it lies in Gods power to unmake them and in every minute to reduce them to nothing and some wicâ—…ed men might a little distrust God but for the assurance of the continuance of Gods favors God is become man the Creator made a Creature both Natures now fastned and riveted together by an indissoluble knot of marriage which can never be broken and which serves as a great ingagement and assurance from God to preserve and continue his graces and blessings upon the works of his own hands whereof we have a pledge or earnest in Christ perfect God and perfect Man both Creator and Creature united in one Person never to be separated So I hope it plainly appears that as the Incarnation can be no dishonor to God so it tends to the great honor and settlement of the Creatures In speaking of the blessed Trinity I began with the beginning of S. Johns Gospel In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word Then for proof and assurance of this great mystery I ended with the end of S. Johns Gospel wherein he affirms that the world could not contain the books which might be written of Christs acts thereby intimating that the works and miracles that Christ wrought above natural power did most abundantly serve to confirm and justifie the works and mysteries which he taught above natural Reason And now that I come to the Incarnation of Christ where the invisible God becomes visible man it is strange how this our Apostle S. John alters his style for in his first Epistle Chap. 1. ver 1. speaking of God in our flesh he saith That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life So that he who speaking of the Deity of Christ like an Eagle soared aloft as it were out of sight even beyond all humane reason and understanding speaking now of the Humanity of Christ he descends so low to make it more manifest and palpable as he seems to fall beneath sense for that he calls all the senses of man to witness which we have heard which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled and this in effect twice repeated whereby we may be the more assured of the truth of his Manhood As there was an eternal generation of this Word according to the Godhead so was there a Temporal birth of this Word in the fulness of time according to his Manhood for these two Mysteries though very different in themselves yet are they both very wonderful In the first you shall observe three Persons in one Nature in the second you have three Natures in one Person a Trinity of Persons in a Unity of Nature and a Trinity of Natures in a Unity of Person the Father the Son and the Spirit three distinct several and real Persons yet all subsisting in one undivided Essence of the Deity the Flesh the Soul and the Godhead three distinct and several Natures yet all subsisting in one undivided Person of Christ. How wonderful is the mercy of God that whereas our Saviour the second Person in Trinity was All-sufficient and happy in himself yet in commiseration of man man that had sinned in the root sinned in the bud when to our first-fathers guilt we had heaped up innumerable transgressions against the day of wrath he took up our nature and infirmities to satisfie for our sins to offer up himself as a propitiatory Sacrifice to reconcile us to God Men Angels and all other inferior created powers cannot any way satisfie for the least part of our guilt as not being able to be sufficiently thankful for their own beeing Sin is an infinite evil as being committed against an Infinite Majesty and therefore in the exact ballance of Gods Justice requires no less then an infinite Ransâ—…m or an infinite Punishment Righteousness and Justice pleaded against man that our sins were such as could not stand with his integrity freely to pardon Mercy and Peace put him in minde of his ancient love that as he had freely created man so now likewise in the bowels of compassion he should freely intend the Redemption of man And thus it was concluded in the High Court of Parliament in the highest Heavens that God himself Christ Jesus the second Person in Trinity should take our Nature upon him that as every act of his proceeding from his Deity the shedding of the least drop of his blood the trickling of one tear the suffering of one stripe the least temptation was of infinite value of infinite estimation so he alone was able to recompense for sin And thus it was fulfilled what was said by the Prophet Mercy and Truth have met together Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other Here is the agreement and thus is God and man reconciled by the coming and Incarnation of our onely dear Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus When I consider the first sin the sin of the Angels I cannot conceive that such excellent Creatures in their own kinde understanding Natures intelligent Spirits should attempt such a foul offence against God as to ascend up to his Throne to take upon them Gods Majesty were there not some probability or likelihood to effect it I cannot say whether they had it by immediate infusion from God or to speak after the manner of men by some common fame or report that the Creator and Creature should be united in one Person or whether by the excellency of their own knowledge they did fitly gather that as the Creation was a work of Gods infinite love and as God was existent in every creature according to the infinite extent of his own nature so undoubtedly as an effect of that infinite love God should tie unto himself some creature