Of the i(r]orvledg of god the Father, ~ And as they of Aug,ifl:u, when thernfelves were dying, they would Sacrifice for BooK I. hil Life, and f.1y, Let Auguflus live, tho11gh I dte: So (would you thmku)that ~ the very like Phrafe lliould be in the "Pjalnu; and the meanmg of thofe words, • . Pfal. I8. 46. The Lord lives, (as we tranOate it) and blejfed be my Roe/;_, lliould ~::'':;;,~nd be an Optative? Let the Lord liv_e; as we.ufe to fay to our Kmgs, Tl!VAT REX; c,m~'"'·'· (o, Let God hve, and be blefled, and hve for ever. . . Take we likewife the Matter of thofe two Doxolog1es of "P41tl; 1 T1111, 6. I 5· Who i< the Mr./Jed and only Potentate; The King of Kingi, and Lord of Lord~ : Wbo only hath Immortality, dwelling in the Light no Man can approach to ; whont no Matt bath feen, nor can foe ; to ~im be Honour an.d Power everlaft– ing. Amen. The other, I Tim. I. I7. Now unto the King Eternal, Immortal,, Invijible, theonly Wife God, be Honour and Glory for ever and eve_r. Amen. .Th1s latter he did break out into, upon occafion of the Story of h1s own Conver– fion. But though that fo great a Mercy to bimfelf was the occafion, yet his Spirit foars far higher, beyond all of what God had done for him. To confider purely, and abfiractly, what a glorious God he was in hirnfelf, let us but open the Particulars of it. Firlf, He gives Glory to him, for that BleffedneCs which was in him, Who it thebleffed ( fays be) and only "Potentate. What is Bleffednefs, but a confluence and fulnefs of all Good, to an Infinite, compleat within himfelf, foasGod need not go forth ofhimfelffor any thin.g; as A&.I7.25· He needs not any thing?fteing he gives Life to all, m1d ai/Th~ngs: L1ke as 1fa great Man fho?ld have 1~ h1s Houfe; and in the compafs of h1s Grounds round about 1t, all kmd of Thmgs, of all forts, within his own Demefnes, that he need not go forth for any Thing. Secondly, He is the only "Potentate, Sovereign over all ; He hath not on1y all Happinefs within himfelf, and Fulnefs, but he bath fovereign and abfolute Power over all Things. Now when the(e two Things lliall meet all inword Fulnefs, and fuch an abfolute Power befide, he is bleffed indeed that bath it. You lliall find 11p and down in the Pfalms, the"Pfalmifl to blefs him above all, for a King– dom of his, Pfal. I45· and other Pfalms, where you find it celebrated. Now that Kingdom is, I . feated in himfelf, and .then exercifed towards his Creatures ; you fhall find the "Pfalmifl praife him for both. Firfr, Seated in himftlf; In Pfi;/. 93· which begins, in the firlf Verfe, with a celebration of his Kingdom ; The Lord Reigtu ; He i< cloathed with Majefty, &c. He afcends higher there, to the exercife of it, in governin~ the World. At verf 2. Thy Throne is ejlablifoed of Old; thOI< .rt King from Everlajling; and for this they praife Him. His Kingdom began from Everlafling; He reign'd within himfelf, and in his own Purpofes, and Contrivements, and Orderings of all Things; He difpofes ofall from [then], as the word of Old tranflated is in the Hebrew; And then it was, that he did cloath himfelf with Majefly, and did gird himfelf with Strength, as a Man ufes to do, before he begins to do any great Matter: thus, verf I, for this his Saints do prai(e him. Then, 2. As it is exercifed. Firlf, As it is Ceated in Heaven; Pfal.8g. 5,6,7. The Heavens ftJall praife thy Wonders, 0 Lord; thy Faithjit!nefl alfo in the Co11gre– gation of the Saints. For who in the Heaven can be compared unto the Ll»'d? Who among theSons of the Mighty can be li4ened unto the Lord? God is greatly to be flared w the A.!fembly of the Samts ; a11d to be had in reverence of all them that are abo11t him. He fpeaks this of the Glory which he hath, and lliews forth in Heaven afore all Angels and Saints whom he bath round about him. He had (aid in the 4th Verfe, ofChrilf the Spiritual David; Thy Seed will I eftablijb for ever; and bmtd up thy Throne to all Gwer,;trons. And of that Kmgdom he treats from verf 2I. of that Pfalm, to verf 38. ' Now for this Kingdom of his, the Heavens are faid to praife his Wonders, whtch IS fpoken of the Angels, who are often called the Heavens from their place:. As in g:ob it is faid, The Heavens are not clean in his fight.' And thefe knowmg the Wonders of that Covenant of Grace; they, even they, are. faid to pr3!fc ; The Heavem f/Ndl praife thy Wonders, 0 Lord: In the Hebrew it is, Thy Wonder, or th; Mir11de, in the Singular Number; which in Ephef 3· IO. the Angels arc fa1d to adore; and m L11~ I. to fing Glory to the Higheft; for, h1s Grace tO Man IS that Mu·aclc. Now the Material Heavens do not praife the Mercy
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=