conclude the Point and carry the Cause They have seen my Explication what Grounds I proceed upon and what Principles I build on Wherefore to make short work of it I send them a flat Challenge to produce this one Demonstration of theirs against this Mystery Half a Sheet of Paper will conclude the whole Controversie as far as it depends on the way of Humane Reason to which they have appeal'd from Divine Revelation and from the Iudgment and Doctrine of the Christian Church If they be Sincere they will put it to the Tryal if they refuse they give themselves to be Guilty of persisting voluntarily in an Errour and manifest that they took up this Pretence of Evident Reason for a Stale to draw after them the Ignorant and Unstable but that they do not think it their Interest to stand to the Rule themselves have espoused Fifthly By renouncing this Fundamental of Christian Faith they have by Consequence invalidated all Christian Faith by denying the Certainty of the Ground of All Faith For this was held by the Christian Church upon some Ground which by their Recession as to this Point they have Renounc'd and by consequence have brought all Christian Faith into a Groundless Uncertainty Lastly By their Denial of this Article they accuse the Christian Church of being Idolatrous in the most Fundamental Article of her Faith and in the greatest part of her Worship in Adoring so constantly heartily and devoutly a Man for GOD and a Creature for the Dread Creatour 3. To summe up then this whole Discourse If the taking away the Notion of all Faith and turning it into Science If to renounce by Consesequence Divine Revelation which none but Deists professedly Oppose If the Injury done to Humane Reason besides the misapplying it and the Fourbe put upon weak Souls in setting up for Evident Reasoners without offering so much as One Argument which is in true Speech Evident or Conclusive If the undermining the Ground on which all Faith is built as to our Knowledge of it Lastly If the accusing their former Superiours the Church-Governours so many Venerable Learned and Holy Fathers of the Câ—urch and even so many General and Provincial Councils nay the Christian Church it self of most Gross Idolatry Blasphemy and Prophaneness may be thought sufficient Provocation and Plea for the Governours of the Christian Church to Excommunicate and Declare That they who were by their Office the Depositaries to whom the Preserving of Christ's Faith was committed would have no more to do with such Men who had voluntarily gone out from the Church and who should they be permitted still to remain in her would hazard to infect with their Contagious Doctrine and Practice the Sounder Faithful If these things I say be manifestly so then the Church and her Governours are Acquitted and the Blame and Guilt lie evidently at their Doors This is the true Point to be Decided Which I believe every Man of Common Sense were they of the Jury would quickly determin without needing to go from the Bar to debate it or consider of it 4. But this is not all that may be alledg'd against them There seems moreover to be imply'd in their Discourses that the most perfect Law and most Elevating Principles of Christianity are no better than that most Imperfect State of the Law of Nature which rais'd Men to no higher a pitch than that of meer Moral Honesty in which divers of the Antient Heathens excell'd many Christians What Necessity was there in such a case that Christ our Saviour should come amongst us take such pains in Preaching and working Miracles Suffering a most Cruel Death on the Cross Rising again from the Dead Ascending into Heaven and Sending His H. Spirit c Certainly it had been very Preposterous to have laid so many Supernatural Extraordinary and Prodigious Means to compass such an End as was within the Power of Nature without Miraculous or Supernatural Assistance to atchieve 5. This shews their sleight Opinion of the Christian Law the Nature of it's Principles and the Efficacy of the Motives it proposes which was intended by God's Wisdom to purifie in the best manner the hearts of the Faithful and to raise them to the Love of Heaven by the most Powerful Means Infinite Goodness and Mercy could contrive To apprehend better how highly GOD's Revelation of â—â—e B. Trinity conduces to Mankind's Salvation and â—o cultivate our Minds with Theological Virtues which are the only Dispositions to attain it let us consider how GOD's Revealing Himself to us as to those Attributes of Mercy Justice Goodness Omnipotence Holiness c. did and does promote Virtue in the Church and thence estimate what large Accessions the Belief of the B. Trinity does superadd to them If GOD had not been represented to us and believ'd by us to be Iust what Sinner would not have run on in Sin presuming He was Unconcern'd in Sublunary Actions and would never call him to account for his Sins Or if he held him severely Iust and not Merciful what poor Creature conscious to himself how often he had grievously Offended Him would not Despair of Pardon think all was irrecoverably lost and thence run forwards headlong in Sinning wanting Encouragement or Hope of any Favour in case he should return and repent Who would at all Love Him if he did not think Him Good Believe in Him if He were not Veracious or Trust in Him if He were not Faithful and Powerful Or lastly Who would care to lead a Holy Life if He deem'd that GOD was not Holy Himself So that all sorts of the Best Virtues Faith Hope and Charity would be banisht out of the Thoughts of all Mankind if GOD had not Reveal'd Himself to them under the Notions of these several â—ivine Attributes 4. Let us now consider what incomparably Higher Advances in Virtue the Doctrine of the B. Trinity and all the Train of Innumerable and most Powerful Motives which depend on it as on their Principle do superadd to the Former now mention'd all tending of their own Nature to purâ— our Souls and to raise them to the highest pitch oâ— Perfection They are so many and each of them so pregnant that I must content my self to Select only a Few and leave them to be meditated on at leasure What Man who believes that GOD the Father sent his Only Son Coequal and Coeternal with Himself to take our Nature upon Him to teach us the True Way to Heaven to suffer Hardships Persecutions blasphemous Revilings nay to be Buffetted Scourg'd Crown'd with Thorns and suffer such a cruel and ignominious Death on the Cross and all this to pay the ransom for our Sins and rescue poor Wretched Mankind out of the Jaws of Hell and Eternal Death and by this means to court our Love that by Loving Him we might be Happy What Man I say can seriously and thorowly reflect on this and not to be Transported with Admiration and Love of so Infinite a Goodness
a just Title and Appropriation to this Present of mine 'T is This that can best satisfy the World as it does mee that your Thoughts are Truly Great and not detain'd in Insignificant Trifles as too many of your Rank are nor consequently are your Affections plac'd on Low and Contemptible Objects 'T is This that double-guilds Your other Heroical Qualities and sets you on the Highest Pinnacle of Honour There is nothing which more shocks a true-bred Gentleman than a Ly tho' it be but in puntilio's of ordinary Conversation But how exceedingly does a Hearty Lover of Truth refine upon this Common Genius of a Man of Honour Such a Person bids Defiance to the whole Tribe of Errours which are Lies in their several wayes A Falshood in Natural Philosophy gives the Ly to Nature A Falshood or Paralogism in Logick gives the Ly to Human Reason which is the true Nature of all Mankind A Falshood in Metaphysicks gives the Ly to the whole Nature of Being that is to the whole Creation and to the First Being who by his Flat Establisht those Natures You have not yet my Ld. taken the Full Dimensions of the Grandeur to which this High Title A Lover of Truth has rais'd you You may please to reflect that this Mistress whom You affect and court is very neerly Ally'd to Heaven by the Father's side and if You espouse her for You may be sure of her chast Consent if You sincerely affect her You dignity and ennoble your Extraction by a Relation transcendently above what Sublunary Marriages could have given it 'T is then to one of