an immaterial, intelligent, and free Being; of perfect goodness,
wisdom, and power; who made the universe, and continues to support it,
as well as to govern and direct it, by his providence. Philologists have
hitherto considered the word God as being of the same signification with
good; and this is not denied by M. Hallenberg. But he thinks that both
words originally denoted _unity_; and that the root is אתד, _unus_;
whence the Syriac _Chad_ and _Gada_; the Arabic _Ahd_ and _Gahd_; the
Persic _Choda_ and _Chuda_; the Greek ἀγαθὸς and γάθος; the Teutonic
_Gud_; the German _Gott_; and our Saxon _God_. The other names of God,
this author thinks, are referable to a similar origin.
2. By his immateriality, intelligence, and freedom, God is distinguished
from Fate, Nature, Destiny, Necessity, Chance, _Anima Mundi_, and from
all the other fictitious beings acknowledged by the Stoics, Pantheists,
Spinosists, and other sorts of Atheists. The knowledge of God, his
nature, attributes, word, and works, with the relations between him and
his creatures, makes the subject of the extensive science called
theology. In Scripture God is defined by, “I am that I am; Alpha and
Omega; the Beginning and End of all things.” Among philosophers, he is
defined a Being of infinite perfection; or in whom there is no defect of
any thing which we conceive may raise, improve, or exalt his nature. He
is the First Cause, the First Being, who has existed from the beginning,
has created the world, or who subsists necessarily, or of himself.
3. The plain argument, says Maclaurin, in his “Account of Sir I.
Newton’s Philosophical Discoveries,” for the existence of the Deity,
obvious to all, and carrying irresistible conviction with it, is from
the evident contrivance and fitness of things for one another, which we
meet with throughout all parts of the universe. There is no need of nice
or subtle reasonings in this matter; a manifest contrivance immediately
suggests a contriver. It strikes us like a sensation; and artful
reasonings against it may puzzle us, but it is without shaking our
belief. No person, for example, that knows the principles of optics, and
the structure of the eye, can believe that it was formed without skill
in that science; or that the ear was formed without the knowledge of
sounds; or that the male and female in animals were not formed for each
other, and for continuing the species. All our accounts of nature are
full of instances of this kind. The admirable and beautiful structure of
things for final causes, exalts our idea of the Contriver; the unity of
design shows him to be one. The great motions in the system performed
with the same facility as the least, suggest his almighty power, which
gave motion to the earth and the celestial bodies with equal ease as to
the minutest particles. The subtilty of the motions and actions in the
internal parts of bodies, shows that his influence penetrates the inmost
recesses of things, and that he is equally active and present every
where. The simplicity of the laws that prevail in the world, the
excellent disposition of things, in order to obtain the best ends, and
the beauty which adorns the works of nature, far superior to any thing
in art, suggest his consummate wisdom. The usefulness of the whole
scheme, so well contrived for the intelligent beings that enjoy it, with
the internal disposition and moral structure of these beings themselves,
shows his unbounded goodness. These are arguments which are sufficiently
open to the views and capacities of the unlearned, while at the same
time they acquire new strength and lustre from the discoveries of the
learned. The Deity’s acting and interposing in the universe, show that
he governs as well as formed it; and the depth of his counsels, even in
conducting the material universe, of which a great part surpasses our
knowledge, keeps up an inward veneration and awe of this great Being,
and disposes us to receive what may be otherwise revealed to us
concerning him. It has been justly observed, that some of the laws of
nature now known to us must have escaped us if we had wanted the sense
of seeing. It may be in his power to bestow upon us other senses, of
which we have at present no idea; without which it may be impossible for
us to know all his works, or to have more adequate ideas of himself. In
our present state, we know enough to be satisfied of our dependency upon
him, and of the duty we owe to him, the Lord and Disposer of all things.
He is not the object of sense; his essence, and, indeed, that of all
other substances, are beyond the reach of all our discoveries; but his
attributes clearly appear in his admirable works. We know that the
highest conceptions we are able to form of them, are still beneath his
real perfections; but his power and dominion over us, and our duty
toward him, are manifest.
4. Though God has given us no innate ideas of himself, says Mr. Locke,
yet, having furnished us with those faculties our minds are endowed
with, he hath not left himself without a witness; since we have sense,
perception, and reason, and cannot want a clear proof of him as long as
we carry ourselves about us. To show, therefore, that we are capable of
knowing, that is, of being certain that there is a God, and how we may
come by this certainty, I think we need go no farther than ourselves,
and that undoubted knowledge we have of our own existence. I think it is
beyond question, that man has a clear perception of his own being; he
knows certainly that he exists, and that he is something. In the next
place, man knows, by an intuitive certainty, that bare nothing can no
more produce any real being, than it can be equal to two right angles.
If, therefore, we know there is some real Being, it is an evident
demonstration, that from eternity there has been something; since what
was not from eternity had a beginning; and what had a beginning must be
produced by something else. Next it is evident, that what has its being
from another must also have all that which is in, and belongs to, its
being from another too; all the powers it has must be owing to, and
derived from, the same source. This eternal source, then, of all being
must be also the source and original of all power; and so this eternal
Being must be also the most powerful. Again: man finds in himself
perception and knowledge: we are certain, then, that there is not only
some Being, but some knowing, intelligent Being, in the world. There was
a time, then, when there was no knowing Being, or else there has been a
knowing Being from eternity. If it be said there was a time when that
eternal Being had no knowledge, I reply, that then it is impossible
there should have ever been any knowledge; it being as impossible that
things wholly void of knowledge, and operating blindly, and without any
perception, should produce a knowing Being, as it is impossible that a
triangle should make itself three angles bigger than two right ones.
Thus from the consideration of ourselves, and what we infallibly find in
our own constitutions, our reason leads us to the knowledge of this
certain and evident truth, that there is an eternal, most powerful, and
knowing Being, which, whether any one will call God, it matters not. The
thing is evident; and from this idea, duly considered, will easily be
deduced all those other attributes we ought to ascribe to this eternal
Being. From what has been said, it is plain to me, that we have a more
certain knowledge of the existence of a God, than of any thing our
senses have not immediately discovered to us. Nay, I presume I may say
that we more certainly know that there is a God, than that there is any
thing else without us. When I say we _know_, I mean, there is such a
knowledge within our reach, which we cannot miss, if we will but apply
our minds to that as we do to several other inquiries. It being then
unavoidable for all rational creatures to conclude that something has
existed from eternity, let us next see what kind of thing that must be.
