PERSONALITY AND PERFECTION OF GOD.

PERSONALITY AND PERFECTION OF GOD.

It is admitted by all who believe that God exists, that
he possesses all conceivable perfection ; and right rea-
son would lead us to the opinion, that as he is infinite
he must possess attributes of which, at present, we
can form no conception.

Our ideas of excellence cannot exceed the manifes-
tations of perfection in the creation ; but it would be
absurd to suppose that any excellence could be in the
creatures, which did not exist in a higher degree in
the Creator.

As all men who acknowledge a God agree, that all
possible perfection belongs to his character, it is un-
necessary to adduce any arguments for its proof.
Indeed, it seems to be an intuitive truth, that all per
fection must reside in the first cause. The very idea
of God is that of a being infinitely perfect. Whatever
doctrine, therefore, derogates from the perfection of
the Supreme Being must be false. It is, therefore, the
dictate of reason, that we should remove from our idea
of God, every thing which argues any weakness or
imperfection. And as our ideas of natural and moral
excellence are derived from contemplating the crea-
tures, we must rise to just conceptions of the Deity by
ascribing these excellencies to him, in an infinite
degree.

Upon this principle, we ascribe to God unity, spirit-
uality, power, knowledge, immensity, eternity, immu-
tability, sovereignty, holiness, justice, goodness and
truth. Upon this principle, God must be independent,
and perfectly free to act according to his own pleas-
ure.

God is a person, distinct from the universe. Every
being who possesses intellect and will, is a person.
The execution of any work of design, in which there
is an adaptation of means to ends, and a harmoniouo
operation of parts to produce a desirable effect, neces-
sarily involves the exercise both of intellect and will.
The idea that the universe is God, or that God is the
soul of the world, but not a person distinct from it, is
nothing more than a disguised system of atheism,
God is distinct from, and independent of all creatures.



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