expectation of Christ's coming to Judgment should teach us to be constant in making up our accounts against his coming as persons daily expecting a righteous though a gracious Judge to sit upon us He is one who will come in flames of fire and in great wrath to take vengeance on his Adversaries and upon all who do not obey the Gospel one who will not only sift our actions but search our very hearts and reins who will not suffer any one sin to be carried along under the disguise of Religion or on confidence of his favour but will come from his Throne of Mercy in Heaven and sit upon his Throne of Justice here upon the Earth to judge all his provokers one who will not be moved with passions bribes flatteries to punish or reward according to any other method or rule but only this of every man according to his works Rom. 2.6 This one would think should bring us to a pious awe of him restrain us from sin keep us in good courses and make us work out our Salvation with fear and trembling I believe in the Holy Ghost who is God a distinct person in the Godhead from the Father and the Son and proceeding from both In respect of Nature the Father is holy and the Son holy the Father is a Spirit and the Son is a Spirit but in regard of Office the third person in the Trinity is eminently stiled the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit He is stiled the Holy 1. From the holiness of his Nature 2. From the holiness of his Office whose special Office it is to make the Church holy The Father sanctifies by the Son and by the Holy Ghost the Son sanctifies from the Father by the Holy Ghost the Holy Ghost sanctifies from the Father and the Son immediately by himself Again he is stiled the Spirit 1. In regard of his Nature which is spiritual 2. In regard of his procession from the Father and the Son being as it were inspired and breathed from both 3. In regard of his operation and manner of working for he inspires and breaths into us holy motions and desires to good things and is the Fountain and Spring of all spiritual life in us This Holy Spirit is holy in himself pure from all sin pollution corruption hypocrisie partiality and that most eminently and he is the Author of all holiness and purity in us which he works in us by two ways of dispensation 1. Outward 2. Inward His outward dispensation was in most eminent manner when he descended visibly upon the Apostles filled them with Graces and furnished them with Powers to plant preserve and govern the Church of Christ over the World The Powers which he invested the Apostles with were these 1. To preach the Gospel 2. To baptize those Nations which embraced it 3. To confirm those whom they had baptized 4. To admit those to the Sacrament of Christ's body and bloud whom they had confirmed 5. To exercise the powers of the Keys in Censures in punishing the pertinacious and casting those out of the Church who would not conform to the rules and orders of it that so they might be ashamed and be made to reform their wicked lives and be capable of being received in again by Absolution upon their sincere repentance evidenced by their Reformation 6. To ordain others and to commit the same powers to them which the Holy Ghost had settled in themselves and so to continue a settled Ministry by succession unto the end of the world In respect of all these forementioned donations the Holy Ghost is stiled a Paraclete by which word we are to understand 1. An Advocate 2. A Comforter 3. An Exhorter and Instructer Now the Holy Ghost is to be considered as an Advocate 1. In respect of Christ 2. In respect of Christians Now the Holy Ghost is Christ's Advocate in pleading his cause against the incredulous world by a threefold conviction John 16.8 1. Of Sin and that great crime of not receiving Christ but rejecting him who was testified and demonstrated by the coming down of the Holy Spirit after his Ascension to be a true Prophet 2. Of Righteousness to convince the world that Christ was a righteous person and unjustly crucified as appeared by his Assumption into Heaven and participation of his Father's Glory 3. Of Judgment to convince all men that Christ who was judged in the world shall judge the world and pass sentence upon the Devil the Prince of this world who was the first contriver of his death and upon all who side with him and take his part Again as the Holy Ghost is Christ's Advocate so is he also the Advocate of all Christians 1. In settling a Ministry to pray and intercede for their several Congregations and enabling them to form a Liturgy to be continued in the Church to that end thereby helping our infirmities and teaching us to pray as we ought 2. In sanctifying those Prayers which the Church daily offers up to the only true God by the only true Mediator Jesus Christ that so they may be offered up with acceptance to the Father by Christ our Mediator Again as the Holy Ghost