* I Pet. iii. 15.

(f) Befides the Nature of the thing, (Faith and Truth not hiding themselves, but defiring the Light, that they may appear,) we have many Motives inducing us to make this Profeffion. The Holy Scriptures which contain the Object of our Faith, do likewife expreflly command us to make Profeffion of it. Be ready always to give an anfwer to every Man that asketh you a reason of the Hope that is in you And there can be no reafon of Hope, but what is grounded upon Faith. We know who it is that hath faid, Whosoever hall confefs me before Men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in Heaven †. The Profeffion of the Faith of † Mat. x. 32 one Christian confirmeth and edifieth another in his; and and the mutual Benefit of All layeth an Obligation upon each in particular. The matters of Faith being the nobleft Illuftrations of GO D's Glory; to acknowledge thefe, is, in the highest manner, to honour and glorifie Him; to conceal them, is, with the basest Treachery, to dishonour and deny Him: Upon which occafion our Lord hath declar'd, Whofoever fail be ashamed of me, and of my Words, of him fballthe Son of Man be afbamed when he shall come in his own

Glory, andin his Father's, and of the Holy Angels*. This *Luke ix. 26. Neceffity of Confeffion, in refpect of G OD, our felves, and our Brethren, induc'd the Wisdom of the Church to command the recital of the Creed, at the first initiation by Baptifm, for which Ufe the Form, or Syftem, was origi nally drawn up.

(g) It is not unlawful, or unfit, to use the plural number, We believe; because taking in others we exclude not our felves; and, extending our Charity we do not leffen our Faith. Yet every one is oblig'd, and taught, in particular to express his own Belief, because by it he is to ftand or fall: It is effectual by particular Application; and therefore must be manifefted by particular Confeffion.

F

I believe in G O D,

Orafmuch as by all things created is made

known the Eternal Power and Godhead (a); and the dependency of all limited Beings infers an infinite and independent Effence: Whereas all things are for fome End, and all their Operations directed to it; altho' they cannot apprehend that End for which they are, and in profecution of which they work, and therefore must be guided by fome Univerfal and Over-ruling Wisdom: Since this Collection is fo evident, that all the Nations of the Earth have made it : Since GOD has not only written Himself in the lively Characters of his Creatures, but has also made frequent Discoveries of his Deity, by most infallible Predictions, and supernatural Operations (b): Therefore, I fully affent unto, freely acknowledge, and clearly profess this Truth, that there is a GOD. Again; Since a prime (c) and independent Being fuppofeth all others to depend, and confequently no other to be GOD: Since the entire Fountain of all Perfection is incapable of a double Head (d), and the most perfect Government of the Univerfe fpeaks the Supreme Dominion of one Abfolute Lord; hence do I acknowledge that GOD to be

but

but One; and according to this Unity, or rather Singularity, of the Godhead, excluding all actual, or poffible (e), multiplication of a Deity, I believe in God (ƒ).

(a) Some have imagin'd that the knowledge of a Deity is connatural to the Soul of Man: But we may rather conceive the Soul to be at first a rafa tabula, without any actual Characters of Knowledge imprinted on it; receiving its first apprehenfions of things by Senfe, and from them making all its rational Collections. Others have affirmed the Existence of GOD to be a self-evident Truth, so as neceffarily to be acknowledg'd upon the first hearing. But it would be a very irrational way of Inftruction to tell one who doubts of this Truth, that he muft believe it, because 'tis evident to him, when he knows himself therefore only to doubt, because it is not evident to him. Altho' therefore that, GOD is, be of it self, an immediate, certain, neceffary Truth, yet muft it be evidenc'd and made apparent to us by it's connexion with other Truths. The Wisdom of the Jews thought this Method proper: For by the Greatnefs and Beauty of the Creatures, proportionably the Maker of them is feen. And not only they, but the Apostle has* Wfdom of Sotaught us, that the invifible things of GOD from the Crea- lomon, xiii. s tion of the World are clearly feen, being understood by the things that are made, even his Eternal Power and Godhead t. For + Rom. 1. 20, if Phidias could fo contrive a Piece of his own Work *, as *The Shield of in it to preserve the Memory of himself, never to be de- Pallas. fac'd without the deftruction of the Work; well may we read the great Artificer of the World in the Works of his own Hands, and by the Existence of any thing, demonftrate the first Caufe of all things.

