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for the Spirit fearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.'

Queft. 3. What do the Scriptures principally teach?

Auf The Scriptures principally teach, what Man is to believe, concerning God, and what Duty God requires of Man.

EXPLICATION.

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Principally to teach, is chiefly to teach. The Things that the Scriptures teach chiefly, are these two; Faith, and Obedience: 2 Tim. i. 13. Hold faft the form of found words, which thou haft heard of me, in faith and love which is in Chrift Jefus.' The Faith which the Scriptures teach, is, What Man is to believe concerning God: The Obedience which the Scriptures teach, is, What Duty God requires of Man. Nothing can be an Article of Faith, neceffary to be believed, nor a Duty, neceffary to be done, but what is taught in the Scriptures. Howbeit, not only what is found in Scripture in exprefs Words, but also what arifeth therefrom, by neceffary Confequence, is to be reckoned taught therein: Matth. xxii. 32. 1 am the God of Abraham, and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob. God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.'

Queft. 4. What is God?

Anf. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his Being, Wildom, Power,

A 3

Power, Holiness, Juftice, Goodness, and Truth.

EXPLICATION.

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No Creature can fully comprehend what God is : Job xi. 7. Canft thou by fearching find out God? canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection?" But he has revealed fo much of himself in the Scriptures, as is neceffary for us to know. For his fort of Being, he is a Spirit: And a Spirit is an immaterial Subftance, without Flesh or Bones. He hath not then a Body nor any bodily Parts: John iv. 24. God is a Spirit.' Luke xxiv. 39. Behold my hands and my feer, that it is I myself: handle me, and fee, for a < spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye fee me

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av Then Eyes, Ears, and fuch like bodily Parts aicribed to him in Scripture, are not to be understood properly: But by them we are to underftand an infinite Perfection of thofe Powers, which thofe Members ferve for in us. So the Eyes of God fignify his infinite Power of difcerning Objects, as by the Eye: His Ears fignify his infinite Power of difcerning Voices, as by the Ear. Moreover, God cannot be seen with bodily Eyes; no not with the Eyes of glorified Bodies in Heaven: Hence he is faid to be invifible, and to dwell in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath` feen, nor can fee, 1 Tim. i. 17. and vi. 16. But God can be feen with the Eyes of the Mind, enlightened with the Light of Grace here, and the Light of Glory in Heaven: Eph. i. 17. 18. That the God of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes

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eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the faints.' Finally, there is nothing which God is like unto: . xl. 18. To whom 'then will ye liken God? or what likeness will

ye compare unto him? So we may not form any Imagination of him in our Minds, as we can do of an abfent Man. Now, there are other Spirits besides God: And these are Angels and the Souls of Men. But the Difference betwixt God and them, lies here, that God is an infinite, eternal, and unchangeable Spirit; and they are not fo. The Attri butes of God,or Perfections of the divine Nature, are of two Sorts; incommunicable, and communicable. His incommunicable Attributes, whereof there is no Veftige in the Creature, are his Infinity, Eternity, and Unchangeableness. God is infinite, in that he is whatsoever he is, without any Bounds or Measure: Job. xi. 7. Canft thou by fearching find out God? canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection?" He is eternal, in that he is without Beginning and without End: Pfal. xc. 2. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadft formed the earth and the world: even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' He is unchange. able, in that he is, and cannot but be always the fame, without any Alteration whatsoever: James i. 17. Every good gift, and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of

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fhadow of turning.' He is then faid to repent, not in respect of the Affection of Repentance, but the Effect of it: Num. xxiii. 19. God is not a man, that he should lye; neither the fon of man,

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that he should repent: hath he said, and fhail he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? in that, without any Change of his own Nature, Mind, or Will, he changeth his Difpenfations towards the Creatures, and makes Changes on them: Gen. vi. 7. And the Lord faid, I will deftroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air: for it repenteth me that I have made them.' His Communicable Attributes, whereof there are fome Scantlings or faint Images in the Creature, are his Being, Wifdom, Power, Holiness, Justice, Goodnefs, and Truth. The Difference between these Perfections, as they are in God, and as they are in the Creature, lies here, That they are all infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in God, but in the Creature not fo. The Being of God is that Perfection whereby he is, and is what he is: Exod. iii. 14, And God faid unto Mofes, I AM THAT I AM: And he faid, Thus fhalt thou fay unto the children of Ifrael, I AM hath fent me unto you.' His Wifdom is that whereby he knows himfelf, and all Things elfe, with the Way how to difpofe of them to the beft: Pfal. cxlvii. 5. Great

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is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.' His Power is that whereby he can do all Things not inconfiftent with his Nature: Jer: xxxii. 17. Ah, Lord God, behold, thou haft made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and ftretched-out arm, and there is no-thing too hard for thee.' His Holiness is the perfect Purity of his Nature, whereby he delights in his own Purity, and in the Refemblance of it in the Creature: Hab. i. 13. 'Thou art of

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purer eyes than to behold evil, and canft not look on iniquity.' His Juftice is the perf& Rectitude of his Nature, whereby he is juftin himfelf, and in all his Ways towards the Creature: Deut. xxxii. 4. He is the Rock, his work is per'fect for all his ways are judgment: a God of 'truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he.' It is not confiftent with his Nature, to let Sin pafs unpunished: 2 Theff. i. 6. It is a righteous thing with God, to recompenfe tribulation to them that trouble you.' Compared with Gen. xviii. That be far from thee to do after this manner, to flay the righteous with the wicked; and that the righteous fhould be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?' His Goodnefs is that whereby he is good in himself, and the Author of all Good to be found in or about the Creature: Matth. xix. 17. There is none good but one, that is, God.' His Goodness is confiftent with his Severity against the Wicked, in that it is the Property of Goodness to hate and punish Sin: Exod. xxxiii. 19. • And 'he faid, I will make all my goodness pafs before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord be'fore thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will fhew mercy on whom I will Thew mercy.' Compared with Chap..xxxiv. 7. Keeping mercy for thoufands, forgiving iniquity, and tranfgreffion, and fin, and that will by no means clear the guilty. And it is confiftent with the Afflictions laid on his own People, in that they flow from his Goodness: Job v. 6. "Affliction cometh not forth of the duft, neither

doth trouble fpring out of the ground.' And they tend to their Good: Pfal. cxix. 71.

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