Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/d_000.lzh/D_032.TXT

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S~                                            OF THE ETERNITY OF GOD.                                                         Book I'

elbow; and therefore adds, Can any hide himself in
secret places, that I shall not see him, saith the. Lord ?
As some might foolishly imagine, supposing him to be
limited and confined to heaven above, and was not pre-
sent to see what was done below; especially in the dark
and distant places of the earth: Do not Ifill heaven and
earth, saith the Lord ? not only with inhabitants, and with
all things, the effects of his power and goodnesS; but
w. ith his nature and essence, which exceeds all bounds of
place and space. Hence the Jews call God by the name
of Makom, place; because he fills all places, and is con-
tained in none; is illocal and infinite.
Nor is this to be disproved by other passages of Scrip-
ture, which may seem, at first sight, to discountenance or
contradict it; not such as speak of mens' departing and
fleeing from his presence, as Cain and Jonah are said to
do, Gen. iv. 16. Jonah i. 3. for Cain only went either
from the place where he and the Lord had been convers-
ing; or from the public place of worship, at the east of
the garden of Eden, where were the symbol of the divine
presence, an altar, where he and his brother had sacri-
ficed. Jonah's fleeing, was withdrawing himself from
the service of God, and declining to go on his errand;
foolishly imagining, that, by going beyond sea, he should
avoid being urged to his duty; but he soon found his
mistake, and that God was everywhere, and could meet
with him by sea and by land. Likewise, not such that
represent God 'as descending from heaven; as at the
building of Babel, at the cry of the sin of Sodore, and
on mount Sinai, Gen. xi. 5, 7. and xviii. 21. Exod. xix.
18, 20. for these only denote some more than ordinary
manifestations of his presence, or exertion of his power;
as at Babel, by confounding the language; at Sodom,
by destroying that', and the other cities; at Sinai, by giv-
ing the law out of the midst of fire, attended with thunder
and lightning. Nor such as speak of the Lord not being
with wicked men; particularly what MoSes said to the
disobedient Israelites, The Lord is not among you; and
he will not be with you, Numb. xiv. 42, 4& which he
might very truly say, since the ark of the covenant, the
symbol of the divine presence, remained in the camps
and went not with them, v 44. nor had they any reason
to believe that God would be so with them, as to prosper
and succeed them, when they acted contrary to his express
command: nor is God ever in such sense with wicked
men, as with good men; namely, by his gracious pre-
sence: but this hinders not, but that Ire is with them by
his omnipresence and power, supporting them in their
being. Nor such passages which relate the departure of
God from men; as from Samson and Saul, Judg. xvi. 20.
1 Sam. xxviii. 15. since this only respects the withdraw-
ment of uncommon bodily strength from the one; and
wisdom and prudence, courage and greatness of soul from
the other; leaving him to the fears, distractions, and con-
fusions of his mind; without any hope of success in war:
nor such portions of Scripture which express the deser-
tions' and distance of God from his people, and their
desires that he would return to them, and not cast them
away from his presence, Psalm x. 1. and lxxx. 14. and li. 1.
since these only respect his gracious presence, the depri-
vation of that, and the return of it; the manifestations
of his love and favour, and the withdrawment and re-
newal of them. And whereas it is urged against the ore-

nipresence of God, that he is said to be in heaven, and
that to be his habitation, and that men pray unto him as
their Father in heaven, Psalm cxv. 8. Isa. lxiii. 15. Matt.
v. 9. In what peculiar sense God may be said to be in
heaven, has been observed already; nor is he ever said to
be in heaven only, but in many places to be on earth also,
and elsewhere; see Dent. iv. 39. Isa. lxvi. 1. though he is
not contained in any place, as not on the earth, so neither
can the heaven of heavens contain him, 1 Kings viii. 27.
he was before there was any space or place; his nature,
and so this attribute of omipresence, were the same then
as now: and should it be asked, Where did he dwell then ?
I answer, In himself, in his own immensity and eternity;
see Isa. lvii. 15. The objection from the pollution of
the divine Being, through sordid and filthy places, in
which he must be if omnipresent, scarce deserves any
regard; since bodies only touch them and are capable of
being .defiled by them; not spirits, even created ones, as
angels, and the souls of men; as the angel in the filthy
den of lions where Daniel was, was not; nor the souls
of men that are in filthy bodies; much less God a ,pure,
infinite, and nncreated Spirit, who can no more be af-
fected by such means, than the sun is, by its rays striking
on a dunghill.
II. The Eternity of God belongs to his infinity; for
as he is not bounded by space, so neither by time, and
therefore eternal. He is often called the everlasting God,
and the King eternal, Gen. xxi. 31. Deut. xxxiii. 27.
lsa. xl. 28. Jer. x. 10. Rom. xvi. 28, 1 Tim. i. 17. yea,
eternity itself, 1 Sam. xv. 29. and is said to inhabit it,
.Isa. lvii. 13. These words, eternal, everlasting, and for
ever, are sometimes used in an improper sense, as of
things which are of a long duration, but limited, and
have both a beginning and an end; as the everlasting
possession of the land of Canaan, granted in the ever-
lasting covenant of circumcision, and yet both are now
at an end, Gen. xvii. 7, 8. the rites and ceremonies of the
law of Moses are said to be ordinances and statutes for
ever; and yet they were designed to continue but for a
time, and have been long since abolished, Numb. x. 8.
and xv. 15. and xviii. 8, 11, 19, 23. the temple built by
Solomon is said to be a settled place for God to abide
in for ever; yea, he himself says, that he would put his
name in it for ever; and it should be his rest for ever;
and yet it has been demolished long ago, I Kings viii. 13.
and ix. 3. Psal,n cxxxii. 14. the thrones of David and
Sdomon are said to be established for ever, and yet, if
taken in a literal sense, they are no more: indeed, if un-
derstood spiritually, as David's Son and Antitype, his
throne will be for ever and ever, 2 Sam. vii. 12, 16. the
earth is said to abide, and not be removed for ever, Psalm
ci.v.v. Eccles. i. 4. yet both that and the heavefis shall
perish, though not as to substance, yet as to quality, form,
figure, and present use. Sometimes this phrase for ever,
only respects the year of jubilee, Exod. xxi. 6. and, at
most, but during life, 1 Sam. i. 21.
Some creatures and things are said to be everlasting,
and .even eternal, which ,have a beginning, though they
have no end; and this is what the schools call aeviternity,
as distinct from eternity: thus angels, and the souls of
men,, being creatures of God, have a beginning; though,
being immaterial and immortal, shall never die. The
happiness of the saints is called eternal glory, " an eter-