The Chautauquan, Vol. 03, May 1883Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
History
The Chautauquan, Vol. 03, May 1883
Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle
Chautauqua Institution -- Periodicals; Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle -- Periodicals
This one, eternal, omnipresent being is likewise all perfect. He has
from eternity to eternity, all the perfections and infinitely more
than it ever did, or ever can enter into the heart of man to conceive;
yea, infinitely more than the angels in heaven can conceive: these
perfections we usually term the attributes of God.
And he is omnipotent, as well as omnipresent: there can be no more
bounds to his power than to his presence. He “hath a mighty arm: strong
is his hand, and high is his right hand.” He doeth whatsoever pleaseth
him, in the heavens, the earth, the sea, and in all deep places. With
men, we know, many things are impossible; “but not with God: with him
all things are possible.” Whensoever he willeth, to do is present with
him.
The omniscience of God is a clear and necessary consequence of his
omnipresence. If he is present in every part of the universe, he can
not but know whatever is, or is done there: according to the word of
St. James, “Known unto God are all his works,” and the works of every
creature, “from the beginning” of the world; or rather, as the phrase
literally implies, “from eternity.” His eyes are not only “over all
the earth, beholding the evil and the good,” but likewise over the
whole creation; yea, and the paths of uncreated night. Is there any
difference between his knowledge and his wisdom? If there be, is not
his knowledge the more general term, (at least according to our weak
conceptions), and his wisdom a particular branch of it? namely, the
knowing the end of everything that exists, and the means of applying it
to that end?
Holiness is another of the attributes of the Almighty, All-wise God.
He is infinitely distant from every touch of evil. He “is light; and
in him is no darkness at all.” He is a God of unblemished justice and
truth: but above all is his mercy. This we may easily learn from that
beautiful passage in the thirty-third and thirty-fourth chapters of
Exodus: “And Moses said, I beseech thee, show me thy glory. And the
Lord descended in the cloud, and proclaimed the name of the Lord, the
Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth; keeping mercy for thousands, and forgiving
iniquity, and transgression, and sin.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account