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I. Then I am to reprefent to you, that SERM, this attribute of Eternity muft belong to God, and to him only.

Eternity, when we speak of it, in the most extensive and abfolute fenfe, is that duration of existence, that is without any beginning, and without any end. And when we fay, that God is eternal, we mean, that there was no beginning, and fhall be no end of his being: that he has been for ever, and will be the fame invariably to all futurity. But we may confider Eternity two ways, either from this moment backwards, to an infinite duration, already paft, or forwards, to an infinite futurity. And in this laft sense, viz. an infinite futurity, angels, and the fouls of men, from the time they are created, are eternal in their duration. But in both senses, Eternity can only belong to God, who is ever the fame, and whofe years fhall not fail; and who is justly described by St. John, to be him, who is, and who was, and is to come.

Now that this attribute of Eternity, confidered as an infinite duration already past, must belong to God, is evident, if we confider him as the first cause of

all

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SERM, all things. For the first cause, from which all things flow, must be eternal, That fomething must always have been, we see plainly from the things that exist. For if there was a time, when nothing exifted, then it would have been impoffible, that any thing could ever have been brought into being. Nothing would eternally have produced nothing. And therefore, as we fee things do exist, there must have been always fomething, from which the present things derive their being. Nothing, that we fee, could be the cause of itself. One thing may be the effect of another, and that of a third, and fo on, but the chain cannot be infinite, there must be some being, that is the first cause, which must ever have been from a neceffity of its nature, or that is eternal. And the being, who thus exifts, as the first cause of all things, is God, who therefore must have been from Eternity.

It is, indeed, difficult for us to think, how any being can be eternal, or can have had no beginning; it seems beyond the power of our imagination, but we are as fure, that fomething must eternally have been, as we are of our own existence;

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existence; because as we know that things SER M. do exist, we are certain fomething must always have been, for things could not be produced without a caufe. And therefore, though our narrow minds cannot comprehend it, we are abfolutely certain, that this attribute of Eternity must belong to God.

And as God is thus eternal, with regard to his duration, already past, so he is alfo, in refpect of futurity. Becaufe as he has ever been, fo he can never fail to be, by any weakness in himself, or superior power in any other being. As he is the firft caufe from which all things have their being and dependence, so nothing can destroy or refift him, that he may not continue the fame for ever. But farther, as God is eternal, confidered as the first cause of all things, so his Intelligence, his Wisdom, his Power, and moral attributes, muft alfo be eternal. There could be no time, when he could be without any of these. For if there could have been any time, when there was none of them, they could never have been produced from nothing. No being, once without them, could ever acquire them, but from some cause that was poffeffed of them.

And

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SERM. And therefore, the first cause of all things muft ever have had them. And as certainly as we know the firft caufe, or God to have been eternal, fo we certainly know that he is eternally intelligent, wife, and powerful.

And as our reason thus plainly discovers to us the eternity of God, so in fcripture, it is declared to be one of the characters, by which the true God of the universe is distinguished from the false deities, or vanities of the heathen. Thus in the prophecies of Jeremiah ch. x. The flock, or idol, is a doctrine of vanitiesthe work of the workman, and of the hands of the founder-but the Lord is the true God, and an everlafting king, or, as it might be much better rendered, the king of eternity. And in Ifa. lvii. he is faid to be, the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity. In other places, he is ftyled the eternal God, the king eternal-the rock of ages, and he whofe name and goings forth have been from everlafting. Other objects of worship are mere fictions, lying vanities, imposed upon mankind by the wickedness of fome, and ignorance of others, and that have no existence in the nature of things; but he is the true God, who

eter

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eternally reigns, before whom as he SER M. himfelf has declared by the prophet, there was no God, nar fhall there be after him.

But now in the

II. Place, let us make fome obfervations. And

1. From the Eternity of God, we may obferve, that he must exift by a neceffity of his nature; that is, he could not have been other than what he is; for what has eternally existed, could not but have been. He must be the principle of perpetual existence to himfelf. And therefore, he must be abfolutely independent, both in his being and operations. And he alone can only be fo: all other beings must depend upon him for their existence and powers. And this is what the fcripture feems to intimate to us, when he is called by his name Jehovah, which fignifies, that he is independent in his being, or felf-exiftent. And fo in other places, almost the same thing is expreffed, when he is faid to be the first, and the last, Ifa. xliv. and that he cannot deny himself.

2. It may be obferved, that as God is eternal, we are not to imagine any fucceffion, or alteration in the manner of