IV. I call the Father, God the Father, because the fame Scripture gives him that Title, Deut. xxxii. Ver. 6. Is not He thy Father that bath bought thee? Hath be not made thee, and eftablished thee? And in another Paffage, Mal. ii. Ver. 10. Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us? The New Teftament also gives him the fame Appellation: In the Epistle to the Romans, Chap. viii. Ver. 15. St. Paul fays, For ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. Behold, (fays St. John, i Ep. Chap. iii. Ver. 1.) what manner of Love the Father bath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the Sons of God: Therefore the World knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

V. I believe in Jefus Christ, the only Son of God, and God himfelf; by whom all Things were made, who has created Heaven and Earth, whom the Angels adore and glorify; who knows the Hearts of Men; whofe Power is everlasting, and who vouchfafed to come into the World to be our Saviour and our Redeemer.

VI. I believe in Jefus the Son of God, because the Belief of this Truth is the Basis of our Salvation, and of our Redemption. Befides, we are affur'd of this by the Holy Scriptures. St. John fays in his firtt Epiftle, Chap. iv. Ver. 15. Whofoever shall confefs that Jefus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in Him, and He in God. Jefus Chrift, fpeaking of himself, fays in St. Matthew, Chap. xvi. Ver. 17. Blessed art thou Simon Barjona, for Flesh and Blood hath not revealed it unto Thee, but my Father which is in Heaven.

VII. I believe, that the Holy Ghost is God as well as the Father, and as the Son; that he is like them from all Eternity; that he is equal with them; that he is infinitely perfect; that he is the Sovereign Good, the Sovereign Wisdom; that he has the fame Effence, the fame Nature with the Father and the Son, from whom he proceedeth from all Eternity.

upon

VIII. I believe likewife in the Holy Ghost, the Evidence of the facred Scriptures, which give him this Name upon feveral Occafions, but more particularly in the New Testament than in the Old. In the New Teftament we are commanded to be baptized In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft, Matt. Chap. xxviii. Ver. 19. St. Peter faid to Ananias and Saphira, Acts Chap. v. Ver. 3. Ananias, Why bath Satan filled thine Heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? And a little after he said, Thou hast not lied unto Men, but unto God: He here gives the Appellation of God, to him whom he had call'd but just before the Holy Ghoft. St. Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians, Chap. xii. Ver.'6. after having spoke of God, fays, that 'tis of the Holy Spirit that he had been speaking. And there are Diverfities of Operations, but it is the fame God which worketh all in all. And then he adds in the Eleventh Verfe, But all these worketh that one and the felf-fame Spirit, dividing to every Man feverally as he will. Finally, the Scripture commonly joins the Perfon of the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son, as I have already faid, fpeaking of Baptism. And in Ordination it makes Ufe of the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: It afcribes to him, whatever we think agreeable to God

God alone: It gives him, for Inftance, Temples; Know ye not, (fays St. Paul, 1 Cor. Chap. vi. Ver. 19.) that your Body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in you? The fame Scripture alfo afcribes to it the Power of fanctifying and quickening our Souls, of penetrating into what is the moft fecret in the Godhead, of speaking by the Oracles of the Prophets; and finally, of being omniprefent: Thofe are the Attributes of God alone, and fuch as are only fuitable to him. I therefore make no Scruple to believe, that the Holy Ghoft is truly God, as well as the Father and the Son; that he is the Third Perfon of the moft Holy Trinity; and that, as fuch, I ought to worship, pray to him, and praise him.

IX. I firmly and religiously believe, that God is the Creator of all Things vifible and inyifible; that his Power is infinite, and that nothing induc'd him to create the World, but his mere Goodness, which he was indeed pleas'd to communicate to the Things that he created; He form'd the Body of Man from the Clay of the Earth, and difpos'd it in such a manner, that it was capable of being immortal and impaffible, not by its own Nature, but thro' fpecial Grace. As to our Soul, he made it after his own Image and Likeness, he gave it Free Will, and so temper'd its Inclinations and Defires, that it was intirely fubject to Reafon; and befides all these Advantages, he also gave it original Righteoufnefs But Adam, the common Father of all Men, for not obferving the Injunction that God had laid upon him not to eat of the Fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, forfeited, as to himself and his Defcendants too, that Righteousness in which he had been created: By Con

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fequence all the Human Race was depriv'd of that Dignity and Excellency in which he was created; and fince this Fall it was not poffible for Mankind to be reftor'd to its primitive State by any Power whatsoever, not even by the Angels themselves; fo that, for the Remedy of our Misfortunes, there was an abfolute Neceffity that the Son of God by his Almighty Efficacy should come and unite himself to our frail Nature, to deftroy the infinite Malignity of Sin, and to reconcile God to us by fhedding his Blood, as he has done for us; for which may he be for ever glorify'd.

X. I conftantly and firmly believe, that God discover'd himself to Mofes, that he reveal'd to him every thing that is contain'd in the Book of Genefis, and that he gave him the Table of the Ten Commandments: I believe with St. Auguftin, that the Decalogue is the Summary of all Laws: I believe alfo, as Jefus Chrift himself teaches in St. Matthew, Chap. xxii. Ver. 40. That on thefe Two Commandments, the Love of God, and the Love of one's Neighbour, bang alt the Law and the Prophets.

XI. I believe, that 'tis an indifpenfable Duty to obey the Law of God; becaufe God himself is the Author of it, and because Jefus Chrift has confirm'd and declar'd the fame by his own Mouth. I believe alfo, that whofoever would be fav'd, must obey his Commandments: To think otherwife would be Impiety.

XII. Befides the Commandments of God, I believe 'tis abfolutely neceffary to believe in the Creed, as it was receiv'd by the Fathers of the

Council

Council of Trent. I acknowledge that Council to be oecumenical: I receive all the Decifions of it without Exception; and I deem them all to be orthodox, and to be fure Rules for conducting me to my Salvation.

XIII. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth; and in Jefus Chrift, bis only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghoft, born of the Virgin Mary, fuffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he defcended into Hell; the Third Day he rofe again from the Dead, he afcended into Heaven, and fitteth at the Right Hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the Quick and the Dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins, the Refurrection of the Body, and the Life everlasting.

Having already mention'd the Reasons why I believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, I will fay no more upon this Head, and proceed to other Articles of the Creed.

XIV. In the Creed our Saviour is call'd Lord; for fince God the Son is everlafting, as well as God the Father, fo he is Lord of all Things, as is God the Father. Jefus Chrift, as Man, is also for feveral Reafons call'd Lord: Firft of all, because he is our Redeemer, and has deliver'd us from our Sins; which made St. Paul fay in his Epiftle to the Philippians, Chap. ii. Ver. 8, 9, 10, 11. And being found in Fashion as a Man, be humbled himself, and became obedient unto Death, even the Death of the Cross: Wherefore God alfa bath highly exalted him, and given him a Name which is above every Name; that at the Name of

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Jefus