ble for creatures to have.' -The answer given suggests farther to us these following notions of the most high God. First, that he is one being, existing in and of himself: his unity is implied in that he saith, "I;" his existence in that he saith, "I Am;" his existence in and of himself, in that he saith, "I Am that I Am," that is, “I Am in and of myself," not receiving any thing from, nor depending upon any other.- -The same expression implies, that as God is only one, so that he is a most pure and simple being; for here, we see, he admits nothing into the manifestation of himself but pure essence, saying, "I Am that I Am," that is, being itself, without any mixture or composition. And therefore we must not conceive of God, as made up of several parts, or faculties, or ingredients, but only as one who "Is that He Is," and whatsoever is in Him is himself: And although we read of several properties attributed to him in scripture, as wisdom, goodness, justice, &c. we must not apprehend them to be several powers, habits, or qualities, as they are in us; for as they are in God, they are neither distinguished from one another, nor from his nature or essence, in whom they are said to be. In whom, I say, they are said to be for to speak properly, they are not in him, but are his very essence, or nature itself; which acting severally upon several objects, seems to us to act from several properties or perfections in him; whereas all the difference is. only, in our different apprehensions of the same thing. God in himself is a most simple and pure act, and therefore cannot have any thing in him, but what is that most simple and pure act itself; which seeing it bringeth upon every creature what it deserves, we conceive of it as of several divine perfections in the same Almighty Being. Whereas God, whose understanding is infinite as Himself, doth not apprehend himself under the distinct notions of wisdom, or goodness, or justice, or the like, but only as Jehovah: And therefore, in this place, he doth not say, " I am wise, or just, or good," but simply, "I Am that I Am." Having thus offered at something towards the explication of the first of these mysterious sayings in the answer God made to Moses, when he designed to encourage him to lead his people out of Egypt, he proceeds to consider the other, whereby God calls himself absolutely I An.' Concerning which he takes notice, that though "I Am" be commonly a verb of the first person, yet it is here used as a noun substantive, or proper name, and is the nominative case to another verb of the third person in these words, "I Am hath sent me unto you." A strange expression! But when God speaks of himself, he cannot be confined to grammar-rules, being infinitely above and beyond the reach of all languages in the world. And therefore, it is no wonder that when he would reveal himself, he goes out of our common way of speaking one to another, and expresseth himself in a way peculiar to himself, and such as is suitable and proper to his own nature and glory. 'Hence, therefore, as when he speaks of himself and his own eternal essence, he saith, " I Am that I Am ;" so when he speaks of himself, with reference to his creatures, and especially to his people, he saith, "I Am." He doth not say, "I Am their light, their life, their guide, their strength, or tower," but only "I Am:" He sets as it were his hand to a blank, that his people may write under it what they please that is good for them. As if he should say, "Are they weak? I arn strength. Are they poor? I am riches. Are they in trouble? I am comfort. Are they sick? I am health. Are they dying? I am life. Have they nothing? I am all things. I am wisdom and power, I am justice and mercy. I am grace and goodness, I am glory, beauty, holiness, eminency, supereminency, perfection, all-sufficiency, eternity, Jehovah, I Am. Whatsoever is suitable to their nature, or convenient for them in their several conditions, that I Am. Whatsoever is amiable in itself, or desirable unto them, that I Am. Whatsoever is pure and holy; whatsoever is great or pleasant; whatsoever is good or needful to make men happy; that I Am." So that, in short, God here represents himself unto us as an universal good, and leaves us to make the application of it to ourselves, according to our several wants, capacities, and desires, by saying only in general, "I Am." 6 Again, page 27, he thus discourses; There is more solid joy and comfort, more real delight and satisfaction of mind, in one single thought of God, rightly formed, than all the riches, and honours, and pleasures of this world, put them all together, are able to afford.-Let us then call in all our scattered thoughts from all things here below, and raise them up and unite them all to the most high God; apprehending him under the idea, image, or likeness of any thing else, but as infinitely greater, and higher, and better than all things; as one existing in and of himself, and giving essence and existence to all things in the world besides himself; as one so pure and simple that there is nothing in him but himself, but essence and being itself; as one so infinite and omnipotent, that wheresoever any thing else is in the whole world, there he is, and beyond the world, where nothing else is, there all things are, because he is there, as one so wise, so knowing, so omniscient, that he at this very moment, and always, sees what all the angels are doing in heaven; what all the fowls are doing in the air; what all the fishes are doing in the waters; what all the devils are doing in hell; what all the men and beasts, and the very insects, are doing upon earth; as one so powerful and omnipotent, that he can do whatsoever he will, only by willing it should be done; as one so great, so good, so glorious, so immutable, so transcendent, so infinite, so incomprehensible, so eternal, what shall I say? so Jehovah, that the more we think of him, the more we admire him, the more we adore him, the more we love him, the more we may and ought; our highest conceptions of him being as much beneath him, as our greatest services come short of what we owe him. ( Seeing therefore we cannot think of God so highly as he is, let us think of him as highly as we can and for that end let us get above ourselves, and above the world, and raise up our thoughts higher and higher, and higher still, and when we have got them up as high as possibly we can, let us apprehend a Being infinitely higher than the highest of them; and then finding ourselves at a loss, amazed, confounded at such an infinite height of infinite perfections, let us fall down in humble and hearty desires to be · freed from those dark prisons wherein we are now immured, that we may take our flight into eternity, and there (through the merits of our blessed Saviour) see this infinite Being face to face, and enjoy him for ever.' N° 75. SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 1713. Hic est, aut nusquam, quod quærimus. HOR. 1 Ep. xvii. 39. -Here, or no where, we may hope to find CREECH. THIS paper shall consist of extracts from two great divines, but of very different genius. The one is to be admired for convincing the understanding, the other for inflaming the heart. The former urges us in this plain and forcible manner to an inquiry into religion, and practising its precepts. 'Suppose the world began some time to be; it must either be made by counsel and design, that is, produced by some Being that knew what it did, that did contrive it and frame it as it is; which it is easy to conceive, a Being that is infinitely good and wise, and powerful, might do: but this is to own a God. Or else the matter of it being supposed to have been always, and in continual motion and tumult, it at last happened to fall into this order, and the parts of matter, after various agitations, were at length entangled and knit together in this order, in which we see the world to be. But can any man think this reasonable to imagine, that in the infinite variety which is in the world, all things should happen by chance, as well, and as orderly, as the greatest wisdom could have contrived them? Whoever 1 |