606 theKnozeiledgé of God. . 1. God's Fore-knowledge an Arbitrary and Voluntary than a nece f'ary Perfccion, that: is, thift God, when he pleafed to apply himfelf to it, could tore-know all future Events : but their general Opiniion was, that as his Providence did riot extend to final( and- inconfiderable things, fo neither his Fore-knowledge. But Tully feems to attribute a very perfect Providence to him, and a Fore-knowledge of the leaft things, Quis non timeat (mnia providentem, cogitantem, animadvertentèm, f'omnia ad fepertinere putantem, curiofum & negotiiplenum deum ? But Icannot fay he is con- fiant to himfelf: but they all agree in granting to him this Perfection of know- ing all future things, if he pleafed to trouble himfelf with it ; and had they not in this miftaken the Nature of God, they might eafily have apprehended, that 'tis no trouble nor wearinefs toan Infinite Underfianding that is always in Act, to know the leaft things how many foever they be. z. From Scripture, which gives us Teftimonies and Arguments of .it. Cr.) Teftimonies, Ifa. 48. 3. &c. Alts 55. 18. Known unto God are alibisworks, from the beginning of the World, cIa' oiSvoç from everlafling; which by the way I cannot but compare with the forecited placeof Sen. Nota calm illis operisfui feries, (z.) ByArguments from Scripture. I will mention but one ; the clearand par-' ticular Predions of future Events longbefore they happened. Gen. a S. 13. God foretels the Children of Ifrael's deliverance after 430 Years, which hepunctually accomplifh'd: Exod. I z.4o, 4r. The Prophet that prophefied againft the Altar at Bethel named the Man that fhould do it, 7ofias, 3 5oYears before-hand. s Kings 53. z. The deliverance ofthe Children ofIfrael from the Babyloni/hCaptivitywas foretold too Years before to be done particularly by Cyrus ; which is fo ftrange, that the Prophet brings it in with a Preface of God's Wifdom and Power, Ifa. 444. z4, &c. Which was afterward precifely fulfilled, when the 70 Years were ex- pired. How are the Life and Death of theWas, with many particular Circum- fiances foretold ? And did not he foretel the Deftrulion ofyerafalem 4oYears before ? But becaufe there maybe no contingency in good things, God himfelfmay.be refolved to effeet them, or excite Men to do them, when he bath foretold them ; you !ball find that the worft things have been foretold ; theApoftacy ofthe Chil- drenof Ifrael, Deut. 35. 16. and their Infidelity in times of the Gofpel, Ifa. 53. I, s, 9, z6. Our Saviour foretold the Treachery of 5udas and Peter's denial of him ; now thefe are fo evil, that it were Blafphemyto fuppofe the HolyGod to have any hand in them and therefore are foretold by him meetly by virtue of his Foreknowledge, and the initnitenefs of his Underffanding, which reacheth things it the greateft diftance, that are molt contingent. SERMON LXXXI. Of the Knowledge of God. I S A M. II. 3. The Lord is cr God of Knowledge. IHave confider'd this Perfe&ion of God,, in forre of the greateft and molt difficult inftances of it, his Knowledge of the molt fecret Things, the hearts of Men, and future Events ; againft the laft of which there are Ionic Ob- jelions, which I come now briefly to confider, and pafs on to what remains. Objection the Firfl ; The impojbility of the thing. Certainty of all Knowledge depends upon the certainty of the Object, therefore there cannot be a certain and determinate
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=