God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
— Hebrews 2:4
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
— Matthew 28:19
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
— Genesis 1:26
A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
— Psalm 110:1
The Christian’s Catechism on the Great Articles of Every True Believer’s Faith, by Robert Hawker. The following contains an excerpt from his work.
The Christian’s catechism on the great and distinguishing articles of every true believer’s faith in a way of question and answer drawn up for the use of schools and for the instruction of private families.
Question: As the foundation of all religion rests on this basis that there is a God, and as the maxim of the Apostle must hold everlastingly true that he who cometh to God must believe that He is — Hebrews 11:16. I shall open our subject with desiring you to tell me what are your apprehensions and ideas concerning the being and attributes of God.
Answer: My ideas of this first and greatest of all concerns are formed upon what God has been pleased to reveal of Himself in the sacred scriptures where He is discovered under those great and eternal distinctions of character, which represent Him as the one self-existent independent infinite and eternal Jehovah, possessing all divine attributes and perfections and resting in His own glorious excellence inhabiting eternity or to speak of Him in the sublime terms with which the apostles sums up His character — He is the blessed and only Potentate King of Kings and Lord of Lords who only have immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen or can see. The King Eternal Immortal Invisible the only wise God, to whom the honor and power everlastingly amen. — 1 Timothy 6, Verses 15 and 16, and Chapter 1, verse 17.
Question: I’m well satisfied with this account of your ideas of God. It corresponds as far as it goes. I believe with the creed of every man who professeth a belief in one infinite and eternal Jehovah. Have you anything further to observe respecting your faith in his being and character?
Answer: Yes, connected with this great and leading truth of the being of God I learn from the same authority which hath given me this information another equally important truth concerning him — namely the existence of God is distinguished in a way and manner which may be considered peculiarly as his own. That is to say while every part of scripture tends to confirm the assurance that this great and Almighty Being is, and must necessarily be in His very nature and essence, the one only and true God. And that there can be none beside Him. The same scriptures do as positively declare that his existence is formed in a trinity of persons. And in confirmation of this doctrine there are distinct and specific names in scripture given to each. And by which each is known and distinguished namely the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost.
Question: But is not this difficult to reason to explain that Three should be in one, and that one should be in Three?
Answer: Yes difficult no doubt it is to reason to explain but not irreconcilable to reason to believe. And it should be ever remembered that it is not proposed to man for his reason to explain. But as an object of his faith to believe. It is one thing to say that such a truth is above the powers of reason to discover, and another to say that when discovered it is against reason to believe. Has man’s reason being competent to form suitable apprehensions of God they would have needed no revelation to have informed him. Whereas the very idea of revelation implies that man without it, could have no proper notions of God. When we consider therefore the finite capacity of man we may well suppose that the contemplation of such an infinite being as God is must after all revelation hath done. Be attended with difficulties about the greatest wonder rightly considered is not that we know so little of God, but that we know so much. And skeptics who presume to doubt or deny because they know no more would do well to consider, whether if they knew all they would not even then reject the evidence and still arraign the divine wisdom in the appointment. In having given finite creatures a capacity to explore what is infinite but with respect to the difficulty, you speak of to reason of apprehending the doctrine of the Trinity. It will be readily allowed that reason of itself untoward of God could never have made such a discovery. But this by the way let me observe instead of being an argument against the reception of it, become no small collateral testimony of its truth. For if the doctrine itself be still difficult to apprehend even after revelation hath thrown so much light upon it it will follow that what man cannot still fully comprehend. Man never at the first could have revealed, and therefore it carries with it an evidence in its very bosom that the first discovery of it must have originated in God. Besides, if the doctrine of the mode of God’s existence in the Trinity be rejected because of its mysteriousness by the same rule of reasoning, we ought to reject the belief of all the glorious attributes of God. I cannot possibly conceive how God should possess all space, and be intimately present in one at the same moment through all the boundless expanse of infinity. But yet I do not hesitate to believe because scripture assures me so that God is omnipresent. Neither can I have the most distant idea of an eternity, which never had beginning nor will have end. And yet I never questioned but God is eternal. No man’s reason I will be bold to say any more than mine can explain these things. But the reason of skeptics hath never as far as I have heard called in question these attributes of God, and wherefore the existence of God in a trinity of persons should be unbelieved on account of its mysteriousness when scripture so plainly and fully asserted it is hard to say. For my own part I very humbly conceive that the reason of men alone and untaught of God might have led him to suppose that if there be an infinite and eternal being who is the creator of all things, it was likely to imagine that his existence when discovered would be found distinguished in a way totally different from all his creatures. And when therefore his own scriptures of truth come into our aid and tell us that this one glorious and eternal Jehovah exists in a trinity of persons this forms just such a description of the greatness and grandeur of his character as might be supposed — drawing as a line of eternal distinction between himself and all the works of his creation. And hence therefore it can be nothing but the unhumbled pride and ignorance of the human heart untaught by grace to reject this counsel of God against themselves. As on the other hand, it becomes the result of every humble and teachable mind to receive with gratitude the gracious condescension of God in this revelation of himself and to believe it with thanksgiving.
Question: I do not see how your arguments can be refuted, and if you can produce sufficient proofs of scripture to confirm what you say, it will be altogether satisfactory.
