Of God and of the Holy Trinity.
1. THE Lord our God is but1 one only living, and true God; whose2 subsistence is in and of himself,3 infinite in being, and perfection, whose Essence [page] cannot be comprehended by any but himself;4 a most pure spirit,5 invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light, which no man can approach unto, who is6 immutable,7 immense,8 eternal, incomprehensible,9 Almighty, every way infinite,11 most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute,12 working all things according to the councel of his own immutable, and most righteous will,13 for his own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,14 the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and withal most just,15 and terrible in his judgments,16 hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the17 guilty.
2. God having all18 life,19 glory,20 goodness, blessedness, in and of himself: is alone in, and unto himself all-sufficient, not21 standing in need of any Creature which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but onely manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them, he is the alone fountain of all Being,24 of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things, and he hath most soveraign25 dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, and upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth; in his sight26 all things are open and manifest, his knowledge is1 infinite, infallible, and independant upon the Creature, so as nothing is to him contingent, or uncertain; he is most holy in all his Councels, in2 all his Works, and in all his Commands; to him is due3 from Angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as [page] Creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is further pleased to require of them.
3. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences,4 the Father the Word (or Son) and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and Eternity, each having the whole Divine Essence,5 yet the Essence undivided, the Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding, the Son is6 Eternally begotten of the Father, the holy Spirit7 proceeding from the Father and the Son, 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.
1 1 Cor. 8:4, 6; Deut. 6:4.
2 Jer. 10:10; Isaiah 48:12.
3 Exod. 3:14.
4 Joh. 4:24.
5 1 Tim. 1:17; Deut. 4:15, 16.
6 Mal. 3:6.
7 1 King. 8:27; Jer. 23:23.
8 Psal. 90:2.
9 Gen. 17:1.
11 Isa. 6:3.
12 Psal. 16:3; Isa. 46:10.
13 Pro. 16:4; Rom. 11:36.
14 Exod. 34:6, 7; Heb. 11:6.
15 Neh. 9:32, 33.
16 Ps. 5:5, 6.
17 Exod. 34:7; Nahum. 1:2, 3.
18 Joh. 5:26.
19 Ps. 148:13.
20 Ps. 119:68.
21 Job 22:2, 3.
24 Rom. 11:34, 35, 36.
25 Dan. 4:25 & 5:24, 25.
26 Heb. 4:13.
1 Ezek. 11:5; Act. 15:18.
2 Ps. 145:17.
3 Rev. 5:12, 13, 14.
4 1 Joh. 5:7; Mat. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14.
5 Exod. 3:14; Joh. 14:11; 1 Cor. 8:6.
6 Joh. 1:14, 18.
7 Joh. 15:26. Gal. 4:6.
McGlothlin, W. J. (1911). Baptist Confessions of Faith (pp. 231–232). American Baptist Publication Society.