the Son, though as to his human nature, was born in the fulness of time; yet, as to his divine nature, his goings forth were from of old, from everlasting: and as Mediator, in his office capacity, he was set up from everlasting, or ever the earth was, Mic. v. 2. Prov. viii. 23, 24. The Spirit of God was concerned in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and so must be before them; and which is the only idea we have of eternity, that it is before time and creatures were, Gen. i. 1, 2. Job xxvi. 13. Psal. xxxiii. 6. and, according to some, the Spirit is called, the eternal Spirit, Heb. ix. 14. Eternity is true of God, essentially considered, and in the sense explained, is to be proved; and that he is without beginning, without end, and without succession.

I. That he is without beginning, or from everlasting: this is put by way of interrogation, Hab. i. 12. not as a matter of doubt, but of certainty, and is strongly affirmed, Psal. xciii. 2. and may be proved,

1. From his nature and being; as from his necessary self-existence: the existence of God is not arbitrary, but necessary: if arbitrary, it must be from his own will, or from the will of another; not from his own will, which would suppose him in being already; and then he must be before he existed, and must be, and not be, at the same instant; which are such contradictions as cannot be endured: not from the will of another, for then that other would be both prior and superior to him, and so be God, and not he: it remains, therefore, that he necessarily existed; and if so, then he must be eternal: since there was none before him; nor can any reason be given why he should necessarily exist at such an instant, and not before. His eternity may be argued from a state of non-existence he must have been in, if not eternal; and if so, then there was an instant in which he was not, and if there was an instant in which he was not, then there was an instant in which there was no God; and if so, there may be one again in which he may cease to be; for that which once was not, may again not be; and this will bring us into the depth of atheism; unless it could be supposed, which is quite irrational, that there was a God before him, and that there will be one after him; but this is strongly denied by himself; Before me there was no God formeds neither shall there be after me, Isai. xliii. 10. The eternity of God may be inferred from his immutability, which has been already established; these two go together, and prove each other, Psal. cii. 27. they are both to be observed in the great name of God, Jehovah, which signifies, he is, and was, and is to come, and takes in all time; but he is bounded by none, and is eternally the same; for if he is not eternal, he must have passed from non-existence into being; and what can be a greater change, than to come out of nothing into being? Moreover, God is the most perfect Being; which he would not be, if not eternal; for not to be, or to have a beginning, is an imperfection; and it is an humbling consideration to man, a creature of time, that he is but of yesterday, Job viii. 9. And if God was not eternal, let his beginning be when it may, in comparison of an eternity past, it would

be but as yesterday; which can never be admitted of. Add to this, that God is the first Cause of all things, and therefore must be eternal: all wise and thoughtful men acknowledge a first Cause; and in their reasoning rise from one cause to another, until they arrive to a first Cause, and there stop, and which they truly call God; for otherwise there would be no subordination of causes: if there was not a first Cause, there would not be a second, nor a third, &c. but all would be first, and all eternal; and if God is the first Cause, then he is without a cause, and therefore must be eternal; hence he is so often called the first and the last; a phrase expressive of his eternity, Isai. xli. 4. and xliv. 6. and xlviii. 12. He is the Creator of all things, the heavens, earth, and sea, and all that in them are; and therefore must be before all things, as every artificer is before his work made by him; and if before all creatures, then before time, which begins with them, and therefore from eternity, since we can conceive of nothing before time but eternity.

11. The Eternity of God may be proved from his attributes, several of which are said to be eternal, or from everlasting: the power of God is expressly called his eternal power; and is proved to be so by the works of creation, to which it must be prior, Rom. i. 20. The knowledge God has of all things is from eternity; though the things known are in time, his knowledge of them is before time; Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, an' awves from eternity, Acts xv. 18. The mercy of God is eternal, it is said to be, from everlasting to everlasting, Psal. ciii. 17. And so the love of God, which is no other than himself, for God is love, 1 John iv. 16. his love to his Son," the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," was from everlasting; before the earth, the hills, and mountains were formed, then was he by him, "as one brought up with him," his darling and delight, Prov. viii. 30. our Lord himself says, his Father loved him before the foundation of the world, John xvii, 24. and as early did he love his elect in him; for he loved them as he loved him, v. 23. even with an everlasting love, a love which is both from everlasting, and to everlasting, Jer. xxxi. 3.

