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cure, or to kill him: But a child need not fear a killing blow, nor a loving soul a damning death, from such a Father. If he be a Father, where is his love and trust?

6. If God be our Father, and so wonderful a benefactor to us, then thanks and praise must be our most constant work, and must be studied above all the rest of duty, and most diligently performed. If the tongue of man, which is called his glory, be made for any thing, and good for any thing, it is to give the Lord his glory, in the thankful acknowledgment of his love and mercies, and the daily cheerful praises of his name. Let this then be the Christian's

work.

7. The children of such a Father, should live à contented, cheerful life. Diligence becometh them, but not contrivances for worldly greatness, nor carking cares for that which their Father hath promised them to care for. Humility and reverence beseemeth them, but not dejection and despondency of mind, and a still complaining, fearful, troubled, disconsolate soul. If the children of such a Father shall not be bold, and confident, and cheerful, let joy and confidence then be banished from the earth, and be renounced by all the sons of men.

CHAP. XVI.

15. There are yet divers subordinate attributes of God, that being comprised in the forementioned, may be passed over with the briefer touch. And the next that I shall speak of is, his Freedom. And God is free in more senses than one; but for brevity, I shall speak of all together.

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1. And first, God hath a natural Freedom of Will, being determined to will by nothing without him, nor liable to any necessity, but what is consistent with perfect blessedness and liberty. His own being, and blessedness, and perfections, are not the objects of his election; and therefore not of that which we call freewill: But all his works without, as creation, providence, redemption, &c. are the effects of his freewill: Not but that his will concerning all these, hath a necessity of existence: for God did from eternity will the creation, and all that is done in time; and therefore from eternity that will existing, had a necessity of existence: but yet it was free, because it proceedeth not necessarily from the very nature of God: God was God before he made the

world, or redeemed it, or did the things that are daily done. And therefore one part of the schoolmen maintain, not only that there is contingency from God, but that there could be no contingency in the creature, if it had not its original in God: The liberty of God being the fountain of contingency.

2. There is also an eminency both of dominion and sovereignty in God, according to which he may be called Free. His absoluteness of propriety freeth him from the restraint of any obligation, but what floweth from his own free will, from disposing of his own as he pleases. And his absolute Sovereignty freeth him from the obligation of his own laws, as laws, though he will still be true to his promises and predictions. Let man therefore take heed how he questioneth his Maker, or censureth his laws, or works, or ways.

CHAP. XVII.

16. Another attribute of God is his Justice. With submission, I conceive that this is not to be said to be from eternity, any otherwise than all God's relations are (as Creator, Redeemer, &c.); because there is no time with God. For though the blessed nature denominated Just is from eternity, yet not the formality or denomination of justice. For justice is an attribute of God as he is Governor only; and he was not Governor, till he had creatures to govern: and he could not be a Just Governor when he was no Governor. -The denomination did not arise till the creation had laid the foundation. Many questions may be resolved hence, which I will not trouble you to recite.

Justice in God is the perfection of his nature, as it givethi every one his due, or governeth the world in the most perfect orders for the ends of government. Because he is Just, he will reward the righteous, and difference between the godly and the wicked: for that governor that useth all alike is not just. The " crown of righteousness" is given by him as a "Righteous Judge." (2 Tim. iv. 8.)

1. The Justice of God is substantially (in men we call it an inclination) in his nature, and so it is eternal.

2. It is founded formally in his relation of Governor. 3. It is expressively first in his laws: For as a Just Governor he made them suited to the subjects, objects and ends.

4. It is expressively secondarily in his judgments and

executions; which is when they are according to his law; or in the cases of penalty where he may dispense at least according to the state of the subject, and fitted to the ends of government.

1. The Justice of God is the consolation of the just: He will justify them whom his Gospel justifieth, because he is Just. The Justice of God in many places of Scripture, is taken for his fidelity in vindicating his people, and his judging for them, and procuring them the happy fruits of his government, and so is taken in a consolatory sense. "Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne; mercy and truth shall go before thy face." (Psal. lxxxix. 14.) "It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble us, and rest to the troubled." (2 Thess. i. 5, 6.)

2. The Justice of God is the terror of the ungodly. As he would not make unrighteous laws, for the pleasure of unrighteous men, so neither will he pass unrighteous judgment. But look what a man soweth, that shall he also reap. All his peremptory threatenings shall be made good, and his wrath poured out for ever upon impenitent souls, because he is the Righteous God.

CHAP. XVIII.