those Greatest of Men or rather one of those Paragons of Mankind that is to a Sincere Lover of TRUTH I dedicate my Book I doubt not but I might have found diverse of those whom the Populace of Scribblers call Patrons or Mecoenasses who out of a vain Consideration â—f being Prais'd in Print would have gratefully accepted it had I been willing out of a Mercenary Humour to prostitute TRUTH to Unqualify'd Persons But how would it have sham'd my Choice and brought my Prudence and Sincerity into Question to make a Present of Pearls to those whose Thoughts are digging in the Dunghil of Worldly Riches and value the Barly-corns of their Opulent Estates above the best Ornament of their Mind Knowledge Such Gifts to those Little-Great Men had been as Improper as to present an Atheist with a Prayer-book who would out of Exteriour Civility or some other Respect seem to accept it kindly but afterward burn the Book and laugh at the Writer Yet all this while I do not pretend to lay any Obligation at all on your Lordship by this Dedication for had this Book been publish'd without it You would presently have made it your own by Perusing it To do which intelligently both your own Natural Genius and your running thorow the Course of your Studies in Learned Company with such Applause has more effectually enabled You than it would some of our old School term-Doctors Such Maturity of Judgment in such Youthful and Green Years would easily enable your Vigorous Understanding to take in and digest the most Elevated Conceptions You see then my Lord I only give you what I could not keep from you and Forced Kindnesses deserve no Thanks tho' I have some Title to your Pardon because it was Your own Worth that layd this Force upon me I had I say just reason to apprehend Your Lordship would have made this Book your own when you had once got it into your hands seeing how sedulously You made a strict Search for every Trifle I had written and never desisted till you had found them â—ll and Purchast them at a dear rate To do which nothing but the Love of Truth could move You since there was neither in them any Affectation of Rhetorick nor Melodious Gingle of Words nor the Diverting Conceits of Romances with which those Gentlemen who dwell in the Middle-story do so contentedly entertain and please their Fancies And if Your Lordship was so intently inquisitive after those Pieces of mine which were less Valuable I had all the reason in the World to think You would not let my Metaphysicks scape your Perusal Which if I may be allow'd to be a Competent Judge of my own Productions is worth them all But I do not altogether blame Your Lordship for your Over-value of my poor Labours because You have it partly Ex Traduce 'T is Hereditary to Your Lordship to have too good an Opinion of my Writings Your Lordship 's Noble Father who is justly accounted the most Universal Scholler of your Nation did formerly tho' perfectly unknown to me give so High and Undeserved a Character of them as would make a Man tho' but indifferently Modest Blush and tempt me to admit some thoughts of vain Self complaisance had I not been provided before hand with an Antidote which is a most clear Demonstration in the Cloze of my Metaphysicks that all the Good we have even to the least tittle does entirely spring from the Inexhausted Bounty of the World 's Great Governour who works every thing in us and by us And why may not this be a second Excuse to the World for making your Lordship this Present upon the Score of Gratitude since the Greatest Honour I can by this Address confer on your Lordship is but a poor Requital of what your Lordships Noble Father was pleas'd to bestow on me I shall add one word more which tho' it may be some Comfort and an especial Honour to Your Lordship yet it is a very great Trouble to me Which is that those High and most Due Encomiums I give Your Lordship as a Zealous Unprecedented Lover of Truth tho this be in reality one of the Highest Commendations Rational Nature is Capable of will not yet draw upon you the least Envy from any No my Lord never fear it let your Pretensions to that Title be never so High You will have but Few Rivals and Competitours This Darling of Heaven TRUTH tho' the most Generous Universal Benefactress to Mankind is in such Disreputâ— with the Generality of our Great Ones except some Few whom I do as highly Honour for their True Worth and Rarity as I contomn the rest that they fancy they should stoop themselves below their Dignity if they maliâ— Her the least part of their Concern And Knowledge tho' imploy'd in Defence of the most Fundamental Article of Christianity is so Unpalatable to their Depraved Tast that it becomes Nauseous To talk to such Men of Establishing any Truth or Explicating Faith by Rational Principles sounds to them like Gibberish They look upon Manly Reason as a kind of Madness as least as Foppish and so strangely are their Brains turn'd that they judge those Discourses which are Solid and go to the bottom to be Aiery Superficial Not considering how this slight Opinion they have taken of TRUTH leaves them wholly to the Conduct of Fancy makes
annexâ— in all Creatures have Transferr'd it to GOD and â—â— it had been not Injurious but Serviceable to the Explication of that Mystery But he having in his Eye the words of some Scholasâ—icâ—s who fail'd of thus Distinguishing it and besides did not explain it Literally but call'd it in a Metaphorical Expression Supporter of the Accidents had good reason to say that such a Notion of Substance no farther nor better explicated was very Obscure especially if they made it a kind of Entity supporting other feebler Entities as some of them did IX Now to supply their defect and give the Literal Meaning of that Metaphorical Word Supporting the onely good Sense can be made of it is clearly This. The Proper and Precise Notion of Substance as 't is Distinguish from all other Abstracted or Inadequate Notions we make of a Thing or Individuum is This that it is Capable of Existing which as 't is thus Conceiv'd is its Definition Whereas let us Define Quantity Quality Relation c. We find that they do not at all imply in their Notion that is in the precise Signification of those Words any Capacity of Being at all as did the Other most expresly but of Modifying or Determining after their several Ways the Thing which is Capable of Being because in our Mind we must first conceive the Thing Capable to Bee ere we can conceive it Capable to be Modify'd Since then we see Accidents are and yet out of their own precise Notion are not Capable to bee they must be conceiv'd to Bee by Virtue of the Notion of Substance which is of its own Notion or as signify'd by that Word Capable of Being whence they are said by a Metaphorical Expression to be Supported in Being by Substance Which also is the true Sense of those Sayings Accidentis Essentia est Inhaerentia Accidentis Existentia est Inexistentia and such like which sutes with the Natural Notions of Substance and Accidents both if Bad Art does not make Disagreement between them Whence 't is to be noted that this Supporting here explicated must signifie the Priority and Dependence one Notion has to the other in our Minds or which is the same which the Thing as thus Conceiv'd has to the same Thing as otherwise Conceiv'd there being a Natural Order or Priority of one Notion to Another in our Mind and consequently a Dependence on one another for to think there is a Priority or Dependence on one another in re as two Things in Nature of which one is Stronger the other Feebler which I doubt too many led by the Sound of Words imagin is most ridiculous Nonsence Unity or indivision within its self is the Property of every Ens or Individual Thing and therefore it remains as in its self One or Undivided till our Understanding comes to divide it after its Fashion into more Formal or as we call them Metaphysical Parts by her Abstractive Way of Conceiving it by Inadequate Notions For Answer to the Third Objection I refer my Reader to the Close of my last Reflexion in Solid Philosophy Asserted where this Objection is Clear'd even to the Weakest Understanding X. Lastly as to the pretended Uselesness of Metaphysicks I cannot but admire at the short Speculation of those who object it Is it of no Use to settle