ments is reserved to another world; and consequently that there is an universal judgment to come.

Secondly; it is necessary to believe a judgment to come, thereby effectually to provoke ourselves to the breaking off our sins by repentance, to the regulating our future actions by the word of God, and to the keeping a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man." Such is the sweetness of our sins, such the connaturalness of our corruptions, so great our confidence of impunity here, that except we looked for an account hereafter, it were unreasonable to expect that any man should forsake his delights, renounce his complacencies, and by a severe repentance create a bitterness to his own soul. But being once persuaded of a judgment, and withal possessed with a sense of our sins, who will not tremble with Felix? who will not flee from the wrath to come? what must the hardness be of that impenitent heart which "treasureth up unto itself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God?" We are naturally inclined to follow the bent of our own wills, and the inclination of our own hearts; all external rules and prescriptions are burthensome to us; and did we not look to give an account, we had no reason to satisfy any other desires than our own: especially the dictates of the word of God are so pressing and exact, that were there nothing but a commanding power, there could be no expectation of obedience. It is necessary then that we should believe that an account must be given of all our actions; and not only so, but that this account will be exacted according to the rule of God's revealed will, that "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to the gospel." There is in every man not only a power to reflect, but a necessary reflection upon his actions; not only a voluntary remembrance, but also an irresistible judgment of his own conversation. Now if there were no other judge beside our own souls, we should be regardless of our own sentence, and wholly unconcerned in our own condemnations. But if we were persuaded that these reflections of conscience are to be so many witnesses before the tribunal of heaven, and that we are to carry in our own hearts a

testimony either to absolve or condemn us, we must infallibly watch over that unquiet inmate, and endeavour above all things for a good conscience; for "seeing that all things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God," 2 Pet. iii. 11. Reason itself will tell us thus much; but if that do not, or if we will not hearken to our own voice "the grace of God that bringeth salvation teacheth us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ," Tit. in l

Thirdly; it is necessary to profess faith in Christ as Judge of the quick and the dead, for the strengthening of our hope, for the augmenting of our comfort, for the establishing of our assurance of eternal life. If we look upon the judgment to come only as revealing our secrets, as discerning our actions, as sentencing our persons act cording to the works done in the flesh, there is not one of us can expect life from that tribunal, or happiness at the last day. We must confess that we have all sinned, and that there is not any sin which we have committed but deserves the sentence of death; we must acknowledge that the best of our actions bear no proportion to eternity, and can challenge no degree of that weight of glory; and therefore in a judgment, as such, there can be nothing but a fearful expectation of eternal misery, and an absolute despair of everlasting happiness. It is necessary therefore that we should believe that Christ shall sit upon the throne, that our Redeemer shall be our Judge, that we shall receive our sentence not according to the rigour of the law, but the mildness and mercies of the gospel; and then we may look upon not only the precepts but also the promises of God; whatsoever sentence in the sacred scripture speaketh any thing of hope; whatsoever text administereth any comfort, whatsoever argument drawn from thence can breed in us any assurance, we may confidently make use of them all in reference to the judgment to come; because by that gospel which contains them all we shall be judged. If

we consider whose gospel it is, and who shall judge us by it, we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones;" "for which cause he is not ashamed to call us brethren," Eph. v. 30; Heb. ii. 11. As one of our brethren he hath redeemed us, he hath laid down his life as a ransom for us. He is our High Priest who made an atonement for our sins, "a merciful and faithful High Priest in all things, being made like unto his brethren." He who is Judge is also our Advocate; and who shall condemn us, if he shall pass the sentence upon us, who maketh intercession for us? well therefore may "we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him" unto the throne of that Judge, who iss our brother, who is our Redeemer, who is our High Priest, who is our Advocate, who will not by his word at the last day condemn us, because he hath already in the same word absolved us, saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life," John v. 24.

