4 GILL on the Nature of God
There is a nature that belongs to every creature, which is difficult to understand; and so to God, the Creator, which is most difficult of all: that Nature may be predicated of God, is what the apostle suggests when he says, the Galatians, before conversion, served them, who, by nature, were no gods, Gal. 4:8
Gal. 4:8 Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.
which implies, that though the idols they had worshiped were not, yet there was one that was, by Nature, GOD; otherwise there would be an impropriety in denying it of them. Mention is also made of the divine Nature, 2 Pet. 1:4
2 Pet. 1:4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
which, indeed, is not the nature that is in God, but what is infused and implanted in men in regeneration; so called, not only because it is from God, as its author, but because it is the image of him, and bears a likeness and resemblance to him; but then there must be a nature in him to which this is similar, being created, after him, in righteousness and true holiness; or there would be no propriety in the denomination of it from him.
This is what is called Divinity, Deity, or Godhead; which must not be thought to be like to gold, silver, or stone, graven by art, or man’s device; or to be in the similitude of any creature, in a picture, painting, or sculpture; and which is to be seen and understood by the visible works of creation, and is what, in all its perfection and fulness, dwells bodily in Christ,
Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
Rom. 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Col. 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
It is the same with the form of God, in which Christ is said to be, Phil. 2:6
Phil. 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
which designs not any external form, for God has no visible shape, but his internal Glory, excellency, nature, and perfections, in which Christ is equal with him, and his fellow; and he is not only the express image of him, but one with him; not merely of a like, but of the same nature; so that he that sees the one, sees the other.
Essence, which is the same thing with nature, is ascribed to God; he is said to be excellent תו יה in essence, Isa 28:29
Isa 28:29 This also cometh forth from the LORD of hosts, which is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working.
for so the words may be rendered, that is, he has the most excellent essence or being; this is contained in his names, Jehovah, and I am that I am, which are expressive of his essence or being, as has been observed; and we are required to believe that he is, that he has a being or essence, and does exist, Heb 11:6
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
and essence is that by which a person or thing is what it is, that is its nature; and with respect to God, it is the same with his face, which cannot be seen,
Exo. 33:20 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
23 Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold.
that is, cannot be perceived, understood, and fully comprehended, especially in the present state; and, indeed, though in the future state saints will behold the face of God, and see him face to face, and as he is, so far as they are capable of, yet it is impossible for a finite mind, in its most exalted state, to comprehend the infinite Nature and Being of God.
This nature is common to the three Persons in God, but not communicated from one to another; they each of them partake of it, and possess it as one undivided nature; they all enjoy it; it is not a part of it that is enjoyed by one, and a part of it by another, but the whole by each; as all the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, so in the holy Spirit; and of the Father, there will be no doubt; these equally subsist in the unity of the divine essence, and that without any derivation or communication of it from one to another.
I know it is represented by some, who, otherwise, are sound in the doctrine of the Trinity, that the divine nature is communicated from the Father to the Son and Spirit, and that he is fons Deitatis, the fountain of Deity; which, I think, are unsafe phrases; since they seem to imply a priority in the Father to the other two persons; for he that communicates must, at least in order of nature, and according to our conception of things, be prior to whom the communication is made; and that he has a superabundant plenitude of Deity in him, previous to this communication.
It is better to say, that they are self-existent, and exist together in the same undivided essence; and jointly, equally, and as early one as the other, possess the same nature.
The nature of God is, indeed, incomprehensible by us; somewhat of it may be apprehended, but it cannot be fully comprehended; Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? Job 11:7. No: but then this does not forbid us searching and inquiring after him: though we cannot have adequate ideas of God, yet we should endeavour to get the best we can, and frame the best conceptions of him we are able; that so we may serve and worship him, honour and glorify him, in the best manner.