all the First Principles of our Understanding without which as I have Demonstrated in my Non ultra we could know nothing Is it of no Use to acquaint us with the Essences of all Beings whence proceed all the Common sorts of their several Operations And to give us amongst the rest the Essence of Man and consequently shew what Actions are becoming or misbecoming a Being of such a Nature Is it to no Use or Purpose to Demonstrate the Immortality of the Soul a Tenet upon which all Religion depends How it will fare with her when she is Separated from the Body or What Dispositions in her when the Man dies will make her Eternally Happy or most Miserable Is it of no Use to Christian Life or the Good of our Neighbour to stand up for God's Honour and preserve others from the damnable Tenet of Atheism by Demonstrating that there is a Great GOD who governs the World who is All-powerful and Infinitely Iust Good Merciful c. Is it of no Use to demonstrate the Existence Essence and Operations of Angels and how by their Means and the Virtue of other Second Causes GOD's Wisdom administers the World in the Best and most Providential manner and that therefore Things are not Govern'd by Chance nor by the Stoical Fatality Lastly is it of no Use to explicate the Mystery of the most B. Trinity and other Articles of Christian Faith so clearly as to show they are perfectly Agreeable to our Natural Notions and to all the Maxims of True Reason which wipes off the Scandal with which Atheists Deists and Anti-trinitatians bespatter them as Perfect Contradictions and meer Nonsense on the Verity of which Tenets as will be shown depend all the most Effectual motives to Raise Mankind to Heaven and dispose them for Eternal Happiness in Explicating and Defending which Fundamental Articles of Christian Faith Metaphysicks has the Chief Hand Certainly if these things be of no Use it may certainly be concluded that no part of Knowledge Theology excepted which also depends in great part on Metaphysicks is Useful But these Objectors discourse as if there were no Use at all to be made of any Science or Art whatever but of Handicrafts Agriculture and such like As if they had forgot there was any such Thing as Virtue Truth Religion Faith Soul Salvation or even GOD Himself that deserves to be heeded or regarded To obviate this Calumny I have added Meditations at the End of each Chapter to show as the Matter would bear how Applicable and Useful the foregoing Speculations are to the Improvement of our Mind in Virtue And I hope I may without Immodesty say thus much for my Metaphysicks that there never was yet any Speculative Piece written that makes Reason more Subservient to Faith nor Philosophy more serviceable to True Divinity than it does I wish the Example may propogate to others XI But let us suppose that all this which is plainly shewn to the Reader 's Eye were False and that there were no other Good in the Study of Mâ—… physicks but the Enriching our Minds with Multitudes of High Solid Truths would not this Alone be sufficient to make every Considerate Man apply his Thoughts to that Noblest Science even tho' it had no farther Effects nor any Exteriour Use to be made of it What is there of more Use than the Mathematicks And yet Plutarch tells us in the Life of Marcellus that Plato was offended with those who did corrupt and disgrace as he judged the Noble and Excellent Science of Geometry by making it descend to the contriving Engines in which the Base and Vile Handy-work of Man was to be Employ'd And
〈…〉 labour for our own True Good pursue that bestâ—…isht Food which connaturally nourishes our Soul in it's way and comply with the Best Intentions and End of our Creation CHAP. IV. Of the Essence of MAN 1. MAN is One Thing made up or Compounded of a Corporeal and a Spiritual Part which we call BODY and SOUL For were the Body and Soul iâ— MAN is One Thing made up of Soul and Body Man Two Distinct Things those Two Things they being of such Different Natures could not possibly have any Coalition nor any kind of Union 〈…〉 as to make up One Compound more than can 〈…〉 Angel and a Brute Nor could they be in 〈…〉 Manner or according to any Mode of which wâ— have a Notion cemented together Not according to that Mode or Accident call'd QUANTITY the Unity of which kind of Parts is Continuity because the Spiritual Part the Soul is not Quantitative nor can it be thus Continu'd or Joyn'd to the Body Nor consequently according to the Notion of Quality For first Quality supposes tâ—… Thing which it Qualifies already constituted and only superadds some Perfection or Imperfectiâ—… to it's Nature Secondly Because all the Qualities of One of those Parts are Corporeal ones aâ—… all the Qualities of the Other Part are Spiritual that is they are Quantitatiâ—s and Not-Quantitativâ— which can no more unite than a Body and a Spâ—… could Nor according to Relation or to speâ—… more properly according to the Things themselves as they are consider'd to be Relata or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this Notion is of the Thing it self as it gives us the Ground or Reason of our Relating or Comparing it to Another in such a Respect which presupposes the Things and is so far from giving us a Ground of conceiving them to be One that it obliges us to conceive them as some way or other Two and moreover Relatively Opposite to one another and Opposition cannot be the Formal Reason of Unity And if we take the word Relation not Fundamentally but Formally for the very Act of Referring 't is clearly a Spiritual Mode peculiarly belonging to One part of Man the Soul and therefore for the Reason lately given it cannot unite both those Parts together Nor can they be United according to any of the Four last Predicaments for These as is shown in my METHOD can only belong to Bodies Nor lastly can those Parts were they Two Things be United according to Action and Passion in which the Cartesians â—â—ce this Union for these besides their being Extrinsecal Considerations do most evidently presuppose the Whole Thing or Suppositum only which Acts oâ— Suffers constituted and therefore cannot be the Formal Cause or Reason of constituting that Whole or Compounding those Parts together but are the Exercise of that Essence and 〈…〉 Existence already Constituted such It is left â—â—en that those Two Parts can only be United 〈…〉 make One Compound according to the First Predicament or according to the Notion of Ens Thing or Substance But to be United or which â—…the same made One precisely under the Notion or Respect of Thing is out of the force of the very Words to be One Thing Therefore this Compound of SOUL and BODY call'd MAN is truly and necessarily One Thing 2. Therefore the Soul and Body in Man are only Potential Parts of that Compound Therefore the Soul and Body are here only Potential Parts and neither of them while in the Compound is Actual For it has been already Demonstrated Ch. 1. § 27. that there can be no Actual Parts in any Compound whatever Moreover were they Actual while in the Compound each of them would have it's oâ—â— Act there and consequently it 's own Essence and this not only Distinctly from the Other but Independently of it since every Act in the Line of Substance as both these Parts are determines the Substance to be This fits it for Existence and makes it capable to Subsist alone wherefore each of those Parts when separated would retain it's Act and Essence and exist or actually remain such as it was whereas 't is manifest that a Human Body does not exist or remain so much as a Sensitive or Vegetative Thing but becomes a meeâ— Dead Carkass 3. Therefore neither Part while in the Compound can Act or Operate Alâ—… Therefore Neither Part can Operate Alone For 't is Demonstrable that Whâ—… ever Acts must Be Actually Bâ—… in our case neither Part Is actuaâ—… but are both of them only Potential by § 2. Wheâ—… fore 't is manifest that Neither Part can work Alâ—… but concomitantly with the other that is in all 〈…〉 Operations of Man as he is Man 't is the Wâ—… Compound or that Ens Thing Substantia Priâ—… or Suppâ—sâ—â—um which only can Act or Operâ—… sâ—nce It only Is actually 4. Corollary I. Hence is seen on what Evident Ground that most Useful and Solid Maxim Actiones Which Groundâ— that Excellent Maxim Actiones