ters of it; it takes in all tenses, past, present, and to come: the words of the evangelist John are a proper periphrasis of it; which is, and which was, and which is to come, Rev. i. 4. or, shall be, as in chap. xvi. 5. it comes from the root or which signify, to be, and is expressive of the essence of God; of his necessary and self-existence, for God naturally and necessarily exists; which cannot be said of any other: creatures owe their being to the arbitrary will of God; and so might be, and might not be as he pleased; but God exists in and of himself, he is a self-existent and independent Being, as he must needs be, since he is before all creatures, and therefore cannot have his being from them; and he is the cause of theirs, and therefore must be independent of them; and yet, when we say he is self-existent, it must not be understood as if he made himself; for though he exists, he is not made. He is the Being of beings; all creatures have their beings from him and in him, "the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that is in them;" he is the former and maker of all things; he is eminently the Being, and all in comparison of him are mere non-entities; all nations and the inhabitants of them, are as nothing before him; yea, less than nothing, and vanity, Isai. xl. 17.

VIII. Jah is another name of God, which is mentioned in Psal. Ixviii. 4. and cl. 6. Isai. xxvi. 4. though it may be only an abreviation or contraction of the word Jehovah, and may signify the same; according to Cocceius, it comes from N' Jer. x. 7. and signifies decency, or what is meet and becoming.

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IX. Ejeh is a name of God gave as a name of his to Moses, when he sent him to the children of Israel; and is translated I AM that I AM, Exod. iii. 13, 14. and may be rendered, I shall be what I shall be, and what I have been; so the Jews interpret it; "I am he that was, I am he that is now, and I am he that is to come, or shall be." It seems to be of the same signification with Jehovah, and to be derived from the same word, and is expressive of the same things; of the being and existence of God, of his eternity and immutability, and of his faithfulness in performing his promises: our Lord has a manifest respect unto it, when he says, Before Abraham was I am, John viii. 58. Hillerus renders it I remain, that is, always the same.

x. The names of God in the New Testament are these two nupios and Jɛos, the one is usually rendered Lord and the other God. The first is derived from upw, to be, and signifies the same as Jehovah, to which it commonly answers, and denotes the essence or being of God; or from xupos, power and authority; and agrees with God, who has a sovereign power and authority over all creatures, having a property in them, by virtue of his creation of them; it is generally used of Christ," who is Lord of all," Acts x. 36. 1 Cor. viii. 6. Eph. iv. 4. The etymology of 9:05, God, is very different; as either from a word which signifies to run, or from one that signifies to heat, or from one that signifies to a Buxtorf. de Nomin. Dei, Heb. s. 10. b Lexic. p. 283. Shemot Rabba, s. 3. fol. 93. 3• Onomast. Sacr. p. 248. e zupu, eft, exiftit, Suidas; xupw, sum, Scapula. fxupos, autoritas ; xupios autoritatem habens, Scapula; so Philo, quis rer. divin. Hæres, p. 484.

see; which seem to be calculated by the heathens for the sun, the object of their worship, applicable to it, for its constant course, being the fountain of light and heat, and seeing all things, as they affirm: though each of them may be applied to the true God, who runs to the assistance of his people in distress, 2 Chron. xvi. 9. Psal. xlvi. 1. is light itself, "the Father of lights, and a consuming fire," 1 John i. 5. Jam. i. 17. Heb. xii. 29. and sees all men, their ways and works, and even their hearts, the thoughts of them, Job xxxiv. 21, 22. 1 Sam. xvi. 7. Some derive it from a word which signifies to dispose; and which agrees with God, who disposes of, and orders all things "in the armies of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth, according to the council of his will," and to answer the purposes of his own glory, and the good of his creatures. Though perhaps, it may be best of all to derive it from a word which signifies fear, and so describes God as the object of fear and reverence; who is not only to be stood in awe of by all the inhabitants of the earth, Psal. xxxiii. 8. but more especially is to be feared with a godly fear by his saints, Psal. Ixxxvii. 7. Heb. xii. 28, and fear sometimes takes in the whole worship of God, both internal and external; and so the true God, in distinction from others, is called, the Fear, that is, the God of Isaac, Gen. xxxi. 53. and T fear, is sometimes used in the Targum for the true God, as it sometimes is of idols.

From all these names of God we learn that God is, the eternal, immutable, and almighty Being, the Being of beings, self-existent, and self-sufficient, and the object of religious worship and adoration.

OF THE NATURE OF GOD.

