or practice And sure no such for Images is in the Creed or Decalogue § 26. The same I may say of many other Religious practices As St. Paul speaketh of meats and drinks and dayes Rom. 14. 15. so must we say of all things that are of no greater necessity If men in all these must be brought to uniformity and practising in the same mode it must be either by argument and perswasion or by force The first we are sure will never do it in all things though it may in many All the twenty reasons before mentioned prove it and many hundred years experience much more It is certain to all save blinded persons that all Christians will never be in all things of a mind about Lawful and Unlawful Duty and Sin And 〈◊〉 that force will never do it St. Paul saith of things indifferent that he that doubteth is damned if he eat because he eateth not of faith For whatsoever is not of faith is sin Ungodly persons that have no true Conscience may go against their false Consciences for worldly ends and wilfully sin for fear of men But so will no true Christian unless in the hour of such a temptation as Peters by a fall from which he will rise again to a stronger resolution than he had before No sound believer will sell his soul to save his flesh nor hazard heaven by wilful sin to save his interest on earth So that this way of forcing men to practise contrary to their Consciences in points in which good and tolerable Christians differ will but make up Churches of wicked men that have no conscience joyned with one party that is therein agreed And I shall shew you in due place that they will never devise what to do with the Conscionable dissenters that shall not be far worse than a charitable and peaceable forbearance § 27. III. It is certain that there will never be so great Concord as that all Disputings opposition and passionate and injurious words and writings will cease among all sorts of Christians No nor among all that are honest and upright in the main For as long as one taketh that for a dangerous errour or sin which another taketh for a necessary truth or duty men will even on Gods account think ill of one another and in some measure speak ill as they think They that know that they must not call evil good and good evil nor put darkness for light and light for darkness will abuse and injure one another in things where they confidently err A Lutheran though pious will speak and dispute against a Calvinâ—â— and a Calâ—inist against a Lutheran And so of many other Parties And though it is greatly to be wished that all Christians had humble thoughts of their own understandings and would stay till they know well what they say before they talk much against things or persons and though it be so with wise and eminently sober humble men yet with too many it is far otherwise and like so to continue Perverse disputings and shameful backbitings and speaking evil of things and persons not understood have such unhappy causes in the remnants of dark corrupted nature that they seem to be like to live till a golden age or heaven do cure them Talking and writing against one another even of the same Religion yea praying and preaching against one another must be expected in some degree I would I need not say silencing and persecuting one another yea excommunicating and anathematizing among the worser sort of men such usage as Nazianzen had from one of the famous General Councils and such usage as Chrysostom had from such Bishops as Theophilus Alexand. and Epiphanius and a Council of other Bishops and such as abundance of excellent men in most ages have met with in the like kind and way may be expected again till Bishops and all Christians become more wise and resined persons § 28. II. But affirmatively there is yet an excellent sort and degree of Unity and Concord to be sought with hope among Christians worthy of all our utmost labour Yea there is a true and excellent Unity and Concord which all true Christians do already enjoy consisting in the following things § 29. I. All Christians truly such believe in One God and believe the incomprehensible Trinity and believe Gods Essential Attributes and Grand Relations to man They believe that he is Infinite in Immensity and Eternity and Perfection even a most Perfect Spirit Life Vnderstanding and Will most Powerful Wise and Good the Creator and preserver the Governour and the End of all of whom and through whom and to whom are all things in whom we Live and Move and have our being Most Holy and True and Merciful and Just whom we are bound to believe and trust and love and serve and obey and praise with all our heart and mind and strength and perfectly and everlastingly to see Love and Praise him to Please Him and be Pleased in Him in Glory is the end and happiness of Saints § 30. II. All true Christians believe in One Mediator between God and man Jesus Christ the Eternal Word God and one in Essence with the Father Incarnate assuming the whole Nature of man conceived by the holy Ghost born of the Virgin Mary and was holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners fulfilling all righteousness and overcame the Devil and the world and gave himself a Sacrifice for mans sin by suffering a cursed death on the Cross to ransome us and reconcile us unto God and was buried and went to the departed souls in hades and the third day rose again from the dead having conquered death And having declared the new Covenant or Law of Grace and commanded his Apostles to preach the Gospel to all the world and