do therefore debase God, and deific his creature, who make the creature the ultimate end of GOD and it self; and not God the ultimate end of the creature. And they might as well make the creature the Beginning alfo of it felf and God: (And yet this fottifh notion taketh much with many half-witted Novelifts in this Age, who account themselves the men of ingenuity.)

And they have alfo falfe thoughts of the Goodness of God, who think that there is nothing of communicative Benignity in it at all. For all the good which God doth, he doth it from the Goodness of his Nature: Thou art good, and doeft good, Pfal. 119.68. And his doing good is ufually expreffed by the phrafe of being good to them: The Lord is good to all, Pfal. 145. 9. Pfal. 25 8. & 86.5.

Object. But if communicative Benignity be natural to God as bi Effential Goodness is, then be must do good per modum naturæ, & ad ultimum potentiæ; and then the world was from Eternity, and as good as God could make it.

Anf. 1. Thofe Chriftian Divines who do hold that the Univerfe was from Eternity, and that it is as good as God can make it, do not yet hold that it was its own original, but an eternal emanation from God, and therefore that God who is the beginning of it, is the ultimate end, and eternally and voluntarily, though naturally and neceffarily produced it for bimfelf, even for the pleasure of his will: And therefore that Gods Effential Goodness as it is in it felf, is much higher than the fame as terminated in, or productive of the Univerfe. And that no mixt bodies which do oriri & interire, are generated and corrupted, were from eternity; and confequently, that this prefent fyfteme called the world, which is within our fight, was not from eternity: But that as fpring and fall doth revive the plants, and end their tranfitory life, fo it hath been with these particular fyftemes; the fimpler and nobler parts of the Univerfe continuing the fame. And they held that the world is next to infinitely good, and as good as it is poffible to be without being God; and that for God to produce another God, or an infinite good, is a contradiction: And that all the bafer, and pained, and miferable parts of the world, are best repelively to the perfection of the whole, though not best

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in and to themselves; (As every nuck and pin in a watch is neceffary as well as the chief parts.) And that all things fet together, it is beft that all things be as they are, and will be: But of this the infinite Wisdom, who feeth not only fome little parts, but the whole Universe at one perfect view, is the fitteft Judge.

2. But the generality of Divines do hold the contrary, and fay, that it is natural to God to be the Alfufficient pregnant good; not only able to communicate goodness, but inclined to it, as far as his perfection doth require, but not inclined to communicate in a way of natural conftant neceffity, as the Sun fhineth, but in a way of liberty, when, and in what degrees he pleaseth; which pleasure is guided by his infinite Understanding, which no mortal man can comprehend; and therefore muft not ask any further reafon of the first reafon and will; but ftop here, and be satisfied to find that it is indeed Gods Will and Reafon, which caufeth all things when and what they are, and not otherwife. And that God hath not made the Universe as good in it felf, as by his abfolute Power he could have made it: But that it is best to be as it is and will be, because it is most fuitable to his perfe& Will and Wisdom. And this answer feemeth most agreeable to Gods Word.

And as you muft fee that your thoughts of Gods Goodness be not falfe; fo alfo that they be not diminutive and low. As no knowledge is more useful and neceffary to us; fo nothing is more wonderfully revealed by God, than is his amiable Goodness: For this end he fent his Son into Ach, to declare his Love to the forelorn world, and to call them to behold it, and admire it, fobn 1.8,9, 10. & 3. 16. 1 John 3. 1. Rev.21.3. And as Chrift is the chief glafs of the Fathers Love, on this fide Heaven, fo it is the chief part of the office of Faith, to fee Gods Love and Goodness in the face of Chrift: Let him not reveal his Love in vain, at fo dear a rate, and in a way of fuch wonderful condefcenfion: Think of his Goodness, as equal to his greatnefs: And as you fee his greatness in the frame of the world; fo his goodness in the wonderful work of mans Redemption and Salvation: Let Faith bebolding God in Chrift, and daily thus gazing on his goodness, or rather tafting it, and feasting on it, be the very fumm of all your Religion and

your

your lives. This is indeed to live by Faith, when it worketh by that Love, which is our holiness and life.

Direct. 13. Let not Faith overlook the Books of the Creation, and the wonderful demonftrations of Gods Attributes there

in.

