CHAP. Vll.                                       OF THE LIFE OF GOD.                                                                ~7

all that have it; and not the Father only, but the Son of
God also, is called the living God, Heb. iii. 12. and the
Spirit is called the Spirit of the living God, 2 Cor. iii.
each person is the living God, and God, essentially con-
sidered, is so; and this title and epithet he has in oppo-
sition to, and contradistinction from, them that are not
by nature God: the living God is opposed to idols, life-
less and motionless, Jer. x. 10. 5.15, 16. Acts xiv. 15.
1 Thess. i. 9. he is distinguished by this essential attribute
oF his from the first objects of idolatrous worship, the
sun, moon, and stars, which are inanimate; from heroes,
kings, and emperors, deified after their death; which
idolatry was very early; and worshipping them is called
eating the sacrifices of the dead, Psalm cvi. 28. and from
all images of wood, stone, brass, silver, and gold, which
are dumb idols, and lifeless ones; see Psalm cxv.
And God is not only acknowledged to be the living God,
and to live for ever and ever, by some of the greatest
personages, and proudest monarchs that ever were upon
earth, and who even had set up themselves for God,
Dan. iv. 34,. and vi. 26. but he asserts it of himself,
which must be true, and may be depended on; And
up my hand, and sa3t, I live for ever, Deut. xxxii. 40.
yea; it is an oath of his affirming the same, and it is the
common form of swearing with him, as I live, saith the
Lord; and which is very frequently used by him, see
Numb. xiv. 28. and this is no other than swearing by his
life, which is himself; "for when he could swear by no
greater, he swore by himself," Heb. vi. 13. and so both
men and angels swear by the living God; "by him that
lives for ever and ever," Jer. v. 2. and xii. 16. Dan. xii. 7.
Rev. x. 5, 6. which distinguishes him from, and prefers
him to all other beings: and, indeed, he is most properly
said to live; the life of creatures is no life in comparison
of his; especially the life of man: what is it ? "it is but
a yapour, that appears for a while, and then vanishes
away," James iv. 14,. But,
2. God is life eternally, without beginning, succession,
or end; he is without beginning of life or end of days,
and without any variableness; "the same to-day, yester-
days and for ever ;" he that is the true God, is also
eternal life, 1 John v. 20. It is indeed said of Christ,
the Word and Son of God, that he is the eternal life,
which was with the Father from eternity, before mani-
rested unto men; and so lives from eternity to eternity;
and, as before observed, what is true of God personally,
is true of him essentially considered: he lived from
eternity, and will live for ever and ever; as several of the
above scripture-testimonies assure us; and which may
be concluded from the simplicit3t of his nature: what
consists of parts may be resolved into those parts again,
and so cease to be; but God is a simple and uncom-
pounded Being, as has been established; not consisting
of parts, and so not capable of being reduced to them,
or being dissolved, and therefore must live for ever: and
from his independency; he has no cause prior to him,
from whom he has received his life, or on whom it de-
pends; there is none above him, superior to him, that
can take away his life from him, as he can from his
creatures, who are below him, and dependent on him; but

~ Apud Platon. in Phcedo~ p. 79.
z De C~!o, i. 2. c.

he is above all, and dependent on none. Likewise from
his iramutability; there is no change, nor shadow of
change, in him; and yet, if his life was not eternal, he
must be subject to the greatest of changes, death; but
he is the same, and of his years there is no end, Psalm
cii. 27. The same arguments which prove his eternity,
must prove also that he lives for ever; he is the true God,
the living God, and an everlasting King, Jer. x. 10. he
is called immortal eternal, 1 Tim. i. 17. the very heathens
have such a notion of Deity as immortal; nothing is more
common with them than to call their gods, the immortal
ones. God, says Socrates {}, is, I think, the very species
or idea of life, and if any thing else is immortal, and
confessed by all that he cannot perish. Aristotle {2}, has
this remarkable observation, "The energy, act, or opera-
tion of God, is immortality, this is everlasting life; where-
fore there must needs be perpetual motion in God."
And he reports {3}, that Alcmaeon supposed that the soul
was immortal, because it was like to the immortals. Brat.
our God, the true God, is he who only hath immortality,,
1 Tim. vi. 16. that is, who hath it in and of himself, and
gives it to others. Angels are immortal, they die not;
but then this immortality is not of themselves, but of God,
who supports and continues them in their being; for as
he made them out of nothing, he could, if he would,
annihilate them, and bring them to nothing again: the
souls of men are immortal; they cannot be killed, nor
do they die with their bodies; but then what has been
said of angels may be said of them. The bodies of men,
after the resurrection, are immortal; this mortal then
puts on immortality, and always is clothed with it, and
ever continues; but this iS the gift of God, and the effect
of his will and power; yea, even the bodies of the wicked
are immortal, but not of themselves, it is even against
their wills; they choose and seek for death, but cannot
have it; their torments are endless, and the smoke of
them ascends for ever and ever. God only has immor-
tality in and of himself.
3. God is life efficiently, the source and spring, the
author and giver of life to others; With thee is the foun-
tain of life, Psalm xxxvi. 9. which he would not be, if
he had not life in and of himself, essentially, originally,
independently, most properly, and in the. most perfect
manner.
God is the author and giver of life, from the lowest
to the highest degree of it. The vegetative life that is
in herbs, plants, and trees, is from him, and. supported
by him; and he takes it awa.y., when his spirit blows
upon them, Gen. i. 11, 12, Isa. xl. 7. The animal life is
owing to him; the life of all animals, of the fishes in the
sea, the fowl of the air, and the beasts of the field; and
he gives them life and breath; and when he takes it away,
they die, and return to the dust, Gen. i. 20, 21, 24, 25.
Acts xvii. 25. Psalm civ. 29. The rational life in angels
and men, is from him; angels are made rational living
spirits by him, and in him they consist: to men he grants
life and fayour, and his visitation preserves their spirit,
and he is the God of their life, that gives it, and, con-
tinues it, and takes it away at pleasure, Psalm xlii..8..
No creature can give real life; men may paint to the

~ De Anima~ I. L e~