There are but two sorts of beings in the world that man knows or
conceives; such as are purely material without sense or perception, and
sensible, perceiving beings, such as we find ourselves to be. These two
sorts we shall call cogitative and incogitative beings; which to our
present purpose are better than material and immaterial. If, then, there
must be something eternal, it is very obvious to reason that it must be
a cogitative being; because it is as impossible to conceive that bare
incogitative matter should ever produce a thinking, intelligent being,
as that nothing should of itself produce matter. Let us suppose any
parcel of matter eternal, we shall find it in itself unable to produce
any thing. Let us suppose its parts firmly at rest together, if there
were no other being in the world, must it not eternally remain so, a
dead inactive lump? Is it possible to conceive that it can add motion to
itself, or produce any thing? Matter, then, by its own strength cannot
produce in itself so much as motion. The motion it has must also be from
eternity, or else added to matter by some other being, more powerful
than matter. But let us suppose motion eternal too, yet matter,
incogitative matter, and motion could never produce thought: knowledge
will still be as far beyond the power of nothing to produce. Divide
matter into as minute parts as you will, vary its figure and motion as
much as you please, it will operate no otherwise upon other bodies of
proportionable bulk, than it did before this division. The minutest
particles of matter knock, impel, and resist one another, just as the
greater do; so that if we suppose nothing eternal, matter can never
begin to be; if we suppose bare matter without motion eternal, motion
can never begin to be; if we suppose only matter and motion to be
eternal, thought can never begin to be; for it is impossible to conceive
that matter, either with or without motion, could have originally in and
from itself, sense, perception, and knowledge, as is evident from hence,
that then sense, perception, and knowledge must be a property eternally
inseparable from matter, and every particle of it. Since, therefore,
whatsoever is the first eternal Being must necessarily be cogitative;
and whatsoever is first of all things must necessarily contain in it,
and actually have, at least all the perfections that can ever after
exist, it necessarily follows, that the first eternal Being cannot be
matter. If, therefore, it be evident that something must necessarily
exist from eternity, it is also evident that that something must
necessarily be a cogitative Being. For it is as impossible that
incogitative matter should produce a cogitative Being, as that nothing,
or the negation of all being, should produce a positive Being or matter.
This discovery of the necessary existence of an eternal mind
sufficiently leads us to the knowledge of God. For it will hence follow,
that all other knowing beings that have a beginning must depend upon
him, and have no other ways of knowledge or extent of power than what he
gives them; and therefore if he made those, he made also the less
excellent pieces of this universe, all inanimate bodies, whereby his
omniscience, power, and providence will be established, and from thence
all his other attributes necessarily follow.
5. In the Scriptures no attempt is made to prove the existence of a God;
such an attempt would have been entirely useless, because the fact was
universally admitted. The error of men consisted, not in denying a God,
but in admitting too many; and one great object of the Bible is to
demonstrate that there is but one. No metaphysical arguments, however,
are employed in it for this purpose. The proof rests on facts recorded
in the history of the Jews, from which it appears that they were always
victorious and prosperous so long as they served the only living and
true God, Yahweh, the name by which the Almighty made himself known to
them, and uniformly unsuccessful when they revolted from him to serve
other gods. What argument could be so effectual to convince them that
there was no god in all the earth but the God of Israel? The sovereignty
and universal providence of the Lord Yahweh are proved by predictions
delivered by the Jewish prophets, pointing out the fate of nations and
of empires, specifying distinctly their rise, the duration of their
power, and the causes of their decline; thus demonstrating that one God
ruled among the nations, and made them the unconscious instruments of
promoting the purposes of his will. In the same manner, none of the
attributes of God are demonstrated in Scripture by reasoning; they are
simply affirmed and illustrated by facts; and instead of a regular
deduction of doctrines and conclusions from a few admitted principles,
we are left to gather them from the recorded feelings and devotional
expressions of persons whose hearts were influenced by the fear of God.
These circumstances point out a marked singularity in the Scriptures,
considered as a repository of religious doctrines. The writers,
generally speaking, do not reason, but exhort and remonstrate; they do
not attempt to fetter the judgment by the subtleties of argument, but to
rouse the feelings by an appeal to palpable facts. This is exactly what
might have been expected from teachers acting under a divine commission,
and armed with undeniable facts to enforce their admonitions.
6. In three distinct ways do the sacred writers furnish us with
information on this great and essential subject, the existence and the
character of God; from the _names_ by which he is designated; from the
_actions_ ascribed to him; and from the _attributes_ with which he is
invested in their invocations and praises; and in those lofty
descriptions of his nature which, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, they have recorded for the instruction of the world. These
attributes will be considered under their respective heads; but the
impression of the general view of the divine character, as thus
revealed, is too important to be omitted.
7. The _names_ of God as recorded in Scripture convey at once ideas of
overwhelming greatness and glory, mingled with that awful mysteriousness
with which, to all finite minds, and especially to the minds of mortals,
the divine essence and mode of existence must ever be invested. Though
ONE he is אלהים, ELOHIM, GODS, _persons adorable_. He is יהוה, YAHWEH,
self-_existing_; אל, EL, _strong_, _powerful_; אהיה, EHIEH, _I am_, _I
will be_, _self-existence_, _independency_, _all-sufficiency_,
_immutability_, _eternity_; שדי, SHADDAI, _almighty_, _all-sufficient_;
אדן, ADON, _Supporter_, _Lord_, _Judge_. These are among the adorable
appellatives of God which are scattered throughout the revelation that
he has been pleased to make of himself: but on one occasion he was
pleased more particularly to declare his _name_, that is, such of the
qualities and attributes of the divine nature as mortals are the most
interested in knowing; and to unfold, not only his natural, but also
those of his moral attributes by which his conduct toward his creatures
is regulated. “And the Lord passed by and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression,
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s
children, unto the third and fourth generation,” Exodus xxxiv. This is
the most ample and particular description of the character of God, as
given by himself in the sacred records; and the import of the several
titles by which he has thus in his infinite condescension manifested
himself, has been thus exhibited. He is not only YAHWEH,
_self-existent_, and EL, _the strong or mighty God_; but he is, says Dr.