THERE is a nature that belongs to every creature, which is difficult to understand: and so to God, the Creator, which is most difficult of all: that Nature may be predicated of God, is what the apostle suggests when he says, the Galatians, before conversion, served them, who by nature, were no gods, Gal. iv. 8. which implies, that though the idols they had worshipped were not, yet there was one, that was by Nature, GOD; otherwise there would be an impropriety in denying it of them. Mention is also made of the divine Nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. which, indeed, is not the nature that is in God, but what is infused and implanted in men in regeneration; so called not only because it is from God, as its author, but because it is the image of him, and bears a likeness and resemblance to him but then there must be a nature in him to which this is similar, being "created, after him, in righteousness and true holiness;" or there would be no

atto To Day, currere, so Plato in Cratylo p. 273. Clem. Al. protrept. p. 15, vel ata adurere, accendere vel SiaSau, cernere, vel a Sw dispono; so Ciem. Al. Stromat. in fine, Herodot, turpe c. 52. vel a dog timor, Philo at supra; these several etymologies may be seen in Zanchy de Natura Dei, 1. 1. c. 16. Alsted. Lexic. Theolog. p. 8. Targum literosol. in Deut. xxXXII. 15.

propriety in the denomination of it from him. This is what is called Divinity Deity, or Godhead; which must not be thought to be "like to gold, silver, or stone, graven by art, or man's device;" or to be in the similitude of any creature in a picture, painting or sculpture; and which is to be seen and understood by the visible works of creation, and is what, "in all its perfection and fulness, dwells bodily in Christ," Acts xvii. 29. Rom. i. 20. Col. ii. 9, it is the same with the form of God, in which Christ is said to be, Phil. ii. 6. which designs not any external form, for God has no visible shape, but his internal Glory, excellency, nature, and perfections, in which "Christ is equal with him, and his fellow;" and he is not only the express image of him, but one with him: not merely of a like, but of the same nature; so that he that sees the one, sees the other Essence, which is the same thing with nature, is ascribed to God; he is said to be excellent on in essence, Isai. xxviii. 29. for so the words may be rendered, that is, he has the most excellent essence or being; this is contained in his names, Jehovah, and I am that I am, which are expressive of his essence or being, as has been observed; and we are required to believe that he is, that he has a being or essence, and does exist, Heb. xi. 6. and essence is that by which a person or thing is what it is, that is its nature; and with respect to God, it is the same with his face, which cannot be seen, Exod. xxxiii. 20, 23. that is, cannoț be perceived, understood, and fully comprehended, especially in the present state; and, indeed, though in the future state saints will behold the face of God, and "see him face to face, and as he is," so far as they are capable of, yet it is impossible for a finite mind, in its most exalted state, to comprehend the infinite Nature and Being of God.

This nature is common to the three Persons in God, but not communicated from one to another; they each of them partake of it, and possess it as one undivided nature; they all enjoy it; it is not a part of it that is enjoyed by one, and a part of it by another, but the whole by each; as "all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Christ," so in the holy Spirit; and of the Father, there will be no doubt; these equally subsist in the unity of the divine essence, and that without any derivation or communication of it from one to another. I know it is represented by some, who, otherwise, are sound in the doctrine of the Trinity, that the divine nature is communicated from the Father to the Son and Spirit, and that he is fons Deitatis, the fountain of Deity;" which, I think, are unsafe phrases; since they seem to imply a priority in the Father to the other two persons; for he that communicates must, at least in order of nature, and according to our conception of things, be prior to whom the communication is made; and that he has a superabundant plenitude of Deity in him, previous to this communication. It is better to say, that they are self-existent, and exist together in the same undivided essence; and jointly, equally, and as early one as the other, possess the same nature.

The nature of God is, indeed, incomprehensible by us; somewhat of it may be apprehended, but it cannot be fully comprehended; Canst thou by searching

find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Job xi. 7. No: but then this does not forbid us searching and enquiring after him: though we cannot have adequate ideas of God, yet we should endeavour to get the best we can, and frame the best conceptions of him we are able; that so we may serve and worship him, honour and glorify him, in the best manner. The world, the heathen world, even the wisest in it, by wisdom knew not God, 1 Cor, i. 21. they knew, or might know, there was a God, but they did not know what he was, and so glorified him not as God. An heathen philosopher being asked this question, What God was? required a day to think of it; when that was up, he asked a second, and still more time; and a reason of his dilatoriness being demanded of him, he replied, That the longer he considered of the ques tion, the more obscure it was to him. Yet, somewhat of God, of his nature and perfections, may be known by the light of nature, Rom. i. 19, 20. and more by divine revelation; for though it may with propriety be said, what is his name, or nature, if thou canst, tell? Prov. xxx. 4. yet him whom the heathens ignorantly worshipped, the apostle Paul declared unto them, Acts xvii. 23. and though the Samaritans worshipped they knew not what, yet Christ declared to the woman of Samaria, what God, the object of spiritual worship, is; saying God is a spirit; that is, he is of a spiritual nature, John iv. 22, 24. and this we may be sure is a true definition, description, and declaration of God, and of his nature; since this was given by the Son of God, who lay in his bosom, and perfectly knew his nature, as well as his will; see John i. 18. Matt. xi. 27. and by which we are taught,

