Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

Q. 17. What is the holiness of God?

A. The holiness of God is his essential property, whereby he is infinitely pure, loveth and delighteth in his own purity, and in all the resemblances of it, which any of his creatures have; and is perfectly free from all impurity, and hateth it wherever he seeth it. Q. 18. How may God be said to be holy?

A. 1. The name of God is holy, Psalm cxi. 9. Holy and reverend is his name. 2. The nature of God is holy, Rev. iv. 8. Holy, holy, holy Lord God almighty. 3. Three persons of the God-head are holy: The. Father is holy, John xvii. 12. Holy Father, keep through thy name, those which thou hast given me. The Son is holy, Acts iv. 27. Against thy holy child Jesus, were they gathered. The Spirit is holy, Rom. xiv. 18. Joy in the holy Ghost. 4. The works of God are holy, Psalm cxlv. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 5. The word of God is holy, Rom. i. 2. which he hath promised in the holy scriptures, his law is holy, Rom. vii. 22. The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. And his gospel is holy, Luke i. 27. To remember his holy covenant. 6. The wor ship of God is holy, the matter of it is holy, Mal. i. 11. In every place incense shall be offered unto thy name, and a pure offering of righteousness. The manner of it is holy, John iv. 29. God will be worshipped in spirit and in truth. The time of it is holy, Exod. xx. 8. Remember the sabbath-day to keep it holy. 7. The dwelling place of God is holy, Isa. vii. 15. Thus saith the high and lofty one. I dwell in the high and holy place. 8. The angels who attend upon God in heaven are holy, Mat. xxv. 31. All the holy angels with him. 9. The people of God upon earth are holy, Deut. viii. 6. Thou art a holy people unto the Lord. 10. God requireth, worketh, loveth and delighteth in holiness, 1 Pet. i. 15. Be ye holy, Thess. iv. 3. This is the will of God, even your sanctification. 11. God hateth sin and sinners infin-. itely, and without holiness will not admit any into his kingdom, Psalm v. 5. Thou hatest all workers of ini

quity, Heb. xii. 14. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which none shall see God.

Q. 19. What is the justice of God?

A. The justice of God, is his essential property, whereby he is infinitely righteous and equal, both in himself, and in all his dealings with his creatures. Q. 20. Wherein doth the justice of God shew itself? A. 1. In the punishment which he inflicted upon Christ our surety, for our sins, Isa. liii. 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. 2. In the vengeance he will execute upon unbelievers for their own sins in the day of his wrath. 2. Thess. i. 7, 8, 9. The Lord will be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that obey not the gospel, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction. 3. In the reward he will give to his people through the merits of Christ, Mat. v. 12. Great is your re ward in heaven. 1 Tim. v. 12. Henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness. 4. In these temporal judgments he bringeth upon a people, or persons for their sins in this world, Gen. ix. 7. O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces as at this day, Lam. iii. 39. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins.

Q. 21. What is the goodness of God?

A. The goodness of God is his essential property, whereby he is altogether good in himself, and the author of all good, Psalm cxix. 68. Thou art good and doest good.

Q. 22. Wherein doth the goodness of God appear? A. God's goodness doth appear, 1. In the works which he hath made, Gen. i. 13. And God saw every thing that he hath nrade, and behold it was very good. 2. In his bounty and provision for all his creatures, Psalm cxlv. 9. The Lord is good to all. 15 verse. The eyes of all wait upon thee. 3. In his patience and forbearance towards the wicked, and his enemies, Rom. ii. 4, Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance, and log suffering. 5. And chiefly God's goodness doth appar, in the special love

and mercy towards his own people, in choosing them, in redeeming them, in calling them, in pardoning them, in adopting them, in sanctifying them, in all the priviledges he bestoweth upon them, and manifestations of his love unto them here, and his taking them unto, and giving them possession of his kingdom hereafter, Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7. The Lord is gracious and merciful, abundant in goodness, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgressions, and sin, &c.

Q. 23. What is the truth of God?

A. The truth of God, is his essential property, whereby he is sincere and faithful, free from all falshood, and dissimulation, Titus i. 2. In hope of eternal life, which God who cannot lie hath promised. Heb., vi. 18. By two immutable things, in which it was impossible that God should lie.

