found alive at the last Day They would have Christ's Incarnation to be against Reason and Scripture they deny him to be truly God the like of the Holy Ghost That there is in One God no Trinity of Persons and that the Old Testament is needless for Christians c. All these and other Blasphemies are found in the Works of Socinus in the Racovian Catechism whereof Smalcius is the Author of Ostorodius Crellius Wolkelius Vaydovius c. but we shall by the Grace of God insist only upon some of their greatest Blasphemies Now to the Cause Matters of this high Nature and fundamental Concernment to our Holy Religion must not be prostituted to the captious scanning of Men of corrupt Minds nor the ways of God be made layable to the Judgment of Men rather humbly to be adored with Submission of Mind and Obedience of Faith to the Revelation declared in God's Word and herein we ought the more to be sober and cautious that we know Errors to be link'd together and to have a dependency one upon another he that strikes at the Grace of the Lord Jesus will afterwards make no Conscience to fly out against his Person he who denies him to be a Prophet will soon disown him to be a King and a Priest for as one Depth calls to another so an Arminian can easily become a rank Pelagian and Socinian Wherefore 't is necessary at the very beginning to oppose Errors defend every inch of ground against such as will daily grow worse and worse as do the * James 1.8 double-minded men that are for their own more than for the Truth 's Interest for they are unstable in all their ways and the more Hands orderly employed the better is the Effect like to be This Consideration makes me to appear amongst those who heretofore did and now do oppose false Teachers who not only privily but also in publick bring in again those damnable Heresies which of old Truth and Learning exploded and baffled out of the World The Divinity of Christ was the Stumbling-block to the Jews who could not endure to hear him call himself the Son of God absolutely and without limitation and thereat were enraged which made 'em take up Stones to cast at him John 8.59 and also at another time Chap. 10.31 the Doctrines about the Holy Trinity and the Person and Deity of Christ do stand and fall together In our Saviour's time it began to be oppos'd by the Jews and since from time to time continu'd to be so by the Devil's Instruments raised to that same purpose and within the last Age revived by the fore-named Blasphemers against the Rock of the Church which is built on the Confession that Christ is the Son of the living God not by any special Favour or any such Restriction for then there would be only a gradual difference between his and our being Sons of God but he is simply the Son of God yea his only begotten Before we enter upon this important Matter some things to clear the state of the Question must be premised so that we must shew wherein we agree before we speak of that wherein we differ as to the first this Foundation must be laid there is a God the Cause of all the Effect of none who hath made all and is made by none who hath given all things their Being and hath his own of himself This is not denyed so I shall not go about to prove it the Light of Nature the Book of Scripture and the Testimony of Conscience do sufficiently convince Men of it The next thing is what God is He being infinite cannot be defined but imperfectly described only according to what he hath in his Word revealed of himself how he is infinite independent self-sufficient eternal unchangeable But such is the blindness of some Mens Judgments or the Perverseness of their Hearts that they will cavil at the Nature Names Attributes and Works of this eternal and infinite Being But about this fundamental Truth our Faith must be directed by the Revelation which God hath made of it in his holy Word herein Men must not follow their own fancy for * 〈◊〉 Mat. 〈…〉 no man knoweth the father but the son and he to whom the son will reveal him Now the sum of this Revelation in the Word is that God is One that this One God is Father Son and Holy Ghost that the Father is the Father of the Son and the Son the Son of the Father and the Holy Ghost the Spirit of the Father and of the Son and that they are distinct one from another in respect of this their mutual Relation by this Rule we must be guided how to know believe worship love fear and obey him that is the Father One true God the Son One true God and the Holy Ghost One true God to be believed worshiped and obeyed Now for our Edification and further Instruction thâ—â— Doctrin admits of some Enlargement and Explanation to prevent undue Notions of God which by reason of the Blindness and Ignorance we are naturally involv'd in our Minds are liable unto thus out of the Revelation that God is One we easily deduce he is so in respect of his Nature Essence or Godhead and how being Father Son and Holy Ghost he doth subsist in these Three distinct Persons thence also is derived the manner of their Subsistence what are their mutual respects to each other and such like things by a necessary Consequence from the Revelation Upon these Grounds were compiled the Nicene Athanasian and other Creeds or Articles of Faith in opposition to the Heresies of those Times for therein was explained the true Sense of Scripture about those matters which were wrested by the Enemies of the Truth and though the Orthodox Doctors and Councils to oppose the Error and lay open the Venom made use of some Words and Expressions which in so many Letters are not set down in the Word of God yet they were not to blame for they were drawn out of it by lawful and necessary Consequences Men may lawfully conceive in their Minds what is the nature of the Things or the sense of the Words according to the scope of the Spirit of God in the Writings of the Prophets and Apostles and also as to the Analogy of Faith or else we are no better than Brutes So that if the chief Assertion contained in the Revelation be true so must also be whatsoever is therein included and in the Explication thereof drawn by a true and right Consequence Wherefore seeing God hath declared Father Son and Holy Ghost to be One God it necessarily follows they are One in Nature because therein only they can be One And this is the ground of any other Unity and seeing it is also declared they are Three it must be explained of three distinct Persons or Subsistences wherein only it is possible they can be Three The Revelation is clear there is One God this God is
Essence is as School-men say the Quiddity of the thing that whereby the thing is what it is concerning which this is to be observed the Essence neither begetteth nor is begotten it neither breatheth nor is breathed this is the Attribute of the Person not of the Nature nevertheless in the Generation and Breathing is the whole Essence because 't is indivisible communicated to the Person begotten the Son and to the proceeding the Holy Ghost and 't is true the Son is begotten of the Essence of the Father for he is God of God Light of Light and to his only begotten Son the Father hath given all things except to be Father according to that saying of our blessed Saviour * John 5.26 as the father hath life in himself so hath he given to the son to have life in himself CHAP. III. Of the Persons of the Godhead BUT this leads me to speak of the Persons and upon the matter 't is fit to know in general what a Person is namely one particular thing indivisible incommunicable living reasonable subsisting in it self and not having part of another the first because no general Notion is a Person the second because a Person may not be divided into many parts the third because thô one may communicate his Nature yet his Personality he cannot communicate the fourth no Person without Life and Reason the fifth because every Person is a Being that hath its own proper subsisting thus Christ's Humanity is not a Person because it doth not subsist in it self the sixth because that which is part of another is no Person thus the Soul of Man separated from the Body is no Person Now the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are of a larger extent than that of Person for they are spoken of any individual Substance but a Person is an individual Substance complete rational and as we said differing from another by means of some incommunicable Property Hence we say that a Person in the Trinity is whole God not absolutely or simply consider'd but by means of some personal Propriety 't is not a Species of God or of the Deity nor part nor a thing different from the Deity nor a bare relation or only a manner of being and subsisting but 't is the Essence of God with a certain manner of subsisting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 neither is it a Compound of the Essence or of the manner of subsisting So then a Person of the