Jones on Article I: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

” There is one certain nature, one substance, one ghost, and heavenly mind, or rather an everlasting Spirit without begin- ning or ending, which we call God, whom all the people of the world ought to worship with sovereign honour and the highest kind of reverence.”

” The holy writings of the Bible teach us that there is only one God Almighty that hath neither beginning nor ending ; which of his own goodness did create all things.”

” You must understand that there be three persons in the Deity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost.” — Sermom.

” Blessed be the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for your three-fold confession.” — Letters.

-‘7

” I believe that the three persons are of the one and the self- same essence and substance, nature, authority, power, will, goodness, wisdom, and eternity ; and that there is but one Spiritual substance, eternal, without end or beginning ; true, good, just, merciful, of a sovereign power and wisdom, having and containing in itself all goodness, not needing any thing.” — Confession.

” Are there three persons in the Godhead and yet but one God ? Yes most certainly ; when man should be made, God the Father said to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, Let us make man like unto our own similitude or image. In these two words, us and our is declared the plurality of persons, and in those two words, similitude and image, is expressed the unity

and singularity of the Godhead in the trinity of Persons

The Prophet Esay heard Seraphim crying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts. By the thrice repetition of this word holy, the three persons in the Trinity are expressed unto us ; but by the one denomination of God, one Deity or one divine sub- stance of these three persons is declared unto us In the

evangelical history we read that when Christ was baptized, the Father, from heaven, was heard saying, ’ This is my well beloved Son, in whom I have a great delight.’ We read also that the Holy Ghost came down from heaven in the likeness of a dove, and rested upon Christ. Here is it most evident that in that most blessed, glorious, and everlasting Godhead, there are three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. And when our Saviour Christ sent forth his Apostles to preach, he commanded them also to baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The unity of the divine essence is set forth in this, that Christ saith ’ in the name,’ and not in the names ; as, likewise, by these three names, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost,

is declared that there are three Persons in the divine sub- stance.”— Becon’s Catechism.

” Thy people (O Lord God, the Father of our Saviour Jesus Christ) do here, in saying this article (I believe in God the Father Almighty, &c.) by faith know that thou, together with Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, didst create all things that be

in heaven or in earth and as they know this, so they, by

the same faith, do see thee the same God, the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost ; to govern all things after thy great wisdom, power, righteousness, and mercy.” — Bradford on the Belief.

” The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Those be not the names of sundry gods, but of three distinct Persons in one Godhead. For in one substance of God, we must consider the Father, which of himself begat the Son, even from eternity, the beginning, and first author of all things ; the Son even from eternity begotten of the Father, which is the eternal wisdom of God the Father ; the Holy Ghost, proceeding from them both, as the power of God spreads abroad through all things, but yet so as it also continually abideth in itself ; and yet that God is not therefore divided. For of those three Persons, none goeth before the other in time, in greatness, or in dignity. There is, therefore, one eternal, immortal, al- mighty, glorious, the best, the greatest God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. For so hath the universal number of Christians, which is called the Catholic Church, taught us by the Holy Scriptures.” — Novell’s Catechism.