7. Of God's jealousy and hatred, mentioned from Ps. v. 4, 5, Exod. XX. 5, Deut. xxxii. 21, there is the same reason. Such effects as these things in us produce shall they meet withal who provoke him by their blasphemies and abominations. Of love, mercy, and grace, the condition is something otherwise : principally they denote God's essential goodness and kindness, which is eminent amongst his infinite perfections ; and secondarily the effects thereof, in and through Jesus Christ, are denoted by these expressions. To manifest that neither they nor any thing else, as they properly intend any affections or passions of the mind, any commotions of will, are pro- perly attributed to God, unto what hath been spoken already these ensuing considerations may be subjoined : —
(1.) Where no cause of stirring up affections or passions can have place or be admitted, there no affections are to be admitted ; for to what end should we suppose that whereof there can be no use to eternity? If it be impossible any affection in God should be stirred up or acted, is it not impossible any such should be in him ? The causes stirring up all affections are the access of some good desired, whence joy, hope, desire, etc., have their spring ; or the approach of some evil to be avoided, which occasions fear, sorrow, anger, repent- ance, and the like. Now, if no good can be added to God, whence should joy and desire be stirred up in him ? if no evil can befall him, in himself or any of his concernments, whence should he have fear, sorrow, or repentance ? Our goodness extends not to him ; he hath no need of us or our sacrifices, Ps. xvi. 2, 1. 8-10 ; Job xxxv. 6-8. " Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself ? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways per- fect?" chap. xxii. 2, 3.
(2.) The apostle tells us that God is "■ blessed for ever," Rom. ix. 5 ;
1 Acts XV. 18; 2 Sara. xxii. 16; Job iv. 9; Ps. xviii. 15; Eom. i. 25; Gen. xvii. 1; Eom. ix. 16-18, etc., xi. 34-36; Isa. xl. 15; Heb. i. 3; Ps. xxxiii. 9; Acts xvii. 24-28 ; Ps. 1. 8 ; Dan. v. 23 ; Ps. xc. 3; Job xxxiv. 19.
OF god's prescience or foreknowledge. 115
" He is the blessed and only Potentate," 1 Tim. vi. 15 ; "God all- sufficient/' Gen. xvii. 1. That which is inconsistent with absolute blessedness and all-sufficiency is not to be ascribed to God ; to do so casts him down from his excellency. But can he be blessed, is he all-sufficient, who is tossed up and down with hope, joy, fear, sorrow, repentance, anger, and the like ? Doth not fear take off from absolute blessedness ? Grant that God's fear doth not long abide, yet whilst it doth so, he is less blessed than he was before and than he is after his fear ceaseth. When he hopes, is he not short in happiness of that condition which he attains in the enjoyment of what he hoped for ? and is he not lower when he is disappointed and falls short of his expectation ? Did ever the heathens speak with more contempt of what they worshipped ? Formerly the pride of some men heightened them to fancy themselves to be like God, without passions or affections, Ps. 1. 21 ; being not able to abide in their attempt against their own sense and experience, it is now endeavoured to make God like to us, in having such passions and affections. My aim is brevity, having many heads to speak unto. Those who have written on the attributes of God, — his self-sufficiency and blessedness, simplicity, immutability, etc., — are ready to tender farther satisfaction to them who shall desire it.
CHAPTER V.
Of God's prescience or foreknowledge.
His next attempt is to overthrow and remove the prescience or foreknowledge of God, with what success the farther consideration of the way whereby he endeavours it will manifest. His question (the engine whereby he works) is thus framed : —
As for our free actions which are neither past nor present, hut may afterward either he or not he, what are the chief passages of Scripture from whence it is wont to he gathered that God knoweth not such actions until they come to pass, yea, that there are stich actions ?
That we might have had a clearer acquaintance with the intend- ment of this interrogation, it is desirable Mr Biddle had given us his sense on some particulars, which at first view present themselves to the trouble of every ordinary reader ; as, —
1. How we may reconcile the words of Scripture given in answer to his preceding query with the design of this. There it is asserted that God " understandeth our thoughts" (which certainly are of our free actions, if any such there are) " afar off ;" here, that he knows not our free actions that are future, and not yet wrought or performed.
2 By whom is it " wont to be gathered" from the following scrip-