distinguished, in scripture, into his comprehending, seeing, or having a
perfect intuition of all things, and his approving of things, or it is
either intuitive or approbative; the former of these is what we
principally understand by this attribute; as when it is said, _Known
unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world_, Acts xv.
18. and, _thou knowest my down-sitting and up-rising, and art acquainted
with all my ways; for there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord,
thou knowest it altogether_, Psal. cxxxix. 2, 3, 4. and, _the Lord
searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the
thoughts_, 1 Chron. xxviii. 9. And as for the other sense of God’s
knowledge, to wit, of approbation, which is less properly called
knowledge, because it is rather seated in the will than in the
understanding; of this we read in several scriptures; as when God tells
Moses, _I know thee by name_, Exod. xxxiii. 12. which is explained by
the following words, _And thou hast found grace in my sight_; so when
our Saviour says, concerning his enemies, _I will profess unto you I
never knew you_, Matth. vii. 23. it is not meant of a knowledge of
intuition, but approbation. In the former sense, he knows all things,
bad as well as good, that which he hates and will punish, as well as
what he delights in; in the latter, he only knows that which is good, or
agreeable to his will.
Moreover, God is said to know what he can do, and what he has done, or
will do.
(1.) God knows what he can do, even many things that he will not do; for
as his power is unlimited, so that he can do infinitely more than he
will, so he knows more than he will do. This is very obvious; for we
ourselves, as free agents, can do more than we will, and, as
intelligent, we know in many instances, what we can do, though we will
never do them: much more must this be said of the great God, who
_calleth things that be not as though they were_, Rom. iv. 17. so David
enquires of God, _Will Saul come down? and will the men of Keilah
deliver me up into has hand?_ And God answers him, _He will come down,
and the men of Keilah will deliver thee up_, 1 Sam. xxiii. 12. which
implies, that God knew what they would have done, had not his providence
prevented it. In this respect, things known by him are said to be
possible, by reason of his power, whereas the future existence thereof
depends on his will.
(2.) God knows whatever he has done, does, or will do, _viz._ things
past, present, or to come. That he knows all things present, has been
proved, from the dependence of things on his providence; and his
knowledge being inseparably connected with his power: and that he knows
all things that are past, is no less evident, for they were once
present, and consequently known by him; and to suppose that he does not
know them, is to charge him with forgetfulness, or to suppose that his
knowledge at present is less perfect than it was, which is inconsistent
with infinite perfection. Moreover, if God did not know all things past,
he could not be the Judge of the world; and particularly, he could
neither reward nor punish; both which acts respect only things that are
past; therefore such things are perfectly known by him. Thus, when Job
considered his present afflictions, as the punishment of past sins, he
says, Job xiv. 17. _My transgression is sealed up in a bag; thou sewest
up mine iniquity_; which metaphorical way of speaking, implies his
remembering it: so when God threatens to punish his adversaries for
their iniquity, he speaks of it, as remembered by him, _laid up in
store_ with him, and _sealed up among his treasures_, Deut. xxxii. 34,
35. So, on the other hand, when he designed to reward, or encourage, the
religious duties, performed by his people, who feared his name, it is
said, _a book of remembrance was written before him, for them_, Mal.
iii. 16.
But that which we shall principally consider, is, God’s knowing all
things future, _viz._ not only such as are the effects of necessary
causes, where the effect is known in or by the cause, but such as are
contingent, with respect to us; which is the most difficult of all
knowledge whatsoever, and argues it to be truly divine.
By future contingences, we understand things that are accidental, or, as
we commonly say, happen by chance, without any fore-thought, or design
of men. Now that many things happen so, with respect to us, and
therefore we cannot certainly foreknow them, is very obvious; but even
these are foreknown by God[54] For,
1. Things that happen without our design, or fore-thought, and therefore
are not certainly foreknown by us, are the objects of his providence,
and therefore known unto him from the beginning: thus _the fall of a
sparrow to the ground_ is a casual thing, yet our Saviour says, that
this is not without his providence, Matth. x. 29. Therefore,
2. That which is casual, or accidental to us, is not so to him; so that
though we cannot have a certain or determinate foreknowledge thereof, it
does not follow that he has not; since,
3. He has foretold many such future events, as appears by the following
instances.