The world, the heathen world, even the wisest in it, by wisdom knew not God, 1 Cor. 1:21
1 Cor. 1:21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
They knew, or might know, there was a God, but they did not know what he was, and so glorified him not as God. An heathen philosopher being asked this question, what God was? required a day to think of it; when that was up, he asked a second, and still more time; and a reason of his dilatoriness being demanded of him, he replied, that the longer he considered of the question, the more obscure it was to him.
Yet, somewhat of God, of his nature and perfections, may be known by the light of nature, Rom. 1:19,20
Rom. 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
and more by divine revelation; for though it may with propriety be said, what is his name, or nature, if thou canst, tell? Pro. 30:4
Pro. 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
yet him whom the heathens ignorantly worshiped, the apostle Paul declared unto them, Acts 17:23
Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.
and though the Samaritans worshipped they knew not what, yet Christ declared to the woman of Samaria, what God, the object of spiritual worship, is; saying God is a spirit; that is, he is of a spiritual nature, John 4:22,24
John 4:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
and this we may be sure is a true definition, description, and declaration of God, and of his nature; since this was given by the Son of God, who lay in his bosom, and perfectly knew his nature, as well as his will; see John 1:18; Matt. 11:27
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Matt. 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
and by which we are taught,
1. That God is not a body, and that we are, in our conceptions of him, to remove every thing from him that is corporeal; for spirit, and body or flesh, are opposed to one another, Isa. 31:3; Luke 24:39
Isa. 31:3 Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.
Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Yet there have been some, both ancients and moderns, atheistically inclined, who have asserted, that matter is God, and God is universal matter; and that the whole universe is God, and that extension is one of his attributes: and a sort of people called Anthropomorphites, who bore the Christian name, ascribed an human body, and the parts of it, to God, in a proper sense, mistaking some passages of scripture; and the common people, among the papists, have no other notion of God, than of a grave old man: in this respect both Jews and Heathens have better notions; of the Jews, R. Joseph Albo, Maimonides, and others, deny that God is a body, or consists of bodily parts: and of heathens, Pythagoras, Xenophanes, Sallustius, and others, affirm God to be incorporeal; and the Stoics say, he has not an human form.
But if God was matter, which is inert, inactive, and motionless, he could not be the maker and mover of all things, as he is; for in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts 17:28.
Matter is without consciousness, is not capable of thinking, and without understanding, wisdom, and knowledge; and as it is not capable of acting, so much less of doing, such works as require contrivance, skill, wisdom, and knowledge, as the works of creation and providence; and therefore if God was matter, he could not be the Creator and Governor of the world; nor if a body, could he be omnipresent; a body is not every where, cannot be in two places at the same time; whereas God fills heaven and earth: and was he of so huge a body as to take up all space, there would be no room for other bodies, as there certainly is; nor would he be invisible; a body is to be seen and felt; but God is invisible and impalpable; “no man hath seen God at any time”; and if a body, he would not be the most perfect of beings, as he is, since angels, and the souls of men, being spirits, are more excellent than bodies.
It is no objection to this, that the parts of an human body are sometimes attributed to God; since these are to be understood of him not in a proper, but in an improper and figurative sense, and denote some act and action, or attribute of his; thus his face denotes his sight and presence, in which all things are, Gen. 19:13.
Gen. 19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
Sometimes his favour and good will, and the manifestation of his love and grace, Psa. 27:8; Psa. 80:3
Psa. 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.
Psa. 80:3 Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.
Sometimes his wrath and indignation against wicked men, Psa. 34:16; Rev. 6:17.
Psa. 34:16 The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
Rev. 6:17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
His eyes signify his omniscience and all-seeing providence; concerned both with good men, to protect and preserve them, and bestow good things on them; and with bad men, to destroy them, Pro. 15:3; 2 Chron. 16:9; Amos 9:8.
Pro. 15:3 The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
2 Chron. 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars.
Amos 9:8 Behold, the eyes of the Lord GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the LORD.
His ears, his readiness to attend unto, and answer the requests of his people, and deliver them out of their troubles, Psa. 34:15; Isa. 59:1.
