2. SERM. II. The Second Sermon on the Nature of God.
SERM. II. The Second Sermon on the Nature of God.
F or his Name alone is excellent . – Psal. 148:13.
11. The next thing is this, All excellencies are in God purely, and immixtly, that is, God hath all excellencies in him, and nothing else but excellency; the creature it may have some excellency, but it hath a mixture of imperfections; it may have some power, but there is a mixture of weakness; it may have some goodness, but there is a mixture of some kind of evil in creatures as they are in themselves; the very Angels themselves, though they are upheld by God, yet they have that in them that might make them sin against God, if God did but leave them to themselves: So there is a mixture of weakness in all creatures, but God alone is excellent, for he hath nothing else in him but that which is excellent, 1 Joh. 1:5. The Lord is light, and in him there is no darkness; this cannot be said of any creature, that the creature hath excellency in him, and there is no darkness at all in him; there is darkness in every creature, but the Lord is light, and in him there is no darkness; that that is said concerning light here, may be said concerning
anything else, the Lord hath such and such Excellencies, and in him there is no defect, all is in him purely.
12. Next, All is in God originally; that is, all is from himself: Now there is no excellency in God that is by participation; He hath it from himself, and in himself. Whatsoever the creature hath, it hath it derivatively, not originally, it receives it from another: but all that is in God it is originally, it is in himself, and by himself, and from himself, all is in him as the spring of all kind of excellency.
13. But in the next place, As all is in him originally, that is, he hath all from himself, So God is the fountain of all excellency to all creatures whatsoever; if there be any good in any creature, it is but a beam from this
Sun, and a drop from this infinite Ocean, it all flows from that infinite Sea of all good, which lets out itself to this creature, or the other creature, in this or the other manner: So God is the fountain of all good to all creatures whatsoever, they are to look upon him as having all coming from him. And therefore he alone is excellent, and his glory is above the Heavens and Earth.
14. Further, As all things are from him, so they depend upon him; all excellencies that are in the creature, as they come from God, so they have their absolute dependency upon God, so as God need do nothing to destroy a creature: if he doth but withdraw himself from it, it falls to nothing presently; take the most glorious Angels, and the highest Heavens, Sun,
Moon, Stars, Sea, and Earth, if God should but withdraw his hand from these creatures, they would presently fall down to nothing; they do depend upon God, as the light upon the Sun, there is no more light if the beams of the Sun be withdrawn; so if God withdraw his influence from the creature, it can do nothing, and its nothing presently; so that the influence that there
is from God to the creature, it is to maintain the creature in his being; every moment the Lord must put forth as infinite a power to maintain thee and me, and every creature, as he did at the first for the making of the world.
And this is God's excellency to uphold all things, they do so depend upon him. If a work-man make a house, he goes away, the house can stand without him; but when God built the world, the world could not stand one moment without him. And not only God must have an influence into the creature to preserve the being, but likewise to enable the creature to act; the creature cannot act one moment without God, no creature can stir in the least degree, except the Lord concur with it; Therefore the Name of God alone is excellent; By him, saith the Scripture, we live, we move, we have our being; not only we are upheld in our being and lives, but we move, we cannot stir one moment, but God must concur with his creature for the motion and action of it.
15. Further, God alone is excellent in his operation, in his power, in the manner of his working; though God give a power to other creatures to work, yet God works in a different way from all other creatures.
First, God he doth whatsoever he pleases either in heaven or earth. The will of God, as I shown you before, it cannot be beyond God's power, God cannot will to do more than he hath power to do, Therefore the Lord he doth whatsoever he pleases in heaven and earth. The power of every creature can but work within the sphere, so far as the causes give a virtue and efficacy, so far it is able to work, and no further.
Secondly, The power of God appears in this, that the Lord doth the greatest, and the most difficult things, as easily as he doth the least and the easiest; as thus, God makes the whole world as easily as he can make a crumb of dirt; God can make the Heavens, Sun, Moon and Stars, and all the
Seas and Earth, with as much ease as he can make a fly. God can make ten thousand Angels, as soon as he can make one worm. And therefore God, he can as soon speak the word to the soul of a man that is dead, to live, he can as soon raise all the dead out of their graves, as he can give them a piece of bread to eat while they are alive, such is the infiniteness of God's operation.
