God, especially in holy Scripture, is represented in respect

to them.

I. God is wavтoкpάTwp, as having a just right and authority over all things: he naturally is the sovereign Lord and Emperor of the world; for whatever imaginable reason or ground there is of authority, doth in respect to all things agree unto God. Aristotle, in his Politics, discourseth thus: Government doth aim at and tend to the mutual benefit of the governor and governed; he therefore who is most able and best disposed to provide for and procure the common benefit, is according to natural reason and justice (secluding other considerations of laws and compacts, of former constitutions, of present possession, and the like) to be the governor; or he deserves, and is fit to be so, and (no other reason hindering) becometh such. ('That,' saith the philosopher, which naturally is apt or able to provide, doth naturally rule, and naturally lordeth :') whence the soul hath a right to govern the body; and men naturally do rule over beasts; and were there any such persons as did without any question very eminently exceed others in wisdom and goodness, to them, according to natural congruity, the government of others would appertain; the common advantage so requiring and if such excellency of nature be a foundation of authority, then God, who in wisdom and goodness doth incomparably surpass all things, hath assuredly the right to govern all so a Pagan author could discourse; There is,' saith Cicero, nothing better than God; therefore it is necessary the world should be ruled by him he is the only wise, (as St Paul telleth us,) and thence most able; he is only good, (as our Saviour teacheth us,) and thence most apt to manage all things for the general welfare and benefit of the world. If also eminency of power doth qualify for dominion, (as it surely doth; for that which cannot be withstood must in reason be submitted to; it is vain to question that authority, which by force altogether irresistible can assert and maintain itself,) God hath the only right, nothing in the world being able to contest his title; for, Who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto

De N. D. 2.

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the Lord? O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee?' says the holy psalmist contemplating this divine attribute: all things are weak and feeble in comparison; are altogether in his hand, and under his feet; are throughly at his discretion and disposal: The Lord,' saith the prophet, is the true God, and the everlasting King; at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation: and, How terrible,' saith the psalmist, 'art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee-He ruleth by his power for ever, his eyes behold the nations; let not the rebellious exalt themselves.'

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If also to have made all things, and to preserve them, doth create a right of governing, (as it must needs do so for what can we justly challenge a dominion over, if not over our own works, over that which we continually keep and nourish; over that which altogether depends on us, and which subsists at our pleasure?) then well may the apocalyptical elders thus acknowlege: Worthy art thou, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power,' (that is, to possess the royal majesty and sovereign dominion over the world :) for thou hast made all things, and for thy will they are and were created:' well might every creature that is in the heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth, and those things which are in the sea, and all things in them, cry out there; To him that sitteth on the throne (and to the Lamb) be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion for ever and ever:' well might king Hezekiah say, 'O Lord of hosts-thou art the God; thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth' and the Levites in Nehemiah; Thou, even thou, art the Lord alone; thou hast made heaven and earth; the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts; the earth, and all things that are therein; the sea, and all that is therein; and thou preservest them all; and all the host of heaven worshippeth thee.' Thus is God Tavroкpárwp; as he is on all imaginable accounts, and according to all reasonable grounds of right, the rightful Sovereign of all things: as he is Divúmque homi

• Virg. Æn. 10.

númque potestas, as the wisest poet doth acknowlege and style him.

2. He is also such in regard to his infinite power, as that word may signify omnipotent. Natural light affordeth pregnant arguments of the greatness of his power, displayed in the constitution and conservation of the world; his disposing so stupendously vast, so unconceivably various creatures into so comely and stable a posture, whence his eternal power and divinity are discerned,' as St. Paul telleth us; for he that could effect so much, his power must needs be far greater than we can imagine or comprehend; to natural light, I say, it is incomprehensibly great, and exceedeth all definite limits; but holy Scripture more clearly and fully declareth the extent of his power; asserting that it is not only in respect to our weak conceit and narrow capacity, but in itself truly infinite, reaching the utmost possibility of things: it teacheth us that whatever is not contrary to his nature, or to his essential perfections, (to his goodness, fidelity, holiness, wisdom;) which it doth not misbecome him to do; or which is not repugnant to the nature of things to be done, (that is, which doth not imply a contradiction, and thereby is impossible, and becomes no object of power;) for such things he cannot do, because he is omnipotent: as St. Austin acutely says; he is able with perfect ease and facility to achieve it: there is among things good and possible nothing so difficult but he can perform it; nothing so strong and stubborn but he can subdue it: Is any thing too hard for the Lord?' said God to Abraham, when Sarah doubted, or wondered concerning the promise that she in so extreme an age should become fruitful: Behold,' said the prophet Jeremiah in his prayer,' thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and thy stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee ;' οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει Θεῷ πᾶν ῥῆμα • Nothing (that can be said, or conceived, or performed) shall be impossible to God,' if he pleaseth to design or undertake it, said the angel to the blessed virgin, when he delivered so strange a message to her concerning an event so wonderful and supernatural as our Saviour's conception of her: that a rich man should be

