirit for a child to love his father because he gives him meat and drink, and clothes, and will leave him an inheritance, and not rather to love the very person of his Father; so the heart is but false with God that loves God, and that desires after God, more for anything that God doth, than for what God is; and as these workings of heart, love, and fear, and desire, are more in respect of God himself, than of his works; so praises of God, and delighting in God, where it is from true grace, it is more from what the soul sees in God, than from the manifestation of all the glory of God in all his works, for, Praise the Name of the Lord, For his Name is excellent, his glory is above the earth and heaven (but we shall let this pass.) The main Point in the Text which we are to pitch on is this, That God is a most excellent being above all things.
This is the work that now I have to do, to endeavor to present God in the excellency of his being to you, only you must by way of caution know before we do begin, That God dwells in that light that is unapproachable, 1
Tim. 6:16. That it is but little that we do, or can know of God. And before we begin to set forth the excellency of God's being to you, you must know, that there is infinitely more than either the tongue of Man or Angel can express; when we have done all we can, there is more in God that is beyond what we can say, or Angels could preach unto you; I say, more than the glorious light of the Sun is more than a little glittering of a glow-worm in the night, more than all the Sea is beyond, and above a spoonful, a drop of water.
And further by way of Caution, you must know this, that it is impossible to set before you the excellency of God's being, and yet to speak so as everything should be plain to everyone. Many things in the opening of God's Nature to you, must needs have some difficulty in them, because the subject that we are speaking of, is so high above us; especially it must needs be difficult to unclean spirits, to spirits that have always been groveling below in the dirt, to drowsy spirits that think nothing to be excellent, but only to eat and drink, and satisfy their flesh; when they hear the excellency of God's Being set out unto them, it must needs be an argument above their reach; it cannot be expected that it is possible to speak so as their hearts should close with what is said, to apprehend it.
But howsoever we do not know what God may do in going along with his word, how he may come by his Spirit even to those that are of the weakest capacity, therefore I shall endeavor to do that that is my work, that is, to show you somewhat of God, what an excellent being he is, and so leave the work of the Spirit of God to himself, to make known those things that shall be propounded, and to settle them upon your hearts. Wherefore then God is an excellent being above all things.
First, He is, and there is none else besides him. The truth is, we can scarce say that anything is but God, Exod. 3:14. When God came to Moses to send him to Pharaoh, and Moses would know the Name of God, he bid him say, I am that I am; I am hath sent me; and God only describes himself thus unto
Moses, I am, I am a being; and so the name Jehovah is a name proper to God, that signifies God's being: Now might Moses say, Lord, is this a name that will distinguish thee from anything else, to say I am? Cannot any man say so, I am? But yet God gives this name of his, as his proper name merely, I am a being, and I am that being that I am; and that is all the name
God would tell Moses, when Moses did desire to know so much of him, and how he might express him that did send him, I am that I am:
For indeed God's being it is that that is proper, and all other creatures in comparison of this God, have but a shadow of being, therefore in Prov.
8:21, saith Wisdom there (that is Godliness) I cause to inherit substance, the words are translated by the Learned, that which is Grace carries to God, and so by Grace being carried to God, we come to inherit that which is, as if all the while we inherited anything in the world, we did not inherit that which is. God himself properly is; So in Isa. 45:5,6. I am Jehovah, and there is none else besides me. There is nothing that hath a being besides me (that is) not such a being, as we shall further open, yea and in comparison no being; therefore in Isa. 40:15,17. We have a most excellent expression of the excellency of God's being in comparison of all other things, All the Nations of the world they are as the drop of the bucket, and as the small dust of the balance in comparison of God, Yea they are all nothing, less than nothing?
What an expression is here; take all the Nations of the world, put them all together, they are all but as the drop of the bucket, that you shall see hang a little at the bottom, but as a little dust of the balance; how soon may you take your finger, and wipe off the drop of the bucket? Why so even all
Nations of the world may as soon perish in respect of God; yea as if the Holy Ghost had said too much when he compared the Nations of the world to God (as if he should say) what, did I say they were as the drop of the bucket, and as the small dust in the balance? Nay, they are nothing at all; nay, and I must go lower, they are less than nothing. And thus you see the Name of God is alone excellent, because indeed he is such a being, as in comparison of him there is nothing that is worthy of the name of a being.
