which God bestows on man, that he should manifest himself to him, and
that not only in such a way as he does to all mankind, by the light of
nature, which discovers that he is; but that he should, in so glorious a
way, declare what he is, as he does in his word: this is a
distinguishing privilege, as the Psalmist observes, when speaking of
God’s _shewing his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto
Israel_, Psal. cxlvii. he mentions it, as an instance of discriminating
grace, in that he _has not dealt so with any other nation_. This raised
the admiration of one of Christ’s disciples, when he said, _Lord how is
it that thou wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world_! John
xiv. 22. And it is still more wonderful, that he should discover to man
what he does, or rather what he has decreed or purposed to do, and so
should impart his secrets to him; how familiarly does God herein deal
with man! Thus he says concerning the holy patriarch of old, _Shall I
hide from Abraham the thing which I do?_ Gen. xvi. 17. However, it is
one thing to know the secret purposes of God, and another thing to know
the various properties thereof; the former of these, however known of
old, by extraordinary intimation, are now known to us only by the
execution of them; the latter is what we may attain to the knowledge of,
by studying the scriptures.
Now as the scriptures make known, _First_, What God is; _Secondly_, The
persons in the Godhead; _Thirdly_, His decrees; And _Fourthly_, The
execution thereof; so we are directed hereby in the method to be
observed in treating of the great doctrines of our religion; and
accordingly the first part of this Catechism,[47] which treats of
doctrinal subjects, contains an enlargement on these four general heads;
the first whereof we proceed to consider.
Footnote 47:
That is unto the 91st Quest.
Quest. VII.
QUEST. VII. _What is God?_
ANSW. God is a Spirit, in and of himself, infinite in being, glory,
blessedness, and perfection, all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable,
incomprehensible, every where present, almighty, knowing all things,
most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful, and gracious,
long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
Before we proceed to consider the divine perfections, as contained in
this answer, let it be premised,
1. That it is impossible for any one to give a perfect description of
God, since he is incomprehensible, therefore no words can fully express,
or set forth, his perfections; when the wisest men on earth speak of
him, they soon betray their own weakness, or discover, as Elihu says,
that they _cannot order their speech by reason of darkness_, Job
xxxviii. 19. or, _that they are but of yesterday, and know_,
comparatively, _nothing_, chap. viii. 9. We are but like children,
talking of matters above them, which their tender age can take in but
little of, when we speak of the infinite perfections of the divine
nature; _This knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high, we cannot
attain to it_, Psal. cxxxix. 6. _How little a portion is heard of him?_
Job. xxvi. 14.
2. Though God cannot be perfectly described; yet there is something of
him that we may know, and ought to make the matter of our study and
diligent enquiries. When his glory is set forth in scripture, we are not
to look upon the expressions there made use of, as words without any
manner of ideas affixed to them; for it is one thing to have adequate
ideas of an infinitely perfect being, and another thing to have no ideas
at all of him; neither are our ideas of God to be reckoned, for this
reason, altogether false, though they are imperfect; for it is one thing
to think of him in an unbecoming way, not agreeable to his perfections,
or to attribute the weakness and imperfection to him which do not belong
to his nature, and another thing to think of him, with the highest and
best conceptions we are able to entertain of his infinite perfections,
while, at the same time, we have a due sense of our own weakness, and
the shallowness of our capacities. When we thus order our thoughts
concerning the great God, though we are far from comprehending his
infinite perfections, yet our conceptions are not to be concluded
erroneous, when directed by his word; which leads us to consider how we
may conceive aright of the divine perfections, that we may not think or
speak of God, that which is not right, though at best we know but little
of his glory; and in order thereunto,
(1.) We must first take an estimate of finite perfections, which we have
some ideas of, though not perfect ones in all respects; such as power,
wisdom, goodness, faithfulness, &c.
