Hence alfo it was, That all Perfons to be baptized, were always required, either with their own. Mouths, if adult, or if Infants, by their Sureties, to a make a "publick Confeflion of their Faith in the Three, Perfons, into w whofe Names they were to be baptized : For this indeed was always looked upon as the Sum and Subftance of the Chriftian Religion, to believe in God the Father, in God the Son,and in God the Haly Ghost; and they who believed in these Three Perfons, were ftill reputed Chri ftians, and they who did not, were efteemed Infidels or Hereticks. to soms vt do edi ni

Yea, and our Saviour himself Hath fufficiently declared how neceffary it is for us to believe this great Myftery; as alfo how effential it is to a ChriTian, feeing that he requires no more in order to our Initiation into his Church, but only that we be baptized th the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. In which Words we may obferve,

* First, A Trinity of Perfons, into whose Names we are baptized, the Father, Son,

and

and Holy Ghoft. This is that Mystery of Myfteries which is too high for Hu mane Underftandings to conceive, but not too great for a divine Faith to believe, even that although there be but One God, there are Three Perfons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, every one of which is that One and the felf-fame God; and therefore it is that Baptifm is here commanded to be adminiftred in the Name of all Three o ༨ ༡)

"

Now to confirm our Faith in othis great Myftery, whereinto we were all bap tized, Ifhall endeavour to fhew, in few Terms, what Grounds we have in Scrip ture to believe it. For which end we muft know, that though this Mystery hath received great Light, by the ri fing of the Son of Righteoufnefs. upon the World, yet it did not lie alto gether undiscovered before, yea, from the very Foundation of the World, the Church, in all Ages, hath had fuffici, ent ground whereupons to build their Faith on this great and Fundamental Truth For in the very Creation of the World, he that created it is cal led in the plural Number: And

in the Creation of Man, he said, Let us make Man in our own Image; from whence, though not a Trinity, yet a Plurality of Perfons is plainly mani feft; yea, in the Beginning of the World too, we find both Father, Son and Spirit concurring in the inaking of it..

For, Firft, It is faid, that God Created Heaven and Earth, and then, that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the Waters, Gen. i. 2. There are Two Perfons, God, and the Spirit of God. And then we read how God made the World by his Word: he faid let there be light, and there was light. From which Expreffion, St. John himfelf concludes, That all Things were made by the Son of God, or his Word, Joh. i. 3. and fo does St. Paul, Col. 1016.

Thus we read afterwards, The Spirit of the Lord fpake by me, and his Word by my Tongue, 2 Samuel xxiii. 2. where we have Febbvab, the Spirit of Feboval, and the Word of Febovab, plainly and diftinctly fet down. As alfo in Pfal *xxiii. 6. and Ifai. xlii.. where

there

there is the Lord fpeaking of his Son, and faying, That be will put his Spirit upon him: And this alfo feems to be the Reafon, why the Holy Angels, when they praife God, fay, Holy, boly, boly Lord of Hofts, Ifaiah vi. 3. Revelations iv. 8. faying, Holy thrice, in reference to the Three Perfons they Adore.

Thus we might difcover this Truth in the Old Teftament, but in the New we can fcarce look over it: For when Jefus was baptized, Matth. iii. 16. had we, who know nothing but by our Senfes, been prefent at this time with Jefus at Fordan, our very Senfes would have conveyed this Truth to our Understandings, whether we would or no. Here we fhould have heard a Voice from Heaven; whose was it, but God the Father? Here we should have feen one coming out of Jordan 3 who was that but God the Son? Here we should have feen fomething elfe too, in the Form of a Dove, who was that but God the Spirit? Thus was God the Father heard fpeaking; God the Son was feen afcending out of the Water; and God the Holy Ghoft defcending

;

from Heaven upon him. The first was heard in the found of a Voice, the fecond was feen in the form of a Man, and the third was beheld in the shape of a Dove.

Voce Pater, natus Corpore, flamen Ave.

But there are many fuch Places as this all the New Testament over, where the Three Perfons of the Godhead are distinctly mentioned, as Luke i. 35. John xiv. 16, 26. Chapter xvi. 7. Gallatians iv. 6. But the Words of Saint Paul are very remarkable too, 2 Corinthians xiii. 14. And yet that all thefe Three Perfons were but One God, Gen.

xviii. 2, 3. John x. 30. Saint John exprefly afferts, faying, There are Three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, and the Word, and the Spirit, and thefe Three are One, 1 John v. 7. Which certainly are as plain, and perfpicuous Terms as its poffible to exprefs fo great a Mystery in. But I need not have gone fo far to have proved, That there are Three diftinct Perfons in the Godhead: The Words I am treating of, being a fufficient Demonstration of it: For as all the Three Perfons