promised them to send the Holy Spirit he ascended into Heaven before their faces The said Covenant of Grace is summarily this that whereas all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God sin by one man entring into the world and death by sin and so death and condemnation passed upon all in that all have sinned God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever Believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life that is God freely giveth to lost undone sinners Himself to be their reconciled God and Father Jesus Christ to be their Saviour and the Holy Ghost to be their Sanctifier if they will Believe and Trust him and accept the gift and will in serious Covenant which Baptism celebrateth accordingly give up themselves to him Repenting of their sins and consenting to forsake the Devil the world and the Flesh as opposite to God and sincerely though not perfectly obey Christ and his Spirit to the end according to the Law of Nature and his Gospel institutions that so they may overcome and be Glorified for ever And they believe that Christ will come at last in Glory and judge all men according to his Laws
Creed respectively every one making one as some have feigned and though I deny not what he and Bishop Vsher and many others say of the two or three Articles being not found in the most ancient Copies or Records and though I verily consent to Parker de Descensu and many others that the words of Baptism were the first Creed and that the Creed was brought in by degrees as the Exposition of the Baptismal profession and that at first it had but three Articles I believe in and give up my self to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost Yet I take the Creed in the sence at least to be of necessary use to the ends now mentioned and I think we may say so much as is of greatest antiquity to be Divine and the word of God and a special part of his word more necessary to be believed than many other parts § 15. For 1. Though we receive not the pretended Traditions of Rome or any Church that shall be obtruded on us without proof or as accusing the Scripture of insufficiency yet we never denyed that the Apostles preaching was Gods Word before they wrote it and as well as their writing It being eight years after Christs Ascension as is commonly supposed before the first part of the New Testament was written by St. Matthew and near an hundred years after his incarnation that the last was written by St. John and only four or five of the twelve Apostles having left us any of their writings it were intolerable to deny that the constant preaching of them and all the rest to their death was not done by the inspiration of the same infallible spirit as their writing was and so was the Word of God § 16. 2. And it is certain that Baptism was then as common as Christians and that nothing was sooner done by the Apostles nor more constantly nor with greater concord and concent than discipling persons and baptizing them For this was the summ of their first appointed work in which Christ promised to be with them to the end § 17. 3. It is certain that the Apostles did administer Baptism as wisely and holily according to Christs will as any that ever did come after them And therefore that they did not take up with mens bare saying of three words I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost without understanding what they said All following ages Cathechized or examined the adult before baptism and to this day we would take the contrary course for an abuse Therefore no doubt but the Apostles did it and appointed it § 18. 4. And this is plainly implyed in the Scripture when believers are all said to be inlightned and translated from darkness to light and to know God and Jesus Christ as being life eternal Eph. 1. 18. Act. 26. 18. Joh. 17. 3 c. and to be wise to salvation and indeed when they are said to Believe For believing supposeth understanding And when Peter saith that Baptism saveth not the washing of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience towards God And when all the Christians in the world as far as we have any notice from the Apostles dayes have been baptized after Profession of faith we have no reason to doubt but that the Apostles used and appointed the requiring of it § 19. 5. In doing this it is no doubt but what they required of the Confessours from their mouths was short and plain or else those multitudes of men and women who were in a short time baptized would neither have had capacity nor time to do it But the words of the Teachers and baptizers in explaining the said articles were large and many For we find that it was their common preaching work § 20. 