ture, the pleasures of a good conscience, the importance of a holy life, and the prospect of a blessed immortality. This they call a public baptism."

The baptists in England, form one of the three denominations of protestant dissenters, and are divided into Particular and General. The former are Calvinistical and Trinitarians; the latter are Arminians, and some few Arians, but the greater part are Unitarians, with regard to the person of Christ, considering him as man, the son of Joseph and Mary.

The following appears to be the declaration of faith, adopted some years ago, of the united Baptists in Virginia.

Of God and of the Holy Trinity.

1. The Lord our God is but one living, and true God; whose subsistence is in and of himself, infinite in being and perfection, whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but himself; a most pure Spirit, invisible without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, who is immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, every way infinite, most holy, most wise, most free, most absolute, working all things to the council of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory.

2. In this divine and infinite Being there are three subsistences, the Father, the Word, (or Son) and Holy Spirit, of one substance, power and eternity, infinite, without beginning, therefore but one God, who is not to be divided in nature and being, but distinguished by several peculiar, relative properties, and personal relations; which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependance on him.

3. God hath decreed in himself, all things whatsoever, which manifest his glory, in the works of creation, providence and redemption.

4. In the beginning it pleased God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, for the manifestation of the glory of his eternal power, wisdom, and goodness, to create or make the world, and all things therein, whether visible, or invisible, in the space of six days, and all very good.

5. God, the Creator doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy. Providence, to the end for which they are created, according unto his infallible fore-knowledge, and the free and immutable council of his own will; to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, infinite goodness and mercy.

6. The Holy Scriptures is the only sufficient, certain and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Under the name of holy scripture, or the word of God written, are now contained all the books of the Old and New Testament. The authority of the holy, scriptures, for which it ought to be believed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or church, but wholly upon God, (who is Truth itself) the author thereof; therefore it is to be received, because it is the word of God.

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7. God created man upright, and perfect, and gave him a righteous law, which had been unto life had he kept it, and threatened death upon the breach thereof; yet he did not long abide in this honour; satan using the subtilty of the serpent to seduce Eve, then by her seducing Adam, who without any compulsion, did wilfully transgress the law of their creation, and the command given unto them, in eating the forbidden fruit; our first Parents by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them, whereby death came upon all; all becoming dead in sin, and wholly defiled, in all the faculties, and parts of soul and body. They being the root, and, by God's appointment, standing in the room, and stead of all mankind; the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.

8. The Lord in his infinite love to his people was pleased to enter into a covenant with his only begotten Son, which forever secures the Salvation of those who are given by the Father to the Son in this cove

nant.

9. It pleased God, in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only and begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be the Mediator between God and man; the prophet, priest and king; head and Saviour of his Church, the heir of all things, and judge of the world; unto whom he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. The Son of God, the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance, and equal with him; who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all things he hath made; did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof yet without sin; being conceived by the Holy spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit coming down upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowing her, and so was made of a woman, of the tribe of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David, according to the Scriptures: so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion; which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator bediator between God and man.

10. The Lord Jesus in his human nature thus united to the divine, in the person of the Son, was sanctified, and anointed with the Holy Spirit, above measure; having in him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge; in whom it pleased the Father, that all fulness should dwell: to the end, that being holy, harmless, undefiled, and full of grace, and truth, he might be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of a Mediator, and surety; which office he took not upon himself, but was there.

unto called by his Father; who also put all power and judgment in his hand, and gave him commandment to execute the same.

This office the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake, which that he might discharge he was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfil it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have borne and suffered being made sin and a curse for us; enduring most grievous sorrows in his soul; and most painful sufferings in his body; was crucified, and died, and remained in the state of the dead; yet saw no corruption: on the third day he arose from the dead, with the same body in which he suffered; with which he also ascended into heaven; and there sitteth on the right hand of his father making intercession; and shall return to judge men and angels, at the end of the world,

11. The Lord Jesus, by his perfect obedience and sacrifice of himself, which he through the eternal Spirit once offered up unto God, hath fully satisfied the justice of God, procured reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven, for all those whom the Father hath given unto him. Although the price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ, till after his incarnation, yet the virtue, efficacy, and benefit thereof was communicated to the-elect in all ages successively, from the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices, wherein he was revealed, and signified to be the seed of the woman, which should bruise the serpent's head; and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world: being the same yesterday, and to-day and forever.