(2.) Then we must conceive that these are eminently, though not formally
in God; that is, there is no perfection in the creature, but we must
ascribe the same to God, though not in the same way; or thus, whatever
perfection is in the creature, the same is in God, and infinitely more;
or it is in God, but not in such a finite, limited, or imperfect way, as
it is in the creature; _He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He
that formed the eye, shall not he see? He that teacheth man knowledge,
shall he not know?_ Psal. xciv. 9, 10. Therefore,
(3.) When the same words are used that import a perfection in God, and
in the creature, _viz._ wisdom, power, &c. we must not suppose that
these words import the same thing in their different application; for
when they are applied to the creature, though we call them perfections,
yet they are, at best, but finite, and have many imperfections attending
them, all which we must separate or abstract in our thoughts, when the
same words are used to set forth any divine perfection: thus knowledge
is a perfection of the human nature, and the same word is used to denote
a divine perfection; yet we must consider, at the same time, that _the
Lord seeth not as man seeth_, 1 Sam. xvi. 7. The same may be said of all
his other perfections; he worketh not as man worketh; whatever
perfections are ascribed to the creature, they are to be considered as
agreeable to the subject in which they are; so when the same words are
used to set forth any of the divine perfections, they are to be
understood in a way becoming a God of infinite perfection.
This has given occasion to divines to distinguish the perfections of
God, into those that are communicable, and incommunicable.
1. The communicable perfections of God are such, whereof we find some
faint resemblance in intelligent creatures, though, at the same time,
there is an infinite disproportion; as when we speak of God as holy,
wise, just, powerful, or faithful, we find something like these
perfections in the creature, though we are not to suppose them, in all
respects, the same as they are in God; they are in him, in his own, that
is, an infinite way; they are in us, in our own, that is, a finite and
limited way.
2. The incommunicable perfections of God are such, of which there is not
the least shadow, or similitude in creatures, but they rather represent
him as opposed to them. Thus when we speak of him as infinite,
incomprehensible, unchangeable, without beginning, independent, &c.
these perfections contain in them an account of the vast distance that
there is between God and the creature, or how infinitely he exceeds all
other beings, and is opposed to every thing that argues imperfection in
them.
From this general account we have given of the divine perfections, we
may infer,
1. That there is nothing common between God and the creature; that is,
there is nothing which belongs to the divine nature that can be
attributed to the creature; and nothing proper to the creature is to be
applied to God: yet there are some rays of the divine glory, which may
be beheld as shining forth, or displayed in the creature, especially in
the intelligent part of the creation, angels and men, who are, for that
reason, represented as made after the divine image.
2. Let us never think or speak of the divine perfections but with the
highest reverence, lest we take his name in vain, or debase him in our
thoughts; _Shall not his excellency make you afraid, and his dread fall
upon you?_ Job xiii. 11. And whenever we compare God with the creatures,
_viz._ angels and men, that bear somewhat of his image, let us, at the
same time, abstract in our thoughts, all their imperfections, whether
natural or moral, from him, and consider the infinite disproportion that
there is between him and them. We now come to consider the perfections
of the divine nature, in the order in which they are laid down in this
answer.
I. God is a Spirit; that is, an immaterial substance, without body or
bodily parts; this he is said to be in John iv. 24. But if it be
enquired what we mean by a Spirit, let it be premised, that we cannot
fully understand what our own spirits, or souls are; we know less of the
nature of angels, a higher kind of spirits, and least of all of the
spirituality of the divine nature; however, our ideas first begin at
what is finite, in considering the nature and properties of spirits; and
from thence we are led to conceive of God as infinitely more perfect
than any finite spirit. Here we shall consider the word spirit, as
applied more especially to angels, and the souls of men; and let it be
observed,
1. That a spirit is the most perfect and excellent being; the soul is
more excellent than the body, or indeed than any thing that is purely
material; so angels are the most perfect and glorious part of the
creation, as they are spiritual beings, in some things excelling the
souls of men.
