The Existence and Attributes of God

by Stephen Charnock, William Symington (Preface)

A classic work on the attributes of God. Includes hyperlinks to all chapters.

The Life and Character of Stephen Charnock
To The Reader

Volume 1
I. The Existence of God
II. Practical Atheism
III. God's Being a Spirit
IV. Spiritual Worship
V. The Eternity of God
VI. The Immutability of God
VII. God's Omnipresence
VIII. God's Knowledge
IX. The Wisdom of God

Volume 2
X. The Power of God
XI. The Holiness of God
XII. The Goodness of God
XIII. God's Dominion
XIV. God’s Patience

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, God, Reference, Nonfiction, Religion

1172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 1979

About the author

Stephen Charnock (1628–1680), Puritan divine, was an English Puritan Presbyterian clergyman born at the St Katherine Cree parish of London.

Reviews

[Michaelpatrick Keena · Rating 5 out of 5]

While taking classes at Golden Gate Seminary, Southern Californina, my Systematic Theology professor complained that Charnock's Existence and Attributes of God was just too much information. How in the world can there be too much written about God? With all the books written about Him, we have yet to scratch the serface of the topic. Sorry prof, my hat's off to Mr. Charnock and his classic work. Remember, we are going to spend eternity getting to know Him!

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this 600-page tome was much like going on a long hike.

When you set out, exuberance predominates. That special energy produced by novelty propels every step. You’re on the trail. The air is fresh. It’s invigorating.

Soon thereafter you enter the woodlands. This is the inflection point. The pitch steepens and the climb becomes more difficult. But that isn’t the hard part. The hard part is that you’re closed in. The treetops crowd out the view. You’re not lost—you’re never lost—but it’s disorienting. Or better said perhaps, it’s discouraging. The point of departure is far distant; the point of arrival farther still.

You press forward—you always press forward—and tough as it is, there are small rewards along the way. A flower, a bird, a trickling brook cascading over boulders.

Suddenly you break above the tree line. Charnock’s last one hundred pages, On The Wisdom of God. It’s the best part of the trek. Sight lines explode. You see the summit and the thrill of the ascent overcomes. New life.

With a final surge of vigor you reach the peak. Breathless from the dizzying tonic of marvel and exertion, you muster one satisfied word: Spectacular.

“Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”(Romans 11:33-36)

[Deva Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aside from The Bible, this book is the most moving of all that I have read. The pictures painted and the beautiful language to describe our Creator is nothing short of awesome! I recommend this book to all who choose to live this life by faith and not sight, while we eagerly await the day of redemption.

[Ben Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my yearly, little-bit-in-the-morning-with-devos book for 2025. I find that it is one of the more helpful ways for me to consume puritan writing in particular.

Charnock, as with so many of the puritans, expounds upon singular lines of Scripture with pages of beautiful examination followed by exhortation. In this work, Charnock holds a magnifying glass (or perhaps a microscope) to the attributes of God and unpacks them with precision and grace.

One of my favorite benefits from reading the puritans is getting my eyes opened to what detailed, theological reflection upon any given Scriptural topic looks like.

[Tori Samar · Rating 4 out of 5]

"We must first believe that [God] is, and that he is what he declares himself to be, before we can seek him, adore him, and devote our affections to him. We cannot pay God a due and regular homage, unless we understand him in his perfections, what he is; and we can pay him no homage at all, unless we believe that he is."

I have been affectionately referring to this book as my 2020 tome—started reading on January 1 and have reached the finish line at last. This is a rich Puritan work whose greatest rewards are for the diligent, attentive reader (which, alas, was not always me, but I still made it to the end). My favorite discourse is the second, "On Practical Atheism."

Is this book too long? Perhaps. But I've come to expect my Puritan friends to follow every thread and squeeze every sponge of thought dry. And can we ever really exhaust saying things about God? As long as you're willing to commit to it, this book is worth the effort.