(b) Befides thefe general Arguments from natural and fupernatural Effects, (to queftion the former of which is to deny our Senfes, and to difpute the latter no less than to charge Weakness and Folly upon our Forefathers, and Forgery upon all the Annals of the World) every particular Perfon has a private Remembrancer within him, bearing fufficient

B

4

fufficient teftimony to his Creator, Lord, and Judge. So +AQs xvii. 27. Confcience. GOD is not far from every one of us +. Onthat a Deity will either be granted by Reafon, or extorted by ly unhappy is that Man, who denies Him to himfeif, and proves Him to others; who will not acknowledge his Exiftence, of whofe Power he cannot be ignorant!

(c) This Primity GOD, in the Prophet, requires to be attributed to himself: Hearken unto me, O Jacob, and Ifai. xlvii. 12. Ifrael my called: I am He, I am the firft, I also am the last *. And from this Primity He challengeth His Unity, by the fame Prophet: Thus faith the Lord the King of Ifrael, and bis Redeemer the Lord of Hofts, I am the first, and I am the laft, and befide me there is no GOD †.

Ifai. xliv. 6.

(d) All acknowledge GOD to be abfolutely and infinitely Perfect, in whom ali Perfections imaginable, which are fimply fuch, must be contain'd formally, and all others, which imply any mixture of Imperfection, virtually. Eut were there more Gods than one, then all Perfections could not be in One, either formally, by reafon of their Diftinction, not eminently and virtually, because then one would have Power to produce the other, and that Nature which is producible is not Divine.

(e) This is the Unity peculiar to GOD alone. Every individual Man is one; but one of a Number or Multi tude. The Sun (at least in the fame Vortec) is one; yet not fo as containing in his Nature any thing repugnant to Plu rality. Whereas in the Divine Nature there is an intrinsical and effential Singularity; because no other Being can have any Existence, but from this. I am the Lord, faith He, and there is none elfe, there is no God befides me: That they may know from the rifing of the Sun, and from the West, that there *Ifai. xlv. 5.6. is none befides me, I am the Lord, and there is none elfe He who hath infinite Knowledge knoweth no other GO Dbcfides Himfelf: Is there a GOD befides me? Yea there is no GOD, I know not any †.

+ Ifai. xlv. 18.

*

(f) The Neceffity of the former part of this Confeffion is moft evident; because without it we could have no fuch thing as Divine Faith, and should be utterly ignorant

of

of that Great and Perfect Nature, to which all our Worship and Adoration is due. But the latter part is no less necessary: First in refpect of our felves, to keep us fteady in our Apprehenfions of the Divine Nature, and in our holy Applications of Worship, left our Mind should wander and fluctuate about various and uncertain Objects. And, fecondly, in refpect of GOD Himself, that we may give Him the Honour due unto Him. He hath declar'd that He will admit no Partner: That He will not give His Glory to another. Were there more than one infinite Excellency, and tranfcendent Beauty of Holiness, our Love muft neceffarily be terminated to more than one; and as our Love, fo alfo the proper effect thereof our chearful and ready Obedience ; which, like the Child propounded to the Judgment of Solomon, as foon as 'tis divided, is destroy'd.

I believe in GOD, the Father

A

S I am affured that there is an infinite and independent Being, which we call a GOD, and that it is impoffible there fhould be more Infinites than one, so I affure my self that this One GOD is the Father of all things (a), especially of all Men and Angels (b), fo far as the mere A&t of Creation may be ftiled Generation: That He is farther yet, and in a more peculiar manner, the Father of all thofe whom He regenerates (c) by His Spirit, whom He adopteth (d) in His Son, as Heirs and Coheirs with Him, whom he crowneth (e) with the Reward of an Eternal Inheritance in the Heavens (f). But beyond and far above all this, befides His General Offspring and His Peculiar People, I believe Him the Father in a

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