THE Almighty power and wisdom of God hath given unto his creatures, a triple degree of perfection, their Being, their Working, and their Good; which three are so subordinate to each other, that Working is the end and scope of Being, and ⟨p. 2⟩Good is the end and scope of Working. But no Being, can produce any Work, no Work reach unto any Good, without something that may be a rule of working, and a way to Good; and therefore Almighty God in the work of the Creation imprinted in each creature a secret principle, which should move, govern, and uniformly direct it to its proper work and end, and that principle we call a Law, which by assigning unto each thing the kind, measure and extent of its working, doth lead it on by a strait and in fallible line unto that Good, for which it worketh. All other Creatures below the sphere of reason, being not only in the quality of their nature of a narrow and strait perfection, but in their duration finite and perishable, the good unto which this Law of their creation directs them, is a finite Good likewise. But men and Angels being both in nature more excellent than all others, and in continuance infinite and immortal, cannot possibly receive from anything, which is a mere creature, and less perfect than themselves, any complete satisfaction of their desires, and therefore must by a circle turn back unto God, who is aswell the Omega, the end and object of their working, as the Alpha, the cause and author of their being. Now God being most free, not only in himself, but in the diffusion and communication of himself, unto ⟨p. 3⟩any thing created (which therefore he cannot be naturally or necessarily bound unto) and being also a God infinitely beyond the largest compass of the creatures merit or working, it follows that neither Men nor Angels, can lay any necessary claim unto God, by a debt of Nature, (as a stone may unto the Centre by that natural impress which directs it thither;) but all our claim is by a right of Promise and voluntary Donation, so that that which in other mere natural creatures is called the Term or Scope, is in reasonable creatures the Promise or Reward of their working. Fear not Abraham, I am thy exceeding great reward; So then we have here our Good which is God, to be communicated unto us, not in the manner of a necessary and natural debt, but of a voluntary, and supernatural Reward:
THE Almighty power and wisdome of God hath given unto his creatures, a triple degree of perfection, their Being, their Working, and their Good; which three are so subordinate to each other, that Working is the end and scope of Being, and ⟨p. 2⟩Good is the end and scope of Working. But no Being, can produce any Work, no Work reach unto any Good, without something that may be a rule of working, and a way to Good; and therefore Almightie God in the work of the Creation imprinted in each creature a secret principle, which should move, governe, and uniformly direct it to its proper work and end, and that principle we call a Law, which by assigneing unto each thing the kinde, measure and extent of its working, doth lead it on by a strait and in fallible line unto that Good, for which it worketh. All other Creatures below the spheare of reason, being not only in the quality of their nature of a narrow and strait perfection, but in their duration finite and perishable, the good unto which this Law of their creation directs them, is a finite Good likewise. But men and Angels being both in nature more excellent than all others, and in continuance infinite and immortall, cannot possibly receive from anything, which is a meere creature, and lesse perfect than themselves, any compleat satisfaction of their desires, and therefore must by a circle turne back unto God, who is aswell the Omega, the end and object of their working, as the Alpha, the cause and authour of their being. Now God being most free, not only in himselfe, but in the diffusion and communication of himselfe, unto ⟨p. 3⟩any thing created (which therefore he cannot be naturally or necessarily bound unto) and being also a God infinitely beyond the largest compasse of the creatures merit or working, it followes that neither Men nor Angels, can lay any necessary claime unto God, by a debt of Nature, (as a stone may unto the Center by that naturall impresse which directs it thither;) but all our claime is by a right of Promise and voluntary Donation, so that that which in other meere naturall creatures is cald the Terme or Scope, is in reasonable creatures the Promise or Reward of their working. Feare not Abraham, I am thy exceeding great reward; So then we have here our Good which is God, to bee communicated unto us, not in the manner of a necessary and naurall debt, but of a voluntary, and supernaturall Reward:
