the Socinians and the Jews, that the Holy Ghost is not an energy, operation, quality or power, but a person, a spiritual and intellectual subsistence (p)." It may indeed be observed in answer to the objection founded on the text, " for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him (q)," that this passage is evidently designed to prove the superiority of Christ to the antient prophets, who spake by the Spirit of God-the Spirit of Christ--the Holy Ghost-and can in no wise be brought as an argument against the personality of the Holy Spirit. It is an allusion to the fact, which John the Baptist had before declared, that he saw the Spirit of God descend and remain upon Jesus to distinguish him as the Messiah-the Son of God-(r)from the prophets, who were only occasionally favoured by his influence. But when we consider the mysterious union of the three persons in one God, which certainly implies unity of will and power, it appears to me we may safely grant that expressions of this sort are sometimes used to signify an attribute, an energy, operation, quality, or power of God, without injury to the doctrine we (p) Veneer, Exp. of this Art. (q) John, c. 3. v. 34. (r) John, c. 3. v. 32, &c. we maintain, which is clearly established by so many passages in Scripture. The earliest controversy upon the subject of this article was that occasioned by Macedonius, Bishop of Constantinople, in the middle of the fourth century, who denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost, and was on that account deposed from his bishopric. ARTICLE THE SIXTH. Of the Sufficiency of Holy Scripture for HOLY Salvation. ALL THINGS SCRIPTURE CONTAIN ETH NECESSARY TO SALVATION: SO THAT WHATSOEVER IS NOT READ THEREIN, NOR MAY BE PROVED THEREBY, IS NOT TO BE REQUIRED OF ANY MAN, THAT IT SHOULD BE BELIEVED AS AN ARTICLE OF THE FAITH, OR BE THOUGHT REQUISITE OR NECESSARY ΤΟ 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. GENESIS EXODUS LEVITICUS NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY JOSHUA JUDGES RUTH THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL THE THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS THE FIRST BOOK OF CHRONICLES THE SECOND BOOK OF CHRONICLES THE FIRST BOOK OF ESDRAS THE SECOND BOOK OF ESDRAS THE BOOK OF ESTHER THE BOOK OF JOB THE PSALMS THE PROVERBS ECCLESIASTES, OR PREACHER CANTICA, OR SONG OF SOLOMON FOUR PROPHETS THE GREATER TWELVE PROPHETS THE LESS, AND THE OTHER BOOKS, (AS HIEROME SAITH) THE CHURCH DOTH READ FOR EXAMPLE OF LIFE AND INSTRUCTION OF MANNERS; BUT YET IT DOTH NOT APPLY THEM TO ESTABLISH ANY 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 SIRACH BARUCH THE PROPHET THE THE SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN THE HISTORY OF SUSANNAH 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. WE have seen that the first five articles relate to the foundation of all religion, the existence of a God, and to the characteristic doctrines of the Christian Religion, concerning the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The next point to be settled is the rule of our faith and practice; this is a subject upon which there is a material difference between the church of Rome and the church of England, and to that difference this article is directed. The divine Inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, and consequently their truth and obligation, is allowed both by papists and by the members of our church but the papists assert that the books of the New Testament do not contain the whole rule of a Christian's faith and practice; they believe that the Apostles orally delivered many doctrines and precepts of the highest O |