sibly conceive it; for it is impossible any thing should be true of the infinite Creator, which can be fully expressed to the capacities of a finite creature; and, for this reason, I ever did, and ever shall, look upon those apprehensions of God to be the truest, whereby we apprehend him to be the most incomprehensible; and that to be the most true of God, which seems most impossible unto us.

Upon this ground, therefore, it is, that the mysteries of the gospel, which I am less able to conceive, I think myself the more obliged to believe; especially this mystery of mysteries, the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which I am so far from being able to comprehend, or indeed to apprehend, that I cannot set myself seriously to think of it, or to screw up my thoughts a little concerning it, but I immediately lose myself, as in a trance or ecstacy: that God the Father should be one perfect God of him- ́ self, God the Son one perfect God of himself, and God the Holy Ghost one perfect God of himself: and yet that these three should be but one perfect God of himself; so that one should be perfectly three, and three perfectly one; that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost should be three, and yet but one; but one and yet three! O heart-amazing, thoughtdevouring, inconceivable mystery! Who cannot believe it to be true of the glorious Deity? Certainly, none but such as are able to apprehend it, which I am sure I cannot, and believe no other creature can. And, because no creature can possibly conceive how it should be so, I therefore believe it really to be so, namely, that the Being of all beings is but one in essence, yet three in substance; but

one nature, yet three persons; and that those three persons in that one nature, though absolutely distinct from one another, are yet but the same God. And I believe these three persons, in this one nature, are indeed to one another as they are expressed to be to us, that the one is really a Father to the other, that the other is really a Son to him, the third the product of both: and yet, that there is neither first, second, nor third amongst them, either in time or nature. So that he that begat was not at all before him that was begotten, nor he that proceeded from them both, any whit after either of them. And therefore, that God is not termed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as if the divine nature of the one should beget the divine nature of the second; or the divine nature of the first and second should issue forth the divine nature of the third; (for then there would be three divine natures, and so three Gods, essentially distinct from one another; by this means also, only the Father would be truly God, because he only would be essentially of and from himself, and the other two from him:) but what I think myself obliged to believe, is, that it was not the divine nature, but the divine person of the Father, which did, from eternity, beget the divine person of the Son; and from the divine persons of the Father and of the Son, did, from eternity, proceed the divine person of the Holy Ghost: and so one not being before the other, in time or nature, as they are from eternity three perfectly distinct persons, so they are but one co-essential God. But dive not, O my soul, too deep into this bottomless ocean, this abyss of mysteries! It is the holy of

holies, presume not to enter into it; but let this suffice thee, that he, who knows best himself, hath avouched it to himself, and therefore thou oughtest to believe it, see Matt. xxviii. 19. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And again, 1 John v. 7. "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one.”

ARTICLE IV.

I believe that I was conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity; and that, ever since, I have been continually conceiving mischief, and bringing forth vanity.

THIS article of my faith, I must of necessity believe, whether I will or not; for if I could not believe it to be true, I should therefore have the more cause to believe it to be so; because, unless my heart was naturally very sinful and corrupt, it would be impossible for me not to believe that which I have so much cause continually to bewail; or, if I do not bewail it, I have still the more cause to believe it; and, therefore, am so much the more persuaded of it, by how much the less I find myself affected with it. For, certainly, I must be a hard-hearted wretch indeed, steeped in sin, and fraught with corruption to the highest, if I know myself so oft to have incensed the wrath of the most high God against me, as I do, and yet not be sensible of my natural corruption, nor acknowledge myself to be, by nature,

a child of wrath, as well as others. For, I verily believe that the want of such a due sense of myself, argues as much original corruption, as murder and whoredom do actual pollution. And I shall ever suspect those to be most under the power of that corruption, that labour most by arguments to divest it of its power.

And, therefore, for my own part, I am resolved, by the grace of God, never to go about to confute that by wilful arguments, which I find so true by woful experience. If there be not a bitter root in my heart, whence proceeds so much bitter fruit in my life and conversation? Alas! I can neither set

my hand nor heart about any thing, but I still show myself to be the sinful offspring of sinful parents, by being the sinful parent of a sinful offspring. Nay, I do not only betray the inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also, with sin. I cannot pray, but I sin; nay, I cannot hear, or preach a sermon, but I sin; I cannot give an alms, or receive the sacrament, but I sin; nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them; my repentance needs to be repented of, my tears want washing, and the very washing of my tears need still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer. not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of my duties, speak me a child of Adam; insomuch, that whensoever I reflect upon my past actions, methinks I cannot but look upon my whole life, from the time of my conception to this very moment, to be but as one continued act of sin.

Thus,

And whence can such a continued stream of corruption flow, but from the corrupt cistern of my heart? And whence can that corrupt cistern of my heart be filled, but from the corrupt fountain of my nature? Cease, therefore, O my soul, to gainsay the power of original sin within thee, and labour now to subdue it under thee. But, why do I speak of my subduing this sin myself? Surely this would be both an argument of it, and an addition to

it. "It is to thee, O my God, who art both the Searcher and Cleanser of hearts, that I desire to make my moan! It is to thee I cry out in the bitterness of my soul, O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?' Who shall? Oh! who can do it but thyself? Arise thou, therefore, O my God, and show thyself as infinitely merciful in the pardoning, as thou art infinitely powerful in the purging away of my sins."

ARTICLE V.

I believe the Son of God became the Son of man, that I, the son of man, might become the son of God.

OH! how comfortably does this raise me from the lowest abasement of sin and misery, which I have before acknowledged to be my natural state, to the highest exaltation of happiness and glory, in a spiritual one! This is that great article of faith, by which all the benefits of our Saviour's death and passion are made over to me in the new covenant, and by which, if I perform the conditions therein