That 40th of the Prophecy of Isaiah, when you come home, it will be a good
Chapter to read in your Families, to set out the greatness of God, for that is the work we are about to show, you what a God you have to deal withal in all your ways, the Name of God is excellent; Read that Chapter, and you will find God's Name set out as excellent indeed there. But that is the first.
In the second place, God, he is a present being, I am, saith he, that is, God enjoys himself, that infinite being of himself altogether, there is no succession at all in the being of God, as there is in other creatures, the creature enjoys but little of its own being; I beseech you consider the difference between God and the creature in this, when (I say) he is a present being, that is set forth in the words I am; I say the creature enjoys but very little of its own being; why, because whatsoever is past, it cannot enjoy, and whatsoever is to come it enjoys not; now all that it doth enjoy of itself, it is only what it hath at an instant, this present instant what it hath, that it may be said to be; but now with God there is nothing past, there is nothing to come; there is nothing past, I say, in respect of God's being, there is nothing to come, but his being is always present, he always saith, I am; therefore
Christ speaking of his Divine Nature, in Joh. 8:58, saith he, Before Abraham was, I am; Christ doth not say, I was before Abraham was, no, but before Abraham was, I am. Certainly this had been no good English to have spoken of any creature; If any man should say thus, Before such a thing was, I am; if any Angel should say so, this were no proper speech; but Christ saith so, Before Abraham was, I am, because Christ in regard of his
Divine Nature hath no succession of being at all; we cannot say that God hath so many years added to him since the world began, God was as eternal before the world was, as he is now, or ever shall be; it cannot be said that he was, not will be, but always it may be said I am; I am, was, and will be, the difference of time, it is in respect of the creature, not in respect of God, and
that is the reason of those phrases in Scripture, That a thousand years with God are as one day, and one day as a thousand years; There is no difference of time with God at all: And that is the second thing, therefore he alone is excellent.
Thirdly, This being of God it is in all places. His excellency it is everywhere throughout the world, and that, first, Not virtually only, God is not in every place only virtually by his power, that is, he works in every place, but he is in every place essentially. Secondly, God is not in every place by motion, from one place to another, and so gradually is in all places, but God is every moment in every place.
Thirdly, God is not in every place to fill heaven and earth, that is, one part in one place, and another in another, as a great thing that fills such a room, one part is in one place, and another is in another; but God fills heaven and earth, that is, all of God is everywhere, all that God is, is in every place: Yea further, God is as much beyond every place, as he is in every place; he is as much beyond the circumference of the heavens, and the earth, as he is in them; yea if God should make ten thousand worlds more, he would fill all those as well as he doth this, without any motion at all, he would not move from one place to another to fill up ten thousand worlds (if there were so many new ones made) but in the same instant in which they were all made, that immense being of his would fill up all. Surely God is a most excellent
Being then above all other things whatsoever.
Fourthly (for I intend but merely to present the chief things of the excellency of God before you, and not to stand handling of these at large, for every one of them might require a large tractate, but now only to present before you what a God it is that you have to deal with) God is a Being that is All-sufficient in himself; He stands in no need of any creature; in Acts
17:25. He hath need of nothing, of none of us, he hath enough within himself; before the world was, God was as blessed in himself as now he is; there can be nothing added to him, there is such an excellency even in God's being its self, that there can be nothing added to him; we are poor creatures, that stand in need of a thousand things continually, the air to breathe in, the earth to bear us, fire to warm us, clothes to cover us, meat and drink, a thousand things; we stand in need of the meanest creature, and if God should take away the use of some mean contemptible creature, our lives would be made miserable to us; but that is the excellency of God's being that he hath need of nothing, he hath all within himself, all the creatures in heaven and earth, cannot add to him; no if there were ten thousand worlds more, although God did possess them all, yet they would not add one whit unto what is in God himself; therefore though the Lord hath made the heaven and earth, and all things therein, yet we must not think that God is ever a whit the better for these things, or hath the more glory; he had as much glory and blessedness in himself, as now he hath, or can have; when all the Angels and Saints shall be eternally blessing God in heaven, yet they can add nothing to God's glory: We say the Sun is a glorious creature, but doth that add any light to the Sun? So for Saints and Angels to be praising and blessing God, what doth that add to God? And in this the Name of God is excellent.