6. It is most probable by the reason of the thing and the history Act. 2. and elsewhere that at the first no form of words was required and used besides the form in baptism but that the people being instructed in the sense of those words thereupon professed understanding belief and consent And no more is essentially necessary But that after a Creed in terms was the common form which was used by Professors in order to baptism 1. Because so many thousands being baptized the matter being short and meerly Divine they could not be supposed to be left to much variety of expression Divine great necessary things must be spoken with so much caution as may avoid errour heresie corruption and abuse And if every ignorant man and woman were left to use only words of their own devising to express the Christian faith it would be of confounding and dishonourable consequence 2. And the great care that then was used that all Christians might be of one faith and speak the same things and that the heresies then arising might be suppressed doth imply that this necessary means was then used by those that commanded that all be done to edification and unity and in order 3. And many expositors think that this Creed is it that Paul meant by the depositum and form of wholsome words to Timothy 4. But the fullest proof is universal historical tradition and consent of the Christian Churches who have ever used Catechizing and the Creed as the profession of faith in order to baptism and this as from the Apostles without the least notice of any other original of it There is some difference in words between that recited by Irenaeus and two recited by Tertullian and that which we now use and some little difference between that of Marcellus in Epiphanius and that of Aquileia in Ruffinus and ours now used And the forming of the Nicene Creed in other words doth shew that the Churches took not themselves to be so tyed to the same words of the former Creed as not to alter any part of them And it is supposed that before the Nicene Creed the Greek Church had a Creed that had as much of the words of the Nicene as of that called the Apostles And no doubt it was the wisdom of the Apostles and the Churches not to lay too much on particular words and make them seem essential to baptism or more necessary than they were And to this day if any in other words exprest the same thing he may be baptized But ad melius esse and for concord and safety the Churches that still agreed in words of the same sence and mostly the same words as to all that explained the essentials of Christianity found it more and more needful to agree in every word and leave men no room for dangerous diversity though over and above they may explain their minds From whence it was that so great contentions have risen about some single word as the Nicene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latines Filióque lest the Creed should be altered at the will of man and the Christian faith seem to be an uncertain mutable thing § 21. By all this it is evident that the Church must make
Church universal and such as we must have outward Communion with though only the sincere believers and consenters shall be saved § 8. 3. I believe that at death the spirits of the justified go to happiness with Christ and the souls of the wicked to misery And that at the end of this world Christ will come in glory and will raise the bodies of all men from death and will judge all according to their works And that the Righteous shall go into everlasting life where being perfected themselves they shall see God and perfectly love and praise him in Joy with Christ and all the Glorified Church And that the rest shall go into everlasting punishment where their worm never dyeth and their fire is never quenched § 9. II. AS I Believe thus in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost according to the Sacred Scriptures and the Creeds and constant Profession of the universal Christian Church so I do unfeignedly continue to give up my self presently absolutely and resolvedly to this God my Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier according to the Covenant of grace that I may be resigned to the will of God my Owner and obey the will of God my Ruler and please and rest in the Will and Love of God my Father the Chiefest End and Infinite Good And renouncing all Idols and enemies of God and this his Covenant I consent though with the Cross to follow Christ the Captain of my Salvation to the death desiring still more of the Love of the Father the Grace of the Son and the Communion of the Holy Spirit and hoping for the promised Glory All which I pray for according to that Prayer which Christ hath left to be the summary Directory of our desires Our Father which art in heaven c. § 10. III. ACcording to the foresaid Belief and Consent As God hath obliged me I do by Covenant oblige my self by the help of his Grace sincerely to obey this God my Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier according to the Law of nature summed up in the two Great Commands of Loving God with all our hearts and our neighbours as our selves and in the Ten Commandments as the Law of Christ explained by him with his superadded precepts and institutions By all which I am bound to take God only for my God by believing fearing trusting loving and obeying him To Avoid all Idolatry of mind and body To worship God according to his Law by learning and meditating on his word by believing-holy-fervent-prayer thanksgiving and praise and the holy use of the Sacrament of his Body and Blood I must reverently and holily use his name and not by perjury or otherwise profane it I must keep holy the Lords day especially in holy Communion with the Christian Assemblies in the publick worship of God and thankful commemoration of Christs Resurrection and our redemption I must if I be a superiour faithfully and holily govern my Inferiours and as an Inferiour I must honour and obey my Parents Magistrates and other superiours in power over me I must not wrong my neighbour in thought word or deed in his Soul his Body his Chastity Estate Right or Propriety but must do him all the good I can and justly give to all their own and do as I would be done by as Loving my neighbour as my self According to the Decalogue God spake all these words saying I am the Lord c. § 11. 