ceding for Sinners. I believe, O God, that he has fulfilled his Promife to his Difciples of fending to them his Holy Spirit, and that the miraculous Gifts we now commemorate, as beftowed upon the Apostles, proved his Exaltation, at the fame Time that they enabled them to propagate his Religion throughout the World.

Lord, I believe, increase my Faith, and ftrengthen it against the Weaknefs and Frailty of my own Mind, against the falfe Reasonings of Scepticks and Infidels, and against the Pride and Prefumption of Libertines. Let no unreasonable Prejudice cloud the Light of my Understanding; let not Pride and Vanity obfcure the Proofs of thy holy Revelations ; let no Partiality pervert my Judgment in Matters of fuch great Confequence; but above all, let no unreasonable Paffion or finful Luft, corrupt my Will, and indifpofe me to entertain thy holy and excellent Laws.

Make my Faith lively and effectual, and let the Fruits of it appear in my Life and Conversation: Extend it to all the Circumftances of thy holy Obedience, that it may not only enlighten my Mind, but purify my Heart, conquer my Paffions, and correct all thofe falfe Maxims concerning Riches, and Honours, and Pleafures, which prevail in the World; and make it perfect by Charity, which is the true Character of thy Difciples; that by believing in thee, and loving thee in this Life, I may fee and enjoy thee eternally in thy heavenly Kingdom, through the Merits of Jefus Chrift, my only Lord and Saviour. Amen.

CHAP.

267

CHA P. XXIV.

Trinity-Sunday. A Moveable Feast. QWHAT Festival doth the Church celebrate this

Day?

A. The Mystery of the Blessed Trinity.

Q. What is meant by the Trinity in the Chriftian Church?

A. That there is one God in Three distinct Perfons, Father Son, and Holy Ghoft?

Q. What is God?

A. An eternal incomprehenfible Spirit, infinite in all Perfections; who made all Things out of nothing, and who governs them by his wife Providence.

Q. What is meant by the Word Perfon?

A. It fignifies the Essence with a particular Manner of Subfiftence, which the Greek Fathers called Hypoftafis, taking it for the incommunicable Property that makes a Perfon.

Q. Why do we believe the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, to be three diftinct Perfons in the Divine Nature?

A. Because the Holy Scriptures in speaking of thefe Three, do diftinguish them from one another, as we ufe in common Speech to diftinguish three feveral Perfons.

Q. What Inftances have we in the Holy Scriptures to this Purpose?

A. Several; more particularly the Form in adminiftring the Sacrament of Baptifm, which is in the Mat. Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. xxviii. 19. And that folemn Benediction with which St. Paul, concludes his fecond Epiftle to the Corinthians: The 2Cor. xiii, Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, the Love of God, and 1· the Fellowship of the Holy Ghoft. And the three

Witneffes

7

John v. Witneffes in Heaven, mentioned by St. John, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost.

Johni. 1.

16.

Tim. iii. kom. ix.

5.

ileb. iv.

12.

John v. 26.
Heb. i. 12.

John x.

15.

Ch. i. 3.

Ch. v.23.

Rev. vii.

10.

Acts. v. 3,

4.

16.

Q. How does it appear that each of thefe Perfons is God?

A. Because the Names, Properties, and Operations of God are attributed to each of them in the Holy Scriptures.

Q. Where are the Names, Properties, and Operations of God attributed to the fecond Perfon in the bleffed Trinity, the Son?

A. St. John fays, The Word was God; St. Paul, That God was manifefted in the Flesh. That Chrift is over all, God blessed for ever. That the Word of God is fharper than a two-edged Sword, and is a Difcerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. Eternity is attributed to him, the Son bath Life in himself. He is the fame, and his Years fall not fail. Perfection of Knowledge, As the Father knoweth me, so know I the Father. The Creation of all Things, All Things were made by him, and without him was not any Thing made that was made. And we are commanded to honour the Son, as we honour the Father. And the glerified Saints fing their Hallelujabs as to God the Father, fo alfo to the Lamb for ever and ever.

