same Person Therefore to remove this Mistake and to give a farther Confirmation to the Truth I have been asserting 2. I am come to shew that these are not different Names of the same Person but Three Subsistences or Persons really distinct from one another And the very Design of the Apostle in this Place is enough to prove it for he brings them in as Three Witnesses of the Messias which Three Names cannot be in the Sense which is here intended So our Saviour speaking of the Father's Testimony concerning him Joh. 5.32 faith There is another that beareth witness of me and he afterwards tells his Hearers who he is in these Words The father himself which hath sent me Ver. 37. hath born witness of me And again Chap. 8.16 c. If I judge my judgment is true for I am not alone but I and the father that sent me It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true I am one that bear witness of my self and the father that sent me beareth witness of me Chap. 16.32 And he further tells his Disciples Behold the hour cometh yea is now come that ye shall be scatter'd every one to his own and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the father is with me We see therefore that the Father and the Son are Two distinct Persons and that the Holy Ghost is a Person distinct from both of them is evident from those Words of our Saviour John 14.16 17. I will pray the father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit of truth c. where Three Persons are distinctly express'd with different Actions belonging to each of them the Son prays the Father answers his Prayer and gives his Disciples another Comforter who shall always abide with them So these Three are express'd in the Form of Baptism the Apostolical Benediction and in several other Places of Scripture And it is absurd to think our Saviour requires us to be baptiz'd into Three Names and that the Apostle in blessing the Church would use Three Names with particular Distinctions to each of them if he intended but One Person 3. I proceed therefore to shew what Relation these Three Persons have to each other And as to the Father and the Son their very Names suppose that the One hath his Being from the Other not as if he were made by him for then he could not be Eternal and therefore not Truly God but as proceeding from him by Eternal Generation And hence he is called the Brightness of his Father's Glory the Word of God c. The Holy Ghost hath his Being both from the Father and the Son as eternally proceeding from them For our Saviour tells his Disciples Joh. 14.26 That he proceeds from the Father that he himself will send him and that the Father will send him in his Name Chap. 15.26 And St. Paul calls him the Spirit of Christ and of the Son Rom. 8.9 Therefore we have the same Reason to believe the Spirit proceeds from the Son Gal. 4.6 as from the Father As the Relation therefore between the Father and the Son is founded upon that Eternal Generation by which the Son hath his Being from the Father so the Relation of the Holy Ghost to them both is founded upon that Eternal Spiration whereby he hath his Being from them But what this Generation and this Spiration is as also the manner of each Person 's subsisting distinctly in the same Divine Nature I may say with the Prophet Isaiah who shall declare it Isa 53.8 4. I am to prove That these Three are One God And this is evident from all those Places of Scripture where God is said to be but One Deut. 6.4 Chap. 4.35 Isa 45.5 As Hear O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord. Vnto thee it was shew'd that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God there is none else besides him I am the Lord and there is none else there is no God besides me There is one God and Father of all Eph. 4.6 who is above all and through all and in you all c. To which we may add that our Saviour several times affirms that He and the Father are One and that He is in the Father and the Father in Him And as this Unity of the Godhead is so plainly asserted in Holy Scriptures so it is also taught by the Law of Nature for what is Infinite and Omnipotent can be but One for it is against the Nature of Infinity to be in more and if One can do all things there is no need of any other Therefore it was the Opinion of the wisest Heathens that there is but One God tho' they suffer'd the People who were fond of Superstitions to worship many Thus we see the Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Divine Nature is plainly asserted in many Scriptures so that it these Words of my Text had been quite lost through the Malice of Hereticks the Mistake of Transcribers or any other Accident the Doctrine contain'd in them would fully appear in the Places before-mention'd and many others For as often as the Scripture attributes to each of these Three the Names Properties Works or Worship of God it asserts them to be so many Divine Persons and where ever it affirms there is but One God it teaches us that these Three are One And therefore we may