Chapter VIII:
CHAPTER VIII: ON THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES IN PARTICULAR
The divine attributes of the first class.
§ 113. Scaliger is correct in writing: “Goodness, wisdom, omnipotence, etc., are in God in such a way that they are the very being of God. They are in Him in such a way that nothing comes before and nothing follows (the rationale for this assertion depends on the divine attributes being really one with God’s essence itself), but on the basis of our intellectual capacities, which are extremely limited, we conceive of some attributes with our minds ahead of others” (Exerc. 365, section 6). Therefore so that we may explain the divine attributes in order, we shall follow the division set forth in the sixth place [above, § 105 (6)] and establish their distinct classes. The attributes of the first class are that God is (1) a spiritual, incorporeal, invisible essence; (2) utterly simple; (3) eternal, unchangeable, immortal; (4) infinite and everywhere present. Let it then be so.