A Difcoarft apon ProvidnJC(_. any N.1tion that \Vorfl1ip'd none, but their great fottirhncfs was, thJt theY war~ fhip'd many. ~ewndly, As all confers there is a God, fa likewife that this God mn!l: neceJfarily have in hin~fclf all perfeCtions, as being the firft Principle and.Source of all things. All thcfc pcrfcClions of W1fdom, Power, Knowledge, or the like ,.that we fee JCattcrcd Up and down among the Creatures, muft all be concc~trcd in God; and that in a far more eminent degree, becaufe whatever is found 1n Creatures is but derived and borrowed from him, and therefore it muft needs follow, ~hat becaule it is of more perfeCtion to be infinite in each perfetl:ion, therefore God is infinite in them a11. , . Thirdly, Among all the PcrfcClions that are difperfcd among the Creatures, the moll: excellent is Knowledge and Underftanding. For this is a property that agrees only to Angels and Men, who arc the top and flower of the Creation; and therefore certa inly this Perfeaion of the Creatures is to be found in God j yea, and that infinitely. His Knowledge and Wifdom therefore is infinite. Fourthly, His Knowledge being thus infinite, he both knows himfclf, and all other things in himfclf. Firft, God perfeCtly knows himfelf, he knows the honndlefs ex.tent of his owq. Be in~; and though he be infinite and incomprchenfiblc to all others, yet is he finite and comprchenfiblc to himfelf: And hence it follow~, Secondly, That he ,kr:ows particularly all other things. For if he knew him[clf pcrfctlly, he nndt needs know all things befides himfctf; becaufe none can perfectly know himfclf, that cloth not fully know a!l that his Power and Strength can reach unto. !3nt now there is nothing which the Power of God cannot reach, for by his Power he created· all things. And therefore knowing his own EflC::nce, which is the caufe of all, h~ knows ~very thing in the fecundity of his Elfcnce . Thus we have demonftrated it from the Principles ofReafon, tha t God ncccfiJrily know~ all things. But Providence denotes more than Knowledge. And therefOre, Fifthly1 This Knowledge that is in God, is not like that which we acquire; ' tis not a Knowledge that depends upon the Objects known, and forms Ideas from thC con~emplation of things already exift ing. Bnt it is like the Knowledge of an Artificer which caufeth and prodnceth the things it comprehends. God knows them before they arc; and by knowing them brings them to pafs. God knows all thing,s, faith St. Auftin, de 7'rinitat. 15. Not bccauje dJty arc, but therrfore thq arc becau{e God kucrv them. So that his crcrnal Knorv!cdgc and VndcrftmuJing gives Being to every thing in the World. · · Sixthly, lt appertains to hint who givis Being to a thing to prcfcrvc and govern i~ in its Being. And therefore God giving Being to all things, he alfo dotli m:tintaill and provide for them . 'Tis the very Law of Nature that he hath imprinted upon all his Creatures, to provide for their ownoft:fpring. V'lle fee l't ith what follicitous AffeCl:ion and Tenderncfs, even Brute and irrational Creatures do it. We arc all the Off..fpring of God, and he our common Parent. And therefore certainly he w.ho hath infpired fuch Parental care in all things elfe, doth himfelf much more t<tke c.1re to give Education to all to which he bath given Being. Thus you fee is proved that God'e Providence reacheth mno all things. It might likewife be demonftrated from God's Omniprefence. He is prefent every where, with, and in all his Creatures, and certainly he is not with them as an idle and unconcerned SpeCtator, but as the DireCtor, and Governour of their ACl:ions. But I !hall proceed to the fecond fort of Arguments to prove the Divine Providence. And than~ are taken from the confideration of tl1c Frame and Compagcs of the World, the Beauty and Harmony whjch \\e fee in Nature. The World is a Book wherein we may clearly read the wonderfHl Wifdom of God. There is no Creature that doth not proclaim aloud, That God is the wifc Creator anrl Governour of it. Who hath r,ilded the Globe of the Sun and put on his Rays? Who hath fct its Bounds, and meafured out its Race, that it lhould withont failing, without error or rniftake, know how to make its daily and annual Retnrils, and divide out Times and St;afons to the World? Who hath given a pa-rt icular Motion to all the Voluminous Orbs of Heaven , and beat out a Path f•r every Star to wa lk in? Who hath fwathed "in the great and proud Ocean, with a Girdle of Sand, and re!hains the Waves thereof] that tho11gh they be higher than the Land , yet they n1allnot overT t t t t fiow
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=