quently that God is his Father. And therefore proceed to the next word, Almighty. xvi. 27. Though all the divine perfections (being intrinfecal unto, and identified with, the divine nature or effence) do really and equally belong to each Perfon of the bleffed Trinity, yet are eminently in fome respect attributed to Vid. Rom. the Father, as the firft Perfon in order of nature, the original fountain and root of the Deity: P likewise although all divine operations ad extra (as proceeding from the fame divine will and power) do proceed from all the three Persons, conspiring in them, yet are some, xar' oixovoμíav, (by way of myfterious difpenfation,) appropriated to one, fome to another: as creation and dilection to the Father; reconciliation and redemption to the Son; illumination and fanctification to the Holy Ghost. Omnipotency therefore is here afcribed to God the Father not exclufively, but eminently, (for the Son and the Holy Ghost by participation of the divine nature from the Father are also omnipotent 9.) And God the Father is called the Maker of heaven and earth; although by the Son (or Eternal Word) also all things were made, and without him John i. 3. was made nothing that was made: and all things were Col. i. 16. created by him, both things in heaven, and things in earth, and things upon earth; both things vifible, and things invifible and the Spirit of God is faid to have garnished the heavens, (Job xxvi. 13.) and, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the Spirit of his mouth, Pfal. xxxiii. 6. This I premise, to prevent mistake, in fuppofing the glorious perfections, of • Omne nomen dictum de Deo refpectu creaturæ indicat effentiam, adeoque prædicatur de tribus perfonis fimul, exceptis quæ pertinent ad unionem feu difpenfationem, id eft ad incarnationem five affumptam carnem. Forb. p. 24. P Quando unus trium in aliquo opere nominatur, univerfa operari Trinitas intelligitur. Aug. Una voluntas eft Patris et Filii, et infeparabilis operatio. Id. 4 Sancta et infeparabilis Trinitas nunquam aliquid extra fe figillatim operare noverit. Ambrof. in Symb. cap. ix. Forb. p. 23. John v. 19. works attributed to God the Father, to be afcribed to him Matt. xii. in distinction, and excluding the other Perfons. Now to 28. 13. xlviii. 2. Seld. de 3. the attributes themselves. Almighty.] The title or epithet wavroxpάTwp (which we render Almighty, or Omnipotent, there being no other word more properly and fully to express it) is often (in a manner peculiar and characteristical) ascribed to God in the Scripture; but in the New Teftament from imitation (as it feems) or tranflation of the Greek in the Old, where it answers to two famous and usual names of God, Sabaoth and Shaddai, (efpecially to the former, for the latter is only fo rendered in fome places of the book of Job;) the name Sabaoth, I fay; (for that it is fo, we have Jer. 1. 34. exprefsly affirmed in feveral places; Their Redeemer is ftrong; Jehovah Sabaoth is his name, Jer. 1. 34. (fo Amos iv. alfo Ifa. xlviii. 2.) and Amos iv. 13. He that formeth the Ifa. xviii. 7. mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought-Jehovah Elohei Sabaoth is his name : from whence fome critics deduce Zeus Za66ários, menDiis S. cap. tioned in fome heathen writers.) Now the name SaAriftoph. baoth doth feem to import God's univerfal dominion over the world: for all things of the world, as being ranged in a goodly order (like an army marching in array, or marfhalled to battle) are called armies: thus the heavens and earth were finished, and all the host of them, Gen. ii. 1. (xai maç xóσμos auτäv, faith the Greek: and all the world, Pf. xxxiii. 6. or the furniture of them :) By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them: Bless the Lord Ifa. xl. 26. all ye his hofts; (that is, all creatures :) Lift up your eyes on high, faith the Prophet Ifaiah, and behold who hath created thefe things, that bringeth out their hoft by numCompare ber he calleth them all by names, by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power, not one faileth: where God is reprefented bringing forth, and ordering his creatures, as a general fummons together to a rendezvous, and mufters, and embattles his hoft. Hence, I fay, this title of God (Tavтоxрáτwp) feems derived; (which in the Revelation of St. John is most frequently attributed to him; Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, i avtoxgá et Cicero. ciii. 21. Pf. cxlvii. 4. Rev. i. 8. iv. 8. xi. 17, &c. : 3. 16. Pol. i. 1, 3, Top, who was, and is, and art to be, is that heavenly hymn there refounded to God.) But not dealing fo ftrictly, but taking the word navтоxρáтwp in its common latitude, for ὁ πάντων κρατῶν, (or ὁ πάντων κράτος ἔχων,) it may import, either right and authority over all, (omnipoteftas ;) or power and ability to do all things, (omnipotentia ;) or actual exercise of fuch authority and power, in ruling and difpofing all things, (omnipotentatus ;) also the poffeffion or holding all things, (omnitenentia;) and the preservation or upholding all things, (omnicontinentia:) for xpare hath in propriety and ordinary ufe all these fignifications; and according to them all God is truly wavтoxрáτwp. He hath, first, a just right and authority over all things; he is naturally the fovereign Lord and King of the world; The Lord of lords, and King of kings; the Pf. cxxxvi. fpring and original of all right and authority. Whatever Deut. x. 17. imaginable reafon or ground there is of authority, it doth 1 Tim. vi. in refpect of all things agree to God. Ariftotle in his Rev. xix. Politics difcourfeth thus: Government doth aim at and 16. tend to the mutual benefit of the governor and governed ; 4. that therefore