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; aud 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: which 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 one 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 1 John 5.7. one thing, as the word signifies. 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 2 Cor. 13.14. of the Holy Ghost," always with them.

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 believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost; putting the word 'God' before every person, the better to express and declare our belief, that every one of these three Persons is the one living and true God.

But that we may understand something also how these three Divine Persons, subsisting in the one Divine essence, are pleased to manifest and distinguish themselves in their operations towards us, and the rest of the creation, every one that is catechised is here taught to say, as I now do from my heart, that I first believe in God the Father, Who hath made me and all the world;' that is, all things that were ever made, visible and invisible; which in the beginning of the Creed, as all along in the Holy Scriptures, are all comprehended under these two words, Heaven and earth.'

all

He 1 Tim. 2. 6.

Secondly, I believe in God the Son, Who hath redeemed me and all mankind.' I believe that He redeemed me' particularly; or, as St. Paul expresseth it, that " He loved Gal. 2. 20. me and gave Himself for me." And not only me, but mankind' for "He gave Himself a ransom for all." was a propitiation "for the sins of the whole world ;" and 1 John 2. 2. "tasted death for every man." For, every man being of that Heb. 2. 9. nature in which He died, and so paid the price of man's redemption, every man was redeemed by it, even they also who do not accept of His redemption, nor believe in Him for it, and so receive no advantage by it. As our queen,* Rom.14.15; suppose, having many of her subjects made slaves in Barbary, if she agrees with the king of the country for the redemption of them all, and accordingly pays the price agreed upon, they are all now equally redeemed; although some, perhaps, living in remote or obscure places of the country, never hear of it, or will not believe it; and others, having been long accustomed to it, prefer their slavery before liberty, and choose to continue there rather than return

1 Cor. 8. 11.

*Queen Anne.

F

into their own country, and so lose the benefit of their redemption.

Thirdly, I believe in the Holy Ghost, Who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God.' Who 'sanctifieth,' not Who hath sanctified,' as the Father hath made,' and the Son hath redeemed me,' heretofore, but doth sanctify me' at present, and continually; this being a work that is always in doing while we are in this world. And as the Son did not redeem all the world which the Father made, but only all mankind,' so the Holy Ghost doth not sanctify all mankind which the Son redeemed, but only all the elect people of God;' such as they only are, who truly believe in His Son Jesus Christ, and so have Him to intercede for them, that they may have His 'Holy Spirit' to abide with John 14.16; Him, and to sanctify them, which therefore is accordingly shed on them abundantly, and renews or sanctifies them Tit. 3. 5, 6. through the same Jesus Christ our Saviour. He' sanctifieth

17. 17.

them,' that is, He makes them holy and new creatures, He mortifieth all their sins, purifieth all their hearts, and is a Acts 26. 18. principle of new life in them: "He openeth their eyes, and turneth them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Jesus Christ."

QUESTIONS.

What way did Christ ordain for the admitting persons into His Church, or making them His Disciples?

Had the Jews any ground to believe the blessed Trinity in Unity?

Can any one be a true disciple of Christ without believing in God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost?

What ground have we to believe they are all one God?

What do you chiefly learn in the Creed?

What do you believe that God the Father did?

What did God the Son?

How do you prove that He redeemed all mankind?

What doth God the Holy Ghost?

Why do you say, 'He sanctifieth;' and not, He sanctified?'

Whom doth He sanctify?

Who are the elect people of God?

What do you understand by His sanctifying them?

PART III. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

Q. You said that your godfathers and godmothers did promise for you, that you should keep God's Commandments. Tell me how many there be?

A. Ten.

Q. Which be they?

A. The same which God spake in the twentieth chapter of Exodus, saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

I. Thou shalt have none other gods but Me.

Of the three things which godfathers and godmothers promise in the name of the child, or the child by them, the last is, that he will keep God's Holy Will and Commandments, and walk in the same all the days of his life.' Wherefore the catechist having examined and instructed him in the true faith, without which it is impossible to please God,'

or keep His Commandments, he now puts him in mind of Heb. 11. 6. the Commandments' which he promised to keep.

And the first question he asketh the child about them is,

How many there be?' To which he answereth, Ten :'

10. 4.

that being the number of them, according to the Scriptures. Deut.4.13; For though there be many more particular precepts, they are all reducible to those Ten general Commandments which God was pleased solemnly to proclaim with thunder and lightning, and with the voice of a trumpet, upon Mount Sinai, &c., and which He afterwards wrote upon two tables Exod. 19. of stone, with His Own finger, to signify their perpetual ch. 31.18; force and obligation to the end of the world, when every Deut.9.10; man shall be judged according as he hath or hath not ob- 10. 4. served them. For which reason also they are directed every one to every man singly, or by himself; Thou shalt,' or, Thou shalt not,' &c. that every man may look upon

16; 20. 1.

32. 16;

them as spoken particularly to him, and accordingly take care to do what is there commanded, and to avoid what is there forbidden, either expressly or implicitly.

For where any thing is forbidden, the contrary duty is implicitly commanded: and so where any thing is commanded, every thing contrary or different from that is forbidden which that we may the better understand, God Himself hath been graciously pleased to signify His pleasure herein, more particularly in other places of His Holy Word. Out of which I shall therefore, by His assistance, shew you how you ought to keep all and every one of these His Commandments, according to the promise which ye made when ye were baptized.

The next question, therefore, concerning the Commandments, is, Which be they?' To which it is answered, "The same which God spake in the twentieth chapter of Exodus; that is, which He is there recorded to have spoken, "saying, I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." For this is not any of the Commandments, but a general preface to them all, which He was pleased to put before them, to shew the indispensable obligation that lies upon all men to observe all these laws; seeing He that commanded them, is the Lord,' the Supreme Governor and Lawgiver of the world, Whom all the creatures in it are bound to obey, at their utmost peril. I,' saith He,' am the Lord: I, Who make and publish these laws, am Jehovah, the "Lord of Hosts," the Lord of the whole creation, Who give essence and existence to, and have absolute dominion over all things in it.'

And then, to enforce them more particularly upon His people, for whom He had a special kindness, He adds, "I am the Lord thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage." His people, at that time, were the children of Israel, whom He had lately delivered from the Egyptian bondage; and therefore He speaks more immediately unto them: but, in them, to all the true Israel of God; to all that follow the faith of their father Abraham, in all ages; to all His elect and peculiar people, which He hath redeemed from the slavery of sin and Satan, of which the deliverance out of Egypt was a type and figure.