5. But further, in the fifth place, His Name alone is excellent in this thing, that his excellency is universal, that is, all excellencies that are in all creatures in heaven and earth, they are all in him virtually, and eminently, he hath them all in his own being, Psal. 94:9. Shall not he that made the ear hear, he that formed the eye shall not he see? The argument there will confirm this to us, that whatsoever is in the creature that hath any
excellency in it, that excellency is in God in an eminent way; the creature, one hath one drop of excellency, and another hath another drop of excellency in it, and so a third a third, every creature hath its particular excellency in it, but God is an universal good, all excellencies in all creatures are in God, all beauty, all comfort, all goodness, whatsoever hath any loveliness or desirableness in it, I say it is all in God, and I know not any one consideration that will help us more to understand God while we are here in the flesh than this, for in regard of our weakness, we can know little or nothing of God, but by looking into the creature, and so rising from them.
Now then when we come to look upon the creatures, and we see an excellency in one creature, and another in another, Now if we can conceive as it were the quintessence of all these excellencies drawn out, and conceive a being that hath all these together in him, this being is an excellent being indeed; this would make us to look upon God above the creature when we look upon everything that is good in the creature to be in God himself, why then what ever the creature hath to draw the heart, why that the soul saith is in God; and indeed this one consideration of God, and the presenting of God to the soul in this manner, is a special work of God's converting a soul to himself; when I say, the Lord intends to draw a soul to himself, to have the heart that was let out after creature-comforts, now to close with himself, and choose himself for his portion, the Lord doth show this to the soul: Soul what wouldest thou have, thou wouldest have this comfort, and the other comfort to delight and content thee; Know there can be nothing in any creature that thou seest, but thou mayest have it in me. Now this indeed we cannot by sense see, the comforts of the creature are sensibly before us, and we see them by our senses; but now God is above our sense, God he is
above our reason, and there must be faith to close with him; but now when God would convert a soul to himself, he doth show himself in such a way to the soul, as the soul doth see that there is all good in him that there is in the creature, and that it is in God in a more satisfying and eminent manner.
Certainly, whatsoever there is in the effect, it must needs be in the causes; now as all effects are to be resolved into the causes, so all causes are to be resolved into this excellent being, that is the first cause of all things; for these creatures that are effects, they have other causes of them, yet those causes are effects of some higher causes, at length we must come to the first cause, and all must be resolved into that; nay all excellencies in the creature are more in God, than the excellency of the effect is in its causes; for the causes when an effect is resolved into them, the causes if they be not united to produce such an effect, they cannot do immediately that thing that the effect could do; but now all excellency is so in God, as look what power any creature hath, or what thing it can do by any excellency it hath, that God can do; look what comfort it can bring by any good it hath in it, the same comfort God can bring; so that all is to be resolved into God; not that God hath all formally in him, as fire, air, meat, and drink, but what good there is here, what excellency there is here, it is eminently in God, that is,
God is able to do of himself by his own being, whatsoever any creature is able to do, though all the creatures in the world should be annihilated (taken away) and thou only let live, God by his immediate power is able to let out to thee all those variety of comforts that all the creatures the world had before could do: Now when we can find all made up in God (as we say sometimes, that in someone good dish, there is all dishes made up (that is but a similitude) but here it is really that whatsoever any child of God loses in the creature, such a one can find it to be made up in God) Indeed this is
the art and skill of Religion: Godliness doth teach this art and skill, to make up whatsoever is wanting in a creature, in God himself, and that is the chief ground of the satisfaction and contentment of a gracious heart in the want of creature-comforts; and because the men of the world have no skill in this mystery, they think it a mere notion, a conceit of men, they are not able to apprehend any reality in it, therefore it is that they vex and fret so much when they want creature-comforts, for they know not whither to go to make them up in any other being: But the Saints know that all is in God, all excellency in all creatures is in God, therefore when you look thus upon God, as having all good that all creatures have, and that in himself; and when you come thus to God as such a being so much above all creatures, then you have in some measure a right apprehension of God: And that is the fifth thing.
