little prayer, if it be with the heart and spi- rit, may have much virtue and efficacv in it. Tlie ])ublican made but a short prayer, " God be merciful to me a sinner," Luke xviii. 13., but it was full of life and spirit; it came from the heart, therefore it was ac- cepted.
Use 5. Of Exhortation. Pray to God, that as he is a spirit ; so he will give us of his Spirit. The essence of God is incom- municable ; but not the motions, the pre- sence, and influences of his Spirit. When the sun shines in a room, not the body of the sun is there, but the light, heat, and in- llucnce of the sun. God hath made a pro- mise of his Spirit, Ezek. xxxvi. 27., " I will put my Spirit within you." Turn ])romise8 into prayers. " O Lord, thou who art a spirit, give me of thy Spirit : I flesh, beg thy Spirit, thy enlightening, sanctifying, quickening Spirit !" Melancthon prayed " Lord, inflame my soul with thy holy Spirit!" How needful is his Spirit? We cannot do any duty without it, in a lively manner ; when this wind blows upon our sails, then we move swiftly towards hea- ven. Pray therefore, that God would give us of ' the residue of his Spirit,' Mai. ii. l;j., that we may move more vigorously in the sphere of religion.
Use 6. Of Comfort. As God is a sj)irit, so the reward that he gives is spiritual ; that is the excellency of it. As the chief bless- ings he gives us in this life are spiritual blessings, Eph. i. 3., not gold and silver, — he gives Christ, his love, — he fills us with grace, — so the main rewards he gives us after this life are spiritual, ' a crown of glory that fadeth not away," 1 Pet. v. 4. Earthly crowns fade, but the beliver's crown, being spiritual, is immortal, a never-fading crown. " It is impossible (saith Joseph Scaliger) for that which is sj)iritual to he subject to change or corruption." This may comfort a Christian in all his la- bours and sufferings ; he lays out himself for God, and hath little or no reward herej but remember, God, who is a spirit, will give spiritual rewards, — a sight of his face in heaven, — white robes, — a weight of glory. Be not then weary of God's service ; think of the spiritual reward, a crown of glory which fadeth not away !
38
GOD IS INFINITE.
GOD IS INFINITE.
3cl. Quest. IVHAT kind of Spirit is God?
Ans. lie is infinite ; so lie differs from all created beings, which are finite. Though infinite may be applied to all God's attri- butes,— he is infinitely merciful, infinitely wise, infinitely holy, — yet, if we take infi- niteness properly so, it implies :
1. God's omnipresence. The Greek word for infinite signiiies ' without bounds or li- mits :' God is not confined to any place, he is infinite, and so is present in all places at once. His centre is every where, — Divina essentia musqitam inclusa out exclnsa, Aug. 1 Kings viii. 27., " Behold, the heaven, and heaven of lieavcns cannot contain thee !" This the Turks have a notion of : they build their temples open at the top, to shew that God cannot be confined to their temples, or circumscribed, but is in all places by his presence. God's essence is not limited either to the regions above, or to the terrestrial globe, but his whole essence is every where ; this is to be infinite. As philosophers say of the soul, it is, iota in tota, et tota in quali- bet parte, — the sovd is in every part of the body, in the eye, heart, foot : so we may say of (jod, he is ubique, — his essence is every where, — his circuit is in heaven, and in earth, and sea, and he is in all places of his circuit at once. ' This is to be infinite.' God, who bounds every thing else, is him- self without bounds : he sets bounds to the sea, hue usque, — ' Hitherto shalt thou come, and no further.' He sets bounds to the angels ; they, like the cherubims, move and stand at his a])p<»intment, Ezek. x. 16., but he is infinite, without bovuids. He who can span the heavens, and weigh the earth in a pair of scales, must needs be infinite, Isa. xl. 22.
Obj. Vorstius, That God is in all places at once but not in regard of his essence, but, ATrtutc ct potentia, bi/ his virtue ami influ- ence : as the bodif of the sun is in heaven, it only sends forth its beams and infuences to the earth,— or as a king, u'ho is in allpUices of his hivgdoni authoritatively, by his pouu r and authority, but he is personally on his throne.
A, But to answer : God, who is infiuite.
*s in all places at once, not only by his in- fluence, but by his essence; for, if his es- sence fills all places, then he must needs be there in person. But, Ergo, minor in, Jer. xxiii. 24., " Do not I fill heaven and earth ?"
Obj. But doth not God say, heaven is his throne? Isa. Ixxa. 1.
A. It is also said, that an humble heart is his throne, Isa. Ivii. 15. The humble heart is his throne, in regard of his gracious presence ; and heaven is his throne, in re- gard of his glorious presence ; and yet nei- ther of these thrones will hold him, for the heaven of heavens cannot contain him.