17. Another of God's attributes is his Holiness. He is called Holy. 1. As he is transcendently above and separated from all the creatures, in comparison of whom the heavens are not clean; and from whom all things stand at an infinite distance. 2. As the perfection of his nature is the fountain of all moral good. 1. In the holiness of his law, the rule of holiness. 2. In the holiness of the soul; and 3. In his holy judgments. And consequently as this perfect nature is contrary to all the moral pollution of the creature, loathing iniquity, forbidding and condemning it. That perfect goodness of the will of God, from whence floweth holy laws, and motions, and the holiness of the soul of man, is it that Scripture meaneth usually by God's Holiness; rather than the aforesaid distance from the creatures. And therefore his Holiness is usually given as the reason of his laws and judgments, and of his enmity to sin: And our holiness is called his image (who imitate not his transcendency), and we are commanded to be " Holy as he is Holy." (1 Peter i.

16.) The nature of the image will best tell us what Holiness is in God. Holiness in us is called "the Divine Nature," (2 Peter i. 4,) and therefore is radically a right inclination and disposition of the soul; which hath its rise from transcendent Holiness in God, even as our wisdom from his transcendent wisdom, and our being from his being. Holiness therefore being indeed the same with the transcendently moral goodness of God, which I have spoken of before, I shall say but little of it now. Thus must the Holiness of

God be known.

1. It must cause us to have a most high and honourable esteem of holiness in the creature, because it is the image of the Holiness of God. Three sorts of creatures have a derivative holiness: The first is the law; which is the mere signification of the wise and Holy Will of God concerning man's duty, with rewards and penalties, for the holy governing of the world! This is the nearest image of God, engraven upon that seal which must be the instrument of imprinting it in our souls. Now the holiness of the word is not the mere product of the will of God, considered as a will; but of the will of God considered as Holy, that is, as the infinite transcendent moral goodness in the Architype or Original. For all events that proceed from God, are the products of his will which is Holy, but not as holy as the creating, preserving, disposing of every fly, or fish in the sea, or worm in the earth, &c. There is somewhat therefore in the nature of God, which is the perfection of his will, and is called Holiness, which the holiness of the law doth flow from and express.

This Holy Word is the immortal seed that begetteth holiness in the soul, which is the second subject of derived holiness: And this our holiness is a conformity of the soul to the law, as the product of the Holy Will of God, and not a mere conformity to his predictions, and decreeing will as such. It is a separation to God, but not every separation: Pharaoh was set apart to be the passive monument of the honour of God's name: and Cyrus was his servant to restore his people, and yet not thus holy. But it is a separation from common and unclean uses; and a purgation from pol→ luting vice, and a renovation by reception of the image of God's Holiness, whose nature is to incline the soul to God, and devote it wholly to him; both in justice, because we

are his own, and in love, because he is most Holy and perfectly good.

The third subject of Holiness is those creatures that are but separated to holy uses, and these have but a relative holiness, and secundum quid: As the temple, the holy utensils, the Bible as to the materials, the minister as an officer, the people as visible members, &c.

All these must be reverenced and honoured by us according to the proportion of their holiness. 1. Our principal reverence must be to the Holy Word of God; for holiness is more perfect there than in our souls. The Holiness of the Word, which is it that the ungodly hate or quarrel at, is the glory of it in the eyes of holy men. We may much discern a holy and an unholy soul, by their loving or not loving a holy law; especially as it is a rule to themselves. A distaste of the holiness of Scripture, and of the holiness of the writings of divines, and of the holiness of their preaching or conference, discovereth an unholy soul. A love to holy doctrine sheweth that there is somewhat suitable to it in the soul that loveth it. It is the elogy of the Scriptures, the promises, the covenant, the prophets and apostles, that they are all holy. (Rom. i. 2; Psal. cv. 42; Luke i. 70. 72; Rev. xviii. 20; 2 Tim. iii. 15; Rom. vii. 12.) The holiness of the Scripture doth make it as suitable and savoury to a holy soul, as light is suitable to the eyesight, and sweetness to the taste: and therefore it is to them as the honeycomb. But to the unholy it is a mystery, and as foolishness, and that which is contrary to their disposition, and they have an enmity to it which makes a wonderful difference in their judging of the evidences of Scripture verity, and much facilitateth the work of faith in one sort, and strengtheneth unbelief in the other. Holy doctrine is the glass that sheweth us the holy face of God himself, and therefore must needs be most excellent to the saints.

2. And we must honour and love also the holiness of the saints; for they also bear the image of the Lord. Their holy affections, prayers, discourses, and conversations must be beautiful in our eyes: and we must take heed of those temptations, that either from personal injuries received from any, or from their blots or imperfections, or from their meanness in the world, or from the contempt, and reproach, and slanders of the ungodly, would draw us to think dishonour

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