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Christ in the work of the mediation acteth according to both natures, by each nature doing that which is proper to itself; yet by reason of the unity of the person, that which is proper to one nature, is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person denominated to the other nature.

To all those for whom Christ hath obtained eternal redemption, he doth certainly and effectually apply, and communicate the same; making intercession for them; uniting them to himself by his Spirit; revealing unto them, in and by the word, the mystery of salvation; persuading them to believe, and obey; governing their hearts by his word and Spirit, and overcoming all their enemies by his Almighty power, and wisdom: in such manner and ways, as are most consonant to his wonderful, and unsearchable dispensation; and all of free and absolute grace, without any condition foreseen in them, to procure it.

12. This office of Mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the Church of God; and may not be either in whole, or any part thereof transferred from him to any other. This number and order of offices is necessary; for in respect of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office; and in respect of our alienation from God, and imperfection of the best of our services, we need his priestly office, to reconcile us, and present us acceptable unto God; and in respect of our averseness, and utter inability to return to God, and for our rescue, and security from our spiritual adversaries, we need his kingly office, to convince, subdue, draw, uphold, deliver, and preserve us to his heavenly kingdom.

13. Of Free Will.

God hath indued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil.

Man in his state of innocency, had freedom, and power, to will, and to do, that which was good, and well pleasing to God; but yet was mutable, so that he might fall from it,

Man by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will, to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, is not able, by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.

When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, and by his grace alone, enables him freely to will, and to do that which is spiritually good; yet so as that, by reason of his remaining corruptions, he doth not perfectly nor only will that which is good, but doth also will that which is

evil.

The will of man is made perfectly and iminutably free to good alone in the state of glory only.

14. Of Effectual Calling.

Those whom God hath predestinated unto life, he is pleased in his appointed and accepted time effectually to call by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death, in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ; enlightening their minds, spiritually and savingly, to understand the things of God; taking away their heart of stone, and giving unto them an heart of flesh; renewing their wills, and by his almighty power determining them to that which is good, and effec.. tually drawing them to Jesus Christ; yet so, as they come most freely, being made willing by his grace.

This effectual call is of God's free and special grace alone, not from any thing at all foreseen in man, nor from any power or agency in the creature, co-working with his special grace; the creature being wholly passive therein, being dead in sins and trespasses, until being quickened and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is thereby enabled to answer this call, and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it, and that by no less power than that which raised up Christ from the dead.

15. Of Justification.

Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons, as righteous; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone: not by imputing faith itself the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness, but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his death, for their whole and sole righteousness; they receiving, and resting on him, and his righteousness by faith; which they have not of themselves: it is the gift of God,

Christ, by his obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are justified; and did by the sacrifice of himself, in the blood of his cross, undergoing in their stead the penalty due unto them, makė a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice in their behalf; yet, inasmuch as he was given by the Father for them, and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both freely, not for any thing in them, their justification is only of free grace, that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.

God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did in the fulness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification; nevertheless they are not justified personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in due time actually apply Christ unto them.

16. Of Adoption.

All those that are justified, God vouchsafed in and for the sake of his only Son, Jesus Christ, to make partakers of the grace of Adoption; by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privileges of Children of God; have this name put upon them, receive the Spirit of Adoption, have access to the throne of grace with boldness; are enabled to cry, Abba, Father; are pitied, protected, provided for, and chastened by him, as by a Father; yet never cast off, but sealed to the day of redemption, and inherit the promises, as heirs of everlasting sal

vation.

17. Of Sanctification.

They who are united to Christ, effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit created in them, through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection; are also farther sanctified, really and personally, through the same virtue, by his word and Spirit dwelling in them; the dominion of the whole body of sin is destroyed, and the several lusts thereof, are more and more weakened and mortified; and they more and more quickened, and strengthened in all saving graces, to the practice of all true holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

This sanctification is throughout in the whole man, yet imperfect in this life; there abideth still some remnants of corruption in every part, whence ariseth a continual and irreconcilable war: the flesh lusting against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh. In which war, al though the remaining corruption for a time may much prevail, yet through the continual supply of strength, from the sanctifying Spirit of Christ, the regenerate part doth overcome; and so the saints grow in grace, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, pressing after an heavenly life, in evangelical obedience to all the commands which Christ, as head and king, in his word hath prescribed to them.

18. Of Faith.

The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts, and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the word; by which also,

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