Setm.L,XXXII. The Knowledge of God. 615 to us, becaufe the beft things of this World are but (hallow and empty, and if we could fee them before-hand, we fhould prevent our felves in the enjoyment of them, and eat out the fweetnefswhich is in them by delightful fore-thoughts of them. And he hath concealed future Evils from us, left we fhould torment our felves with the fearful expe&ation of them, Pruden, futuri temporis exitum, Caliginofâ Noblepremit Dens. Ridetque fi mortalis ultra fas trepidat. What a folly is it to make your felves miferable with fear of being fo ; ante iniferias mifer. Ufeall wife means topre- vent what you fear, and then be fatisfied, and be as happy as you can till Mife- ry come ; go not forth to meet it, fufftcicnt for the day is theevil thereof; donot anticipate the evils of to morrow, and take prefentpoffeflion of an Evil tocome ; cafyour care upon himwho bathpromifed to care foryou. SERMON LXX.XII. The Wifdom, Glory, and Sovereigntyof God. JU DE 25. Ìßo the only wife God óú"r Saviour, be Gloryand Majefly, Dominion and Power, now and ever, IA M treating of the Attributes of God ; particularly of thòfe which re= late to the Divine Underflanding, his Knowledge and Wifdom. The Know- ledge ofGod only implies his bare Únderftanding of things, but his Wifdom implies the skill of ordering and difpofing things to the belt Ends and Purpo- fes, the skill of making and governing and adminiliring all things in Number, Weight, and Meafure. The Knowledge of God rather confiders things abfolute- ly, and in themfelves : The Wfdom of God confiders rather the Refpe&s and Relations of Things, looks upon things under the Notion of Means, and Ends; accordingly I defcribed them thus. TheKnowledge ofGod is a Perfe& comprehen- fion of. the Nature of all things, with all their Qualities, Powers, and Circum- ftances. The Wifdom of God is a perfe& Comprehenfion of the Refpe&s and Relations of things one to. another ; of their Harmony and Oppofition, their fitnefs and unfitnefs to fuch and fuch Ends. I have largely fpokeii to the Fir// of thefe ; I come now to the Second, The Wifdom of God in general; together with his Majefly and Sow= reiignty, as they are here joyned together, I begin with the Firfl, That God is the only wife God. In handling of this I (hall Phew, a. In what fenfe God may be Paid to be the only wife God. a. Prove that this Attribute belongs to God. a. In what fenfe God may be faid to be the only wife God. For anfwet tothis,, we may take Notice, that there are fóme Perfe&ions of God that are incommu- nicable to the Creatures ; as his Independency and Etèrnity. Thefe God onlypot. feffeth, and they are tobe attributed to him alone, God only is independent and eternal But there are other Perfe&ions which are communicable, that is, which the Creatures may in force meafure and degree partake of, as Knowledge, and Wifdom, andGoodnefs, and fufiice, and Power, and the like ; yet thefe the Scrip- tures do peculiarly attribute to God, not that they are altogether incommuni- cable to the Creature, but that they belong to God in fuch a peculiar and Di- vine manner, as doth Phut out the Creature from any claimor Title to them, id thát
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