Deity is usually described to be an incommunicable Subsistence of the divine Essence for in One and most simple nature of God are several Persons distinct to whom the infinite and singular Nature of One onely God is common for Scripture doth teach us that there is but One God and Three distinct Persons to whom it doth attribute the Proprieties of God whence we may conclude that there is in God Oneness or Unity of Essence and Plurality of Persons This is matter of Faith to be believed and not of Fact to be cavil'd at Hence we find how in Scripture the word God is sometimes taken for the Essence and Nature of God and at other times for certain Persons of the Godhead as we shall have occasion to shew the Father hath his Essence originally in himself and from none other the Son and the Holy Ghost have the self-same increated Essence in themselves as well as the Father but not from themselves the Son and Holy Ghost are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the same nature with the Father not in the same sense as Men are among themselves for Men are divided one from another but the Persons of the blessed Trinity not so for they be absolutely undivided so that the Three are but One God The Greeks call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Person in the same signification as we use when we say the Person of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Now Scripture names them as things distinguished between themselves individual subsisting c. as we said just before if they be as they are working and acting then they are Persons according to the Axiome in Philosophy actiones sunt suppositorum Now if the Father be such if the Son and Holy Ghost be such what can hinder us from saying the Father is a Person the Son is a Person the Holy Ghost is a Person The Greek Fathers made use of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in * Heb. 1.3 Scripture we find in the same sense that is Person as we use it where Christ is called the express Image of his the Father's person I say they made use of it against Hereticks who denyed Father Son and Holy Ghost to be Three things so different as that the one is not and cannot be the other though as I already said in Scripture we have not in so many Letters the Words of Unity Trinity Essence and Person yet we therein have the things themselves whence they be derived and the very Words we find used by many of the antient Fathers Now Person and Personality are in divine much different of what they are in human things because the one is infinite and the other finite human Nature is One but in Specie in many Persons as Peter James Paul but divine Nature is but One and the same in number existing in Father Son and Holy Ghost as far as we are able to apprehend the Person differs from the Nature not really but rationally as the manner of a thing from the thing it self as may be a degree of heat from the heat it comes to Divine Essence is whole in every Person but not as the whole is in its parts for 't is not divided as we said but indivisible now the manner of subsisting of the Divine Essence which is but One in number in Three Persons is incomprehensible and unexpressible and the manner how the Godhead is attributed to the Three is singular and wonderful which no Reason can demonstrate nor Example illustrate to which purpose saith our Saviour * Luk. 10.22 No man knows who the son is but the father and who the father is but the son and to whom the son will reveal him By virtue of that Revelation the manner of knowing the Father is not the same as is in the Son yet Nature doth not produce Nature nor Nature Person nor Person Nature but Person doth Person not of the Essence but in unity of the same Nature common to the Three Persons neither doth it produce without it self as in corporeal things because no Penetration of Dimension but within it self for 't is infinite Now the Father gives Nature to the Son and both to the Holy Ghost not by Alienation but by Communication which is so imparted to the Receiver as that it still remains in the Giver as one Light hath it from another without any Diminution Hence it is that one Person doth not subsist without the other as 't is in Men but all Three do one
Essence also they make a Confusion between being and the manner of it And they ask us why we do not rather multiply Essences in the plurality of the Persons than Persons in the Unity of Essence whereunto we answer that we therein follow the Doctrine of the Holy Ghost in the word and he who makes Three Essences doth also make Three Gods but he that saith there is One divine Nature in Three Persons doth not make Three Gods now Scripture and Reason teach us there is but One God and the same Scripture saith also Father Son and Holy Ghost are but One God and 't is to be observ'd how the word Father when used alone as 't is in the Lord's Prayer without relation to the Son is as well as that of God common to the Three Persons but when it signifies a Person of the Trinity first in order then 't is relatively to the Son Now the Plurality of Persons in One divine Essence is proved by Arguments drawn out of Five several Heads whereof the First doth consist in several clear Testimonies out of Scripture Secondly from the relatives or opposite Relations as Father Son Spirit to beget to be begotten and to proceed from the Father and from the Son Thirdly by distinguishing Properties as Creator to the Father Redeemer to the Son Sanctifier to the Holy Ghost Fourthly by peculiar Apparitions to be read in both the Old and New Testaments And Fifthly by different Operations the Four last I shall not insist upon only some of them I shall have occasion to speak of in some place of my Discourse but the first I intend by the Grace of God chiefly to enlarge upon These Scripture Proofs are of three kinds the first speaks of a Plurality of Persons in God the second of Three Persons and the third mentions the Son by himself and the Holy Ghost by himself for about the Father there is no Dispute yet to avoid Prolixity we shall make use only of some few places out of the many which Scripture doth afford We shall begin with that of Genesis * Gen. 1.1 In the beginning God created in the Hebrew the Word God is in the Plural Number not Eloah which is the Singular but Elohim the Plural surely there must be some reason why a Nominative in the Plural is joyned to a Verb in the Singular as Bara is that signifies created certainly this shews some kind of Plurality in the divine Nature we may well say it is not without cause that in a Tongue whereof in a special manner God is the Author and in which are many Names in the Singular Number yet this in the Plural is made use of to signifie God not only in this place but very often and in many more There are many other Names of God but none more frequently used than this in the Plural Why then if in the Godhead there be but One single Person should God delight so much in being called so often in the Plural I say farther that as the History of the Creation could not be written but by help of Revelation and that God chose Moses a Man of very great Wisdom so 〈◊〉 being inspired of God inserted therein nothing 〈◊〉 might be called rash and superfluous so 't was 〈◊〉 at a venture that he chose that Word amongst so many others to name God in the great Work of Creation which being terminated outwardly is common and belongs to the Three Persons of the Trinity and a thing very observable is that in that first Chapter of Genesis no less than Thirty two times that very same word Elohim in the plural is construed with a Verb in the singular when in the Second Chapter that of Jehovah which is a singular is Eleven times joyned to the Verb of a singular Number What else can the plural Number in God signifie but some Plurality The Name Elohim is the first given to God in Scripture and though it be plural yet 't is not personal but essential and according to the Hebrew Idiome is spoken both of the Nature and of the Persons hence there is only One Elohim not Three as in the Athanasian Creed 't is well observed that the Father is Almighty the Son Almighty the Holy Ghost Almighty yet not Three Almighties but only One now the Name Elohim being derived from God's Power there are not Three Elohims no more than Three Almighties wherefore 't is joyned with an Adjective singular Elohim Zaddik Deus juste O God righteous Psal 7.10 which they who are for Three Spirits and Three Substances are desired to take notice of and how their Hypothesis is herein contrary to the Athanasian Creed Farthermore in the beginning of the * Exod. 20.2 Decalogue this word Elohim is joyned with the Pronoun possessive in the singular thy though the word God be in the plural and †Josh 24.19 elsewhere we have it joyned with an Adjective in the plural and with a Relative in the singular he is an holy God he is