2LCF – 2. Of God and of the Holy Trinity

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1. The Lord our God is but one only living and true God;^a whose subsistence is in and of Himself,^b infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself;^c a most pure spirit,^d invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;^e who is immutable,^f immense,^g eternal,^h incomprehensible, almighty,ⁱ every way infinite, most holy,^j most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,^k for His own glory;^l most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him,^m and withal most just and terrible in His judgments,ⁿ hating all sin,^o and who will by no means clear the guilty.^p

^a1 Corinthians 8:4, 6; Deuteronomy 6:4
^b Jeremiah 10:10; Isaiah 48:12
^c Exodus 3:14
^d John 4:24
^e 1 Timothy 1:17; Deuteronomy 4:15, 16
^f Malachi 3:6
^g 1 Kings 8:27; Jeremiah 23:23
^h Psalm 90:2
ⁱ Genesis 17:1
^j Isaiah 6:3
^k Psalm 115:3; Isaiah 46:10
^l Proverbs 16:4; Romans 11:36
^m Exodus 34:6, 7; Hebrews 11:6
ⁿ Nehemiah 9:32, 33
^o Psalm 5:5, 6
^p Exodus 34:7; Nahum 1:2, 3

2. God, having all life,^q glory,^r goodness,^s blessedness, in and of Himself, is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He has made, nor deriving any glory from them,^t but only manifesting His own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things,^u and He has most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever Himself pleases;^v in His sight all things are open and manifest,^w His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain;^x He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works,^y and in all His commands; to Him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship,^z service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require of them.

^qJohn 5:26
^r Psalm 148:13
^s Psalm 119:68
^t Job 22:2, 3
^u Romans 11:34-36
^v Daniel 4:25, 34, 35
^w Hebrews 4:13
^x Ezekiel 11:5; Acts 15:18
^y Psalm 145:17
^z Revelation 5:12-14

3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit,^a of one substance, power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided:^b the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father;^c the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son;^d all infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar relative properties and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on Him.

^a1 John 5:7; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14
^b Exodus 3:14; John 14:11; 1 Corinthians 8:6
^c John 1:14,18
^d John 15:26; Galatians 4:6

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