146 nia CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE Or THE TRINIT!. xxviii. 19. " Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, andof the Holy Ghost" So that we are dedicatedto the.Holy Ghost in this solemnity, even as we are to God the Father. Here we may make this just remark, viz. That it can hardly be supposed, that Christ should appoint this solemn en- trance into christianity, by baptizing men in the name of theone God and two mere creatures ; but since they are joined, we may much rather conclude, that Christ himself, together with the Holy Ghost, are partakers of true deity, as well as the Father ; Otherwise, as a late writer says, the office of baptism wouldbe an invincible stumbling-block both to Jews and Gentiles. The Jews could not bear the least appearance of idolatry after they had smarted so severely for it under the Babylonish captivity, and would never afterward suffer any to he joined with the true God in their worship. Thus St. Paul testifies con- cerning them, that " they abhorred idols ;" Rom. ii. 22. And as for the Gentiles, it was the main design of christianity to root out idolatry from among them, " to turn them from idols to the living God ;" 1 Thess. i. 9. Now if the Son and Holy Ghost were inferior to the Father, and not the saine God, the joining themwith the Father in this initiating ordinance, would seem to have a very broad appearance of idolatry : And thus the Jews would have been effectually prejudiced against the gospel ; and the Gentiles would have been rather confirmed in the worship of idols, or that which is not God. Another thing wherein religious worshipseems to be paid to the holy Spirit, is this, viz. that the apostle prays for the bless- ing to descend from the holy Spirit on the Corinthians, in the same way and manner in which the blessing of the Father and Son are prayed for ; 2 Cor. xiii. 14. " The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and thecommunion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." If this bea petition or prayer, it is a prayer to the sacred three. And the Holy Ghost is the object of this worship as well as the Father or Son. It seems evident also, -Thatthe-holy Spirit was worshippedin some of those texts which werecited from the Old Testament, to prove the divine names, titles and attributes to belong to him ; as Is. vi. Ps. xcvi. &c. which I shall not repeat. And since it is he who enlightens, who comforts, who regenerates, and sanctifies men, who bestows on the saints so many gifts and graces, distributing them severally as be will, since he knows the hearts of men, and changes and renews their hearts unto holiness, the very reason of things leads us to adore him, and gives sufficient foundation to pray to him for what gifts or graces we want, and to praise and give him thanks for what we have received, as shall be shewn hereafter. I might take notice here, that several of these sanie divine cha- racters are ascribed also to Jesus Christ, as the sanctification of
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