is an Advocate so is he also a Comforter for by power and abilities bestowed upon men the comfortable news of the Gospel the promises of pardon and grace are divulged to those who want comfort Lastly the Holy Ghost is our Exhorter and Instructer in exhorting us to Repentance to fly from sin and the wrath to come and to walk worthy of the great vocation and calling of our Christianity unto which we are called and by exercising all external means which belong to his Titles and Offices for the working of all manner of sanctity in our hearts and by using all inward means secret preventions incitations over-shadowings and all other assistances which are absolutely necessary to beget and continue holiness in our hearts All which do attend upon his outward ministrations before-mentioned and constantly go along with them to hollow them to all worthy receivers and obedient disciples Now to believe in the Holy Ghost is to acknowledge the truth of all that is before made mention of and to accommodate our practice accordingly and to conform to this Faith 1. By submitting our selves to those Spiritual Pastors whom the Holy Ghost hath set over us as they themselves are to be careful of that Flock whereof the Holy Ghost hath made them Overseers 2. By not intruding into and usurping upon the Sacred Function and Ministry nor meddling in it without a lawful call and such as may justifie it self to be from Heaven 3. By obeying all the several Powers which the Church is invested with 4. By devout hearing the Word 5. By due preparing our selves for Baptism and bringing others to it 6. By fitting our selves for Confirmation 7. By examining our selves that we may come fitly prepared to the Lords Supper 8. By fearing the Church-censures and if we are at any time under them by
the Creation is set down briefly yet fully too we have Elohim a noun plural to note the three Persons creating joyned to Bara a verb singular to note but one Creator Gen. 1.1 So when the great World was epitomized in Man the little Let us make implies more then one in his Image notes one and no more Gen. 1.26 27. More Persons and one God all joynt Creators together yet but one Creator Ye have the Father creating Act. 4.24 Job 38.4 Ye have the Son creating Heb. 1.2 10. John 1.3 Ye have the Holy Ghost creating Job 26.13 Ye have all three creating Psal 33.6 Lord notes the Father the Word notes the Son the Breath notes the Holy Ghost three and yet but one The Father creating by and from himself the Son creating by himself but from the Father the Holy Ghost creating by himself but from both All joynt Creators and all but one whence we may learn to give glory to all in all and for all Rom. 11.36 Indeed this doctrine of the Trinity is a very deep point the search of it is too high for any mans reason none of the wisest Heathens unless the Platonists and some few others could ever gain so little as a happy guess at it in broken notions and those notions I suppose they had from our Scriptures wherein we find it so clearly revealed that unless we will renounce our Scriptures and in so doing our Christianity too we must give up our Faith to the assent of this doctrine of the Trinity though we cannot sound the depth of it The works of God are wonderful it is not at all to be admired if we find so great a wonder in God himself who is stiled wonderful Isa 9.6 We who acknowledge a God must acknowledge this withall that he can be something and can do something which is above our capacities and comprehension That ever any men should become Atheists or Antitrinitarians upon this score so as to doubt of God or the Trinity or to deny them only because they cannot fathom the depth of these mysteries is to me a very strange thing I should rather think that Atheism and Antichristianism and Antitrinitarianism if I may so term it should arise from the mean conceits which men have of God and then do they conceive meanly of him when they think they can comprehend him and bring him within the narrow circle and compass of their capacities Thus far I thought good to deliver touching the first part of this Creed the doctrine of the Trinity which we must believe or else we cannot rightly believe that which follows after now it follows in good order thus Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 John 4 2 3. For the right Faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God is God and Man 1 Tim. 2.5 John 1.14 1 Tim. 3.16 Philip. 