Answer: That I can most amply.
Question: First, then produce your proofs from Scripture of the unity of the divine nature.
Answer: Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord — Deuteronomy 6:4. Again, there is one God and there is no other but He — Mark 12:32 again there is one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all — Ephesians 4:6. Again, I am God and there is no God with me before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me — Deuteronomy 32:9, Isaiah 43, Verse 10. Once more, thus saith the Lord the king of Israel and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts I am the first and I am the last and besides me there is no God — Isaiah 44:6.
Question: These are enough quotations in proof of the Divine Unity. Next bring forth your scripture testimonies of the doctrine of a trinity of persons in the Divine Unity.
Answer: There are Three that bear record in heaven the Father the word and the Holy Ghost and these Three are one — 1 John 5, verse 7. Again, the Son and Holy Ghost is joined in the same Act of adoration with the Father and believers come under to be baptized in the joint name of the Three go ye therefore and teach All Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost — Matthew 28:19. Again, the Apostle prays for blessings on the faithful in the same joint name of the Sacred Three: the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all amen — 2 Corinthians 13, verse 14. Moreover, the same distinctions of character and the same act of deity are equally and indiscriminately ascribed to all the persons of the godhead as for example: respecting God’s eternity the Father is said to be the Eternal God — Deuteronomy 33, verse 27, and Jesus Christ is said to be the same yesterday today and forever — Hebrews 13 verse 8. And the Holy Spirit is called in the same scripture the eternal Spirit — Hebrews 9, verse 14. Again in respect to God’s ubiquity as the Father is said to fill Heaven and Earth — Jeremiah 23:24. So also of the Son it is said that he filleth all in all Ephesians 1, verse 23, and David under the same Assurance of the ubiquity of the Holy Ghost cryeth out wither shall I go from thy Spirit —Psalm 139, verse 7. Again, respecting the knowledge of God known unto God are all His works saith the Apostle — Acts 15:18. All the churches shall know saith Christ that I am He which searcheth the reins and hearts — Revelation 2:23. And no less also is it said that the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God — 1 Corinthians 2, verse 10. Again, wisdom is another peculiar perfection of the deity. And as in reference to the Father, it is said that wisdom and might are His — Daniel 2:20. So in reference to the Son, Scripture declares that in Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge — Colossians 2, verse 3. And the Holy Ghost is expressly said to be the spirit of wisdom and understanding — Isaiah 11, verse 2. once more concerning the omnipotency of the deity, all power it is said belongeth unto God — Psalm 62, Verse 11. All power is Jesus’s in heaven and in Earth — Matthew 28 verse 18. But that these acts of sovereignty are not exercised by either the Father or the Son, to the exclusion of God, the Holy Ghost. It is expressly said in Scripture, that the mighty signs and wonders wrought in the church, were wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost — Romans 15, verse 19. The same kind of argument in reference to the sacred Three may be equally applied to every attribute of the godhead.
Question: These are certainly sufficient in proof and abundantly satisfactory. Have you any other you wish to mention by way of further illustration?
Answer: Yes, I would beg just to observe in additional testimony that the exercise of the divine perfections as they refer to us and our nature, are in scripture spoken of as the joint operation of the sacred Three, which serves yet more to confirm the doctrine of the trinity in unity.
Question: Give your proofs.
Answer: In respect to our creation, it is said that God the Father created man — Genesis 1, verse 27. But it is equally said that by Jesus Christ were all things created that are in heaven, and that are in Earth — Colossians 1, verse 16. Yet that we might not lose sight of God, the Holy Ghost in this act of divine power, Job saith the Spirit of God hath made me — Job 33, verse 4. Again, in reference to redemption, God saith I am thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel — Isaiah 41:14. But thou has redeemed us to God by thy blood was the Song which John heard the glorified inhabitants of eternity singing to Christ — Revelation 5:9. And that neither this was without the concurring operation of God, the Holy Ghost, another sacred writer had it in commission to say that Christ offered himself to God through the eternal Spirit — Hebrews 9 14. So once more in the great work of sanctification, Jude says believers are sanctified by God, the Father — Jude 1. Paul says they are sanctified by Christ — Hebrews 2, verse 11. And elsewhere, he ascribes sanctification to the Holy Ghost — Romans 15, verse 16. And as in grace, so do the possession of eternal glory — the resurrection of the faithful Is ascribed to the joint operation on the Triune God. As the Father raises up the dead and quickeneth him — John 5:21. So in the same verse it is said that the Son quickeneth whom he will and in the next chapter, it is as expressly declared that it is the Spirit which quickeneth — John 6:63. And what then is the plain and unavoidable inference from all these scriptures but this: that as there are Three distinct Persons so strikingly specified and distinguished. And one and the same attribute equally possessed by all at the same act, equally exercised by all, and such acts as in every instance fully proved deity. Everything concurs to confirm what scripture hath before asserted: that there are Three which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, and these Three are One — 1 John 5 verse 7.
Question: I am perfectly satisfied with the relation and proof you have given of the first article of your Christian faith. We will go on now if you please do the next particular to be attended to in the faith of a Christian.
Answer: if you please.
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