by an infinite band namely by an hypostaticall union And this their Conceit gave some way and occasion to their pride and presumption as claiming and challenging that high prerogative above other creatures by virtue of their birthright But herein did appear the oversight and ignorance of the Angels for the creature was not to aspire to the height and dignity of the Creator but the Creator was to descend to the humility and baseness of the creature neither was God to be united to the Angelical nature though otherwise highest in order and condition but to descend lower to give a more undoubted token of that infinite love even to the humane Nature and Manhood mans Nature being the Centre in the midst of the Circumference a little Microcosin in whom all the creatures are united things sensible partake in his Body the intelligent Spirits are combined in his Soul and thus God taking the nature of man sits in the very midst of his creatures imparting himself infinitely to all so far forth as it may well stand with the truth of his Godhead and with
infinite though infinitely imparted yet still it remaines one and the fame infinite nature and cannot admit a plurality and though the nature be the same both in kind and number yet must there be a difference of persons in regard of the different act of generation Deus intelligendo seipsum genuit verbum Here we have an Understanding and a Word but can this Understanding subsist without a Will or what shall unite and knit together the understanding and the word as they are in themselvs most inseparable but only Amor the love of God or that conformity of the understanding to the word of the word to the understanding which proceeding from both serves to unite both Here then we have a third person the holy Ghost and seeing the will of God is no lesse active then the understanding this third person must therefore be necessary and eternall with the word and with the understanding proceeding from both it must be of like extent and nature with both the understanding infinite the word infinite the love must likewise be infinite this nature being infinite it can be but one and the same nature infinitely imparted to the three persons and though the same nature yet this love proceeding it must be a person and in regard of the different manner of procession from both needs it must be a different person from both God comprehending and understanding himself to be infinite begets verbum infinitum which is the action of the understanding and by this word knowing himself to be infinitum bonum from the understanding and from the word proceeds amor infiniâ—…us which is the action of the will Thus the understanding and the will as they are the most inward active and eminent qualities in every spirit so are they most wonderfull in God for they are fruitfull in their own kind neither power providence justice mercy nor any other divine attribute can produce the like unto themselves these look only ad extra as if from the Castle of the Deity the windowes were opened and they should look only upon the creatures but the wisdom and the will of God look ad intra reâ—…lect upon the deity it selfe God comprehending and understanding himself to be infinite begets verbum infinitum which is the action of the understanding and by this word knowing himself to be infinitum bonum from the understanding and from the word proceeds amor infinitus which is the action of the will These three persons though admitting a difference between themselves in regard of generation and procession yet they agree in their nature and the whole nature is in every person and there can be no more then the whole in the three persons according to the nature of an infinite which being infinitely imparted yet still it remains infinite hence it is that all the actions of God are alike ascribed to every one of the Persons and though the different Persons revealed may appear unto us by different actions as the Father by creation the Son by redemption the holy Ghost by â—…anctification yet this difference as the mystery it self is likewise unsearchable As all the actions so all the attributes of God are likewise ascribed to every one of the Persons yet in the Persons they are tyed to the nature thus we say not three incorruptibles but one incorruptible not three incomprehensibles but one incomprehensible three persons in unity and one God in Trinity the father is God the son is God and the holy Ghost is other Gods according to the very letter not the persons in one Godhead for they are but one God and if you would know what gods are excluded surely the verse following will direct you Thou shalt worship no Idols But why this mystery should not be revealed to the Jews this is a question of such a nature as being answered yet still the like question remains as Why should not all other mysteries and why should not the Incarnation be long before it was and therefore I will make bold to propose the same question to the Jews Why should God reveal himself to the later Prophets more then he did to Moses or why should Moses institute Sacrifices and such a number of Ceremonies which were never discovered to Abraham or why should God by Abraham institute Circumcision which was unknown unto Noah or why were not all the mysteries together revealed unto Adam the father of mankinde created in Paradise in a state of innocency sanctified with Original grace and himself being the immediate workmanship of God Now to all these