A glimpse of God, or, A treatise proving that there is a God discovering the grounds of atheism, with arguments of divers sorts against atheists : shewing also, the unity of the Godhead, and the trinity of the persons ... / by ... Mr. Thomas Byrdall ...

CHAP. II.

MY purpose is onely to handle the last point, viz. that attri∣bute

of the life of God; That God from whom unbeleivers back-slide is a living God.

The life of God is taken two ways in Scripture.

1. For that life whereby God li∣veth in his Saints, or a Saints godly life, ••ph. 4. 18. The Apostle set∣ting forth the state of unregenerate persons, men addicted to their lusts, saith, They are alienated from the life of God; that is, have no acquaintance with the holy, hea∣venly and spiritual life, this life is here called the life of God; and Gal. 2. 20. it is called the life of Christ; I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; this life is also called the life of the spirit, and beleivers are also said to live in the spirit, Gal. 5. 25. But this life I am not to speak of.

2. Tis taken for that essential life of God, or that life which God liveth himself, and in himself, and which is very God himself. In him

was life, saith John of Christ, as God, John 1. 4. that is, essentia vivens ab aeterno in aeternum, that living essence who lives for ever and ever, giving life to all others; and this I am to speak of: As the life of God is taken two ways, so again living God is taken two ways in Scripture.

1. Either it is opposed unto dead and false gods, 1 Thes. 1. 9. Ye turned from idols, which cannot hear, speak, or do any thing for you, to the living and true God; Or,

2. Living God, implies that God is a powerful, lively, and effectual God, Heb. 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, most powerful, able to destroy body and soul; or, who eternally liveth to take eternal vengeance on your immortal souls. This being premised, I will briefly shew, what the life of God is. Thus it is described.

It is Gods own divine being, who of himself doth all things, and is the Author of all life in his creatures.

Or thus, It is the divine being, who of himself, understandeth, willeth, and loveth infinitely, and is the fountain of all life, being, and motion in all his creatures, both bodily and spiritual. Let me give it in parts.

1. It is the divine being, so it is distinguished from the life of crea∣tures, for in their life are three things; the soul, by which it li∣veth; the life it self; and the actions of life, distinguished in the creatures; but in God, the essence, life, and the actions of life, are one and the same; his life is nothing else but his very being, hence he is called that life, and life eternal, and the living God.

2. Who of himself doth all things, or of himself understandeth, wil∣leth, and loveth all things, and in

this he is distinguished from the life of creatures, for they live in ano∣ther; live, move, and have their being in God; but he most inde∣pendently lives of himself, under∣standeth and willeth of himself, therefore called Jehovah, who hath being from himself.

3. He is the Author of all life in his Creatures, in him they live; if he withdraw himself, Creatures are turned into destruction: if he say, Return again ye sons of men; they live, Psa. 90. 3. of dry bones he makes living men, and of living men he makes dry bones. Tis said, he breathed the spirit of life into Adam, and he takes away mans breath again. Some Divines make a fivefold life of men.

1. The life of nature, and this God is the Author of, he made man a living soul; In him was life, and that life was the light of men, Joh. 1. 4.

2. The life of grace; and it is

God alone that quickens men that are dead in trespasses and sins, to live the life of godliness, Eph. 2. 1.

3. The life of comfort; Sorrow is called death, Psa. 116. 8. Thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, &c. What is the eternal death of the damned, but eternal sorrow? sorrow is cal∣led the vale of death; Now it is the Lord that speaks peace, and cre∣ates joy to disconsolate spirits; Vita nihil aliud est, quam actio cum de∣lectatione, as some define it: and what is the life of Angels and Saints, but unspeakable and endless joy in God?

4. Resurrection of dead men to life; God onely by his almighty power, can command the graves to yeild up their dead, and make each soul to possess its own body, after a long divorce made by death. God alone brings these two old friends together, which at first were loth to part, and then shall

never part again, but shall then live with God for ever, or else dye a living death with Devils in Hell.

5. A life of glory, which he a∣lone gives to all the godly; Christ saith of his sheep, Joh. 10. 28. I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish.

Notes

• Vita Dei dicitur, vel quâ vivit in nobis qui regene∣rati sumus.
• Vel quà ipse vivit in sese.
• Descr.
• Anima, vivere, & operationes vitae.