N° 74. FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 1713. Magne Parens, sanctâ quàm majestate verendus! BUCH. I WILL make no apology for preferring this letter, and the extract following, to any thing else which I could possibly insert. 'SIR, Cambridge, May 31. You having been pleased to take natice of what you conceived excellent in some of our English divines, I have here presumed to send a specimen, which if I am not mistaken, may for acuteness of judgment, ornament of speech, and true sublime, compare with any of the choicest writings of the ancient fathers or doctors of the church, who lived nearest to the apostles' times. The subject is no less than that of God himself; and the design, besides doing some honour to our own nation, is to shew by a fresh example, to what a height and strength of thought a person, who appears not to be by nature endued with the quickest parts, may arrive, through a sincere and steady practice of the Christian religion, I mean, as taught and administered in the church of England: which will, at the same time, prove that the force of spiritual assistance is not at all abated by length of time, or the iniquity of mankind; but that if men were not wanting to themselves, and (as our excel lent author speaks) could but be persuaded to con form to our church's rules, they might still live as the primitive Christians did, and come short of none of those eminent saints for virtue and holiness. The author from whom this collection is made, is bishop Beveridge, vol. ii. serm. 1. PHILOTHEUS. In treating upon that passage in the book of Exodus, where Moses being ordered to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt, he asked God what name he should mention him by to that people, in order to dispose them to obey him; and God answered, I Am that I Am;' and bade him tell them, 'I Am hath sent me unto you;' the admirable author thus discourses: • God having been pleased to reveal himself to us under this name or title, "I Am that I Am," he thereby suggests to us, that he would not have us apprehend of him, as of any particular or limited being, but as a being in general, or the Being of all beings; who giveth being to, and therefore exerciseth authority over, all things in the world. He did not answer Moses, "I am the great, the living, the true, the everlasting God," he did not say, "I am the almighty Creator, Preserver, and Governor, of the whole world," but "I Am that I Am" intimating, that if Moses desired such a name of God as might fully describe his nature in itself, that is a thing impossible, there being no words to be found in any language, whereby to express the glory of an infinite Being, especially so as that finite creatures should be able fully to conceive it. Yet, however, in these words he is pleased to acquaint us what kind of thoughts he would have us entertain of him: insomuch, that could we but rightly apprehend of what is couched under, and intended by them, we should doubtless have as high and true conceptions of God as it is possible for creatures to have.'The answer given suggests farther to us these following notions of the most high God. . First, that he is one being, existing in and of himself: his unity is implied in that he saith, "I;" his existence in that he saith, "I Am;" his existence in and of himself, in that he saith, "I Am that I Am,” that is, "I Am in and of myself," not receiving any thing from, nor depending upon any other.The same expression implies, that as God is only one, so that he is a most pure and simple being; for here, we see, he admits nothing into the manifestation of himself but pure essence, saying, "I Am that I Am," that is, being itself, without any mixture or composition. And therefore we must not conceive of God, as made up several parts, or faculties, or ingredients, but only as one who "Is that He Is," and whatsoever is in Him is himself: And although we read of several properties attributed to him in scripture, as wisdom, goodness, justice, &c. we must not apprehend them to be several powers, habits, or qualities, as they are in us; for as they are in God, they are neither distinguished from one another, nor from his nature or essence, in whom they are said to be. In whom, I say, they are said to be: for to speak properly, they are not in him, but are his very essence, or nature itself; which acting severally upon several objects, seems to us to act from several properties or perfections in him; whereas all the difference is only, in our different apprehensions of the same thing. God in himself is a most simple and pure act, and therefore cannot have any thing in him, but what is that most simple and pure act itself; which seeing it bringeth upon every creature what it deserves, we conceive of it as of several divine perfections in the same Almighty Being. Whereas God, whose understanding is infinite as Himself, doth not apprehend himself under the distinct notions of wisdom, or goodness, or justice, or the like, but only as Jehovah: And therefore, in this place, he doth not say, "I am wise, or just, or good," but simply, "I Am that I Am.” . Having thus offered at something towards the explication of the first of these mysterious sayings in the answer God made to Moses, when he designed to encourage him to lead his people out of Egypt, he proceeds to consider the other, whereby God calls himself absolutely I Am.' Concerning which he takes notice, that though, "I Am" be commonly a verb of the first person, yet it is here used as a noun substantive, or proper name, and is the nominative case to another verb of the third person in these words, "I Am hath sent me unto you." A strange expression! But when God speaks of himself, he cannot be confined to grammar-rules, being infinitely above and beyond the reach of all languages in the world. And therefore, it is no wonder that when he would reveal himself, he goes out of our common way of speaking one to another, and expresseth himself in a way peculiar to himself, and such as is suitable and proper to his own nature and glory. ، Hence therefore, as when he speaks of himself and his own eternal essence, he saith, "I Am that I Am ;" so when he speaks of himself, with reference to his creatures, and especially to his people, he saith, "I Am." He doth not say "I Am their light, their life, their guide, their strength, or tower," but only "I Am :" He sets as it were his hand to a blank, that his people may write under it what they please that is good for them. As if he should say, "Are they weak? 1 am strength. Are they poor? I am riches. Are they in trouble? I am comfort. Are they sick? I am health. Are they dying? I am life. Have they nothing? I am all things. I am wisdom and power, I am justice and mercy. I am grace and goodness, I am glory, beauty, holiness, eminency, supereminency, perfec tion, all-sufficiency, eternity, Jehovah, I Am. Whatsover is suitable to their nature, or convenient for them in their several conditions, that I Am. Whatsoever is amiable in itself, or desirable unto them, that I Am. Whatsoever is pure and holy; whatsoever is great or pleasant; whatsoever is good or needful to make men happy; that I Am." So that, in short, God here represents himself unto us as an universal good, and leaves us to make the application of it to ourselves, according to our several wants, capacities, and desires, by saying only in general, "I Am." Again, page 27, he thus discourses; <There is more solid joy and comfort, more real delight and satisfaction of mind, in one single thought of God, rightly formed, than all the riches, and honours, and pleasures of this world, put them all together, are able to afford.-Let us then call in all our scattered thoughts from all things here below, and raise them up and unite them all to the most high God; apprehending him under the idea, image, or likeness of any thing else, but as infinitely greater, and higher, and better than all things; as one existing in and of himself, and giving essence and existence to all things in the world besides himself; as one so pure and simple that there is nothing in him but himself, but essence and being itself; as |