questions I will return this answer God is not to be tyed to mans captious curiosity he may do as he please and reveal himself according to such manner as his own wisdom shall appoint It is certain that in all natural things God observes degrees and nothing comes all at once to his ripeness and perfection Thus there is a blossom and a bud before you come to the fruit thus a childe begins first to learn his letters then to reade before he comes to any exact knowledge So God did make himself known by several Names and each Name did import more mysteries then other as God speaks By my Name of Sadai quod sufficit I did reveal my self unto them but not by my Name of four letters which of all other Gods Names did involve the greatest mysteries and God requires no more of man then God hath given unto man and that shall abundantly suffice until it shall please God further to reveal himself Think you that God would not reserve some mystery for his Son to reveal more then ever was known to the Prophets and what greater then the Trinity which neither men nor Angels can comprehend and both men and Angels must adore Neither do I think that all is yet revealed but that we shall have a further knowledge of things in the state of Glory when we our selves shall be made more and more capable of his knowledge and in the interim God doth herein deal with men but after the manner of men as he doth in all other things Thus we get knowledge by degrees and first we begin with the easiest lessons and then come to that which is more difficult and this stands well with the honor majesty and magnificence of God that we should come to him by degrees thus was there a Court a Porch a Temple before we come to the Holiest of Holies Thus far I have answered their Objection and requited them in the same kinde by proposing another question of like nature but I may not so far wrong Moses and the Patriarchs as to think they were utterly ignorant of this mystery though it may be they had not such an express knowledge as God revealed in succeeding times and likewise for the manner that it was not in such express terms We reade then that Moses and Elias the Law and the Prophets did attend Christ when he was
it is grounded in Scripture so it is strengthned and fortified with the Bulwark of naturall Reason and Philosophy and against which the most wicked Socinian shall never be able to oppose Hereunto as an addition give me leave to relate my own private opinion which I hope may be without offence either to God or man for that it proceeds not out of any vain presumption neither doth it any way derogate from the truth but whether it ariseth from a strong apprehension and from a minde that is totally possessed with the love of truth and admiration of this great and ineffable mystery that I leave to better judgements The first is that I do believe and am confident that this mystery of the most blessed Trinity doth together and as well as all the rest of Gods attributes appear and is plainly made manifest in the works of nature and in the framing of this created visible corporeall world My reasons and arguments briefly are these First see in the framing of the creatures what footsteps there are of the Trinity which may in some measure point out a Triun-efficient cause take nature in her first ground and foundation are there not three distinct principles the Matter the Form the sympathy and agreement between both see how these principles are knit and united together the Matter tamquam matrix commune seminarium the Form eduâ—…itur ex materia the sympathy and agreement indifferently arising from both Or if you take the Elixir of bodies have not the Chymists found out that all bodies consist of Sal Sulphur Mercury Thus far it is in the constitution of things take then the propagation of the kinde do not the Male and Female agreeing in nature but differing in sex number and person bring forth an issue I will leave curious subtilties in Philosophy and descend to the gross and terrestriall substances wherein you shall likewise observe some obscure shadow of a Trinity Do not all bodies consist of three dimensions Longitude Latitude and Profundity and these necessarily and inseparably knit and united together do not all qualities admit of three degrees of Comparison is not the most perfect number the number of Three which I think was the occasion that Aristotle could say In numero ternario perfecto colitur Deus A strange speech for a Heathen man whether he spake it casually or blindely of himself or whether by an elevated understanding he was carryed in an extasie or trance or rather as I suppose guided by a divine providence being the King of Philosophers among the Heathen like Caiaphas at the Death and Passion of Christ God put into his mouth words which he himself understood not as it were to give a true testimony to succeeding ages for the conversion of the Heathen No perfection ought to be denyed to the Deity suppose that all things were good in their own kinde in the root and foundation of nature according to Gods own approbation Et vidit deus erant omnia valde bona yet are there severall and different perfections as first in respect of quantity there is one perfection of an unity an other of a number let the number appear in the Persons the unity in the Godhead so secondly in qualities they are good in themselves good in diffusion Bonum est maximè diffusivum sui ipsius what is finitely good doth finitely communicate it self therefore