Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

in Contriving Man's Redemption. 93 their Hoff n•ere oreated. And this led nim to confider the Immenfity of the Divine Elfence ; ~ for infinite Power is incomfMtihle with a_fnite Elfencc, and by the conuderanon of the ~m-~ menfiJ he might afeend to the Etermty ot God. To bo eternal Without begmrung,. and Infinire wtrhom bounds, i~fer one another, at1d ncceffarily e.xift in the f~mc_ S"hjec1. For 'tis impoffible that any thmg which is form'd by another, and bath a Begmmng,fhould not be limited in its Nature by. the caufe that produced Jt, Therefore the Apo!lle declares, ( Rom. r. 20.) that the Eternal/ Pmver of God is fct forth in the Creation of the World; joining with the Difcovety of his Power, that of his Etemity. . 2. Admirable Wifdom appear'd to Man Ill the Creation.. For by con!ldenng the V a· ~~~r~~~ ~~;~'Z\iW~o~~~hi~l:df~~~~~j~~~ ~~t~{.da~~l1• St;~~;t;;,~~ t:l~a;"~j~;,~1ef~k~~ Prov. 8. 27, 28, 29. r¥hen he preptJred_ theHeavens, I was there: When he jet a Compafs upon the Face of the Depth' When be ejlablifh'd the Clot~ds above • When he jlrengthened the Formttlins .oj the Deep : H'hen ke gave the Sea hi~ Decree, that the 'fflaters Jl::oul~ not pn(s _ht.s Com... mandmeNts : Jiflhen he appomted the Foundd10Rs of the Earth; l was JVz:h hun;' C?ntnvmg _all in the bell manner for Ornament and Ufe. The knowledge of thiS fill d hts Soul Wltn Wonder and Delight. The Pfalmill brea1<s forth with Aftonifhment, as one in the midll: of innumerable Miracles, Pfal 104. ,"4· 0 Lord, how manifold are ti?J: Works! In Wifdom hajl thou made them all. And if he d1fcovered fuch \Vonderful and DIVlne W1fdom m the Works of God whcu the Vigor of the human Underllanding was fo much impair'd by the Fall ; How' much more d1d Ad•m,'who perfeCl:ly underllood Vmverftl Natrm~ the Of. fim of itS Parts, the Harmony of the whole, and all the Jufl Laws of Vr.ton, by wh 1ch God hach joined together fuch a mulmude of Bemgs (o d1ftaot ~nd d1fagreemg, and how the Publick Peace is prefen1ed by the\r Prtvate Enmity ? . ThiS D1fcovery caufed him to ac. knowledge, that <Jrw" the ·Lor/1, and of grw Power-: hu Vnderjlandingis injini~e . . 3• Infinite Goodnefs fhmid forth m the .CreatiOn.. T lus IS the lca,dmg Attnbute, that call'd forth the re!! to work. As there was no tinatter, fo no Motive to induce God to make the VVorld, but what atofe fi·oni his Goodnefs: For he is an Jt/1-jit/ficient Being, perfeCtly blcifed in himfelf. IHisMa)elly is not increafed by the Adoration of Angels, nor his Greatnefs by the Obedience of Nature ;1 neither was he lefs happy, or content, in that Eternal Duration before the Exiflenceof any Creature, than he is fince. . His Original felicity is equally incapable of Acceffioa, as "'[>Diminution. 'Tis evident therefore, that Oil· ly free and unexcited Goodnefs moved him to create all things, that he might impart Be· ing and Happinefs to the Creature, not inrich his own. And as by contemplating rhe other Works ofGod, fo efpecially by reflelling upon him-· fclf: Adam had a clear Sight of the Divine Attributes which concurr'd in his Creation. Whether he conuder'd his lowell Part, the Body, 'twas form'd of the Earth, the moll: artificial and beautiful piece ofthe vifible World (a.) The Contrivance of its Parts was (a) D;ffi· with that Proportion and Exa£tnefs, as moll: conduc'd m Comelinefs and Service. Its ti!e eft ~~ Stature was creE_l: ~nd raifed, OO:.:oming the Lord of the Cr~tures, and. an Obferver ~f ~he J;:ie:~';uriHeavens. A 0Ivmc Beauty and Ma)efty was fhed upon It. Al)d this was no vamfhmg lirn m•p• fit, Ray, foon ecltps'd by a Difcafe, and exringui01'd by Death, but ihin'd in the Counte- Jt'it.deOplf. nance without any Decl ination. The Tor'!tue was Man's peculiar Glory, being the Inter- om. prerer of the M ind, and capable to fignity all the Affections of the Soul. In D1orr, the Body was fo framed, as to make a vifible,.Difcovery of the Prerogatives of his Creation. And when he reflected upon his Soul that a.nimated his Dull, its excellent Endowments wherein 'tis comparable to the Angels, its Capacity of enjoying God Himfelf for ever, he had an internal and moll clear Tellimony of the Glorious Perfellions of his Creator. For Man, who alone admires the Works ofGod, is the moll admirable of all (b.) (b) •Y.s· 2. The Image of God was rifplendent in Man's Confcicnce, the Seat of praCl:ical Know· rur alit ~' Jedg,_and Trcaf~ryofmor~l P~inciples: The dir;c1ive Faculty was fincere and uncorru.pr, ::~~{:, ;![~;. n~t mfeEted _wtth _any d1fgmfing TmEl.urc: Twas clear from all Prejudices, whtch mum mirac~tmtght render 1t an mcompetent ]udg of Good and Evil. It in!lrulled Man in all the ''"" A•K· Parts of his Rel1tive Obligations to God, and the Creatures. 'Twas not fetterr'd and confin'd, fearfully reflraining from what is lawful; nor licentious and iudulaent in what iS forbidden. Briefl)'• Confcience in 4dam upright, \~as. a {ubord~nate God, :f1at gave Laws, and exalled Obedience to that Glonous Bemg who 1s Its Supenour. l· There was a pivine Impreffion on the Will. Spiritual Reafon kept the Throne , and the. m~enor Faculues _obfer~ed an eafy and rtgrd.ttr Subordina.rion ~o its DiCI:ttet. The Aflccbons were exercifed with proportion to the Qyality of thctr Ob)ells. Reafon ~as the1r uwiolable Rule, Love the moll noble, and Mafter~affeEbon, which gives Bemg and Goodnefs to all the rert, even to Hatred it fclf; ( for fo much we hat~! an ob- )eCt, as It hmd10r~ om· E.nJoym,nt .of the Goo4 w~ lov~: ) This precious Jncynfc Wa~ pfferq

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