in the singular God and holy are in the plural Nay we have it also prefix'd to a Verb in the plural where Abraham said * Gen. 20.13 When God caused this Verb is in the plural me to wander So we have it elswhere †2 Sam. 7.23 hence we may conclude how in the Text in hand not by chance but by a special divine direction the Name God is in the plural Number and in the place already quoted in the Preface of the Ten Commandments God makes use of the Lord Jehovah and God Elohim the one as it seems to declare the Vnity of his Nature and the other the Plurality of the Persons Adonai a Name of God also in the plural Number is frequently used either when God speaks of himself or Men to or of him Another Text to prove the Plurality of Persons in the Godhead is this * Gen. 1.26 Let us make man in our image and after our likeness which is an Exhortation to the other Persons that had a hand in the Creation the Verb and the Pronouns are used in the plural 't is not said let me but let us make 't is not said in my but in our image not after my but after our likeness This manner of speaking so different from the foregoing is not in vain but with a purpose to give us for whose sake that History was written a Subject to meditate upon I know they say God there speaks as 't is usual with Princes in the plural Number for Majesty and Greatness sake and what if great men do so must this through man's wandrings be father'd also upon God Princes do represent their People and also they comprehend their Counsellours whence it is that in every Proclamation we have that Form By the Advice of our Privy Council which God doth not want Let us more seriously consider this doth God speak it to no body I am necessitated to make use of that Expression or to some
Surely no man that hath any regard to God can say or think that in so serious a matter God speaks to nothing if to some then either to Angels or to some other Creature not to Angels for they are not of God's Council nor to any other of the Creatures which had neither Soul nor Reason and the next Verse doth decide the thing * Vers 27. So god created man in his own image in the image of God created he him and not after the Image of Angels or of any other Creature neither did God speak to the Souls for as yet they were not created To what I said of Angels I shall add that this could not be spoken to them for they neither principally or instrumentally had any hand in the Creation of Man for they could not the Work of Creation requiring an infinite Power but it must be to the other persons of the most holy Trinity the Word and the Spirit As to the Enallage or that manner of speaking in the plural for Greatness sake we own it hath place in some Languages but we deny it ever was in the Hebrew Tongue in the Old Testament no Man no person in Authority no Priest no Judg no King ever spoke of himself in the plural Number Well hath the Prophet said †Isai 40.12 13.7 Who hath directed the spirit of the Lord or being his counsellor hath taught him But for any one Grotius not excepted to say that the plural Number is used for Greatness or Majesty sake is certainly to prevaricate in the Cause of God for as 't is contrary to the Idiom of the Hebrew Tongue so to the practice of all those former times and it is but a modern Use and Invention which so support some Men contrary to all true Reason have forged in their imagination Besides that in these latter times wherein the Use hath been introduced no Emperor King or Prince in any Language useth his Proper Name or Appellative in the plural Number We Leopolds Williams Henrys Emperors Kings c. but always in the singular Leopold William Emperour King Well though no Man of what rank soever spoke after that way we find God hath in other places as after Adam's Sin * Gen. 3.22 Behold the man is become as one of us not as I but one of us then there is more than One person for God speaks of himself of the Deity not of Angels whom he makes no comparison with when in the Transfiguration the Voice came from Heaven saying †Mat. 17.5 8. This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased 't is observable the Apostles saw no Man save Jesus onely that it might appear it was not spoken of Moses or Elias but only of the Lord Jesus Another place there is also to the same purpose where upon the occasion of the building of the Tower of Babel †Gen. 11.6 7. The Lord said let us go down and there confound their language 't is not said I will but let us go â—â—wn in the plural Number as speaking of many which may not be understood of the Nature which is most singularly One but of the Persons Socinians say to this that though out of this we could prove Plurality yet we must not conclude for a Trinity but the Cavil is vain for 't is enough that the Name of God is in Scripture attributed only to Three Father Son and Holy Ghost to infer a Trinity and 't is well known how Three is the first Number of the plural Hence Hebrews and Greeks do distinguish the plural Number from the dual neither do we read of any more Terms or Words than two of divine Emanations namely of the Son by Generation and of the Holy Ghost by Procession Our second kind of Arguments consists of those Texts of Scripture which do expresly declare a Trinity as is that when our blessed Saviour sends his Apostles to * Mat. 28.19 baptize the Nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Hence the Son and Holy Ghost are proved to be Persons because we are distinctly baptised in their Name to baptise in one's Name is to make him disciple or initiate and bring him under the Discipline of him in whose Name he is baptized now if the Father in whose Name we are baptized be a Person so must the Son so must the Holy Ghost be because in every circumstance we are baptized in their Name as well as in the Fathers And observe it is not said in the Name of God whereby the Essence only might absolutely be taken but of the Father Son and Holy Ghost to shew that relative Equality which is between the Persons that have but one and the same Nature In this Text our blessed Saviour with his own Mouth declared the Trinity Another place very plain and positive to our purpose is this * 1 John 5.7 There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three are one Here the Trinity of Persons and Unity of Essence are so clear that the Adversaries have nothing to say but first to call in question the Verse as if it had been inserted because it is not in some Greek Copies out of which the Enemies of the Truth did formerly take it away but we have it in so many others even before the Council of Nice in Cyprian's time that there is no just ground left to doubt of its being true and authentick which place was by Athanasius made use of against Arrius In this Text the Apostle doth treat of confessing and believing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God which he to confirm doth bring in the Article of the holy Trinity whereof he is the second Person and to any one that doth seriously consider the sense and scope of the place it will appear how without that Verse there would be a breach in that part of the Chapter to bear a proportion of Three that bear witness in Heaven with the Three that bear it on Earth Their next Cavil upon this place is upon the latter part of the Verse and these three are one that is say they not in Nature but in Mind and Consent which is as absurd as if one would say when Scripture affirms * Deut. 6 4. Mark 12.29 O Israel the Lord our God is one Lord the meaning is only the Consent of many Wills but doth not this Oneness of Will argue a Unity of Essence For how can there naturally and essentially be one Will and Consent if there be not one Essence and Nature How can it essentially be one Will if there be not one but many divine Natures Rather there shall be many different Gods whose different Wills shall oppose one another than the which nothing can be more absurd Again either those Persons are finite or infinite if finite then they have not divine Nature which is infinite if infinite then