Passiones sunt Suppositorum Passiones sunt Suppositorum which all seem to admit but Few I fear duly reflect on is built viz. on those most Evident Truths Nothing can Act but what is it self in Act or Is Actually or Nothing can Act in such a manner unless it Bee such and No Parts in any Compound singly consider'd Are Actually With which notwithstanding it well consists that The Whole may act more chiefly and Peculiarly according to This Part than to That as we also experience not only in Man but in every Compound whatever 5. Corollary II. How Useful this Doctrine is to explicate the Incarnation or the Subsistence of Two Natures Hence the Christian Tenet of the Incarnation is Agreeable to Right Reason in One Divine Person and the Different Operations of Christ our Saviour as he is GOD and MAN will easily appear to Reflecters and will more fully be seen when we shall have occasion to show the Conformity which that Fundamental Article of Christian Faith has to the Principles of True Philosophy 6. Tho' the Peculiar and Immediate Form or Act of that Part call'd The Seat of Knowledge be that Spiritual Of the Form or Act of Man as he is Man Part we call The Soul yet the Act or Form of Man as he is Man is the said Spiritual Part together with that Complexion of Accidents in his Body which contribute to fit him for his Primary Operation For since Man is One Thing which has in it both a Corporeal and a Spiritual Nature § 1. and every Thing acts as it is his Operation peculiar to him as he is Man must also be Corporeo-Spiritual and consequently his Total Form which constitutes him such an Individual Acter must likewise partake of both those Natures 7. Corollary III. Hence in every Operation of Man as he is Man the Operations peculiar to the Soul Both â—arts concurr to every Operation of Man as he is Man cannot be produced without the Immediate
every ordinary Reader knows them by â—nstinct already Now what Man of Sense can they hope to satisfie by such a shallow way of Discoursing much less the Learned Divines of the Universities to whom they take the Boldness to address their Pamphlets Certainly when the Thesis is of so Soveraign a Nature we ought if ever proceed with all the Accuracy Imaginable Nor does only the Intrinsick Merit and Weight of the Subject in hand demand this of them but also the care of their own Reputation obliges them to it 3. For the Point it self is of that Vast Concern that either it must in case it be True render the Deniers of it most Ungrateful Impious and Blasphemous in Degrading our Infinite GOD Blessed for evermore who to save Mankind so mercifully condescended to take our Nature upon Him into the Abject condition of a meer Creature made of Nothing and therefore Next to Nothing or else if it be as they pretend False it must lay the Horrible Blemish of being Idolatrous in the Highest Degree upon the Christian Church for so many Ages Nay farther it must Unchurch her absolutely and make her no better than a Synagogue of Sathan since she builds the main Body of all her Faith on the Profession of Christ's Divinity whom she adores daily and most Devoutly and this not with a Relative but a Terminative Divine Worship nay makes Him the Alpha and Omega the First Beginning and Last End of all things Whence follows that the most Loose Latiâ—ndinarian cannot with any show of Sense clap both these two Parties Ours and Theirs iâ—to one Compound Christian Church 'T is true we do both of us acknowledge the Word CHRIST but the Thing we mean by that Word or the Sense of it as it is taken by us both respectively is as Infinitely Distant as is the Meaning of those words GOD and a meer Man or those of a Creatour and a Creature and certainly Faith signifying our Teneâ—s is not a meer Sound but Sense I say not this to widen any Breaches which I have been ever ready and zealous to close and heal but to let the Anti-Trinitarians see how vast a Division they have made in the Christian Church or rather how absolutely they have by Schism and Heresie cut off themselves from it And no Balm of Charity or Surgery of Discipline are able to cure such wide Wounds or re-unite such Members to the Body which are not only Separated from a Vital Communication with it but Mortify'd by Obstinacy For the True Church of Christ acknowledges no Other Means nor any other Name under Heaven by which she hopes for Salvation but that of Iesus Christ GOD and-Man which these Men do utterly reâ—â—unce and abominate 4. I am not to doubt but divers of those Gentlemen who impugn this Article of Christian Faith â—â—ant well nothing being more contrary to my Genius than to pass Judgment upon Men's Intentions when I see not their Hearts Wherefore I am to hope that since they have appeal'd to the Way of Reason they will submit the Tryal and Decision of their Cause to the Umpire Themselves have chosen Which if they please to do I dare assure my Readers it will be impossible the Controversie should hover or be long Depending I have set them a Sample what Method they may take if they sincerely and impartially aim at Truth To this end I lay my Principles which I will vouch and maintain to be Evident and far from Gratuitous Suppositions I state the Question I clear the words of which we are to make use from Ambiguity and by this means I make a Clear Stage for both Parties Let them do the same and it will be impossible that Endless Wrangle should defeat the Expectation of our Readers or the Victory of Truth hang long in Suspense 5. If any blame me for being too Exact First I am not asham'd to declare that it was my Full Intention to bend my utmost endeavours to settle this Point so Unanswerably as far as it depends on the Way of Reason that the Opposition against it may never rise again to pester and divide the Church nor prejudice the Eternal Salvation of Mankind Next I must own that it is Uneasie to me when I am to maintain any Truth not to lay my Principles first and take care they be Evident And unless I do this I am still dissatisfied with my self and afraid lest some Plausible Fancy should lead me astray from the Truth and make me stumble into some Errour The greatest Wits and most Learned Scholars living are liable to fall if they want these Supports which and only which can enable our Reason to take Firm Steps and keep it on it's Leggs Upright Whence if be a Fault I hope it is a good one At least I have been since my riper years so enur'd to it that I must confess I cannot help it nor would I if I could 5. Indeed were there none that Impugn'd Reveal'd Faith it would be Needless in that case to be at the Expence of so much Time and Pains to Defend it It would argue a Quarrelsome and Vapouring humour in any Man to begin a Polemical Contest when none oppos'd him and in a Bravado to arm himself Cap-a-pee and bid Defiance to all the World when he has never an Enemy In such a Happy State of the Church Christian Faith would descend peaceably and undisturbedly there being none who oppos'd it and all Disputes about it would be superseded or rather prevented But when as is our Unhappy Condition Witty and Acute Men do exert their utmost Efforts and employ all the Skill Art and Learning they are Masters of to overthrow the most Fundamental Articles of Christian Faith and Others make use of their Errours and Objections to subvert the Whole Body of Reveal'd Religion and pretend to maintain that the most Sacred Truths which GOD Himself has told us are Perfect Nonsense Lies and Contradictions 't is a most necessary Duty in us to make use of the Maxims of Right Reason to confute their Paralogisms and to apply the most Solid and Deep Principles of True â—…rning to baffle the Attempts of that Vain and â—…allow Philosophy which they make us of to â—…ack those Divine Oracles None can show â—â—â—t Faith is not Contradictory to Reason which is â—hat's objected but by using those Knowledges which show it is Conformable to it And since Faith cannot explicate Faith it must either be Explicated that is in our case Defended by the Clear Principles of Reflecting Reason or by True Philosophy or it cannot by the way of Reason be Defended at all 6. Each single word in which Faith was deliver'd must indeed have been Clearly Intelligible to the Faithful and enable them to know what it is they are to believe But a Believer and an Explicater are very Distinct Things The former has no more to do but to submit to an Authority which he either knows or judges will not deceive