[John Yelverton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book which discusses in a logical flow of thoughts the existence of God, and the untenability of maintaining an atheistic worldview. Some of his arguments are slightly dated, but others are extremely well thought out and worth repeating. I believe that anyone would benefit from reading this book at least once in their lives.

[Jeremy]

See Meet the Puritans (pp. 144-45).

[Michael Locklear]

Rev. Terry Johnson made reference to this book.

[Laurent Dv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un excellent et gros livre très accessible (un classique) sur les attributs de Dieu (omniscience, omnipotence, spiritualité/immatérialité, patience, souveraineté, sagesse, sainteté, bonté, immuabilité), son existence et l'adoration qui lui est due, écrit par un puritain, donc un théologien réformé/calviniste. A la fois théorique (explications, défenses) et pratique (applications, méditations/réflexions) Bref un des meilleurs livres sur le sujet pour mieux s'émerveiller devant Dieu et l'adorer.

Pour commencer, Charnock présente l'athéisme d'un point de vue biblique et donne des preuves traditionnelles pour l'existence de Dieu. Ensuite, pour chaque attribut, il fait souvent toutes ces choses :
1) Il part d'un verset, l'interprète en détails
2) Il explique l'attribut (ce qu'il signifie)
3) Il montre comment Dieu le manifeste ou révèle dans la création du monde, le gouvernement (sa gestion) du monde et dans la rédemption/ le salut en Jésus-Christ
4) Il présente les arguments qui le prouvent (à partir de la raison naturelle, de l'intelligence de l'homme sans la Bible) et répond aux objections
5) Il donne les applications pratiques.

Je pense que les trois plus grands apports de Charnock sont :
1) L'accessibilité, on est loin des ouvrages compliqués de scolastiques, ici tout est lisible, écrit en phrases normales sans vocabulaire lourd et trop technique, avec beaucoup d'exemples et d'illustrations de tous les jour ; ce qui en fait une très bonne introduction à une compréhension classique de Dieu ("le théisme classique") par opposition aux théories modernes s
2) Le nombre incroyable de versets qu'il balance pour décrire et explorer attribut, à chaque fois, Charnock décortique tout ce que la Parole de Dieu a à dire, ce qui équilibre les parties où il montre que l'attribut en question est raisonnable/rationnel (pas contradictoire, par exemple l'omniscience avec le libre-arbitre), bref on trouve une excellente exégèse
3) Les applications pratiques et les méditations très fournies, sur chaque attribut, Charnock réfléchit comment il doit transformer nos vies, nous pousser à plus louer Dieu

Charnock reste dans la lignée des scolastiques (les philosophes chrétiens du Moyen-Âge) en ce qu'il reprend le vocabulaire et les notions classiques :
- Connaissance négative/par éminence de Dieu
- Matière, forme
- Hiérarchie des êtres en fonction de leur spiritualité : animaux < hommes < anges < Dieu
- Priorité de l'unité (absolue et parfaite en Dieu) sur la multiplicité (ce qui caractérise la création)
- Une compréhension classique/tradi des attributs de Dieu ("théisme classique") comme sur l'immuabilité, la simplicité (même si aucun chapitre n'y est consacré, ce qui est dommage)
- Dieu vu comme l'Acte pur
- La connaissance passe d'abord par les sens
- "Révélation" comme synonyme de "révélation spéciale"
- Lumière naturelle
- Genre, espèce
- Loi naturelle
- Intellect et volonté
- Changement accidentel et changement substantiel
- Vie / sens / raison // plantes / animaux / hommes
- Bonté pas juste au sens moral mais de désirable
- Contenir une qualité de manière éminente
- Appétit

Charnock n'invente donc rien au fond, il suit la tradition chrétienne classique, ce qui se voit d'ailleurs avec toutes ses sources comme : autant des Pères de l'Eglise comme Chrysostome, Augustin, Pseudo-Denys, les scolastiques comme Thomas d'Aquin, Suarez, Maïmonide, Bradwardine et même des réformés comme Oecolampadus, Turretin, Zanchi, Musculus, Petavius, Cocceius, Lessius, Calvin, Amyrault (bon ok il est amyraldien) et même Cajetan. Il interagit aussi avec les philosophes païens comme Platon, les stoïques, Cicéron, Plutarque. A ma grande surprise, ceux qu'il cite le plus (surtout dans les parties sur les attributs) sont Amyrault et Suarez, le premier qui n'est pas calviniste (pas cinq points en tout cas) et le deuxième pas thomiste ! Mais cela n'a pas vraiment d'impact sur le sujet.

