Anonymous on Article I: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity

wou’d not be Perfection; nor infinite Goodness infinite: For that which is distin& Perfection, and separated from one, must be limi- ted, bounded, and finite in regard of another; and thus to make

room for more Gods than One, we streighten, confine, and set

Bounds to him, who is not to be comprehended ; which wou’d be a Contradiction. For this Reason there can be but One Almighty, Supreme Being, Perfection it self in his Nature and Attributes, not to be divided or imparted to any other. Who is, or can be, God

uc latter burt. save the Lord, or who is a rock save our God © There is none other

God but one. | 5aly, This One God is the Living God, the Fountain and Origi- nal of Life and Being. He calls himself J am, as independent in

his Essence, Self subsisting, and receiving Life from no other; and

yet imparting Life and Being to all the Creation: And as he is Per-

section, the supreme and best of Beings, it must needs follow, that

Life is in him in Perfection. For as we find we live, we are sensi- ble that we did not give Life to our selves, neither can we continue it as long as we please. The Breath that we enjoy was first breathed into us by him: And as we live, and move, and have our Beings in

bim, we are forced to faint, to yield up the Ghost and dye, when

Exod. 3. 14. Joh. 5. 26.

Joh. 17. 3.

He commands. As we derive Life from him, and are dependant Creatures, we must conclude, that he who imparts Life to us, hath Life in himself: That tho’ we depend upon him, he is Self. existent, and can depend upon none, having Life in Perfection in himself, and dividing it in various Channels, and in different Degrees to his Creatures. God said unto Moses, I am that I am. The Father hath Life in himself, and hath given to the Son to have Life in bim- elf. 5 LY He is the true God, or the very Deity we are bound to own, to fear, adore, and obey. All other Gods are vain Idols, meer Shadows and Representations, not worthy of Regard or Obe- dience ; but he is discover’d to be in Reality, what he says he is, by his Goodness and Power; and demonstrated the fame by his Works of Creation and Providence, that he is true, and deserves the Worship of his People ; for he hath made all Things what they are, provides for Man and Beasts, and confounded all those Idols, that have been fet up in Competition with him. He hath wrought such Wonders upon the Earth, and difposes of all Affairs with that Power, that all the World may know that he is true, and that the Gods of the Heathen are but Wood and Stone. This is Life E- ternal, that they might know thee the only true Gol, arbhy, This God is everlastirg; for that which is true, must be without Beginning or Ending, from everlasting to everlasting, Per- section cannot but be always the fame. If there was a Time when he was not, then there was a Time when he began to be; and if he had a Beginning, then he receiv’d it from some other, and that other

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Thirty Nine

from some other ; and thus our Thoughts must still run back- Article I.

wards, and we know not where to stop, till we tix at last i

some Self-existent, Incomprehensible Being, who is from everlasting,

and owes no part of his Perfe&ion to any thing but himself. And

thus we come to acknowledge and confess, that Stupendous, Eternal

Being, that God whom we adore and trust in, who always was the | fame he is, and will be for ever the same Almighty and Unchange-

able Being, who hath been from all Eternity, and remains to all Eter-

nity, who hath been always perfect in himself, and will be perfect,

without Beginning or End. But thou art the same, and thy Tears palm 162.

shall have no end. : 27.

5thly, This Everlasting God hath no Body, is without Body, Parts

or Passions, or without any Composition either of gross or refined

Matter; he is all Spirit, or a spiritual Being, far above the sublima-

ted Rarefactions of Matter, or the Fumes and Steam of it; hath no

Dependance upon it, or essential Connexion with it : For he created

Matter out of nothing by the Word of his Power, and is freed from all

Commerce with it; is not fetter’d up with Limbs and Nerves, with

Veins and Arteries, or any Frame of Flesh and Blood ; he hath no Vehicle, Rayment, or Covering of Matter, or any Composure of it ;

for he is all Spirit, Spirit in Perfection, the purest Act and most Immaterial Substance ; and consequently always was, and will for

ever remain without Passion or disorder’d Motions, or any Strugglings

of Affections, which are the Effects of Matter, or at least

are occasion’d and managed by the Conjunction of Matter with Spirit. And of Necessity this great God mult be thus Incor-

poreal, Pure, and Spiritual; for if he had a Body, it must be made

up of Parts; and if it consists of Parts, it may be divided: And

thus that which we call God, may be made greater or letlcr, and

may be taken into Pieces; which is a Contradiction. But if he should be represented as having Parts, he cou’d not be present every

where at once; for he must be present according to the Proportion

of Parts, and must be limited and contined in one Place and not

another; and thus it will follow, that as he is present where his

Body 1s, there may be many Places where that cannot be ; which is a

great Diminution to the Divine Majesty, and denies that Omnipresence

to him, by which he is always every. where, and sees and knows

what is done in all Places at once. God is a Spirit, and they that John 4. 24.

worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth,

6thly, He is a God of infinite Power, Strength and Ability for

Action; he is so powerful and able, that he can do what he pleases,

in Heaven and upon Earth, amongst Angels or Men; there is no-

thing hath Force enough to hinder his Pleasure, to bar or obstru&

his Proceedings; as he hath the Perfection of Power, he can do all

| Things that are capable of being done, which are not inconsistent

| with the Purity of his Nature, or which do not imply a Contradi-

KL &ion. Were there any thing stronger than he, he could not be

God, nor could retain his Dominion, exercise his Power, or govern the World in his own Way; he could not be pray’d to with Confi- dence, or trusted to with Assurance, or help his Servants in Time

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An EXPOSITION of the

Article T.