2. ANd as the special duty of my office as in the Sacred Ministry I do Consent and Promise sincerely to perform that office for the flock over which I shall be placed or whereever I am called to exercise it Teaching them the doctrine of the Sacred Scriptures especially the greatest and most necessary parts which I have here professed and nothing contrary thereto so far as by diligent study I can discern it exhorting them to live by faith in love to God and man and in the joyful hope of heavenly Glory in humility self-denial temperance patience justice diligence and fruitfulness in all good works To be loyal and obedient to their superiours teachable to their instructors haters of sinful divisions and contentions and lovers and followers of peace To seek first the Kingdom of God and its righteousness to mortifie the flesh and not to overlove this world To repent of sin to resist temptations to prepare for death and judgement most carefully to please and quietly trust the will of God And in the publick celebration of the Sacraments and all the worship of God and Guidance of the flock the same word of God shall be my Rule to which also I will sincerely endeavour to conform my whole Conversation not following after vain-glory or filthy lucre or lording it over the heritage of God but seeking to please and glorifie Christ in my own and their salvation § 12. ANd as I expect my part in the benefits of godly and peaceable Government so I do profess to believe and promise to teach and practise accordingly That there is no power but of God and that Rulers are Gods Ministers for Good not for destruction but edification to be a terrour to evil doers and a praise to them that do well and this under Christ to whom is given all Power in heaven and earth That we must pray for Kings and all in authority that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty That subjects must obey their Rulers in all things lawful belonging to their office to command and not resist rebel or be seditious That they must give honour reverence and tribute to whomsoever they are due And all this not only for fear of man but in Conscience as hereby obeying God The Renunciation ANd as I have thus unfeignedly professed my Belief my Consent and promised Practice so I heartily Renounce all Doctrines Desires and Practices contrary to any part of this Profession And if by errour I hold or shall hold any thing contrary thereto as soon as I discern such contrariety I will renounce it Especially I Renounce Atheism Polytheism and Idolatry of Mind or Body All Infidelity Antichristianity and false Christs Profaneness ungodliness and malignant enmity to God and Holiness All contempt of Gods spirit and his word All serving the Devil the world or the flesh as enemies to God or Holiness All selfishness Pride and hypocrisie perjury and taking Gods name in vain superstition profanation of Gods holy day and contempt of his publick or private worship All Rebellion against my parents Prince or other Rulers All murder adultery and fornication theft and deceit lying and false witness bearing and all other injury against the life health chastity estate or reputation of my neighbour All sinful discontent with my estate and coveting that which is anothers And whatever is impious uncharitable or unjust From all these I desire to be free PArticularly to approve my fidelity to my Rulers I
Spirit and sufficient Rule 23. That men must believe the Scripture without reason for their believing it or must believe it to be Gods word without seeking any proof that it is his word 24. That it is meritorious to believe the Scripture to be Gods word without knowing any proof or reason of it this being an infused faith and proof making it but acquired 25. That we must believe Gods word no further than we have evidence of truth from the nature of the matter revealed 26. That Mahomet is the Paraclet promised by Christ V. Of the Creation 1. That this world was from eternity and not made in time 2. That an evil God made this earth or a middle God between the perfect God and the evil one As old Hereticks variously spake 3. Or that such an evil or middle God made the body of man 4. Or that such an evil or middle agent made the woman 5. That God made sin and death and disorder before sin deserved them 6. That when God had made this world he left it to the Government of certain Angels who fell and necessitated man to fall 7. That the World is Gods body and he the Soul of it and no more 8. That the world came by chance or by a fortuitous conflux of atomes and was not made by Gods wise and powerful word or action 9. That there is nothing in the world but matter and motion and the various shapes of matter caused by motion or at least nothing but God and matter and motion and its modal effects 10. That the world is Infinite as being made by that infinite God who made it as great and good as he was able and therefore infinite in his own similitude VI. Of Angels and Spirits and Heaven 1. That men can certainly tell the space number and order of all the celestial regions orbs or spaces and the number of Angels or when the first were made 2. That this world or earth was made by Angels only 3. That the fallen Angels were necessitated by God to sin and to tempt man 4. That God hath so left to Angels the Government of this world as not to govern it himself save by such leaving all to their free contingent action 5. That all that which scripture ascribeth to