Article 1. There is but one living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of Himself, infinite in being and perfection; who is a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, and who alone has immortality; who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, eternal, incomprehensible, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; who works all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will for His own glory; who is most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; who rewards them who diligently seek Him, and is most just and terrible in His judgments, hating all sin, and who will by no means acquit the guilty.
Article 2. God, having all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself, is alone in and to Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any created things or deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, to, and upon them. He is alone the fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. He has most sovereign dominion over all created things, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever He pleases. In His sight all things are open and manifest, and His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent of the creature, so that nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.
Article 3. The one God exists in three persons (or subsistences), the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity. Each person is distinguishable by various relational properties and personal relations, yet each has the whole divine essence (or Godhead), which is not to be divided in nature or being. This doctrine of the Trinity, which expounds the basis of Christ’s coming and mediation, as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit, is the foundation of all our communion with God and dependence upon Him.
Article 2. God, having all life, glory, goodness, and blessedness in and of Himself, is alone in and to Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any created things or deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting His own glory in, by, to, and upon them. He is alone the fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things. He has most sovereign dominion over all created things, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever He pleases. In His sight all things are open and manifest, and His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent of the creature, so that nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works, and in all His commands. To Him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience He is pleased to require of them.
Article 3. The one God exists in three persons (or subsistences), the Father, the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity. Each person is distinguishable by various relational properties and personal relations, yet each has the whole divine essence (or Godhead), which is not to be divided in nature or being. This doctrine of the Trinity, which expounds the basis of Christ’s coming and mediation, as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit, is the foundation of all our communion with God and dependence upon Him.
Q: Who is the first and chiefest being? |
