Those Perfections which are essential to the Notion of God, with respect to his faculties of working, are likewise three fold: 1. His Power or Omnipotence. 2. His Dominion or right to govern us in this life. 3. His Distributing of future Rewards and Punishments after this life.
- By the Power or Omnipotence of God is meant, an ability of doing all such things, the doing of which may argue Perfection, and which do not imply a contradiction, either in the things themselves, or to the nature and perfection of the Doer. Some things are repugnant to the perfection of God, either Naturally, as that he should be sick or dye; or else Morally, as that he should lye or deceive: Both which imply imperfection. And some other things may imply Contradiction, either directly, or by plain consequence. And of such matters it is not so proper to say, that he cannot do them, as that they cannot be done. As the object of the Understanding, the Eye, and the Ear, is that which is intelligible, visible, audible: So the object of Power, must be that which is Possible. And as it is no prejudice to the most perfect understanding, or sight, or hearing, that it doth not understand what is not intelligible, or see what is not visible, or hear what is not audible; so neither is it to the most perfect Power, that it doth not do what is not possible. Every kind of faculty being necessarily determined to its own proper object.
But as for all Possible things, it is natural and necessary to apprehend of God, that he can do whatsoever any other single thing, or a combination of all other things put together, can perform, and infinitely more; and that without any kind of labour or difficulty: So that his Power must be infinite extensively, with respect to all objects; and intensively, with respect to the acts of it, together with the manner and degrees of them.
That this kind of Omnipotence doth belong to the natural notion of God, may appear,
- By Testimony. It is a frequent title given unto God by the Grecian Philosophers, who style him […], Omnipotent.
And nothing is more frequent amongst the Latines, than the titles of Jupiter Omnipotens, Optimus-Maximus: He is generally acknowledged to be the Creator and Governour of the World, upon which account they call him, Opifex rerum, and Rector mundi. It is an acknowledgment of Tully, Nihil est quod Deus efficere non1 possit, & quidem sine ullo labore. There is nothing which God cannot do, and that without any kind of labour.
- By Reason. If the power of God could be limited or circumscribed, it must either be by something of greater power, which is inconsistent with the notion of his being supreme and soveraign: Or else by the difficulty and repugnancy which there is in the nature of things; which could not be in the first creation of them, because there was nothing then to make any resistance, and since that, there is nothing but what was made by him, derived from him, and is dependant upon him, and therefore must be subject to him. And besides, all such things being finite, must therefore be at a vast distance of inequality from the infinite power of God.
To which may be added, that all his other perfections would be insignificant and ineffectual, if his power of acting, whereby they were to be communicated to inferior natures, were not answerable to them. Meer Knowledg without Power would be but an idle speculation; Wisdom to contrive, without Power to effect, would be but vain and useless. What could his goodness and mercy signifie to us, if he were not able to give any proofs of it. And so likewise for his Justice and Faithfulness, which there would be no reason to fear or to depend upon, if Rewards and Punishments were not at his disposal, and he had not sufficient power to perform what he promises. Nor could there be any sufficient ground for his being acknowledged the supreme Lawgiver. For why should any one take upon him to intermeddle in the affairs of the world, and to prescribe Laws to others, who had no power to dispose of things, and were not able to enforce obedience to his own Laws?
In brief, without the belief of this Attribute, there can be no foundation for Religion, amongst men; because there could be no ground for our Faith or Trust, no reason for our Hope or Fear.
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Besides this absolute consideration of the Divine Power, there is likewise a relative notion of it, respecting that Dominion and Jurisdiction which he hath over reasonable Creatures, his right to govern them in this life; to command, prohibit what he pleases, to reward and punish as shall seem good unto him. And that this doth belong to the natural notion of God, may appear,
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By Testimony. Plato, and Tully, and Plutarch, do often style him, the Lord of2 all things, the Eternal God, Father and Creator of the world, and all things in it. Deo nihil praestantius, ab eo igitur necesse est mundum regi, saith Tully, God is the3 most excellent Being, and therefore is it necessary that he should be the Governour of the world. And in another place, Deorum immortalium numine, omnia regi gubernarique credimus. We believe that God is the Governour of all things.