with such Sublime Realities or Erroneous Foundations support the Truth of Faith in the Opinion of Doubâ—…ers by giving Consonant and Genuine Explications of it 17. The Third Person Divine Love is call'd 〈…〉 Comforter or Strengthener because nothing more gives our Souls such Strength to resist the Assaults of our Spiritual Enemies break thorow â—ll Difficulties and press forwards vigorously to atâ—ain our True End Eternal Happiness which is â—he Sight of GOD than does an Ardent Love of â—im which Every thing acting as it is is the â—â—culiar Gift of the Holy Ghost who is not only by His Common Essence as are also the rest but also by the Particularity of his Person DIVINE LOVE For the same reason He is call'd a Spiâ—itual Unction because it was customary to Anoint â—hose with Oil who were to exert their Strength 〈…〉 any Encounter or Exercise to give their Limbs greater Force and Agility For the same reason He is call'd Fire which in an Ordinary Metaphor is apply'd to an Ardent Love and thence he came down in Tongues of Fire because Fire is the most Active and Purest Body we have and in regard Love does enflame the Spirits to pursue the Good we affectionately long for For this reason also He is call'd our Spiritual Life because Life consists in Self-moving and nothing moves us so efficaciously as Love which is the proper Act of the Will that Faculty that sets all our Inferiour Powers on work And for the same reason He is called particularly the Spirit because as the Animal Spirits in the Body give us all our Natural Motion so Divine Love his peculiar Name and Nature gives us all our Supernatural Tendency to Heaven so that no External or Interiour Actions we perform do avail us or bring us the least Step nearer our True End Eternal Happiness unless either out of an Immediate or Remote Intention it be done out of that Regard or Intuitus Another reason why He is call'd Spirit which properly signifies Breath is Because Breath and Life are in common speech Equivalent While I breath and while I live having the same signification as have also to Expire and to Die Lastly since Heavenly Love which Divines call Sanctifying Grace is our Supernatural Life which as was said the Peculiar Influence of the Third Person does as it were inspire or breath into our Souls hence He is from this Effect by a Specifical Appellation call'd the HOLY GHOST or Holy Spirit For none can think He is call'd Spirit meerly because He is of a Spiritual Nature since this is an Attribute of the GODHEAD and therefore Common to all the Three Persons nor because He proceeds from the Father and the Son by a kind of Imaginary Action call'd Spiration of which I must for my part confess I can make no Conception nor how it comes to be Transferr'd to GOD. 18. I may perhaps incurr some Censure for denying the Procession of the Holy Ghost is to be explicated by Spiration of which Word many Great Men have made use The best way to clear my self from affecting Singularity is to give my Reasons why I dislike it and submit them to the Judgment of our Peers First Faith as was shewn Preliminary V. must have been deliver'd in such Language as is apt to signify our Natural Notions Secondly Hence tho' it may be allowed to Learned Men in Explicating this Mystery to make use upon occasion of some Term of Art which is current in Schools yet is it utterly Disallowable to use any which has not for its Sense some Natural Notion of Mankind otherwise it will Blunder the Explication instead of Clearing it Thirdly It is agreed and most Consonant to Reason that no Notion taken from Material Beings ought to be Transferr'd to GOD but by the Intervention of Spiritual ones to which they are Metaphosically apply'd in regard He is of a Spiritual and not of a Corporeal Nature Fourthly There can be no Spiritual Notion that respects the Internal Nature of a Spirit but Being Knowledge Will and the Objects of these too last which determin their Internal Operations Fifthly There is none of all these that seems Proper to signify the Procession of Divine Love by Spiration Not Being for That if Compleat Stayes in its self as being the most Absolute Notion nor can it respect any other Notion conceivable in GOD otherwise than as an Object Not Knowledge for that is an Immanent Act and is compleated in this that the Object be such in the Knower as it is in its self whereas Spiration has a Notion of something Transitive to Another Sixthly It has too much of Action in it's Formal Notion which may hazard to breed a Conceit of Efficiency and Effect And lastly Because as apply'd here to signifie a Procession from Father and Son it can have no one Notion in it and therefore it has None For since the Holy Ghost does proceed from them according to their Personalities that is from the Divine Essence as Known and as the Knower of it and there can be no one Notion Common to Thing Known and Knower which are so widely Different being toto genere Disparate and Contradistinct but Being my Dulness cannot comprehend what one Notion the word Spiration can signifie since it cannot be Univocally Apply'd to both nor how it sutes with our Natural Notions we have of Spiritual Natures nor in what manner or for what reason it is Transferr'd to GOD which makes me doubt that meerly the word Spiritus apply'd particularly to the Holy Ghost was the best Ground of this recourse to Spiration and not the Notion of any Virtue or Operation which Nature has given us of a Spiritual Being Notwithstanding I doubt not but these Great Divines had some good meaning in it tho' it colours not with my Thoughts Nay that they meant the same in substance which I do tho' perhaps I do more nicely â—ift the Propriety of Words in handling such a Delicate Point than they did And the same I doubt not may be said of all those Learned Writers who have of late Explicated this Mystery variously of which the Anti-Trinitarians do very frivolously make great Brags and hope to get some Advantage by it I say very frivolously For the Article of Faith it self Abstracts from all Explications and stands Firm on it's own Grounds Divine Revelation tho' both They I and Others should all of us fall short in Explicating it right in every particular Thus much concerning the Names and peculiar Attributes of the Three Persons and the Congruous Reasons why we apply such Attributes to each 19. Notwithstanding all that is said above concerning these Appropriations in the performing Different Effects belonging to the Particular Notion and as it were Genius of each Person as such whenever GOD does any thing ad extra or produces any Effect in His Creatures the Whole Trinity concurs to that Action For since nothing can work but it must have the Being or Essence
which Self-Knowledge and Self-Love makes in them and which is the Immediate Ground of those Relations cannot make Distinction in their Substance Whereas in GOD in whose Essence there can be no Accidents nor any thing Accidental but purely Substance Self-Knowledge and Self-Love must necessarily Distinguish and consequently Particularize the Substance and hence Particulars of a Substance which is Intelligent being in proper Speech call'd Persons it obliges us to put a TRINITY of PERSONS in the same Divine Nature or in the UNITY of the GODHEAD 6. Perhaps it may be Objected That I am inconsistent with my self while I say that there are no Accidents in GOD and therefore only His Substance is Particulariz'd whence we infer Plurality of Persons and yet we put Relation in GOD which is an Accident I answer that as appears by our State of the Question we do not put Relations in GOD as He is in Himself but only as He is Conceiv'd by us and that as we conceive Him according to our Natural Notions it is impossible to conceive or speak of Him otherwise To the Objection 't is Reply'd that we do not Transfer the Notion of Relation to GOD without stripping it first of its Imperfection which is to inhere in GOD as in its Subject or as a Mode of it which implies Potentiality in the Subject and Dependence on it in the Form We have already shown that Relation meerly as Relation does add no Perfection or