they do penetrate one another for they most perfectly and infinitely know and love one another now Love is an earnest desire of Union so then they be most intirely united The Apostle makes the necessary difference of the Three on Earth he saith they agree in One but of the Three in Heaven he saith they are One. Moreover either one knows something which the other doth not or loves something which the other doth not love or can do something which the other cannot do or not if the former how are they God For God knows and can do all if the last then not only they have one Will but also one Mind one Power one Knowledg one Love Now let Man think upon several Natures of the same kind which mutually do penetrate themselves and by a mutual inclination do embrace and unite themselves inseparably and have the same Thoughts Will and Action doth not all this conclude for one and the same Nature And that there is no difference but in some manner of Existing which because they are such are distinct one from another without Confusion all which from Oneness of Will leads to Oneness of Essence for the Will of God is not a thing different from his Nature Another Text wherein the most holy Trinity is demonstrated and not only may be read but also be heard and seen is that about our Saviour's Baptism where the Father speaks from Heaven and calls him his Son Christ the Son is baptized and the Holy Ghost appears in the shape of a Dove if Men do believe Scripture this they must believe to be true S. Austin lookt upon this Text as a strong and convincing Proof of that divine and essential Truth Vade ad Jordanem c. saith he Go to the River Jordan and there thou shalt find the holy Trinity and be convinced of the Verity thereof Besides these we have a Cloud of other Witnesses to prove this Truth where the Three Persons are mentioned under their proper Names and first * Acts 2.22 23. This Jesus being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost the Three Persons are plainly named Again the same Jesus Christ was declared †Rom. 1.3 4. to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness Elsewhere the same Apostle saith ‖ Tit. 3.4 5 6. God saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost through Jesus Christ And in another place ‡ Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts by the word God is meaned the Person of the Father * Heb. 9.14 How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offereth himself without spot to God Furthermore †Ephes 2.18 Through him Christ we both have an access by one spirit unto the Father Our blessed Saviour himself out of his own sacred Mouth doth plainly and positively speak to this purpose when he saith * John 14.16.17 I will pray the Father and he will give you another comforter the Father I the Son and the comforter whom he calls the Spirit of Truth are Three Persons which in the next Chapter †Chap. 15 26. is by him repeated But when the Comforter is come whom I will send to you from the Father even the Spirit of truth One Text more I shall bring to confirm this * 2 Cor. 13.14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God that is the Father and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all And in the Text of another Apostle †1 Pet. 1.2 are contained the Workings of the Three Persons in the Trinity Elect according to the fore knowledg of God the Father through the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ As the New Testament is full of Proofs to confirm this holy Doctrine for indeed these Mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation are more clearly and fully therein related so out of the Old Testament we have enough to confute the Enemies of this Truth and because we look upon Socinians in their Principles to be a sort of Jews and as well as they Blasphemers against our holy and blessed Saviour so we will bring such Arguments against them as we would if we were disputing against unbelieving Jew◠only a few Texts out of many We begin with the Book of Genesis Chap. 1. wherein is contained a relation of the History of the Creation which is a Work common to the Three Persons of the Trinity and though we may not look upon it as the clearer upon the matter yet in it is Light enough to shew the Truth we now assert I shall say nothing of the Name God under that of Elohim which already we have spoken of as representing the plurality of Persons in the most holy Trinity but we may say that though the Name God was there which it is not in the singular and taken for the Person of the Father yet the Son had a hand in the act of Creation for it is God said here is the word which is the proper Name of the Son our Lord Jesus Christ who in Scripture especially by S. John is so often called by that Name the Word God saying and speaking is that which made the World We read God said when any thing was created which being compared with what is spoken by John * John 1.3 All things were made by him that is the Word the Person of Jesus Christ for actiones sunt suppositorum acting is proper to Persons and without him was not any thing made that was made now that Word God said is that which created every thing so then here is the Person of the Son but we also find the Person of the Holy Ghost Gen. 1.2 the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters by his acting represented by motion to cherish give life and motion to things as a Hen doth when sitting upon her Eggs for the word in the Original signifies such a thing This sense is given by a competent Interpreter †Psal 33.6.9 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made and all the host thereof by the breath of his mouth Here we can read distinctly the Lord if it were to be understood only of the first Person about which there is no dispute the Word and the Breath or Spirit this though it be clear I could set in a greater Light with comparing it with other places which I now forbear to do because I shall have occasion to make use of them in some other branch of my Discourse Another Text is this * Isai 42.1 Behold my servant whom I uphold mine elect in whom my soul delighteth I have put my spirit upon him besides the Person that speaks namely the Father here we have the Son under the name
in this Comparison of Persons all Things may be acceptable unto him but hence it doth not follow that Christ is not of the same Nature with the Father seeing they are not compared in relation to the Essenâ—â— but herein he doth condescend to their Capacity whom not owning his Deity he would by degrees bring to the knowledge thereof As to the use of the Name of God in Scripture the remaining Evidences are reduced under two kinds First In some the Name of God is absolutely taken for God the Father Secondly In others is added an exclusive Particle which is by some joyned with the Name of God and by others with the Things spoken of and attributed unto God Out of the first nothing may be deduced contrary to this Doctrine for in all those places by them quoted which anon we shall mention is a Comparison of the Persons wherein the Name of God is properly attributed to the Father upon the account of Order and Origin but 't is inconsequent to say that in every place where the Name of God is absolutely taken that is without Comparison of the Persons it is to be understood only of the Father for in several places where the Word God is indefinitely set down yet it is by no means to be reduced to the Father alone as to the other sort of Proofs wherein an exclusive Particle is expressed that exclusive Particle relates to the Creatures and to every thing which by Nature is not God whither they be things in Nature as Sun Moon and Stars which Heathens worshipped as Gods or else those which are Effects of Man's fancy and imagination such are several Idols by foolish Men worshipped as Gods wherefore seeing the True and Essential God is opposed to those which by Nature are not Gods it follows that by the Word God may well be understood Father Son and Holy Ghost likewise though sometimes mention be made only of One Person we must not take it as if thereby the other Persons were excluded but only that which by Nature is not God and that this is a right Interpretation it may well be proved out of several places of Scripture as for Instance when God saith by * Isa 43.11 the Prophet I even I am the Lord and besides me there is no Saviour and by another †Hos 13.4 For there is no Saviour besides me Here in the Adversaries Opinion Salvation is attributed to the Father but that the Son is not excluded it appears out of several places amongst the rest out of this ‖ Act. 4.12.10 Neither is there Salvation in any other that is in Jesus Christ who hath been crucified and we know Scripture doth not contradict it self and if out of the Prophet's one would exclude the Son he might as well out of this exclude the Father Again the Lord Jesus saith No man knows the Father but the Son now if all but the Son be excluded from knowing the Father as in the foregoing Text he would be excluded from being a Saviour so in this from knowing himself also the Holy Ghost would be excluded from knowing the Father though he be said To * 1 Cor. 2.10 search all things yea the deep things of God in this very same Sense Paul said ‖ Chap. 2.1 10. I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified he doth not thereby deny that he determined to know the Father and the Holy Ghost but he meaneth he knows nor owns no way of Salvation out of Christ and v. â—1 The things of God knows no man but the spirit of God but in other places we read how * Joh. 5.20 the Father knows the Son and the Son knows the Father and the Father shews the Son all things that