A. Clarke, “רחום, ROCHUM, _the merciful Being_, who is full of
tenderness and compassion; חנון, CHANUN, _the gracious One_, he whose
nature is goodness itself, the loving God. ארך פים, EREC APAYIM,
_long-suffering_, the Being who, because of his tenderness, is not
easily irritated, but suffers long and is kind; דב RAB, _the great or
mighty One_: חסד, CHESED, _the bountiful Being_, he who is exuberant in
his beneficence; אפת, EMETH, _the Truth_, or _True One_, he alone who
can neither deceive nor be deceived; נצר חסד, NOTSER CHESED, _the
Preserver of bountifulness_, he whose beneficence never ends, keeping
mercy for thousands of generations, showing compassion and mercy while
the world endures; נשא עון ופשע וחטאה, NOSE AVON VAPESHA VECHATAAH, _he
who bears away iniquity, transgression, and sin_; properly the
_Redeemer_, the _Pardoner_, the _Forgiver_, the Being whose prerogative
it is to forgive sin, and save the soul; נקה לא ינקה, NAKEH LO YINNAKEH,
_the righteous Judge_, who distributes justice with an impartial hand;
and פקד עין, PAKED AVON, &c, _he who visits iniquity_, he who punishes
transgressors, and from whose justice no sinner can escape; the God of
retributive and vindictive justice.”
8. The second means by which the Scriptures convey to us the knowledge
of God, is by the _actions_ which they ascribe to him. They contain,
indeed, the important record of his dealings with men in every age which
is comprehended within the limit of the sacred history; and, by
prophetic declaration, they also exhibit the principles on which he will
govern the world to the end of time: so that the whole course of the
divine administration may be considered as exhibiting a singularly
illustrative comment upon those attributes of his nature which, in their
abstract form, are contained in such declarations as those which have
been just quoted. The first act ascribed to God is that of creating the
heavens and the earth out of nothing; and by his fiat alone arranging
their parts, and peopling them with living creatures. By this were
manifested--his _eternity and self-existence_, as he who creates must be
before all creatures, and he who gives being to others can himself
derive it from none:--his _almighty power_, shown both in the act of
creation and in the number and vastness of the objects so produced:--his
_wisdom_, in their arrangement, and in their fitness to their respective
ends:--and his _goodness_, as the whole tended to the happiness of
_sentient_ beings. The foundations of his natural and moral government
are also made manifest by his creative acts. In what he made out of
nothing he had an absolute right and prerogative: it awaited his
ordering, and was completely at his disposal; so that to alter or
destroy his own work, and to prescribe the laws by which the intelligent
and rational part of his creatures should be governed, are rights which
none can question. Thus on the one hand his character of _Lord_ or
_Governor_ is established, and on the other our duty of lowly _homage_
and absolute _obedience_.
9. Agreeably to this, as soon as man was created, he was placed under a
rule of conduct. Obedience was to be followed with the continuance of
the divine favour; transgression, with death. The event called forth new
manifestations of the character of God. His tender _mercy_, in the
compassion showed to the fallen pair; his _justice_, in forgiving them
only in the view of a satisfaction to be hereafter offered to his
justice by an innocent representative of the sinning race; his _love_ to
that race, in giving his own Son to become this Redeemer, and in the
fulness of time to die for the sins of the whole world; and his
_holiness_, in connecting with this provision for the pardon of man the
means of restoring him to a sinless state, and to the obliterated image
of God in which he had been created. Exemplifications of the divine
_mercy_ are traced from age to age, in his establishing his own worship
among men, and remitting the punishment of individual and national
offences in answer to prayer offered from penitent hearts, and in
dependence upon the typified or actually offered universal
sacrifice:--of his _condescension_, in stooping to the cases of
individuals; in his dispensations both of providence and grace, by
showing respect to the poor and humble; and, principally, by the
incarnation of God in the form of a servant, admitting men into familiar
and friendly intercourse with himself, and then entering into heaven to
be their patron and advocate, until they should be received unto the
same glory, “and so be for ever with the Lord:”--of his strictly
_righteous government_, in the destruction of the old world, the cities
of the plain, the nations of Canaan, and all ancient states, upon their
“filling up the measure of their iniquities;” and, to show that “he will
by no means clear the guilty;” in the numerous and severe punishments
inflicted even upon the chosen seed of Abraham, because of their
transgressions:--of his _long-suffering_, in frequent warnings, delays,
and corrective judgments inflicted upon individuals and nations, before
sentence of utter excision and destruction:--of _faithfulness_ and
_truth_, in the fulfilment of promises, often many ages after they were
given, as in the promises to Abraham respecting the possession of the
land of Canaan by his seed, and in all the “promises made to the
fathers” respecting the advent, vicarious death, and illustrious offices
of the “Christ,” the Saviour of the world:--of his _immutability_, in
the constant and unchanging laws and principles of his government, which
remain to this day precisely the same, in every thing universal, as when
first promulgated, and have been the rule of his conduct in all places
as well as through all time:--of his _prescience_ of future events,
manifested by the predictions of Scripture:--and of the depth and
stability of his _counsel_, as illustrated in that plan and purpose of
bringing back a revolted world to obedience and felicity, which we find
steadily kept in view in the Scriptural history of the acts of God in
former ages; which is still the end toward which all his dispensations
bend, however wide and mysterious their sweep; and which they will
finally accomplish, as we learn from the prophetic history of the
future, contained in the Old and New Testaments.
Thus the course of divine operation in the world has from age to age
been a manifestation of the divine character, continually receiving new
and stronger illustrations until the completion of the Christian
revelation by the ministry of Christ and his inspired followers, and
still placing itself in brighter light and more impressive aspects as
the scheme of human redemption runs on to its consummation. From all the
acts of God as recorded in the Scriptures, we are taught that he alone
is God; that he is present every where to sustain and govern all things;
that his wisdom is infinite, his counsel settled, and his power
irresistible; that he is holy, just, and good; the Lord and the Judge,
but the Father and the Friend, of man.
