The Divine Perfections in Harmony

“He cannot deny himself.”

It is of God that these words are spoken; and they constitute one of those divine maxims which He among the very fomidations of truth, and are fitted to be our guide and corrective in every part of theology. The apostle Paul argues, that however we may disbeheve, God remains faithful, because he cannot deny himself, that is, he cannot be untrue to his own nature. This seems plain enough at the first statement, needing no demonstration, a self-evident proposition, almost a truism; yet it admits of being pondered over and unfolded; and it is the more needful to enlarge upon it,

* New York, December 17, 1848. because in many of its practical applications it is constantly denied.

The Being and Attributes of God are the basis of all theology. We can never be right on lesser points, when we are wrong here. This makes it greatly important for us to have some clear and settled belief respecting Him whom we worship. Every religious error may be traced up more or less directly to some misconception and unbelief respecting the character of God. And we need the less marvel at the prevalence of such errors, when we consider how few deliberately and lovingly think of God at all, and how even the best and holiest of men faint in their contemplations, finding it easier to study creatures than the Creator; which makes it a concern of every one of us to attain some adequate notions on a subject which is fitted to arrange, preserve and regulate all our other knowledge. Let no one complain of us as adducing what is abstract, recondite, and far from the track of ordinary thought and duty. For what can be nearer to us than He who formed us, in whom we live and move and have our being? Or what can be more profitable than that which has its direct bearing on every other part of the Christian scheme? We shall not therefore lose anytime, if we wisely meditate on this consistency of God with himself, or the adorable harmony of all his perfections.

The subject will become more distinct, if we consider the truth, that we are constrained to think of God as an infinitely perfect Being. In this the true

God separates himself by an immeasurable gulf from all the cliviuities of polytheism. He is One, and he is absolute. When we think of that which has any imperfections, we are not thinking of God. Much of our conception of God is arrived at by a negative process; that is, by denying of the Most High every thing which is faulty or imperfect. We take those qualities, for example, which are included in our idea of God, and lift each of these up to an infinite sublimity. Is it Being? We immediately, justly, and by a sort of logical instinct, think of that Being which has no imperfections. It is therefore unlimited being, for all limitation implies weakness, dependence, or subordination. It is immensity of being. Por the same reason it is independent being; because, on whom or what can it depend? It is necessary existence; God cannot but be, and be what he is. In like manner, when we conceive of God as a Spirit, and arrive at the apprehension of him as an Intelligence, the mind naturally and irresistibly proceeds to divest this idea of all the defects and limitations which belong to creatures. It is infinite Knowledge, supreme Reason, absolute Wisdom. The laws of our very thinking demand this. Any thing less than this falls short of God. The same mode of illustration might be derived from each of the Divine attributes, which for this very cause we are accustomed to call perfections. Por if we worshipped a being who had any even the least imperfection, then would he not be Supreme, not the Highest and Best; yet every man is conscious that when he is searching for God, if, haply, he may find him, he cannot rest content, except when supposing the acme of excellence. Take away any the least ray of glory, and it is no longer the deity you seek, for above and beyond this limited and imperfect divinity you can conceive of one all perfection; and this is what reason demands in the true God. So true is this, namely, that the idea of God includes that of infinite perfection, that we perpetually employ it as a medium of investigation and a corrective of our conclusions. Having found out a little concerning the dread Supreme, we render that little valuable, by denying of it all imperfection and removing from it all boundaries. Let me not be considered abstruse; for the principle alluded to is both important and very precious, and is, I am persuaded, level to the ordinary hearer, who will yield his attention. We might illustrate it by any one of the Divine attributes. Suppose we take one of the most undeniable. As soon as we conceive of God as the Creator and Preserver of all material nature, we attribute to him a presence with all his works. But the invincible disposition, just stated, to remove all limits and imperfections from God, causes us at once to make this presence Omnipresence. There is no point in his dominion where he is not. But the same mode of reasoning leads us further still. The presence of creatures is divisible; that is, each is partly in one place and partly in another; and the vaster they are, the more divisible. Por example, the solar system is present in a certain dimension of space; but part is here and part is there, and between the extremes is a distance which, to our poor measurement, seems infinite, as it is certainly immense. Not such is the presence of God. This mode of presence which we ascribe to the stellar universe, has two imperfections; one from being matter and the other from being creature. God is not present in any divisible sense, because he is indivisible. He is not partly here and partly there; there is not one part of God in heaven and another here and yet another in the planet Saturn; because God is without all parts. We are forced, therefore, by a necessity of reason, to fell upon a new kind of

