12. CHAPTER VIII. GOD'S OMNIPOTENCE, OMNISCIENCE, AND OMNIPRESENCE
1. God's Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence do not come within the scope of the human understanding because God's Omnipotence is infinite power, God's Omniscience is infinite wisdom, and Omnipresence is infinite presence in all the things that have gone forth and that do go forth from Him; and indeed the Infinite Divine does not come within the scope of a finite understanding. 1
2. That God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent is acknowledged without rational investigation; for this flows in from God into the higher part of the human mind, and thence, with all with whom there is religion and sound reason, into acknowledgement. It flows in also with those with whom there is not religion; but with these, there is not reception, and hence not acknowledgement.
3. That God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, a man can himself confirm from innumerable things that are matters of reason and at the same time of religion, as for instance these that follow:
4. First, God alone is and exists in Himself; and every other being and every other thing is from Him.
5. Second, God alone loves, is wise, and lives and acts from Himself; every other being and every other thing does so from Him.
6. Third, God alone has power from Himself; every other being and every other thing has power from Him.
7. Consequently, God is the soul of the whole, from which all beings and all things are, live, and move.
8. Unless every single thing in the world and in heaven had relation to One who is, lives, and has power from Himself, the universe would be dissipated in a moment.
9. On this account the universe was created by God a fullness of God, wherefore He Himself said that He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, the Alpha and the Omega, who was, is, and will be, the Almighty. [Revelation 1:8, 11.]
10. The preservation of the universe which is an unceasing creation is complete evidence that God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent.
11. The reason contrary things, which are evils, are not taken away because God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent, is that evils are extraneous to subjects and created things and so do not penetrate to the Divine things that are within.
12. Of the Divine Providence, which indeed is universal in the very smallest things, evils are removed more and more from the interiors and cast out to the outside, and in this way are conveyed away and separated in order that they should not do any harm to the internal things that are Divine. 2
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