3. Nor is there any new relation acquired by God by the Creation of the World. There was a new relation acquired by the Creature; as when a Man sins, he hath another relation to God than he had before; he hath relation to God, as a Criminal to a Judge; But there is no change in God, but in the Malefactor. The Being of Men makes no more change in God than the Sins of Men. As a Tree is now on our right hand, and by our turning about it is on our left hand, sometimes before us sometime behind us, according to our motion near it or about it, and the turning of the Body; There is no change in the Tree, which remains firm and fixed in the Earth; but the change is wholly in the posture of the Body, whereby the Tree may be said to be before us or behind us, or on the right hand or on the left hand.* God gained no new relation of Lord or Creator by the Creation; for though he had created nothing to rule over, yet he had the Power to create and rule though he did not create and rule: As a Man may be called a skilful Writer, though he does not write, because he is able to do it when he pleases; or a Man skilful in Physic is called a Physician, though he doth not practice that Skill, or discover his Art in the distribution of Medicines; because he may do it when he pleases, it depends upon his own will to show his Art when he has a mind to it: So the Name Creator and Lord, belongs to God from Eternity, because he could create and rule, though he did not create and rule: But howsoever, if there were any such change of relation, that ⟨p. 224⟩God may be called Creator and Lord, after the Creation and not before; 'tis not a change in Essence, nor in Knowledge, nor in Will; God gains no perfection nor diminution by it, his Knowledge is not increased by it; He is no more by it than he was, and will be, if all those things ceased; and therefore Austin illustrates it by this similitude; as a piece of Money when it is given as the price of a thing, or deposited only as a pledge for the security of a thing borrowed; the Coin is the same and is not changed, though the relation it had as a pledge and as a price be different from one another: so that suppose any new relation be added, yet there is nothing happens to the Nature of God which may infer any change.
3. Nor is there any new relation acquired by God by the Creation of the World. There was a new relation acquired by the Creature; as when a Man sins, he hath another relation to God than he had before; he hath relation to God, as a Criminal to a Judge; But there is no change in God, but in the Malefactor. The Being of Men makes no more change in God than the Sins of Men. As a Tree is now on our right hand, and by our turning about it is on our left hand, sometimes before us sometime behind us, according to our motion neer it or about it, and the turning of the Body; There is no change in the Tree, which remains firm and fixed in the Earth; but the change is wholly in the posture of the Body, whereby the Tree may be said to be before us or behind us, or on the right hand or on the left hand.* God gained no new relation of Lord or Creator by the Creation; for though he had created nothing to rule over, yet he had the Power to create and rule though he did not create and rule: As a Man may be called a skillful Writer, though he does not write, because he is able to do it when he pleases; or a Man skilful in Physick is called a Physitian, though he doth not practice that Skill, or discover his Art in the distribution of Medicines; because he may do it when he pleases, it depends upon his own will to shew his Art when he has a mind to it: So the Name Creator and Lord, belongs to God from Eternity, because he could create and rule, though he did not create and rule: But howsoever, if there were any such change of relation, that ⟨p. 224⟩God may be called Creator and Lord, after the Creation and not before; 'tis not a change in Essence, nor in Knowledge, nor in Will; God gains no perfection nor diminution by it, his Knowledge is not increased by it; He is no more by it than he was, and will be, if all those things ceased; and therefore Austin illustrates it by this similitude; as a piece of Mony when it is given as the price of a thing, or deposited only as a pledge for the security of a thing borrowed; the Coyn is the same and is not changed, though the relation it had as a pledge and as a price be different from one another: so that suppose any new relation be added, yet there is nothing happens to the Nature of God which may infer any change.
- *Petav. Theo. Dogmat. Tom. 1. lib.