himself doth hence we may conclude how the Apostle speaks exclusively only of Creatures not of the Son nor of the Holy Ghost CHAP. VI. Christ is True Natural Son of God by Eternal Generation BUT we must by the Grace of God come to another Head as Scripture gives Christ truly properly and essentially the Name of God so it doth give him that of Son of God the First we shewed already the Second whereby he is declared the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity we must now speak of as we observed that the Word God in Scripture is spoken in several Senses as the True God properly Angels and Magistrates improperly and * Judg. 9.2 l. 46. Idols †2 Cor. 4.4 the Devil and the ‖ Phil. 3.19 Belly abusively So here I must say how the Name Son of God admits of Three different Significations for God hath three sorts of Sons for all others are reduced under these three Heads the First is by Creation and Preservation which is a continued Creation for * Act. 17.28 in him we live and move and have our being thus Adam is called †Luke 3.38 Son of God and Men ‖ Gen. 6.2 Sons of God on this Account God is Father of all Creatures whether in Heaven as Angels nay of the Sun Moon Stars of the Birds of the Air and on Earth of all Men Beasts Plants c. and of Fishes under Water this in relation to Nature and in general to the whole Creation The Second kind of God's Sons or Children is by Adoption and Grace such are his Elect and People of these in a special manner God is called the Father In a Third way Scripture speaks of a Son of God and of none else thus the only begotten from all Eternity namely our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who is not Son according to the first manner which being common to all Men would make no difference between him and others and bring him into a Croud of the whole Work of Creation neither is he Son of God upon the account of Grace and Adoption which they would have him to be but if he be by Adoption how can he be the Only Begotten Son seeing that through Grace God hath adopted so many adopted Sons once and before their Adoption were not Sons of God which cannot be said of the Lord Jesus that the time hath been when he was not Son of God all and every adopted Son of God were once * Ephes 2. dead in trespasses and sins and by nature children of wrath even as others once †Colos 1.13 under the power of darkness and ‖ Rom. 5.10 enemies to God none of which things may without Blasphemy be spoken or thought of the Lord Jesus He is called Son not by Creation for * Colos 1.16 all things were created by him and one cannot be Creatour and Creature nor by Adoption for †Ephes 1.5 in him we are adopted nor by any Dignity or Eminency over inferiour Creatures as are Angels for the ‖ Heb. 1.4 5. Apostle denies it nor also upon the account of a personal Vnion or Incarnation as he is called Son
account to be call'd such a Man's Son yet not be his proper Son thus an adopted though he excel never so much above the rest yet that can never make him to be a proper Son To refute some Cavils of theirs one thing more we are again to take notice of upon this matter how the the word God is in Scripture sometimes taken essentially for the most holy Trinity and sometimes personally for one of the Persons as when 't is said * Acts 20.28 God hath purchased his church with his own blood which is meaned our Saviour the second Person of the Godhead In the first sense must be understood those places of Scripture wherein 't is said The name of the Lord is one and there is none besides him there is but one God and others to the same purpose to shew the Oneness of the Nature which as well as they we do affirm but as to teach well one must distinguish well so for want of observing this Rule that which is spoken of the Essence of God they mis-apply it to the Persons and so make a Confusion between things to be distinguished We already proved how the Unity of Nature doth not take away the Trinity of Persons nor the Plurality of Persons destroy the Unity of Nature which Mistake of theirs doth also hold in the Mystery of the Incarnation or of the Word being made Flesh and about our Saviour's Person in whom they confound the Natures so that which is spoken of his Humanity they mis-apply to his Divinity The second Argument whereby Christ is proved to be God's natural Son is drawn from the word only begotten which for greater confirmation is attributed to Christ in several * John 1.18 places wherefore in Scripture Christ is called the Son of God to shew he is the only begotten for that 's the signification of the word and †Heb. 1.2 vers 5. Paul's interpretation of it for he saith Such is the Son to whom only God saith Thou art my son this day have I begotten thee and other places of Scripture By the words God's only begotten Son do all mean Christ only The Adversaries would have him to be called so only in a special manner above the rest as we already have taken notice of in the instance about Isaac whereunto here we shall add that of Solomon which also they made use of called say they * Prov. 4.3 only begotten in the sight of his mother but they must not go about to impose upon us for in the original the word begotten is not in but only which in our Bibles is according to the sense of the place explained by beloved only beloved one may be the only yet not only begotten Son when of many Children one alone is remaining and the rest are dead as to Isaac we already observed he was the only begotten in relation to Sarab by Promise but Christ is so called God's only begotten Son that it was never said to any one else Thou art my Son c. whence we may conclude him so to be God's Son as to be the only begotten of him that is according to his Nature in the word he is properly and absolutely called the only begotten * John 1.14 We beheld his glory as of the only begotten of the Father the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as is not comparative as only denoting a likeness but as Chrysostomus observes well is expressive of the truth as being really as if one willing to describe a Royal State and Carriage of a King should say as that is in a manner becoming and proper for a King and farther the Evangelist addeth v. 18. The only begotten son which is in the besom of the Father he hath declared him where Christ is called the only begotten 〈◊〉 it being his own proper Name signifying how besides him there is no true natural Son of God again ‖ John 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and * 1 John 4.9 God sent his only begotten son into the world See what a care the Spirit of God hath taken to confirm and make that Truth known how Christ is properly and absolutely God's only begotten Son now he is absolutely only begotten that is not only so called lookt upon and loved as such but that is really so and indeed we know our blessed Saviour is call'd †Joh. 20.17 Brother of his Disciples and of ‖ Heb. 2.17 Believers but not in a proper and strict sense The relation of Brotherhood hath a great latitude for among the Jews Persons belonging to any branch of a Family to a Tribe or to any of the Tribes were call'd Brethren * Gal. 1.19 James and John were call'd the Lord's Brothers and in another sense our Saviour calls †Mat. 12.50 his brother his sister and his mother whosoever shall do the will of God He is our Brother in that he hath taken upon him our human Nature all Men are Brothers in human Nature but Adoption cannot be the ground of his as 't is of our being call'd the Sons of God he is never called adopted as we are neither can he be adopted with us seeing we are adopted in him we are the Branches of the wild Olive-Tree that have been grafted in him who is the true natural Olive-Tree and thereby are become Members of his mystical Body How can our blessed Saviour be called God's only begotten Son if he be not partaker of the same Nature And the more to enforce this in that sâ—â—e Chapter and Verse John 18. 't is added which is in the bosom of the Father can he be in and from the Bosom of the Father and not be of the same Nature All other Children of God are made but this is begotten and only begotten none but he is properly begotten Our Third Argument is taken out of our Saviour's Question to the Pharisees * Mat. 12.41 41 4â— 44. What think ye of Christ whose son is he they say unto him the son of David he saith unto them how then doth David in spirit call him Lord By this way of arguing he shewed how in him besides human Nature there was another namely the divine according to which he by no means might be called David's Son but David's Lord which to the Pharisees proved an unanswerable Argument for upon this same 't is positively said v. 46. and no man was able to answer him a word one would think this should also stop the mouth of Socinians Indeed there the Lord proposeth the Question about the Nature of Christ or the Son whose natural Son he was Whereunto the Pharisees returned an imperfect Answer for only they said he was the Son of David but the Lord Jesus out of Scripture which they could not deny concluded that since he was by David's confession his Lord he must in him have another Nature besides human according to which he might not be called
