Treatise of Divinity, Book 2 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
What God is.
IN him consider,Quid su ….
First, his Nature.
Secondly, his Workes.
In his Nature two things are considerable:
First, his Essence.
Secondly, the distinction of persons in that essence.
1. Of Gods Essence.
God is an Infinite Essence which is of Himselfe, and gives being to all other things.
Some things have their being wholly in another, as accidents, whitenes in the Wall, Wisdome in the minde, 2. Some things have a being by themselves not inhering in another, as substances, which are of two kindes, 1 Bodily substances which have dimensions, length, bredth and thicknesse, possessing a place by commensuration of parts, 2. Spirituall, freed from dimensions and from all circumscription of place; God is not an accident, that is the most weake and imperfect being, nearest to a not being, and most easily reduced into nothing, as if the Grasse and Flower fade, then the colour and fashion of it commeth soon to nothing. God is not in any other thing, but all things are in him.
God is a Spirit, a being voyd of all dimensions, circumscriptions and divisiblenesse of parts. Other Spirits are compounded of substance and accidents at least, and exist in a place by limitation of Essence by which they are here and not there; but God is an Essence altogether simple and immateriall, utterly free from all manner of composition any way, in whom are no qualities nor any limitation of essence. Hee is a Spirituall, Simple, and Immateriall essence. His essence is substantiall, an essence which hath a being in it selfe not in another, simply and wholly immateriall (Hee is one most pure and meere Act) but incomprehensible,Job. 11. 7, 8. & 26. 14. goes quite beyond our knowledge, so that wee cannot comprehend his essence, nor know it as it is. He only perfectly knowes himselfe, but he may be known in some sort.
1. By his Names.
2. By his Attributes.
The word God is attributed.
First, properly to him who is essentially God, Esay 42. 8. 1 Cor. 8. 6. and either personally, commonly, without a determination of a certaine Person, John 4. 24. Or singularly to some one person by a Synecdoche John 3. 16. Acts 20. 28. 1 Tim. 3. 16.
Secondly, improperly to those which by nature are not God▪ 1 Cor. 8. 5. Gal. 4. 8. and that name is given to these, either from Gods ordination, for the dignity and excellency of their office as to Angels, Psal. 8. 6. to Magistrates, Psal. 82. 6. to Moses, Ex. 4. 16. or from their owne unjust usurpation, as to the Devill, who is called the God of the World, 2 Cor. 4. 9. or from the erroneous perswasion of men, as to Idoles, 1 Cor. 8. 4, 5.
For the ten Hebrew names of God (having handled them in another place) I shall say but little of them here.In the Epistle to my Hebrew Critica Sacra, and in the Booke it selfe. The name, Jehovah, Jah, Ehejeb signifie Gods Perfect, Absolute and simple being of and by himselfe, 2. Such a being as giveth being to other things and upon whom they depend, 3. Such a God as is true and constant in his promises,judaei in legendis et scribedi… n…mi nibus, Dei …ppidò quam superstitiosi sunt, interpretantur tert… praeceptum, nomen lehovae non esse prenunciandum, & librum in quo integrè scriptum est, nudis manibus non esse contrectandum. Of those two Greeke names, See my Greeke Critica Sacra. As ready to make good whatsoever he hath spoken. His names El, Elohim, Schaddai, Adonai signifie a God all-sufficient in himselfe, strong and powerfull, able to blesse, protect, and punish.
The Jewes in Pronouncing or writing the Names of God were reverent even to superstition. D. Fulk against Martin.
In the new Testament Gods most frequent Names are foreign and foreign God and Lord.
He is also called the Father of lights. JAmes. 1. 17.
The essentiall names of God are, 1. Proper,*Jehovab, Jah Ehich, Exod. 13. 19. which agree to no Creature not Analogically. 2. Common which are applied to others, but agree to God principally by way of excellency, as God, King, and good.
The Name of God is used five wayes in Scripture:
First, essentially for God himselfe, Esay 30. 27.
Secondly, for the power and efficacy which comes from God, Ps. 118. 10, 11, 12.
Thirdly, for the command and authority of God, 1 Sam. 17. 45.
Fourthly, passively for those actions whereby he is acknowledged by us, Mat. 18. 19. that is nothing but worshiping and calling upon the Father, Sonne and Holy Ghost, for assistance.
Lastly for that Word whereby he is distinguished from creatures, and by which we are to have our thoughts directed about him.
2. God may be known by his Attributes and essentiall properties, of which some shew what he is in himselfe, 2. What he is to us.