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* De Civ. D. v. 10.

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induced intirely to comply with God's will, and willingly to part with all, our Saviour affirmed exceedingly difficult, (hardly any thing could be supposed more difficult; harder it was than 'for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle ;') but to satisfy his disciples' scruple thence arising, he subjoins; With men (or according to the common sense of men) this is impossible, but to God all things are possible: In thine hand,' said king Jehoshaphat, there is power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee :' and king Nebuchadnezzar having felt an experiment of his power, and being returned to a right understanding, confesseth thus: He doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?' The Lord of hosts,' saith the prophet, hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?' To stop the sun in his career, to make the sea stand on an heap, to draw streams of water from a rock, to restrain fire from burning, to restore the blind and lame, to raise the dead, to suspend, thwart, invert the course of nature, with all such things which we so wonder at, and term miracles, are comparatively but slender, and, as it were, perfunctory instances of his power; for with the greatest ease, by the least exertion of his power, by a thought, a look, a touch, a word, the greatest things are performed; He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the hills, and they smoke:' He overturneth the mountains in his anger, and shaketh the earth out of her place: The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at his reproof.' These seem great and strange effects of power; yet in respect to what he can do and hath done, they are small; for he at first made the whole world with a word; so the history of the creation expresseth it, and so the psalmist telleth us; By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth;' and by a word he doth preserve it, upholding,' as the Apostle to the Hebrews speaketh, all things by the word of his power,' or by his powerful word; and by a word he can destroy and annihilate all things; yea more easily, in a manner, he can do it, even by his mere silence, or by withdrawing that salutary breath, by virtue of which all things subsist; Thou hidest thy face,' saith

the psalmist, they are troubled; thou withholdest thy breath, they die and return to their dust.' For we may consider that in this respect also God is all-powerful, as being the source from which all power is derived, by which all power is sustained, on which all power doth depend: he not only can do all things inclusively, but exclusively, or so that nothing can be done without him that of our Saviour, Without me ye can do nothing,' is not only true in spiritual, but in all other matters: 'He,' as St. Paul preached at Athens, giveth life (or being, with all vital faculties) and breath, (that is, all natural powers) and all things unto all' In him (or rather, by him) we live, and move, and have our being:' that is, whatever we are, whatever we have, whatever we can do, doth proceed from him, doth depend on him. Thus is God kavтokpáтwp, as all-powerful.

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3. God is also so, by reason that he doth actually exercise all dominion, and doth exert his power continually, according to his good pleasure he not only hath a just title to govern all things, and a perfect ability to sway in all matters, but he constantly useth them; The Lord hath prepared his throne in heaven, and his kindom ruleth over all:' God is the King of all the earth; God reigneth over the heathen,' (or the nations ;) 'God sitteth on the throne of his holiness: The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens: Who is like unto the Lord our God, who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth?' It is indeed, as the holy man saith, a great condescension in God, that he will vouchsafe to have the inspection and administration of things so much inferior to him; yet for the common good of his creatures he is pleased to do it: Thine,' saith king David, 'O Lord, is the kingdom, and thou art exalted as head above all; both riches and honor come of thee, and thou reignest over all ; in thine hand is power and might,' &c. He is indeed the only Governor, absolutely, originally, and independently so; ó póvos duváarns, the only Potentate, as St. Paul calleth him; all authority and power are imparted by him, and subordinate to him; from his disposal and direction all potentates do receive them; in his name and behalf, by virtue of his commission and command, as his delegates and ministers, for his honor, in