that which is infinitely good must infinitely communicate it self within it self to the Persons in the Deity Thirdly in relations there is a paternal there is a filial relation both perfections must appear in the Deity Fourthly in Actions it is the highest perfection of the Creature Generare sibi simile and therefore not to be denyed to the Deity yet being impossible to produce many severall infinite natures therefore different Persons do appear in one and the same infinite nature for it is as proper for God to be perfect as it is to the Creatures to be imperfect let all perfection be elevated to the Deity while the imperfection like dross fals upon the Creatures man himself though fruitfull in his own kinde yet corruptible in his own kinde the Angels though beautifull and incorruptible yet fruitless and barren like Rachel but with God in respect of himself there is a generation without any corruption or diminution as in respect of his works there is a creation without any change in his nature Fifthly God made man according to his own Image and likeness and then God spake of Adam Non est bonum hominem esse solum it is not good for man to be alone let us make him a helper like unto himself If then man be like unto God why may not he reflect upon God and say unto God Non est bonum Deum esse solum it is not good for God to be alone we will therefore in all humility prostrate our selves and with boldness and confidence adore three Persons in one Deity for the greatest comfort which a man hath in this world it is in a sweet society therefore God injoying infinite happiness he must have Consortium aequalium a sweet society there must be severall persons in one Deity I come now to my second position which God knowes as it proceeds from no ill intention so I hope through his Mercy I may deliver my poor opinion without offence I confess that Supreme Magistrates are very tender of their prerogative as without which they cannot support their government and therefore they seldom name it but with this addition and Parenthesis Quam argui nolumus so jealous they are of themselves and of their own power but surely with God it is otherwise for he is able as he made the world of nothing so with the least word of his mouth to reduce it again to nothing and thereby upon every occasion to vindicate his own Authority Here then I will first inform you That it is necessary that every act which God doth it should partake of God and what is contrary to Gods nature it is without the compass of Gods power God can do no injustice being Justice it self God cannot speak an untruth being Truth it self or commit any sin being Goodness it self 2dly God can do nothing to the prejudice or disparagement of himself as to make any thing independent from himselfe but it is necessary as it was made of nothing so it must be continually supported from falling to nothing to which of it self being left to it self it would instantly fall 3dly God can do nothing according to the uttermost extent of his Power the Reason is because his Power hath no uttermost extent but is every way Infinite So when he hath made the most excellent Creature in respect of such as are now in being yet still he is able to create a more excellent and as in every creature God doth imprint a Character of himself whereby it speaks the praise of the Maker so my second position
is this That as there is not any creature wherein at this time the footstep and impression of the blessed Trinity doth not appear as I have already proved so I doubt whether God can make any creature wherein the stamp or mark of the blessed Trinity shall not be imprinted My reason is that God alone is Actus purus simplicissimus nothing but pure form a light without shadow or an absolute perfection without blemish or spot but whatsoever is besides God is was created by God of nothing and therefore in respect of this nothing from whence it arose it must have in it self quiddam potentiale something defective and imperfect that being made of nothing it is apt of it self being left to it self to return again to nothing So then it must consist ex actu potentia and there must be vinculum or ligamen to knit or unite together this Actum and Potentiam So here is some resemblance of the blessed Trinity in effect those three first Principles whereof every thing doth subsist and which are so much insisted upon in Philosophy And here you see that the blessed Trinity doth necessarily appear in the works of God as well as the rest of his Attributes More particularly if it be lawfull to make comparison between small things and great wherein I do the rather presume because I know my intention to be harmless and innocent and I serve a merciful God who is apt to forgive sins especially such as proceed out of ignorance I would take notice how farre forth this Mystery of the Trinity is shadowed forth in the knowledg affections of man himself It is the counsel of the wisest Philosopher Nosce teipsum Know thy self thou mayest make better use of the knowledge of thy self for the direction of thy self to thine own happiness then of any other forain or outward knowledge so for the love of thy self it is imprinted in thy heart that man should love himself above all others Proximus ipse mihi and all his actions tend and are directed accordingly which may a little if not point out yet resemble the operations which the knowledge and love of God do cause in the blessed Deity and therefore if we were to prefer some of