Christ himself fays, in Matt. ix. 6, The Son of Man bath power an earth to forgive fins. Chrift's being appointed the Supreme Judge of the world, is an evidence that he is the true God. The God of Ifrael is emphatically styled, the Judge of all.* Religious worship, though appropriated to God, was, by divine approbation and command, given to Christ, In Heb. i. 6, the apostle, speaking of Christ, fays, Let the angels of God worship him. See alfo Luke xxiv. 25, John v. 23, Rev. i. 5, 6, v. 13, &c, The fcripture every where afferts, that God alone is to be worshipped. The fame fcripture afferts, that our bleffed Saviour is to be worshipped. Thus St. Stephen adores him with direct worship: Lord Jefus, receive my Spirit. The obvious confequence of which is, our blessed Saviour is God. This denomination allege, that divine titles, attributes, works, and worship, are alfo afcribed to the Holy Ghoft. Many plead, that the Holy Spirit is called Jehovah in the Old Testament, by comparing Acts xxviii. 23, with Ifa. vi. 9. And he also appears to be called God, Acts v. 4. Eternity is clearly the property of the Holy Ghoft, who is ftyled, by the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews, the Eternal Spirit. Heb. ix. 14. Omniprefence is a neceffary proof of divinity. This attribute belongs to the Holy Spirit: for thus faith the inspired poet, Whither fhall I go from thy Spirit? Pfalm cxxxix. 7. Omniscience is afcribed to the Spirit. 1ft Cor. ii. 10, For the Spirit Searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. St. Paul declares, that his ability to work all manner of astonishing miracles, for the confirmation of his ministry, was imparted to him by the Spirit, Rom. xv. 19. The fame act of divine grace, viz. our fpiritual birth, is afcribed, without the change of a fingle letter, to God and the Spirit, John ii. 1, 1ft John v. 4. See Mr. Alexander's late Efay on the real Deity of Jefus Chrift. The The chief texts produced, to prove that divine worship is given to the Spirit, are, Matt. xxiii. 19; Ifa. vi. 3, compared with verfe 9; Acts xxviii. 25, &c.; Rom. ix. 1; Rev. i. 4; 2d Cor. xiii. 14. There are various texts of fcripture, in which Father, Son, and Spirit, are mentioned together, and represented under diftinct perfonal characters. At the baptism of Christ, the Father speaks with an audible voice; the Son, in human nature, is baptized by John; and the Holy Ghoft appears in the fhape of a dove. Matt. iii. 16, 17. The Trinity of perfons in the Godhead appears from our baptism, because it is difpenfed in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. The Trinity of perfons alfo appears from the apoftolic benediction, The grace of the Lord Jefus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all, Amen, ift Cor. xiii. 14; and alfo from the teftimony of the Three in heaven, contained in 1ft John v. 7. The Trinity in Unity is one Supreme Being, diftinguished from all others by the name Jehovah. Deut. vi. 4, The Lord our God is one Jehovah. Yet Chrift is Jehovah, Jer. xxiii. 6: fo is the Spirit, Ezek. viii. 1, 3. Therefore Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, are one Jehovah. They are three perfons, but have one name, and one nature. Waterland's Sermons, p. 34, 69, 97, 164. Doddridge's Lectures, p. 392. Willard's Body of Divinity, p. 100. Hervey's Letters, p. 103, 104. Jones's Doctrine of the Trinity, p. 2, 34, 62, 69. Abbadie on the Divinity of Christ, p. 58, 65, 242. Mather on the Word Jehovah. The Creed of Athanafius. AUDEANS, a denomination in the fourth century; fo called from Audæus, who was faid to have attributed to the Deity a human form. Mofheim's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, vol. i. p. 350. AZYMITES, AZYMITES, fo called from the Greek alus, a name given by the Greeks, in the eleventh century, to the Chriftians of the Latin church, because they use unleavened bread in the eucharift. Historical Dictionary, vol. i. [See Azymitæ.] APT or ANTIPÆDOBAPTISTS. This denomination claim an immediate defcent from the apostles, and affert, that the conftitution of their churches is from the authority of Jefus Chrift himself, and his immediate fucceffors. Many others, indeed, deduce their origin, as a fect, from much later times, and affirm, that they firft fprang up in Germany in the fixteenth century. The diftinguishing tenets of the Baptifts are as follow; to which are added, a few of the arguments made ufe of in defence of their fentiments. I. That thofe, who actually profefs repentance towards God, faith in, and obedience to, our Lord Jefus, are the only proper fubjects of baptifm; and that im merfion is neceffary to the due administration of that ordinance. For, fay they, John, the first administrator of that ordinance, preached the baptifm of repentance, and required repentance previous to baptifm, Matt. iii. 2, 5, 6, 8. See John iv. 1. Jefus firft made difciples, and then baptized them, or ordered them to be baptized; and with his practice agrees the commiffion he gave, in Matt. xxviii. 