(1.) Ahab’s death by an arrow, shot at random, may be reckoned a
contingent event; yet this was foretold before he went into the battle,
1 Kings xxii. 17, 18, 34. and accomplished accordingly.
(2.) That Israel should be afflicted and oppressed in Egypt, and
afterwards should be delivered, was foretold four hundred years before
it came to pass, Gen. xv. 13, 14. And when Moses was sent to deliver
them out of the Egyptian bondage, God tells him, before-hand, how
obstinate Pharaoh would be, and with how much difficulty he would be
brought to let them go, Exod. iii. 19, 20.
(3.) Joseph’s advancement in Egypt was a contingent and very unlikely
event, yet it was made known several years before, by his prophetic
dream, Gen. xxxvii. 5, &c. and afterwards, that which tended more
immediately to it, was his foretelling what happened to the chief butler
and baker, and the seven years of plenty and famine in Egypt, signified
by Pharaoh’s dream; all which were contingent events, and were foretold
by divine inspiration, and therefore foreknown by God.
(4.) Hazael’s coming to the crown of Syria, and the cruelty that he
would exercise, was foretold to him, when he thought he could never be
such a monster of a man, as he afterwards appeared to be, 2 Kings viii.
12, 13.
(5.) Judas’s betraying our Lord was foretold by him, John vi. 70, 71.
though, at that time, he seemed as little disposed to commit so vile a
crime as any of his disciples.
Thus having considered God’s knowledge, with respect to the object,
either as past, or future, we shall conclude this head, by observing
some properties, whereby it appears to be superior to all finite
knowledge, and truly divine, _viz._
1. It is perfect, intimate, and distinct, and not superficial, or
confused, or only respecting things in general, as ours often is: thus
it is said concerning him, that _he bringeth out his host by number, and
calleth them all by names_, Isa. xl. 26. which denotes his exquisite
knowledge of all things, as well as propriety in, and using them at his
pleasure. And since all creatures _live and move_, or act, _in him_,
Acts xvii. 28. or by his powerful influence, it follows from hence, that
his knowledge is as distinct and particular, as the actions themselves,
yea, the most indifferent actions, that are hardly taken notice of by
ourselves, such as our _down-sitting and up-rising_, Psal. cxxxix. 2.
and every transient thought that is no sooner formed in our minds, but
forgotten by us, is known by him afar off, at the greatest distance of
time, when it is irrecoverably lost with respect to us. That God knows
all things thus distinctly, is evident not only from their dependence
upon him; but it is said, that when he had brought his whole work of
creation to perfection, _He saw every thing that he had made, and behold
it was very good_, that is, agreeable to his eternal design, or, if we
may so express it, to the idea, or plat-form, laid in his own mind; and
this he pronounced concerning every individual thing, which is as much
the object of his omniscience, as the effect of his power: what can be
more expressive of the perfection and distinctness of his knowledge than
this? Therefore the apostle might well say, that _there is not any
creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked,
and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do_, Heb. iv. 13.
2. He knows every thing, even future contingencies, with a certain and
infallible knowledge, without the least hesitation, or possibility of
mistake; and therefore, as opinion, or conjecture, is opposed to
certainty, it is not in the least applicable to him. In this his
knowledge differs from that of the best of creatures, who can only guess
at some things that may happen, according to the probable fore-views
they have thereof.
3. As to the manner of his knowing all things, it is not in a discursive
way, agreeable to our common method of reasoning, by inferring one thing
from another, or by comparing things together, and observing their
connexion, dependence, and various powers and manner of acting, and
thereby discerning what will follow; for such a knowledge as this is
acquired, and presupposes a degree of ignorance: conclusions can hardly
be said to be known, till the premises, from whence they are deduced, be
duly weighed; but this is inconsistent with the knowledge of God, who
sees all things in himself; things possible in his own power, and things
future in his will, without inferring, abstracting, or deducing
conclusions from premises, which to do is unbecoming him, who is perfect
in knowledge.
4. He knows all things at once, not successively, as we do; for if
successive duration be an imperfection, (as was before observed, when we
considered the eternity of God) his knowing all things after this
manner, is equally so; and, indeed, this would argue an increase of the
divine knowledge, or a making advances in wisdom, by experience, and
daily observation of things, which, though applicable to all intelligent
creatures, can, by no means, be said of him, whose _understanding is
infinite_, Psal. cxlvii. 5.
