they have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, and fee not; ears have they, but they hear not,' &c. I Theff. i. 9. Ye turned from idols, to ferve the living God.'

Q. 3. Why is God faid to be the true God?

A. In oppofition to all falfe gods. Jer. x. 10, 11, 15. The Lord is the true God. The gods, that have not made the heavens and the earth, fhall perish from the earth and from under these heavens; they are vanity, and the work of errors.'

Q. 4. Her doth it appear that God is one only?

A. Because God is infinite, and there cannot be more than one infinite being; for as much as one infinite being doth fet bounds and limits unto all other beings, and nothing that is bounded and limited can be infinite.

Q. 5. How doth it appear that God is living?

A. 1. Becaufe God giveth to and preferveth life in all his creatures. 1 Tim. vi. 13. 1 give thee a charge in the fight of God, who quickeneth all things.' Acts xvii. 28.

In him we live and move and have our being.' 2. Becaufe God reigneth for ever. Jer. x. 10. The Lord is a living God and an everlasting king.'

Q. 6. How doth it appear that God is true; that he hath a true being, or that there is a God indeed ?

A. By feveral arguments fufficient to convince all the Atheists in the world, if they would hearken to their own reafon.

Q7. What is the first argument to prove that there is a God?

A. The first argument to prove that there is a God, may be drawn from the being of all things. 1. The being of the heavens, the highest stories which are there erected, the glorious lights which are there placed, the glittering ftars which there move. 2. The being of the earth, whofe foundations are fure, and unmoved by ftorms and tempefts, though it hang like a ball in the midft of the air. 3. The being of the vaft fea, where there is fuch abundance of waters, as fome think higher than the earth, which are yet bounded and refrained from overflowing and drowning the land and its inhabitants, as once they did, when their limits were for a while removed. 4. The

being of fuch various creatures above and below, especially of those which have motion and life in themselves. 5. And chiefly, the being of man; the curious workmanship of his body in the womb, especially the being of man's foul, which is immaterial, invifible, rational, immortal, and which cannot arife from the power of the matter (as the fenfitive fouls of brutes) neither doth depend on the body in fome of its operations. These, and all the works which our eye doth fee, or mind doth apprehend, do prove that there is a God, who hath given a being to them, and continueth them therein.

Q. 8. Wherein lieth the force of this argument, to prové, from the being of all things, that there is a God?

A. All things that have a being, they muft either, . Have their being from eternity; or, 2. Muft give a being to themselves; or, 3. They must have their being from God. But, 1. They could not have their being from eternity, for then they would be infinite in duration, and fo capable of no measure by time; they would be neceffary, and so capable of no alteration or destruction; but both reafon and experience doth evidence the contrary, therefore they are not eternal. 2. Things cannot give a being to themselves; for that which giveth a being to a thing must be before it ; and hence it would follow, that things fhould be and not be at the fame time, which is a contradiction, and abfurd. Therefore, 3. It must neceffarily follow, that there is a God, who is a neceffary, infinite, and eternal being; who is omnipotent, and hath giv en a being to all creatures."

Q.9. What is the fecond argument to prove that there is a God?

A. The second argument to prove that there is a God, may be drawn from the government of all things. 1. The beautiful order, and conftant motion of heavenly bodies, fhedding down light and heat, and sweet influence upon the earth, without which, all living creatures below would quickly languifh and die. 2. The bottling up of waters in the clouds, and sprinkling of rain from thence upon the dry and parched ground, without which, it would yield no fruit. 3. The cleanfing of the air, and fanning of the earth with the wings of the wind, without which, in fome

hotter climates, the inhabitants could not live. 4. The fubjection of many strong and fierce creatures unto weak and timorous man. 5. The fubferviency of irrational and inanimate creatures one to another, and the guiding them without their own defignment unto their ends. 6. Notwithstanding the various, innumerable, and feeming contrary particular ends, which the many creatures in the world have, the directing them without confufion unto one common end, in which they do all agree: this doth undeniably prove, that there is an infinitely powerful and wife God, who is the fupreme Lord and Governor of the world.

Q10. What is the third argument to prove that there is a God?

