and Decrees ofCjod, &c. 97. As rime is noRealbeing, but the Durationof Beings, which is no- thing but their Exilience not ceafing; foEternity is nothing really diflinél from God himfelf ; but it is Gods exiftence confidered as having no meafùre of duration, no beginning, no middle, no parts of duration and no End. 98. Eternity therefore is a Notionwhichmay be called Indivifible and Div.fble in feveral refpeds. It is Indivifible properly and in it felf con- sidered ; for it is nothing but God himfelf as exiling fine menfura tem- porisperfedly and indivifrbly: But ic may he callefDivifible IntellecTu- ally (by humane, partial or inadequate conception ; not by partition ), as it is compared o tranfitory time; and becaufe as mans narrow head muff know one God (uo modo by many inadequate conceptions, or not at all, fo muff he know Eternity fro modo , by conceptions drawn from partible Time. 99. Bythis much the great Obje&ions of the Scots may be fatisfied by aConciliation: They fay; r . That which exiftethnot, doth not co-exift nor God with it. z. That Eternity indeed includeth all Time fucceffively as prefent in it ; but not futureTime. To the firft I anfwer, r. That it is granted that Timebath fucceffions, and only the prefent Mutant is : And that whichIs not, co- exiffethnot with Eternity : But yet feeing Eternity is In- divifible, it is not part of it that co-exifteth with one of our Inilants and part with another; but All indivifibly witheach inftant. 2. And when it is laid, That the Creature exiled not ab .e tern, if you intellelually di- vide Eternity into paft and prefent and future, like Time, it's true : But fpeaking properly, it is fallacious : For [ 46) .e tern implyeth a divi- fion of Eternity, and a preteritionof one part, which is commonly fup poled falle. But if the denominationbe fetcht from Eternity, feeing it is Indivifible, you cannot fay that to day it co-exiletlr with thisday, and not with tomorrow, for if ever it co-exifteth, it alwayes co-exifeth: For, ab 6- ad, i ' ante & poll, rr fait erit, are words of falihood fpoken properly ofEternity ( according to the commoneft do&rine. ) r oo. And to the fecond the fame anfwer ferveth; Eenominating Time in it felf, you may fay that fome isfuture, that is, Is not, but willbe, and fo thatit is not In Eternity till it come. But fetching the Name from Indivi{ble Eternity, Future there is a word of falle importance : There is no Futurity in Eternity. And it Indivifibly includethall fucceffions ofd our Time. tor. Yet we lay no ftrefs on any of this as necefl'ary to reconcile out Controverfres: And we readily acknowledge and maintain, that byEx- trinfirk denomination from its Relation to our fuccefve Inflants, Eter.. Wiry and Godhimfelfmay have new and variesos denominations (ofwhich more- anon ). SECT. VII. Of School Curiofities and Uncertaintiesabout Cods Knowledge: rot. A Bout GodsKnowledge Scholaflical prefumption hath gone fo far; as that I lhould rather with trembling fly from their queftions, than feek to folve them, if theoppofitionof their curiofity and the defence of truth, were not by them made necefláryto others, and confequently fome confederation of the thing. 103. Someprefume to tell us, that God knoweth Creaturesonly inhis oxen
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