of great Physicians and if your Honours be pleased but to mind this and in earnest go about it you may by the Grace of God find it within your reach and not to exceed your Skill and Power to heal it which I pray God to move and inspire you to go upon now when temporal Concerns are at this time as good as over And after you hitherto have been working for Men be pleased with minding God's Work and his Glory to make a happy end of this Session From the Bench you sit upon as Judges be pleased first to look down upon the Nation of one side you may see the generality of it over Head and Ears in corrupt Principles and evil Practices wallowing themselves in their great many and frequent Sins which cry loud to Heaven for Vengeance on the other side you may represent unto your selves a very small Number who upon their Knees mourn for all these Abominations and pray to God to avert his so justly deserved Judgments then I beseech you look up towards Heaven and observe God with Thunderbolts in one Hand and Mercies in the other speaking thus Hitherto with me Prayers have prevailed over Sins and withheld my Hand from striking down but now Mercy and Judgment lye ready chuse which you will have O for God's sake whose Hand is lifted up take pity on the Nation and as far as God will enable you purge wash and cleanse it from blasphemous Opinions and wicked Practices or else prepare for the heaviest Judgments for the slower Vengeance is a coming the harder it strikes when come and 't is a fearful thing both in this Life and that which is to come to fall into the hands of the living God when he is angry he overtakes Men Persons and Nations in every kind of Judgment Hosea 3.12 14. therefore saith God will I be unto Ephraim as a moth and to the House of Judah as rottenness and if that be not enough I will be unto Ephraim as a lyon and as a young lyon to the house of Judah Men must not make Cyphers of themselves and insignificant as if they were thus placed only for a sign or a shew like Blazing Stars and fiery Vapours in the Sky but rather to have wholsom Influences upon things below their sphere to answer the end of him who lodged them in those high Stations no true Friend can patiently suffer nor no loyal Subject quietly endure his Friend or Prince to be ill spoken of if he can help it And shall not Men do for God that which they do one for another but quietly hear him blasphemed and robbed of his due when they ought and can help it My Lords and Honourable I hope the Consideration of these things will as I hinted at first though I be in no publick Station either in Church or State clear me from Blame for the Freedom I now assume thus openly to appear and most humbly to address my self to you that is to what next to Sovereignty is greatest and most sacred among us which I may well call the supports of Monarchy two parts of three of the Legislative Power the supreme Court of Judicature and the Representatives of the whole Body of the Nation One thing indeed there is that needs something of an Apology I know how short Epistles are usual and proper especially when so highly address'd as this is which is long and may be tedious which if it be I humbly beg Pardon but I thought the Matter and Nature of the thing the Greatness and Nearness of the Evil the Danger of worse the present Necessity of a Remedy and several other weighty Circumstances attending the State we now are in might plead for an Excuse And as this is the first time that ever I appear'd in your sight in this Capacity and is like to be the last so about this important Matter I have longer than ordinary allow'd my self the liberty of speaking my mind to the full As I wish so hope this most humble Request for the Cause of the Lord Jesus shall not be in vain however I enjoy the satisfaction to have given in my Evidence for the Truth whereupon I call Heaven and Earth for a Record and by the Grace of God shall ever be ready to do 't again in a due and proper manner without being either ashamed or afraid to own and declare out of what Springs we draw these living Waters Acts 17.2 with S. Paul reasoning out of Scriptures though with a sorrowful Heart let it be spoken we have among us too many Men unconcerned who Gallio like care for none of those things Chap. 18.17 for they are very narrow hearted But I hope that what is wanting abroad as to Piety Virtue and Concernedness for the Honour of God shall by his Grace be found within your Walls till by your Care and Zeal that great and good Work be brought to its Maturity and full Perfection which that ye may be able to do I beseech the only wise God the Father of Lights from whom proceedeth every good and perfect Gift to endue you from above with both Wisdom which consists in choice and Prudence in Fore-sight that of two Goods you may chuse the greatest and of two Evils the least and fore-see the Advantages of doing him Service and Dangers for being wanting therein which is the earnest Desire and hearty Prayer of Right Honourable and Honourable Your Honours most humble and most obedient Servant J. GAILHARD THE PREFACE IT is indeed very sad in a Countrey where the Light of the Gospel hath so clearly shined to see the Enemies of Christ so brazen-fac'd as not only to Print and Publish but even at the Doors of both Houses of Parliament to Distribute their Books full of Blasphemies and no other Check put upon them but burning one Copy may be of Thousands dispersed abroad which Impunity is for them an Encouragement to continue in their Crime In Commendation of the Parliament of Scotland I must take notice of the Act which in one of their last Sessions was passed there against Blasphemy whereby not only they ratified the Twenty First of the first Session of Charles II. but also Enacted farther that whosoever in Discourse or Writing shall deny quarrel argue or reason against the Being of a God or any of the Persons of the Blessed Trinity or against the Authority of the Holy Scripture or Providence of God in Governing the World shall for the first time be Imprisoned till he hath in publick acknowledged the Offence For the second Offence Imprisoned and a Fine besides and for the third Death as obstinate Blasphemers For indeed Blasphemy and Idolatry by God's express Command ought to be destroyed out of the Land Every thing hath its proper Center heavy things go down and light fly up and since the Glory of God is the proper Center of Man for he was created to Honor and Serve him Why then doth he not as well as
they come This is the rational Man who will dive too far the Apostle for his pains calls him a Fool thou fool that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die so in Matter of God's Decrees thou wilt then say unto me why doth he yet find fault The Apostle's Answer is * Rom. 9.19 20. Nay but O man who art thou that repliest against God This is to curb that idle and presumptuous Curiosity of vain and foolish Men who work their shallow Brains to find out things which can be known no otherwise than by Revelation wherefore let us stick to that Rule about the Holy Trinity we can and must know no more than is revealed in Scripture and herein we must follow the Example of the Doctors of the pure Primitive Church who borrowed no Arguments of Philosophy against the Hereticks that troubled them but only out of Scripture the more because in Matters of so great a Concernment as are the Mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation the Devil hath used his strongest Batteries but he that trusteth to his own Reason will fall short of the necessary Knowledge thereof and in this case I may say what is spoken in another that if Men had been satisfied to make use only of their own Eye without any other help they could never have found out the magnitude of the Sun c. if so in the Secrets of Nature much less in Things of Divine Concernment and of Deity it self in human and finite Things we conceive well enough how in the same Nature are many Persons to whom it is communicated but that that Nature is but one and the same and that so many Individuals make but one Man in the kind no Mind can conceive but in Men the Reason of the Multiplication is in the finite Individuals which are not only distinct one from another but also have their several Bounds and that universal Nature is as if it were rented into so many Parts but as God is Infinite the Father Son and Holy Ghost is Infinite the Infinite cannot so much as in thought be separated wherefore it must not be thought an absurdity if in Divine Things