We shall now consider what improvement we ought to make of God’s
omniscience, as to what respects our conduct in this world.
_First_, Let us take heed that we do not practically deny this
attribute.
1. By acting as though we thought that we could hide ourselves from the
all-seeing eye of God; let us not say, to use the words of Eliphaz, _How
doth God know? Can he judge through the dark cloud? Thick clouds are a
covering to him, that he seeth not, and he walketh in the circuit of
heaven_, Job xxii. 13, 14. How vain a supposition is this! _since there
is no darkness, or shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may
hide themselves_, chap. xxxiv. 22. Hypocrisy is, as it were, an attempt
to hide ourselves from God, an acting as though we thought that we could
deceive or impose on him, which is called, in scripture, _a lying to
him_, Psal. lxxviii. 36. or, _a compassing him about with lies and
deceit_, Hos. xi. 12. This all are chargeable with, who rest in a form
of godliness, as though God saw only the outward actions, but not the
heart.
2. By being more afraid of man than God, and venturing to commit the
vilest abominations, without considering his all-seeing eye, which we
would be afraid and ashamed to do, were we under the eye of man, as the
apostle saith, _It is a shame even to speak of those things which are
done of them in secret_, Eph. v. 12. Thus God says, concerning an
apostatizing people of old, speaking to the prophet Ezekiel, _Son of
man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the
dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, The Lord
seeth us not, the Lord hath forsaken the earth_, Ezek. viii. 12.
_Secondly_, The consideration of God’s omniscience should be improved,
to humble us under a sense of sin, but especially of secret sins, which
are all known to him: thus it is said, _Thou hast set our iniquities
before thee; our secret sins in the light of thy countenance_, Psal. xc.
8. and _his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings_,
Job xxxiv. 21. There are many things which we know concerning ourselves,
that no creature is privy to, which occasions self-conviction, and might
fill us with shame and confusion of face. But this falls infinitely
short of God’s omniscience; _for if our heart condemn us, God is greater
than our heart, and knoweth all things_, 1 John iii. 20. And this should
make sinners tremble at the thoughts of a future judgment; for if sins
be not pardoned, he is able to bring them to remembrance, and, as he
threatens he will do, _set them in order before their eyes_, Psal. l.
21.
_Thirdly_, The due consideration of this divine perfection, will, on the
other hand, tend very much to the comfort of believers: he seeth their
secret wants, the breathings of their souls after him, and as our
Saviour saith, _Their Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward them
openly_, Matt. vi. 4. With what pleasure may they appeal to God, as the
searcher of hearts, concerning their sincerity, when it is called in
question by men. And when they are afraid of contracting guilt and
defilement, by secret faults, which they earnestly desire, with the
Psalmist, to be cleansed from, Psal. xix. 12. it is some relief to them
to consider that God knows them, and therefore is able to give them
repentance for them; so that they may pray with David; _Search me, O
God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there
be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting_, Psal.
cxxxix. 23, 24. Moreover, it is a quieting thought, to all who are
affected with the church’s troubles, and the deep laid designs of its
enemies against it, to consider that God knows them, and therefore can
easily defeat, and turn them into foolishness.
_Fourthly_, The due consideration of God’s omniscience will be of great
use to all Christians, to promote a right frame of spirit in holy
duties; it will make them careful how they behave themselves as being in
his sight; and tend to fill them with a holy reverence, as those that
are under his immediate inspection, that they may approve themselves to
him.
XI. God is most wise, or infinite in wisdom; or, as the apostle
expresses it, he is _the only wise God_, Rom. xvi. 27. This perfection
considered as absolute, underived, and truly divine, belongs only to
him; so that the angels themselves, the most excellent order of created
beings, are said to be destitute of it, or _charged with folly_, Job iv.