Psa. 34:15 The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
Isa. 59:1 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear.
His nose and nostrils, his acceptance of the persons and sacrifices of men, Gen. 8:21
Gen. 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
or his disgust at them, anger with them, and non-acceptance of them, Deut 29:20 Isa. 65:5; Psa. 18:8.
Deut 29:20 The LORD will not spare him, but then the anger of the LORD and his jealousy shall smoke against that man, and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him, and the LORD shall blot out his name from under heaven.
Isa. 65:5 Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
Psa. 18:8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
His mouth is expressive of his commands, promises, threatenings, and prophecies delivered out by him, Lam. 3:29; Isa. 1:20; Jer. 23:16.
Lam. 3:29 He putteth his mouth in the dust; if so be there may be hope.
Isa. 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Jer. 23:16 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.
His arms and hands signify his power, and the exertion of it, as in making the heavens and the earth, and in other actions of his, Psa. 102:27; Job 26:13; Psa. 89:13; 118:16; Deut. 33:27.
Psa. 102:27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
Job 26:13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
Psa. 89:13 Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand.
Psa. 118:16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted: the right hand of the LORD doeth valiantly.
Deut. 33:27 The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
Nor is it any proof of corporeity in God, that a divine person has sometimes appeared in an human form; so one of the men that came to Abraham, in the plains of Mamre, was no other than the Lord omniscient and omnipotent, as the after discourse with him shows, Gen. 18:3.
Gen. 18:3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
And the man that wrestled with Jacob till break of day, was a divine person, of which Jacob was sensible; and therefore called the place where he wrestled with him, Peniel, the face of God, Gen. 32:24,30.
Gen. 32:24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
So he that appeared to Manoah, and his wife, Judges 13:6,10,18
Judges 13:6 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:
13:10 And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.
13:18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?
with other instances that might be mentioned. But then these were appearances of the Son of God in an human form, and were presages of his future incarnation; for as for the Father, no man ever saw his shape, John 5:37
John 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
and, it may be, the reason why the parts of an human body are so often ascribed to God, may be on account of Christ’s incarnation, to prepare the minds of men for it, to inure them to ideas of it, to raise their expectation of it, and strengthen their faith in it; and the rather since these attributions were more frequent before the coming of Christ in the flesh, and very rarely used afterwards.
Nor will the formation of man in the image, and after the likeness of God, afford a sufficient argument to prove that there is something corporeal in God, seeing man has a soul or spirit, in which this image and likeness chiefly and principally lay; and which was originally created in righteousness and holiness, in wisdom and knowledge: and though he has a body also; yet, inasmuch as a body was prepared in the council and covenant of grace, from eternity, for the Son of God to assume in time; and in the book of God’s eternal purposes, all the members of it were written; which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them, Heb. 10:5; Psa 139:16.
Heb. 10:5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
Psa 139:16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.
God might, according to the idea of it in his eternal mind, form the body of the first man.
2. The description of God, as a Spirit, teaches us to ascribe to God all the excellencies to be found in spirits in a more eminent manner, and to consider them as transcendent and infinite in him. By spirits, I understand not subtilized bodies, extracted out of various things; nor the wind and air, so called because invisible, and very piercing and penetrating, though bodies, and very ponderous ones; nor the spirits of animals, which are material, die, and go downwards to the earth: but rational spirits, angels, and the souls of men; the former are called spirits, Zech. 6:5; Heb. 1:13
Zech. 6:5 And the angel answered and said unto me, These are the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
Heb. 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
and so are the latter,
Job 32:8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.
Heb. 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
they are indeed created spirits, Psa. 104:4; Zech 12:1
Psa. 104:4 Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Zech 12:1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
but God an uncreated one, and is the Creator of these, and therefore said to be, the Father of spirits, Heb. 12:9.
