The First Principles of the Oracles of God, Part 1
Quest. WHat is the best and last end of Man?
A. To live to God. Rom. 6. 10, 11. Gal. 3. 19. 2 Cor. 5. 3. 15.
Q. How is man to live unto God?
A. Two waies.
First, by Faith in God. Psal. 37. 3.
Secondly, By observance of God. Eccles. 12. 13.
Q. What is faith in God?
A. It is the first act of our Spirituall life, whereby th… soul believing God, believeth in God, and there testeth as in the only Author and Principle of Life. Heb. 10. 38. Joh. 3. 33. 36. Rom. 4. 3. Heb. 11. 13. Heb. 4. 3. Deut. 30. …0.
Q. What is God?
A. God only knoweth himself, no man can so know him and live: Yet he hath manifested himself unto us in his backparts, according to our manner or measure of knowing things: and we need know no more than these, that we may live. 1 Tim. 6. …6. Exod. 33. 19. 23.
Q. What are Gods back-parts?
A. They are two, First, His sufficiency. Psal. 36. 9. Secondly, His Efficiency. Rom. 4. 21
Q. What is Gods sufficiency?
A. It is his perfect fulness of all good, whereby he is allsufficient for us in himself. Psal 16. 1…. Gen 17. 1.
Q. Wherein stands and appears Gods sufficiency?
A. First, In his Essence. Psal. 68. 19.
Secondly, In his subsistence or persons. 2 Sam. 7. 20, 25.
Q. What is Gods Essence?
A. Whereby he is that absolute first being. Rev. 1. 8. Isa. 44. 6. Exod. 3. 14.
Q. Can you sufficiently conceive of the Glory of this one most pure Essence, by one act of Faith?
A. No, and therefore the Lord hath manifested it unto us by divers attributes, Deut. 29. 29. Exod. 34. 6, 7.
Q. What are Gods attributes?
A. That one most pure Essence diversly apprehended of us, as it is diversly made known unto us. 1 Joh. 4. 16. Isa. 43. 25.
Q. How many kinds of attributes are there?
A. There are two sorts of them.
First, Some shewing what God is.
Secondly, Some shewing who God is.
Q. By what attr…butes know you what God is?
A. By these. God is a Spirit living of himself. Joh. 4. 24. Joh. 5. 26.
Q. By what attributes do you understand who God is?
A. By his Essentiall properties, which shew to us: First, How great a God he is. Psal. 77. 13.
Secondly, What a manner of God he is. Mat. 6. 17.
Q. What attributes shew how great a God he is?
A. First, His infiniteness, whereby he is without all limits of Essence. 2. Chr. 2. 5, 6.
Secondly, His Eternity, whereby he is without all limits of beginning, succession, or end of Time. Psal. 102. 25, 26, 27. 1 Tim. 1. 17.
Q. What are those attributes which shew what a manner of God he is?
A. His qualities whereby he acteth with, are of two sorts.
First, His Faculties, whereby he is able to act. Esa. 60. 16. & 63. 1.
Secondly, His Vertues of those Faculties, whereby he is prompt and ready to act. Psal. 86. 5.
Q. What are his faculties?
A. First, His Understanding, whereby he understandeth together, and at once all truth. Heb 4. 13. Act. 15▪ …8.
Secondly, His Will, whereby he purely willeth all good. Psal. 119. 68.
Q. What are the vertues of those Faculties?
A. First, They a…e Intellectuall, the vertues of his understanding, as Wisdom, knowledge, and the rest.
Secondly, …, the vertue of his Wil…, as Love, Holiness, Mercy. In the acting o… both which, consists Gods happiness.
Thus much have you seen of Gods sufficiency, in regard of his Essence. Now follows his subsistence.
Q. What are his subsistences or persons?
A. That one most pure Essence with its Relative properties.
Q. What are those Relative properties?
A. They are three.
First, To beget.
Secondly, To be begotten.
Thirdly, To proceed from both.
Q. How many persons learn you from hence to be in God?
A. Three.
First, the first, is the Father, the first Person in order, begetting the Son. Psal. 2. 7.
Secondly, The Son, the second Person, begotten of the Father Joh. 3. 6. Heb. 1. 3.
Thirdly, The Spirit, the third Person, proceeding from them both. Joh. 15. 26.
Q. Are these three Persons three distinct Gods?
A. No, For they are that one pure Essence, and therefore but one God. Ioh. 1. 1. Rom. 9. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 16. 1 Cor. 2. 10.
Q. If every Person be God, how can they be distinct. Persons, and not distinct Gods?
A. Yes, Because one and the same thing may have many Relative properties, and respects of being, which in the Godhead makes distinct Persons. As one and the same man, may be a Father in one respect, a Master in another respect, and a Scholar in aenother respect.
Q. If these three Persons be but one God, what follows from hence?
A. That all the three Persons are Co-equal, Coeternall, subsisting in, not separating from each other, and therefore delighting in each …ther, glorifying each other. Prov. 8. 30.
Thus much concerning God.