10. More at large do we learn what God is, from the declarations of the
inspired writings. As to his _substance_, that “God is a Spirit.” As to
his _duration_, that “from everlasting to everlasting he is God;” “the
King, eternal, immortal, invisible.” That, after all the manifestations
he has made of himself, he is, from the infinite perfection and glory of
his nature, _incomprehensible_: “Lo, these are but parts of his ways,
and how little a portion is heard of him!” “Touching the Almighty, we
cannot find him out.” That he is _unchangeable_: “The Father of Lights,
with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” That “he
is the fountain of life,” and the only independent Being in the
universe: “Who only hath immortality.” That every other being, however
exalted, has its existence from him: “For by him were all things
created, which are in heaven and in earth, whether they are visible or
invisible.” That the existence of every thing is upheld by him, no
creature being for a moment independent of his support: “By him all
things consist;” “upholding all things by the word of his power.” That
he is _omnipresent_: “Do not I fill heaven and earth with my presence,
saith the Lord?” That he is _omniscient_: “All things are naked and open
before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” That he is the absolute
Lord and _Owner_ of all things: “The heavens, even the heaven of
heavens, are thine, and all the parts of them:” “The earth is thine, and
the fulness thereof, the world and them that dwell therein:” “He doeth
according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth.” That his _providence_ extends to the minutest objects:
“The hairs of your head are all numbered:” “Are not two sparrows sold
for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father.” That he is a Being of unspotted _purity_ and perfect
_rectitude_: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!” “A God of truth, and
in whom is no iniquity:” “Of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.” That
he is _just_ in the administration of his government: “Shall not the
Judge of the whole earth do right?” “Clouds and darkness are round about
him; judgment and justice are the habitation of his throne.” That his
_wisdom_ is unsearchable: “O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
And, finally, that he is _good_ and _merciful_: “Thou art good, and thy
mercy endureth for ever:” “His tender mercy is over all his works:”
“God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ:”
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them:” “God hath given to us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son.”
11. Under these deeply awful but consolatory views, do the Scriptures
present to us the supreme object of our worship and trust; and they
dwell upon each of the above particulars with inimitable sublimity and
beauty of language, and with an inexhaustible variety of illustration.
Nor can we compare these views of the divine nature with the conceptions
of the most enlightened of Pagans, without feeling how much reason we
have for everlasting gratitude, that a revelation so explicit, and so
comprehensive, should have been made to us on a subject which only a
revelation from God himself could have made known. It is thus that
Christian philosophers, even when they do not use the language of the
Scriptures, are able to speak on this great and mysterious doctrine, in
language so clear, and with conceptions so noble; in a manner too so
equable, so different from the sages of antiquity, who, if at any time
they approach the truth when speaking of the divine nature, never fail
to mingle with it some essentially erroneous or grovelling conception.
“By the Word of God,” says Dr. Barrow, “we mean a Being of infinite
wisdom, goodness, and power, the Creator and the Governor of all things,
to whom the great attributes of eternity and independency, omniscience
and immensity, perfect holiness and purity, perfect justice and
veracity, complete happiness, glorious majesty, and supreme right of
dominion belong; and to whom the highest veneration, and most profound
submission and obedience are due.” “Our notion of Deity,” says Bishop
Pearson, “doth expressly signify a Being or Nature of infinite
perfection; and the infinite perfection of a being or nature consists in
this, that it be absolutely and essentially necessary; an actual Being
of itself; and potential, or causative of all beings beside itself,
independent from any other, upon which all things else depend, and by
which all things else are governed.” “God is a Being,” says Lawson, “and
not any kind of being; but a substance, which is the foundation of other
beings. And not only a substance, but perfect. Yet many beings are
perfect in their kind, yet limited and finite. But God is absolutely,
fully, and every way infinitely perfect; and therefore above spirits,
above angels, who are perfect comparatively. God’s infinite perfection
includes all the attributes, even the most excellent. It excludes all
dependency, borrowed existence, composition, corruption, mortality,
contingency, ignorance, unrighteousness, weakness, misery, and all
imperfections whatever. It includes necessity of being, independency,
perfect unity, simplicity, immensity, eternity, immortality; the most
perfect life, knowledge, wisdom, integrity, power, glory, bliss, and all
these in the highest degree. We cannot pierce into the secrets of this
eternal Being. Our reason comprehends but little of him, and when it can
proceed no farther, faith comes in, and we believe far more than we can
understand; and this our belief is not contrary to reason; but reason
itself dictates unto us, that we must believe far more of God than it
can inform us of.” To these we may add an admirable passage from Sir
Isaac Newton: “The word GOD frequently signifies _Lord_; but every lord
is not God; it is the dominion of a spiritual Being or Lord that
constitutes God; true dominion, true God; supreme, the Supreme; feigned,
the false god. From such true dominion it follows, that the true God is
living, intelligent, and powerful; and from his other perfections, that
he is supreme, or supremely perfect; he is eternal and infinite;
omnipotent and omniscient; that is, he endures from eternity to
eternity; and is present from infinity to infinity. He governs all
things that exist, and knows all things that are to be known; he is not
eternity or infinity, but eternal and infinite; he is not duration or
space, but he endures and is present; he endures always, and is present
every where; he is omnipresent, not only virtually, but also
substantially; for power without substance cannot subsist. All things
are contained and move in him, but without any mutual passion; he
suffers nothing from the motions of bodies; nor do they undergo any
resistance from his omnipresence. It is confessed, that God exists
necessarily, and by the same necessity he exists always and every where.
Hence also he must be perfectly similar, all eye, all ear, all arm, all
the power of perceiving, understanding, and acting; but after a manner
not at all corporeal, after a manner not like that of men, after a
manner wholly to us unknown. He is destitute of all body, and all bodily
shape; and therefore cannot be seen, heard, or touched; nor ought he to
be worshipped under the representation of any thing corporeal. We have
ideas of the attributes of God, but do not know the substance of even
any thing; we see only the figures and colours of bodies, hear only
sounds, touch only the outward surfaces, smell only odours, and taste
tastes; and do not, cannot, by any sense, or reflex act, know their
inward substances; and much less can we have any notion of the substance
of God. We know him by his properties and attributes.”
12. Many able works in proof of the existence of God have been written,
the arguments of which are too copious for us even to analyze. It must
be sufficient to say that they all proceed, as it is logically termed,
either _à priori_, from cause to effect, or, which is the safest and
most satisfactory mode, _à posteriori_, from the effect to the cause.
