Prayer for his Difciples, faith to the Father, While I was with them in the World, I kept them in thy Name: Holy Father, keep through thine own Name thofe whom thou hast given me ". And in his Exhortation to the Angel of the Church of Pergamos, he faith, Thou holdeft faft my Name, and haft not denied my Faith" It must be acknowledged indeed, that being baptized into the Name of thefe three, is no where expressly mentioned, except in the Text. But then the more ufual Phrafe, of being baptized into Chrift, or into His Name, amounts to just the fame Thing. For by bearing the Name of Chriftians, we declare ourselves Believers, not in Chrift alone; but in the Father, of whom, to use the Apoftle's Words, the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named ×; and in the Holy Spirit alfo: whofe Name appears evidently never to have been omitted in Baptifm, from that remarkable Paffage, where fome Profeffors of the Gofpel owning that they were intirely ignorant concerning the Holy Ghost, St. Paul afks them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And finding it was only into the Baptifm of John, commands them to w Rev. ii. 13. X Eph. iii. 15. u John xvii. 11, 12. y Acts xix. 1, 2, 3. be be now baptized, into the Name of the Lord Jefus. So it is expreffed: but the foregoing Question fully proves, that the Name of the Holy Ghoft was used likewife: from whence it follows, that the Expreffion, baptizing into the Name of Christ, wherever we find it in Scripture, is only put for Shortness: and that the original Form of Baptifm was, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: which accordingly was the constant one in the primitive Church. You fee then, upon the whole, that as being baptized into John's Baptifm, was taking his Name, and being called his Difciple: and as being baptized into the Name of Paul, (a Suppofition, which he himself puts") would have been setting Him up as our chief Leader and Master: fo when the Scripture speaks of being baptized into the Name of Chrift, the Meaning is, that we avow believing and following Him; and when, more fully, into the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghaft, it fignifies, that we are received into the Number of those, who profefs, and defire to be known by the Character of Z v. 3, 4, 5. 1 Cor. i. 13. profeffing, profeffing, Faith and Duty towards the everbleffed Trinity. 2. But wherein more particularly this Faith, which is the Foundation of Duty, confifts; and what are the great Articles of it, is the fecond Point, on which I proposed to speak: and thefe Things not being explicitly taught in the Form of Baptism fingly, must be learned from the rest of Scripture in Conjunction with it, and profeffed in Proportion as they are learned. Now the Scripture expressly afferts, in perfect Conformity with Reason, that there is but one God, the Object of our Faith and Adoration: not one fupreme, and other inferior ones, as the Heathens believed, but one alone. Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord our God is one Lord: Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve c. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God befides me: I am the Lord, that is my Name, and my Glory will I not give to another e, faith he himself. Accordingly St. Paul declares, that to us Christians, there is one God the Father, of whom are all Things. But then, befides the several Orders of created Beings, the fame d b Deut. vi. 4. • If xlii. 8. f Deut. vi. 13. Matth. iv. 4. d If. xlv. 5. Scripture Scripture as exprefsly mentions his eternal Son and Spirit: the one begotten of him, the other proceeding from him. The distinct and full Meaning of these Terms we know not: but this, however, they plainly denote, that the Son and Spirit are derived from the Father, in a Manner, whatever it be, each different from the other, and both different from Creation. Accordingly we find afcribed to both these, not only the Names, but the Perfections of God, with Honours and Worship incommunicable to any Creature: and while they are evidently distinguished from the Father, they are as evidently described as being one with him. Wherein precisely this Union and this Distinction lies, the Scripture hath not faid, and therefore we cannot fay, farther than this: that the Union appears any to be, not only a Similitude of Will, or of other Powers and Difpofitions, but the highest poffible Sameness of effential Attributes and Properties; for which Reafon it hath been called an Unity of Effence, Nature or Substance and the Distinction appears to be, not only a Difference of Names, or of Relations to created Beings, but of Subfiftence and Action, resembling in fome Measure, as defcribed described in Holy Writ, that of different human Agents; on which Account it is faid to be a Distinction of Perfons. And from all these Things put together, we conclude, that we are to believe and worship three Perfons, who are one God. Many other Words and Terms there are, besides these, which have been used in speaking of this great Mystery: fome of them proper and useful, ferving to exprefs only what the Scripture expreffes, and to guard it against Misrepresentations; which therefore we should ever interpret candidly and favourably: others, much better omitted; as indeed all are, that Men employ to give any further Knowledge of the Subject, than God hath given. For in fuch Cafes, but in this above any, the true Method is, to receive, with the utmost Humility and Simplicity of Mind, what is revealed neither adding, nor diminishing, nor one Way or other attempting to make it, either clearer, or darker, than it is. The former we cannot do the latter we easily may, but furely should not wifh to do. Multiplying therefore Phrases and Reafonings, either to determine what the divine Oracles have not determined, or to explain away what they |