4. Therefore the distinction of past and future makes no change in the Knowledge of God. When a thing is past, God hath no more distinct knowledge of it after it is past, than he had when it was to come; all things were all in their Circumstances of past, present and to come, seen by his Understanding, as they were determined by his Will.* Besides, to know a day to be past or future, is only to know the state of that day in it self, and to know its relation, to that which follows and that which went before: This day wherein we are, if we consider it in the state wherein it was yesterday, it was to come, it was future; but if we consider it in that state wherein it will be to morrow, we understand it as past. This in man cannot be said to be a different knowledge of the thing it self, but only of the circumstance attending a thing, and the different relation of it. As I see the Sun this day, I know it was up yesterday, I know it will be up to morrow; my knowledge of the Sun is the same; if there be any change it is in the Sun not in my knowledge, only I apply my knowledge to such particular circumstances. How much more must the knowledge of those things in God be unchangeable, who knows all those states, conditions and circumstances most perfectly from Eternity, wherein there is no succession, no past or future, and therefore will know them for ever? He always beholds the same thing; he sees indeed succession in things, and he sees a thing to be past which before was future: As from Eternity he saw Adam as existing in such a time; In the first time he saw that he would be, in the following time he saw that he had been: But this he knew from Eternity, this he knew in the same manner; tho there was a variation in Adam, yet there was no variation in Gods knowledge of him in all his states; though Adam was not present to himself, yet in all his states he was present to Gods Eternity.
4. Therefore the distinction of past and future makes no change in the Knowledge of God. When a thing is past, God hath no more distinct knowledg of it after it is past, than he had when it was to come; all things were all in their Circumstances of past, present and to come, seen by his Understanding, as they were determined by his Will.* Besides, to know a day to be past or future, is only to know the state of that day in it self, and to know its relation, to that which follows and that which went before: This day wherein we are, if we consider it in the state wherein it was yesterday, it was to come, it was future; but if we consider it in that state wherein it will be to morrow, we understand it as past. This in man cannot be said to be a different knowledge of the thing it self, but only of the circumstance attending a thing, and the different relation of it. As I see the Sun this day, I know it was up yesterday, I know it will be up to morrow; my knowledge of the Sun is the same; if there be any change it is in the Sun not in my knowledge, only I apply my knowledge to such particular circumstances. How much more must the knowledge of those things in God be unchangeable, who knows all those states, conditions and circumstances most perfectly from Eternity, wherein there is no succession, no past or future, and therefore will know them for ever? He always beholds the same thing; he sees indeed succession in things, and he sees a thing to be past which before was future: As from Eternity he saw Adam as existing in such a time; In the first time he saw that he would be, in the following time he saw that he had been: But this he knew from Eternity, this he knew in the same manner; tho there was a variation in Adam, yet there was no variation in Gods knowledge of him in all his states; though Adam was not present to himself, yet in all his states he was present to Gods Eternity.
- *Gamch 1. pa. Aquin. Qu. 9. cap. 1. Pa. 73.