Gen. 18. 1. latter Part.

Rom. 16. 27.

Psalm 136. 1.

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of Need. But his Arm is not shorten’d, he hath the Perfection of Power, such as the Deity it self can only wield, such as will support and maintain his Government for ever: For he is the Almighty, he is the same to all, which he was to Abraham. I am the Almighty God; wwalk before me, and be thou perfect.

ythly, He is also infinite in Wisdom ; his Power is not a blind Force, a senseless Impetus, or a masterless Whirlwind, which car- ries all before it, right or wrong: But it is Power in perfection, which hath infinite Wisdom annex’d to it, and which is ever influ-

| enced and guided by it: Every thing which he undertakes to do, is

found to be Divine and Rational, fit to be done by him, and in that Order he does it : He is the only Wise ; for all Rational Beings de- rive their Wisdom from him: And he is infinite in Wisdom, because he grasps with one Glance of his Intellectual Eye, all things at once, all that can be discerned above or below, that can be view’d in Act or in Possibility; and can understand how to create and govern a World. We pretend to a little Measure of Wisdom our selves, but

he must be vastly wise, who gave us what we have. The Angels

are very knowing Creatures, but their Creator must be above them in Understanding: He that is able to impart Wisdom and Know- ledge to us, must have both in Perfection; he could not impart such Measures and different Degrees of it, if he did not possess it in its infinite Perfection, and if he was not Wisdom it self without any Diminution. He that giveth Man Knowledge , shall not be under-

stand? We must give him the Glory of all that Wisdom, that

is found in our selves, or manifested through the whole Creation. He is the only Wise God, and nothing is wise, but as he makes it. To God only wise be Glory, through Jesus Christ for ever, Amen.

8:hly, His Goodness is as eternal as his Wisdom : He has that Pu-

rity, and Excellency of Nature, by which he is absolutely good

in himself, and inclin’d to do good. This is so much a Perfection in him, so Transcendently Sublime, Eminent and Entire, that there is none good but himself, none Absolutely, Independently, Origi- nally, Perfectly, and Eternally good: His very Nature is Righteous-

ness it self, and all the Marks and Appearances of Goodness in the

Creation, are impress’d and produc’d by him, and had never been, if not call’d forth by his Gracious Word. As he is good, he always

did good, enjoins ys to be good, and lays the strictest Obligations

upon us to imitate his Goodness, to do good in our Generations, and to prepare by good Works to enjoy him. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

II. This our True and Living God is the Maker and Preserver of

all Things, both Visible and Invisible: He by his Wisdom, Power, and Goodness, produc’d all that is in Being above or below.

1st, He made this Lower World, and all the World, or Worlds

above, with all the Inhabitants, Angels or Men, and all that there- in is, of what Use or Nature soever. We are inform’d, how this

World was produc’d by him, and how every Creature came forth, -

Thirty Nine ARTICLES.

he spake the Word, and commanded it, and took its Place in the Creation according to that Degree of Life, Station and Condition, it was appointed for. And as his Almighty Word created this Low- er World; fo all the Regions above, all the Orbs or Worlds above, whatever Places the are, were formed by him; he mult of necessity be the Creator of all, and none can vye with him in this Honour: For either the Creatures made themselves, or some other made them ; If themselves, then we made our selves, and are Self-born, Absolute

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Article I. —

and Independent Beings; but this we see, and know to be false; for we are sensible we received our Lives from a greater than our selves,

and are fore’d to resign them, when he calls for them; If some other made us, that Being must have Power, Wisdom, and Goodness suf- ’ ficient to accomplish such things: And as no less than the Perfection of Power, Wisdom, and Goodness, can be suppos’d sufficient to cre- ate a World, and such Creatures as we are in it; that Being, which is the Creator, mult be the Almighty God, whom we own and serve, for whose Will and Pleasure they are, and were created. By him

all things were created, that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or

Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for 2. He is also the Preserver of all Things, Visible or Invisible ;

as he call’d them into Being, he continues them in Being, and by

his great and everlasting Providence, sustains and maintains them in their proper Stations and Places. Thus he preserves us Men, and provides plentifully for us, affording us richly all Things to enjoy

for the Sustenance of Life, Health, and Happiness : And thus he supports the Invisible Creation; he provides for Angels, and produ- ces Things that are suitable for the Continuance of the Angelick Life, by which they live, and shall live for ever, without Fear of Want, or Molestation. All Things subsist by the Power of his Word, and are continued in their respective Lives and Enjoyments,

