1. By Scripture Emblems, remarkable to this purpose is that place, Jam. 1. 17. where God is called The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. No variableness the word is, [Greek or Hebrew], an Astronomical term, commonly applied to the Heavenly Bodies which have their Parallaxes, i. e. their Declinations, Revolutions, Vicissitudes, Eclipses, Increases and Decreases; but God is a Sun that never rises nor sets, but is everlastingly and unchangeably one and the same; with him is no variableness nor shadow of turning, [Greek or Hebrew]. The Sun in its Zenith casts no shadow, it is the Tropic, or turning of its course, that causes the shadow; the very substance of turning is with man; but not the least shadow of turning with God. And in Deut. 32. 4. Moses tells us, God is a rock, and his work is perfect. And indeed perfect working necessarily follows a perfect Being: Now there is nothing found in Nature more solid, fixed, and immutable, than a rock; the firmest buildings will decay, a few ages will make them a ruinous heap; but though one age pass away and another comes, the rocks abide where, and what they were; Our God is the rock of ages; and yet one step higher, in Zech. 6. 1. His decrees and purposes are called Mountains of Brass, that is, most firm, durable, and unchangeable purposes: Thus the Immutability of God is shadowed forth to us in Scripture Emblems.
1. By Scripture Emblems, remarkable to this purpose is that place, Iam. 1. 17. where God is called The Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. No variableness the word is, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, an Astronomical term, commonly applyed to the Heavenly Bodies which have their Parallaxes, i. e. their Declinations, Revolutions, Vicissitudes, Eclipses, Increases and Decreases; but God is a Sun that never rises nor sets, but is everlastingly and unchangeably one and the same; with him is no variableness nor shadow of turning, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉. The Sun in its Zenith casts no shadow, it is the Tropick, or turning of its course, that causes the shadow; the very substance of turning is with man; but not the least shadow of turning with God. And in Deut. 32. 4. Moses tells us, God is a rock, and his work is perfect. And indeed perfect working necessarily follows a perfect Being: Now there is nothing found in Nature more solid, fixed, and immutable, than a rock; the firmest buildings will decay, a few ages will make them a ruinous heap; but though one age pass away and another comes, the rocks abide where, and what they were; Our God is the rock of ages; and yet one step higher, in Zech. 6. 1. His decrees and purposes are called Mountains of Brass, that is, most firm, durable, and unchangeable purposes: Thus the Immutability of God is shadowed forth to us in Scripture Emble•s.
