Discourses upon the Existence and Attributes of God

If God be changed, his change must be voluntary or necessary; if voluntary, he then intends the change for the better, and chose it to acquire a Perfection by it: The Will must be carried out to any thing under the notion of some Goodness in that which it desires. Since Good is the Object of the desire and will of the Creature, Evil cannot be the Object of the desire and will of the Creator. And if he should be changed for the worse when he did really intend the better, it would speak a defect of Wisdom, and a mistake of that for good which was evil and imperfect in it self; and if it be for the better, it must be a motion or change for something without himself; that which he desireth is not possessed by himself but by some other: There is then some good without him and above him, which is the end in this change; for nothing acts but for some end, and that end is within it self or without it self; If the end for which God changes be without himself, then there is something better than himself: Besides, if he were voluntarily changed for the better, why did he not change before? If it were for want of Power, he had the imperfection of weakness; If for want of knowledge of what was the best Good, he had the imperfection of Wisdom, he was ignorant of his own Happiness; If he had both Wisdom to know it and Power to effect it, it must be for want of Will; He then wanted that love to himself and his own Glory, which is necessary in the supreme Being: Voluntarily he could not be changed for the worse, he could not be such an Enemy to his own Glory, there is nothing but would hinder its own Imperfection and becoming worse: Necessarily he could not be changed, for that necessity must arise from himself, and then the difficulties spoken of before will recur; or it must arise from another; He cannot be bettered by another, because nothing hath any good but what it hath received from the hands of his bounty, and that without loss to himself; nor made worse; if any thing made him worse, it would be Sin, but that cannot touch his Essence or obscure his Glory, but in the design and nature of the Sin it self, Job. 35.6, 7. If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him? Or if thy Transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? If thou be righteous what givest thou him; or what receives he at thy hand?

If God be changed, his change must be voluntary or necessary; if voluntary, he then intends the change for the better, and chose it to acquire a Perfection by it: The Will must be carried out to any thing under the notion of some Goodness in that which it desires. Since Good is the Object of the desire and will of the Creature, Evil cannot be the Object of the desire and will of the Creator. And if he should be changed for the worse when he did really intend the better, it would speak a defect of Wisdom, and a mistake of that for good which was evil and imperfect in it self; and if it be for the better, it must be a motion or change for something without himself; that which he desireth is not possessed by himself but by some other: There is then some good without him and above him, which is the end in this change; for nothing acts but for some end, and that end is within it self or without it self; If the end for which God changes be without himself, then there is something better than himself: Besides, if he were voluntarily changed for the better, why did he not change before? If it were for want of Power, he had the imperfection of weakness; If for want of knowledge of what was the best Good, he had the imperfection of Wisdom, he was ignorant of his own Happiness; If he had both Wisdom to know it and Power to effect it, it must be for want of Will; He then wanted that love to himself and his own Glory, which is necessary in the supream Being: Voluntarily he could not be changed for the worse, he could not be such an Enemy to his own Glory, there is nothing but would hinder its own Imperfection and becoming worse: Necessarily he could not be changed, for that necessity must arise from himself, and then the difficulties spoken of before will recurr; or it must arise from another; He cannot be bettered by another, because nothing hath any good but what it hath received from the hands of his bounty, and that without loss to himself; nor made worse; if any thing made him worse, it would be Sin, but that cannot touch his Essence or obscure his Glory, but in the design and nature of the Sin it self,