Coles. 1. 16.

by his Favour and Blessing, If we consider the Nature of Preserva-

tion, the same Power will be found necessiry to support us, which made us; and the same Hand must feed us, which fashion’d us at first : No Creature, of what Station soever, can continue its own Be- ing without the Concurrence of his Providence. We could not

draw in our Breath again, when it is once parted from us, but by

that Influence he affords, and that Power he gives to recover it : We cannot raise up Food out of the Earth, if he did not prosper us; nor could we eat or digest it, when we have it, if he did not enable us. The same may be said of all the Creatures of the Visible Crea-

tion, that depend upon Matter, as we do: And as for Invisible Things, as different as they may be from us, they must depend eve-

ry Moment upon him, according to their different Degrees of Life, as we do in ours. Angels are but Creatures, Archangels but Finite Creatures, and cannot supply themselves with Subsistence, but as they receive and take it from the great Creator of that other World, who plentifully affords what they live upon; they perpetually receive from his Presence, or Glory, or some other Way, (as he thinks 2

8 | that

An EXPOSITION of the

Article I. and Colofl. 1. 17.

Rom. 11. 36.

1 John 5. 7.

Matth. 28. 19.

that which is their Eternal Subsistence. By him all things subist. Of him, and through him, and to him, are all things.

III. In the Unity of the Godhead, there are Three Persons of one Substance, Power, and Eternity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: So there is Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity;

One God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in the Unity of the God- head. | | :

1st, There are Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, di- stinct by their own Personality the one from the other: For it is manifest by the Testimony of Scripture , that the Father is not the

Son, the Son 1s not the Father, the Holy Ghost is neither Father, nor Son; but every one is a Person by himself. God says, Let us

make Man, which is a Calling and Summoning divers Persons to assist in some great Design : It would be very improper and absurd for one Person to say, Let us do this; and therefore there are more Persons than one. It is therefore undoubted, that those interpret the Scripture 1gnorantly and wretchedly, who wou’d have us be- lieve that these Three are no Persons, but Manifestations of the same God; for if they are not distin& Persons, they will bring vast

Confusion upon the Christian Faith, upon the Work of Redemption,

and the Day of Judgment; for God the Father made us, God the Son dyed for us, and shall judge us, and God the Holy Ghost san- ctifies, and prepares us for both. There are Three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these

Three are One. | CE 1 2. These Three Persons are of One Substance, Power, and

Eternity: One in Power, the Father Almighty, the Son Almighty,

and the Holy Ghost Almighty: One in Eternity, the Father . nal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal; and yet not Three Almighties, but One Almighty ; not Three Eternals, but One Eternal. The Attributes of the Deity are the Attributes of every Person by himself, and are equally asserted of them jointly, and separately, as One God, and Three Persons : We. are baptized in the Name of them, as well to show our Belief, as to enter upon his Service. Go ye therefore, and teach all Nations, baptizin

them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Heh

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3. This one Substance is the Divine Essence, in the Unity of which there are Three Persons; or the Divine Nature of which every Person partakes, and by which every Person is God, and is one and the same in all: The Son hath the same Essence with the Fa- ther, and the Holy Ghost the same with Father and Son; and the Essence being one and the same, the Three Persons in the Unity of it are but one, and the same God. Their Persons remain distinct, and will be distinct for ever; for the Person of the Father cannot be the Son, nor the Person of the Son the Father, nor the Person

of the Holy Ghost, Father or Son: Their Personal Properties are

not to be imparted to one another, they are incommunicable; but their Essential

Thirty Nine Ax TiCLES:

ha.

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Essential Properties are given to every one of them, they are Co-

equal and Coeternal.

This is the Sense of the first Article of our most Excellent Church; by which we may learn to {peak of God in her Language , to adore him as the Great Majesty of Heaven and Earth, and to serve him from the Heart. As he lives, we shall live; as he is true, we are not mistaken: as he is Everlasting, he can promise and give Eternal Life; as he hath no Body, we must worship him as a Spirit; as he is not subje& to Passions, we must learn of him to be meek and spiritual ; as his Power is infinite, he can do all Things; as his Wil- dom is perfect, he governs well, and rules with Understanding ; as his Goodness is infinite, he will do good, and provide for all ; as

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Article I.

he made all Things, he made us, and we are his; as he preserves all

Things, he gives us Life, and Food, and daily provides for our

Safety; and as He is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are to wor-

ship him, and serve him. | This is that which our Church teaches, that which ye should know and live by, that ye may understand your Religion, and a& up to it. Can ye, think ye, belong to such a God, when ye disobey him? Or can ye believe ye live in, and by him, when ye are unthankful and disobedient ? Consider what ye profess, and remember that your God is a Spirit, and secs you; and hath Power, and if ye are good, will reward you, if bad, will punish you, Be afraid, and fin no more, for this God 15 our God, and 75 a consuming Fire, |

Heh, 12. 20,

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8 An EXPOSITION f th | Article II. ö […] KS