2. A spirit is, in its own nature, immortal; it has nothing in its frame
and constitution that tends to corruption, as there is in material
things, which consist of various parts, that may be dissolved or
separated, and their form altered, which is what we call corruption; but
this belongs not to spirits, which are liable to no change in their
nature, but by the immediate hand of God, who can, if he pleases, reduce
them again to their first nothing.
3. A spirit is capable of understanding, and willing, and putting forth
actions agreeable thereunto, which no other being can do: thus, though
the sun is a glorious and useful being; yet, because it is material, it
is not capable of thought, or any moral action, such as angels, and the
souls of men, can put forth.
Now these conceptions of the nature and properties of finite spirits,
lead us to conceive of God as a spirit. And,
(1.) As spirits excel all other creatures, we must conclude God to be
the most excellent and perfect of all beings, and also that he is
_incorruptible_, _immortal_, and _invisible_, as he is said to be in
scripture, Rom. i. 23. and 1 Tim. i. 17.
Moreover, it follows from hence, that he has an understanding and will,
and so we may conceive of him as the Creator and governor of all things;
this he could not be, if he were not an intelligent and sovereign being,
and particularly a spirit.[48]
(2.) The difference between other spiritual substances and God, is, that
all their excellency is only comparative, _viz._ as they excel the best
of all material beings in their nature and properties; but God, as a
spirit, is infinitely more excellent, not only than all material beings,
but than all created spirits. Their perfections are derived from him,
and therefore he is called, _The Father of spirits_, Heb. xii. 9. and
_the God of the spirits of all flesh_, Numb. xvi. 22. and his
perfections are underived: other spirits are, as we have observed, in
their own nature, immortal, yet God can reduce them to nothing; but God
is independently immortal, and therefore it is said of him, that _he
only hath immortality_, 1 Tim. vi. 16.
Finite spirits, indeed, have understanding and will, but these powers
are contained within certain limits whereas God is an infinite spirit,
and therefore it can be said of none but him, that _his understanding is
infinite_, Psal. cxlvii. 5.
From God’s being a spirit, we may infer,
1. That he is the most suitable good to the nature of our souls, which
are spirits; he can communicate himself, and apply those things to them,
which tend to make them happy, as the God and Father of spirits.
2. He is to be worshipped in a spiritual manner, John iv. 24. that is,
with our whole souls, and in a way becoming his spiritual nature;
therefore,
3. We are to frame no similitude or resemblance of him in our thoughts,
as though he were a corporeal or material being; neither are we to make
any pictures of him. This God forbids Israel to do, Deut. iv. 12, 15,
16. and tells them, that they had not the least pretence for so doing,
inasmuch as they _saw no similitude of him, when he spake to them in
Horeb_; and to make an image of him would be to corrupt themselves.
II. God is said to be in, and of, himself, not as though he gave being
to, or was the cause of himself, for that implies a contradiction;
therefore divines generally say, that God is in, and of himself, not
positively, but negatively, that is, his being and perfections are
underived, and not communicated to him, as all finite perfections are,
by him, to the creature; therefore he is self-existent, or independent,
which is one of the highest glories of the divine nature, by which he is
distinguished from all creatures, who live, move, and have their being
in and from him.
This attribute of independency belongs to all his perfections; thus his
wisdom, power, goodness, holiness, &c. are all independent. And,
1. With respect to his knowledge or wisdom, he doth not receive ideas
from any object out of himself, as all intelligent creatures do, and, in
that respect, are said to depend on the object; so that if there were
not such objects, they could not have the knowledge or idea of them in
their minds; therefore the object known must first exist, before we can
apprehend what it is. But this must not be said of God’s knowledge, for
that would be to suppose the things that he knows antecedent to his
knowing them. The independency of his knowledge is elegantly described
in scripture; _Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his
counsellor, has taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who
instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him
knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?_ Isa. xl. 13, 14.