Q. 24. Wherein doth the truth of God appear? A. God's truth doth appear. 1. In the soundness of the doctrine which he hath revealed, wherein there is not a flaw or corruptions. 2 Tim. i. 13. Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me. 2. In the certainty of the histories which he hath recorded, wherein there is no lie nor mistake, Luke i 3, 4. It seemeth good to me to write to thee, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed. 3. In the accomplishment of the prophecies which he hath foretold, wherein there is no failing, or falling short. John i. 45. We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Matth. xxiv. 35. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 4. In the fulfilling the promises which he hath made to his people, Heb. x. 23. He is faithful that hath promised. 5. In executing the judgments which he hath threatened against the wicked, Zech. i. 6. But my words did they not take hold on your fathers! 6. But the great appearance of God's truth, will be at the day of Christ's appearance to judgment when rewards and punishments shall be dispensed according to what he hath foretold us in the books of the holy scrip

tures.

[ocr errors]

ONE

5. Q. Are there more Gods than one?

A. There is but one only, the living and true God. Q. 1. Why is God said to be one only?

"A. In opposition to many gods, Deut vi. 4. Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord, 2 Cor. viii. 4, 5, 6. We know that there is none other God but ; for though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven, or in earth, (as there be gods many, and loids many) yet unto us there is but one God.

Q. 2. Why is God said to be the living God?

A. In opposition to dead idols, Psalm cxv. 4, 5, 6. Their idols are gold and silver, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not; ears have they but they hear not, &c. 1 Thess. i. 9. Ye turned from idols, to serve the living God.

Q. 3. Why is God said to be the true God?

A. In opposition to all false gods, Jer. x. 10, 11, 15. The Lord is the true God; the gods that have not made the heavens, and the earth, shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens: They are vanity, and the work of errors.

Q. 5. How doth it appear that God is one only?

A. Because God is infinite, and there cannot be more than one infinite being; for as much as one infinite being doth set bounds and limits unto all other beings, and nothing that is bounded and limited, can be infinite. 5. How doth it appear that God is living?

Q.

A. 1. Because God giveth to, and preserveth life in all his creatures, 1 Tim. vi. 13. I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, Acts xviii. 28. In him we live and move and have our being, 2. Because God reigneth forever Jer. x. 10. The Lord is a living God, and an everlasting King. Q. 6. How doth it appear that God is true, that he hath a true being, or that there is a God indeed?

A. By several arguments, sufficient to convince all the atheists in the world, if they would hearken to their

own reason.

Q78 what is the first argument to prove that there is a God?

A. The first argument to prove that there is a God may be drawn from the being of all things. 1. The being of the heavens, the high stories which are there erected, the glorious lights which are there placed, the glittering stars which there move. 2. The being of earth, whose foundations are sure and unmoved by storms and tempests, though it hang like a ball in the midst of the air. 4. The being of the vast sea, where there is such abundance of waters as some think higher than the earth, which yet are bounded and restrained from overflowing and drowning the land and its inhabitants, as once they did, when their limits where for a while removed. 4 The being of such various creatures above and below, especially of those which have motion of and life in themselves. 5. And chiefly the being of man the curious workmanship of his body in the womb, especially the being of man's soul which is immaterial, invisible, rational, immortal, which cannot arise from the power of matter (as the sensitive souls of brutes) neither doth depend on the body in some of its opperations. These and all the works which our eyes doth see, or mind doth apprehend, do prove that there is a God, who hath given a being to them and continueth them therein.

Q. 8. Wherein lyeth the force of this argument to prove from the being of all things, that there is a God?

A. All things that have a being, they must either, have their being from eternity; or, 2. Must give a being to themselves. Or, S. They must have their being from God. But first, they could not have their being from eternity; for then they would be infinite from duration, and so capable of no measure by time; they would be necessary, and so capable of no alteration or destruction: But both reason and experience doth evidence the contrary; therefore they are not eternal. 2. Things cannot give a being to themselves; for that which giveth a being to a thing; must be be fore it; and hence it would follow, that things should be, and not be at the same time, which is a contra diction and absurd: therefore thirdly, it must necessarily follow, that there is a God, who is a necessary,

« ZurückWeiter »