Doct. God is of an eternal duration. The Eternity of God is the foundation of the stability of the Covenant, the great comfort of a Christian. The design of God in Scripture is to set forth his dealing with men in the way of a Covenant.* The Priority of God before all things begins the Bible: In the beginning God created. His Covenant can have no foundation, but in his duration before and after the world:* And Moses here mentions his Eternity; not only with respect to the Essence of God, but to his federal Providence: As he is the dwelling place of his People in all Generations. The duration of God for ever, is more spoken of in Scripture than his Eternity à part ante, though that is the foundation of all the comfort we can take from his Immortality: If he had a beginning, he might have an end; and so all our happiness, hope and being would expire with him; but the Scripture sometimes takes notice of his being without beginning, as well as without end.* Thou art from everlasting. *Blessed be God from everlasting to everlasting: *I was set up from everlasting: If his Wisdom were from everlasting, himself was from everlasting: Whether we understand it of Christ the Son of God, or of the essential wisdom of God, 'tis all one to the present purpose. The Wisdom of God supposeth the Essence of God, as habits in Creatures suppose the being of some power or faculty as their Subject. The Wisdom of God supposeth Mind and Understanding, Essence and Substance.
Doct. God is of an eternal duration. The Eternity of God is the foundation of the stability of the Covenant, the great comfort of a Christian. The design of God in Scripture is to set forth his dealing with men in the way of a Covenant.* The Priority of God before all things begins the Bible: In the beginning God created. His Covenant can have no foundation, but in his duration before and after the world:* And Moses here mentions his Eternity; not only with respect to the Essence of God, but to his faederal Providence: As he is the dwelling place of his People in all Generations. The duration of God for ever, is more spoken of in Scripture than his Eternity à parte ante, though that is the foundation of all the comfort we can take from his Immortality: If he had a beginning, he might have an end; and so all our happiness, hope and being would expire with him; but the Scripture sometimes takes notice of his being without beginning, as well as without end.* Thou art from everlasting. *Blessed be God from everlasting to everlasting: *I was set up from everlasting: If his Wisdom were from everlasting, himself was from everlasting: Whether we understand it of Christ the Son of God, or of the essential wisdom of God, 'tis all one to the present purpose. The Wisdom of God supposeth the Essence of God, as habits in Creatures suppose the being of some power or faculty as their Subject. The Wisdom of God supposeth Mind and Understanding, Essence and Substance.
- *Gen. 1.1.
- *Calv. in loc.
- *Psal. 93.2.
- *Psal. 41.13.
- *Prov. 8.23.