which is most able and beft difpofed to pro-avi vide for and procure the common benefit in natural reafon gv, g and justice deferves to be, and is fitly the governor; div whence the foul hath a right to govern the body, and úr. i. 1. men naturally do rule over beasts; and were there any fuch men as did fo eminently exceed others in wisdom and goodness, to them, according to natural congruity, the government of others fhould appertain. If then fuch excellency of nature be a foundation of authority, God, who in wisdom and goodness doth incomparably exceed all things, hath a right to govern all he is only wife, Rom. xvi. (and thence able,) only good, (and thence willing to manage all for the general welfare and benefit of the Luke xviii. world.) If eminency of power do qualify for dominion, (as furely it doth, for what cannot be withstood, must in reafon be submitted unto; it is vain to question that authority which by force altogether irresistible can maintain itself,) God hath the only right; nothing in the world being able to difpute his title; For who in the heaven can Pf.lxxxix. Τὸ δυνάμενον χον φύσει, 27. 19. 7. be compared unto the Lord? who among the fons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? O Lord God of hofts, who is a ftrong Lord like unto thee? All things are weak and feeble in comparison; are in his hand; lie under his Jer. x. 10. feet; are wholly at his difcretion and difpofal; The Lord is the true God, faith the Prophet, and the everlasting king; at his wrath the earth fhall tremble, and the nations shall Pf. lxvi. 3, not be able to abide his indignation. How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power Shall thine enemies fubmit themselves unto thee: He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. If to have made all things and to preserve them, do create a right of governing, (as it muft needs for what can we challenge juftly a dominion over, if not over our own works; over that which we feed and nourish continually; over that which depends altogether upon us, and which fubfifts but at our pleaRev. iv. 11. fure?) then well may the elders acknowledge, Worthy art thou, O Lord, to receive the glory and the honour and the power; (that is, the royal majefty and dominion over the world:) for thou haft made all things, and for thy will they are and were made. Well might every creature that is in the heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth, and those things which are in the fea, and all Rev. v. 13. things in them, cry out; To him that fitteth upon the throne (and to the Lamb) be the bleffing, and the honour, To garos. and the glory, and the dominion for ever and ever and Neh. ix. 6. Nehemiah; Thou, even thou, art the Lord alone; thou haft made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hofts, the earth, and all things that are therein, the fea, and all that is therein, and thou preferveft them all; and the hoft Ifa. xxxvii. of heaven worshippeth thee: and king Hezekiah; O Lord of hofts-thou art the God, thou alone of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou haft made heaven and earth. 16. Æn. Thus is God Tavтоxpáτwg, the rightful fovereign (upon Virg. 10. all accounts) of all things; Divúmque hominumque æterna poteftas, (as the wife heathen Poet could acknowledge and call him:) he is alfo fo in regard of his infinite power, (omnipotent :) natural light affords us pregnant arguments and experiments of the greatness of his power, demonftrated in the conftitution and confervation of the world; (difpofing fo ftupendously vaft, fo innumerably various creatures into fo comely and ftable a posture: by them his eternal power and divinity are difcerned, as St. Rom. i. 20. Paul tells us :) he that could effect fo much, his power must needs be greater than we can imagine or comprehend: but holy Scripture declares more fully and clearly the extent of his power; that it reaches unto the utmost poffibility of things; that whatever is not repugnant to his nature, (to his effential perfections, his wisdom, and goodness,) doth not misbecome him to do, or to the nature of things to be done, (that doth not imply a contradiction, and thereby is impoffible, and no object of any power,) he can easily achieve: there is nothing fo difficult, but he can perform it; nothing fo ftrong or stubborn, but he can fubdue it; Is any thing too hard for the Gen. xviii. Lord? faith God to Abraham, when Sarah doubted or admired concerning God's promise, that she in fo extreme an age should become fruitful. Behold, (faith the Prophet Jer. xxxii. Jeremiah in his prayer to God,) thou haft made the heaven 17, 27. and the earth by thy great power, and thy ftretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Oix ådvvatýσ& wapà Osi wär inμa Nothing (that can be faid, or con- Luke i. 37. ceived, or done) shall be impoffible to God, (if he pleases to undertake it,) faid the angel to the Bleffed Virgin, when he delivered fo ftrange a meffage to her, concerning an event fo wonderful and fupernatural. That a rich Job xlii. 2. man should be induced to part with all, and fubmit to God's will, our Saviour affirmed exceedingly difficult, (harder than for a camel to pass through the eye of a Matt. xix. needle:) but to fatisfy his disciples' fcruple thence arifing, 24, 26. he fubjoins; With men this is impoffible; but with God 14. all things are poffible. In thine hand, faith Jehoshaphat, 2Chron.xx. there is power and might, fo that none is able to withstand. thee. He doth according to his will in the army of heaven, Dan. iv. 35. and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or fay unto him, What doeft thou? Nebuchadnezzar (having felt an experiment of his power, and being |