59,4 4 The Unchangeablenefs of God. Vol. I both from `Natural Reafon, and from the Divine Revelation of the Holy Scrip- tures. I. From the Dictates of Natural Reafon, which tell us, that nothing argues greater weaknefs and imperfection than Inconftancy and Change. This is the great Vanity of all creatures, that they are uncertain, and do not long conti- nue in one Bate ; this is the vanity of the World in general, that the fafbion of it paf'eth away ; and of Man in particular that he is liable to fo many natural changes, by Age, and Difeafes, and Death, for which Reafon he is fail by the Pfalmift, to be in his bell eflate altogether vanity ; and that he is liable to fo ma- ny moral changes, to be deluded and deceived in his Underftanding, and to alter his Opinion fo often, tobe buckle in his Will, and to change fo often his Pur- poles and Refolutions, according to the alteration or appearanceof things. We attribute Change and Inconftancy to Perlons of the weakeft Age and Underítand- ing, as Children, who are liable to be toll to and fro, and carried about with every Wind, as the Apoftle fpeaks, Eph. 4. 14. Now if theDivine Nature were fubjed to change, this wouldcaft an univer- fal Cloud upon all the Divine Perfections, and obfcure all other Excellencies, and make them like the Flower of the Field, which, how gay and glorious foe- ver, is fading and perilhing ; and the greater the Divine Perfeçtions are, the greater Imperfection would mutability be , for as the corruption of the bell things is the worll, fo the better any thing is, fo much the worfe it would be to have it liable to Corruption and Change. And as mutability in God would darken all his other Perfections, fo would it take away the foundation and comfort of all Religion ; the ground of our Faith, and Hope, and Fear, of our Love and Efteem ofGod would be quite taken away. We could have no great Honour or Efteem for a Being that is fickle and incon- ftant, if his Power and Juftice were uncertain, his Threatnings would in a great meafure lofe their awe and force ; if his Truth and Faithfulnefs could fail, no Promifes and Declarations, how gracious foever, would be any fecurity or firm . Ground of Trutt and Confidence. And this Reafoning is not the refult of Divine Revelation, but clearly founded in the Natural Notions and Suggeftions of our Minds, as will appear by citing One or Two Teftimonies to this purpofe, of thofe who had no other Guide but Natural Light. Plato in his Phiedro enquires, " Whether the moft"perfect (that is God) be always the fame, or fometimes thus, and fometimes otherwife, that " is (faithhe) whether that which is Equality and Goodnefs and Bounty it felf, receives any the leaft Change at any time, and be not Confiant and Uniform, " and of it fell always the fame, Km} b s,ieíi beeew ciA2t tunv i »dav Èvd`f ¡rut, " and is never in any wife, upon any account, fubject to any Change or Altera- " tion whatfoever ? To which he anfwers, That it is neceflary that he fhould be " the fame and always alike. And Lib. z. de Repub. where he lays down the Fundamental Laws and Conflitutions of Religion he mentions thefe Two (which one would almoft think" he borrow'cffrom St. lames ; but that he lived fo long be- fore him) viz. First, " That God is the Caufe of all good, and in no wife of " any evil ; anfwerably to what our Apoftle here aflerts, that God cannot be temptedwith evil, neither tempteth he any Man : but that every good andperfell Gift is from him. Secondly, "That God doth not deceive us, by making various re- " prefentations of himfelf to us, fometimes. in one form, and fometimes in ano- " ther ; for he is unchangeableand always the fame, and cannot, ce u0'r i aç " fiq zuvnv, pals out of his own Idea, or be any other than what he is ; which " he further confirms by this excellent Reafoning, " That which is the belt and " molt perfect Being is not liable to any Alteration ;, but Inch a Being is God, , " and therefore he cannot be changed by any thing that is weaker and lefs per- " fed than himfelf, and he cannot will to change himfelf; for if he fhould, it " mull either be for the better or for the worfe; it cannot be for the better, for " being already poffeft of all Perfection, there can be no acceflion of any to him " by any change ; and certainly there is no Wife Being, as God is, that will " change for the worfe, and therefore he concludes,, æañMro; nui aacs ç ui' n tó
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