They are called Attributes.*Vocantur Attributa quia ea sibi attribait Deus nostra causâ Zanchius de Attributis l. 2. c. 11. because they are rather said to be attributed to God (that we might by them better conceive what he is) then to be in him. They are that one most pure God diversly apprehended, and the same with the Divine essence; but for the weaknesse of our capacity they are diversly distinguished. They are called properties, because they are peculiar to his Majesty,Attributum est Divinae simplicissimae essentiae pro diversa agendi ratione diversa, & vera habitudo & conceptio nobis expressa. and are so in him, as they are not in any Creature.
Some doe distinguish of Gods Attributes and Properties.M. Stock on Gods Attributes. Attributes are those which belong to the Essence, and Properties to the Persons themselves.
A property*Proprietates Divinae naturae, seu essentiae, sunt Attributa Dei essentialia, quibus essentiae Divinae veritas ac Majestas nobis innot…scit, & abaliis distinguiturs Wendelinus. in God is an essentiall Attribute in him, whereby his nature is knowne in it selfe, and is distinguished from all other things.
Some Rules are to bee observed in attributing these to God.
First,These Attributes differ not among themselves, nor from the Divine essence Esay 43. 25. For my selfe, not for my Mercy; to teach us that his Mercy is himselfe, and not different from his Essence, as it is with us. they are all essentiall to God; for in him is no accident at all; whatsoever is in God the same is God. All these are also one in him; his Mercy is his Justice, and his Justice is his Mercy, and each are his essence, onelyonly they differ in our apprehension.
Secondly, they are all absolute properties in God, and so distinguished from those respective properties whereby every person in the Trinity hath his own subsistence.
Thirdly, they are all equall to all the three Persons, and alike affirmed of all. The Father Eternall, most Holy, Almighty, mercifull; so is the Sonne and Holy Ghost.
Fourthly,God is so light that in him there is no darknesse at all. 1 John 1. 5. these Attributes are altogether in God alone, and that in the highest degree and measure, yea above all degree and measure; they are eternall and infinite in him. Hee alone is good, Mat. 19. 17. and only wise, Rom. 16. 27. And Kings of Kings, 1 Tim. 6. 15. They are affirmed of him, both in the concrete and abstract;John 8. 12. 1 John 1. 5. & 4. 16. Hee is not onelyonly wise and good, but wisdome and goodnesse it selfe, Life and Justice it selfe.
Fifthly, they are all actually and operatively in God. He doth and will; his holinesse makes us holy.
6. All these are in God objectively and finally; our holinesse lookes upon his holinesse, as the face in the looking-glasse on the man, whose representation it is; and our holinesse ends in his.
7. The attributes of God are everlasting,Psal. 105. 8. constant and unchangeable, for ever in him,Jam. 1. 17. at one time, as well as another.
This may minister comfort to Gods people;Psal. 136. 1. and 100. 5. Gods attributes are not mutable accidents, but his very essence, his love and mercy are like himselfe,Psal. 117. 2. infinite,Num. 23. 10. immutable, and eternall.
2. We should imitate God, and strive to be immutably good and holy as he is, Levit. 11. 44. Matth. 5. 48.
These attributes are diversly divided.
1. They are Affirmative, and Negative, as Good, Just, Invisible, Immortall, Incorporeall.
Proper and Figurative; as God is good, wise; members and humane affections are also attributed to him.
Absolute and Relative, without any relation to the creatures; as when God is said to be Immense, Eternall; he is likewise said to be a Creator, King, Judge.
Some describe God, as he is in himselfe; he is an essence Spirituall, Invisible, most Simple, Infinite, Immutable, and Immortall. Some as he is to us, he is omnipotent, most good, just, wise and true.
Some declare Gods own sufficiency;Proprietates Dei sunt primi vel secundi generis. Primi generis proprietates sunt, quae ita Deo competunt, ut earum contrariae, omni in sint creaturae. Cujus…odi sunt independentia, simplicitas, immutabilitas, immensitas, aeternitas Secundi generis sunt, quae ita Deo competunt, ut earum expressae imagines in creaturis reperiantur. Wendelinus Christian. Theol. l. 1. C. 1. so he is said to be Almighty, infinite, perfect, unchangeable, eternall; others his efficiency, as the working of his power, justice, and goodnesse over the creatures; so he is said to be patient, just, mercifull.
Some are incommunicable and agree to God alone; as when he is said to be eternall, infinite. Others are communicable in a sort with the creatures, as when he is said to be wise, good.
Those two kind of properties, which are said to be in God, differ from those properties, which are given to men and Angels.
In God they are infinite, unchangeable, and perfect, even the Divine essence it selfe; and therefore indeed all one and the same; but in men and Angels they are finite, changeable, and imperfect, meere qualities, divers, they receiving them by participation onelyonly, not being such of themselves by nature.
It is hard to observe an accurate methode in the enumeration of the Attributes. Zanchie, Doctor Preston, and Mr. Storke have handled some few of them, none (that I know) hath written fully of them all.