Chap. III. — Of the Holy Trinity.
Q. 1. Is there but one God to whom these properties do belong?
A. 1One only, in respect of his essence and being, but one 2in three distinct persons, of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Q. 2. What mean you by person?
A. A distinct manner of3 4 5 subsistence or being, distinguished from the other persons by its own properties. John v. 17; Heb. i. 3.
Q. 3. What is the distinguishing property of the person of the Father?
A. To be of himself only the fountain of the Godhead. John v. 26, 27; Eph. i. 3.
Q. 4. What is the property of the Son?
A. To be begotten of his Father from eternity. Ps. ii. 7; John i. 14, iii. 16.
Q. 5. What of the Holy Ghost?
A. To proceed from the Father and the Son. John xiv. 17, xvi. 14, xv. 26, xx. 22.
Q. 6. Are these three one?
A. One 6every way, in nature, will, and essential properties, 7distinguished only in their personal manner of subsistence.
Q. 7. Can we conceive these things as they are in themselves?
A. Neither ^awe nor yet the ^bangels8 of heaven are at all able to dive into these secrets, as they are internally in God; ^cbut in respect of the outward dispensation of themselves to us by creation, redemption, and sanctification, a knowledge may be attained of these things, saving and heavenly. ^a1 Tim. vi. 16. ^bIsa. vi. 2, 3. ^cCol. i. 11–14.
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Footnotes
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Deut. vi. 4; Matt. xix. 17; Eph. iv. 5, 6. ↩
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Gen. i. 26; 1 John v. 7; Matt. xxviii. 19. ↩
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This is that mysterious ark that must not be pried into, nor the least tittle spoken about it, wherein plain Scripture goeth not before. ↩
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To deny the Deity of any one person, is in effect to deny the whole Godhead for whosoever hath not the Son, hath not the Father. ↩
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This only doctrine remained undefiled in the Papacy. ↩
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John x. 30; Rom. iii. 30. ↩
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John xv. 26; 1 John v. 7. ↩
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We must labour to make out comfort from the proper work of every person towards us. ↩