18. For our understanding what this divine perfection is, let us
consider; that wisdom contains in it more than knowledge, for there may
be a great degree of knowledge, where there is but little wisdom, though
there can be no wisdom without knowledge: knowledge is, as it were, the
eye of the soul, whereby it apprehends, or sees, things in a true light,
and so it is opposed to ignorance, or not knowing things; but wisdom is
that whereby the soul is directed in the skilful management of things,
or in ordering them for the best; and this is opposed, not so much to
ignorance, or error of judgment, as to folly, or error in conduct, which
is a defect of wisdom; and it consists more especially in designing the
best and most valuable end in what we are about to do, in using the most
proper means to effect it, and in observing the fittest season to act,
and every circumstance attending it, that is most expedient and
conducive thereunto; also in foreseeing and guarding against every
occurrence that may frustrate our design, or give us an occasion to
blame ourselves for doing what we have done, or repent of it, or to wish
we had taken other measures. Now, that we may from hence take an
estimate of the wisdom of God, it appears,
1. In the reference, or tendency of all things to his own glory, which
is the highest and most excellent end that can be proposed; as he is the
highest and best of beings, and his glory, to which all things are
referred, is infinitely excellent.
Here let us consider,
(1.) That God is, by reason of his infinite perfection, naturally and
necessarily the object of adoration.
(2.) He cannot be adored, unless his glory be set forth and
demonstrated, or made visible.
(3.) There must be an intelligent creature to behold his glory, and
adore his perfections, that are thus demonstrated and displayed.
(4.) Every thing that he does is fit and designed to lead this creature
into the knowledge of his glory; and that it is so ordered, is an
eminent instance of divine wisdom. We need not travel far to know this,
for wherever we look, we may behold how excellent his name is in all the
earth: and because some are so stupid, that they cannot, or will not, in
a way of reasoning, infer his divine perfections from things that are
without us, therefore he has instamped the knowledge thereof on the
souls and consciences of men; so that, at sometimes, they are obliged,
whether they will or no, to acknowledge them. There is something which
_may be known of God, that is said to be manifest in, and shewn to_ all;
so that _the Gentiles who have not the law_, that is, the written word
of God, _do, by nature the things_, that is, some things, _contained
therein_, and so are _a law unto themselves_, and _shew the work of the
law written in their hearts_, Rom. i. 19. chap. ii. 14, 15. And, besides
this, he has led us farther into the knowledge of his divine perfections
by his word, which he is said to have magnified above all his name,
Psal. cxxxvii. 2. therefore having thus adapted his works and word, to
set forth his glory, he discovers himself to be infinite in wisdom.[55]
2. The wisdom of God appears, in that whatever he does, is in the
fittest season, and all the circumstances thereof tend to set forth his
own honour, and argue his foresight to be infinitely perfect; so that he
can see no reason to wish it had been otherwise ordered, or to repent
thereof. _For all his ways are judgment_, Deut. xxxii. 4. _to every
thing there is a season and a time, to every purpose under the heaven;
and he hath made every thing beautiful in his time_, Eccl. iii. 1, 11.
For the farther illustrating of this, since wisdom is known by its
effects, we shall observe some of the traces, or footsteps thereof in
his works. And,
(1.) In the work of creation. As it requires infinite power to produce
something out of nothing; so the wisdom of God appears in that excellent
order, beauty, and harmony, that we observe in all the parts of the
creation; and in the subserviency of one thing to another, and the
tendency thereof to promote the moral government of God in the world,
and the good of man, for whose sake this lower world was formed, that so
it might be a convenient habitation for him, and a glorious object, in
which he might contemplate, and thereby be led to advance the divine
perfections, which shine forth therein, as in a glass; so that we have
the highest reason to say, _Lord, how manifold are thy works; in wisdom
hast thou made them all_, Psal. civ. 24. _He hath made the earth by his
power; he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched
out the heavens by his discretion_, Jer. x. 12. But since this argument
hath been insisted on, with great ingenuity, and strength of reason by
others,[56] we shall add no more on that subject, but proceed to
consider,
(2.) The wisdom of God, as appearing in the works of providence, in
bringing about unexpected events for the good of mankind, and that, by
means that seem to have no tendency thereto, but rather the contrary;
this will appear in the following instances. As,
_1st_, Jacob’s flying from his father’s house, was wisely ordered, as a
means not only for his escaping the fury of his brother, and the trial
of his faith, and to humble him for the sinful method he took to obtain
the blessing; but also for the building up his family, and encreasing
his substance in the world, under a very unjust father-in-law and
master, such as Laban was.
