you confider how great a Go D he is, you will fee But may we not love hinand love other things You cannot with a co-ordinate, but with a fub ordinate love you may; that is, you cannot love him and the world, for they are oppofed. 1 Ioh.2. 15. Love not the world, neither the things of the world; if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in, him. So Iam.4.4. Know ye not, that the friendship of the world is enmitie with God? whosoever therefore will. be a friend of the world, is an enemie to God. All our love must be bestowed upon him,as most worthy of it: there is not one particle to be bestowed upon any other thing. But then he gives us our love againe, and then we may difpofe of it here and there,according to his will. As for example: hee bath commanded thee to love father, and mother, and friends; and the ground that thou art to doe it upon is,because he hath commanded thee,and gives thee leave to doe it: Onely he hath put naturall affection into thee,that thou may& doe it more readily. So So he hath given thee leave to love recreations and other things that are futable to our de fires, but you must remember, that the end is, that you may bee' made more ferviceable to him, to quicken and strengthen you to doe his fervice, and thus it may be bestowed upon other things. But that which we have in hand, and commend to your confideration is this; that if hee be fo exceeding great in goodneffe, then hee deferves thy whole love. 1 Cor. 16. 22. If any man love not the Lord Iefus Chrift, let him bee Anathema Maranatha. Paul comes with indignation, confidering the great good that Iefus Chrift had done for them; if any man love not him, hee is worthy to perifh, let him be accurfed even to death. I fay, if wee confider the greatnesse that is in him, you fhall fee some reason for that indignation of the Apostle, and that curfe whereby he expreffeth it; and fo farre as we fall fhort of our love herein, we fhould goe to Christ, and befeech him to make it up, that fo our defects may be fupplyed, and that wee may be accepted in him. Againe, if hee be fo great, then wee fhould learne to reverence him, to come before him with much feare, when wee performe any duty to him. According as a man is great, fo wee feare him. This ufe is made of it in Mal. 1.14. Curfed be the deceiver, that hath in his flocke a male, and voweth and facrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing: for I am a great King, faith the Lord of Kk Hofts; I CH. 16, 23. ve 4: him when wee him. Gen. 28, 17. Ecclef. 5.2. hofts; and my name is dreadfull among all Nations: that is the reason,that the Lord there ufeth to ftir them up,I am a great King. So that the confideration of his greatneße fhould cause us to feare before him. When he appeared to Iacob, when he fled from his fathers houfe to his uncle Laban, Gen.28.17. Iacob faith of the place wherein God appeared to him, Surely this place is exceeding fearefull: and the reason was because God appeared there, because hee was prefent there; for his prefence ftroke him with fuch an awefull reverence, that he said, the place was exceeding fearefull. So wee fhould thinke of his dreadfull prefence when wee come before him: Ecclef. 5.2. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hafty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou on earth, therfore let thy words be few: that is,he is exceeding great, and hee is in heaven, therefore learne to feare him, when you draw nigh unto him. Now that which may helpe us in this, is to confider how glorious his apparitions were, when he appeared to Mofes, to the Prophets, as Eliah and Ezekiel and you must remember, that though you fee not fuch apparitions, yet confider that you have the fame God to deale withall; and though he doth not manifeft himself to now,yet he is as great now as then, and therefore feare before him. And this is to fanctifie God in our hearts; when we conceive of him as he is,and accordingly feare, when we come before him. And thus much in generall of this Attribute. Now Now this greatneffe of God is feene in foure particulars: First, In the Infiniteneffe of his Prefence. Secondly, In the Infinitenesse of his Power, which is his Omnipotence. Thirdly, In the Infiniteneffe of his wifedome. Fourthly, In the Abfoluteneße of his will, that it is without all bounds and limits. I 2 34 “་་་ THE SEVENTH AT The Infinitenesse of his prefence, Or, Or the first. The Infiniteneße of his prefence is another Attribute which he takes to himfelfe in Scripture; As Jer. 23. 24. Can any man hide himselfe in fecret places, that I shall not fee him, faith the Lord? Doe not I fill heaven and and earth, faith the Lord? That is, hee is present every where, in all the parts of heaven and earth, even as water when it fills every channell, and as the light when it shines throughout the whole world: So, Doe not I fill heaven and earth, Kk 2 Saith Ephef. 4.6. Queft. Answ. God without the world as well as in it. 2 Chron. 2. 6. Reafon 1. God of an in finite effence, therfore of an infinite prefence. faith the Lord? So Eph. 4. 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. God fills all in all. Only this question may be asked, whether hee be without the world,as wel as he is in the world? Because fome have difputed it, therefore I will answer it in a word. The Scripture is cleare in it, that he is without the world; there are no limits of his effence, that wee can fet downe, hee is not contained within the compaffe of heaven and earth, as you fhall fee in 2 Chron. 2. 6. But who is able to build him an houfe, feeing the heaven of heavens cannot containe him? But this is but a curious question; therefore I will leave it, and will come to fhew the reafons of his omniprefence, why hee is immenfe, why lee is every where, as I have done in the reft. This property or Attribute of immensity muft needs be given to God, becaufe his effence is infnite, which hath beene before proved. Now as the argument holds good, that according to the fubftance of every thing, fuch muft the quantity be in things that have quantity; as if the body be great, accordingly muft the quantity be: So if God be an infinite effence, (as he is) there is as good reason that hee fhould have an infinite prefence accompanying it,as that a great body hath a quantity answerable to it: So then feeing he is of an infinite being, therefore alfo of an infinite prefence. 2 Againe,you fee by experience,and cannot de ny |