Sérm. LXXXVIII: M Hôlïtief of God, 66-j but no Creature can partake of it, in.flch a Manner and degree as 'the Divine Nature póffeffeth it. God is eternally Holy, the Fo intain of Holinefs :. the Crea- tures Are derivatively and, by participation Holy. , God is. eminently and trati- fcendently fo ; the Creatures in a finite Degree. God is immutably fo, .'ris im- poffibie it. fhtuld be otherwife : but no Creature is out.of an abfolute poffibility of Sin. In this fenfe it is Paid, ob q. t8: That he putteth no trújl inhis Saints} and his Angels he chargeth with folly. And Chap. I S. 'f 5. He putteth no truJ1 n his Saints, and the Heavens are not pure in his fight. From All which I fliall draw thefe. inferences. I. If Holinefs be a Perfection of the Divide Nature, and á Property, of God; if in the Notion of God, there be included an everlafting feparation and dittance from Moral Imperfection, ad eternal repugnance toSin and Iniquity fron hence we may infer, that there is an intrinfecal geed and evil in Things, and the kea- fons and Refpeds of moral good andevil do not depend upon any mutable; and iticonflant, and arbitrary Principle, but are fixt and immutable, eternal and indifpenfable. Therefore they ,do not.: feem to me ro fpeak fo fafely, tvho make the Divine Will, precifely and abftractedly confider'd, the Rule of Moral goodand evil, as if there were nothing good or evil in its own Nature antecedently to the Will ofG od, but that all things are therefore good or evil be- caufe.God Wills them to befo. For if this were fo, Goodñefs, and Righteoufdefs andTruth, and Faithfulnefs would not be effential, and neéeffary, And immutä- ble Properties of the Divine Nature, but accidental, and arbitrary, and uncer- tain, and mutable ; which is to fuppofe that God, if he pleated; might be other-, wife than good, and juft, and true: For if thefe depend meetly upon the Will of God, and be riot neceffary and effential Properties of the Divine Nature, then the contrary of thefe, Malice, and Envy, and Unrighteoufnefs, add Falfhóód do not imply any effential repugnancy to the Divine Nature ; which is plainly contrary to what the Scripture tells us, that God cannot be tempted with evil, that 'tis im- po ble he fhould lie, that he cannot beuntighteoús. Ifany Man fay that God hathnow declared himfelf to be Jüft; and Gobi, and, Faithful, and now he cannot be otherwife, becaufe he is a God of Truth, andhe changethnot ; this is to grant the thing; for this fuppofeth the veracity and immuta- bility ofGod to be effential and necefJ'ary Perfections of the Divine Nature ; and why not fujlice and Goodnefs as well? I fay it fuppofeth veracity and immutability; to be effential Perfections, and not to depend upon the Will of God, that is, that God cannot Will to be otherwife than True' and Unchangeable; for if he could, what affurance can we poflibly have but that when he declareshimfelf to beGOod and Juft, he is or may be otherwife ? But I neednot infift upon this, which Teems to be fo very clear, and to car- ry its own Evidence along with it. I will only ufè this Argument to prove it, and fo leave it. No Being can Will its own Nature and effential Perfetions, that is; chufe whether it will be thus or otherwife; for that were to fuppdfe it tobe be- fore it is, and before it hath a Being, to deliberate about its own Nature. There fore if this be the Nature ofGod, (which I thinknobody will deny) to be good. and jug, and true, and neceffarily to be what he is; thenGoodnefs and Mice, and Truth, do not depend upon the Will of God, but there are fuchThings, fuch No- tions antecedently to any At ofthe Divine Will. And this does no ways preju.= dice the Liberty ofGod ; for this is the higheft Perfection, to be neceffarily. Good, and Juft, and True ; and a Liberty or Poffìbility to be otherwife is impotency and imperfection. For Liberty no where fpeaks'Perfedion, but where the Things and Actions about which 'tis converfant are indifferent; in all Other things 'tis the higheft Perfection not to be free and indifferent, but immutable and fixt, and neceffarily bound up by the eternal Laws ofGoodnefs, and Juttice, and Truth fo that it (hall not be poffible to fwerve from them ; and thisis the Ì'erfedion of the Divine Nature, which we call his Holinefs. s. If Holinefs be the chiefExcellency and PerfeótionOf the Divine Nature, this thews us what account we are to make of Sin, and Wickednefs; and Vice. We may judge of every Privation by the Habit, for they bear an éxa4 Proportion. one Ii Ìi 1 il
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