the Holy Ghost is done only by Angels 6. That we may know which are our Guardian Angels 7. That men may choose their own guardian Angels or spirits 8. That we must pray to Angels though we see them not or have no special notice when they hear us 9. That Angels lusted after women and begat Giants of them before the deluge 10. That they fight with each other for the government of the Kingdoms of this world even the good Angels among themselves VII Of Man as man in his nature and first state 1. That mans soul is God or part of God 2. Or is only a part or act of an universal soul of the world and is no singular or individual substance in each one 3. That the soul is but a quality motion or action of a higher agent 4. That the soul is mortal and dieth with the body being either annihilated or asleep or sunk into a meer potentia or hath no knowledge will sense or action or is swallowed up in the universal soul so as to lose its proper or numerical existence 5. That mans soul is of the same species as the bruits 6. That mans spirit only is immortal and continueth after death but not his soul 7. That mans soul or spirit was from eternity 8. That it was made before this earth and sinned in a former body and was thrust for punishment into this body and world 9. That the souls departed of men are sent back into beasts or at least into other men and so are oft born 10. That mens souls are fallen Angels 11. That Adams soul was made first male and female before it was incorporate 12. That Adams body was the cloathing that God made him after he sinned having no body before 13. That neither soul nor body was made after Gods image as Epiphanius ill affirmeth 14. That mans Vital faculty Intellect and Will are but accidents of his soul 15. That the soul is moved but as an engine by an extrinsick cause and hath not any Essential self-moving form or power 16. That no man can do more or less or otherwise than he doth because God as the first mover necessitateth all his actions 17. That the will hath no habits but a meer power and liberty 18. That Adam and Eve had no holiness or holy inclination to love God as God and to obey him but a meer neutral possibility 19. That Adam had not help or strength sufcient or necessary power to have forborn his first sin 20. That man was made only to be an inhabitant of earth as Angels are of heaven and is not capable of an higher habitation VIII Of sin Original and subsequent 1. That God is as much the Cause of all sin as he is of darkness and such other privations and that he made Adam sin or that he irresistibly predetermineth every ones will to every forbidden act which it doth 2. That the Devil irresistibly necessitated Adam to sin and so some superior cause did the Devils 3. That sin is not only the occasion of much good but a proper cause and as such is decreed willed and caused by God 4. That God made a Covenant with Adam that if he sinned all that came of him should be reputed sinners farther than they were really seminally in him and by natural in-being and derivation were partakers of his guilt and corruptions and so that God made them sinners by his arbitrary imputation when naturally they were not so 5. That Original sin necessitateth every sin of omission or act which ever after followeth in the world 6. That sin being a meer privation all are by nature deprived of all moral good and so all are equally evil and as bad as those in hell notwithstanding any thing that the Redeemer hath done to prevent it 7. That infants have no Original sin no guilt of Adams sin and no sinful pravity of nature 8. That Infants have no participation of guilt of any nearer parents sin but Adams only and God doth not inflict any punishment on children for their fathers sin because of their derived guilt by nature 9. That therefore Infants have no need of a Saviour to suffer for their sin nor of a pardon 10. That Infants need not the Holy Ghost to sanctifie them by killing any sinful pravity or inclination in them 11. That sin was not the cause of death 12. That sin deserveth not hell or an everlasting punishment IX Of Redemption and the Covenant of grace made to Adam and Noah 1. That God made no promise Covenant or gift of grace to Adam after his fall 2. That God made the Covenant of grace only to Adam and the elect and not to all mankind in him
derogateth from his glory XIV Of Baptism 1. That Baptism was instituted only for the first times or for reception of Infidel countreys when converted and not for to be continued in Christian Countreys and Churches 2. That outward Baptism by water will save the adult that have not true Repentance and faith and sincere consent to the baptismal Covenant 3. That all the children of Infidels Heathens Hereticks or wicked men are certainly saved if they be baptized and have Godfathers professing Christianity though those Godfathers be wicked hypocrites and take not the infants by adoption or otherwise as their own nor really intend to educate them as they promise and if they die before they actually sin and that this is certain by the word of God 4. That all the baptized are delivered from all culpable pravity of soul or inherent sin 5. That it is certain that all baptized Infants of what parents soever have special grace infused into their souls by the Holy Ghost in Baptism 6. That baptism entering all into the Catholick Church obligeth all the baptized to the Bishop of Rome as the supreme head or pastor 7. That the Infants of believers dedicated to God are holy