III. That God is Eternal may be argued from his purposes, counsels, and decrees; which are said to be of old, that is, from everlasting, Isai. xxv. 1. this is true of them in general; for no new purposes and resolutions rise up, or are framed by him in his mind; for then there would be something in him which was not before; which would imply mutability. Besides, they are expressly said to be eternal, Eph. iii. 11. and if they are eternal, then God, in whom they are, and by whom they are formed, must be eternal also. In particular, the purpose of God, according to election, or his choice of men to everlasting life, is eternal; not only was before men had done any good or evil, Rom. ix. 11, but they were chosen by him from the beginning, 2 Thess. ii. 13. not from the beginning of the gospel coming to them, nor of their faith and conversion by it; but from the beginning of time, and before time, even before the foundation of the world, as is in so many words expressed, Eph. i. 4. wherefore God, that

Christ is eminently called the

chose them to salvation, must be eternal. elect of God, being as Man and Mediator, chosen out from among the people, Isai. xlii. 1. Psal. lxxxix. 19. and the appointment of him, to be the Redeemer and Saviour of men, or the preordination of him to be the Lamb slain for the redemption of his people, was before the foundation of the world, 1 Pet. i. 20. and therefore God, that foreordained him thereunto, must be as early.

IV. The Eternity of God may be concluded from the covenant of grace, stiled, an everlasting covenant, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. not only because it will endure immoveable and unalterable for ever, but because it was from everlasting; for though it is sometimes called a new covenant, yet not because newly made, or only newly manifested; but because it is always new, and never waxes old. Christ, the Mediator of it, and with whom it was made, was set up from everlasting as such; and his goings forth in it, representing his people, and acting for them, were from of old, from everlasting, Prov. viii. 22, 23. Mic. v. 2. and he had a glory with God in it before the world began, John xvii. 5. there were blessings of goodness laid up in it, and with which Christ, the Mediator of it, was prevented; yea, the people of God were blessed with these spiritual blessings in Christ, as "they were chosen in him before the foundation of the world; and had grace given them in him before the world began," Eph. i. 3, 4. 2 Tim. i. 9. Promises also were made as early to Christ, and to them in him, into whose hands they were put, and in whom they are, yea and amen; particularly, eternal life was promised by God, that cannot lie, before the world was, Tit. i. 2. Now if there was a covenant made by God from everlasting, and Christ was set up by him so early, as the Mediator of it; and there were blessings of grace, and promises of grace, made by him before time was, then he must be from everlasting.

v. It may be proved from the works of God in time: all creatures are the works of his hands; all beings have their being from him; and time beginning with them, he that made them must be before all time, and therefore eternal: this is the argument used to prove the eternity of Christ, the Word, that he was in the beginning, that is, from eternity with God; "because all things were made by him, and that he is the first-born of every creature, and before all things, because all things are created by him, and by him do all things consist," John i. 1-3. Col i. 15-17. and the same proves the eternity of God; for all things are from him, and so have a beginning; but he from whom they are, is from none, has no cause of his being, and therefore must be eternal. So creation is made a proof of his eternal power and Godhead, Rom. i. 20. creation proves his eternity, and his eternity proves his deity. Hence Thales said, "The most ancient of Beings is God,"

II. That God is to everlasting, and without end, may be proved from his spirituality and simplicity, already established; what is mixed and compounded, and consists of parts, may be resolved into them again, and so be dissolved, as