justly wonder so much Offence hath been taken by some Men at several Expressions in the Athanasian Creed as The Father is God the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God and yet they are not Three Gods but One God c. These Expressions they are bold to charge with Contradiction and yet they cannot deny that the Scripture plainly asserts the same many times over and therefore they would do well to consider upon whom this Charge of Contradictions must light And their Boldness is the greater not only for the Plainness of Revelation in this Case and the Greatness and Excellency of the Subject so treated by them but because it is far above the Judgment of their Reason For a Man must understand the Nature of an Infinite Mind or Spirit and what is the true Notion of different Hypostases or Persons in that Nature before he can say it is a Contradiction to assert them Therefore they would better employ their Reason in finding out such Contradictions they are sit to judge of and I will put them in mind what looks very like one and that is to acknowledge the Divine Authority of the Scriptures and yet deny some Doctrines plainly deliver'd in them because they cannot understand the manner of those things that are asserted by them and tho' they say they do understand it yet this shews their Boldness and Ignorance the more when we know the wisest of them will be easily puzzl'd about
the meanest Production in Nature and may find a thousand things in themselves to baffle their Reason and therefore it must be very unfit to judge of the Divine Nature and Sibsseveral timesstence And if we observe what ways they take to evade those plain Scriptures before-mention'd we shall quickly see their Reason is not very formidable in Matters of Faith whatsoever it may be in other things For some of them they deny to be Scripture as they do these Words of my Text others they put such strain'd and foreign Interpretations upon and use such miserable Shifts to escape the Force of them that one would think they are passionately in love with Heresie that defend it at this rate But these Things have been answer'd to their Shame by several worthy Authors and I hope also to the Conviction of some of them Their Exception against the Word Person as applied to these Three in my Text is also impertinent For he to whom those Names Actions and Prerogatives before-mention'd do belong must be a Person tho' he were not call'd so in Holy Scripture Heb. 1.3 But the Father is there term'd a Person when the Son is call'd the express Image 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of his Person and it 's hard if a Son who hath all the Perfections of his Father may not be call'd a Person too But whether these captious Men will or no the Scripture hath given him that Denomination with respect to his Divinity 2 Cor. 2.10 If I forgave any thing to whom I forgave it for your sakes forgave I it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Person of Christ Where the Apostle affirms that when he forgave or absolv'd a Penitent he did it in the Person of Christ that is in his Name as his Deputy and Representative who as God hath Power to forgive Sins From these Places there is Warrant for those Terms 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Greek Fathers commonly us'd to signifie a Person in the Trinity And when we find them thus applied to the Father and the Son who can deny them to the Holy Ghost since the Glorious Properties and Works of the Deity are also ascrib'd to him Thus have I given you some Account of the Doctrine of the Trinity as it is discover'd to us in Holy Scriptures which hath been constantly believ'd and defended by the Churches of Christ in all Ages And seeing we have such Evidence from Scripture and so General a Consent for the Truth of this Doctrine we may with great Satisfaction believe and confess it And because our Faith in the Trinity is of the greatest moment to us as we are assur'd also from the Scripture and very much for the Honour of our Religion and the Author of it we ought zealously to defend it against those Antichrists in our Days as St. John calls them who deny the Father and the Son 1 John 2.22 2. I should now say something of the Record that these Three bear that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God But this will not require much Proof after that which hath been given oâ—â—â—â—ly concerning his Divine Nature and doth consist of Testimonies from the Three several Persons of the Trinity Therefore to these I shall only add That this is witnessed by them to the Saints and Angels in Heaven who have the Beatisick Vision of the Glorious Trinity and particularly of the Divinity of Christ united with his Human Nature It hath been attested from Heaven by the Voice of God the Father at our Saviour's Baptism and Transfiguration asserted by Christ himself several times who said also that he came from God and was one with him and manifested by the Holy Ghost when he descended upon Christ in a