The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

1. By delivering unworthy Notions and Conceptions ⟨p. 341⟩of the Deity. Not only the vulgar Heathens changed the truth of God into a lie, when they measured his Incomprehensible Perfections by the narrow compass of their Imaginations, or when looking on Him through the appearing disorders of the World, they thought Him unjust and cruel; As the most beautiful Face seems deformed and monstrous in a disturbed stream; But the most renowned Philosophers dishonoured Him by their base apprehensions. For the true Notion of God signifies a Being Infinite, Independent, the universal Creator, who preserves Heaven and Earth, the absolute Director of all Events, that his Providence takes notice of all Actions, that He is a liberal Rewarder of those that seek Him, and a just Revenger of those that violate his Laws: Now all this was contradicted by them. ^*Some asserted the World to be eternal, others that Matter was; and in that denied Him to be the first Cause of all things. Some limited his Being, confining Him to one of the Poles of Heaven: Others extended it only to the Amplitude of the World. The ^†Epicureans totally denied his governing Providence, and made Him an idle Spectator of things below. They asserted, That God was contented with his own Majesty and Glory; That whatever was without Him was neither in his thoughts nor care: as if to be employed in ordering the various accidents of the world, were incompatible with his Blessedness, and He needed their Impiety to relieve Him. Thus by confining his Power, who is Infinite, they denied Him in confessing Him. ^‖Others allowed Him to regard the great affairs of Kingdoms and Nations, to manage Crowns and Sceptres; but to stoop so low as to regard ⟨p. 342⟩particular things, they judged as unbecoming the Divine Nature, as for the Sun to descend from Heaven to light a Candle for a Servant in the dark. They took the Sceptre out of God's hand, and set up a foolish and blind Power, to dispose of all mutable things.⁴