presence, a presence which is unique, without example or parallel, to meet the conditions of Omnipresence. God is then all-present at every point of the universe, at one and the same time. All there is of God (I speak reverently) is fully in every place in his dominions, at one and the same instant; and this because we attribute to him the absence of all imperfection, such as division would be. So strong is our rational determination to abstract all fault and all limit from our idea of the Most High. This Omnipresence of God has its difficulties. Would we desire a God whose nature should have no depths? It is a mystery. It transcends our discursive understanding; yet we believe it; all but Atheists believe it; we cannot but believe it: sound reason compels us to believe, however difficult it may be, that of which the contrary is self-contradictory or absurd. And let me step aside from the direct line of inquiry to say, that sound reason in the same way allows us to believe other mysteries which we cannot fully comprehend, such as the Trinity and the Incarnation. But we return to observe, that everywhere in theological science we hold fast to the first principle, that nothing must be affirmed of God which does not belong to the idea of an infinitely perfect being; which brings the subject directly under the general proposition of the text. He cannot deny himself; he must be true to his nature; nothing can be asserted of him which is inconsistent with absolute perfection.

AVe advance hardly a single step, when we say, that all the Attributes of God are in perfect harmony with one another. If any one were discordant with the rest, or with any other, God would therein deny himself. Our best and clearest vicAVs of the Great Supreme are poor and inadequate. There is a sublime and absolute simplicity in God, which we, from weakness, must take severally and by parts. Thus, when we survey some heavenly orb, no astronomic skill enables us to behold it at one view. We wait for its motion, and watch how it revolves before us, and catch a glimpse of side after side. The ray of light is one; but in the prismatic spectrum and in the rainbow, we see it parted into hues; while the violet, the indigo, the blue, the green, the yellow, the orange, and the red, seen dispersed in the showery arch, are one sunbeam. So of the infinite and primeval Light, all the perfections are glimpses of the

THE DR^IXE PERFECTIONS IN HARMOXY.

same indivisible unity. All the attributes are phases of one and the same Divine orb. The seeming variety, and still more, the sometimes seeming contradiction, arise from the incapacity of our vision. All are in perfect harmony, and. whatsoever violates this harmony, by exalting one attribute at the expense of another, wars mth the maxim, that he cannot deny himself. This modification in the statement of the great principle allows us to apply it to a diversity of interesting particulars. Let us briefly make the attempt. And for a beginning, we need not go further than the suggestions of the text itself. He cannot deny himself. What! the inconsiderate will rejoin; and is there any thing which God cannot do? He can do all things; for is he not Omnipotent? Of a truth, God is Omnipotent. At this truth we arrive, even by natural religion, and on the principle already adopted by us, which removes all limits and asserts all perfection. So soon as we admit a Creator, that is, one of power sufficient to make and sustain the Universe, we run on by a happy necessity of reason, and ascribe to him all conceivable power. Every sane mind, in its reflective moments, does so. Here the Christian agrees with the serious Deist. Every thing included in power, in infinite power, belongs undeniably to God. This is a fixed point, and whatever denies this, errs, by making God deny himself.

But, does it therefore follow, that in respect to the Most High, there is nothing that can be called impossibility, in any sense? How prone is poor human understanding to play tricks upon itself, and to involve its limited faculties in the meshes of entangling words. This was the fault of the Schoolmen, or Latin theologians of the Middle Age. Never were there minds more keen and subtle, but they dulled the edge of their nice faculties upon questions which are impracticable. They debated, for example, whether God could cause the same thing to be and not to be, at the same time; whether he could cease to exist; whether he could create two mountains without a valley between, or a triangle with more or less than three sides. These are the riddles of childish understanding. When we ascribe power to God, we do not mean an attribute which is at war with his other perfections; we mean, as aforesaid, nothing incompatible with the subhme and infinite idea. God can do all that is properly an object of power. Those absurd and contradictory suppositions include no object of power. They demand no might, greater or less. He who should do them, would be neither stronger nor weaker for the achievement. They imply no excellence and savour of no perfection. They are inconceivable; the mind can frame no notion of what they are; a jargon of words without a sense. There is, therefore, that which God cannot do; because he cannot deny himself.