visible Shape at his Baptism and upon the Disciples in a miraculous manner according to our Saviour's Promise From whence it appears that as these Three are One in their Essence or Nature so also in their Testimony concerning the Messias which some think is only meant by those Words These Three are One But because they are true in an higher Sense as I have prov'd to you and the Words are in a General Form they ought chiefly to be understood of that and from hence an Unity in their Record or Testimony will necessarily follow The Holy Ghost doth also constantly give this Testimony in the Holy Scriptures and in his Effects upon the Hearts of his People Which may probably be meant of that Witness which he is said to bear in Earth at the 8th Verse of this Chapter and one of these Effects is afterwards mention'd Ver. 10. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself Let us therefore daily pray to God for this excellent Grace which will assure us of the Truth of such Doctrines as we cannot comprehend And that we may receive it together with an Improvement in all Divine Knowledge let us sincerely do all those Duties God requires of us and then he will certainly discover himself and the Mysteries of Salvation more to us Now to the Ever-blessed and Glorious Trinity the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost Three Persons and One Eternal and Only Wise God be all Honour Praise and Dominion both now and for ever Amen FINIS BOOKS Printed for John Lawrence at the Angel in the Poultry Two Sermons by the Reverend Mr. John Howard THE True Interest of a Nation Or The Duty of Magistrates Ministers and People in order to the further Settlement and Prosperity of these Kingdoms A Sermon preach'd at the Assizes held at Buckingham July the 5th 1692. The Evil of our Days with the Remedy of it A Sermon preach'd at a Visitation at Ruthwel in Northamptonshire Octob. 12.1697 MR. Pool's English Annotations on the Whole Bible wherein the Sacred Text is inserted together with the various Readings and Parallel Scriptures c. In Two Volumes Folio The Works of the late Reverend Mr. Stephen Charnock In Two Volumes Iolio The Life of the Reverend Mr. Richard Baxter with the History of the Times he lived in Written by himself and published by Mr. Matthew Sylvester In Folio Mr. Lorrimer's Apology for the Ministers who subscribed only unto the Stating of the Truths and Errors in Mr. Williams's Book from the Exceptions made against them by Mr. Trail Quarto His Remarks on Mr. Goodwin's Discourse Proving That the Gospel-Covenant is a Law of Grace And answering the Objections to the contrary c. Quarto Mr. Shower's Thanksgiving-Sermon on the Discovery of the Assassination-Plot April the 16th 1696. Quarto His Mourners Companion Or Funeral Discourses on several Texts The Second Edition In Two Parts Octavo His Sermons on Isaiah 55.7 8 9. God's Thoughts and Ways above ours especially in the Forgiveness of Sins Octavo His Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. Nath. Oldfield Dec. 31. 1696. Octavo A Preservative against Deism Shewing the great Advantage of Revelation above Reason in the two Great Points Pardon of Sin and a Future State of Happiness With an Appendix in Answer to a Letter of A. W. against Revealed Religion in the Oracles of Reason Octavo A Discourse of the Nature and Necessity of Faith in Jesus Christ With an Answer to the Pleas of our modern Vnitarians for the Sufficiency of bare Morality or meer Charity to Salvation Octavo A Brief Discourse of Infant Baptism Twelves These Three last by the Reverend Mr. Nathanael Taylor The Whole Duty of Man Epitomiz'd for the Benefit of the Poor with select Prayers suited to every Petition In Twenty fours Price bound Six Pence
so many different Names of the same Person but Three Subsistences or Persons really distinct from one another 3. I shall shew what Relation they have to each other 4. I shall prove that these Three are One God 1. Every One of these is the Great and Most High God 1. The Father is so but I need not say any thing to prove this because it is acknowledged by those who deny the Trinity that all the Glorious Titles Perfections and Works of the Deity are attributed to him and that to him belongs Divine Honour and Worship from his Creatures That he is an Infinite and Eternal Being Glorious in Holiness and Fearful in Praises a God of all Power and Might Truth and Righteousness Wisdom and Goodness in a word that of Him and through Him and to Him are all Things Therefore I proceed 2. To speak of the Word or the Son who also is God in the same Sense with the Father as will abundantly appear to all unprejudiced Men from the Names by which he is call'd the Perfections ascrib'd to him the Works he is said to do and the Honour and Worship which all Intelligent Creatures are requir'd to give him in the Holy Scriptures 1. The Names he is called by as the Name of God Jehovah the Son of God and the Word The Name of God is very frequently given to Christ both in the Old and New Testament