654 The Truth fGod.. poi. . Prornife would not only Cat} an imputation upon his Truth, but upon his Mice.. II. That this Perfection belongs to God. And this I thall endeavour to prove, Fir/i, From the Dilates of NaturalLight. Secondly From Scripture. Firfl, From the Dictates ofNatural Light. Natural 'Light tells us, that Truth And Faithfulnefs are Perfef1ions, and confèquently belong to the divine Nature ; and that Falflood and a Lieare Imperfetlions, and to be removed from God. There is nothing that is amongft Men efteemed a greater contumely andreproach, than to-give a Man the Lie, ter- call him a Lyar, becaufe it is an Argument of fo much liáfenefs,and of a low and mean and fervile fpirit; the íífual Temptation to it being fear;oflofing fome Advantage, or incurring fome danger. Hence was that Paying that itis the property ofa Slave to lie, but *fa freeMan tofpeak truth: Now what- ever argues bafenefs or imperfe&ion, our Reafon tells us is infinitely tobe feparated from the moff perfe& Being. God cannot be temptedwith evil, the Divine Nature _being all-fufñçient, can have no temptation to be otherwife thanGood andJuft, and True and Faithful. Men are tempted to Lie by advantage, and out of fear : but the Divine Nature hath the fecurity of its futlnefs and all-fufficiency, that it cannot hope for any increafe, nor fear any impairment of its Etlate. Men are unfaithful, and break their words, either becaufe they are rafh and inconfiderate in palling of them, or forgetful in minding them, or inconftant in keeping of then, or impotent and unable to perform them: but none of thefe are incident to God; his infinite Wifdom, and perfect Knowledge, and clear forefight of all Events, fecure him both from inconfideratenefs, and inconftancy, and forgetful- nefs ; and his infinite power renders him able to perform what he hath fpoken, and to make good his Word. And that thefe are the Natural Dilates and Sug- gettions of our Minds, appears clearly from the reafonings of the Heathen in this matter, who were deflitute of Divine Revelation. Plato de Repub. 1. a. lays down this as a certain Truth, " ThatLying and Falfehood are imperfedions, and " odious to God and Men, 7Ó !kV 4Etir l t..tórev ó71c .9rwv, d i ÿúßr' ávQPV w.r " 0 pin ral. And afterwards he tells us, That the Divine Nature is free from all " Temptation hereto, either from advantage or fear; in dy' S ,V (Erirq c v qró; 4o1_ " 0 )2.17,2; cç ci4wlis; Td BHOV; and Concludes, "Therefore God is true, and " deals plainly with us, both in his Words and Adions, and is neither changed " himfelf nor deceives us. Porphyry in the Life of Pythagoras tells us, " That this was one of his Precepts, ;uáAage. ' áTn,9rústy ; cE teóvov vnqz c âvpare; arctc v i 7rtt ar?sieks, and afterwards he adds, " that truth is fo great a Perfe.. " dion, that if God would render himfelf vifible to Men, he would chufe Light "for his Body, and Truth for his Soul. Secondly, From Scripture. The Scripture doth very frequently attribute this to God, z Sam. 7. 28..And now, 0 LordGod, thon art that God, and thy words be true; Pfal. z so. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth; Pfal. 31. 5. In- to thy handIcommit my fpirit : thou hag redeemedme, 0 LordGodof truth. Rev. 3. 7. Thef things faithhe, that is holy, he that is true. Rev. 6. 1o. How long, 0 Lord, holy andtrue? 15. 3. lull andtrue are thy ways, thou King ofSaints. 16. 7. True and Righteous are thy yudgments Hither we may refer thofe Texts which fpeak of the Plenty and abundance of God's truth, Ex. 34. 6. Abundant in goodnefs and truth. Pfal. 86. t 5. Plenteous in mercy and truth ; and thofe which fpeak of the Du- ration, and eternity of it, Pfal. 100. 5. And his truth endureth to all generations. 2'1.7.2. Andthetruth of theLord enduretb for ever. 146. 6.Who keepeth truthfor ever. As the Scripturedoth attribute this Perfe &ion to God, fo it removes the con- trary from Into with thè greateft abhorrence& deteftation. 2.3. 19. God is not a Man that he flrould lie, neither the Son ofMan that he fhould repent; bath hefail, and(hall not he do it ? hath hefpoken, and(hall he not make it good? They areBalsams Words, but God put them into his Mouth. 1 Sam. t 5. z9. Thefirength of Ifrael will not lie nor repent. Rom. 3. d; Tea, let God le true, .and every Man a Lyar. Nay the Scripture goes further, does not only remove lying and falihood and inconftan- cy from God, but fpeaks ofthefe as things impeible to the Divine Nature ; Tit. t. z. In
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=