Page:A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion.djvu/204

20 as a principal, and doctrinals as its derivatives, and derivatives take their essence from their principal. And if any one be disposed to examine the particulars of doctrine in relation to God, the person of Christ, charity, repentance, free-will, election, the use of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper, he will see clearly that a trinity of Gods enttreth into every particular, and although it may not actually appear therein, yet that is the fountain from whence it floweth. But since it is not convenient in this place to enter upon such an examination, and yet for the sake of opening men's eyes, it might be expedient to do so, therefore we shall give it in an appendix to this work. The faith of the church, in relation to God, is like the soul which animateth the body, and points of doctrine are like the members of that body; faith towards God also is like a queen, and points of doctrine are like the officers and servants that attend her palace, and as such officers and servants are in subjection to, and dependent on the queen's authority, so are points of doctrine on the injunctions of faith. From the nature of this faith too may be seen, in what manner the word, or holy scripture, is understood in the church; for faith bendeth and draweth towards itself, with all its might, whatsoever it can; so that if it be a false faith, it playeth the harlot with every truth that the word contains, and putteth a false interpretation upon it, and thereby falsifieth it; but if it be a true faith, then the whole word is on its side, and the God of the word, who is the Lord God the Saviour, infuseth light, and giveth the testimony of his divine assent, with a continual increase of wisdom to the true believer. That the present faith of the church, which in its internal form is a faith in three Gods, but in its external form in one God, hath extinguished the light of the word, and removed the Lord from his church, and