But some, while they avoid the folly of such demands as these, fall upon another, less ridiculous, but equally full of danger. Because God is almighty, say they, he can destroy all the sin and misery in the Universe; and therefore, lie will eventually save all mankind, and make all creatures happy. I would not introduce this, if it were not one of those suggestions which, at one time or other, find lodgment in every human mind. Here is a strange mixture of truth and falsehood, which must be carefully dissected apart. God can do all things; in this we are perfectly agreed. But it is not a just inference, that he will do all that he can. Whether, and in what cases, he shall exert his omnipotence, is to be determined by other perfections, which he will not and cannot deny. Looking to the future, do we venture to predict, that an Omnipotent Ciator and Governor will make every creature happy? But if we take a point before the creation of man, and suppose an angehc spirit to be speculating on the probable fortunes of our race, is it not certain that he would have predicted a world without sin and mthout misery? Would he not say, the Almighty can prevent the introduction of sin, and he will! Yet, how false would have been such a determination! The answer is in the fact. Sin and misery do exist. Our earth has been scarred, and burnt, and drenched, by crime, and war, and famine, and pestilence, and earthquakes. Our faculties are too scanty for the resolution of such high problems. That it was within the power of God to create a universe into which sin could not enter, no sound reasoner can deny. Yet, he did create a universe into which sin has actually entered. He is in no sense the author of that sin; and yet he did not prevent it. Such is the fact. No man gQ THE DITINE PERFECTIONS IN HARMONY.

has ever denied it. Must we not conclude, that there are limits, not to the power, but to the exercise of power? The Wisdom, the Holiness, the Justice of God, all perfections which must be honoured, came in with awful majesty, to produce results which poor, short-sighted man cannot comprehend. He cannot deny himself.

Let us look again at the text, and in regard to the same attribute. There are those things which God cannot do. As, in another place, “God, that cannot lie.” Why not? Because he is infinitely holy, and infinitely true; because falsehood would militate against these attributes; because he cannot deny himself. The inability arises from his moral nature. He cannot be untrue or unholy, because this were to cease to be God. Every thing within us rises up against such a supposition. The infinite Jehovah, then, has no capacity of evil; and this, from that very perfection of his nature, which we love to assert and press. We must beware, therefore, how we lightly ascribe to God those things which may suit our narrow prepossessions, lest unwittingly we offend against some of his blessed attributes. And hence we learn how closely we should adhere to the teachings of Scripture, in respect to what God will or will not do, in his government or his grace, since we know little of his plan and purpose, except what he has vouchsafed to express in the Scriptures. Secret things belong unto God, but such as are revealed unto us and our children. And we must continually cherish a

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reverent determination to indulge no thought of God, which shall be discordant with his. glorious and often inscrutable perfections. Let it stand high inscribed on our whole fabric of derived truth, that he is eternally and immutably consistent with himself.