2.6 7. What Christ the Son of God undertook to heal cure and save that he assumed and what he designed to leave in their ruines he refused therefore he passed by the fallen Angels took not their nature but took the nature of fallen Man the Seed of Abraham by way of Assumpsit and Incarnation John 1.14 Gal. 4.4 Heb. 2.16 Now we must note that in Christ are two Natures the Divine and the Humane and as be hath two Natures so he had upon the matter two Nativities also the first he had before all Worlds from God and the Father incorporeal and eternal the latter he had from the holy Virgin in the end of Ages corporeal and temporal according to his Deity he is consubstantial to God and the Father according to his Humanity he is consubstantial to Man and his Mother as Man he was capable of sufferings as God he could not suffer as Man he might be circumscribed as God he is boundless and without limits or dimensions as God he could not be made as Man he was made as God he was heavenly as Man earthly as God invisible and intelligible as Man visible as God incomprehensible as Man he might be comprehended Thus was he whole Man and whole God that the whole Man might be restored and reformed by him and the injur'd Deity reconciled and satisfied Therefore was the Word made Flesh John 1.14 He who was the Word and not made before all time was made and became Flesh in time made Flesh and manifest in the Flesh As Man he came to us in the Flesh that as the Word he might heal and restore that Flesh and Nature which he assumed was made and was made manifest in Here was no mocking of us in the case but a real making of him the holy Virgin in whom he was made did conceive him and not deceive us Neither was the Word made Flesh by being converted into it either the Word into the Flesh or the Flesh into the Word for the Deity cannot be changed into any thing nor any thing be changed into it Nor was he made as men are said to be made Friends who had formerly been at enmity only by way of reconciliation so as to continue still two distinct Persons as well as two distinct Natures but his two Natures were made up into one Person so that the Word did not stand by as a looker-on only whilst he suffered in the Flesh but contributed very much to the price and merit of his sufferings Neither was the Word made Flesh God made Man by such a composition as that a third Person should be made out of both these Natures God and Man which should neither be God nor Man But he was made by an Assumption Heb. 2.16 by taking the Manhood up to the Godhead both his Natures being preserved without confusion and his Person entire without division He was so made Flesh that he still remained the Word he took what before he was not without changing what before he was he increased what was ours without the least diminution of what was his own we were the better by this making he was never the worse for it this great Mystery of Godliness was no detriment to his Godhead nor the honour done to us the Flesh any injury at all to him the Word This Incarnation of the Son of God is a Mystery equal to that of the Trinity and therefore they who deny the one will not believe the other whereas all sound Christians do firmly believe both God of the substance of the Father begotten before the worlds and Man of the substance of his Mother born in the world Perfect God and perfect Man of a reasonable soul and humane flesh subsisting Heb. 1.2 3. John 1.18 Mich. 5.2 Gal. 4.4 Mat. 1.25 Equal to the Father as touching his Godhead and inferiour to the Father as touching his Manhood John 10.30 John 14.28 Philip. 2.6 7. Who although he be God and Man yet he is not two but one Christ 1 Tim.
was betrayed by Judas on a Wednesday was crucified on a Friday and was laid in the Sepulchre on a Saturday And the Church enjoyned these days to be quarterly observed as Fasting-days for these following reasons 1. That Christians might be as devout as the Jews who observed four several and solemn times of Fast in the year Zechar. 8.19 2. Because these are the First-fruits of every Season which we rightly dedicate to the service and honour of God that beginning every Season so devoutly we may learn to spend the whole year accordingly and that by this means we may procure Gods blessing upon the Fruits of the year arising out of the Earth which are at these Seasons either sown sprung up come to ripeness or gathered into Barns 3. That we may call our selves yearly to a strict account for our sins committed every Season and sadly and seriously repent of them 4. That we may implore Gods mercy to our bodies in freeing us from those common distemperatures which usually are predominant at these four Seasons 5. That we may procure the greater blessing upon the Ministers received into Holy Orders at these four Seasons of the year by Prayer Fasting and imposition of hands Now the forementioned weeks are called Ember weeks from an old Saxon word Enthber which denotes Abstinence or say others from the word Ember now commonly in use which signifies Ashes for Ashes were a ceremony frequently made use of in times of Fasting and carried with it significancy sufficient from which ceremony the first day of the Lent-fast was termed Ash-wednesday of which it is probable I may say something more in proper place A Prayer for the High Court of Parliament to