19, with which compare Mark xvi. 16. See alfo Acts viii. 37, and other paffages of fcripture, where repentance and faith are mentioned, as neceffary in order to baptism. Whofoever are baptized into Chrift, have put on Christ, have put on the new man: but to put on the new man, is to be formed in righteoufnefs, holiness, and truth. This whole argument is in the exprefs words of St. Paul. The -major propofition is pofitively determined, Gal. iii. 27; the minor, in Eph. iv. 24. The conclufion then is ob vious, vious, that they, who are not formed anew in righteoufnefs, holiness and truth; they, who, remaining in the prefent incapacities, cannot walk in newness of life, have not been baptized into Chrift, have not that baptifm, which is the anfwer of a good confcience towards God, which is the only baptifm that faves us and as this is the case of children, they are not proper fubjects of that ordinance. Refpecting the mode, they argue from the fignification of the word baptifm, from the phrafe buried with bim in baptifm, from the first adminiftrators repairing to rivers, and the practice of the primitive church after the apoftles. II. The Baptifts, in general, refufe to communicate with other denominations. For they fuppofe the mode of immersion effential to baptism; and that baptism is neceffary, previous to receiving the Lord's Supper; and that, therefore, it would be inconfiftent for them to admit unbaptized perfons (as others are, in their view,) to join with them in this ordinance. This denomination all unite in pleading for univerfal liberty of conscience. For they allege, that the facred rights of confcience are unalienable, and subject to no control, but that of the Deity; for it does not appear, that God has given fuch authority to one man over another, as to compel any one to his religion; nor can any fuch power be vested in the magiftrate, by the confent of the people; becaufe no man can fo far abandon the care of his own falvation, as blindly to leave it to the choice of any other, whether prince or subject, to prescribe to him what faith or worship he fhall embrace. In the fecond place, The care of the fouls cannot belong to the civil magiftrate; because his power confifts only in outward force but true and faving religion confifts in the inward perfuafion of the mind, without which, nothing can be acceptable to God and fuch is the nature of the understanding, that it cannot be compelled to any thing by outward force. From From thefe, and many other confiderations, they conclude, that all the power of civil government relates only to men's civil intereft, is confined to the care of the things of this world, and has nothing to do with the world to come. In confequence of this tenet, the Baptifts exclaim against the civil authority compelling people to fupport minifters; but they enjoin it on their churches, as an incumbent duty, to afford their minifters a comfortable fupply. The affociation of Baptifts in New-England call themfelves Calvinifts, with regard to doctrines; and Independents, with reference to church government. [See Calvinifts and Independents.] The English Baptifts have been divided into two par ties, ever fince the beginning of the Reformation, viz. those who follow the Calviniftical doctrines, and from the principal point in that plan, perfonal election, are termed Particular Baptifts; and thofe who profess the Arminian tenets; and are alfo, from the chief of thofe doctrines, univerfal redemption, styled General Baptifts. [For an account of the other denominations of Baptits, fee Dunkers, Kethians, Mennonites, Sabbatarians, and Uckewallifts.] Crosby's Hiftory of the English Baptifts, vol. i. p. 23, 173. vol. iv. p. 165. Hiftory of Religion, No. 35, p. 193. Baptift's Confeflion of Faith, p. 47, 50, Gill on Baptifm, p. 93, 94, 95. Taylor's Liberty of Prophefying, p. 329. Stillman's Election Sermon, p. 11, 23, 24. BARDESANISTES, a denomination in the fecond century, the followers of Bardefanes, a native of Edessa, and a man of a very acute and penetrating genius. The fum of his doctrine was as follows: I. That there is a Supreme God, pure and benevolent, abfolutely free from all evil and imperfection; and there is also a prince of darkness, the fountain of all evil, diforder, and mifery. II. That |