Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

5. Hence follows another comfort; since God is eternal, he hath as much power, as will to be as good as his word. His promises are established upon his eternity, and this perfection is a main ground of trust;^* Trust in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength. [Greek or Hebrew] His name is doubled, that name, Jah, and Jehovah, which was always the strength of his people; and not a single one, but the strength or rock of Eternities; not a failing but an eternal truth and power; that as his strength is eternal, so our trust in him should imitate his Eternity in its perpetuity; and therefore in the despondency of his people, as if God had forgot his promises, and made no account of them, or his word, and were weary of doing good, he calls them to reflect on what they had heard of his Eternity, which is attended with immutability, who hath an infiniteness of power to perform his will, and an infiniteness of understanding to judge of the right seasons of it.^* His Wisdom, Will, Truth, have alway's been, and will to Eternity be the same. He wants not life, any more then love, for ever to help us; since his word is past, he will never fail us; since his life continues, he can never be out of a capacity to relieve us: and therefore when ever we foolishly charge him by our distrustful thoughts, we forget his love, which made the promise, and his eternal life, which can accomplish it. As his word is the bottom of our trust, and his truth is the assurance of his sincerity, so his Eternity is the assurance of his ability to perform. His word stands for ever. ^*A man may be my friend this day, and be in another world to morrow; and though he be never so sincere in his word, yet death snaps his life asunder, and forbids the execution. But as God cannot die, so he cannot lie; because he is the Eternity of Israel. ^*The strength of Israel will not lie, nor repent, [Greek or Hebrew] perpetuity or eternity of Israel. Eternity implies immutability; we could have no ground for our hopes, if we knew him not to be longer lived than our selves. The Psalmist beats off our hands from trust in men, because their breath goes forth, they return to their earth, and in that day their thoughts perish.