Attributes of God - Charnock - LII - Chapter 13 (God's dominion) continued

Required reading
Attributes of God by Charnock (Available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Continue Chapter 13 (A discourse upon God's dominion) by reading up the paragraph commencing 'Use 5. Of exhortation'.

My summary
Last week we began Charnock's 'uses' of the doctrine of God's dominion by reading his first use.  This week we hear the next three uses.

The second use is how dreadful is the consideration of this doctrine to all rebels against God.  If God has all dominion then:
(i) punishment necessarily follows;
(ii) punishment is unavoidable.

The third use is of comfort.  If God is sovereign then:
(i) his love to people is as great as his sovereignty over them;
(ii) his pardons carry in them a full security;
(iii) corruptions will certainly be subdued in his voluntary subjects;
(iv) there is a strong encouragement for prayer;
(v) here is comfort in afflictions;
(vi) it is a comfort against the projects of the church's adversaries in times of public commotions.

The fourth use is if God hath an extensive dominion over the whole world, this ought to be often meditated on, and acknowledged by us.  Meditation on God's dominion would:
(i) fix us on him as an object of trust;
(ii) make us diligent in worship;
(iii) make us charitable to others;
(iv) make us watchful and arm us against all temptations;
(v) make us entertain afflictions as they ought to be entertained, viz., with a respect to God;
(vi) make us resign up ourselves to God in everything;
(vii) stop our vain curiosity.

What grabbed me
I found helpful the point about our security through God's dominion: 'In his being sovereign, his pardons carry in them a full security. He that hath the keys of hell and death, pardons the crime, and wipes off the guilt. Who can repeal the act of the chief governor ? What tribunal can null the decrees of an absolute throne ? 'I, even I, am he, that blots out thy transgressions for my names sake,' Isa. 43. 25. His sovereign dominion renders his mercy comfortable. The clemency of a subject, though never so great, cannot pardon ; people may pity a criminal, while the executioner tortures him, and strips him of his life ; but the clemency of the supreme prince establishes a pardon. Since we are under the dominion of God, if he pardons who can reverse it ? If he does not, what will the pardons of men profit us in regard of an eternal state ? If God be a king for ever, then he whom God forgives, he in whom God reigns, shall live for ever. Else he would want subjects on earth, and have none of his lower creatures, which he formed upon the earth, to reign over the dissolution of the world ; if his pardons did not stand secure, he would after this life, have no voluntary subjects that had formerly a being upon the earth, he would be a king only over the damned creatures.'

If he pardons who can reverse it?

Next week's reading
Conclude Chapter 13 (A discourse upon God's dominion).

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.