The irresistible argument from the marks of _design_ with which all
nature abounds, to one great intelligent, designing Cause, is by no
writers brought out in so clear and masterly a manner as by Howe, in his
“Living temple,” and Paley, in his “Natural Theology.”
wisdom, and power; who made the universe, and continues to support it,
as well as to govern and direct it, by his providence. Philologists have
hitherto considered the word God as being of the same signification with
good; and this is not denied by M. Hallenberg. But he thinks that both
words originally denoted _unity_; and that the root is אתד, _unus_;
whence the Syriac _Chad_ and _Gada_; the Arabic _Ahd_ and _Gahd_; the
Persic _Choda_ and _Chuda_; the Greek ἀγαθὸς and γάθος; the Teutonic
_Gud_; the German _Gott_; and our Saxon _God_. The other names of God,
this author thinks, are referable to a similar origin.
2. By his immateriality, intelligence, and freedom, God is distinguished
from Fate, Nature, Destiny, Necessity, Chance, _Anima Mundi_, and from
all the other fictitious beings acknowledged by the Stoics, Pantheists,
Spinosists, and other sorts of Atheists. The knowledge of God, his
nature, attributes, word, and works, with the relations between him and
his creatures, makes the subject of the extensive science called
theology. In Scripture God is defined by, “I am that I am; Alpha and
Omega; the Beginning and End of all things.” Among philosophers, he is
defined a Being of infinite perfection; or in whom there is no defect of
any thing which we conceive may raise, improve, or exalt his nature. He
is the First Cause, the First Being, who has existed from the beginning,
has created the world, or who subsists necessarily, or of himself.
3. The plain argument, says Maclaurin, in his “Account of Sir I.
Newton’s Philosophical Discoveries,” for the existence of the Deity,
obvious to all, and carrying irresistible conviction with it, is from
the evident contrivance and fitness of things for one another, which we
meet with throughout all parts of the universe. There is no need of nice
or subtle reasonings in this matter; a manifest contrivance immediately
suggests a contriver. It strikes us like a sensation; and artful
reasonings against it may puzzle us, but it is without shaking our
belief. No person, for example, that knows the principles of optics, and
the structure of the eye, can believe that it was formed without skill
in that science; or that the ear was formed without the knowledge of
sounds; or that the male and female in animals were not formed for each
other, and for continuing the species. All our accounts of nature are
full of instances of this kind. The admirable and beautiful structure of
things for final causes, exalts our idea of the Contriver; the unity of
design shows him to be one. The great motions in the system performed
with the same facility as the least, suggest his almighty power, which
gave motion to the earth and the celestial bodies with equal ease as to
the minutest particles. The subtilty of the motions and actions in the
internal parts of bodies, shows that his influence penetrates the inmost
recesses of things, and that he is equally active and present every
where. The simplicity of the laws that prevail in the world, the
excellent disposition of things, in order to obtain the best ends, and
the beauty which adorns the works of nature, far superior to any thing
in art, suggest his consummate wisdom. The usefulness of the whole
scheme, so well contrived for the intelligent beings that enjoy it, with
the internal disposition and moral structure of these beings themselves,
shows his unbounded goodness. These are arguments which are sufficiently
open to the views and capacities of the unlearned, while at the same
time they acquire new strength and lustre from the discoveries of the
learned. The Deity’s acting and interposing in the universe, show that
he governs as well as formed it; and the depth of his counsels, even in
conducting the material universe, of which a great part surpasses our
knowledge, keeps up an inward veneration and awe of this great Being,
and disposes us to receive what may be otherwise revealed to us
concerning him. It has been justly observed, that some of the laws of
nature now known to us must have escaped us if we had wanted the sense
of seeing. It may be in his power to bestow upon us other senses, of
which we have at present no idea; without which it may be impossible for
us to know all his works, or to have more adequate ideas of himself. In
our present state, we know enough to be satisfied of our dependency upon
him, and of the duty we owe to him, the Lord and Disposer of all things.
He is not the object of sense; his essence, and, indeed, that of all
other substances, are beyond the reach of all our discoveries; but his
attributes clearly appear in his admirable works. We know that the
highest conceptions we are able to form of them, are still beneath his
real perfections; but his power and dominion over us, and our duty
toward him, are manifest.
4. Though God has given us no innate ideas of himself, says Mr. Locke,
yet, having furnished us with those faculties our minds are endowed
with, he hath not left himself without a witness; since we have sense,
perception, and reason, and cannot want a clear proof of him as long as
we carry ourselves about us. To show, therefore, that we are capable of
knowing, that is, of being certain that there is a God, and how we may
come by this certainty, I think we need go no farther than ourselves,
and that undoubted knowledge we have of our own existence. I think it is
beyond question, that man has a clear perception of his own being; he
knows certainly that he exists, and that he is something. In the next
place, man knows, by an intuitive certainty, that bare nothing can no
more produce any real being, than it can be equal to two right angles.
If, therefore, we know there is some real Being, it is an evident
demonstration, that from eternity there has been something; since what
was not from eternity had a beginning; and what had a beginning must be
produced by something else. Next it is evident, that what has its being
from another must also have all that which is in, and belongs to, its
being from another too; all the powers it has must be owing to, and
derived from, the same source. This eternal source, then, of all being
must be also the source and original of all power; and so this eternal
Being must be also the most powerful. Again: man finds in himself
perception and knowledge: we are certain, then, that there is not only
some Being, but some knowing, intelligent Being, in the world. There was
a time, then, when there was no knowing Being, or else there has been a
knowing Being from eternity. If it be said there was a time when that
eternal Being had no knowledge, I reply, that then it is impossible
there should have ever been any knowledge; it being as impossible that
things wholly void of knowledge, and operating blindly, and without any
perception, should produce a knowing Being, as it is impossible that a
triangle should make itself three angles bigger than two right ones.
Thus from the consideration of ourselves, and what we infallibly find in
our own constitutions, our reason leads us to the knowledge of this
certain and evident truth, that there is an eternal, most powerful, and
knowing Being, which, whether any one will call God, it matters not. The
thing is evident; and from this idea, duly considered, will easily be
deduced all those other attributes we ought to ascribe to this eternal
Being. From what has been said, it is plain to me, that we have a more
certain knowledge of the existence of a God, than of any thing our
senses have not immediately discovered to us. Nay, I presume I may say
that we more certainly know that there is a God, than that there is any
thing else without us. When I say we _know_, I mean, there is such a
knowledge within our reach, which we cannot miss, if we will but apply
our minds to that as we do to several other inquiries. It being then
unavoidable for all rational creatures to conclude that something has
existed from eternity, let us next see what kind of thing that must be.