Heb. 12:9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
These are creatures of time, and finite beings; made since the world was, and are not every where: but God is an eternal, infinite, and immense Spirit, from everlasting to everlasting; and whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain; yet there are some excellencies in spirits, which may lead more easily to conceive somewhat of God, and of his divine nature.
Spirits are immaterial, have no corporal parts, as flesh, blood, and bones, Luke 24:39
Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
and though eyes, hands, &c. are ascribed to God, yet not of flesh, Job 10:4
Job 10:4 Hast thou eyes of flesh? or seest thou as man seeth?
but such as express what is suitable to spiritual beings in the most exalted sense. Spirits are incorruptible; for having no matter about them, they are not liable to corruption; they are, indeed, capable of moral corruption, as appears from the angels that sinned, and, from the depravity of the souls of men by the fall; but not of natural corruption: but God is not subject to corruption in any sense, and is therefore called the incorruptible God, Rom. 1:23
Rom. 1:23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
Spirits are immortal; angels die not, Luke 20:36
Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
the souls of men cannot be killed, Matt. 10:28
Matt. 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
not consisting of parts, that are capable of being divided and separated, they cannot be brought to destruction. It is one of the characters of God, that he is immortal, yea, only hath immortality; and so more transcendently, and in a more eminent manner immortal than angels, and the souls of men; he has it of himself, and underivatively, and is the giver of it to others, 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16.
1 Tim. 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Spirits are invisible; it is a vulgar mistake that they are to be seen; who ever saw the soul of a man? or an angel, in its pure form? whenever they have made themselves visible, it has been by assuming another form, an human one. God is invisible, and dwells in light, which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see, 1Tim. 1:17; 6:16 and therefore as no likeness and similitude of a spirit can be formed and taken, so none of God: who can tell of what colour, form and figure, shape and size, the soul of a man is?
Nor can any describe the form and figure of an angel: as for the pictures, paintings, and sculptures of them, they are the fruit of mere fancy and imagination, and at most but emblematical: because angels have appeared in an human form, therefore they are painted as young men; and because of their quick dispatch, and swiftness, in doing the errands and messages they have been sent upon, wings are given, them; but never was such a creature in real being, or ever seen in the whole world, in any age, as a young man with wings at his shoulders.
So no likeness can be formed of God; no similitude was ever seen of him, and to whom can he be likened and compared? Deut. 4:12; Isa. 40:18;46:5.
Deut. 4:12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.
Isa. 40:18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?
46:5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
Some of the Heathens have acknowledged the invisibility of God, as a Spirit; and Aristotle argues the invisibility of God, from the invisibility of the soul of man.
But besides these properties, there are others still more excellent in spirits, by which they approach nearer to God, and bear a greater resemblance to him, and serve to give us clearer ideas of his nature; they are living, active, endowed with understanding, will, and affections; they are lively, have a principle of life; angels are commonly thought to be the living creatures in Ezekiel’s vision; however, they are such, and so the souls of men: the body of Adam, when first made, was a lifeless lump of clay; but when God breathed into him the breath of life, he became a living soul, Gen. 2:7.
Gen. 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
God is the living God, has life in and of himself, and gives life to all creatures that have it. Spirits are active, and can operate upon others, as the souls of men on their bodies; God is all act, actus simplicissimus, as he is sometimes styled, the most simple act; there is nothing passive in him, as matter, to be wrought upon; he works, and always works; and all creatures live and move, and have their being in him, John 5:17, Acts 17:28.
John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Acts 17:28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Spirits, angels, and the souls of men, are intelligent beings, have a faculty of understanding things natural and spiritual; the understanding of God is infinite, there is no searching of it; he understands himself, and all created beings, and their natures, Psa. 147:6; Isa. 40:28.
Psa. 147:6 The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
Isa. 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
Spirits have the power of willing, they are voluntary agents; and God wills whatever he does, and does whatever he wills; his will is boundless, uncontrollable, and sovereign, Psa. 115:3; Dan. 4:35.
