It is manifeft that feveral fuch are to be found in holy Writ. Thus God is frequently faid in Scripture, to repent and turn from the Evil that he purpos'd against Sinners; and yet in other places we are told, that God is not a Man that he should lye, neither the Son of Man that he Jhould repcnt: So Numb. 23. 19. Thus Pfal. 18. 11. God is reprefented as dwelling in thick Darkness: He made Darkness his fecret place; his Pavilion round about him, were dark Waters, and thick Clouds of the Sky. And yet 1 Tim. 6. 16. he is defcrib'd as dwelling in the Light which no Man can approach unto, whom no Man bath feen, nor can fee: And 1 John 1. 5. God is Light, and in him is no Darkness at all. Thus in the fecond Commandment, God is reprefented as vifiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him and yet, Ezek. 18. 20. The Son fhall not bear the Iniquity of the Father, neither shall the Father bear the Iniquity of the Son; and Ver. 4 The Soul that finneth, it fhall die.

After the fame manner, we are forbid by our Saviour, Matt. 6. 7. to use vain Repetitions as the Heathen do; or to think that we fhall be heard for our much speaking; because, Ver. 8. Your Father knows what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. And yet Luke 18. 1. we are encourag'd always to pray, and not to faint: And this is recommended to us by the Parable of an importunate Widow, who thro' her inceffant Applications became uneafy to the Judge, and by her continual Cries and Petitions fo troubled him, that to procure his own Eafe he did her Juftice: Ver. 5. Because this Widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, left by her continual coming fhe weary me.

Thus it is faid, Exod. 33. 11. The Lord fpake unto Mofes face to face, as a Man Speaketh to bis Friend. And yet in Ver. 20. he declares to the

fame

fame Mofes, Thou canst not fee my Face: for there fhall no Man fee me, and live. There are multitudes of other Inftances of the like nature, that seem to carry fome appearance of a Contradiction in them, but are purpofely defign'd to make us understand, that thefe are only afcrib'd to God by way of refemblance and analogy, and to correct our Imaginations, that we may not mistake them for perfect Representations, or think that they are in God, in the fame manner that the Similitudes reprefent them, and to teach us not to ftretch those to all Cafes, or farther than they are intended.

§ XXIV. We ought to remember, that two things may be very like one another in fome refpects, and quite contrary in others; and yet to argue against the Likenefs in one refpect, from the Contrariety in the other, is as if one fhould difpute against the Likeness of a Picture, because that is made of Canvas, Oil, and Colours, whereas the Original is Flesh and Blood.

Thus in the prefent Cafe, God is reprefented as an abfolute Lord over his Creatures, of infinite Knowledge and Power, that doth all things for his mere Pleasure, and is accountable to none; as one that will have Mercy on whom he will have Mercy, and whom he will be hardens; that forefees, predeftinates, calls, juftifies, and glorifies whom he will, without any regard to the Creatures whom he thus deals with. This gives us a mighty Notion of his Sovereignty, at once ftops our Mouths, and filences our Objections, obliges us to an abfolute Submiffion, and dependance on him, and withal to acknowledge the good things we enjoy to be intirely due to his pleasure. This is plainly the Design and Effect of this terrible Representation: and the meaning is, that we fhould underftand that God is no way oblig'd to give us an account of his Actions; that we are no more to inquire

into the Reasons of his dealing with his Creatures, than if he really treated them in this arbitrary Method. By the fame we are taught to acknowledge, that our Salvation as intirely depends on him, and that we owe it as much to his pleafure, as if he had bestow'd it on us without any other Confideration, but his own Will to do fo. Thus Jam. 1. 18. Of his own Will begat he us with the Word. of Truth, that we should be a kind of First-fruits of bis Creatures. And that we might not think there could be any thing in our best Works, the profpect whereof could move God to fhew kindnefs to us, the Scriptures give us to understand that those good Works are due to his Grace and Favour, and the Effects, not Causes of them. So Eph. 2. 10. For we are his Workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good Works, which God bath before ordain'd, that we should walk in them.