3. Further, God is excellent in all that he doth. There is nothing that God doth in any time, but was decreed to be done from eternity; that is, the excellency of God's working; the creature works something, but perhaps a man did not think of what he doth, a few days ago, but God doth nothing, nor never will do anything, but it is that that was decreed from all eternity that he would do, and God will never do anything to all eternity, but what he had decreed from all eternity before; yet it is for us creatures to observe according to his revealed will; but this is the excellency of God above all creatures whatever.
4. And then there is a further thing that is as considerable as any of the other, God is so far from needing any matter to work upon, or instrument to work by, when he doth do anything, as there is no more required for any creature to be, or work at any time when God would have it, but the alone act of God's will that was from eternity. As now the world it was not made six thousand years ago; Now God willed from all eternity that there should be a world in time, and there was nothing required to make this world but that act of God's will that was from all eternity, that it should be at that time. Man, he doth will and decree to do such a thing; now when the time comes, then he bestirs himself, and takes this tool or instrument, and puts forth a power that he did not put forth before: But the act of God's will from all eternity was sufficient to make all creatures that ever since have been made, and to provide for all creatures that ever since have been provided
for, one act of God's will hath done all this; and that act of the will of God that hath been from all eternity hath done it; there are not several acts of God's will, but God's act is himself.
Diverse other things might be shown, as this, 5. Where God hath done any work, all his works add nothing to him. The creature hath somewhat added to him by his works; as thus, A man that is a work-man he can make a house, and so he hath the benefit of it to dwell in, to keep off the weather, and so he makes clothe, and hath the benefit of it:
But all the works of God add nothing to him. A man can do something by the work that he hath made that he could not do without his work: but God can do nothing by any work that he hath made, but he can do the same without that work; when he hath made all his works, they are not helpful to him (but this was a branch of the All-sufficiency of God.)
16. In the next place, God alone is excellent in the manner of his communication of himself, God doth so communicate himself to his creatures, as one creature cannot to another.
First, God can let out as much of himself as he will to any creature; now one creature cannot let out as much as he pleases to another; for instance, A man that hath learning, he cannot make another as learned as he will; a man that hath holiness and goodness, cannot make another as holy, and as good as he will: but God can, this is God's propriety, he can let out of himself as much as he pleases, as much holiness, as much goodness, as much power as he pleases he is able to let out.
Secondly, the creature, When it doth communicate any excellency, the more it lets out, the less it hath; but God hath never a whit less by that that he doth let out to his creatures; as thus, the Sea is full of water, yet if you take out but a little water, the Sea hath so much the less; therefore some of
the Fathers would set out Eternity by this, that if a Sparrow should but once in a thousand years fetch one drop of water from the Sea in the bill of it, yet the Sparrow would sooner empty all the Sea, than the torments of the damned should be at an end; so that if a drop be taken out of the Sea it is the less: but God is such an infinite ocean of being, of excellencies, of happiness, that let him let out, and communicate never so much of himself, yet he hath as much still as ever he had: God hath let out excellency, and good to all his creatures ever since the world began, all the good, the comfort, the happiness, the sweetness, the beauty and excellency of all creatures have been from God that infinite fountain, but now this fountain is as full as ever it was, and will be as full to all eternity as ever it was: And here lies the excellency of God beyond all creatures whatsoever.
17. In the next place, God alone is excellent, there is no comparison to be made between him, and anything else; as thus, Take the creature in what we think it comes nearest to God, and the truth is, to speak properly, it comes no nearer to God than those things that we think come less; as when we say that God is a great God and fills all places, if you should suppose a body that should fill all this world, it is no nearer to God's immensity than a moat that flies in the Sun: or thus, Take never so many thousand years, as we spoke the last day, if an Accountant that should write down figures all his life time, they would come we think, to an infinite sum; yet all those infinite millions of years come no nearer to God's eternity, than one minute doth, and the reason that I give is unanswerable, because that there must needs be always an infinite distance between what is finite, and what is infinite, and greater than an infinite distance there cannot be; now take such a body as should fill the space between heaven and earth, there remains still an infinite distance between the Immensity of God, and this body, and take so
many numbers of years as possibly can be imagined by Men or Angels, yet there will remain an infinite distance between God's eternity, and those numbers of years; now greater than an infinite distance there cannot be; therefore all those years do not come nearer to eternity than a minute, and all the greatness doth not come nearer to Immensity than a moat in the Sun;
God is beyond all comparison whatsoever, and the understanding that God is an infinite being, will help us to understand all the rest that I have named.