Η προσθύτατον των οντων, Θεός, αγένητον γαρ, apud Laert, ut fupra,

bodies may; but spirits, such as angels and the souls of men, being immaterial, are immortal, and continue for ever; and God being a spirit, an infinite and uncreated one, simple, and uncompounded of parts, must much more be so; and therefore is called, The incorruptible God, Rom. i. 23. It may be argued from his independency, he is self-existent; the first Cause, and without any cause; he is the only Potentate, "God over all, blessed for ever," and dependent on none; there is none above him, nor superior to him, that can put an end to his being; nor can it be thought, he being in such a state of infinite happiness, would ever put an end to it himself. His eternity is to be proved from his immutability; for those, as before observed, infer one another. God is immutable, and therefore without end; for what can be a greater change than for a being not to be? Hence God is opposed to creatures, to mortal men, whose flesh is as grass, the most changeable and perishing of any thing, and even to the heaven and the earth, they being such; but he is unchangeably the same; and so there is no end of his years, 1 Pet. ii. 24, 25. Psal. cii. 26, 27. This may be inferred from his dominion and government; he is, and sits King for ever; he is an everlasting King, his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion is from generation to generation, and will never end, Jer. x. 10. Psal. x. 16. and xxix. 10. Dan. iv. 3. and therefore he himself must be to everlasting. Moreover, he is not only called the living God, Jer. x. 10. but is often said to live for ever and ever, Rev. iv. 9, 10. and x. 6. Hence his purposes and decrees are never frustrated, because he ever lives to bring them into execution: men take up resolutions, and form schemes, which by reason of death, are never executed; their purposes are broken, and their thoughts perish; but "the counsel of the Lord stands for ever; and the thoughts of his heart to all generations," Psal. xxxiii. 11. and therefore he himself must endure for ever: his promises are all fulfilled; not only because he is able and faithful to perform, but because he continues for ever to make them good; and therefore is said to "keep truth for ever," Psal. cxlvi. 6. His covenant is firm and sure; more immoveable than rocks and mountains; it stands fast, with Christ, for ever, and God commands it for ever; because he ever lives to keep it. His love is to everlasting, as well as from it; he rests in it; nothing can seperate from it; and "with everlasting kindness he gathers his people, and has mercy on them;" and therefore must be for ever: his grace, mercy, and goodness, continually endure, and therefore he himself must; and "he will be the portion of his people for ever;" their everlasting ALL in ALL, and they shall reign and dwell with him for evermore. All which proves him to be without end,

III. The Eternity of God, or his being from everlasting to everlasting, is without succession, or any distinctions of time succeeding one another, as moments, minutes, hours, days, months, and years: the reasons are, because he existed before such were in being; Before the day was, I am he, Isai. xliii. 13. before there was a day, before the first day of the creation, before there were any days, consisting of so many hours, and these of so many minutes; and if

his eternity past, may it be so called, was without successive duration, or without succeeding moments, and other distinctions of time, why not his duration through time, and to all eternity, in the same manner? Should it be said, that days and years are ascribed to God; it is true, they are; but it is in accomodation and condescension to our weak minds, which are not capable of conceiving of duration, but as successive: and besides, those days and years ascribed to God, are expressly said not to be as ours, Job. x. v. he is, indeed, called, The Ancient of days, Dan. vii. 13. not ancient in days, or through them, as aged persons are said to be in years, and well stricken in them; not so God: the meaning is, that he is more ancient than days; he was before all days, and his duration is not to be measured by them. And it may be observed, that the differences and distinctions of time, are together ascribed to God, and not as succeeding one another; he is the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever; these are all at once, and together with him; he is he which is, and was, and is to come, Heb. xiii. 8. Rev. i. 4. these meet together in his name Jehovah'; and so in his nature; he co-exists, with all the points of time, in time; but is unmoved and unaffected with any, as a rock in the rolling waves of the sea, or a tower in a torrent of gliding water; or as the gnomon or style of a sun-dial, which has all the hours of the day surrounding it, and the sun, by it casts a shade upon them, points at and distinguishes them, but the style stands firm and unmoved, and not affected thereby: hence it is that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years; and a thousand years as one day, 2 Pet. iii. 8. But if his duration was successive, or proceeded by succeeding moments, days, and years; one day would be but one day with him, and not a thousand; and a thousand days would answer to a thousand days, and not be as one only. Besides, if his duration was measured by a succession of moments, &c. then he would not be immense, immutable, and perfect, as he is: not immense, or unmeasurable, if to be measured by minutes, hours, days, months, and years; whereas, as he is not to be measured by space, so not by time: nor immutable; since he would be one minute what he was not before, even older, which cannot be said of God; for as a Jewish writer' well observes, it cannot be said of him, that he is older now than he was in the days of David, or when the world was created; for he is always, both before the world was made, and after it will cease to be; times make no change in him. Nor perfect; for if his duration was successive, there would be every moment something past and gone, lost, and irrecoverable; and something to come not yet arrived to and obtained; and in other respects he must be imperfect: the knowledge of God, proves him without successive duration. God knows all things, past, present, and to come, that is, which are so to us; not that they are so to him; these he knows at once, and all together, not one thing after another, as they successively come into being; all things are

t

• Plato observes, that to a temporal being we say of it, "it is, and was, and will be:" but to the eternal Being, “an to 8511 μovey, to him only it is," in Timæo, p. 1051. in Sepher Ikkarim, fol. 66. 1.

Joseph Albo