lit alb Chap. 21. An Expofrtion upon the Took of J o a. Verf. 5. ;11V',overfs- tar 9nonfinis inigairatibu, ,tuú Heb. uwxSi9y211e00. 70 Rebeflco a- atena. V aeabl. be ) will be found the greateft fools. All fin úfolly, but thole fïns have mall' of the fool in them, which we thinke, we doe wifely In au thefe cafes, we m iy well fay to any man, as flip/aim here to %:b ; Is not thy wick.edntffe great? o4nd thine iniquity infinite. The word which we tranflate iniquity, implyeth perverfea neffe, or frowardnefle in finning ; Is not thine iniquity inftniye. The Hebrew is,There is r.o end to thy iniquity, or thou doff c oat- mit iniquity without end. The Septuagint render it than ; Are not thy iniquitiesfo many that they cannot be numbred ? are they not innumerable? Another thus ; Is not thy rebellioneternall?And fo the fence reacheth eyther the multiplication of ads, or the continuation of time. Our reading is comprehenfive of both; Isnot thine iniquity infinite? But how could Elipba . make fuch a fuppoficion as this? feting there is nothing infinite but God, and it is altogether impoffìble that there fhould be two infinites. 7 he heaven, cannot bold two Sterner, much life can the world kidtwo infinites. God is Theon :ly Infinite ; therefore fin is not infinite as God is in. nice ; Firft, that is irfinite which is without end ; fecoudly, that is infinite which is without bound , in both God is in- finite ; As he had no beginning, fo he thall have no endor pe- riod ofhis being ,He is infinite in reference to duration or time; and he is infinite in reference to place or extent ; He fills heaven and earth ; and the heaven ofheavens cannot containe him. The Hebrew phrafe in the Text, without end, answers our translation, infinite; for infinite is that which bath no bounds or end. So then in a ftrid and proper fence,thereis nothing infinite but God.And infinity runneth through all the titles of God, he is infinite in power, infinite in power, infinite in wifdome, t ice, righteouf' neffe, and mercy ; It remains then to be further conlidered, how wemay underhand this queftion, Is not thine iniquity i, finite? I answer finis not infinite properly, yet in a vulgar fence, finne may be called infinite, for according to common decep- tion, we call that infinite which is verygreat, or which ex- ceeds all ordinary bounds, though not all bounds; onely that is properly infinite which exceeds all bounds, but we ufually fay,
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