Senn. CIV. God the f rft Caufe, and tats End. z. Pofitively, that he is the Caufe of all things betides, himfelf, the Fountain .and Original of all Created Beings, from whom all things proceed, and upon whom all things depend ; or, that I may ufe the expreffìon of Saint fohn, yohri 1. 3. which I know is appropriated to the Second Perlon in the Trinity, By hurt all things were made, and without him was nothing macl that was made. So that when we attribute to God, that he is the first, we mean, that there was nothing before him, and that he was before all things, and that all things are by him. II. The laß End, that is, that all things refer to him ; that is, the deGgn and. aim of all things that are made, is the 11luftration of God'sGlory force way or other, and themanifeftation of his'Perfedtions. Secondly, For the Confirmation. I (hall briefly, according to my ufual Method; attempt it thefe two ways. I. By Natural light. The Notion ofa God contains in it all poffible Perfeétion. Now the utmoft Perfeétion we. can - imagine, is, for a Being to be always of it Pelf, before all other Beings, and -not only fo, but to be the caufe of all other Beings ; that is, that there should be nothing, but what derives its Being from him, and continually depends upon him ; from whence follows , that all things muff refer to him, as their lag End. For every wife Agent ads with deGgn, and in order to an End. Now the End is that which is beft , which is molt worthy the attaining, and that is God himfelf. Now his Being and Perfections are alrea- dy ; and the beft next to the exigence of his Being and Perfeétions, is the manife- flation of them, which is called God's Glory ; and this is the highest End that we can imagine, to which all the Effects of the Divine Power and Goodnefs, and Wifdom, do refer. And that there Titles are to be attributed toGod;, is not only realonable, when it is revealed and difcovered, but was difcovered by the Natural light of thehea- thens. Hence it was that Ariflotle gives to God thofe Titlesof the firft Being, the frrft Caufe, and the first Mover ; and hisMatter Plato calls God the Author andPa- rent of all things, the Maker and Architect of the World, and of all Creatures ; the Fountain andOriginal of all things.' Porphyry calls him 5ó z7-0 ,ro, the tuft, from whence he Reafons to this fenfe, that he is the ultimate end and that all things move towards God, that all motions center in him ; becaufe, faithhe, it is molt proper and natural for things to refer to their Original, and to refer all to him, from whom they receive all. Antoninus, the Emperor and Philofopher, (peaking of Nature(which with the Stoicks lignifies God.) hath there words, which are fo very like there of the Apoftle, that they may feem to betaken from him; éx oái qrdvzrt, cv w, wávru, 'ciç wzrow, Of thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee are all things. II. From Scripture. Hither belong all thole places where he declares himfelf to be the ftrft, and the daft, Ifa. 4t. 4. Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning ? I the Lord, the first, and with the last, I am he. Ifa. 43. so. Before me there was no God formed, (or as it is in the Margin) there was nothing formed of God, neither (hall there be after me. Ifa; 44. 6: I am the ffrft, and I am the la/l, and betides me there is no God. Ifa. 48. II, 13. I am the firlI, I alfo am the lag, my hand hath laid the foundation of the earth, my right hand bath fpread the heavens ; which is'as much as to fay, he hath made the World, and was the All Caufe of all things. Rev. r. 8. Iam Alpha andOmega, the begin- ning and the end, faith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come. But more exprefly, r Cor. 8. 6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom areall things, and we by him, á, ñuc ç Hs keens, and we to him, andfor him. Ails 17. 2.4. God that made the World, and all things therein. 11.15. He giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. v. 18. In him we live, andmove, andhave our Being. 'v. 3.9. For as much then as we are the off-fpring of God. Hither we may refer thofe Texts which attribute the fame to the Second Per - fon in the Trinity, as the Eternal Wifdom and Word of God, whereby àll risings were made, yob. r. 3. All things were made by him, andwithout him was nothing made, that was made, v. ro. And the World was made by him, r Cor. 8. 6. And one Lord lefusChrist, by whom are all things, andwe by him, Eph. 3. 9. God, who Crea- ted all things by yefus Chrifi, Col. r. r6. By him were all things Created that are in Fff£fa heaven 77'
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=