746 The Power of God. Vol. h is, that God hath an ahfolute Power of doing fome things, which yet upon fup. pofition of his decree, or promife, or goodnefs, or juflice he cannot do, is vain and frivolous, unlefs Men mean by it only this, that fome things which argue an imperfedtion, do not imply a contradi&ion, which is moft true, but both thefe are abfolutely and equally imponible to God. I proceed to the Second Thing I propofed, That this Perfection belongs to God ; and this I fhal l thew, I. From the Dictates of Natural Light. II. From the Scripture, or Divine Revelation. I. From the Dictates of Natural Light. This was one of the moft ufual Titles which the Heathens gave to their fupreme Deity, Optimus Maximus ; next to his Goodnefs they placed. his Greatnefs, which does chiefly appear in his Power ; and they did not only attribute a great Power to him, but an Omnipotence. Nihil eft quod Dew eficere non poteft, faith Tully de Div. Now their Natural Reafon did convince them, that this Perfe&ion did belong to God by thèfe three Argu- ments. t. Providences;s for the HeathensBdid generallyr acknowledgePtheemakingCreation of the World, and the Prefervation and Government of it, to be the effeéls of Power, determined by Goodnefs, and regulated by Wifdom. Hence they gave thofe Titles to God of Opifex rerum, and Reéior mundi. I fay generally, I except Ari fietle, who fuppofed the World not to have been made, but to have been from Eternity ; and Epieurus with his followers, who afcribed the regular and orderly Frame of nature to a happy cafualty and fortunate concourfe of Atoms : but generally the wifer did look upon the vaft Frame of Nature, this flately Fabrick of the World, and the Upholding and preferving ofit, as an argument ofa divine and invifible Power. And fo the Apoftle tells us, Rom. 1. zo. that by the Light of Nature, the invifible things of God were clearlyfeet; by the things that were made, even his eternal Power and Godhead. z. Becaufe all other Perfections without this would be infignificant and ineffe- dual, or elfe could riot be at all. Without this Goodnefs would be an empty piece of good meaning, and not able to give any demonftration ofit felf; Know- ledge would be an idle fpeculation ;. and Wifdom to contrive things, without Power to effect them, would be an ufelefs thing. There would be no fuck thing as Juflice, if the Divine Nature were without a Power to reward and punifh ; no fuch thing as Faithfulnefs, if he had not a power to perform what he promifes ; no Providence, for it would be in vain for him that hath no power to take upon him to govern and to intermeddle in the Affairs of the World. 3. Without this there could be no Religion. Take away the Power of God, and there can be no foundation of Faith and Truft, no reafon for fear ; all argu- inents from hope and fear would be taken away ; we could not expect any good, nor fear any harm from an impotent Being that could do nothing. The fandion of God's Laws would be taken away. To, give authority to Laws, there muff not only be a right to command, but power to back thofe commands; thegrand fecurity and tall refort of all Government and Authority is Power; ,fames 4. ta. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to fave, and to deliroy. None can k 'a Law- giver, but he that hath this power, to reward and punifh, to make Men happy or miferable, tofave, or to defiroy. Men would not pray to God, nor make any addrefs to him, if they did not believe he were able to fupply their wants, and relieve them in their ftraits ; Nec in hunc furorem omnes mortales confenfifent allo- quendi farda numina & inefftcacer deos, Sen. There would be no encouragement for Men to ferve God, if they did not believe that he were able to reward them, and bring them to happinefs, and to defend them againfl all the Enemies of their welfare, fo that it fhould not be in the power of the moll malicious Spirits to hinder them of their happinefs. II. From Scripture or Divine Revelation. In producingTexts to this"purpofe, I will proceed by thefe fleps. r. 'Take notice of thofe which in general afcribe Power, and Might, and Strength
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=