Even fuch revelations of Gods goodness and fidelity as are made in Nature, or the works of Creation, are fometimes in Scriptures made the objects of faith. At leaft we who by the belief of the Scriptures, do know how the worlds were made, Heb. 11. 2, 3. muft believingly ftudy this glorious work of our great Creator. All thofe admirations and praises of God as appearing in his works, which David useth, were not without the ufe of faith. Thus faith can ufe the world as a fanctified thing, and as a glass to see the glory of God in, while fenfual finners ufe it again God to their own perdition, and make it an enemy to God and them; fo contrary is the life of Faith and of Senfe. He hath not the heart of a man within him, who is not ftricken with admiration of the Power, and Wisdom and Goodness of the incomprehensible Creator, when he feriously looketh to the Sun and Stars, to Sea and Land, to the courfe of all things, and to the wonderful variety and natures of the particular creatures. And he hath not the heart of a Believer in him, who doth not think [O what a God is it whom I am bound to ferve, and who hath taken me into his Covenant as his child! How happy are they who have fuch a God, engaged to be their God and Happiness? And how miferable are they who make such a God their revenging Judge and enemy? Shall I ever again wilfully or carelefly fin againft a God of fo great Majefty? If the Sun were an intelle&ual Deity, and ftill looked on me fhould I prefumptuously offend him? Shall I ever distrutt the power of him that made fuch a world? Shall I fear a worm, a mortal man, above this great and terrible Creator? Shall I ever again refift or disobey the word and wisdom of him, who made and ruleth fuch a world? Doth he govern the whole world, and fhould not I be governed by him? Hath he Good.. nefs enough to communicate as he hath done to Sun and Stars to Heaven and Earth, to Angels and Men, and every wight? and hath he not Goodness enough to draw, and engage, and continually

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continually delight, this dull and narrow heart of mine? Doth the return of his Sun, turn the darkfome night into the lightfome day, and bring forth the creatures to their food and labour; doth its approach revive the torpid earth, and turn. the congealed winter into the pleasant spring, and cover the earth with her fragrant many, coloured Robes, and renew the life and joy of the terreftrial inhabitants; and fhall I find nothing in the God who made and fill continueth the world, to be the life, and strength, and pleasure of my foul? Pfal. 66. 1. &c. Make a joyful neife unto God, all ye Lands: fing forth the bonour of bis Name; make his praise glorious: fay unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works? Come and fee the works of God: He is terrible in bis doing towards the children of men.

·He ruleth by his power for ever: his eyes behold the Nations: let not the rebellious exalt themfelves. O bless our God ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard! who holdeth our foul in life, and fuffereth not cur feet to be moved, Pfal. 86. 8, 9, 10, Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord, neither are there any works like unto thy works. All Nations whom thou haft made fhall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorifie thy Name: For thou art great, and doft wonderous things: thou art God alone, Pfal. 92. 5, 6. O Lord how great are thy works! thy thoughts are very deep, a bruitish man knoweth not, neither doth a fool understand this. Faith doth not separate it felf from natural knowledge, nor negle& Gods Works, while it ftudyeth his Word, but faith Pfal. 143. 5. I meditate on all thy Works: I mufe on the work of thy bands. Pfal. 104. 24. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wifdom bast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches, fo is the great and wide Sea, &c.

Nay, it is greatly to be noted, that as Redemption is to repair the Creation, and the Redeemer came to recover the foul of man to his Creator, and Chrift is the way to the Father; fo on the Lords day our commemoration of Redemption includeth and is fubfervient to our commemoration of the Creation, and the work of the ancient Sabbath is not shut out, but taken in with the proper work of the Lords day: and as Faith in Chrift is a mediate grace to caufe in us the Love of God; fo the Word of the Redeemer doth not call off our thoughts from the Works

Works of the great Greator, but call them back to that employment, and fit us for it by reconciling us to God.

Therefore it is as fuitable to the Gospel Church at leaft, as it was to the Jewish, to make Gods works the matter of our Sabbath praifes, and to fay, as Pfal. 145. 4, 5, 10. One generation shall praise thy works to another; and shall declare thy mighty acts: I will speak of the glorious bonour of thy Majesty, and of thy wonderous works: And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible als, and I will declare thy greatness

Altby works shall praise thee O Lord, and thy Saints shall blefs thee, Pfal. 26. 6, 7. I will wash my bands in innocency, and fo will I compass thine Altar O Lord, that I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wonderous works, Pfal. 9. 12. I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart, I will fhew forth alliby marvelous works.

Direct, 14. Let Faith alfo obferve God in his daily Providences; and equally honour him for the ordinary and the extraordinary paffages thereof.

The upholding of the world is a continual caufing of it; and differeth from creation, as the continued fhining of a Candle doth from the firft lighting of it. If therefore the Creation do wonderfully declare the Power, and Wifdom, and Goodness of God; fo alfo doth the confervation. And note that Gods ordinary works are as great demonftrations of him in all his perfections, as his extraordinary: Is it not as great a declaration of the Power of God, that he caufe the Sun to shine, and to keep its wonderous courfe from age to age, as if he did fuch a thing but for a day or hour? and as if he caused it to stand still a day? And is it not as great a demonftration of his knowledge allo, and of his goodness? Surely we fhould take it for as great an act of Love, to have plenty, and health, and joy continued to us as long as we delired it, as for an hour. Let not then that duration and ordinarinefs of Gods manifeftations to us, which is their aggravation, be lookt upon as if. it were their extenuation: But let us admire God in the Sun and Stars, in Sea and Land, as if this were the first time that ever we had feen them.

And yet let the extraordinarniefs of his works have its effects alfo: Their ufc is to ftir up the drowfie mind of man, to fe

God