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him. All forts of effences, conftitutions, contextures, modes and properties of things fhall arife at his word. All forts of fpirits, all forts of corporeal Beings, all combinations of fpirit and body are eafily difcerned. and ordained by him. All poffible fyftems, either of minds or matter are most expeditiously determined by him. There was no hesitancy of thought with him, in devising the multiform univerfe; in contriving heaven or earth, the air or fea, and all their different inhabitants. In wisdom haft thou made them all. Or, 3dly, The finding out, and employing the most proper means for the attaining any end. This perfect mind can never want inftruments or means. He can raise up and adapt what he pleases. He can accomplish his pleasure by unlikely means and methods. He can bring light out of darkness, good out of evil. Can found his glory upon what the world counts foolishness, and perfect his praife, by the weakness of his Agents. O the depth of the knowledge and wisdom of God! How unfearchable are his counfels !

II. He has most perfect POWER. He can totally create, or bring any poffible Entity into actual Exiftence. He is far more than the Potter, who does not make his clay, but forms veffels out of it. The great God commands things into Being. He is not beholden to matter for its existence and its ferviceableness to him, in the formation of the world. Had it been Self-exiftent, it had been too reftive and immutable, to be transformed and moulded as he would have it. Being a creative Power, he is not limited to one fort of poffible Effence or Substance, more than to another. All poffible Being must emerge and ftand up before him at his pleasure. Matter or Spirit can make no refiftance. He speaks the word, and it is done! The things that he produces, he can easily manage, difpofe of, and govern. Omnipotence must be his poffeffion.

III. He is perfectly GooD. Good in himself; most excellent. Good to his workmanship, according to its capacity. He delights to do good. His exuberant Goodness gave forth the vaft creation, and would not admit that there fhould be, for ever, no admirers, no partakers of his Goodnefs. He will have vaft Dominions, full of glorious inhabitants, made unconceivably

unconceivably and everlaftingly happy, by the free communications. of his Goodness. He will extremely punish the defpifers and abusers of his Goodness. But their numbers in the whole, will, doubtless, fall vaftly short of those innumerable myriads (numerous worlds) that will, for ever, rejoyce and triumph in the rich defigns and diftributions of his Goodness.

IV. He is perfectly HOLY. A perfect intellective Nature has a perfect Will; perfection of effence and will may be allowed to conftitute fuch excellency, as is, (at prefent at leaft) called Holiness. The will of fuch a fupreme Being, will, doubtless, be, in many things guided or directed by the purity and perfection of the effence to which it belongs. In many things relating to the dependent Creation, it will be free and arbitrary. In the principal part of his Legislation, the purity and excellency of his nature will shine. And thereby will the Morality of the intelligent Creation be principally form'd; though temporary laws may fometimes be fubfervient thereto. In Legislation, judgment and execution (poffibly) we learn the divine holiness. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is Holy.

V. He is a jealous MAJESTY. He must take vast complacency in himself, and his own unbounded excellencies. He must be difplea-, fed with what is oppofite thereto. Hence there must be a concern for himself, for the honour of his own perfections, prerogatives and glorics. He will endure no competitor, no rival. It should seem that a Being, that has no great care or concern for it felf, has no great excellency. An unaffected, Epicurean God, seems a negligent, imperfect thing.

VI. He is a moft just and righteous MAJESTY. Just to himself, in fupporting his own government and glory, in vindicating his own name and laws, his fubjects and interefts in his dominions. Righte ous to his fubjects. To the obedient, in their remuneration. To the difobedient, in their punishment. The excellency of his nature and honour of his government require his truth and faithfulness in the ac

complishment

complishment of his promises and threatnings; (unless in the latter cafe fometimes extraordinary provifion be made for his glory) Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?

VII. He is the most glorious BEING. His effence is most refulgent, moft contrary to what we call Opacity and Darkness. We know not how to conceive it, but under the notion of glory. He is the God of all Glory. The most glorious God.

VIII. He is altogether INVISIBLE. Such is the fublimity of his effence, it transcends all corporeal vifive organs. If perfected fpirits fhould be supposed to have refined, vehicular bodies, and therein fuch organs as are analogous to the eye, though vaftly beyond all its prefent perception, yet muft they be fuppofed to be unspeakably incompetent to reach such a sublime effence as that of the glorious God. He must be the object of pure intelligence. And the most exalted intellect, that he has made, will be infinitely unable to comprehend him. He is the Invisible God.