2. He is independent in power, therefore as he receives strength from no
one, so he doth not act dependently on the will of the creature; _Who
hath enjoined him his way_; Job xxxvi. 23. and accordingly, as he
received the power of acting from no one, so none can hinder, turn
aside, or controul his power, or put a stop to his methods of acting.
3. He is independent as to his holiness, hating sin necessarily, and not
barely depending on some reasons out of himself, which induce him
thereunto; for it is essential to the divine nature to be infinitely
opposite to all sin, and therefore to be independently holy.
4. He is independent as to his bounty and goodness, and so he
communicates blessings not by constraint, but according to his sovereign
will. Thus he gave being to the world, and all things therein, which was
the first instance of bounty and goodness, and a very great one it was,
not by constraint, but by his free will, _for his pleasure they are and
were created_. In like manner, whatever instances of mercy he extends to
miserable creatures, he still acts independently, in the display
thereof; nothing out of himself moves or lays a constraint upon him, but
he shews mercy because it is his pleasure so to do.
But, to evince the truth of this doctrine, that God is independent as to
his being, and all his perfections, let it be farther considered,
(1.) That all things depend on his power, which brought them into, and
preserves them in being; therefore they exist by his will, as their
creator and preserver, and consequently are not necessary, but dependent
beings. If therefore all things depend on God, it is the greatest
absurdity to say that God depends on any thing, for this would be to
suppose the cause and the effect to be mutually dependent on, and
derived from each other, which infers a contradiction.
(2.) If God be infinitely above the highest creatures, he cannot depend
on any of them; for dependence argues inferiority. Now that God is above
all things is certain: this is represented in a very beautiful manner by
the prophet, when he says, Isa. xl. 15, 17. _Behold the nations are as
the drop of the bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the
balance; all nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to
him less than nothing and vanity_; therefore he cannot be said to be
inferior to them, and, by consequence, to depend on them.
(3.) If God depends on any creature, he does not exist necessarily: and
if so, then he might not have been; for the same will, by which he is
supposed to exist, might have determined that he should not have
existed. If therefore God be not independent, he might not have been,
and, according to the same method of reasoning, he might cease to be;
for the same will, that gave being to him, might take it away at
pleasure, which is altogether inconsistent with the idea of a God.
From God’s being independent, or in and of himself, we infer,
1. That we ought to conclude that the creature cannot lay any obligation
on him, or do any thing that may tend to make him more happy than he is
in himself; the apostle gives a challenge to this effect, _Who hath
first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again_, Rom.
xi. 35. and Eliphaz says to Job, Job xxii. 2, 3. _Can a man be
profitable to God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? Is
it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain
to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?_
2. If independency be a divine perfection, then let it not, in any
instance, or by any consequence, be attributed to the creature; let us
conclude, that all our springs are in him, and that all we enjoy and
hope for is from him, who is the author and finisher of our faith, and
the fountain of all our blessedness.
III. God is infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection. To be
infinite, is to be without all bounds or limits, either actual or
possible: now that God is so, is evident, from his being independent and
uncreated; and because his will fixes the bounds of all the
excellencies, perfections, and powers of the creature. If therefore he
doth not exist by the will of another, he is infinite in being, and
consequently in all perfection: thus it is said, Psal. cxlvii. 5. _his
understanding is infinite_, which will farther appear, when we consider
him as omniscient; his will determines what shall come to pass, with an
infinite sovereignty, that cannot be controuled, or rendered
ineffectual; his power is infinite, and therefore all things are equally
possible, and easy to it, nor can it be resisted by any contrary force
or power; and he is infinite in blessedness, as being self-sufficient,
or not standing in need of any thing to make him more happy than he was
in himself, from all eternity. The Psalmist is supposed by many, to
speak in the person of Christ, when he says, Psal. xvi. 2. _My goodness
extendeth not to thee_, q. d. “How much soever thy relative glory may be
illustrated, by what I have engaged to perform in the covenant of
redemption, yet this can make no addition to thine essential glory.” And
if so, then certainly nothing can be done by us which may in the least
contribute thereunto.