Q. Where are the Names, Properties, and Operations of God, attributed to the third Perfon in the bleffed Trinity, The Holy Ghoft?

A. Lying to the Holy Ghoft is called Lying to God. Cor. iii. And because the Chriftians are the Temples of the Holy Ghoff, they are faid to be the Temples of God. His teaching all Things; his guiding into all Truth ; His telling Things to come; his fearching all Things, even the deep Things of God; his being called the Spirit of the Lord, in Opposition to the Spirit of Man; are plain Characters of his Divinity. Befides, he is joined with God the Father, who will not impart his Glory to another, as an Object of Faith and Worship in Baptifm, and the Apoftolical Benediction. And the

Mat.

XVII. 19.

2 Cor.

XII. 14

Blafphemy

32.

Blafphemy committed against him, is faid to be Mat. xii. forgiven neither in this World nor the World to come. Which although it be not therefore unpardonable because he is God, yet unless he was God, it could not be unpardonable.

Q. What are we obliged to believe cconcerning the Holy Trinity?

A. That there is but one living and true God Art. I. everlasting, without Body, Parts, or Paffions, of infinite Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, the Maker and Preferver of all Things both visible and invifible; and in the Unity of this Godhead there be three Persons of one Substance, Power, and Eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.

Q. Wherein confifts the Mystery of the bleffed Trinity?

A. In that we are not able to comprehend the particular Manner of the Existence of the three Perfons in the Divine Nature.

Q. Is it reafonable to believe Things concerning God, which we cannot comprehend?

A. The Perfections of the Divine Nature are infinite, and confequently above our Reach; and therefore if there be fuch Divine Perfections, which. our Faculties are not fufficient to comprehend, and yet that we have all imaginable Reason to believe them; there can be no Ground from Reason to reject fuch a Doctrine which God hath revealed, though very myfterious, and the Manner of it incomprehenfible to us; fince Natural Light did always acknowledge the Divine Nature to be incomprehenfible.

Q. But though the Doctrine of the Trinity is above Reafon, in that we cannot comprehend the Manner of it; is it not alfo contrary to Reafon? And does it not imply a Contradiction to fay, the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghoft is God, and yet there are not three Gods, Lut one God?

A. No:

St. Cyr. Hier. Ca

tech. XI. P. 144.

A. No: Because we do not affirm they are one and three in the fame Refpect. The Divine Effence is that alone which makes God; that can be but one; and therefore there can be no more Gods than one; but because the Scriptures, which affure us of the Unity of the Divine Effence, do likewise with the Father join the Son and Holy Ghost, in the fame Attributes, Operations and Worfhip, therefore they are capable of Number as to their Relation to each other, but not as to the Effence, which is but one.

Q. Is any farther Explication of this great Mystery neceffary?

A. I think it, with Submiffion, not neceffary, it being fufficient firmly to believe that to be true, which God hath thought fit to reveal concerning this Matter, though at the fame time we do not perfectly comprehend the Manner of the Thing which is the Object of our Faith: Befides, the Attempt, as it is attended with great Difficulty, fo with great Danger; the Enemies of our Faith being ready to wound the holy Doctrine through the Sides of our Explications. This Method St. Chryfoftom, de incom- who is juftly placed in the first Rank of the learned and pious Fathers, obferved. When he treated upon the Mysteries of the Chriftian Religion, he proves them from the Teftimonies of Holy Writ, and the Univerfal Belief of Chriftians, without pretending to make them clearer by a nice Explication.

Orat. I.

pre. Ho

mil. 24.

in Joan.

Q. Are there any Footsteps of the Doctrine of the Trinity among the Jews and Gentiles?

A. There hath been a very ancient Tradition concerning three Perfons in the Divine Nature. The Jews did diftinguish the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit of God, from him whom they looked upon as the first Principle of all Things: As is plain from De Verit. Philo Judæus and Mofes Nachnamides, as cited by the Heathens, Plato made three

Chrift.

Relig.

Grotius.

And among

I