Psa. 115:3 But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
Dan. 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
Spirits have the affections of love, mercy, pity, etc. God not only loves his creatures, but is love itself, 1 John 4:16.
1 John 4:16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, on them that fear him; and he pities them as a father pities his children, Psa. 103:13, 17.
Psa. 103:13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
3. God being a Spirit, we learn that he is a simple and uncompounded Being, and does not consist of parts, as a body does; his spirituality involves his simplicity: some indeed consider this as an attribute of God; and his spirituality also: and, indeed, every attribute of God, is God himself, is his nature, and are only so many ways of considering it, or are so many displays of it.
However, it is certain God is not composed of parts, in any sense; not in a physical sense, of essential parts, as matter and form, of which bodies consist: nor of integral parts, as soul and body, of which men consist: nor in a metaphysical sense, as of essence and existence, of act and power: nor in a logical sense, as of kind and difference, substance and accident; all which would argue imperfection, weakness, and mutability.
If God was composed of parts he would not be eternal, and absolutely the first Being, since the composing parts would, at least, co-exist with him; besides, the composing parts, in our conception of them, would be prior to the compositum; as the body and soul of man, of which he is composed, are prior to his being a man: and, beside, there must be a composer, who puts the parts together, and therefore must be before what is composed of them: all which is inconsistent with the eternity of God: nor would he be infinite and immense; for either these parts are finite, or infinite; if finite, they can never compose an infinite Being; and if infinite, there must be more infinities than one, which implies a contradiction: nor would he be independent; for what is composed of parts, depends upon those parts, and the union of them, by which it is preserved: nor would he be immutable, unalterable, and immortal; since what consists of parts, and depends upon the union of them, is liable to alteration, and to be resolved into those parts again, and so be dissolved and come to destruction.
In short, he would not be the most perfect of Beings; for as the more spiritual a being is, the more perfect it is; and so it is, the more simple and uncompounded it is: as even all things in nature are more noble, and more pure, the more free they are from composition and mixture.
Nor is the simplicity of God to be disproved by the Trinity of Persons in the Godhead; for though there are three distinct persons, there is but one nature and essence common to them all, and which is not parted and divided among them, but is jointly and equally possessed by them; nor do these persons really differ from the divine nature and essence, nor from one another, but by their distinct modes of subsisting; so that they only distinguish and modify, but do neither divide nor compose the divine nature: nor is it to be disproved by the decrees of God; the decrees of God are within himself, and, as it is commonly said, whatever is in God, is God, and so are no other than God himself, as to the act of decreeing, though not with respect to the things decreed; and though they are many and various, as to the objects of them, yet not in God, who, by one eternal act, in his infinite mind, has decreed every thing that has been, is, or shall be; and is what Plato means by εν και πολλα, [en kai polla] one and many in God; one, as to his essence; many, as to the ideas and decrees in it, which many are one.
Nor is it to be disproved by the attributes of God; for they are no other than God himself, and neither differ from one another, but with respect to their objects, and effect, and in our manner of conception of them; nor from the nature and essence of God; they are himself, and his nature; he is not only eternal, wise, good, loving, etc. but he is eternity itself, wisdom itself, goodness itself, love itself, etc. and these are not parts of his nature, but displays of the same undivided nature, and are different considerations of it, in which we view it; our minds being so weak as not to be able to conceive of God at once and together, and in the gross, but one thing after another, and the same in different lights, that we may better understand it: these several things, called attributes, which are one in God, are predicated of him, and ascribed to him distinctly, for helps to our finite understandings, and for the relief of our minds; and that we, with more facility and ease, might conceive of the nature of God, and take in more of him, as we can by parcels and piecemeals, than in the whole; and so, as a learned Jew observes, all those attributes are only intellectual notions; by which are conceived the perfections that are in the essence of God, but in reality are nothing but his essence; and which attributes will be next considered.
THE END