Chapter 3: Of God

Q. You have shewed that the means of well grounded knowledge is the holy Scripture; tell me now what it is that the Scriptures do especially teach us?

A. They teach us especially the saving knowledge of God, and of Jesus Christ.

Q. How may it be proved that there is a God?

A. The Scriptures do abundantly, and plainly testify it; and the creation of the world does shew it.

Q. How does the creation of the world shew that there is a God?

A. Even as a fair and sumptuous building does shew that some body was the maker of it, so this great world does shew there was a maker of it which is God (Hebrews 3:4).

Q. But why might not the world be without beginning and have its being of itself?

A. Because then the world should be God, for that which has its being of itself, and is without beginning, is God.

Q. How else may it be proved that there is a God?

A. The succession of day, and night, and other seasons with the sustentation, and ordering of the creatures and the motions of them, does plainly witness that there is a God (Psalm 19:2-3; Acts 14:17; Amos 4:13 & 5:8).

Q. How may this be expressed in some familiar comparison.

A. When a ship is seen at sea with her sails spread, and her passage rightly guided to the harbour, it appears thereby, that there were men that guided the same; for if there were no men, there would never be any ships upon the sea: even so the preservation of the great ship of the world, and the guidance of its motions, does evidently shew, that there is a God by whom the same is preserved, and guided.

Q. What else may be a further proof that there is a God?

A. That there is a God is manifestly declared by the strange and wonderful plagues and judgments, that sometimes are inflicted upon notorious sinners upon earth (Exodus 8:19 & 9:16; Psalm 9:16 & 58:10-11 & 79:10).

Q. What may be thought of those accusations, and terrors of conscience, that sometimes are found in men, upon the committing of heinous sins, though known to no man living, but to the sinner himself?

A. This also is another testimony that there is a God, before whose judgment seat a man must answer for his deeds; for otherwise why should a man be afraid where no fear is (Romans 2:15; Isaiah 33:14; Psalm 14:5 & 53:5)?

Q. How many Gods are there?

A. No more but one (Deuteronomy 4:39 & 6:4; Isaiah 44:6, 8 & 45:5, 18; 1 Corinthians 8:4, 6; Ephesians 4:6).

Q. Why may there not be more Gods than one?

A. Because that is contrary to the nature of God which is to be infinite, and everlasting, that is the first, and the last; now there cannot be many infinites, nor many firsts and lasts, but one only.

Q. How else does the nature of God shew that there can be no more but one God?

A. It is the nature of God to have his being of himself, and so give being to whatever else has being; for so much is signified by the word Jehovah (Exodus 3:14 & 6:3 & 15:3).

Q. And how does this prove that there can be no more but one God?

A. Because if there were many Gods, then either they must one give being to the other, or each one have his being of himself, both which are utterly impossible.

Q. Why might not one of them give being to the other?

A. Because then that other could not be God, as not having his being of himself.

Q. And why might they not be many Gods, each one having his Godhead of himself?

A. Because then none of them could be God, as not giving being to all others which had being.

Q. Though there be but one God, yet is there not more persons, or subsistences in the Godhead than one?

A. Yes; the Scriptures do apparently witness that in the unity of the divine essence, there is a plurality of the divine persons (Genesis 1:26 & 3:22 & 11:7; Isaiah 6:8 & 41:22-23).

Q. How many are the persons in the Godhead?

A. They are three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 3:16-17 & 28:19; John 14:16-17 & 15:26; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 5:7).

Q. Whether are these three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost several, and distinct persons, or only several names, and titles of one, and the same person.

A. The Father is not the Son but another person; the Son is not the Father, but another; and the Holy Ghost is neither the Father nor the Son, but another; and therefore they are each distinct from other as several, and distinct persons.

Q. What are the personal properties, whereby each is distinguished from other?

A. The property of the Father is to beget the Son, the property of the Son to be begotten of the Father, the property of the Holy Ghost to proceed from the Father and the Son, who is therefore called the spirit of the Father, and of the Son.

Q. Are every one of these persons God?

A. Yes: of the Father there is less question, and the Scriptures do witness that the Son is God, and also that the Holy Ghost is God.

Q. You have shewed that there is a God, and only one God, and three persons; tell me now what God is?

A. God is so infinite, and incomprehensible, that no creature is able fully to comprehend or know him (Exodus 33:20, 23; Job 26:14 & 11:7-9; 1 Timothy 6:16).

Q. How then may we conceive of him?

A. As he has revealed himself to us, in his back parts, which are his divine attributes, and by his works.

Q. What are those attributes or back parts of God?

A. Wisdom, power, goodness, truth, justice, mercy, and the like, in all which he is infinite, and everlasting.

Q. What are the works of God?

A. They are three, decree, creation, and providence.