Par contre c'est un livre très long, à lire donc avec patience^^

[Darby Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read most of volume 1 (of 2), but just couldn't continue. I love Puritan works, I've read dozens, and even another by Charnock. Part of it, I know, is a historical difference between the way we approach subjects compared to the Puritans, but to me this was "death by details." I was overwhelmed by repetition and over-adressed points. Charnock seems to have set the goal to say everything that could possibly be said about the subject.

The doctrine itself was biblically sound, apart from some outdated philosophical arguments presented in the "Existence of God," section. Those were interesting to come across, though!

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first time reading anything by Charnock so I wasn't prepared for the depth of the topics covered in this book. The initial chapter presents transcendental apologetical arguments that would be still valid today, indicating that atheists have no argument that hasn't already been dealt with. The subsequent chapters cover just a few of God's perfections in great detail. In typical Puritan fashion, Charnock covers these topics with equal parts doctrine and pastoral application. For a book of its time, it is definitely readable.

[Jeffrey Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't read the Kindle version because of all the typos, so I bought the hard back. 'Twas a very good and a very difficult read. Several times, Charnock would repeat his arguments for different sub-points of his exposition of an attribute. It was torture at times to slog through, but then he had a beautiful turn of phrase or presented a different aspect of the attribute that caused me to glorify God. This made reading the book for 2 1/2 years a meditation of God.

[James Mcentire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the two volume set in one volume. I actually have only read the first volume and finished that up over a year ago. But I needed to move on to other more relevant material. Maybe I can get to the second volume at a later date.

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't stand reading this book. I'm sure Charnock probably had some good things to say, but I can't get past his thoughts on atheists. He's clearly not a man who struggled with doubt - bully for him. But I think it's ridiculous to talk down to those who do struggle.

[Jay Risner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome resource

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, while it took more more than 10 years to finish this book, it was quite good, encouraging, and challenging. The trick for me was reading it slowly, in short segments, during my quiet times, my times with God. It also helped to outline the chapters in the margins of the book — outlining really helped, as all the chapters were long (some over 100 pages). Most every chapter starts off with the interpretation of the Bible text in question, and then the rest of the chapter was thinking about and applying the text from every single angle Charnock could think of. He would take a Biblical truth and look at it from many different angles. It sounds hard and tedious, but if you are patient and don’t rush things, it is quite manageable.

I know it may seem daunting, and it is by a Puritan, with all that entails, but I think every follower of Christ should give it a try. Maybe even find an abridged version, if the full version seems too daunting.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read through this in 2020. Really good- a fantastic example of that ability of the Puritans to dig much deeper and explore so much more thoroughly truths about God ordinarily taken for granted. Well worth reading through it again.

[Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read Charnock’ attributes is to try and keep pace with a titan.

Overall, a very useful reference work for diving deep into God's attributes. For a straight up read, I would probably opt for Pink's Attributes. At times tangential, and my skim-read impression is that the "Existence" section needs to be less evidential and more presuppositional (although mine was not an in-depth read, so that impression may not be terribly accurate).

As to his handling of the attributes it is masterful, a work rarely equaled.

[Nick Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that was interesting but brought up some open-ended questions. It took some time to get through some of the ideas - I gave it three stars for its complexity if one reads for understanding of God.

[Peggy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facets of the beauty of God have been written deeply on my heart through this book. It is a slow thoughtful read where you can Daily Rehearse the Character of God! Love this read!