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ritual Nature of God, and that of the SERM. highest and most glorious Archangel and Seraphim, than there is between thefe Angels, and the pooreft Worm that crawls upon the Earth; this is the beft Notion we can frame of God as a Spirit, though fuch as is infinitely unworthy the Divine Nature, and can only be allowed of for this Reafon, because we can frame no better Notion of him.

2. THE Holy Scriptures will alfo inform us, Secondly, that God is eternal, i. e. a Being that never had any Beginning, nor will ever have any End; Time is only the Property of created Beings, and is only a relative Term which refpects the Existence of fome other Being coeval with it: But God is from Everlasting to Everlasting, his Throne Lam. v. is from Generation to Generation; and at xvi.11. his right Hand are Pleafures for evermore.

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3. Thirdly, WE muft believe also that God is immutable, i. e. He is not fubject to Change, either in refpect of his Effence, his Knowledge, Duration, Place, or the Determination of his Will; in him there is no Variableness, neither Shadow of Jam.i.17. Turning. He can neither change for the better, because he is the beft of all; nor for the worse, for then he would cease to be the most perfect Being; and, therefore,

muft

SERM. must always remain in the fame State and I. Condition he is in; he is the Lord and

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changes not, as he defcribes himself; and Mal. iii. therefore Balaam argued truly concerning God, God is not a Man, that he should lie, xxiii. 19. neither the Son of Man, that he should repent: Hath he faid, and shall be not do it? Or bath he spoken, and shall be not make it good? And, therefore, when God is. faid in the Holy Scripture to repent either of fome good Promife, fome Evil threatened, or of fome Work he has wrought, he then fpeaks, not of any real Change wrought in himself, but only after the Manner of Men, and in Condefcenfion to our mean and low Capacities, accommodating his Speech to our Weakness and Frailty, and difcovering his Mind to us after the fame Manner one Man doth to another. For God is now what he ever was, and ever will be, the fame implacable Enemy to Sin, and Terror to all incorrigible Sinners; the fame merciful Father to fuch as return to him by Repentance; the fame faithful Friend to Virtue and good Men; the fame Protector of all fuch as truft and rely upon him, and the fame Rewarder of all fuch as obey his Laws, and walk after his Commandments to do them.

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4thly, HE that believes in God, muft SERM. believe him to be omnipotent, i. e. That he is able to do all Things which do not imply Weakness, or a Contradiction either in the Things themselves, or in the Doer of them. That, as all Power is derived from him, fo all Power must submit to him, and obey the Word of his Power and Might; fo that we may well fay, that Power alone belongs unto God, i. e. the fupreme and commanding Power; and that he is able to do exceedingly above all that we can ask or think.

5thly, HE that believes in God, must believe him to be omniprefent, not only with refpect to his Power and Influence, but his Prefence alfo; he rules and governs all Things by his Power and Providence, is prèsent in all Places, but delights to dwell in a more peculiar Manner in the humble and contrite Heart, in Holy and Religious Affemblies, in the Place which he has chofen to put his Name there. His Effence is in every Place, and commenfurate with all Beings; or rather, to express ourfelves more properly, Place itself is in God, and all other Things exift as from him, and by him, fo in him also.

6thly, HE that believes in God, must believe him to be omniscient; that his Know

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Heb. iv.

SERM. Knowledge extends to all Times and all Things, that there is not any Creature that is not manifeft in his Sight, but all Things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to do; he knows every particular Action and Thought of the Heart, and can tell Man even thofe Thoughts which he has forgot, or foretel those which are not yet conceived in his Mind.

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7thly, To believe in God is to believe him to be wife, i. e. That he propofes the most excellent Ends, and effects them by the most proper and becoming Means ; and, though there are different Degrees of Wisdom in the Creatures, yet the wifeft of them all are. in fome Circumftances deficient, and God is truly stiled the only wife God, i. e. a Being who is perfectly fo without any Mixture of Folly and Imperfection.

8thly, To believe in God is to believe him to be true, both as Truth fignifies Veracity in his Word, and Faithfulness to his Promife: The one is the Foundation of our Faith, the other of our Hope and Truft in God.

gthly, We must believe God to be the most pure and holy Being; he cannot but hate Sin, and love Virtue, the one being agreeable and conformable to his Nature, the other disagreeable to it. 10thly,

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10thly, WE muft believe God to be fectly just and equal, in giving to every one the due Defert of their Deeds, and diftributing Rewards and Punishments according to their Deferts; for, either in this World or the next, the Judge of all the Earth will do right, and we fhall find, that the Ways of God are juft and equal, though at prefent past finding out.

Laftly, WE must believe God to be infinitely good, both in a metaphyfical Senfe, as Goodness is the Complement of all other Perfections; and as it fignifies Love, Kindnefs, and Beneficence to all his Creatures, being the indulgent Parent of his numerous Off-fpring, ready to give them all the good Things their Natures are capable of receiving, and to forgive them all their Sins, if they return to him, by a fincere and unfeigned Repentance.

THESE are the chief of those Divine Perfections, which God has been pleased to reveal to us; and though there may be many more hidden Excellencies, which we are unacquainted withal (as an honourable Author obferves) yet, fince God has not been pleased to discover them to us, he will not require that we should search too curiously into them, or pry into what he is pleased to hide from us. That which

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SERM.

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