Having thus explained the nature of the judgment to come and the necessity of believing the same, we have given sufficient light to every Christian to understand what he ought to intend, and what it is he professeth, when he saith, I believe in him who shall come to judge the quick and the dead. For thereby he is conceived to declare thus much-I am fully persuaded of this, as of an infallible and necessary truth, that the eternal Son of God, in that human nature, in which he died, and rose again, and ascended into heaven, shall certainly come from the same heaven into which he ascended, and at his coming shall gather together all those who shall be then alive, and all who ever lived and shall be before that day dead; when causing them all to stand before his judgment-seat, he shall judge them all according to their works done in the flesh; and passing the sentence of condemnation upon all the reprobates, shall deliver them to be tormented with the Devil and his angels; and pronouncing the sentence of absolution upon all the elect, shall translate them into his glorious kingdome of

which there shall be no end. And thus I believe in Jesus Christ who shall judge the quick and the dead.

ARTICLE VIII.

I believe in the Holy Ghost.

In this Article we repeat again the first word of the Creed, I believe; whereas a conjunction might have been sufficient, but that so many particulars concerning the Son do intervene. For as we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; so we do make confession of our faith, saying, I believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and the ancients, whose Creed was something shorter, made no repetition of the act of faith, but only an addition of the object, And in the Holy Ghost. And as we repeat the act of faith in this Article, so some did also in the second, I believe in Jesus Christ. Wherefore seeing this word, I believe, is taken here only by way of resumption or repetition, and consequently must be of the same sense or importance of which it was in the beginning of the Creed, it may well receive the same explication here which it received there; to that therefore the reader is referred.

For although the ancient fathers did frequently make use of this language to prove the Divinity of the Spirit, and did thence argue that he is really and truly God, because we believe in the Holy Ghost; yet seeing that language is not expressly read in the scriptures in relation to the Spirit, as it is in reference to the Son; seeing to believe in the Holy Ghost, is only the expression of the church contained in the Creed; seeing in the same Creed many of the ancients, without any reprehension, have used the same phrase in the following articles expressly, and where the preposition is not expressed, it may very well be thought it was understood; therefore I think fit to acquiesce in my former exposition, and lay no greater force in the preposition.

It will therefore be sufficient for the explication of this Article, if we can declare what is the full and proper object of our faith contained in it, what we are obliged to believe concerning the Holy Ghost. And as to this we shall discharge our undertaking, and satisfy whatsoever is required in this exposition, if we can set forth these two particulars, the nature and the office of that blessed Spirit. For the name of "ghost" or "gast" in the ancient Saxon language signifieth a spirit, and in that appellation of the Spirit of God, his nature principally is expressed. The addition of holiness, though it denote the intrinsecal sanctity essentially belonging to that Spirit, yet notwithstanding it containeth also a derivative notion, as signifying an emanation of that holiness, and communication of the effects thereof; and in this communication his office doth consist. Whatsoever therefore doth concern the Spirit of God, as such, and the intrinsecal sanctity, which belongeth to that Spirit, may be expressed in the explication of his nature; whatsoever belongeth to the derivation of that sanctity, may be described in his office; and consequently more cannot be necessary than to declare what is the nature, what the office, of the Spirit of God.

For the better indagation of the nature of the Holy Ghost, I shall proceed by certain steps and degrees; which as they will render the discourse more clear, so will they also make the reasons more strong, and the arguments more evident. And first, as to the existence of the Spirit of God, it will be unnecessary to endeavour the proof of it; for although the Sadducees seemed to deny it, who said that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; though it hath been ordinarily concluded from thence that they rejected the Holy Ghost, yet it cannot be proved from those words that they denied the existence of the Spirit of God, any more than that they denied the existence of God, who is a spirit: nor did the notion which the Jews had of the Spirit of God any way incline the Sadducees, who denied the existence of the angels and the souls of men, to reject it. The resurrection, angel, and spirit, which the Sadducees refused to acknowledge, were but two particulars; for it is expressly added, that Div. No. XV.

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