Q. 9. How doth it appear that the Holy Ghoft is God? A. 1. Because the Holy Ghoft is called God, Acts v. 3, 4. Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghoft? Thou haft not lied unto men but unto God.' 2. Because the attributes of God are afcribed unto him: Omniprefence. Pfal. cxxxix. 7. Whither shall I go from thy fpirit? Efpecially, he is prefent in the hearts of all believers. John xiv. 17. He dwelleth in you, and fhall be in you.' Omniscience. 1. Cor. ii. 10. The fpirit fearcheth all things.' 3. Becaufe of the powerful works of the spirit, which none but God can effect; fuch as regeneration. John iii. 5. Except a man be born of the fpirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Guiding believers into all truth. John xvi. 13. Howbeit, when the fpirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.' Sanctification. Rom. xv. 16. That the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being fanctifyed by the Holy Ghoft.' Comfort, called therefore the comforter. John xv. 26. But when the comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he fhall teftify of me.' Communion. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all.' 4. Because the honor and worship due only to God, doth belong unto the fpirit we must believe in him. This is an article of the creed (commonly called the apoftles creed) I believe in the Holy Ghoft.' We must be baptifed in his name. Matth. xxviii. 19. Baptifing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.'

Q. 10. How doth it appear that the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghoft, being one God, are three diftinct perfons?

A. 1. The Father begetting is called a perfon in the fcripture. Heb. i. 3. Chrift is faid to be the exprefs image of his perfon; and by the fame reason, the Son begotten of the Father, is a perfon; and the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son, is a perfon. 2. That the Father and the Son are distinct persons, is evident from John viii. 16, 17, 18. I am not alone, but I and the Father that fent me. It is also written in your law, that the teftimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witnefs of myself, and the Father that fent me beareth wit

nefs of me.' 3. That the Holy Ghoft is a diftinct perfon from the Father and the Son, appeareth from John xiv. 16, 17. I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the fpirit of truth,' &c. 4. That the Father, Son and Holy Ghoft, are three diftinct perfons, in one effence, may be gathered from 1 John v. 7. there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the word, and the Holy Ghoft, and these three are one.' Thefe three are either three fubftances, or three manifeftations, or three perfons, or fomething elfe befides perfons: But, 1. They are not three substances because in the fame verse they are called one. 2. They are not three manifeftations, because all the attributes of God are manifeftations, and fo there would be more than three or thirteen; and then one manifestation would be faid to beget and send another, which is ab furd. 3. They are not fomething else befides perfons: therefore they are three diftin&t perfons, diftinguished by their relations, and diftinct perfonal properties.

Q. 11. What should we judge of them that deny that there are three diftinct perfons in one Godhead.

A. 1. We ought to judge them to be blafphemers, because they speak against the ever glorious God, who hath fet forth himself in this diftinction in the fcripture. 2. To be damnable heretics: this doctrine of the distinction of perfons in the unity of effence being a fundamental truth, denied of old by the Sabellians, Arians, Photineans, and of late by the Socineans, who were against the Godhead of Chrift the fon, and of the Holy Ghoft; among whom the Quakers are alfo to be numbered, who deny this dif tinction.

VII. Queft. What are the decrees of God?

Answ. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose according to the counsel of his own will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath fore-ordained whatsoever cometh to pafs.

Q. 1. What is it for God to decree?

A. For God to decree, is eternally to purpose and fore. ordain, to appoint and determine what things fhall be. Q. 2. How did God decree things that come to pass? 4. God decreed all things according to the counsel of

his will; according to his will, and therefore most freely ; according to the counfel of his will, and therefore most wifely. Eph. i. 11. Being predeftinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will.'

Q3. Wherefore did God decree all things that come to pass?

A. God decreed all things for his own glory.

Q4. What forts are there of God's decrees?

A. There are God's general decrees, and God's espeeial decrees.

Q. 5. What are God's general decrees?

A. God's general decrees are his eternal purpose, whereby he hath fore-ordained whatever comes to pass; not only the being of all creatures which he doth make, but also all their motions and actions; not only good actions which he doth effect, but also the permiffion of all evil actions, Eph. i. 11. Who worketh all things after the council of his own will.' Acts iv. 27, 28. ' Against thy holy Child Jefus....Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together for to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done.'

