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Great Is Thy Faithfulness
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4 Incomprehensibility Of God
INCOMPREHENSIBILITY OF GOD This is a relative term, and indicates a relation between an object and a faculty; between God and a created understanding; so that the meaning of it is this, that no created understanding can comprehend God; that is, have a perfect and exact knowledge of him, such a knowledge as is adequate to the perfection of the object, Job 11:7. Is 60. God is incomprehensible,—1. As to the nature of his essence.—2. the excellency of his attributes.—3. The depth of his counsels.— 4. The works of his providence.—5. the dispensation of his grace, Eph 3:8. Job 37:25. Rom 11. The incomprehensibility of God follows,—1. From his being a spirit endured with perfections greatly superior to our own.—2. There may be (for any…
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3 Self-Existence Of God
SELF-EXISTENCE OF GOD Is his entire existence of himself, not owing it to any other being whatsoever: and thus God would exist, if there were to other being in the whole compass of nature but himself.
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2 Existence Of God
EXISTENCE OF GOD The methods usually followed in proving the existence of God are two; the first called argumentum a priori, which beginning with the cause descends to the effect; the other argumentum a posteriori, which, from a consideration of the effect ascends to the cause. The former of these hath been particularly laboured by Dr. Samuel Clarke; but after all he has said, the possibility of any one's being convinced by it hath been questioned. The most general proofs are the following: 1. "All nations, Heathens, Jews, Mahometan, and Christians, harmoniously consent that there is a God who created, preserves, and governs all things. To this it has been objected, that there have been, at different times and places, men who were atheists, and…
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1 God
GOD The self-existent, infinitely perfect, and infinitely good Being, who created and preserves all things that have existence. As the Divine Being possesses a nature far beyond the comprehension of any of his creatures, of course that nature is inexplicable. "All our knowledge of invisible objects is obtained by analogy; that is, by the resemblance which they bear to visible objects; but as there is in nature no exact resemblance of the nature of God, an attempt to explain the divine nature is absurd and impracticable. All similitudes, therefore, which are used in attempting to explain it must be rejected." Yet, though we cannot fully understand his nature, there is something of him we may know. He hath been pleased to discover his perfections, in a…
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Book 1: The Argument, Of The Knowledge Of God The Creator
The First Book treats of the knowledge of God the Creator. But as it is in the creation of man that the divine perfections are best displayed, so man also is made the subject of discourse. Thus the whole book divides itself into two principal heads—the former relating to the knowledge of God, and the latter to the knowledge of man. In the first chapter, these are considered jointly; and in each of the following chapters, separately: occasionally, however, intermingled with other matters which refer to one or other of the heads; e.g., the discussions concerning Scripture and images, falling under the former head, and the other three concerning the creation of the world, the holy angels and devils, falling under the latter. The last…
Further Study
Book 1: Chapter 11, Impiety Of Attributing A Visible Form To God—The Setting Up Of Idols A Defection From The True God
Book 1: Chapter 14, In The Creation Of The World, And All Things Therein, The True God Distinguished By Certain Marks From Fictitious Gods
Book 1: Chapter 17, Use To Be Made Of The Doctrine Of Providence