There are other applications of this cardinal truth, which will at once occur to the thoughtful mind. As God cannot deny himself, we must shun the error of derogating from his Wisdom, Holiness, Truth, and Justice, under the pretext of adding lustre to his Mercy. A neglect here has led many into grave errors with regard to Atonement, Satisfaction, and Justification. If God were all mercy, no Atonement would be necessary. But, “a God all mercy were a God unjust.” He is full of mercy, and out of this fulness flows the tide of redemption; but in such wise as to preserve the honour of his law untarnished. He cannot deny his law; he cannot deny his justice; he cannot deny his threatenings of truth. Of his infinite compassion, he will save the lost; but it shall be in such a way as shall make his other glories more illustrious. It is the sublime necessity of harmonizing these otherwise conflicting traits of Divine majesty, which calls for the exercise of that grace, “wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;” “to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church the manifold wisdom of God.” He cannot deny his Wisdom. It is made to subserve the vindication of the law. Does a blind and condemned rebel ask that sinners should be pardoned without a satisfaction? Such is not God’s method. This were to prostrate Justice and the Law in the very dust. How different a course does infinite Wisdom prescribe! How different a lesson do we read in the crimson spectacle of the Cross! Mercy is gratified, but Justice triumphs, “to the praise of the glory of the grace wherein we are accepted in the Beloved.” God denies neither his Justice nor his Mercy. And why? Because the Word is made flesh, and the Only-Begotten of the Father dies upon the tree. “Die he, or justice must.” And around this awful, fascinating, transforming sight, we behold all the attributes in perfect harmony, and God immutably true to himself. The principle of the text shines illustriously in the whole work of redemption; and the more we study the character of Jehovah, the more shall we learn that the divine consistency of this character made it impossible that sin should be pardoned, unless Christ should bear “our sins in his own body on the tree.” But the same union of perfections in the Divine nature presents itself in an alarming view, when we consider the condition of those who reject God’s chosen plan of salvation. The soul that passes into eternity without an interest in Christ’s atoning work, faces the unmitigated blaze of vindicatory law. The Cross being neglected, there remains no more sacrifice for sin. Justice, no less than mercy, has its place for appropriate triumph. God will fulfil his utmost threatenings; for he cannot deny himself. On whatsoever side, then, we look, we observe

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the beautiful and inviolate harmony which subsists among all the perfections of God. In conclusion, I would point out a few lessons which may be derived from the truths on which we have meditated.

1. The subject aids us to compare and settle our minds, in regard to what may be called the difficulties of Scripture and theology. These all arise from our ignorance, and our inabihty to fathom the mysteries of the Divine Nature. As in our best estate on earth, “we know in part,” and see through a glass darkly, some of these enigmas must remain unexplained, so long as we are in the body. The only part of wisdom is to bow with profound reverence to whatever is revealed, even though we may be incompetent to reconcile it with other truths. ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ ought to allay all doubts. Philosophy has wearied itself for ages, in the attempt to reconcile the existence of physical evil with God’s holiness and goodness; but not the slightest advance has been made in the explanation. ‘Why did God permit the fall?’ is a question which can never be answered, but by humbling our minds before the general consideration, that divine reasons of state are beyond our ken; that some of God’s attributes may demand a course of government beyond all our expectation; that his wisdom is infallible as his love is immense; and that whatever he ordains or allows, is agreeable to the concord of those perfections which we at awful distance revere and worship. The same is true with regard to the fearful doom of the wicked. The finally impenitent shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. The smoke of their torment goeth up forever and ever. We are incompetent to decide on the grounds of this undeniable sentence; just as we are unable to explain the incalculable amount of sin and misery now actually existing on earth. We do not comprehend the infinite depths of evil there are in sin; we cannot estimate the glory which shall redound to God from the never-ceasing display of his inflexible justice; we know not how far such an exhibition of wrath may tend to the increased sum of happiness, in all the remaining intelligent universe. The problem will one day be solved. What we know not now, we shall know hereafter. This and all inscrutable facts and doctrines shall be seen to have their ground in some perfection of God, or in the harmony of all his perfections. We may safely leave the matter in such hands. God is love; and there is no one of his decrees which is not prompted by infinite benevolence. We may not see the connexion or consistency, in all cases, but this is conclusive — He cannot deny himself.

2. The truth we have been considering, may encourage us to commit the whole matter of our salvation to God with implicit confidence. A man needs a strong foundation on which to lean his everlasting interests. Ordinary securities will not avail here. When storms assail our hope, and unnumbered sins arise to irritate our conscience, and the dreadful justice of God is arrayed against us, especially if all this happens when death is in view, we need something more than vague expectation or mere probability. The true basis of trust is found in the character of God; and this is all-sufficient. It is the part of revelation to make this known to us. It is the part of faith to rely upon it. The constancy and immutability of God are the ground of our security. If he were changeful, the Universe would be a hell. How ready we should be to fly into despair or madness, if the God in whoAi we trust were uncertain and capricious, like the divinities of the Gentiles? But he says, “I am Jehovah, I change not, therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” * So changeable and capricious are we, that if our salvation depended on om* abiding constant for an hour, we should inevitably be lost. But though we “believe not,” or are unfaithful, he is faithful. Especially may we rely on his covenant engagements, from which he will not draw back. His truth is confirmed by repeated asseverations; “wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us.” How refreshing is it, to look away from the endless vicissitudes of om- own hearts, which ebb and flow like the sea, and wax and wane like the moon, to Him who is immutable, and whose decrees of