Imperfection to that on which 't is Grounded and which has an Absolute Notion As Likeness between two Things that are White adds in neither of them the least Perfection or Imperfection to their Absolute Notion that is it makes neither of them more or less White Wherefore the Relations in GOD are as Essential to Him as is the Knowing and Loving Himself which Grounds these Relations Nor is this Peculiar in the Relative Notions we apply to GOD for Mercy Justice Goodness c. and the rest of such Attributes are Qualities in us and exprest as such and yet they are Essential to the DEITY and have their Natures which they had as Accidents Dignify'd to be several Inadequate Conceptions of the Divine Essence it self SECT X. Of what vast Importance and most Efficacious Influence the Belief of the Blessed TRINITY is to Christian Life and to the raising our Thoughts and Affections towards Heaven 1. I Doubt not but the Anti-Trinitarians will complain sadly of the Christian Church as barbarously Uncharitable for cutting off from the Body of their Society Excommunicating and delivering over to Satan so many well-meaning Persons who embrace their Sentiment They will ask why the Denying a Tenet which is meerly Speculative should be so hainously taken and severely resented They will be apt to liken Church-Governours to those hot-headed School-Divines who all-to-be-Heretick those who will not allow their Opinion They will pretend that as long as Men do sincerely Worship the only True GOD and keep His Commandments which they will profess they do from their Hearts hold and intend no more can in reason be requir'd Is not this enough will they say for Salvation Must the Seamless Coat of Christ be torn and shatter'd to pieces Charity and Church-Communion be violated in the height for the sake of a Speculative Tenet which however it may please some can sute with the Fancies of very Few perhaps None if they would but lay aside their Customary Belief which Education and not Judgment has given them and set themselves seriously to reflect how Uncouth it is to their Reason and how utterly Unuseful Ineffectual and of no Influence at all it is to Good Life Piety and Virtuous Action Thus they will plead for their Impious Doctrine and Schismatical Fact and their Apology will be receiv'd with Applause by all the Latitudinarian Party For nothing is so Cheap and Costs so little and withal is so Necessary for those who are destitute of Solid Reasons as 't is to Affect and have Recourse to Godly Cant 2. In Answer First we will speak to the Persons and their Guilt or Innocence then to the Point it self We ask then those Rabbies of the Anti-Trinitarians Who taught them that piece of Doctrine which they proceed upon as if it were a a Self-evident Principle that the way to determine what we are to Believe what not is to begin our Enquiry by scanning the Articles of Faith themselves by our Common and Obvious Reason and to make This the Test of what we are to Accept what to Reject For First they cannot but see â—hat this takes away the very Notion of Faith out â—f the Hearts of Mankind I suppose by Reason â—hey mean Evident Reason for otherwise they â—ust grant that this Rule of theirs is Uncertain â—nd therefore can be no Rule at all And if they will not believe but upon Evident Reason then 't is Science and so farwell all Faith Secondly If they say they intend only to Evidence the Opposite Tenet to be False and not any Point of Faith to be True we are but where we were For where the Tenets in Question are Contradictories as 't is here he that Evidences the Trinity of Persons in the GODHEAD to be False does with the same Labour and at the same time Evidence the Unity of Person in the same GODHEAD to be True Since then this later is a Point of Faith with them they must still grant that by Evidencing this they turn Faith into Science Thirdly This Tenet amongst others was held by themselves e're they renounc'd it to have come to them by Divine Revelation wherefore they are convinced by recurring to this New Rule of Humane Reason to bid adieu to all Divine Revelation and so they fall in with the Deists For why should one Point of Faith be received upon their Rule of Humane Reason and not All. Fourthly They are False to their own Rule and their own Pretence and therefore are not to be Credited nor without some straining of Charity to be excus'd as to their having Sincere Intentions An Evident Proof can be no other but a clear Demonstration and to this I have not observ'd they ever so much as pretended 'T is easie to call any pretty probable Proof an Evidence so it be but sutable to Fancy But Demonstration carries something that is Manly Decisive and Victorious in its Notion to which therefore 't is dangerous for Plausible and Probable Discoursers to pretend A True Demonstration must be built on Principles that are Evident and finally reducible to Self-Evidence So must the Consequence of it too and the Medium must be such as is most necessarily Connected with the two Extremes What I affirm then is that they have not Produc'd so much as One Demonstration however they would have it â—hought they have though they cautiously mince it in the Expression If they have any such let us see it let us hear of it I will grant them that any One which is truly such will
What Soul tho' never so Wicked and Senseless who with a full consideration lays this to Heart will not melt with Love at such a Transcendent Mercy to a Sinful World Who can chuse but be Astonisht even to an Extasie at such a Generous Goodness Who can be so Ungrateful as wilfully to offend and disoblige so kind a Benefactor Who will not tremble at the Iustice of so Pure a GOD and reflect on the Hatred he bears to Sin who punisht it so severely in his own Son who had taken upon Him to bear the Curse of it What heart would not break in the midst of all Temptations rather than Crucifie again so dear a Saviour Who would stick to pardon an Enemy for his sake who had not only pardon'd us while we were his Enemies but moreover heapt all the â—â—â—â—est Benefits of his Mercy upon us even while we were such tho' it cost him so dear Who would not Love and Hope in such an Indulgent Father who so tenderly lov'd us and a Suffering GOD who at the Infinite Expence of His most Precious Blood Redeem'd us and in Both of them who to Crown all their Favours sent the Holy Ghost GOD Coequal with themselves to Sanctifie with a thousand Blessed Effects the Hearts of the Faithful to strengthen them in Afflictions and Temptations to inspire them with Charity the Source of all heavenly Virtues to the end of the World and to dwell spiritually in our Hearts for ever 5. Here are Motives of another kind of size than either the Law of Nature or the Empty Elements of the Mosaick Law could afford us or even give us a glimpse of Here are Means of raising Souls effectually to Love of Heaven in comparison of which all the rest are Flat and Dull and in comparison Trifles or rather meer Nothing Yet these Men who would bereave the World of these by Denying the Mystery of the B. Trinity on which all these are grounded expect they should be kindly treated as Brethren while they for their Whimsies of Fancy bereave all the Faithful in GOD's Church of these highest Spiritual Advantages which every sensible Man cannot but see would both dispose them strongly for Heaven and bring to Salvation innumerably more Souls and advance those who do go thither to higher Degrees of Bliss and make them more Glorious Stars in the Firmament of the Heavenly Hierusalem What I wonder at is That these Gentlemen do not plant their Batteries against the Belief of the B. Trinity upon the Incredibility of such wonderful Condescensions and as they might pretend Debasements of thâ— DEITY than against the Speculative Truth of the Point it self None of those Prodigious Mercies but transcend our Fâ—ncy whence all their other Arguments are drawn for which reason the Greeks esteem'd Christianity Foolishness and therefore might afford them more plausible Arguments than any they have brought hitherto Had they employ'd their Talent in impugning the Trinity upon that score and ply'd that Topick I must confess I had been to seek for any other Answer than to alledge that GOD is INFINITE in all His Attributes which he had not