Chapter IIOf God and of the Holy Trinity
The 1689 text, original spelling
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Text public domain · U.S.
The 1689 text with original spelling and punctuation, copied and reformatted from CCEL’s microfilm transcription of the 1677 edition. Source: Bible Researcher transcription.
The source text was published in 1677/1689; the electronic transcription declares the confession text public domain. Rights evidence. Verified 2026-07-14.
The Lord our God is buta one only living, and true God; whoseb subsistence is in and of himself,c infinite in being, and perfection, whose Essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself;d a most pure spirit,e invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light, which no man can approach unto, who isf immutable,g immense,h eternal, incomprehensible,i Almighty, every way infinit,k most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute,l working all things according to the councel of his own immutable, and most righteous will,m for his own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin,n the rewarder of them that diligently seek him, and withall most just,o and terrible in his judgements,p hating all sin, and who will by no means clear theq guilty.
a1 Cor. 8.4 6. Deut. 6.4.
bJer 10.10. Isaiah 48.12.
cExod 3.14.
dJoh. 4.24.
e1 Tim. 1.17. Deut. 4.15,16.
fMal. 3.6.
g1 King. 8.27. Jer. 23.23.
hPs. 90.2.
iGen. 17.1.
kIsa. 6.3.
lPs. 115.3. Isa. 46.10.
mPro. 16.4. Rom. 11.36.
nExod. 34.6,7. Hebr. 11.6.
oNeh. 9.32,33.
pPs. 5.5,6.
qExod. 34.7. Nahum. 1,2,3.
God having allr life,s glory,t goodness, blessedness, in and of himself: is alone in, and unto himself all-sufficient, notu 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,x of whom, through whom, and to whom are all things, and he hath most soveraigny dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth; in his sightz all things are open and manifest, his knowledge isa infinite, infallible, and independant upon the Creature, so as nothing is to him contingent, or uncertain; he is most holy in all his Councels, inb all his Works, and in all his Commands; to him is duec from Angels and men, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience as Creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever he is further pleased to require of them.
In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences,d the Father the Word (or Son) and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and Eternity, each having the whole Divine Essence,e yet the Essence undivided, the Father is of none neither begotten nor proceeding, the Son isf Eternally begotten of the Father, the holy Spiritg 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 dependance on him.