IV. God is all-sufficient, by which we understand that he hath enough in
himself to satisfy the most enlarged desires of his creatures, and to
make them completely blessed. As his self-sufficiency is that whereby he
has enough in himself to denominate him completely blessed, as a God of
infinite perfection; so his all-sufficiency is that, whereby he is able
to communicate as much blessedness to his creatures, as he is pleased to
make them capable of receiving; and therefore he is able not only to
_supply all their wants_, _but to do exceedingly above all that they ask
or think_, Phil. iv. 19. and Eph. iii. 20. This he can do, either in an
immediate way; or, if he thinks fit to make use of creatures as
instruments, to fulfil his pleasure, and communicate what he designs to
impart to us, he is never at a loss; for as they are the work of his
hands, so he has a right to use them at his will; upon which account,
they are said, all of them to be his servants, Psal. cxix. 91.
This doctrine of God’s all-sufficiency should be improved by us,
1. To induce us to seek happiness in him alone: creatures are no more
than the stream, but he is the fountain; we may, in a mediate way,
receive some small drops from them, but he is the ocean of all
blessedness.
2. Let us take heed that we do not reflect on, or in effect, deny this
perfection; which we may be said to do in various instances. As,
(1.) When we are discontented with our present condition, and desire
more than God has allotted for us. This seems to have been the sin of
the angels, who left their first habitation through pride, seeking more
than God designed they should have; and this was the sin by which our
first parents fell, desiring a greater degree of knowledge than what
they thought themselves possessed of: thus they fancied, that by eating
the forbidden fruit, they should be _as gods, knowing good and evil_,
Gen. iii. 5.
(2.) We practically deny the all-sufficiency of God, when we seek
blessings of what kind soever they are, in an indirect way, as though
God were not able to bestow them upon us in his own way, or in the use
of lawful means: thus Rebecca and Jacob did, when they contrived a lie
to obtain the blessing, chap. xxvii. as though there had not been an
all-sufficiency in providence to bring it about, without their having
recourse to those methods that were in themselves sinful.
(3.) When we use unlawful means to escape imminent dangers. Thus David
did _when he feigned himself mad_, supposing, without ground, that he
should have been slain by Achish, king of Gath; and that there was no
other way to escape but this, 1 Sam. xxi. 13. and Abraham and Isaac,
Gen. chapters xx. and xxvi. when they denied their wives, concluding
this to have been an expedient to save their lives, as though God were
not able to save them in a better and more honourable way.
(4.) When we distrust his providence, though we have had large
experience of its appearing for us in various instances: thus David did,
when he said, in his heart, _I shall one day perish by the hand of
Saul_, 1 Sam. xxvii. 1. and the Israelites, when they said, _Can God
furnish a table in the wilderness?_ Psal. lxxviii. 19. though he had
provided for them in an extraordinary way ever since they had been
there: yea, Moses himself was faulty in this matter, when he said,
_Whence should I have flesh to give unto all this people? I am not able
to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me_, Numb.
xi. 13, 14. and Asa, when he tempted Benhadad to break his league with
Baasha, who made war against him; as though God were not able to deliver
him without this indirect practice, though he had in an eminent manner,
appeared for him, in giving him a signal victory over Zerah the
Ethiopian, when he came against him with an army of a million of men, 2
Chron. xvi. 3. compared with chap. xiv. 9, 13. and likewise Joshua, when
Israel had suffered a small defeat, occasioned by Achan’s sin, when they
fled before the men of Ai, though there were but thirty-six of them
slain; yet, on that occasion, he is ready to wish that God had not
brought them over Jordan, and meditates nothing but ruin and destruction
from the Amorites, forgetting God’s former deliverances, and distrusting
his faithfulness, and care of his people, and, as it were, calling in
question his all-sufficiency, as though he were not able to accomplish
the promises he had made to them, Josh. vii. 7, 8, 9.