rounds us on every fide, and we cannot go Pfal.139. 1 from his prefence or flee from his Spirit: he 12. compaffeth our path and our lying down, and

is acquainted with all our ways. There is no Job 34. 21, darkness, nor deep retirement, where the wick- 22. ed can hide themselves from God.

The infinité

wisdom and

power of God.

INFINITE Knowlege, Wifdom, and Power belong to God. He knows all his works from the Aa. 15. 18. beginning of the world. His understanding is Pfal. 147. 5. infinite, comprehending all things, whether

paft, prefent, or future. Nothing can efcape Ifa. 46. 10. his notice; for his eyes are in every place, Prov. 15. 3. beholding the evil and the good; he looketh Job 28. 24. unto the ends of the earth, and feeth under

the whole heaven; he fearcheth our hearts, Jer. 17. 9,10. and understandeth our thoughts afar off: Nei- Pfal. 139. z. ther is there any creature which is not manifeft Heb. 4. 13. in his fight; but all things are naked and

opened unto his view. Wisdom and Might Dan. 2. 20, are his, and from him, as the fountain, all the 21, 22. wildon,

cge, and power of angels and

men are derived. He is the great, the mighty Jer. 32. 17God, the Lord of Hofts; great in counfel, 19. and mighty in work. His counfel fhall ftand, Ifa. 46. 10. and he will perform all his pleafüre, for with Gen. 18. 14: him nothing is hard or impoffible. All his Matt. 19, 26. works manifeft his infinite Wifdom and almighty Power; and it becomes all creatures Prov. 3. 19, to fubmit to his Will, for all his ways are right. 20.

His Wifdom is unfathomable by any finite Matt. 6. 10. understandings; he cannot be inftructed by Hol. 14. 9. his creatures; nor does he ftand in need of Rom. 11. any thing from them; for of him, and thro' 33-36. him, and to him are all things, to whom be glory forever.

God is effen

GOD is effentially holy; free from every tially holy. moral blemish and impurity, and irreconcile- Pfal. 5. 4, 5 able 22. 3.

B

Jam. 1.13,14 able to all wickedness. It is not poffible that God fhould be tempted with evil; neither can he tempt or encourage any man to fin, or take pleasure in the workers of iniquity. Ifa. 6. 3. Angels and Saints in heaven proclaim the Rev. 15. 3,4. glory of God, as exalted in holiness, and worthy of all honor, becaufe He only is holy, who All moral per is the Lord God almighty.

fections are to

be attributed to God.

Pfal. 145.17.

A&t. 14. 17.

Matt. 5. 45.

JUSTICE, Goodness, Truth, Mercy, and every other moral Perfection, are to be attriMatt. 5. 43. buted to the divine Nature. God's Throne is Pfal, 89. 14. founded on Juftice and Judgment, and as Gen. 18. 25. Judge of all the earth he can do nothing but what is right. He is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works; and all creatures Deut. 32. 4. are governed by Laws fuited to their respective natures, Laws which are perfectly wife, Pfal. 145 9. just, and good. He is good unto all, and his tender mercies are over all his works; and he is giving continual teftimonies of his goodness and patience towards ungrateful and finful Deut. 7. 9. men. He is the faithful God, who cannot lie, Num. 23. 19. but will perform his word, fo that neither his promises nor threatnings fhall fail. When he enters into judgment, he will not acquit the wicked But he is long-fuffering, not willing that any fhould perish; and he defers the execution of his threatnings, that by his goodness and forbearance men may be led to repentance. Though he hath determined to punish the world for the evil which is in it, and the wicked for their iniquity; yet God is merciful and gracious, rich in benignity unto all that call upon him, ready to pardon all manner of fins, according to that fpecial covenant, confirmed Act. 3. 19. by his oath, in which he hath promised to fave Heb.6.17,18. all who truft in that wonderful mercy abundantly made known in the Gospel.

Pfal.

143. 2.

Nah. 1. 3.

2 Pet. 3. 9. Rom. 2. 3, 4.

Ifa. 13. 11.

Exod. 34. 6.

Mark 3. 28,

29.

THESE

THESE are fome of the glorious characters God is incomprehenfi of God by which he hath revealed himself to ble. -man. But how small a portion is heard and known of him! Who can by fearching find out Job 26. 14. the Almighty unto perfection? The knowlege Job 11.7,8,9. of God is wonderful! of boundlefs extent! Pfal. 139. 6. The mind of man can never trace it through it's everspreading dimenfions. But from the holy Scriptures we may gain all that knowlege of the nature and glorious attributes of God, which is neceffary to lead us to the enjoyment of confummate happiness in him.