4. The third argument to prove that there is a God, may be drawn from the impreffions of a deity upon the confciences of all men, in all ages and nations, which could not be fo deep and univerfal, were it a fancy only, and groundlefs conceit. 1. The hellish grips and lashes, the horrible dreads and tremblings of guilty confciences, upon the commiffion of fome more notorious crimes, which they do not fear punishment for from men, is a witnefs of a deity to them, whofe future vengeance they are afraid of. 2. The worfhip which heathens generally give unto falfe gods, is an evidence that there is a true God, tho' they be ignorant of him.

Q. 11. What is the fourth argument to prove that there is a God

A The fourth argument to prove that there is a God, may be drawn from the revelation of the fcriptures. The majefty, high myfteries, efficiency, and like arguments, which prove that the fcriptures could have no other author but God alone, do more abundantly prove, that there is a God, who hath more clearly revealed himself and his will in that book, than in the book of the creatures.

Q12. What is the fifth argument to prove that there is a God?

4. The fifth argument to prove that there is a God, reay be drawn from the image of God on his people; the frump of holiness upon God's people, which maketh them to differ from all others, and from what themselves were

before converfion, doth fhew (as a picture the man) that there is a God, whofe image they bear, and who, by the almighty power of his fpirit, hath thus formed them after his own likeness.

Q. 13. If it be fo certain that there is a God, whence is it that there be fo many Atheists, who believe there is no God?

A. 1. There are many that live as if there were no God, and wifh there were no God, who yet fecretly believe that there is a God, and carry a dread of him in their confciences. 2. 1 hardly think that any, who have most of all blotted out the impreffions of God, and do endeavor to perfuade themselves and others that there is no God, are conftantly of that mind, but fometimes in great dangers, they are under convictions of a Deity.3. There are none that have wrought up themselves to any measure of perfuafion that there is no God, but fuch whose interest doth fway them, and blind them therein; because they being fo vicious, they know if there be a God, he will furely take vengeance upon them. 4. The thing is certain, that there is a God, whether fome believe it or no, as the fun doth fhine, though some men be blind, and do not difcern its light.

VI. Queft. How many perfons are there in the Godhead; Anfw. There are three perfons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one God, the fame in fubftance, equal in power and glory. Q. 1. What is meant by the Godhead?

A. By the Godhead is meant the divine nature or effence.

Q. 2. Are there three divine natures and effences, or are there three Gods?

A. No For though the three perfons be God, the Father God, the Son God, and the Holy Ghost God, yet they are not three Gods, but one God; the effence of God is the fame in all the three perfons, 1 John v. 7,

There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word (that is the Son) and the Holy Ghost, and thefe three are one.'

Q. 3. What is meant by the three perfons in the Godhead? A. By the three perfons in the Godhead, we are to understand the fame nature of God with three ways of

fubfifting, each perfon having its diftinct perfonal proper

ties.

Q4. What is the perfonal property of the Father?

A. The perfonal property of the Father is to beget the Son, and that from all eternity, Heb. i. 5. 8. Unto which of the angels faid he at any time, thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? Unto the Son he 'faith, thy throne, O God, is forever.'

Q. 5. What is the perfonal property of the Son?

A. The perfonal property of the Son is to be begotten of the Father, John i. 14. We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.'

Q. 6. What is the perfonal property of the Holy Ghoft? A. The perfonal property of the Holy Ghoft is to proceed from the Father and the Son, John xv. 26. But ' when the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth, which proceed⚫eth from the Father, he fhall testify of me.'

Q. 7. How deth it appear that the Father is God?

A. Because the Father is the original of the other perfons, and of every thing elfe, and because divine attributes and worship are afcribed to him.

Q. 8. How doth it appear that the Son is God.

A. 1. Because he is called God in the fcriptures, John i. 1. And the Word was God. Rom. ix. 5. Of whom, as concerning the flesh, Chrift came, who is over all, • God bleffed forever.' 2. Because the attributes of God are ascribed unto him; eternity, John viii. 58. Before Abraham was, I am ' Omniscience, John xxi. 17. 'Lord, * thou knowest all things, thou knoweft that I love thee.' Omniprefence, Matth. xviii. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst ' of them.' Divine power, Heb. i. 3. 'He upholdeth all things by the word of his power.' 3. Because the honor and worship which is due only to God, doth belong to him: In him we must believe, John xiv. 1. Believe alfo in me.' In his name we must be baptized, Matth. xxviii. 19. Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.' Upon his name we muft call, 1. Cor. i. 2. With all that can call upon the name of the Lord Jefus Chrift.' 4. Becaufe if the fon were not God, he could not have been a fit mediator.