De Moor IV:16: God as Intelligent Substance
- Dr. Dilday
- Oct 3, 2018
- 2 min read
Updated: 4 days ago

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 deprived of this Perfection, which one among the others is also chief. Neither is He able to act except in a rational mode, because He does not act by chance or by brute instinct, nor is He directed to certain ends by another; both of which are refuted both by the Independent Perfection of the divine Life, and by the entire arrangement of the Universe, which is such that even night to night proclaims the consummate Knowledge of the Creator.[1] The Conscience of each and every one joins in support: Who would acknowledge Deity that he would not worship? But who, except an exceedingly ἀσύνετος/witless Idolater would worship what he judges not to be furnished with Intelligence?
This is to be insisted on against Spinoza, who does indeed in some places attribute Infinite Intellect to God, but in other places altogether denies Intellect to Him, and contends that neither Intellect nor Will pertain to the Nature of God: see Most Eminent NIEUWENTYT, Gronden van Zekerheid, part IV, chapter V, § 7, 8, page 263, chapter XIII, § 7-9, pages 300-305, chapter XIV, page 350, who on page 349 shows that it is also able to be demonstrated out of Spinoza that the Infinite Intellect of the Spinozistic God at the same time has parts and is without parts.
[1] Psalm 19:2.



Westminster Confession of Faith 2:1: There is but one only1 living and true God,2 who is infinite in being and perfection,3 a most pure spirit,4 invisible,5 without body, parts,6 or passions;7 immutable,8 immense,9 eternal,10 incomprehensible,11 almighty,12 most wise,13 most holy,14 most free,15 most absolute,16 working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,17 for His own glory;18 most loving,19 gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin,20 the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him;21 and withal, most just, and terrible in His judgments;22 hating all sin,23 and who will by no means clear the guilty.24
1 Deut. 6:4; 1 Cor. 8:4,6.
2 1 Thess. 1:9; Jer. 10:10.
3 Job 11:7,8,9; Job 26:14.
4 John 4:24.
5 1 Tim. 1:17.
6 Deut. 4:15,16; John 4:24; Luke 24:39.
7 Acts 14:11,15.
8 James 1:17; Mal. 3:6.
9 1 Kings 8:27;…
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