panied
with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out amongst us,
beginning at the Baptisme of John, unto that same day that hee was
taken up from us, must one bee ordained to be a Witnesse with us of his
Resurrection:" which words interpret the Bearing of Witnesse, mentioned
by St. John. There is in the same place mentioned another Trinity of
Witnesses in Earth. For (ver. 8.) he saith, "there are three that bear
Witnesse in Earth, the Spirit, and the Water, and the Bloud; and these
three agree in one:" that is to say, the graces of Gods Spirit, and the
two Sacraments, Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, which all agree in one
Testimony, to assure the consciences of beleevers, of eternall life; of
which Testimony he saith (verse 10.) "He that beleeveth on the Son of
man hath the Witnesse in himselfe." In this Trinity on Earth the Unity
is not of the thing; for the Spirit, the Water, and the Bloud, are not
the same substance, though they give the same testimony: But in the
Trinity of Heaven, the Persons are the persons of one and the same God,
though Represented in three different times and occasions. To conclude,
the doctrine of the Trinity, as far as can be gathered directly from
the Scripture, is in substance this; that God who is alwaies One and the
same, was the Person Represented by Moses; the Person Represented by
his Son Incarnate; and the Person Represented by the Apostles. As
Represented by the Apostles, the Holy Spirit by which they spake, is
God; As Represented by his Son (that was God and Man), the Son is that
God; As represented by Moses, and the High Priests, the Father, that is
to say, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is that God: From whence
we may gather the reason why those names Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in
the signification of the Godhead, are never used in the Old Testament:
For they are Persons, that is, they have their names from Representing;
which could not be, till divers men had Represented Gods Person in
ruling, or in directing under him.

Thus wee see how the Power Ecclesiasticall was left by our Saviour
to the Apostles; and how they were (to the end they might the better
exercise that Power,) endued with the Holy Spirit, which is therefore
called sometime in the New Testament Paracletus which signifieth an
Assister, or one called to for helpe, though it bee commonly translated
a Comforter. Let us now consider the Power it selfe, what it was, and
over whom.

The Power Ec