Q. 6. What are God's efpecial decrees?

A. God's efpecial degrees are his decrees of predeftination of angels and men, especially his decrees of election and reprobation of men.

Q. 7. What is God's decree of election of men?

A. God's decree of election of men is his eternal and unchangeable purpose, whereby, out of his mere good pleasure, he hath in Chrift chofen fome men unto everlafting life and happiness, as the end; and unto faith and holinefs, as the neceffary means in order hereunto, for the praise of his moft rich and free grace. Eph. i. 4, 5, 6. According as he hath chofen us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love; being predeftinated according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace.' 2 Theff. ii. 13. 'God hath from the beginning chofen you to falvation, through fanctification of the fpirit, and belief of the truth'

Q. 8. What is God's decree of reprobation of men?

A. God's decree of reprobation is his eternal purpol (according to his fovereignty, and the unfearchable coun cil of his own will) of paffing by all the reft of the chil dren of men which are not elected, and leaving them to perifh in their fins, unto the praife of the power of his wrath and infinite juftice in their everlafting punishment. Rom. ix. 21, 22. Hath not the potter power. over the clay, of the fame lump to make one veffel unto honor, and another unto difhonor; What if God, willing to fhew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much long fuffering the veffels of wrath fitted to deftruc tion.'

Q. 9. Whence is it that God doth decree the election of fome and the reprobation of others, of the children of men?

A. It was neither the good works foreseen in the one which moved him to chuse them, nor the evil works forefeen in the other, which moved him to pass them by; but only because he would, he chose fome, and because he would not, he did not chufe the reft, but decreed to withhold that grace which he was no wife bound to give unto them, and to punish them juftly for their fins, as he might have punifhed all, if he had fo pleafed. Rom. ix. 11, 13, 18. The children being not yet born, neither having done good nor evil, that the purpofe of God, according to election, might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.' It was faid. 'Jacob have I loved, but Efau have I hated: for he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.'

Q. 10. May any know whether they are elected or reprobat. ed in this life?

A. 1. Thofe which are elected, may know their elec tion by their effectual calling. 2 Pet. i. 10. Give dili gence to make your calling and election fure.' But 2dly, None can know certainly in this life (except fuch as have figned against the Holy Ghoft) that they are reprobated, because the greatest finners (except fuch as have committed that fin) may be called. 1. Cor. vi. 9, 10, 11. Nei ther fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor thieves, &c. fhall inherit the kingdom of God; and fuch were fome of you; but ye are wafked, but ye are fanctified, but

ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the fpirit of our God.' And we read of fome called at the eleventh hour. Matth. xx. 6, 7.

VIII. Queft. How doth God execute his decrees?

Anfw. God doth execute his decrees in the works of creation and providence.

Q. 1. What is it for God to execute his decrees?

A. God doth execute his decrees, when he doth what he eternally purpofed to do, when he bringeth to pals what he had before ordained fhould be.

Q. 2. Wherein doth God execute his decrees?

A. God doth execute his decrees in the works of creation, wherein he maketh all things according as he eternally decreed to make them; and in his works of providence, wherein he preferveth and governeth all things according to his eternal purpose and counsel.

IX. Queft. What is the work of creation?

Anfw. The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of fix days, and all very good.

Q. 1. What is meant by creation?

A. 1. Negatively, by creation is not meant any ordinary production of creatures, wherein fecond causes are made ufe of.

2. Pofitively, creation is, 1. A making things of nothing, or a giving a being to things which had no being before. Thus the heavens were made of nothing, the earth and waters, and all the matter of inferior bodies were made of nothing; and thus fill the fouls of men were made of nothing, being immediately infufed by God. 2. Creation is a making things of matter, naturally unfit, which could not by any power (put into any fecond caufes) be brought into fuch a form; thus all beafts and cattle, and creeping things, and the body of man, was at first made of the earth, and the duft of the ground; and the first woman was made of a rib taken out of the man.

Q. 2. Are all things that are made God's creatures ? A. Yes. 1. All things that were made the firft fix days were most properly and immediately created by God.

2. All the things that are ftill produced are God's creatares. 1. Becaufe the matter of them was at firft created

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