THE METHOD OF THE DOCTRINE OF CHRISTIAN RELIGION. QUESTION. What certain rule have we left us, for our direction in the knowledge of the true religion, whereby we must he saved? ANSWER. The holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament: which God delivered unto us by the ministry of his servants the prophets and apostles; to inform us perfectly in all things that are needful for us to know in matters of religion. Q. What be the general heads of religion, which in these holy writings are delivered unto us? A. The knowledge of God's nature and kingdom. A. First, his essence or being, which is but one; and then, the persons which are three in number. Q. What do you consider in God's essence or being? A. His perfection and life. Q. How are we to conceive of God, in regard of his perfection? a Psalm 103. ver. 8. 19. and Psalm 145. ver. 3, 4, 11, ver. 11. Matt. chap. 6. ver. 3. b Col. chap. 2. ver. 9. Heb. chap. 1. ver. 3. 1 John, chap. 5. ver. 7. A. That he is a spirit, most single and infinite; having his being from himself, and having need of nothing which is without himself. Q. Why do you call God a spirit ? A. To declare his being to be such, as hath no body, and is not subject to our outward senses: that we admit not any base conceit of his glorious majesty, in thinking him to be like unto any thing which can be seen by the eye of man. Q. What understand you by the singleness or simplicity of God's nature? A. That he hath no parts nor qualities in him; but whatsoever is in him is God, and God's whole essence. Q. What gather you of this, that God hath no parts nor qualities? A. That he neither can be divided, nor changed; but remaineth always in the same state without any alteration at all. Q. In what respect do you call God's essence infinite? A. In that it is free from all measure both of time and place. Q. How is God free from all measure of time? A. In that he is eternal, without beginning and without ending, never elder nor younger; and hath all things present unto him, nothing former or latter, past or to come. Q. How is God infinite in regard of place? A. Ing that he filleth all things and places, both within and without the world; present every where, and conained no where. Q. How is he present every where? Hath he one part of himself here, and another there? c Job, chap. 11. ver. 7, 8. Rev. chap. 1. ver. 8. Rom. d Rom. chap. 1. ver. 23. Isaiah, chap. 43. ver. 25. e Mal. chap. 3. ver. 6. Rev. chap. 1. ver. 8. chap. 8. ver. 58. 1 Tim. chap. 6. ver. 16. Isai. chap. 145. ver. 3. chap. 11. ver. 36. Acts, chap. 17. ver. 24. James, chap. 1. ver. 17. 1 John, chap. 1. ver. 5. 7. Psalm 90. ver. 2. 4. 2 Pet. chap. 3. ver. S. John, 1 Kings, chap. 8. ver. 27. Psalm 145. ver. 3. Jer. chap. 23. ver. 21. A. No, for he hath no parts at all whereby he might be divided; and therefore must be wholly wheresoever he is. Q. What do you call the life of God? A. Thath by which the divine nature is in perpetual action, most simply and infinitely moving in itself; in respect whereof the Scripture calleth him the Living God. Q. What gather you from the comparing of this infiniteness and simplicity, or singleness, of God's nature with his life and motion? A. That when strength, justice, mercy, and such like, are attributed unto God, we must conceive that they are in him without all measure and further also, that they be not1 divers virtues whereby his nature is qualified, but that all they and every one of them is nothing else but Godhimself, and his entire essence. Q. Wherein doth the life of God shew itself? A. In' his allsufficiency, and in his holy will. Q. Wherein standeth his allsufficiency? A. In his all-knowing wisdom, and his almighty power. Q. Wherein doth his wisdom consist? A. In perfect knowledgem of all things, that either are or might be. Q. In what sort doth God know all things? Doth he, as we do, see one thing after another? A. No: but with one sight he continually beholdeth all things distinctly, whether they be past, present, or to come. Q. How is God said to be Almighty? Rev. chap. 10. ver. 6. Deut. chap. 32. ver. 40. Joshua, chap. 3. ver. 10. Heb. chap. 10. ver. 31. and 1 Prov. chap. 8. ver. 14. * Deut. chap. 32. ver. 4. and Psalm 145. ver. 7. 17. ver. 3. chap. 6. ver. 17. 1 John, chap. 4. ver. 17. 7. Jer. chap. 32. ver. 17, Isaiah, chap. 43. ver. 25. Psalm 89. ver. 13, 14. 18, 19. Nah. chap. 1. 1 Psalm 147. ver. 5. Prov. chap. 8. ver. 14. Jer. chap. 10. ver. 12. 14 and chap. 32. ver. 19. Psalm 147. ver. 5. Prov. chap. 8. ver. 14. Jer. chap. 10. ver. 12. 14. and chap. 32. ver. 19. n Heb. chap. 4. ver. 13. A. Because" he hath power to bring to pass all things that can be; howsoever to us they may seem impossible. Q. Wherein is the holiness of his will seen? A. In his goodness, and in his justice. Q. Wherein doth he shew his goodness? A. In being beneficial unto his creatures, and shewing mercy unto them in their miseries. Q. Wherein sheweth he his justice? A. Both in his word, and in his deeds. Q. How sheweth he justice in his word? A. Because the truth thereof is most certain. Q. How sheweth he justice in his deeds? A. By ordering and disposing of all things rightly; and rendering to his creatures according to their works. Q. What do you call persons in the Godhead? A. Such as having one essence (or being) equally common, are distinguished (not divided) one from auother by some incommunicable property. Q. How cometh it to pass that there should be this diversity of persons in the Godhead? A. Though the essence or being of the Godhead be the same, and most simple (as hath been declared :) yet the manner of having this being is not the same, and hence ariseth the distinction of persons: in that beside the being, which is common to all and the self-same in all, they have every one some special property which cannot be common to the rest. Q. Which are these persons, and what are their personal properties? Rev. chap. 1. ver. 8. Matt. chap. 19. ver. 26. Mark, chap. 14. ver. 36. Luke, chap. 1. ver. 37. P Matt. chap. 19. ver. 17. Rom. chap. 9. ver. 18. Nehem. chap. 9. ver. 32, 33. 41 John, chap. 4. ver. 16. Psalm 145. ver. 7, 8, 9. 17. 9. &c. Lam. chap. 3. ver. 22. Deut. chap. 32. ver. 4. Deut. chap. 32. ver. 4. Rom. chap. 3. ver. 4. Neh. Deut. chap. 32. ver. 4. Exod. chap. 34. ver. 6, 7. Psalm 33. ver. 5. 1 Tim. chap. 4. ver. 10. Nehem. chap. 9. ver. 17. 31. Psalm 103. ver. 8, Neh. chap. 9. ver. 32, 33. Num. chap. 23. ver. 19. Psalm 145. ver. 17. Rom. chap. 2. ver. 2. 5, 6. Rev. chap. 22. ver. 12. J Pet. chap. 1. ver. 17. |