_Brief instruction concerning God, to learn to know him by his written name, glory, handiwork, wonderful deeds, voice, omnipotence, omniscience, by his being the terrible enemy of his enemies, and the faithful succorer of the pious, etc._
Mark, beloved, my simple children, this in the God of your father, the God of all the faithful, from the beginning of the world until now, the God of Abel, the God of Noah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, the God of Jesus Christ, and of all the saints. And this is the God that is not made or worshiped by any man or by human hands, but the God that was from everlasting and before all things, and shall be forever, the God of whom and by whom all things are created and made, yea, heaven, earth, sea, and all the works that therein are, were made by his word, Spirit and omnipotence. This our God is good to the good, and very terrible to his enemies. His power extends over all kingdoms and kings, and he is the Lord of lords. There is none like unto him. Thou art great, and thy name is great, and thou canst show it by the deed. Who should not fear thee, thou king of the heathen? Thou shouldest certainly be obeyed. His name is Governor, Lord, Lord Sabaoth, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel, and of the fathers; this is his name. His name is Wonderful, Counsellor, Power, Giant, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, his government abideth upon him forever. Is. 9:6,7. His name is Immanuel, that is, God with us. 7:14. It is not possible fully to express his name; hence, for the completion of his impossible, unmentionable, inexpressible exalted name, he is further called Jehova, Shadai, Addonai, and by other names. Besides his general appellations, he is also called: Righteous, Merciful, Gracious God, Truth, Light, Right Hand, Holy consuming Fire.
See, my dear children, here you have heard of your father’s God, of his eternity without beginning and without end, and of his glorious and exalted names in the Holy Scriptures. There follows further now, of his glorious, incomprehensible, unmeasurable greatness, glory and the invisibleness of his divine shape, form and image; for God is a Spirit. Think, how great he must be: heaven is the throne and the earth his footstool. Acts 7:49. He sees, hears, and is, everywhere, and in all places; for thus he says through Jeremiah: “Am I a God at hand, and not afar off? Can any hide himself in secret, places that I shall not see him? Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:23,24. And in another place the Scripture declares: “He spanneth heaven with his three fingers.” Is. 40:12. When he walks, the mountains tremble, and the foundations of the earth quake. When he manifests himself, or permits himself to be heard, he causes fear and terror to come upon all men, as we read in Ex. 3, that the thorn-bush seemed to burn as a flame of fire, when he called Moses to him, to make him a prince over Israel, to lead them out of Egypt. And again, when Moses, while receiving the law of God, spoke with God on mount Sinai, the mount smoked, because the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. And the voice of the trumpet waxed louder and louder, with thunders and lightnings, which frightened the people. And also Moses was terrified, and trembled. No one was permitted to touch the mount; no one could endure his voice, save Moses, however, with fear. Ex. 19. Thus does God show himself, says Moses, that his fear should be before your eyes, and you might not sin. Well may Moses say: “The Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.” Deut. 10:17.