The 1689 Second London Baptist
Confession of Faith, Chapter 2 of God and the Holy Trinity. The Lord our God is but one only
living and true God, whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite
in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended
by any but himself, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body,
parts, or passions, who only hath immortality. dwelling in
the light which no man can approach unto, who is immutable, immense,
eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy,
most wise, most free, most absolute, working all things according
to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will for his
own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant
in goodness and truth. forgiven iniquity, transgression,
and sin, the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him, and
with all most just, and terrible in His judgments, hating all
sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty. God, having
all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself, is alone in
and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature
which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only
manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them. He is
the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to
whom are all things. And he hath most sovereign dominion
over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them,
whatsoever himself pleaseth. In His sight all things are open
and manifest. His knowledge is infinite, infallible,
and independent upon the creature. So as nothing is to Him contingent
or uncertain, He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His
works, and in all His commands. To Him is due 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, the Father, the Word, or Son,
and the Holy Spirit, of one substance, power, and eternity, each having
the whole divine essence, yet the essence undivided. The Father
is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding. The Son is eternally
begotten of the Father. The Holy Spirit 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 dependence
on Him.