TH

ART. II.

Of the holy Scriptures.

HE holy Scriptures of the old and new Teftament, as contained in our Bibles commonly used, and which are acknowleged by Proteftants to be canonical, all chriftians are to receive with the highest reverence as the WORD OF THE LIVING GOD. They were 1 Theff.2.13. written by holy Men of God, as they were 2Pet1 20,21. moved by the holy Ghoft: And being given 2 Tim. 3. by divine infpiration, they are to be regarded 15-17. as the only Rule of Faith and Practice, by which all doctrines must be tried, and our whole conduct in matters of religion governed. For whatever variety is found in thofe facred books, they are all adapted to our improve. ment in knowlege and holiness, being profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for inftruction in righteoufnefs; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works; and they are able to make us wife unto falvation, through faith in Christ Jefus. MORE

B 2

Heb. I. 1.

MORE efpecially, The Gospel of Jefus Chrift, contained in the writings of the new Teftament, is the laft, the cleareft, and most complete revelation of the Will of God for the eternal falvation of finful men; fo that we are neither to expect, nor defire, any farther revelation from heaven to guide us to everlasting life.

Gon, who at fundry times, and in divers manners fpake unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in thefe laft days fpoken unto us Eph.1. 7,8,9. by his Son; by whom he hath made known the abundant riches of his wifdom and mercy

in the redemption of the world. This revelation of his Will is emphatically called-The Luk. 2. 10, Gofpel; because it brings good news from heaven to miferable men, and opens the whole

II.

19.

myfterious method in which God is, in Chrift, 2 Cor. 5. 18, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing unto men their trefpaffes. It contains a faithful account of the Perfon, doctrines, miracles, crucifixion, refurrection, and glory of 1 Tim. 1. 15, the Son of God, who came into the world to fave finners; and inftructs us in all things A&t. 11. 14. neceffary for our falvation by him.

16.

The diftinguishing faith Lf chriftians.

45.

AR T. III.

Of Jefus Chrift the Savior of the World.

JESU

ESUS of Nazareth, who was crucified by the wicked hands of the Jews as an ImJoh. 1. 41, poftor and Blafphemer, was the very Meffiah promised under the old Teftament, pointed out Luk. 1. 68— by all the Prophets as the Savior of Ifrael, and earnestly expected by the people of God. Therefore, the diftinguishing Faith 'which all christians profess, may be thus generally ex

75.

preffed,

7

preffed, viz.-JESUS OF NAZARETH IS THE 1 Joh. 5. 1, CHRIST, THE SON OF THE LIVING GOD;

who came into the world to fave finners, and was Matt. 16.16, delivered up to be crucified for our offences and Rom. 4. 25. raifed again for our juftification.

Jefus is the THE character of the Chrift is given to Jefus, Chrift. because he is eminently God's anointed, fuftain- Pfal. 89.19ing those three high offices of a Prophet, Priest, 37. and King, to which men were anointed for the fervice of the church and kingdom of God under the old Teftament. In the Perfon of Jefus Christ all thefe offices are now united; and he performs every thing implied in them, for the benefit of his church under the new covenant. Being the Son of God, as well as the Son of man, Ifa. 61. 1. and having been anointed of God with the holy A&, 10. 38.Ghost, and with power, Jefus Chrift is perfectly Pfal. z. 2. qualified for the faithful discharge of all these Coloff. 1, 19, offices, and without the leaft failure accom- 20. plifheth every thing belonging to them, according to his Father's Will: fo that the people Joh. 8. 29. of God, committed to his care, may depend

wholly on him for wifdom, righteoufnefs, fancti- 1 Cor. 1. 30 fication, and redemption, and obtain all the 31. bleffings of grace and glory by him, as the Eph. 1. 3. only Mediator betwixt God and man, and the Tim. 2.5,64 complete Head and Savior of all that truft in

him.

ALTHOUGH We cannot form adequate Ideas Jefus is the of the full import of this diftinguithing cha- Son of God, racter of Jefus Chrift, that He is the Son of God, for no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; yet God hath declared him to be his Son by repeated teftimonies from heaven, and Matt. 3. 17: that in fuch a peculiar fenfe, as implies the 17. 5. nearest relation to, and moft intimate union with the Father. No other Beings, whether

men