there is no multiplicity of Gods as there is of Men in human Nature but still after this reasoning I return within the Circle to consult Scripture more than to stretch our Reason with Job let us say †Job 11.7 8 9. Canst thou by searching find out God canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection c. O ‖ Isai 55.8 9. my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. Every Man may in this Matter apply to himself what is said in the Book of Proverbs * Chap. 30.2.3 4. Surely I am more brutish than any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledg of the holy Who hath ascended up into heaven or descended who hath gathered the winds in his fists who hath bound the waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the earth what is his name and what is his sons name if thou canst tell This is by way of defiance In this Controversie Three several things are to be taken notice of first The truth of the thing namely that there is a God but One God and Three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost which to hold is necessary to our Faith Secondly the Explanation thereof relating to the Doctrine which we already have said several things about whereunto we now shall in part repeat and in part add these few things Divine Essence communicable to Three Persons is neither multiplyed nor divided as 't is in Men and Angels for though their Natures be but one and the same in Species yet 't is different in Number but in the Deity not so for the same Nature in Father Son and Holy Ghost is but one and the same in Number in the Persons is an order of origine according to which proceedeth not Essence from Essence absolutely consider'd nor Person from Essence nor one God from another God but one Person from another Person and from other Persons very God of very God for the Three Persons are One God and every Person is perfect God in every Person is to be consider'd the common and the proper Mode in God we may not conceive any thing besides One Essence and Three Modes whereby with the Essence are constituted Three Persons in these Persons one is not before or after the other only in order and manner of subsisting whatsoever is essential is common to the Three and what is personal is proper to every one of the Three the Mode or Personality is the Abstract but the Mode with the Nature is the Concret Here is no Accident no Genus no Species no Difference no specific Unity in God but an essential and individual Nature The Difference of Hypostases or Persons in Divine Nature is from the different relation and manner of Subsistence which cannot be confounded There are essential and relative Properties the first belong to every Person because every Person hath the same Nature but not the second whereby they are distinguished one from another the Son is not the Father nor the Father the Son This also is to be taken notice of that a finite Nature is capable of Division which an infinite is not or else it were not infinite therefore in this God's Nature admits of no Comparison with any created one whatsoever The Third thing to be observed in this Controversie is the Proof not to be taken out of Nature or Reason but out of Scripture of both Old and New Testaments and herein we must be very cautious how we draw and press Consequences from the Creature to the Creator because there is an infinite Disparity and Disproportion between them as there is between a finite and an infinite Nature this last filleth all when the other is confined within narrow bounds for the infinite as we said being communicated is neither divided multiplied nor alienated Scripture calls God the True God God's own and proper Son yet Socinians have rather in the Christian Religion to admit two Gods whereof one is a made feigned titular God than a plurality of Persons in the Unity of Essence which Opinion of theirs is really more absurd than they would have the Truth we own to seem to be because it doth quite destroy divine Nature for a made and secondary God is absurd and a mere Contradiction as good as to say God no God This is a Notion borrowed from the Heathens who had their Semi-gods that is Men who in their life-time having done some great Actions were after their death by Apotheosis deifi'd and reckon'd among their gods According to this fancy our Saviour may be such a Heroe and God as their Hercules was This is their good Christian Doctrine The ground of their Error is that they think the number of Persons doth multiply the
it would follow that the Persons should make several Gods different in Number and Nature Secondly We say where the Name of God is absolutely used it doth not always as the Hereticks would have it signify the Name of One of the Persons but sometimes the Person and sometimes the Nature and herein lays their Mistake that they suppose the Name of God ever to be taken Personally and the Comparison is the cause of the Mistake for the infinite Essence is not multiplied as the finite now when the Name of God is taken for the Person either something is added which gives a Notion of the Person as when God is said * Act. 20.28 to have purchased the Church with his own blood which is understood of the Son or else the Persons are compared among themselves and then the Name of God is taken for the Person of the Father for because the Father is the Spring of the Godhead in relation to the Order and Origin of the Persons so in the comparison of the Persons the Name of God is by Excellency attributed to the Father especially where mention is made of the Mediator for whensoever Christ speaks himself or is spoken of as and in the Person of the Mediator he retains a middle degree between God and Man and then by the Name of God is understood the Father Thirdly When the Name of God is put instead of One Person and it signifies One Father then is thereby understood the Godhead which is common to Son and Holy Ghost who are Author and Maker of all Creatures for though the Son doth exercise the Office of Mediator yet he hath not thereby lost the Glory of the Divinity with the Father neither is his Essence inferiour or secondary to the Father's or his Godhead Essentiated Fourthly When God's Name without any personal Attribute or Comparison of one Person with the other is simply indefinitely and absolutely used then it signifies the Divine Nature and Essence which is Father Son and Holy Ghost One God Besides in these Texts of Scripture where the Name of God is mentioned in opposition to false Gods or Creatures it is by no means to be restrained to the Person of the Father only but is indefinitely spoken of Father Son and Holy Ghost as for instance if when the Law commands to adore One God the Father alone and not the Son is to be understood it would follow that the Son who is to be adored is another God likewise when God calls himself the God of Israel he by this mark distinguisheth himself from all false Gods How then might it be said of one Personal one whether Father or Son * 2 Sam. 7.22 Who is great as thou art who is like unto thee for several of the Arians who denied the Consubstantiality or the Sameness of Nature yet owned a likeness between Father and Son and in the Prophets where God's Name is absolutely taken often it addeth an universal Negative or Exclusive but if the Name of God belongeth only to the Father and if Father Son and Holy Ghost be but One God and Saviour and One Nature it will follow that Son and Holy Ghost are excluded from Things attributed unto God for 't is said of the True God of Israel that he is the only God and Saviour and that there is no other God besides and without him Moreover seeing the Father alone is One God and they own also the Son to be God and the Holy Ghost to be God though not that One God then it follows there are Three Gods which is Blasphemy These Things being premised do afford Matter of answer to their Sophistical Cavils against this Truth and so shew how the Word God absolutely used in Scripture is to be understood not only of the Father but also of the Son and Holy Ghost whence also appeareth the Mystery of these Doctrines one with another and they are so twisted that they stand or fall together So no wonder if under one Head we say somethings belonging to and spoken of in another here they form thus an Argument against us The God of Israel whom the Israelites ever adored is that One God whom the Law and the Prophets speak of but the Father of Christ is that One God mentioned in the Law and the Prophets therefore he is that One God but the Argument concludes nothing against us we altogether grant it the Father is the One God of Israel for we do not say that there is another God another Nature in the Father than that same which Law and Prophets call the only God and God alone and we on our part do Argue thus The God of Israel is One God but Christ is the God of Israel who