* Mai. iii. 6.

love are as firm as his very being. In disheartening hours, our greatest repose is obtained, by hfting the soul to One who in Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, to-day and forever. I put it to Christian hearers, above all, to such as are habitually prone to write bitter things against themselves, whether they are not more ready to ascribe constancy and immutability to God’s justice, than to his grace. Yet, he can no more be unfaithful to one than to the other. Only make sure of an interest in his covenant, by connexion with the Lord Jesus Christ, and your salvation is as firm as the throne of eternity. We read the threatenings, and quake because He is unchangeable. Let us read the promises, and believe that heaven and earth shall pass away, before one jot or one tittle of his gracious engagements shall fail. He cannot deny himself; he cannot deny his Son. We have a Surety, in his nature and in ours, who shall make good every article of the eternal treaty. And how resplendent will this glory of grace shine forth in “that day,” when the elect jewels shall be made up, without one loss, even of the faintest creature who ever behoved, and when every vault of the heavenly city shall ring to the honour of Him who is forever true to his own nature!

3. In every moment of life, we learn fi-om this subject to look up to the harmonious attributes of God, with profound adoration and lively affection. The object is glorious, and, above all others, deserves our contemplation. He is one and the same. The changes of

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time and creatures are but the trifling waves which keep up their noisy flow at the base of this Eternal Rock. He was infinitely true to himself before time began; such will he be when time shall be no more. Every one of those adorable perfections remains in plenitude of majesty, and all in blissful concord with each other. “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth, and without iniquity: just and right is he!” There are times when the wavering soul needs recourse to such thoughts. There are wars and tumults among the people. Nation rises against nation. Iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold. The cause of truth and righteousness seems to tremble; and unbelief suggests that the plan of heaven has changed or been frustrated. But all these mutations are but a faint ripple on the surface of the sea of things. “The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice.” The principles of his government are more settled than the everlasting mountains. “The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth king forever.” Great calamities startle a whole population. A gallant ship is labouring in the tempestuous deep. Stout-hearted men quiver with apprehension; veterans who have stood at the cannon’s mouth yield to awe before the raging elements, and the cry of panic-struck women and children ascends amidst the crash of timbers and the ruthless brawling of the storm. The mountain billow makes its clear sweep over the deck, and whole bands plunge through the wintry, strangling surge, into eternity.

Has God closed his eyes upon his creatures? Nay, blind insect of yesterday; it is He who orders all. He is true to his justice, and true to his mercy. “Thy throne is established of old, thou art from everlasting. The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” However he may send the stroke of death, which he sends to all, “just and right is he!” He cannot deny himself. Be this our anchor, when in regard to our own little personal affkirs, the billows threaten to overwhelm us. They cannot reach the throne of our God, nor change the settled purposes of his love. Clouds and darkness are round about him, but righteousness and justice are the habitation of his throne. Sometimes, if we could look into his heart, we should discern paternal compassion behind the lifted rod. Let us rejoice that he is, and such as he is. Let us glory that he changeth not. Let us summon our thoughts away from all creatmes and all second causes, to dwell on the throne that cannot be moved. Though all else fail, it is well with us if God remains. See to it that he is yours. Hazard not the consequences of being found in the way of his advancing vengeance. His covenant of grace is sure, but his justice is as irrevocable as his love is fathomless. Now, in this temporal state, the offer is made, to change our relation, and from enemies to become friends. But presently, a trumpet shall sound, to tell that parley is over, and that what remains is arrest, adjudication, doom 1 O, saint! O, sinner! in that hour, it is near, heaven will stand vindicated, thy destiny sealed, thy heaven or hell made eternal. Eor he cannot deny himself!.