_2dly_, Joseph’s being sold into Egypt, was ordered, as a means of his
preserving not only that land, but his father’s house, from perishing by
famine; his imprisonment was the occasion of his advancement. And all
this led the way to the accomplishment of what God had foretold relating
to his people’s dwelling in Egypt, and their wonderful deliverance from
the bondage they were to endure therein.
_3dly_, The wisdom of God was seen in the manner of Israel’s deliverance
out of Egypt, in that he first laid them under the greatest
discouragements, by suffering the Egyptians to increase their tasks and
burdens; hardening Pharaoh’s heart, that he might try his people’s
faith, and make their deliverance appear more remarkable; and then
plaguing the Egyptians, that he might punish their pride, injustice, and
cruelty; and, at last, giving them up to such an infatuation, as
effectually procured their final overthrow, and his people’s safety.
_4thly_, In leading Israel forty years in the wilderness, before he
brought them into the promised land, that he might give them statutes
and ordinances, and that they might experience various instances of his
presence among them, by judgments and mercies, and so be prepared for
all the privileges he designed for them, as his peculiar people, in the
land of Canaan.
_5thly_, We have a very wonderful instance of the wisdom of providence
in the book of Esther; when Haman, the enemy of the Jews, had obtained a
decree for their destruction, and Mordecai was first to be sacrificed to
his pride and revenge, providence turned whatever he intended against
him, upon himself. There was something very remarkable in all the
circumstances that led to it, by which the church’s deliverance and
advancement was brought about; when, to an eye of reason, it seemed
almost impossible,
(3.) The wisdom of God appears yet more eminently, in the work of our
redemption; this is that which _the angels desire to look into_, and
cannot behold without the greatest admiration; for herein God’s manifold
wisdom is displayed, 1 Pet. i. 12. Eph. iii. 10. This solves the
difficulty, contained in a former dispensation of providence, respecting
God’s suffering sin to enter into the world, which he could have
prevented, and probably would have done, had he not designed to
over-rule it, for the bringing about the work of our redemption by
Christ; so that what we lost in our first head, should be recovered with
great advantage in our second, the Lord from heaven.
But though this matter was determined in the eternal covenant, between
the Father and the Son, and the necessity of man seemed to require that
Christ should be immediately incarnate, as soon as man fell, yet it was
deferred till many ages after; and herein the wisdom of God eminently
appeared. For,
_1st_, God hereby tried the faith and patience of his church, and put
them upon waiting for, and depending on him, who was to come; so that
though they had not received this promised blessing, yet they _saw it
afar off_; _were persuaded of, and embraced it_, and, with _Abraham,
rejoiced to see his day_, though at a great distance, Heb. xi. 13. John
viii. 56. and hereby they glorified the faithfulness of God, and
depended on his word, that the work of redemption should be brought
about, as certainly, as though it had been actually accomplished.
_2dly_, Our Saviour, in the mean time took occasion to display his own
glory, as the Lord, and Governor of his church, even before his
incarnation, to whom he often appeared in a human form, assumed for that
purpose, as a prelibation thereof; so that they had the greatest reason,
from hence, to expect his coming in our nature.
_3rdly_, The time of Christ’s coming in the flesh, was such as appeared
most seasonable; when the state of the church was very low, religion
almost lost among them, and the darkness they were under, exceeding
great; which made it very necessary that the Messiah should come: when
iniquity almost universally prevailed among them, then _the deliverer
must come out of Sion, and turn away ungodliness from Jacob_, Rom. xi.
26. and when the darkness of the night was greatest, it was the most
proper time for _the Sun of Righteousness to arise with healing in his
wings_, Mal. iv. 2. compared with Matt. iv. 16.
(4.) The wisdom of God farther appears in the various methods he has
taken in the government of his church, before and since the coming of
Christ. For,
_1st_, God at first, as has been before observed,[57] left his church
without a written word, till Moses’s time, that he might take occasion
to converse with them more immediately, as an instance of infinite
condescension; and to shew them, that though they had no such method of
knowing his revealed will as we have, yet that he could communicate his
mind to them another way; and, when the necessity of affairs required
it, then his wisdom was seen in taking this method to propagate religion
in the world.