§ XXV. All which Representations are defign'd as a Scheme, to make us conceive the Obligations we owe to God, and how little we can contribute to our own Happiness. And to make us apprehend this to be his meaning, he has on other occafions given us an account of his dealing with Men, not only different, but feemingly contradictory to this. Thus he frequently represents himfelf, as propofing nothing for his own pleasure or advantage in his Tranfactions with his Creatures, as having no other Design in them, but to do thofe Creatures good, as earnestly defiring and profecuting that End only. Nay, he reprefents himself to us, as if he were as uneafy and troubled when we fail'd to answer his Expectations; as we may conceive a good, merciful, and beneficent Prince, that had only his Subjects Happiness in view, would be, when they refus'd to join with him for promoting their own Intereft. And God, farther to express his tendernels towards us, and C

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how far he is from impofing any thing on us, lets us know that he has left us to our own Freedom and Choice: and to convince us of his impartiality, declares that he acts as a juft and equal Judge; that he hath no refpect of Perfors, and favours none; but rewards and punishes all Men, not according to his own pleasure, but according to their deferts; and in every Nation he that fears him, and works Righteousness, is accepted with him, Acts

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§ XXVI. Whoever is acquainted with the holy Scriptures, will find all these things plainly deliver'd in them. Thus to fhew us that God propofes no advantages to himself in his Dealings with us, he is defcribed as a Perfon wholly difinterefted: Job 22. 2, 3. Can a Man be profitable unto God, as be that is wife may be profitable unto himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him that thou makeft thy ways perfect? And Chap. 35. 6, 7. If thou finnest, what dost thou against him? or if thy Tranfgreffions be multiplied, what doft thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what giveft thou him, or what receiveth be of thine hand?

And as to his leaving us to the liberty of our own Choice, obferve how he is represented, Deut. 30. 19. I call Heaven and Earth this day to record against you, that I have fet before you Life and Death, Bleffing and Curfing; therefore choofe Life.

And as to his earnest Concern for our Salvation, he orders the Prophet Ezekiel to deliver this Meffage from him: Chap. 33. 11. Say unto them, As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the Wicked, but that the Wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; and why will ye die, O House of Ifrael? And Hofea 11. 8. How fhall I give thee up, Ephraim? How fhall I deliver thee, Ifrael? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I fet thee as Ze

boim? Mine Heart is turned within me, my Res pentings are kindled together.

Every one may see how diftant this view of God, and of his Dealings with his Creatures, is from the former; and yet if we confider it as a Scheme fram'd to make us conceive how graciously, mercifully, and justly God treats us, notwithstanding the fupreme and abfolute Dominion he has over us, there will be no inconfiftency between the two. You fee here, that tho' the Creatures be in his hand, as Clay in the Potter's, of which he may make Veffels of Honour or Dishonour, without any injury, or being accountable; yet he uses that Power, with all the paffionate Love and Concern that Parents fhew towards their Children: and therefore we are to conceive of him as having all the tenderness of Affection, that Parents feel in their Heart towards their young ones; and that if he had been fo affected, he could not (confidering our Circumftances) have gone farther than he has done to fave us; that our Destruction is as intirely due to our felves, as if we were out of God's Power, and abfolutely in the hand of our own counsel.

§ XXVII. If we take these as Schemes defign'd to give us different Views of God, and his Tranfactions with Men, in order to oblige us to diftinct Duties which we owe him, and ftretch them no farther, they are very reconcilable: And to go about to clash the one against the other, and argue, as many do, that if the one be true, the other cannot, is full as abfurd as to object against that Ar ticle of our Belief, that Chrift fits on the right hand of God, because Scripture in other places, and plain Reafon affures us, that God hath neither Hand nor Parts.

And whilst a thing may in one respect be like another, and in other respects, be like the contrary; and whilft we know that thing only by refem

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