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See also Rom. i. 7; 1 Cor. i. 3; 2 Cor. i. 2; Gal. i. 3; Phil. i. 2; Col. i. 2; 1 Thess. i. 1; 2 Thess. i. 2;

1 Tim. i. 2.

1 Thess. iii. 11: "Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you."

12. He is to be worshipped both on earth and in heaven, by men and by angels.

Heb. i. 6: "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."

John v. 22, 23: "For the Father judgeth no man; but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father."

Phil. ii. 10, 11: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Rev. v. 13, 14: "And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four-and-twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever."

THE HOLY GHOST IS ALSO IN THE GODHEAD.

1. His personality.

John xiv. 16, 17, 26: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever: even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things

to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

[Here the Holy Ghost is in some way distinct from the Father and from the Son. He has personal attributes; is not spoken of as "IT," a mere influence from the Father, but as "HE," a person.]

2. His Divinity.

Spoken of as God. Acts v. 3, 4: "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto

God."

As the bestower of miraculous gifts to men. 1 Cor. xii. 8-11: "For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”

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As joined with the Father and the Son in the Divine Trinity. Matt. xxviii. 19: 'Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

So also in 2 Cor. xiii. 14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all.

THESE THREE ARE ONE GOD.

See under Q. 5.

Amen."

1 John v. 7: "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."

THE SAME IN SUBSTANCE.

Heb. i. 3: "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person."

["The brightness of his glory" here is expressed in the original by words which signify "the radiance of his splendor." From this was taken the expression in the ancient Creed, "Light of light," to denote the union in substance of the Son with the Father. The word "person" in the passage is, in the original, expressed by a word which signified substance; like the Latin sub-stans,—whence comes our English substance. Hence came the expression in the ancient creeds, "Of the same substance," which is retained in the Westminster Confession, chap. viii. 2, " Of one substance with the Father ;" and in the Larger Catechism, Q. 36, " Of one substance and equal with the Father." The expression in our Catechism, "The same in substance," has therefore not only the support of ancient creeds, but is taken directly from the word of God.]

EQUAL IN POWER AND GLORY.

Each is divine. Divinity, infinite in power and glory, admits no degree of inferiority or comparison. As man, Christ could say, (John xiv. 28:) "My Father is greater than I." As God, he would say, (John x. 30:) "I and my Father are one."

Q. 7. What are the decrees of God?

A. The decrees of God are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.

His eternal purpose.

Eph. i. 11: "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

Eph. iii. 11: "According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Isa. xlvi. 10: " Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure."

For his own glory.

Rom. xi. 36: "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen." Whatsoever comes to pass.

Eph. i. 11: "According to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will."

[God's purposes extend to the worst deeds of the worst men; yet not so that he is the author of their sin, or as to interfere with their full liberty and responsibility, nor in any way inconsistent with his hatred of sin, or with his sincerity in calling on man to turn and live.]

Acts ii. 23: "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain."

Luke xxii. 22: "And truly the Son of man goeth as it was determined; but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!"

Acts iv. 27, 28: "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."

Isa. x. 5-7, 12: "O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation. I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so;

but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few. Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks."

Gen. 1. 20: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive."

Ps. lxxvi. 10: "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."

Jer. xliv. 4: "Howbeit, I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate."

Jas. i. 13: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."

Ezek. xxxiii. 11: "Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die ?"

Q. 8. How doth God execute his decrees? A. God executeth his decrees in the works of creation and providence.

Rev. iv. 11: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Ps. ciii. 19: The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all."

Q. 9. What is the work of creation? A. The work of creation is, God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his

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