Thus God is omnipotent, and God only. For if the power of all things beside God be the power of God, as derived from him, and subordinate unto him, and his own power from whence that is derived can be subordinate to none, then none can be omnipotent but God. Again, we say, that God the Father is Almighty; but then we cannot say, that the Father only is Almighty: for the reason why we say the Father is Almighty, is because he is God; and therefore we cannot say that he only is Almighty, because it is not true that he only is God'. Whosoever then is God, hath the same reason and foundation of omnipotency which the Father hath, and consequently is to be acknowledged properly and truly omnipotent as the Father is. But we have already shewed that the Son of God is truly God; and shall hereafter shew that the Holy Ghost is also God, and that by the same nature by which the Father is God. The Father therefore is Almighty, because 290 the Father is God; the Son Almighty, because the Son is God; and the Holy Ghost Almighty, because the Holy Ghost is God. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are God, by the same Divinity: therefore, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are omnipotent by the same omnipotency. The Father then is not called Almighty by way of exclusion, but is here mentioned with that attribute peculiarly, because the power of God answereth particularly to the right hand of God, as being the right hand of power. The Father therefore is here described by the notion of Almighty, to shew, γὰρ εἶναι τῷ Θεῷ δυνατὰ νομίζει, και 1 'Non ergo quispiam audebit Catechum. 1. ii. c. 3. [§ 6. Augustin. 2 Nor is it unusual in other authors to make use of the word omnipotens, rather in relation to the present occa. sion, than in reference to the person who is said to be omnipotent; as is observed by Servius upon that verse of Virgil, Æneid. ix. 625. 'Jupiter omnipotens, audacibus annue cœptis.' Hoc epitheton interdum ad gloriam Numinis ponitur, interdum ad causam dicentis. Namque hoc loco dicendo omnipotens ostendit eum etiam his, qui per se minus valent, præstare posse virtutem.' that Christ having ascended into heaven, and being set down at the right hand of God, is invested with a greater power than he exercised before: and that power which was then actually conferred upon him, acknowledgeth no bounds or limits; but all power in the ultimate extent of its infinity is Matt. xxviii. given unto him, who is set down on the right hand of him who is God the Father; and, being so, is therefore truly and properly Almighty. 18. Deut. x. 17. Luke xi 5. It is necessary to profess belief in God Almighty; first, because the acknowledgment of his omnipotency begetteth that fear and reverence, submission and obedience, which is due unto his infinite Majesty. Our God is a great God, a mighty, and a terrible; therefore terrible because mighty. I will forewarn you (saith our Saviour) whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, fear him. Three times we are com manded to fear, and one only reason rendered, but sufficient for a thousand fears, the power of him who is able eternally to punish us. God gave a general command to Abraham, and with it a powerful persuasion to obedience, when he said unto Gen. xvii. 1. him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. It was a rational advice which the apostle giveth us, Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. And it is a proper incentive to the Jam. iv. 12. observation of the law of God, to consider that he is the one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. 1 Pet. v. 6. Secondly, the belief of God's omnipotency is absolutely necessary, as the foundation of our faith. All the miracles, which have been seen, were therefore wrought, that we might believe; and never miracle had been seen, if God were not omnipotent. The objects of our faith are beyond all natural and finite power; and did they not require an infinite activity, an assent unto them would not deserve the name of faith. If God were not Almighty, we should believe nothing; but being he is so, why should we disbelieve any thing1? What can 1 This was the argument which the Pythagoreans used, who believed many miraculous actions, which others looked upon as fabulous; because they would disbelieve nothing, which was referred to the Divine power: and the reason of that was, because they thought all things possible to God, as we shewed before. Τῶν τοιούτων δὲ (saith Iamblichus, having related several strange actions, either fabulous or miraculous) τῶν δοκούντων μυθικῶν ἀπομνημονεύουσιν, ὡς οὐδὲν ἀπιστοῦντες ὅ τι ἂν εἰς τὸ 291 God propound unto us which we cannot assent unto, if we 21. Thirdly, It is not only necessary in matters of bare faith, and notions of belief, but in respect of the active and operative reliance upon the promises of God. This was the particular confidence of Abraham the father of the faithful, who staggered Rom. iv. 20, not at the promise of God through unbelief: but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; and being fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. The promises of God are therefore firm and sure, because he is both willing and able to perform them'. We doubt or distrust the promises of men, either because we may fear they intend not to do what they have promised, or cannot do what they intend; in the first, we may suspect