been at least we could not so well have known it had not he given us such Testimonies of His Mercy Goodness Justice c. as are beyond all that we are able to conceive Wherefore since what 's beyond what we are able to conceive is justly held Mysterious to us all the Mysteries of our Faith if things be well consider'd and driven up to their First Root or Principle do spring from GOD's Infinity in this or some such Regard Even the Mystery of the B. Trinity which chiefly consists in this that the same Numerical Nature is in Three Distinct Persons is grounned on this that His Nature being Infinite is but One as is shown above B. 3. and the same may be said of all the rest of those Articles of our Faith which we account Mysteries Wherefore I would recommend it to the Author of Christianity not Mysterious that He would bless us wâ—th a Treatise to show us how to comprehend INFINITY how to Define it or give us it 's Full Dimensions for all we know of it hitherto is to distinguish it's Notion from Finite by a Negation but to make a true Conception of it's Entire Positive Perfection we fall infinitely short Let â—im then either do this or else as long as GOD â—e Author of our Faith is Unconceiveable by us or â—NFINITE so long that Faith it self the Product of His Infinite Being and His other Attributes especially those which concern His own Essence â—ill still be Impossible to be comprehended by us and so Christianity will still remain Mysterious let him scribâ—le his plausibe Conceits as long as he pleases But to proceed with showing the Demerit of those scarce-half-quarter Christians 6. Let us next consider what Powerful Authority and Majesty it must give to the whole Doctrine of Christianity and to every Particular of it What Veneration and Esteem to the Holy Sacraments instituted by Christ to every Sentence which is recorded in the Holy Scripture to have been spoken by our B. Saviour and to every Action said to have been done by Him to believe that it was GOD Himself who came down from Heaven to teach us that Doctrine institute those Sacraments from which Institution they have all their Efficacy who spoke those Words of Eternal Life and did those Actions in his own Person Infinite are the Particular Motives of this Nature and beyond any Man's Power to recount and lay open at large as he ought all of them â—ending to rectifie our Irregular Passions to arm us against Temptations and sanctifie our Souls by raising them to a Firm Faith a Stedfast Hope and Ardent Charity the only Dispositions which can fit Mankind for Eternal Happiness Were all these Particulars laid open and dilated upon to their full Energy in Affective Sermons as they are daily to a great measure in the Christian Church what Transports of Heavenly Love and Affectionate Devotion must they needs make in the hearts of the Hearers to thâ— End of the World what innumerable Pioâ— Thoughts must they excite how many Actions oâ— all sorts of Virtue must they produce Not to speak how vigorously it must move People of all sorts to the Imitation of those Heroick Virtues which the Life and Practice of a GOD made Man sets before their Eyes for Patterns by which they ought to frame their Christian Conversation the very Notions of which confronted with the contrary demeanour of frail Sinners is of force to shame them into Repentance and Amendment of their Lives 7. Now the main Efficacy and Powerfulness of all these Highest Motives to true Sanctity depends on the Belief of Three Divine Persons in the Unity of the GODHEAD Take this away GOD the Father could not send his Son who was also GOD nor could GOD in his own Person come amongst us to teach and instruct us by His Word and Example
Christian Church and there Decree and Subscribe to the Doctrine of the Trinity and propose a Formal Creed what every Man ought to believe in that Article Those Bishops could not be thought to act herein against their Conscience nor could any ever impeach their Sanctity so as to make them such a pack of Villains as wilfully to Damn themselves and all those Souls they had Influence over by Defining that a Creature was truly GOD. Add that neither could they be Ignorant of the Doctrine and Practice of the foregoing Church from Christ's time Their Session was not much more than 300 Years after the Birth of our Saviour allowing then about 30 Years for our Saviour's Life-time and 25 more or less for the Apostles Lives after his Death and 50 for the Lives of those Bishops e're they met it was easie for their Great Grand-fathers nay divers of their Grand-fathers and also for the Grand-fathers of many in that Age to have liv'd in the times of the Apostles and it was utterly Incredible there should be such a Change in Faith so Universally and far spread and none know who first introduced it and were the chiefest Instruments in propagating it and a thousand times harder to conceive that it should not be vigorously oppos'd till Arius his time Besides their Devotions and Adoration of Christ could not but go along with their Faith and who can without Madness imagine that an Universal Change of such a Practice in so high a Point as the joyning a False GOD with a True one a Creature with a Creatour in their Adoration could possibly creep into the World and diffuse itself over the Church and yet should never be Observ'd and Oppos'd when it first appear'd 8. Moreover since these Doubters were brought up amongst Christians they cannot but know how highly Faith Hope and Charity which were ever held the Best-of Supernatural Virtues are necessary to promote Souls in Holiness raise their Thoughts and Affections vigorously to Heaven and thence conduce to their Salvation Wherefore by our former Discourse they must needs see how those Virtues are enfeebled and the Best Motives to erect their Souls to Heaven are made flat and Insignificant in comparison by the Denying this Mystery And consequently since Errour can never be a Friend to Piety that that Tenet is True Nay they must be conscious to themselves that by Denying it they bereave themselves of the most effectual Means to elevate their Souls to Hope and Love of Heaven which is the only Disposition that can bring them thither Those well-meaning Men are born in hand by their Deluders that by dis-believing the B. Trinity it is but one Point they deny but that they may and do nevertheless stand right in all the rest But they are Abus'd Whoever denies the Trinity does by consequence deny all other Tenets and enervates all the Motives that are Peculiar to Christianity as such or as it superadds to the Law of Nature and that of Moses as might easily be shown in every Article of our Creed were it Seasonable to make so long an Excursion and how it is one way or other influenced by This. It will be objected That there were as great Saints in either of the former Laws as in this Last such as Eâ—â—â—â— Daniel Moses Elias David c. I answer That there were great Saints no doubt now and then under those former States of the Church â—â—t I deny that that Sanctity was owing to the â—gena Elementa or Ordinary Efficacy and Doctrine â—â— those Laws but that they had those Elevated â—egrees and high Strains of Holiness which appears in their Actions and Writings by Extraordinary Means viz. either from the Prophets who were Divinely Inspir'd or else from Partiiular Supernatural Providences not unfrequent in those days and not meerly from the State of the Mosaical or of the Natural Law Their Best Dispositions for Heaven was their Faith and Hope in a Messiah to come which how dim and dark that was in comparison of what GOD has Reveal'd to the World after his Resurrection and Coming of the H. Ghost every Divine knows I grant indeed That the Anti-Trinitarians keep up some faint show of Devotion by pretending a Creature was sent to Teach the World and Die Suffer c. But I say withall that the Force and Energy of all these Motives and Means depending on and going parallel to the Dignity of the Person especially his Dying for our Sins it does consequently fall short of the Efficacy it might have as far as does the Majesty and Worthiness of an Infinite GOD and Creatour to the Vileness and Worthlesness in comparison of a Finite Creature 9. Those Unstable Doubters may be advertis'd that tho' they be not able to weigh the force of the Arguments which both sides produce yet GOD's Goodness has not left them destitute of Means suitable to their pitch to preserve them from being deluded if they will but use them which is to consider the Authority which the Writers of one Party and the other ought to have in theâ—â— Esteem Now there are two Particulars to 〈◊〉 consider'd in Learned Authors viz. their Nâ—â—ber and their Weight As for the First of these their Number the Anti-Trinitarians must confess that taking the Whole Extent of the Church and this thro' so many Centuries there have been Innumerable multitudes of Bishops and Priests famous for their Knowledge and Sanctity and considering the Number of Christian Universities Ten thousand Doctors of Divinity and Men Eminent for Learning for One of theirs Who for their Morals were many of them reputed Saints and none of them held Impious or Careless of their Salvation All this Incredible Multitude of Knowing and Virtuous Persons have held Ador'd and Glorify'd the H. Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the GODHEAD and lookt-upon it as a most Fundamental Article of all Christian Faith So that in Number the Anti-Trinitarians cannot pretend their Learned Men bear any Proportion to ours As for the Weight of their Authority it depends on their Knowledge and their Honesty Allowing then both Parties to be Equal as to their Honesty and Sincerity and considering only their Knowledge Tho' those Unlearned Persons I speak to at present they not being Professors of Knowledge themselves cannot be qualify'd to judge directly which Party is more Knowing yet they are Capable of so much Sense as to reflect that if the Learned Men who deny a Trinity be comparatively so very Few in Number they must be Superabundant in Weight that is exceedingly more knowing than the Christian Party was For otherwise the Vast over-proportion in Number must in such men's Esteem necessaâ—â—ly sink the Ballance to the Christian's side Naâ—â—re having given them so much Sense as to see â—vidently that where the Quality is Equal in both the Quantity must clearly carry the Advantage Now what one Man of those very Few comparatively which they can pretend to can they name who has been such a
in some other Respect than that of Being and therefore must still remain the same Being Wherefore this Universal Thesis that The same Being can no ways be Distinct from its self is confutable by the dullest Sophister who ever heard of and understood the Ten Predicaments which are the common Heads that contain all the several Notions Respects or Considerations which we may make of the same Thing or the same Being But these Gentlemen Discourse as if there were but One Predicament viz. that of Substance or Being and they have either Cashier'd or else had for hast quite forgot the other Nine And is such a shallow Pamphlet a fit Present for the Learned Divines of the Universities 17. Let us put a Parallel to this Discourse Imagine then Peter were both a Father and a Son in respect of his Different Correlates these Gentlemen will undertake to prove plainly that he must therefore be Two Men thus If this Father be a Rational Creature and the Notion of Son be Distinct from that of Father then Peter if he be a Man must be a Distinct Rational Creature for the same Being can be no ways Distinct from it self and certainly two Distinct Rational Creatures are Two Men. The Parallel is his own Discourse put in the very Tenour he laid it Only we put the Notion or Respect of Son to be Distinct from that of Father because we speak of them as we ought precisely and formally according to such or such respects and not materially for so consider'd they are all Identify'd with the DEITY whence St. Austin in his Books De Trinitate when he names Deus adds immediately id est Trinitas and these men know well that 't is our constant Profession that the Trinity is no otherwise to be Worshipt than in the Unity of the Godhead 18. Thus these Gentlemen by their New No-Logick have prov'd Peter to be two Men and to have two Individual Natures in him because he has two different Relations which kind of Respect call'd Relations since if we take the whole Extent of that Notion and all the Particulars under it we acquire and lose a hundred times a day in one kind or other no one Being in Nature would be constantly the same but must be perpetually multiply'd into the Lord knows how many Beings or Things 19. But the main Point is That our Question is not whether the same thing can be any way Distinct from it's self â—ut whether the Same Thing may not and does not Ground and Verify many Conceptions or Respects of divers kinds as is shown in my First Preliminary and whether it does hence follow that if we affirm that it is One according to One of those Respects and yet Three according to Another of those Respects there can be in that case any show of a Contradiction which is the Affirming and Denying of it according to the Same Respect This is the true Point which these Objectors never touch nor heed but instead of Distinguishing those several Respects they jumble them all together confusedly and then when they have thus shuffled away the true Question they pretend to Decide that which they have not Toucht perhaps never Thought of it by an Untoward and Aukwaâ—d way of Arguing by Ifs of which we have here no less than Three in Four Lines 20. My last Advice to those Dissatisfy'd Gentlemen is Than they would be so True to their own Reason as not to fancy themselves competent Iudges of what they cannot but know they are not able to decide noâ— undertake to sound Depths which are beyond the Length of their short Line nor be inveigled to apprehend that those most sublime Points that concern what passes within the DEITY it self must when it comes to be Debated or Explicated be as plain and familiar to every Ordinary Understanding as a piece of a Romance 'T is the greatest Policy of those Men in gaining Proselytes to spread about their Pamphlets among the Vulgar and to persuade them that what 's True must needs be Easie as to which Flam every Man who has study'd the Mathematicks is able to undeceive them and so make them Iudges of the Controversie which is very gratifying to Original Sin and to our Innate Pride the Effect of it And if once they can bring them to swallow this bait and embrace this Erroneous Principle of over-weening they are sure they are caught For then they have no more to do but to propose to them some pretty superficial Triâ—â—es which if examin'd by True Principles have not a grain of Sense in them and yet being suteable to the pitch of weak Understandings are very Plausible and Taking and they presently hold themselves well appay'd By this means also they are brought to undervalue and contemn all Learned Discourses which go the bottom of the subject in hand because they are not at the first sight so easily intelligible to their Low Capacities Thus I have endeavour'd both to satisfie Learned Readers how this most Holy and Fundamental Article of Christian Faith is Explicable according to True Principles of Reason working upon our Natural Notions and also to Establish the Unlearned from the Delusions of those who while they oppose it renounce Faith and Reason both Which done I have no more to do but to recommend them to GOD the FATHER who Created and Preserves us to GOD the SON who Redeem'd and Enlightens us and to GOD the HOLY SPIRIT who Sanctifies and Comforts us To all whom as being One GOD Blessed for Evermore be ascrib'd all Honour and Glory FINIS ERRATA EP. Ded. P. 6. L. 2. these does p. 10. l. 5. only True Pref. p. 2. l. 27. if she p. 24. l. 11. by their p 26. l. 21. Judiciousness Book P. 8. l. 24. Alter'd p. 57. l. 4. Bodies l. 24. dele at p. 75. l. 21. Form or Act p. 81. l. 8. in the Margin thence p. 90. l. 32. is it p. 96. l. 20. eum p. 112. l. 33. can exist p. 116. l. 2. Individuums p. 123. l. 30. in the Margin such a Nature p. 218. l 15. being there p. 131. l. 22. tuo scribuntur p. 140. l. 23. is in a manner p. 204. l. 20. in the Margin Chap. 7. p. 257. l. 23. it in p. 310. l. 16. Encyclopaedia p. 318. l. 29. similes ei p. 323. l. 29. refunded into p. 331. l. 1. could be p. 347. l. 5. that Chance p. 405. l. 5. particular Supposita p. 407. l. 5 6. depute p. 427. l. 21. as does