The Psalmist speaking of him Ps 49.6 says Thy Throne O God is for ever and ever and the Prophet Isaiah calls him the mighty God Isa 9.6 St. Thomas plainly owns his Divinity in these Words Joh. 20.28 My Lord and my God When St. Luke says of the Jews they stoned Stephen calling upon God Acts 7.59 and saying Lord Jesus receive my spirit he teaches us that Jesus is the God he prayed to And St. Paul in exhorting the Elders of Ephesus to feed the Church of God Acts 20.28 which he hath purchased with his own Blood doth assure us that the same Person who shed his Blood for us upon the Cross is the God of the Church Rom. 9.5.1 Tim. 3.16.1 Joh. 5.20 This Apostle tells us also of Christ that he is over all God blessed for ever and that God was manifest in the Flesh And St. John affirms of him that he is the true God Now if it be said of one or two of these Places that the word God is not in some ancient Copy or Version this Omission might easily happen through the Mistake of a Transcriber and ought not to be accounted any Prejudice to those Places seeing they are entire in all other Copies And tho' some object that the Name of God is given to Magistrates in the Scripture and therefore doth not prove the Divinity of Christ they ought to see that it is applied to him after a very different manner and with such Distinctions as cannot belong to any Creature For what Christian durst ever call a Magistrate my God as St. Thomas calls our Saviour or say he is God blessed for ever or the true and mighty God as the Scripture terms him The Name Jehovah which is the incommunicable Name of the Great God is also given to him Those Words Psal 102.25 Thou hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the work of thy hands are applied to Christ Heb. 1.10 and yet the same Person of whom they are spoken is called Jehovah no less than seven or eight times in that Psalm The Prophet Isaiah speaking of Christ and his Forerunner saith Chap. 40.3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord make strait in the desart a high-way for our God There is no question but the Person whose Way John the Baptist who is here meant by him that cries in the wilderness was to prepare was Christ the Son of God therefore it is he whom the Prophet calls not only our God but the Lord that is Jehovah in the 2d and 5th Verses of that Chapter But the Prophet Jeremiab is yet more express when speaking of the Messias as a righteous branch and a King that should descend from David Chap. 23. he says Ver. 6. In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousness A Place sufficient one would think of it self to satisfie any that Christ is the True and Eternal God were it not obscur'd a little by the Repetition of it with some difference Chap. 33.16 where it is in our Translation This is the name wherewith she shall be called The Lord our Righteousness And some Interpreters understand it in the same Sense as if this Name was applied here to Jerusalem or the Church and from hence some conclude it is not the incommunicable Name of God and that nothing more is said of Christ in the Place before-mentioned than of the Church in this Now how well the Words in the Original will bear that Interpretation I shall not determine but I think they are very capable of another which hath been also given them by some Learned Men namely this And he who shall call her that is Jerusalem before-mention'd is the Lord our Righteousness And tho' there is some difference in the Hebrew between this and the other Place yet the Authors of the several Learned Versions taking the Sense to be the same in both do not only apply this to the Messias but render it in the same Words as they do the other with very little Alteration in any of them And if we allow of that Interpretation which applies this Name to Jerusalem yet it can belong to it no otherwise than as the Church hath a Relation to him and is Interested in his Righteousness who is properly call'd by it The Name of the Son of God as it is given to Christ and is to be understood of his Only-begotten Son as he is sometimes call'd is a further Proof of his Divinity For this denotes a more Eminent Relation than that which belongs to his Human Nature either from his Conception or his Resurrection from the Dead For tho' he was conceiv'd by the immediate Power and Operation of the Holy Ghost and for this Reason is sometimes call'd the Son of God yet we cannot say he had much the Advantage of Adam in this who by the same efficient Cause was formd out of the Dust of the Ground as Christ was of the Substance of the Virgin and therefore Adam is call'd the Son of God in a peculiar Sense distinct from that Relation which other good Men have to him Luke 3.38 The Holy Angels have also the same Relation to God for this Reason who made them eminently Partakers of his own Nature and constituted them in a State of Happiness and Immortality And tho' our Saviour was made the Son of God in another Respect by his Resurrection from the Dead as Saint Paul