Serm. CIL The Eternity of God. 763 the Scripture ufeth, are but acknowledgments of this Attribute, Ble[fecf le the Lordfor ever and ever.1 Neh. 9. 5. To whom k glory, and honour, and dominion, for ever and ever, Gal. I. 5. and in many other places. Hither we may refer all thofe places which (peakof him as without beginning ;; Pfal. 9 ;. z. Thouartfrom everlafling. Micah 5. a.. YYhofe goings forth have beenfrom everlafling. Hab. a. r z. Art not thoufrom everlafling! 0 Lord! Arid thole which fpeak of the perpetual continuance of his duration ; Pfal. tea. 2.4, 25, z6, 27. Thy years are throughout all generations ; ofold thou haft laid thefoundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands ; they /hall perifh, but thou (halt en- dure ; yea all of them /hall wax old like a garment, and as a velure (halt thole change them, and they /hall k changed ; but thou art thefame, and thy years/hall have no end. And thofe which (peak of him as the firfl and the lag ; Ifa. 43. so. Before me there was no God formed, neither/hall there be anyafter me. I am thefarft, andI am the lag, and be/ides me there is no God. And to mention no more, chore which (peak of his Being, as co-exiflent to all difference of time, paff, prefent, and to come, Rev. r. 8. I am Alpha, and Omega, the beginning, and the ending, faith the Lord, which is, andwhich was, andwhich is to come. Thirdly, I /hall from hence draw, . I. Some Doalrinal Corollaries. II. Some Pratlical Inferences. I. DoEfrinal Coröllaries, that you may fee how the Perfections of God depend one upon another, and may be deduced one from another. r . Corot. From the Eternity of God we may infer that he is ofhimfelf. That which always is, can have nothing before it to be a caufe ofits Being. a. 'Carol. We may hence infer the neceifity of his Being. 'Tis neceffary every thing fhould be, when it is; now that which is always, is abfolutely eteceffary, becaufe always fo. 3. Carol. The Immutability of the Divine Nature; for being always, he is ne- ceffarily, and being neceffarily, he cannot but be what he is ; a change of his Being is as impoflible as a ceffation. Therefore the Pfalmift puts his Immutability and Eternity together. Pfal. 102. 27. But thou art thefame, and thy years ¡ball bave no end. II. By way of Prailical Inference or Application. s. The confideration of God's Eternity may ferve for the fupport of our Faith: . This Mofes here ufeth as a ground of his Faith ; Lord, thouhaft ken our dwelling- place, in allgenerations, before the mountains were brought forth, &c. Pfal. 6a.. 8. Trull in him at all times, yepeople. His Immenfity is an Argument why all fhould trufl in him, he is a prefent help to all ; and why they fhould troll in him at all times, his Eternity is an Argument, Deut. 33. 2.7. The eternal God is thy refuge, and :underneath are the everlafling arms. There are two Attributes which are the proper Objects of our Faith and Confidence, God's Goodneß, and his Power, both there are Eternal ; The goodneß of the Lord endureth for ever, as it is frequently in the Pfalms : And his Power is Eternal ; the Apoflle fpeaks of his Eternal Power, as well as Godhead; Rom. 1. zo. Ifa. 2.6.4. Trull ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlaftingfirength. Ifa. 40.28. The everlafting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earthfainteth not, neither is weary. We cannot trufl in Men, becaufe there is nothing in Man tobe a Foundation of our Confidence ; his Good Will towards us may change, his Power may faint, and he may grow weary ; or if thefe continue, yet they that have a mind anda power to help us, themfelves may fail ; therefore the Pfalmift ufeth this confideration of Men's mortality, to take us off from confidence in Man, Pfal. 546. 3, 4. Put not your craft in Princes, nor in thefon ofman, in whom there is no help ; his breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughtsperifh. Ifa. Ceafeyefromman, whofe breath is in hisnoftrils ; for wherein is he to be accountedofp The greateft of the Sons of Men are but lying refuges to the everlafting God; they -are but broken reeds to the rockof Ages. Eeeee z And Il
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