them because they are subject to iniquity; in the second, because they are liable to infirmity. But being God is of infinite sanctity, he cannot intend by breaking his promises to deceive us: therefore if he be also of infinite power, he must be able to perform what he intended; and consequently we can have no reason to distrust his promises. From whence every good Christian may say with the apostle, I know whom I have believed, and I am per- 2 Tim. i. 12. suaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. I am assured that if I be a sheep, and hear my Saviour's voice, the powers of darkness and the gates of hell can never prevail against me; for it was the voice of the Son of God, My Father, which gave them me, Jolin x. 29. is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Lastly, The belief of God's omnipotency is necessary to give life to our devotions. We ask those things from heaven which none but God can give, and many of them such as, if God himself were not Almighty, he could not effect. And therefore in that form of prayer which Christ hath taught us, we conclude all our petitions unto the Father with that acknowledgment, For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the Matt. vi. 13. glory. Nor can there be a greater encouragement in the θεῖον ἀνάγηται· and whereas others looked upon them as weak and simple people for giving credit to such fabulous relations, πρὸς πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα οὐχὶ αὐτοὺς εὐήθεις νομίζουσιν, ἀλλὰ TOÙS ȧTIσTOÛνTas. Iambl. de Vit. Py thag. c. 28. [p. 117.] 1 'In Dei promissis nulla est falsitas, quia in faciendis nulla omnipotenti est difficultas.' Fulgentius, ad Monim. 1. 1. [c. 12. p. 10.] Eph. iii. 20. midst of all our temptations, than that we are invited to call After this explication of our Saviour's session, we may conclude what every Christian ought, and may be supposed, to intend, when he maketh profession to believe, that Christ is set on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. For thereby he is conceived to declare thus much : I assent unto this as a most infallible and necessary truth, that Jesus Christ, ascending into the highest heavens, after all the troubles and sufferings endured here for our redemption, did rest in everlasting happiness; he which upon earth had not a place to lay his head, did take up a perpetual habitation there, and sit down upon the throne of God, as a Judge, and as a King, according to his office of Mediator, unto the end of the world; according to that which he merited by his Mediatorship, to all eternity: which hand of God the Father Almighty signifieth an omnipotent power, able to do all things without any limitation, so they involve not a contradiction, either in themselves or in relation to his perfections. And thus I believe in Jesus Christ, who SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER ALMIGHTY. 292 ARTICLE VII. FROM THENCE HE SHALL COME TO JUDGE THE QUICK THIS Article containeth in it four particular considerations, and no more; First, That Christ, who is gone from us, shall come again. Secondly, That the place from whence he shall then come, is the highest heaven, to which he first ascended, for from thence he shall come. Thirdly, That the end for which he shall come, and the action which he shall perform when he cometh, is to judge; for from thence he shall come to judge. Fourthly, That the object of that action, or the persons whom. he shall judge, are all men, whether dead before, or then alive; for from thence shall he come to judge the quick and the dead. For the illustration of the first particular, two things will be necessary, and no more; first, To shew that the promised Messias was to come again, after he once was come: secondly, To declare how our Jesus (whom we have already proved once to have come as the true Messias) did promise and assure us of a second coming. That the Messias was to come again, was not only certainly, but copiously foretold: the Scriptures did often assure us of a second advent. As often as we read of his griefs and humility, so often we are admonished of his coming to suffer; as often as we hear of his power and glory, so often we are assured of his coming to judge. We must not fancy with the Jews, a double Messias, one the son of Joseph, the other of David; one of the tribe of Ephraim, the other of Judah: but we must take that for a certain truth, which they have made an occasion of their error; that the Messias is twice to come, once in all humility, to suffer and die, as they conceived of 1 Or, from whence; the Latins sometimes inde, sometimes unde. And the Greek is o0ev, unde, both in the ancient MS. in Sir Robert Cotton's library, and in the Creed of Marcellus. But ἐκεῖθεν ἐρχόμενον, in the later MS. in Bene't College Library. Others neither ὅθεν, nor ἐκεῖθεν, but πάλιν, as Justin Martyr: 'Ημεῖς ἐπέγε νωμεν Χριστὸν Υἱὸν Θεοῦ σταυρωθέντα καὶ ἀναστάντα, καὶ ἀνεληλυθότα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, καὶ πάλιν παραγενησό μενον κριτὴν πάντων ἁπλῶς ἀνθρώπων μέχρις αὐτοῦ ̓Αδάμ. Dial. cum Tryph. [c. 132. p. 362.] Others without inde or unde, only venturus, as the Nicene Creed, épxóμevov кpîvaι, [Socrat. 1. i. c. 8.] others ráλiv épxóμevov, [Labbe, Vol. II. p. 954 A.] or noνтα τáλw, and [Venantius] Fortunatus, leaving out inde venturus, hath only judicaturus vivos et mortuos. [Miscell. 1. xi. c. 1.] |