6. But sixthly, The Name of God is excellent above all: For not only all excellencies in the Creature are in him; but all those varieties of excellencies that are scattered up and down severally in Creatures, are united into one excellency in him; for a water may have the quintessence of many herbs in it; there are many things in the water at that time; though but one drop of water, yet there are many things in it: So there is such an union of all excellencies in God, that I say it is but one in God; there is an indivisible union of all variety: Things that are various in the Creature, they are all united in one in God, that must needs be a glorious excellency indeed. If one man had all the beauty and strength, and all the wisdom that all the men in the world ever had, or have, and united into one, what beauty, what strength, what wisdom would that one man have! Now it is so in God, that all beauty, and wisdom, and strength, are united into one excellency, so that God he is one otherwise than any other Creature can be one; other
Creatures may be made one by composition, but now God he is not one by the union of many things together; for there is but one thing in God, God is but one, there is a variety, as we conceive, as the Sun when it shines upon different glasses, red, or blew, or yellow, it hath a variety, I but all this is but one Sun, so all the attributes of God that we speak divers times of, these are the several manifestations of that one excellency that there is in God, all united into one; therefore by this the Saints come to be the more happy, for they may not only enjoy all the good that there is in the Creature, but enjoy it all in one, and we say, the stronger is a thing, the more it is united; now in God all good whatsoever is united in one, all good in the Creature, yea and all good in himself, that is, all his attributes; so you must conceive of God; only the manifestation is divers; and therefore you must not conceive that there is any one thing in him more than another; you may not conceive of God, as if there were more mercy than justice, or more justice than mercy, or more of either of these, than there is of truth, wisdom, and holiness:
Indeed God may manifest himself unto the Creature, more in one, than in the other, but as they are in his own being they are not, only one as much as the other, but they are all but one thing, only several manifestations, as but one Sun that hath divers reflections by divers glasses; so all God's attributes are but one excellency that is in him; therefore his Name is excellent above all things, because he is but one God in this manner.
7. Further, Not only all good and excellency is in God, but all possible good, what can possibly be imagined (as we know that the power of God that made the world, could make thousands of worlds) all this is in him, and infinitely in him, When we do speak of anything to be in God, we must be sure that we do not limit our thoughts, as when we speak of God to be a great God, do not limit it, he is great, but infinitely so; when we speak of his
wisdom, he is wise, but infinitely wise, and so of his holiness, and justice, and truth, and knowledge; all must be looked upon without any bounds whatsoever; in the Creature there are such and such things, but they are all limited by their causes, but God having no causes at all to limit him, therefore he is infinite, whatsoever is in him it is infinitely in him, whatsoever is in him, is not only infinite in the kind, as there is all the wisdom and holiness that can be; but I say, it is absolutely infinite; as it is in him, it is so infinite, that there is no kind of being but is included within it; speak but any one thing of God, I say, it is not only infinite in the kind, but so as it includes whatsoever hath being, in the infinite Ocean of being that is in himself; we are very ready when we look upon God to have limited thoughts, and therein we bring him down to the Creature; this is the very reason why God doth hate Images so much as he doth, because that Images do make a kind of a representation of him, as though he were finite; as Papists, they tell us they think not that such an Image is God, I, but being put in mind of God by such an Image, there is a kind of limiting the infiniteness that is in God; and therefore God hates it, and will not have that infinite excellency of his to be represented by any Image whatsoever; whensoever thou thinkest of God, or speakest of God, do not only compare him with that which is in the Creature, but when thou hast made thy comparison, let thy thoughts be infinitely above it; there is no one attribute of God doth help us more to understand what God is, than when we conceive him to be infinite in all that he is or hath.
8. Yea and further, All the good that there is in God, and excellency, it is eternally in him; it may be such a Creature hath an excellency, but how long hath it had it? It was not long before but it was nothing: but God hath been what he hath been (if we may speak so) he hath been eternally; now that is a
mighty swallowing consideration; the consideration of eternity; as a man that is an Accountant, if he writes a figure of one, add but six ciphers to it, and it is ten hundred thousand, now if he should be adding and adding all his life time, yea if he should have lived from the beginning of the world to have added to the figure of one, what an infinite sum would this be! But it is nothing to eternity; either if you look back to eternity it is nothing, or if you look forward to eternity, it is nothing; (the Saints indeed shall live eternally in respect of that which is to come, the souls and bodies of the Saints shall be eternally for time to come with God, and the souls and bodies of the ungodly shall be eternally in Hell) Now all the excellency that there is in God, is eternally in God, which way soever you look.
