upon all that believe in the only-begotten Son of God, John iii. 16.

To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever.

QUESTIONS.

What do you mean by the resurrection of the body? /09 Did the Jews believe it?

What ground had they for it?

Why do you believe it ?

What do ye understand by everlasting life?

What kind of life shall wicked people live for ever?

What is that everlasting life which the righteous shall have?

Question. What dost thou chiefly learn in these Articles of thy belief?

Answer. First, I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me and all the world.

Secondly, in God the Son, who hath redeemed me and all mankind.

Thirdly, in God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God.

Our blessed Saviour, a little before His ascension, commanded and empowered His Apostles to go and teach, or (as the original word signifies) make all nations His disciples, by baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,

Matt. xxviii. 19. which was perfectly a new institution. For though baptizing, that is, dipping, or washing, or sprinkling with water, was commonly used in admitting proselytes, and upon other occasions among the Jews before; yet never in this form, in the name of the three Divine Persons, as our Saviour here commandeth it to be done: and thereby hath given us reason to believe, that the Jews understood what was meant by these terms, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For otherwise our Saviour would have spoken unintelligibly to them: which we cannot imagine He would, in the institution of a Sacrament. But they being conversant in the writings of Moses and the Prophets, had often read, as of the Father, so of the Son, or Word of God; and likewise of the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God. And they knew well enough, that these are not creatures, but that each of them is God: as appears particularly concerning the Son, from their saying, that Jesus Christ, by calling Himself the Son of God, or saying that God was His Father, made Himself equal with God, John v. 18. and, which is the same, made Himself God, John x. 33. For this plainly shews, that although they would not own Jesus to be the Person, yet they believed that God hath a Son, and that this Son is equal with God, or that He is God Himself, of the same essence with the Father.

But this fundamental Article of our belief, the Trinity in Unity, even that these three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, are one God, is now so

plainly revealed in the holy Scripture, given by His inspiration, that none can doubt of it who believe what is there written; and so necessary to be believed, that we can believe none of the Articles that belong to our salvation, unless we first believe this. We cannot believe in God the Father, unless we believe that He hath a Son, begotten of Himself: for otherwise He would not be truly a Father. We cannot believe in one God, unless we believe the Father and the Son to We cannot believe in the Son, for our redemption, unless we believe Him to be God. Forasmuch as it cost more to redeem us, than any could give but God Himself. We cannot believe in the Holy Ghost, to sanctify us, unless we believe Him to be God. For none, be sure, can sanctify us, or make us holy and new creatures, but He who at first created us: which none did or could do but God.

be one.

And yet we cannot believe that these three are so many several Gods: for then there would be more Gods than one. Which is contrary to reason, as well as Scripture, where every one of these Divine Persons being called JEHOVAH, the most proper and incommunicable name of God, lest people should be thereby tempted to think that there are more Gods than one, they had this remarkable caution given them, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord, (as our translation hath it,) or one Jehovah, Deut. vi. 4. which there would have been no occasion for, if no more than one Person be Jehovah; or it had not been necessary to believe, that the three who are so called, are all one

Jehovah, or Being in general, (as the word signifies,) which can be but one.

But according to the idiom and usage of the Hebrew tongue, wherein the great and incommunicable name of God, which we read Jehovah, and translate the Lord, seldom if ever hath an adjective joined with it; those remarkable words, which are ushered in with, Hear, O Israel, and concluded, in the original, with a letter greater than ordinary, as the first word also is, to shew some extraordinary mystery to be contained in them, may and ought to be thus translated, The Lord, our God, the Lord, is One. Whereby the Unity in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, is still more clearly revealed to us, as clearly as it well can be in that language. For here is first God the Father called Jehovah, the Lord; then God the Son, called, as He usually is in holy Scripture, our God; and God the Holy Ghost, called also Jehovah, the Lord; and these Three are expressly said to be One.

It is true, this is a great mystery, far above our comprehension; but so are all the perfections of the Godhead, as well as this. And therefore we are not required to comprehend it, but only to believe it: and to believe it upon His word, who hath revealed it to us, and so hath made it necessary for us to believe it: Which therefore we must be sure to do, so as to continue firm and stedfast in this faith, as ever we desire to believe aright in Almighty God, or hope to be saved by Him.

Especially considering that God our Saviour, in

that He commanded that every one of these divine Persons should be distinctly named in the very act of making His disciples, hath thereby given us to understand, that He will own none for His disciples, or true members of His Church, but only such as believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, as three divine Persons, but one God. Where He here also gives us firm ground to believe, in that He ordained this Sacrament to be administered (not in the names, but) in the name of these three Persons; and so hath signified His pleasure, that the same honour and worship should be given to all and every one of them alike: and, by necessary consequence, that we should believe all and each of them to be of one essence or substance; or, as He expresseth it by His Apostle, that the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, these three are one. Three in the masculine gender, and therefore three Persons: one in the neuter, and therefore one thing, as the word signifies, 1 John v. 7. Which I therefore believe upon His word: and so all must do, that desire to be His true and faithful disciples; so as to have the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, always with them, 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

Hence it is that the Church hath all along required, that they who desire to be admitted by Baptism into it, should first profess to believe in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; which is the sum of the whole Creed, and that which we chiefly learn in it, as our Church hath here taught us; even, that we