only as legitimate and not bastards but are not as a holy seed under promise to be entered into the Church and Covenant of God by baptism but all baptized in Infancy must be taken as no visible Christians till they are rebaptized 8. That none that sin grosly after baptism are upon their repentance to be received into the communion of the Church 9. That it is not necessary to baptism of the adult that they make any covenant promise or vow to God nor to the baptism of Infants that Parents or Proparents devote them to Christ by entering them into an obliging Vow or Covenant 10. That Baptism was not instituted to invest the baptized in his right to pardon and life but only to enter him into the visible Church where as a disciple he may learn how to come to such right and pardon hereafter 11. That the adult duely baptized have no right to the Communion of the Church though they profess to continue their Covenant-consent and none disprove the truth of their profession unless they have some higher qualification and title XV. Of the Lords Supper 1. That the Lords Supper is but an ordinance for young or carnal Christians but they that have the Spirit must live without it as being above outward signs and ordinances And so of the Lords Day 2. That the Bread broken and Wine poured out to be eaten and drunk are not the representative Sacramental body and blood of Christ delivering us the real benefits of his sacrifice to be received by faith 3. That after the words of Consecration duly uttered there remaineth no true substance of bread or wine but all is turned into the very body and blood of Christ 4. That the wine may justly be denyed the Laity and they be required to communicate by receiving only the bread consecrated or the body of Christ as they call it without the other half of the Sacrament 5. That Christs flesh and blood is really and properly sacrificed by the Priest 6. That ordinarily the Priest is to partake alone and the people only to be Spectators 7. That the consecrated host being Christs body is to be adored as very God 8. That this sacrifice is to be offered by the Priest for the living and the dead and to ease the pains of Purgatory 9. That God himself here deceiveth the soundest senses of all men making that to be no bread or wine which their senses and intellects of things as sensate apprehend as such 10. That it is heresie and deserveth extermination or death to deny these things of the Sacrament and to believe our senses that there remaineth true bread and wine after Consecration 11. That unbelievers and wicked men in the Eucharist truly eat the real body of Christ 12. That the bare receiving of the Sacrament though without true faith and repentance will procure pardon of sin from God and Salvation XVI Of the Church 1. That the Church of Christ as visible is lost or ceased or hath been lost since the Apostles days so that there was a time when Christ had no visible subjects and disciples 2. That the Church differeth from Heathens and Infidels only in opinion and not in real holiness 3. That only the Clergy or Rulers are the Church of Christ 4. That Christ hath instituted a vicarious visible Head of all the world or of all the Church on earth under himself to whom all Christians must be subject as their chief Pastor 5. That this Head or universal Church Monarch is the Bishop of Rome or else a general Council 6. That this Head or chief Ruler Pope Council or both hath universal Legislative power to make Laws obliging the whole world or the whole Church 7. That this Head is made the judge to all Christians what shall be taken for articles of faith and what for heresie and all are bound to believe such judgement or at least to acquiesce in submission to it 8. That no one is bound to believe the Scripture or the Christian Verity but for or upon the proposal of the Pope Council or both 9. That such judgement and proposal is certain and infallible 10. That this Church and its authority must be believed to be given by Christ before men can believe in Christ himself 11. That this Pope Council or both have power from Christ to excommunicate such as deserve excommunication throughout all the world and to judge who deserve it 12. That the Pope hath power to call general Councils out of all Christian Churches or nations on earth and to preside in them and to approve or reject and invalidate their decrees 13. That all Churches are bound to send Bishops or Delegates to â—uch Councils if required by the Pope 14. That a General Council approved by the Pope is infallible in all points of faith else not 15. That the Pope or Council or both may judge all Christian Kings and depose such as they judge deserve it and give their Countreys to others and disoblige their subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance 16. That they may interdict Gods worship to whole Countreys and Kingdomes and the Clergy must obey such interdicts 17. That whom they or the Clergy judge hereticks all are bound to avoid as hereticks be they never so falsly judged such 18. That at least in ordine ad spiritualia the Pope hath power over Princes and their Crowns 19. That the Clergy owe not obedience to Princes nor may be judged by them 20. That the universal Church can have no errour in any point which God hath revealed in his word 21. That the universal Church hath erred or may err in points essential to Christianity or absolutely necessary to Salvation and so become no Church and Christ no King or Head of it 22. That no one is a