There are but two sorts of beings in the world that man knows or
conceives; such as are purely material without sense or perception, and
sensible, perceiving beings, such as we find ourselves to be. These two
sorts we shall call cogitative and incogitative beings; which to our
present purpose are better than material and immaterial. If, then, there
must be something eternal, it is very obvious to reason that it must be
a cogitative being; because it is as impossible to conceive that bare
incogitative matter should ever produce a thinking, intelligent being,
as that nothing should of itself produce matter. Let us suppose any
parcel of matter eternal, we shall find it in itself unable to produce
any thing. Let us suppose its parts firmly at rest together, if there
were no other being in the world, must it not eternally remain so, a
dead inactive lump? Is it possible to conceive that it can add motion to
itself, or produce any thing? Matter, then, by its own strength cannot
produce in itself so much as motion. The motion it has must also be from
eternity, or else added to matter by some other being, more powerful
than matter. But let us suppose motion eternal too, yet matter,
incogitative matter, and motion could never produce thought: knowledge
will still be as far beyond the power of nothing to produce. Divide
matter into as minute parts as you will, vary its figure and motion as
much as you please, it will operate no otherwise upon other bodies of
proportionable bulk, than it did before this division. The minutest
particles of matter knock, impel, and resist one another, just as the
greater do; so that if we suppose nothing eternal, matter can never
begin to be; if we suppose bare matter without motion eternal, motion
can never begin to be; if we suppose only matter and motion to be
eternal, thought can never begin to be; for it is impossible to conceive
that matter, either with or without motion, could have originally in and
from itself, sense, perception, and knowledge, as is evident from hence,
that then sense, perception, and knowledge must be a property eternally
inseparable from matter, and every particle of it. Since, therefore,
whatsoever is the first eternal Being must necessarily be cogitative;
and whatsoever is first of all things must necessarily contain in it,
and actually have, at least all the perfections that can ever after
exist, it necessarily follows, that the first eternal Being cannot be
matter. If, therefore, it be evident that something must necessarily
exist from eternity, it is also evident that that something must
necessarily be a cogitative Being. For it is as impossible that
incogitative matter should produce a cogitative Being, as that nothing,
or the negation of all being, should produce a positive Being or matter.
This discovery of the necessary existence of an eternal mind
sufficiently leads us to the knowledge of God. For it will hence follow,
that all other knowing beings that have a beginning must depend upon
him, and have no other ways of knowledge or extent of power than what he
gives them; and therefore if he made those, he made also the less
excellent pieces of this universe, all inanimate bodies, whereby his
omniscience, power, and providence will be established, and from thence
all his other attributes necessarily follow.
5. In the Scriptures no attempt is made to prove the existence of a God;
such an attempt would have been entirely useless, because the fact was
universally admitted. The error of men consisted, not in denying a God,
but in admitting too many; and one great object of the Bible is to
demonstrate that there is but one. No metaphysical arguments, however,
are employed in it for this purpose. The proof rests on facts recorded
in the history of the Jews, from which it appears that they were always
victorious and prosperous so long as they served the only living and
true God, Yahweh, the name by which the Almighty made himself known to
them, and uniformly unsuccessful when they revolted from him to serve
other gods. What argument could be so effectual to convince them that
there was no god in all the earth but the God of Israel? The sovereignty
and universal providence of the Lord Yahweh are proved by predictions
delivered by the Jewish prophets, pointing out the fate of nations and
of empires, specifying distinctly their rise, the duration of their
power, and the causes of their decline; thus demonstrating that one God
ruled among the nations, and made them the unconscious instruments of
promoting the purposes of his will. In the same manner, none of the
attributes of God are demonstrated in Scripture by reasoning; they are
simply affirmed and illustrated by facts; and instead of a regular
deduction of doctrines and conclusions from a few admitted principles,
we are left to gather them from the recorded feelings and devotional
expressions of persons whose hearts were influenced by the fear of God.
These circumstances point out a marked singularity in the Scriptures,
considered as a repository of religious doctrines. The writers,
generally speaking, do not reason, but exhort and remonstrate; they do
not attempt to fetter the judgment by the subtleties of argument, but to
rouse the feelings by an appeal to palpable facts. This is exactly what
might have been expected from teachers acting under a divine commission,
and armed with undeniable facts to enforce their admonitions.
6. In three distinct ways do the sacred writers furnish us with
information on this great and essential subject, the existence and the
character of God; from the _names_ by which he is designated; from the
_actions_ ascribed to him; and from the _attributes_ with which he is
invested in their invocations and praises; and in those lofty
descriptions of his nature which, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, they have recorded for the instruction of the world. These
attributes will be considered under their respective heads; but the
impression of the general view of the divine character, as thus
revealed, is too important to be omitted.
7. The _names_ of God as recorded in Scripture convey at once ideas of
overwhelming greatness and glory, mingled with that awful mysteriousness
with which, to all finite minds, and especially to the minds of mortals,
the divine essence and mode of existence must ever be invested. Though
ONE he is אלהים, ELOHIM, GODS, _persons adorable_. He is יהוה, YAHWEH,
self-_existing_; אל, EL, _strong_, _powerful_; אהיה, EHIEH, _I am_, _I
will be_, _self-existence_, _independency_, _all-sufficiency_,
_immutability_, _eternity_; שדי, SHADDAI, _almighty_, _all-sufficient_;
אדן, ADON, _Supporter_, _Lord_, _Judge_. These are among the adorable
appellatives of God which are scattered throughout the revelation that
he has been pleased to make of himself: but on one occasion he was
pleased more particularly to declare his _name_, that is, such of the
qualities and attributes of the divine nature as mortals are the most
interested in knowing; and to unfold, not only his natural, but also
those of his moral attributes by which his conduct toward his creatures
is regulated. “And the Lord passed by and proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, transgression,
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s
children, unto the third and fourth generation,” Exodus xxxiv. This is
the most ample and particular description of the character of God, as
given by himself in the sacred records; and the import of the several
titles by which he has thus in his infinite condescension manifested
himself, has been thus exhibited. He is not only YAHWEH,
_self-existent_, and EL, _the strong or mighty God_; but he is, says Dr.