IX. He is the most happy one. Has all excellencies, beauties and glories in highest perfection. Has all the wisdom, power and goodness he can defire. He is felf-fufficient. Needs nothing of all the Beings that are about him. Sees them all precarious and dependent upon himself. The most perfect life must be the most happy life. He is the bleffed God.

X. He is the felf-exiftent BEING. Owes his existence to none. Enjoys the prerogative of being unoriginated and underived. Exifts by virtue of his own most abfolute and indefectible excellencies. Has all his glories crown'd with abfolute neceffity of existence. Is independent in effence, perfection and felicity. Whofe glory it is, that it is impoffible that he should cease to be, or be other than he is. Thereupon,

XI. He is Immutable and Eternal. Immutable in effence, perfection and blifs. Eternal in existence and duration. It is impoffible, that with

him there should be either beginning of days or end of life. He must be the high and lofty one, that inhabits Eternity.

XII. He is Omnipresent and Immenfe. The neceflity of his existence feems to require the abfolute ubiquity of his effence. His operations require his actual prefence. The higheft Heavens cannot contain him. If we go down into Hell, he will be there. Nothing can fet bounds to his uncaufed, confummate existence.

XIII. He is also an awful dreadful BEING. With him is terrible Majesty. His jealousy may well incite him against all adversaries and contenders. Who hath hardened himself against him and profpered! His power is irresistible; his wrath burns down to the lowest Hell. His goodnefs invites. But the despisers of his goodness shall feel the weight of his feverity. He takes the work of vengeance into his own hand. And his impenitent implacable adverfaries shall find, That it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God

To this it must be added, that he is a most incomprehenfible Being. We know not either the fulness or number of his perfections. What Diftinc tion there is in his Nature, and among his powers and properties, we know not now; it fhould therefore be no offence, if he be so distinguish'd, as to be reputed FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT, in the indivifible unity of his nature, and should be fuppofed capable, by virtue of that diftinction, of sustaining and accomplishing a most gracious falvifical oeconomy, on the behalf of mankind, in order to their endless Felicity. Then,

XIV. He is a moft Incomparable BEING. None like him in all the sphere of existence. He is all-fufficient for himself and all other Beings. Transcendent in essence and excellencies. Can admit no equal, no rival or comparison. * To whom will ye liken God? Or what likeness can ye compare unto him? Being altogether incomparable, he can be but one. Singularity and onliness pertains to his glory. There is one God, and there is none other but he.

Efa. xl. 18.

This

This is the Chriftians God! The most excellent and auguft of BEINGS! Whose Name alone is JEHOVAH! He, to whofe effence, existence is effential. Whofe nature is as glorious, as his exiftence is neceffary. The most admirable, the most amiable, the most formidable Majesty. Above the reach of all created mind and intellect. No religion can prefent a more transcendent, adorable Deity; the object of highcft veneration, devotion, love, acclamation and applaufe. What are all the Gods of the Gentiles and the Philofophers to fuch a God as this? Bleffed is the people, that is in fuch a cafe, that has the Lord JEHOVAH for their God.

SE C T. II.

The Chriftian Religion beft teaches us the feveral Relations of God to us and to the World, and our Obligations to him thereupon.

A

S he only, neceffarily and effentially exifts, fo all things elfe depend upon his power and pleasure. Hence he fuftains various relations towards the dependent universe. Though thefe relations are to be confidered as diftinct from the intrinfic, immutable attributes of the divine majefty, yet they much illuftrate the glory of the bleffed God, and befpeak the obligation and duty of the intelligent part of that dependent univerfe. And fo we are to know, That this God is,

He was imThou art wor

I. The Creator of all things. All exiftence but his own is freely produced. By his immenfe power, he is capacitated for all fort of productions. Upon the Account of his all-fufficiency, he freely produces all that is made by him. He needs nothing of all that he makes. menfely bleffed, before their existence did commence. thy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure (upon the account of thy Will) they are (do now cxift) and were created. This great God gives the first existence to things. He is not tyed to pre-exiftent matter or fubftance.

He

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