18. And there is one more, and that is this, He is the last end of all things; He is the highest end, for which all Creatures had their being, and the more any Creature is subservient unto God, the more excellency a Creature hath,
For of him, and through him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever. All things must tend to God as the highest end; cursed be that Creature that shall challenge to be the highest end of any good thing whatsoever; this makes it to be a cursed thing for any man to make himself to be his last end, to make his name, honor or credit to be the end that he aims at; and indeed, this is the very thing that makes pride to be so great a sin; the Scripture never speaks so of other things, as it doth of pride; it is said of other sins, that God hates the workers of iniquity, but it is said of no sin, that God doth resist it, only the sin of pride; why? Because a proud man doth cross God in that which is indeed his excellency, and that is this, That God is the highest end of all things, for whom all things were made, now a proud man crosses God in this, nay saith he, I will aim at myself as the highest end; we may aim at our own good in a subordinate way, but we must be sure to lift up God as the highest end of all, because he is excellent above all; now put all these together.
First, That God he is, and there is none else; He is such a being, as in comparison of him nothing else hath a being; He is that being that hath no
succession, that is always the same; He is an excellency in all places, that fills all places without any local motion at all; He is a being that hath all sufficiency in himself, he hath all excellencies, in him is an universality of all excellencies, he hath all excellencies united in one that are scattered up and down in Creatures; yea, all the attributes of God are in him but one, he hath in him all possible good whatsoever; all things that are in God, are equally in him, they are all infinitely in him, they are eternally, immutably, essentially, purely, without mixture, originally, he is the fountain of all good to the Creature; all excellency in the Creature doth absolutely depend upon him; he is excellent in his operation, he can do whatsoever he will, he can do the greatest thing as easily as the least, and one act from eternity, is enough to do all that ever he hath done; He can communicate as much of himself as he will to his Creature, and he hath never a whit the less in himself; there can be no comparison between him and the Creature, the highest Creature comes not nearer him than the least, and he is the highest end of all things whatsoever; and this God is our God; this is the God that we profess to serve, that we profess to worship, and these are to be the thoughts that we are to have of God when we come before him; Now you cannot but imagine that there must needs be abundance of streams of Use and Application that must follow from these things; all that I have done, it is but to present what God is.
Now methinks I hear many that give their minds to understand what God is, even saying within themselves, Oh that we did but acknowledge God to be thus, surely there is a farther excellency in God than we have imagined, and might we have but further sight into these things that have been thus briefly presented to us, Oh of what excellent use might all these be! I shall endeavor therefore to present but to you, and even as briefly as I have done
the other, the several uses that may flow from all these things, I will only give you a hint of one or two now.
Oh what infinite cause have we all to be ashamed of those low thoughts we have had of God! If God be thus as he hath been (but a little) presented to us now, and by what we see, we may gather, that there is infinitely more in God, and God is infinitely higher than ever we thought of (I say) then upon the very hearing of such things as these are, and especially we being conscious to ourselves how little we are able to understand of them, we may see cause to be ashamed of the poor and low thoughts that we have had of this infinite Majesty; the unworthy thoughts that we have had of him, when we have come into the presence of God; you have come to prayer to God, have you come to prayer as unto such a God? Have you had such kind of thoughts as these are, that he is that high Majesty? Certainly you cannot sanctify God's Name but you must have high thoughts of God; and though I will not say, that those do not sanctify God's Name, that have not every one of these thoughts of God, yet thus much I will say, that those that have not apprehended every one of these things of God, have not sanctified God's
Name as much as they should, for we are to apprehend what it is possible for us to apprehend here in this world, or otherwise we do not sanctify
God's Name so as we ought; when we come to God in prayer, or to worship him in any other duty of his worship, if we do not apprehend of God as much as we possibly can in this world, we do not sanctify God's Name as much as we ought to do, and we are to be ashamed that we have not such apprehensions of God as we might possibly have; if God be such a God as this, what poor thoughts of God are these, that he is as an old man in Heaven? Some have such poor apprehensions of God, and when they hear the Scripture speak of God's eyes, and ears, and hands, they think that God
hath a body, when as the Scripture doth but speak to our capacities, that is, what a man can do with his eyes, or hands, or ears, that God is able to do by his infinite power. I appeal to you, have you apprehensions of the majesty and glory of God, beyond all majesty and glory that any Creature is capable of in this world? We do not sanctify God's Name, except, I say, we apprehend God higher in majesty and glory, than all creatures in the world are. Suppose you were to come to a King that had all the glory and honor put upon him that ever any creature had in this world, with what fear and trembling would we come before such a Majesty as this is? But if thou hast not come with further trembling and fear before God, when thou camest into his presence, if thou hast not come with higher thoughts of that God that thou hast to deal withal (I say) thou hast not glorified God as a God; no marvel though people are so slight and vain in the duties of God's worship, because they do not know what a God he is that they have to do withal.