Gods Attributes above others natural Reason would say that his Understanding and his Will did excel all the rest of his Attributes as they the most active and eminent qualities in every spirit for first our Understanding must direct us and then our Will must execute so in God they are the most eminent of all his Attributes for God himself is the object of his own Understanding and his own Will and so he is not of the rest of his Attributes for he is not the object of his own Power nor of his Justice nor of his Mercy but onely of his Understanding and of his Will and these being operative and producing some fruits as all the rest of Gods Attributes have their proper effects needs they must produce wonders in the Godhead to the astonishment and admiration of Reason Consider how the strong apprehension and longing of a woman in the time of her childe-bearing makes an impression sometimes in the mother but most commonly in the infant to the astonishment of Philosophy when the Physicians with their Dissections and Anatomies can neither shew the means nor the manner but profess their own ignorance And as the Understanding works such effects so in the next place consider the nature of our humane love which of all other passions is the strongest and doth most firmly and inseparably unite and therefore makes two persons man and wife in the eye of the Law to be reputed but as one person and this is much more strange that two persons having two natures and differing in Sex should be but one person then that one nature should be in several persons yet so the wisdom of the Law esteems them and it were high presumption in any man to question their wisdom Mans understanding and mans love have such operations in mankinde and no other faculties in man have the like Thus in the Schools it is said Intellectus fit quod intelligit The understanding doth work upon it self and for our love Amor unionem Love hath ever that property and appetite as to desire an union how the poor mother hugs the childe in her arms takes it into her bosom and with all her might and power would fain incorporate the childe into her self and if such be the effects of our understanding and our love then what may we conceive of the understanding and love of God But contraries do sometimes best appear by contraries and therefore to know the strength and efficacy of the understanding and love in man consider them in their defects and abuse and in the heavy judgements which sometimes befall them for all fits of Madness when men are distracted and out of their wits most commonly they arise either from the understanding when with night-watchings and studies they distemper themselves and so with strong impressions of melancholy have not the right use of their wits or otherwise when with outragious lusts in the strength and vehemency of their love-passions they do impart themselves and then rest in their rage and their fury besides themselves God grant that I do not offend in making any Comparison to that which is incomparable the Mystery of all mysteries the Secret of all secrets and is ineffable not to be understood by Men or Angels yet seeing God hath in part revealed it I thought fit with all humility and submission prostrating my self at the footstool of Gods Throne to express it according to the Tenents of Gods Catholick Church for the inlightning strengthning and confirmation of our faith I will now at length give this admonition to the Socinian who professeth to believe no more of God then his own Reason shall teach him and Reason we know depends upon the information of sense and he might as well say that what he hath not seen he will not believe so that his infidelity might as well extend it self to the sensible world Thus he should not believe all those delicious and beautiful fruits which the Eastern Countrey affords nor should he believe those great Whales and Monsters of the Sea whereof he hath not been an eye-witness nor should he believe the former Ages of the world nor take any thing upon the relation of others much less should he believe a spiritual world which is of another nature and condition nor should he believe the Influences of the heavens which exceed his Reason for they are not sensible nor should he believe the working of Gods Spirit and that his prayers should be of any efficacy or power And thus he utterly overthrows all Faith and Religion and so in effect is a profest Atheist onely he would cover it with a cloak and pretence of natural Reason pretending some great skill and knowledge in
the state and condition of the creature But supposing the three Persons in one Deity why should the Word be made flesh the Father and the Spirit excluded Certainly if we were to make choice of the Person reason would inform us that to be the natural son of man is more agreeable to the natural Son of God then to the unbegotten Father or to the proceeding Spirit The manner of his double birth would testifie the same truth begotten in the understanding of God from all eternity conceived in the womb of a Virgin in the fulness of time The nature of that sin which was the first motive of this descent seems to fasten a necessity upon the second Person of the Trinity it was a sin against the wisdom of God the tasting of the Tree of Knowledge Eritis sicut Dii scientes bonum malum and therefore fit it was to shew the large treasures of Gods mercy and the strictness of Gods Justice that the same wisdom offended should satisfie for the