A. Clarke, “רחום, ROCHUM, _the merciful Being_, who is full of
tenderness and compassion; חנון, CHANUN, _the gracious One_, he whose
nature is goodness itself, the loving God. ארך פים, EREC APAYIM,
_long-suffering_, the Being who, because of his tenderness, is not
easily irritated, but suffers long and is kind; דב RAB, _the great or
mighty One_: חסד, CHESED, _the bountiful Being_, he who is exuberant in
his beneficence; אפת, EMETH, _the Truth_, or _True One_, he alone who
can neither deceive nor be deceived; נצר חסד, NOTSER CHESED, _the
Preserver of bountifulness_, he whose beneficence never ends, keeping
mercy for thousands of generations, showing compassion and mercy while
the world endures; נשא עון ופשע וחטאה, NOSE AVON VAPESHA VECHATAAH, _he
who bears away iniquity, transgression, and sin_; properly the
_Redeemer_, the _Pardoner_, the _Forgiver_, the Being whose prerogative
it is to forgive sin, and save the soul; נקה לא ינקה, NAKEH LO YINNAKEH,
_the righteous Judge_, who distributes justice with an impartial hand;
and פקד עין, PAKED AVON, &c, _he who visits iniquity_, he who punishes
transgressors, and from whose justice no sinner can escape; the God of
retributive and vindictive justice.”
8. The second means by which the Scriptures convey to us the knowledge
of God, is by the _actions_ which they ascribe to him. They contain,
indeed, the important record of his dealings with men in every age which
is comprehended within the limit of the sacred history; and, by
prophetic declaration, they also exhibit the principles on which he will
govern the world to the end of time: so that the whole course of the
divine administration may be considered as exhibiting a singularly
illustrative comment upon those attributes of his nature which, in their
abstract form, are contained in such declarations as those which have
been just quoted. The first act ascribed to God is that of creating the
heavens and the earth out of nothing; and by his fiat alone arranging
their parts, and peopling them with living creatures. By this were
manifested--his _eternity and self-existence_, as he who creates must be
before all creatures, and he who gives being to others can himself
derive it from none:--his _almighty power_, shown both in the act of
creation and in the number and vastness of the objects so produced:--his
_wisdom_, in their arrangement, and in their fitness to their respective
ends:--and his _goodness_, as the whole tended to the happiness of
_sentient_ beings. The foundations of his natural and moral government
are also made manifest by his creative acts. In what he made out of
nothing he had an absolute right and prerogative: it awaited his
ordering, and was completely at his disposal; so that to alter or
destroy his own work, and to prescribe the laws by which the intelligent
and rational part of his creatures should be governed, are rights which
none can question. Thus on the one hand his character of _Lord_ or
_Governor_ is established, and on the other our duty of lowly _homage_
and absolute _obedience_.
9. Agreeably to this, as soon as man was created, he was placed under a
rule of conduct. Obedience was to be followed with the continuance of
the divine favour; transgression, with death. The event called forth new
manifestations of the character of God. His tender _mercy_, in the
compassion showed to the fallen pair; his _justice_, in forgiving them
only in the view of a satisfaction to be hereafter offered to his
justice by an innocent representative of the sinning race; his _love_ to
that race, in giving his own Son to become this Redeemer, and in the
fulness of time to die for the sins of the whole world; and his
_holiness_, in connecting with this provision for the pardon of man the
means of restoring him to a sinless state, and to the obliterated image
of God in which he had been created. Exemplifications of the divine
_mercy_ are traced from age to age, in his establishing his own worship
among men, and remitting the punishment of individual and national
offences in answer to prayer offered from penitent hearts, and in
dependence upon the typified or actually offered universal
sacrifice:--of his _condescension_, in stooping to the cases of
individuals; in his dispensations both of providence and grace, by
showing respect to the poor and humble; and, principally, by the
incarnation of God in the form of a servant, admitting men into familiar
and friendly intercourse with himself, and then entering into heaven to
be their patron and advocate, until they should be received unto the
same glory, “and so be for ever with the Lord:”--of his strictly
_righteous government_, in the destruction of the old world, the cities
of the plain, the nations of Canaan, and all ancient states, upon their
“filling up the measure of their iniquities;” and, to show that “he will
by no means clear the guilty;” in the numerous and severe punishments
inflicted even upon the chosen seed of Abraham, because of their
transgressions:--of his _long-suffering_, in frequent warnings, delays,
and corrective judgments inflicted upon individuals and nations, before
sentence of utter excision and destruction:--of _faithfulness_ and
_truth_, in the fulfilment of promises, often many ages after they were
given, as in the promises to Abraham respecting the possession of the
land of Canaan by his seed, and in all the “promises made to the
fathers” respecting the advent, vicarious death, and illustrious offices
of the “Christ,” the Saviour of the world:--of his _immutability_, in
the constant and unchanging laws and principles of his government, which
remain to this day precisely the same, in every thing universal, as when
first promulgated, and have been the rule of his conduct in all places
as well as through all time:--of his _prescience_ of future events,
manifested by the predictions of Scripture:--and of the depth and
stability of his _counsel_, as illustrated in that plan and purpose of
bringing back a revolted world to obedience and felicity, which we find
steadily kept in view in the Scriptural history of the acts of God in
former ages; which is still the end toward which all his dispensations
bend, however wide and mysterious their sweep; and which they will
finally accomplish, as we learn from the prophetic history of the
future, contained in the Old and New Testaments.
Thus the course of divine operation in the world has from age to age
been a manifestation of the divine character, continually receiving new
and stronger illustrations until the completion of the Christian
revelation by the ministry of Christ and his inspired followers, and
still placing itself in brighter light and more impressive aspects as
the scheme of human redemption runs on to its consummation. From all the
acts of God as recorded in the Scriptures, we are taught that he alone
is God; that he is present every where to sustain and govern all things;
that his wisdom is infinite, his counsel settled, and his power
irresistible; that he is holy, just, and good; the Lord and the Judge,
but the Father and the Friend, of man.