be read during their Session MOst gracious God we humbly beseech thee as for this Kingdom in general so especially for the High Court of Parliament under our most religious and gracious King at this time assembled That thou wouldst be pleased to direct and prosper all their consultations to the advancement of thy glory the good of thy Church the safety honour and welfare of our Soveraign and his Kingdoms that all things may be so ordered and settled by their endeavours upon the best and surest foundations that peace and happiness truth and justice religion and piety may be established among us for all generations These and all other necessaries for them for us and thy whole Church we humbly beg in the Name and Mediation of Jesus Christ our most blessed Lord and Saviour Amen Note No persons can be offended at this Prayer who are not enemies to all goodness and rather desire that debauchery and wickedness should overspread a Nation to the shame and dishonour of it than piety and vertue to advance its reputation A Collect or Prayer for all conditions of men to be used at such times when the Litany is not appointed to be said O God the Creator and Preserver of all mankind we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men that thou wouldest be pleased to make thy ways known unto them thy saving health unto all nations Psal 67.1 2. 1 Tim. 2.1 2 3 4. More especially we pray for the good estate of the Catholick Church Gal. 6.10 Psal 122.6 that it may be so guided and governed by thy good spirit that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth and hold the faith in unity of spirit in the bond of peace and in righteousness of life Ephes 4.3 Finally we commend to thy fatherly goodness all those who are any ways afflicted or distressed in mind body or estate Heb. 13.3 * * This to be said when any desire the prayers of the Congregation especially those for whom our prayers are desired that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities giving them patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their afflictions And this we beg for Jesus Christ his sake Amen A Prayer that may be said after any of the former O God whose nature and property is ever to have mercy and to forgive receive our humble petitions Psal 103.13 and though we be tied and bound with the chain of our sins yet let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us for the honour of Jesus Christ our Mediatour and Advocate Amen Note Touching the preceding Prayers and following Thanksgivings may it be observed that extraordinary dangers should of themselves invite us and stir us up to extraordinary Prayers and extraordinary deliverances from those dangers should equally move us to extraordinary thankfulness as we are to pray to God for the blessings we would obtain so we are to praise him when they are obtained when God opens his hand to gratifie us we should open our mouths to glorifie him It is the Apostles prescribed method to begin with Prayer and to end with Thanksgiving 1 Tim. 2.1 indeed where the concernment is National a provision in such cases is usually better made by fixing set days to be solemnly and religiously observed but it many times happens that the calamities inflicted and mercies received are only Provincial or peculiar to some one County Town City or Vicinage so that they may not reach the cognizance of the Supreme Magistrate therefore are these Prayers and Thanksgivings composed that they may be ready upon all occasions for us to have recourse to when there are no set days indicted for such a purpose THANKSGIVINGS A General Thanksgiving ALmighty God Father of all mercies 2 Cor. 1.3 we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks Psal 116.12 13. for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us and to all men 1 Tim. 2.1 * * This to be said when any that have been prayed for desire to return praise particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them We bless thee for our creation preservation and all the blessings of this life but above all for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ for the means of grace and for the hope of glory And we beseech thee give us that due sense of all thy mercies that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful and that we may shew forth thy praise not only with our lips but in our lives by giving up our selves to thy service and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days Luk. 1.74 75. Tit. 2.11 12. through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory world without end Amen Note This Thanksgiving is not only warrantable by more Texts of Scripture then I have cited but it is so excellent both for matter and method that all Churches and Writers can hardly shew a better form so full of matter and that comprized in so few words This needs no vindication because no persons in their