Punishment on thefe. And hence we may infer, that the Juftice of the Deity, is alfo an infinite Attribute, or Perfection.

God is alfo Jealous. Jealoufy is a Mixture of Love and Indignation, or Anger. For it proceeds from a fuperlative Love, which Men bear to any Object, and is accompanied with a very interfe, and moft ardent Defire of wreaking their Vengeance on all thofe, who injure that beloved Object, or who endeavour to fnatch it away from the legal Proprietor. Therefore we understand by the Jealoufnefs of God, his moft holy Will, and fixed Determination, to defend effectually the Honour of his own great Name, which he loves moft tenderly, whenever it is difhonoured, or affected with Difgrace by the Sinner. For the Term is evidently ufed to indicate or point out to us that moft fupreme, infinitely great, and most ardent Love, which the

Lord God bears to himself, by which he is abfolutely and unalterably determined, to fupport, defend and maintain the Honour of the most divine Glory of all his infinitely excellent Perfections inviolate for ever, and ever. For the Lord, whofe Name is Jealous, is a jealous God. Exod. xxxiv. 14. It is alfo Significant of the vindictive and moft awful Fury of the Almighty God againft all thofe, who attempt to rob him of his Honour : For the Ford thy God is a confuming Fire, even a jealous

God.

God. Deut. iv. 24. And God himself fayse For in my Jealousy, in the Fire of my Wrath, have I fpoken; furely in that Day. there ball be a great Shaking in the Land of Ifrael. Exek, xxxviii. 19.

The facred Scriptures alfo attribute Anger to the Almighty God. Not indeed Anger properly fo termed, or fuch 'Anger as implies any Commotion of Mind. By no Means! For we do easily perceive, that fuch Anger, as is accompanied, or attended with any Disturbance, or Perturbation of Mind, cannot poffibly be afcribed to the holy, immutable, and impaffible Effence of the Deity. God is independent, and always infinitely pleafed, and most perfectly happy in himfelt. The Perfections and Beatitude of the Deity are abfolutely infinite and eternal, and therefore can never admit of any Addition or Defect. Which Confideration ought to teach us to fet a low Eftimate on our highest, and most perfect Performances, and, render us, and all we can do, lefs than Nothing, and Vanity itself. Therefore in general, whenever any Emotion, Perturbation, or Affection of the Soul is attributed to the Deity, it must always be understood in a Manner confiftent/ with the Nature of God, or confiftent with the abfolute impaffibility and immutability of his most adorable Effence, that is we must understand it with Reference to the Effe not the Affection. This premifed, we give the follow

following Definition of God's Anger; viz. The Anger, or Wrath of God is his most holy Will to Punish Sin, and the Punishment of Sin itfelf. For fince God bears an infinite Affection to all the infinite Attributes, and perfect Rectitude of his own Nature or Being, he cannot but hate, and punish every Thing that dif honours him. At all Events, God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on bis Adverfaries; and be referveth Wrath for bis Enemies. Nahum. i. 2. See also the 6th Verse of the fame Chap. Who can stand before bis Indignation? And who can abide in the Fierceness of his Anger ? His Fury is poured out like Fife, and the Rocks are thrown down by it.

Truth is another Attribute of God. Jer. xi. 10. But the Lord is the true God. Numb. xxiii. 19. God is not a Man that he foould lie; neither the Son of Man, that he should repent: Hath be faid, and shall be not do it? Or bath be spoken, and fhall be not make it good?

God is alfe poffeffed of boundless Goodness. Pfal. clxv. 9. The Lord is. Good to all: And bis tender Mercies are over all his Works. This divine Goodness is alfo termed Love, Grace, Mercy, Longanimity, and Patience.

God alfo has an infinitely perfect, immortal, and eternal Life. Hence he is called in the moft pofitive, emphatical, and perfect Senfe of the Term, the living God. See Jer. xx. 10.

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But the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: At bis Wrath the Earth ball tremble, and the Nations fhall not be able to abide is Indignation. The Life of God confifts in the infinitely perfect Activity, Operation or Agency of his boundless Understanding, and Omnipotent Will. The great Proffeffor Lampe tells us that the Life of God is the Bafis of all the divine Attributes.

The Bible alfo attributes perfect Freedom, Liberty, and Sovereignty to the Will of God. Of this perfect Liberty, and infinite Sovereignity of God's Will we read Dan. iv. 35. And all the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing and be doth according to his Will in the Army of Heaven, and among the Inbabitants of the Earth: And none can stay his Hand, or fay unto him, what doest thou? Moreover, fince God is infinite, muft needs be immense, or omniprefent alfo. The perfect Immensity, or Omniprefence of God, is taught us: Pfal. cxxxix. 7, 8, 9, 10. And 1. Kings viii. 27. But we are by no Means to confound the Idea of the divine Immenfity, or Omniprefence, with that of Extention. For Extention is an effential property of Matter. The great Prodigy of Learning, I mean Profeffor Wyttenbach fays; Since God acts not otherwife, than by a most simple and infinite Act of his divine Understanding and Will, he is ompiprefent, in as much as he reprefents all Things with

without Exception to hunfelf together at once, and as he fuftains, moderates and governs them his most potent Nod. (See Sect. 6.)

But finally, fince God is Infinite, he must be incomprehenfible. For finite Beings (as all Creatures are) can never poffibly comprehend the positive and every Way Perfect Infinity of God. The abfolute incomprehenfibility of the Godhead, is moft ftrongly, and very lively painted to us by Zophar, faying: Canft thou by fearching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection? It is as high as Heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than Hell! what canft thou know? The Measure thereof is longer than the Earth, and broader than the Sea. Job xi. 7, 8, 9.

Now all these infinite Perfections, and most divine Excellencies taken together, or collectively, do, as it were, conftitute the Sum tetal, even the infinitely, yea, the most divinely glorious greatnefs of the eternal, and moft fupreme JEHOVAH.

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II. But, Secondly, we are briefly to explain the most facred Names of God, which are fignificant of his immenfe Greatness.

The Names of the eternal God, which occur in the Old Teftament, are the following, viz. (1.) Jehovah (2.) Jah (3.) Adonaaj (4.) Elobim (5.) El (6.) Shaddaj (7.) Gneljoon. All Which Names are Hebrew.

In the New Teftament we have thefe Names,