1. That God is not a body, and that we are, in our conceptions of him, to remove every thing from him that is corporeal; for spirit, and body or flesh, are opposed to one another, Isai. xxxi. 3. Luke xxiv. 39. and yet there have been some, both ancients and moderns, atheistically inclined, who have asserted, that matter is God, and God is universal matter: and that the whole universe is God, and that extension is one of his attributes; and a sort of people called Anthropomorphites, who bore the christian name, ascribed an human body, and the parts of it, to God, in a proper sense, mistaking some passages of scripture; and the common people among the papists, have no other notion of God, than of a grave old man: in this respect both Jews and Heathens have better notions; of the Jews R, Joseph Albo*, Maimonides', and others, deny that God is a body, or consists of bodily parts: and of Heathens, Pythagoras, Xenophanes", Sallustius, and others, affirm God to be incorporeal; and the Stoics say, he has not an human form. But if God was matter, which is inert, unactive, and motionless, he could not be the maker and mover of all things, as he is; for in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts xvii. 28. Matter Simonides apud Cicero. de Natura Deor. l. 1. k * Sepher Ikkarim, 1. 2. c. 6. Yesude Hatorah, c. 1. s. 5. 6. "Apud Lactant. de Ira, c. 11. "Apud Clement. Stromat. 5. p. 601. • De Diis & Mundo, c. 2. P So Aristotle, Lacit, 1. 5. in Vita ejus, 9 Laert. 17. in Vita Zeno.

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is without consciousness, is not capable of thinking, and without understanding, wisdom, and knowledge; and as it is not capable of acting, so much less of doing, such works as require contrivance, skill, wisdom, and knowledge, as the works of creation and providence; and therefore if God was matter, he could not be the Creator and Governor of the world; nor if a body, could he be omnipresent; a body is not every where, cannot be in two places at the same time; whereas God fills heaven and earth: and was he of so huge a body as to take up all space, there would be no room for other bodies, as there certainly is; nor would he be invisible; a body is to be seen and felt; but God is invisible and impalpable; "no man hath seen God at any time," and if a body, he would not be the most perfect of beings, as he is, since angels, and the souls of men, being spirits, are more excellent than bodies.

It is no objection to this, that the parts of an human body are sometimes attributed to God; since these are to be understood of him not in a proper, but in an improper and figurative sense, and denote some act and action, or attribute of his; thus his face denotes his sight and presence, in which all things are, Gen. xix. 13. sometimes his favour and good will, and the manifestation of his love and grace, Psal. xxvii. 8. and lxxx. 3. and sometimes his wrath and indignation against wicked men, Psal. xxxiv. 16. Rev. vi. 17. His eyes signify his omniscience, and all-seeing providence; concerned both with good men, to protect and preserve them, and bestow good things on them; and with bad men, to destroy them, Frov. xv. 3. 2. Chron. xvi. 9. Amos ix. 8. His ears, his readiness to attend unto, and answer the requests of his people, and deliver them out of their troubles, Psal. xxxiv. 15. Isa. lix. 1. His nose and nostrils, his acceptance of the persons and sacrifices of men, Gen. viii. 21. or his disgust at them, anger with them, and non-acceptance of them, Duet. xxix. 20. Isai. lxv. 5. Psal. xviii. 8. His mouth is expressive of his commands, promises, threatenings, and prophecies delivered out by him, Lam. iii. 29. Isai. i. 20. Jer. xxiii. 16. His arms and hands signify his power, and the exertion of it, as in making the heavens and the earth, and in other actions of his, Psal. cii. 27. Job xxvi. 13. Psal. lxxxix. 13. and cxviii. 16. Deut. xxxiii. 27.

Nor is it any proof of corporeity in God, that a divine person has sometimes appeared in an human form; so one of the men that came to Abraham, in the plains of Mamre, was no other, than the Lord omniscient and omnipotent, as the after discourse with him shews, Gen. xviii. 3. And the man that wrestled with Jacob till break of day, was a divine person, of which Jacob was sensible; and therefore called the place where he wrefiled with him, Peniel, the face of God, Gen. xxxii. 24, 30. So he that appeared to Manoah, and his wife, Judg. xiii. 6, 10, 18. with other instances that might be mentioned. But then these were appearances of the Son of God in an human form, and were presages of his future incarnation; for as for the Father, no man ever saw his shape, John v. 37. and, it may be, the reason why the parts of an human body are so often ascribed to God, may be on account of Christ's incarnation, to prepare the minds