10. More at large do we learn what God is, from the declarations of the
inspired writings. As to his _substance_, that “God is a Spirit.” As to
his _duration_, that “from everlasting to everlasting he is God;” “the
King, eternal, immortal, invisible.” That, after all the manifestations
he has made of himself, he is, from the infinite perfection and glory of
his nature, _incomprehensible_: “Lo, these are but parts of his ways,
and how little a portion is heard of him!” “Touching the Almighty, we
cannot find him out.” That he is _unchangeable_: “The Father of Lights,
with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” That “he
is the fountain of life,” and the only independent Being in the
universe: “Who only hath immortality.” That every other being, however
exalted, has its existence from him: “For by him were all things
created, which are in heaven and in earth, whether they are visible or
invisible.” That the existence of every thing is upheld by him, no
creature being for a moment independent of his support: “By him all
things consist;” “upholding all things by the word of his power.” That
he is _omnipresent_: “Do not I fill heaven and earth with my presence,
saith the Lord?” That he is _omniscient_: “All things are naked and open
before the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” That he is the absolute
Lord and _Owner_ of all things: “The heavens, even the heaven of
heavens, are thine, and all the parts of them:” “The earth is thine, and
the fulness thereof, the world and them that dwell therein:” “He doeth
according to his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants
of the earth.” That his _providence_ extends to the minutest objects:
“The hairs of your head are all numbered:” “Are not two sparrows sold
for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without
your Father.” That he is a Being of unspotted _purity_ and perfect
_rectitude_: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!” “A God of truth, and
in whom is no iniquity:” “Of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.” That
he is _just_ in the administration of his government: “Shall not the
Judge of the whole earth do right?” “Clouds and darkness are round about
him; judgment and justice are the habitation of his throne.” That his
_wisdom_ is unsearchable: “O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!”
And, finally, that he is _good_ and _merciful_: “Thou art good, and thy
mercy endureth for ever:” “His tender mercy is over all his works:”
“God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ:”
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them:” “God hath given to us eternal life, and
this life is in his Son.”
11. Under these deeply awful but consolatory views, do the Scriptures
present to us the supreme object of our worship and trust; and they
dwell upon each of the above particulars with inimitable sublimity and
beauty of language, and with an inexhaustible variety of illustration.
Nor can we compare these views of the divine nature with the conceptions
of the most enlightened of Pagans, without feeling how much reason we
have for everlasting gratitude, that a revelation so explicit, and so
comprehensive, should have been made to us on a subject which only a
revelation from God himself could have made known. It is thus that
Christian philosophers, even when they do not use the language of the
Scriptures, are able to speak on this great and mysterious doctrine, in
language so clear, and with conceptions so noble; in a manner too so
equable, so different from the sages of antiquity, who, if at any time
they approach the truth when speaking of the divine nature, never fail
to mingle with it some essentially erroneous or grovelling conception.
“By the Word of God,” says Dr. Barrow, “we mean a Being of infinite
wisdom, goodness, and power, the Creator and the Governor of all things,
to whom the great attributes of eternity and independency, omniscience
and immensity, perfect holiness and purity, perfect justice and
veracity, complete happiness, glorious majesty, and supreme right of
dominion belong; and to whom the highest veneration, and most profound
submission and obedience are due.” “Our notion of Deity,” says Bishop
Pearson, “doth expressly signify a Being or Nature of infinite
perfection; and the infinite perfection of a being or nature consists in
this, that it be absolutely and essentially necessary; an actual Being
of itself; and potential, or causative of all beings beside itself,
independent from any other, upon which all things else depend, and by
which all things else are governed.” “God is a Being,” says Lawson, “and
not any kind of being; but a substance, which is the foundation of other
beings. And not only a substance, but perfect. Yet many beings are
perfect in their kind, yet limited and finite. But God is absolutely,
fully, and every way infinitely perfect; and therefore above spirits,
above angels, who are perfect comparatively. God’s infinite perfection
includes all the attributes, even the most excellent. It excludes all
dependency, borrowed existence, composition, corruption, mortality,
contingency, ignorance, unrighteousness, weakness, misery, and all
imperfections whatever. It includes necessity of being, independency,
perfect unity, simplicity, immensity, eternity, immortality; the most
perfect life, knowledge, wisdom, integrity, power, glory, bliss, and all
these in the highest degree. We cannot pierce into the secrets of this
eternal Being. Our reason comprehends but little of him, and when it can
proceed no farther, faith comes in, and we believe far more than we can
understand; and this our belief is not contrary to reason; but reason
itself dictates unto us, that we must believe far more of God than it
can inform us of.” To these we may add an admirable passage from Sir
Isaac Newton: “The word GOD frequently signifies _Lord_; but every lord
is not God; it is the dominion of a spiritual Being or Lord that
constitutes God; true dominion, true God; supreme, the Supreme; feigned,
the false god. From such true dominion it follows, that the true God is
living, intelligent, and powerful; and from his other perfections, that
he is supreme, or supremely perfect; he is eternal and infinite;
omnipotent and omniscient; that is, he endures from eternity to
eternity; and is present from infinity to infinity. He governs all
things that exist, and knows all things that are to be known; he is not
eternity or infinity, but eternal and infinite; he is not duration or
space, but he endures and is present; he endures always, and is present
every where; he is omnipresent, not only virtually, but also
substantially; for power without substance cannot subsist. All things
are contained and move in him, but without any mutual passion; he
suffers nothing from the motions of bodies; nor do they undergo any
resistance from his omnipresence. It is confessed, that God exists
necessarily, and by the same necessity he exists always and every where.
Hence also he must be perfectly similar, all eye, all ear, all arm, all
the power of perceiving, understanding, and acting; but after a manner
not at all corporeal, after a manner not like that of men, after a
manner wholly to us unknown. He is destitute of all body, and all bodily
shape; and therefore cannot be seen, heard, or touched; nor ought he to
be worshipped under the representation of any thing corporeal. We have
ideas of the attributes of God, but do not know the substance of even
any thing; we see only the figures and colours of bodies, hear only
sounds, touch only the outward surfaces, smell only odours, and taste
tastes; and do not, cannot, by any sense, or reflex act, know their
inward substances; and much less can we have any notion of the substance
of God. We know him by his properties and attributes.”
12. Many able works in proof of the existence of God have been written,
the arguments of which are too copious for us even to analyze. It must
be sufficient to say that they all proceed, as it is logically termed,
either _à priori_, from cause to effect, or, which is the safest and
most satisfactory mode, _à posteriori_, from the effect to the cause.
The irresistible argument from the marks of _design_ with which all
nature abounds, to one great intelligent, designing Cause, is by no
writers brought out in so clear and masterly a manner as by Howe, in his
“Living temple,” and Paley, in his “Natural Theology.”