From Reformation to Reformation

THESIS XXVII: Hitherto the commanding principium: the executing principium follows, which is the power of God, whereby God is able to...

THESIS XIX: In the Scripture there are various names for the divine will, which nevertheless indicate concepts, diverse to us, of...

THESIS XVIII: The principium commanding action is the will, whereby God wills Himself of Himself, and beyond Himself all things because...

THESIS XIV: Hitherto the divine properties of the first class: Of the second class are those that are applicable to God in such a way...

THESIS XI: Immutability is a property of God, which excludes from God all possibility of mutation: 1. with respect to existence; 2. ...

THESIS VI: The Properties of the divine nature, or essence, are GOD’S essential attributes, whereby the truth and majesty of the divine...

THESIS I: Hitherto the προλεγόμενα/Prolegomena of Christian Theology: now follows the explication of the body of Theology itself by...

Thesis I: The knowledge of God is defined. Thesis II: God is described. Explanation: 1. The description of God is confirmed. 2. The...

Among the Incommunicable Attributes in the first place God’s Independence is treated. He is Independent, because He is of Himself sufficient unto Himself, in such a way that He requires nothing except Himself for His existence. And so, when we speak of God’s Independence, absolute Independence is to be understood, which removed dependence of every sort: but not relative Independence, which some observe in the order of creatures among themselves, and which only denies a certa

ε. Finally, the Attributes are distinguished into Communicable and Incommunicable. Thus we speak improperly, and this distinction is able easily to be drawn unto harmful sense: but if you understand Communicability very broadly of a certain very obscure similitude, even certain things that are commonly called Incommunicable are able to be called Communicable: thus the Most Illustrious WITTICH in his Theologia Pacifica, § 194. But we ourselves do not think that this distinctio

Descartes δ. Into Internal and External, which division was accommodated to the Philosophy of Descartes, according to which the whole nature of God is mere Thought, to the exclusion, as we were hearing Poiret say above, § 16, of all other things that are able to be conceived of besides thought. From this principium it is deduced that there are only two internal Attributes of God, Intellect and Will, because there are only two general modes of thought, perception or the operat

γ. Into Absolute and Relative, which imply a Relation to the creatures with Himself, and are founded in Absolutes. Thus an Absolute Attribute of God is Goodness, but a Relative Attribute is Mercy, which pertains to the Goodness of God, but additionally involves a regard to a miserable creature. Immensity is an Absolute Attribute, but Omnipresence is Relative, because it indicates a relation to created things, in all which it asserts the presence of God. Vindictive Justice is

β. Into Negative and Positive: thus Infinity, Immensity, Independence, Invisibility, etc., are called Negative: Wisdom, Goodness, Justice, etc., are called Positive. We form a conception of the Negative Attributes by way of Negation; of the Positive Attributes by way of Eminence. But the Negative Attributes for the most part are so called in relation, not to the very Attributes of God, but to the Mode of our Conception and the Names by which they are expressed; while Infinity

The Attributes of God are divided in various ways: α. Into Proper and Metaphorical. Unto the Metaphorical Attributes human Affections ought to be referred; it will be demonstrate below in § 26 that such do not properly apply to God. Unto the Metaphorical Attributes are also referred other metaphors from created things, under which God comes, when He is called a Rock, a roaring Lion, a consuming Fire. But the Proper Attributes are expressed concerning God in a proper sense, wh

But, that thus God in a manner agreeing with Himself possesses an Infinity of Perfections, and is not merely called and conceived of by us as Infinite according to our impotence, while actually He is not such in Himself, as Hobbes maintains, see COCQUIUS’ Anatomen Hobbesianismi, locus VI, chapter XII, page 125; our AUTHOR proves, α. From the enumeration of the individual Perfections made in the Scripture; β. And from the exclusion of all Imperfections. γ. Especially from the

[Of all the divine Attributes or Perfections there is a certain Complex/ Inclusion in Infinity, as it is stated negatively, or with Consummate Perfection, as it is stated positively:] Indeed, this is not so much to be called an Attribute, as rather a certain Complex of all the Attributes, whereby as a brief compendium, as it were, but a conception less distinct and obscure enough, our mind strives to apprehend whatever comes to be understood concerning God. Now, although Infi

After the Nature of God, His Attributes ought to be regarded, so called because they are attributed by us to God: which same things are called Perfections, since they not only remove any Imperfection from God, but also denote in Him positive and real predicates; even if often, from the poverty of our conceptions and vocabulary, they be represented by a negative notion, expressed by a negative word. Those divine Perfections are also pure perfections, which have no mixture of t

γ. The Faculty of Power operative externally is added, which independently, and with all Passive Power excluded, is applicable to God. That is, this is the Perfection of the Living God, whereby out of the abundance of His Omnisufficiency it belongs to Him with perfect ease externally to ordain whatever involves no contradiction. From this Perfection God has not only the Name אֵל/El from its more common derivation, see § 5,[1] but also אֲבִ֖יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל, the Mighty One of Is

β. The next Spiritual Faculty of the divine Essence is Will, or that Perfection of the Living God whereby in a most perfect manner He is pleased with Himself in Himself, and with all things that are not opposite to Him. Now, Will is not able to be denied to God, because He is Spirit, neither is it separated from Intellect in a Rational Being. Indeed, it is easily the first Perfection among all, to be the lord of their own actions through supreme αὐτεξουσίαν, free will, withou

3. α. The first Spiritual Faculty, with which God, as a Living Spiritual Substance, is furnished, is Intellect, which is expressly attributed to God in Sacred Scripture, Psalm 139:2; 147:5; and which is supposed in Knowledge, in such a way that Intellect better expresses the power of understanding, Knowledge the exercise of understanding; while the Eyes, Ears, and Nostrils ascribed to God are often emblems of of this Faculty of Intellect also. Neither is the first cause to be