9. Further, Not only eternally, but immutably in him; and therefore his name is alone excellent, it is immutable, that is, God hath such an infinite excellency, that it is impossible that he can be better, or other than he is; if God should be otherwise than he is, he would instantly cease to be a God; the being of God hath that excellency in it, that there can be no addition, no subtraction, add anything to him, and you destroy him, take anything from him, and you destroy his being, alter anything in him, and he ceases to be
God; so the Scripture saith, With him There is no shadow of change. Indeed there is a change in the creature, but nothing at all in God; as if you bring a piece of wax to the Sun it melts it, and clay, it hardens it, here is a different effect of the Sun, but the Sun is the same; so bring the creature in one disposition to God, and the love of God, and delight of God is in it; bring the creature in another disposition to God, and the wrath of God is upon it, yet God is the same, only the variety is in the creature. And therefore his
Name alone is excellent, and the creature, whatsoever excellence it hath, it
changes up and down: As there is no shadow of change with God, so no shadow of constancy in the creature.
10. Further in the next place, All these things are essentially in God; whatsoever is in God, it is his being, its God himself: This one thing would much help you to understand the Nature of God, that whatsoever can be truly said of God, it is God himself; as thus, God's wisdom is God himself;
God's mercy is God himself; God's power is God himself: it is not so in the creature, a man's wisdom is not a man's being, they are separable, one may be separated from the other; but God's wisdom is God's being; a man's power and strength is not his being, but God's is, so a man's mercy and goodness is not his being, but God's is, and therefore (as before) these things that are variously conceived by us, they are not only one in God, but his very being, and this doth mightily add to the glory of God, that whatsoever is in God, it is the very essence and being of God himself:
These things that we speak of God (as I told you) because God is so infinitely above us, it is very hard to make them plain to every understanding; and no marvel, because we are fallen so far from him; and as I have gone along, I fear that a great many are ready to think, Lord what are these things, we cannot apprehend them; why then go thy ways home and be humbled for that great fall of mankind, Oh how far is man fallen by his sin? We see now why God dwells in the thick cloud and darkness: Oh how far am I fallen from God? For God made man at first able to know him; certainly Adam did know all these things perfectly: it was the happiness of Adam in his first creation to be able to look upon the face of God, and know what such things as these meant; but now since our fall, we are said not only to be in the dark, but darkness itself; and therefore it is but very little that we can know of God; we have such a sight of God, as a poor
man that lives all his days in a Dungeon, if he should have one day a little crevice opened, where a little beam of the Sun should shine, certainly he would stand and admire at it, if he never saw it before, but how little would that man know of the nature of the Sun that had but a little crevice opened for a beam to shine in a little time? Truly all that ever the Ministers of God can tell you, or if God should send his Angels to preach to open the Nature of God to you, it can be no other but a little glimmering. But I hope if you bend your minds you may know so much as to make you desire after the knowledge of him; for if there be no other effect than this, yet it will be worth the while to make you to see that you do not know God; and therefore your thoughts not being thus of God, as I have spoken, the truth is, you have made God unto yourselves but as an Idol (for if we conceive otherwise of God than he is, we do but make him an Idol to ourselves) now,
Oh that it might have but this effect at least (this that I have said, with some few other things that are to be spoken) to cause men and women to humble themselves before God for want of the knowledge of God, and to be crying to God, that he would be pleased to make himself known unto them in another way than they have known him, that so when they come to worship
God, they may be able to look upon him in another way than they have done: And therefore I beseech you, be not discouraged, to think, I shall never know these things, if God be thus, I shall never know what God is, be not discouraged, for this God he is able to communicate himself beyond that way that any creature is able to communicate its self, God can let out himself to any creature as much as he pleases, and it is no matter whether the creature be capable or no, the Lord can make it capable; and therefore be not discouraged because of thy weakness; but if thou in the uprightness of thy heart doest seek to God, and doest desire to know him above all
things, If thou searchest after the knowledge of God as after silver, thou shalt come to know God more than ever thou diddest; and certainly to have but a few glimpses of this infinite first being of all things, it is a kind of infinite satisfaction unto the souls of the servants of God, and though at first they find it hard to know God, yet by seeking long after the knowledge of him, they have found that knowledge of God that they would not be without for ten thousand thousand worlds; its only the rational creature that is able to know anything of God at all, and this is a great part of that worship and homage you owe to God, that you should know him, and so, that you might honor him as a God, that you might glorify him as a God: Oh my brethren, how would people live, had they but the real sight of such a God with whom they have to deal in all their ways? When we put you upon the searching, to know what God is, we put you not upon the searching to get notions to discourse of: I confess in the right knowledge of the infinite first being of all things, there are most excellent notions to be learned, but that that I endeavor to put you on to, is this, that you might search to know this
God, to the end that you might fear him, and choose him to be your portion, that you might love him and serve him, and blessed is that soul that shall thus know him.