Part I. AN ANTHROPOP-ATHY; is not diltinguinJed from his Elfence, it is certain, that it mull: be tnuch niore ardently in God, then we are able to think, &c. '\\'hen JOY or Rejoicing are attributed to God, it either denotes his Delight and Pleafure in his Creatures, Pfal. civ. 3 I. 'Ihe Lord jhall rejoice in his Works. Or elfe his gracious Favor and Propenfity to his Church, as Men take Joy in Things very dear td them, Ifa. Jxii. 5· As the Bridegroom rejoicetb over the Bride, fo foal! thy God rejoice over thee. So Deut. xxviii. 63. and xxx. 9· ]er. xxxii. 4I, &c. There is a Joy in God, which exerts itfelf in gracious Effects, bllt which ls infinitely greater than it is in Men, or can be thought by them. 2 , There are certain human Affet'tions, which according to their Defcriptions in a Pl"oper Way of Speaking are not in God, but are ufed by Way of Similitude ~o lig_nify Jomethmg Divme (as we faid about huma11 Members) and on that Account are afcnbed 'to God, of which Kind in Order. SADNESS and GRIEF of Mind is attrioilted tb God, by which his Difpleafure, and the Withdrawings of his Grace and Favor are lignified, !fa. lxiii. 10. But they re– belled and vexed his Holy Spirit: 'Therefore he was turned to be their Enemy, and be fought -againft them, that is, they have perpetrated fuch Wickeclnefs again{! their proper Con– Ji:iences, that the Holy Spirit has forfaken them, and ju!tly withdrawn his Grace. The like is faid, Pfal. lxxviii 40. How oftm did they pro·voke him in the Wildernefs, andgrieve him in the Defart? So Eph. iv. 30. >•' Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby )'e are Jealed unto the Day of Redemption, that is, fJJeak not fo corruptly and profanely as t() provoke the Holy Spirit to withdraw his,gracious Gifts and Operations from you, and in!l.ad thereof to inflicl: Wrath and Punifhment upon you. So Gen. vi. 6. And it repented the Lord that he had made Man on the Earth, and it grieved him at his Heart, that is, their Malignity fo difpleafed him, that he manifell:ed his Divine Decreb to punifh them. The Chaldee t renders it, And heJaid i;t his Wo;·d, that he would break their Power according to his Will. So Judges x. I 5· And his Soul was t grieved for the Mi.Jery of Ifrael, that is, as the Chaldee renders it, [he grieved, or his Soul was ajfefled with Anguifh ;] by which Grief the Commiferation and Compaffion of God, for the Afflictions and ·Calamities of Ifrael i$ noted. The like Phrafe of the Indignation and Averfenefs of God is ufed, Zech. xi. 8. The Word BROKENwhen afcribed to God is alfo of the fame Senfe, as Ezek. vi. 9• I am broken with their whorifh Heart which bath departed from me, that is, I am affect– ed with Grief, and as it were compelled to decree their Punifhment, as Verfe the 10th. I REPEN'TANCE is afcribed to God, by which likewife his Divine Difpleafure a– gainft Mens Iniquitjes, and the InfliCtion of Punifhment is noted, Gen. vi. 6. 1 Sam. xv. 3S;•Jer;xviii. IO. Sometimes (if the Speech be with Reference fo Men, that by feriotls Repentance are converted to God) it denotes Divine Commiferation, and a taking-away of Punifhment; Exod. x_xxii. I2, 14. 2 Sam. xxiv. 16. Pfal. cvi. 45· Jer. xviii. 8. and xxvi. 3· Hof xi. 8. ]oel11. 13, 14- Upon which Place 'Tarnovius thus exprelfes himfelf. The Condition of Men being changed, the immutable God is not changed, but the Thino- itfelf? For he willeth always, that it fhould go ill with the Obltinate, and that they fh~uld pe– rifh eternally, but that the Holy and Regenerate fhould be truly happy in this and the other World. 'When God, to converted Souls, remits that Punifhment; which he de" nounced to wicked and nefarious Sinners, he is faid to repent of the Evil by an AnthrQ– popathy, becaufe he feems to do that which repenting Men do, otherwife cannot pro– perly repent becaufe he is not a Man, I Sam. xv. 29. Auguftin fays §, that the Repentance of God is not after any Error, but the Change of Things and Conltitutions in his Power is noted, as when it is faid, that he repents, • fA-'Il AV'irwrs To W~iVIJ."-• &c. Ne conJri(JetiJfpiritum/mtllum, f.:! c. t Et dixit vn·ba fuo, fi cMfraflurum patCiltiam tormJl j(Ciuu(u,n <'fioluntatem foam• ! Or fhortened, fo it is in 'the Hebrew, § Lib. 17. de Civic. Dei.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=