offence Foelix culpa quae talem habuit Redemptorem where is the wrong where is the injury when the party offended shall satisfie and therefore we will with humility retort Gods own words upon himself who upon the fall of man could say Ecce Adam quasi unus ex nobis so now upon the fall of God that is upon the descent of God we will say Ecce Deus quasi unus ex nobis If man lose the image of God as concerning Holiness and Sanctity wherein he was first created nothing can restore this image but that which gave the first impression If man cannot conform himself unto God then for an upshot and agreement between both necessary it is that God should consorm himself unto man Man lost Gods image God takes up mans image and this was most competent to that Person in the holy Trinity who as the Apostle describes him to the Hebrews was Splendor gloriae figura substantiae Patris Observe I beseech you the creation of man being made of the earth God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life Breath if it were agreeable to Gods nature yet certainly proceeding from an intelligent Spirit it could not be bare breath but necessarily it must be accompanied with some word especially considering that in all other Creatures you shall finde the power of this word for God spake the word and they were created But here this word is concealed and therefore we may well suppose that there is some mystery concealed Behold then the first earnest of his Incarnation God intending a marriage between the Deity and the Humane Nature he takes the body of man as it were taking his wedding gloves breathes in them to extend them to warm them to sit them for himself at length puts them on Here now at length the word accompanies the breath the breath made us living souls the word shall make us quickning spirits breath gave us a natural life the word shall regenerate and give a new birth and thus by virtue of this breath by virtue of this word man hath a double root the first Adam and the second Adam taking sap from both he is Arbor arbor inversa he hath a root downward and a root upward he treads upon the earth and looks up towards heaven And thus God if ever intending the renewing of his Creatures sit it was that God should there begin where he did end Man was the last work of the Creation and therefore in man there must be the first beginning of renovation Incipiat ubi desitum est it is a rule in all works and here you shall finde it true by experience the last work is first perfected For the Word was made flesh But I would gladly demand of the Jews who do not acknowledge these mysteries either the Trinity or the Incarnation Why should God be so careful and curious in giving himself a Name a Name it is therefore ordained to make a difference in a multitude as many men of one kinde are distinguished by their names But the nature of God is one as the Sun is but one and therefore wants no name but the name of his own kinde Gods Name then as it imports no difference in his nature so it implies a distinction and difference of Persons in that one nature of the Deity This will better appear if you please to consider that great and ineffable Name of God the Name of four letters The first letter was Jod quod significat principium and doth undoubtedly betoken the Person of the Father The second was He quod vivere significat setting out the second Person as being life in himself though life by participation imparting life unto the Creatures for in him we live we move and have our being he is the Way the Truth and the Life The third letter was Vau quae vim apud Hebraeos habet Copulandi intimating the love of God proceeding from the Father and the Son whereby the Father and the Son are united The last letter it was the same with the second letter He twice repeated ut duas in filio fateamur naturas Dei Hominis And that you may conceive that this observation of the Name proceeds not from mans fancy and conjecture I pray give me leave to bring another Example to this purpose When God had tied himself unto Abraham as touching the promised seed in token hereof it pleased God to change the name of Abraham from Abram to Abraham by the addition of a letter so likewise of his wife from Sarai to Sarah by the substraction of a syllable and the addition of a letter Now you shall observe that this letter which was added to both their names it was indeed one and the same letter and it was a letter of Gods own Name the second letter of his Name that as the second Person was to be united to the nature of Abraham and Sarah so this letter given and received might serve as a pledge or an earnest to signifie that union Observe the phrase and style of Scripture Verbum Domini venit ad Isaiam venit ad Prophetas c. which form of speech to my understanding cannot be so well justified were it not that this word were a Person and that some certain manner of coming were proper and peculiar to this Person Why should God speak of himself after the manner and fashion of men I cannot disallow the opinion of our Divines that God speaking to mans understanding fit it was that he should descend to mans capacity but desiring that truth in Gods words might altogether appear I had rather apply them to an intended incarnation then to admit a bare figure in Gods words which happily to us might be some occasion of error Wherefore serve the groanings and cries of the Fathers Expectabo salutare tuum Domine Mitte quem missurus es Rorate Coeli desuper nubes pluanâ—… iustum