gifts, administrations, and operations that are in the Church, ART. are put.

The second particular relating to this Article is, the Procession of this Spirit from the Father and the Son. The word Procession, or, as the schoolmen term it, Spiration, is only made use of in order to the naming this relation of the Spirit to the Father and Son, in such a manner as may best answer the sense of the word Spirit: for it must be confessed that we can frame no explicit idea of this matter: and therefore we must speak of it either strictly in Scripture-words, or in such words as arise out of them, and that have the same signification with them. It is therefore a vain attempt of the schoolmen, to undertake to give a reason why the second Person is said to be generated, and so is called Son, and the third to proceed, and so is called Spirit. All these subtilties can have no foundation, and signify nothing towards the clearing this matter, which is rather darkened than cleared by a pretended illustration. In a word, as we should never have believed this mystery, if the Scripture had not revealed it to us, so we understand nothing concerning it, besides what is contained in the Scriptures: and therefore, if in any thing, we must think soberly upon those subjects. The Scriptures call the second, Son, aud the third, Spirit; so generation and procession are words that may well be used, but they are words concerning which we can form no distinct conception. We only use them because they belong to the words Son and Spirit. The Spirit, in things that we do understand, is somewhat that proceeds, and the Son is a Person begotten; we therefore, believing that the Holy Ghost is a Person, apply the word Procession to the manner of his emanation from the Father; though at the same time we must acknowledge that we have no distinct thought concerning it. So much in general concerning Procession. It has been much controverted whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only, or from the Father and the Son.

In the first disputes concerning the divinity of the Holy Ghost with the Macedonians, who denied it, there was no other contest, but whether he was truly God, or not. When that was settled by the council of Constantinople, it was made a part of the Creed; but it was only said that he proceeded from the Father: and the council of Ephesus soon after that fixed on that Creed, decreeing that no additions should be made to it: yet about the end of the sixth century, in the Western Church an addition was made to the Article, by which the Holy

V.

V.

ART. Ghost was affirmed to proceed from the Son, as well as from the Father. And when the Eastern and Western Churches in the ninth century fell into an humour of quarrelling upon the account of jurisdiction, after some time of anger, in which they seem to be searching for matter to reproach one another with, they found out this difference: the Greeks reproached the Latins for thus adding to the faith, and corrupting the ancient symbol, and that contrary to the decree of a general council. The Latins, on the other hand, charged them for detracting from the dignity of the Son: and this became the chief point in controversy between

Joh. xiv. 26.

Joh. xv. 26.

them.

Here was certainly a very unhappy dispute; inconsiderable in its original, but fatal in its consequences. We of this Church, though we abhor the cruelty of condemning the Eastern Churches for such a difference, yet do receive the Creed according to the usage of the Western Churches: and therefore, though we do not pretend to explain what Procession is, we believe according to the Article, that the 'Holy Ghost proceeds both from the Father and the Son: because in that discourse of our Saviour's that contains the promise of the Spirit, and that long description of him as a Person, Christ not only says, that the Father will send the Spirit in his name, but adds, that he will send the Spirit; and though he says next, who proceedeth from the Father, yet since he sends him, and that he was to supply his room, and to act in his name, this implies a relation, and a sort of subordination in the Spirit to the Son. This may serve to justify our adhering to the Creeds, as they had been for many ages received in the Western Church: "but we are far from thinking that this proof is so full and explicit, as to justify our separating from any Church, or condemning it, that should stick exactly to the first Creeds, and reject this addition.

The third branch of the Article is, that this Holy Ghost or Person, thus proceeding, is truly God, of the same substance with the Father and the Son. That he is God, was formerly proved by those passages in which the whole Trinity in all the three Persons is affirmed: but Acts v. 34. besides that, the lying to the Holy Ghost by Ananias and Sapphira, is said to be a lying not unto men, but to God: his being called another Comforter; his teaching all things; his guiding into all truth; his telling things to come; his searching all things, even the deep things of God; his being called the Spirit of the Lord, in opposition to the Spirit of a man; his making intercession for us; his changing us into the same image with Christ, are all such plain characters of

V.

his being God, that those who deny that, are well aware of ART. this, that if it is once proved that he is a Person, it will follow that he must be God; therefore all that was said to prove him a Person, is here to be remembered as a proof that he is truly God. So that though there is not such a variety of proofs for this, as there was for the Divinity of the Son, yet the proof of it is plain and clear. And from what was said upon the first Article concerning the Unity of God, it is also certain, that if he is God, he must be of one Substance, Majesty, and Glory, with the Father and the Son.

ARTICLE VI.

Of the Sufficiency of Holy Scriptures for Salvation.

Holy Scripture containeth all things necessarp to Salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of anp Man, that it should be believed as an Article of Faith, or to be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church.

Of the Names and Number of the Canonical Books.

And the other Books (as Hierom saith) the Church doth read for Example of Life, and Instruction of Manners; but pet it doth not apply them to establish anp Doctrine. Such are these following:

The Third Book of Esdras
The Fourth Book of Esdras
The Book of Tobias

The Book of Judith

The rest of the Book of Esther
The Book of Wisdom

Jesus the Son of Syrach

Baruch the Prophet

The Song of the Three Children
The History of Susanna
Of Bel and the Dragon
The Prayer of Manasses
The First Book of Maccabees
The Second Book of Maccabees.

All the Books of the New Testament as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them Canonical.

VI.

IN N this Article there are two important heads, and to each ART. of them a proper consequence does belong. The first is, that the holy Scriptures do contain all things necessary to salvation: the negative consequence that ariseth out of that is, that no article that is not either read in it, or that may not be proved by it, is to be required to be believed as an article of faith, or to be thought necessary to salvation. The second is, the settling the canon of the Scripture both of the Old and New Testament; and the consequence that arises out of that is, the rejecting the books commonly called Apocryphal, which though they may be read by the Church for example of life, and instruction of manners; yet are no part of the canon, nor is any doctrine to be established by them.

After the main foundations of religion in general, in the belief of a God, or more specially of the Christian religion in the doctrine of the Trinity, and of the Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Christ, are laid down; the next point to be settled is, what is the rule of this faith, where is it to be found, and with whom is it lodged? The Church of Rome and we do both agree, that the Scriptures are of divine inspiration: those of that communion acknowledge, that every thing which is contained in Scripture is true, and comes from God; but they add to this, that the books of the New Testament were occasionally written, and not with the design of making them the full rule of faith, but many things were delivered orally by the Apostles, which, if they are faithfully transmitted to us, are to be received by us with the same submission and respect that we pay to their writings: and they also believe, that these traditions are conveyed down infallibly to us, and that to distinguish betwixt true and false doctrines and traditions, there must be an infallible authority lodged by Christ with his Ghurch. We on the contrary affirm, that the Scriptures are a complete rule of faith, and that the whole Christian religion is contained in them, and no where else; and although we make great use of tradition, especially that which is most ancient and nearest the source, to help us to a clear understanding of the Scriptures; yet as to matters of faith we reject all oral tradition, as an incompetent mean of conveying down doctrines to us, and we refuse to receive any doctrine, that is not either expressly contained in Scripture, or clearly proved from it.

In order to the opening and proving of this, it is to be considered, what God's design, in first ordering Moses,