This showeth you the dreadful evil there is in sin, why? Because it is against such a God as this God is; dost thou know whom it is that thou sinnest against? Oh thou sinner! Dost thou know whom it is thou strikest at?
It is this infinite God that is thus presented to you, Whose Name alone is excellent, and whose glory is above the Earth and Heavens. Know sinner, and the Lord smite this upon thy heart, thou that art a wicked and ungodly man all the days of thy life, thou hast done nothing else but fought against this God, this infinite and glorious God thou hast been an enemy to all the days of thy life, and every time thou renewest thy sins, thou dost do nothing else but strike at this infinite God, and provokest the wrath of this infinite deity against thy soul and body; and darest thou stand out against this God?
Wilt thou put it to the trial, to see whether that God that thou sinnest against be such a God as this is? Wilt thou put it to the trial, that God should set
thee apart to make thee an object upon whom to exercise all that infinite power that there is in God, to bring evil, and misery, and torments upon thee for thy sin? This is the case of all desperate sinners that do go on in a desperate way of sin; the language of their sin is this, I do hear much spoken concerning the greatness, and excellency, and glory of God, I will try and venture, I will put it to the experiment, whether God be such a God or no, as he hath manifested himself in his word: Oh woe to that Creature that shall come to feel what the greatness of God doth mean! Oh it is infinitely better for thee to fall down before him and therefore this should be the Exhortation to all sinners; Consider, Oh sinful man or woman, what a God it is thou dost contest withal! Shall the potsherd strive with his Maker?
Let one potsherd strive with another, but let not the Creature strive with the Almighty, for he will be infinitely too hard for thee, and he will appear alone to be excellent; thou dost lift up thy will above his will, as if so be that thou wouldest rise above this infinite God, but know, in despite of thy heart he will be above thee, he hath thee under his feet this moment, and the sword of his justice is at thy very heart, and he can take thy heart blood when he pleases, and send thee down to eternal miseries; there is no striving with such a God as this is, who is alone excellent; the word hath proceeded out of his mouth in Righteousness, that every knee must bow unto him, and every tongue must confess this God; certainly one way or other he will have his glory out of thee; God can as well cease to be, as not to have his glory out of every Creature; do but consider of this, and learn to tremble before this God; The Lord is excellent and glorious above all things, and he is resolved that he will have his glory from every Creature one way or other, and if it prove that he comes upon thee to force it out of thee, better ten thousand times that thou hadst never been born; therefore according to the
Exhortation of the Holy Ghost in Scripture, Oh! Let us humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God, and let us all say, Thou O Lord art alone excellent, and thy glory is above the Heavens and Earth, and the desire of our souls is to lift up thy Name as the excellent thing above all Creatures.
While we live here in this world, this is our excellency, and blessed is that man or woman that comes to see this to be his or her excellency, namely, that I might lift up God's Name in the place where he hath set me; heretofore I have lift up other things as excellent, if I could get an Estate,
&c. But the Lord hath made me to see that he alone is excellent, and his excellency hath darkened all the excellency of the Creature in my eyes; I see nothing excellent but God, and all in order unto God; that is a good sign of the work of grace in a man or woman, when he shall see so much of the excellency of God, as God's excellency shall darken all the excellency in the world.