appeared to the Fathers and by whose Spirit the Prophets being inspired spoke therefore Christ is that only God For there is in Christ no other Godhead no other Divine Nature than what is in the Father as the Father is One so is the Son One God and both together are One God in Nature But if the meaning of their Argument be that of the Three Persons of the Trinity only the Father not the Son nor Holy Ghost is the God of Israel then we deny their minor Proposition for out of Scripture the Son is the God of Israel whom they adored for not only under the Name of God they adored the Messiah whom they believed to be God but even they made a distinct mention of him in their Prayers as we read when Jacob blessed Joseph's Children God before whom my Fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk the God which fed me all my life time to this day 3 the Angel which redeemed me from all evil bless these Lads and this is spoken of the true antient Jews for as to those that believed not when our Saviour himself spoke to them who owned only the Father of Christ the Messiah for their God we may say they knew not the True God in a true manner seeing * Joh. 14.6 none comes to the Father but by the Son and †Mat. 11. none 〈◊〉 the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son 〈◊〉 veal him wherefore since they rejected the Son 〈◊〉 wanted the true Knowledge of the Father and 〈◊〉 stead of God the Father they adored the Idol 〈◊〉 their own heart wherefore when Jesus said to 〈◊〉 * Matt. 8.44 If I honour my self my glory is nothing 't is my Father that honoureth me whom you say to be your God he upbraids them with their Vain-glory who boasted to be the People of God but falsly by reason they owned him not to be God in the mean while against their aspersions he asserted his Glory because they look'd upon him as very much below Abraham and other Patriarchs he in his Capacity of Mediatour and as a Man owns a difference between him and God whom he declareth to be the Author of his Glory and he often mentioneth his Father to the end
there was any difference the words for the first seem stronger than those for the last for to be in the form is more than to be in the likeness because forma dat esse rei a thing hath being from its Form or Nature but he gave sufficient and great demonstration of both Natures in him to those among whom he did converse Socinians would wrest the Text of Luke 1.3 〈◊〉 The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the highest shall over-shadow thee therefore that also which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God They would have the Particle therefore to signifie the Cause wherefore Christ was to be called the Son of God that is that miraculous Conception by the Holy Ghost but no such thing may be deduced 't is not the Cause but the Consequence or Inference which is signified by the words therefore and wherefore by which Particles we usually draw Conclusions from Premises whether they be Causes Effects or Signs or that which upon any other account whatsoever may be deduced therefrom And in this place out of the scope thereof it cannot be demonstrated out of any Circumstances that the Conception by the Holy Ghost is the true cause why Christ was to be called the Son of God 't is not upon the account of that manner of his Conception for then for that same cause either Christ would call himself or be called by others Son of God else the Angel's Prediction should prove false by which reason he rather should not be called than called the Son of God even according to their Principles which deny the Holy Ghost to be true God but the words of the Angel do import not that he should be called once or by some few Son of God but always and generally by all that should own him to be the Son of God Besides this Exposition of theirs they can bring no Example to confirm it for in abundance of places we read Christ to be called Son of God but find none at all wherein he is called Son of God according to the Flesh And the Angel doth not say therefore he may happen to be but absolutely and publickly declareth he shall be called wherefore seeing he no where is called Son of God according to the Flesh we may necessarily conclude he is not such in that sense to be called is sometimes really to be as in that Text * 1. John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the Sons of God that is that we should really be owned and declared to be the Sons of God such as truly we are being adopted in Christ his true natural Son The word holy used gives a strong Evidence that Christ was to be called Son of God for a much better and higher reason than that he was to be born of a Virgin he shall be called Son of God because he is holy therefore not upon the account of the Flesh but by reason of his Holiness because the Holy Ghost coming upon the Virgin some holy thing was to be born of her that makes the Angel say Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God not as to the manner of Conception but as to the thing to be conceived though by the Angel it be not expressed how great was that Holiness we may well conceive it to be that highest and infinite Holiness as becomes the Son of God wherefore Isaiah in his Prophecy of him calls him as already observed the mighty God Elizabeth calls him Luke 1.43 her Lord the Angel calls him ‖ Chap. 2.11 Saviour Christ the Lord and Daniel * Dan. 9.24 He was anointed the most Holy Before the wise Men fell down and worshipped him which they were sent to do and to that purpose guided by a Star †Mat. 2.2 11. and according to the Prophecies ‖ Psal 72.10 offered him Gifts and Presents as to a King for under that Name his Birth was declared to them and promised therefore the Holiness of Christ is the Holiness of God and of him who is by Nature Lord and King The Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and or also which follows therefore is not in vain but shews a Comparison and is related not to the word called but to be born and the sense is not only that word which from Eternity is born of God is Son of God but that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God because that eternal Son of God shall take human Nature and be born of thee And this is one of the things which the Holy Ghost coming upon the Virgin was to do namely that she should conceive without Man and conceive a Man him who from eternity is according to divine Nature the Son of God which could not otherwise be effected than with the Holy Ghost uniting human Nature which was to be formed out of her own Blood and Substance sanctified before and preserved from Sin and Corruption with the Person of the Son Men must not think there is in Scripture the least tittle or word without cause for the Holy Ghost doth and saith nothing in vain Another reason is the Angel saith Christ shall be called the Son not of the Holy Ghost but of God the Father Now if the manner of this Conception was the cause of his being called Son of God he should properly be the Son of the Holy Ghost not of the Father for he is said to be conceived by the Holy Ghost but they deny the Holy Ghost to be a Person yet actiones sunt suppositorum is a Rule in Philosophy and this Conceiving being an Act the Holy Ghost must be a Person for I defie them to shew any thing to be done but by a Person Scripture in the quoted place Rom. 1.3 the Question being about Christ's being the Son of God excludes the Flesh to attribute it to the Spirit but Socinians would have it according to both yet S. Paul's scope is to teach how he is Son of God according to the Flesh and how according to the Spirit as to the first he explains himself when he saith which was made of the seed of David as to be second he declareth his meaning when he saith he was declared Son of God with power whence we may conclude he saith Christ to be called and really be the Son of God not according to the Flesh but to the Spirit or else he had not sufficiently declared in what sense he is the son of God and 't is clear how he opposes the Flesh to the Spirit according to the first he was made of the Seed of David according to the last he was declared the Son of God Withal Scipture would have such a Son of God as is without Father c. such as Melchisedec no mention being made of his Father Mother or Genealogy
doubt with an Intent to pull it down if they can and so to set up an Idol of their own that is their Reason against Revelation or Scripture and thus to go a whoring after their own Inventions without any Measure and Bounds all our Understanding and Reason in Religious Matters should be guided by Revelation for saith David Psal 119.1 9. Give me understanding according to thy word not according to my Reason except that word be a Lamp unto our Feet and a Light unto our Path we are sure to go astray and deviate from the Rule and miss the Mark hence spring those seeming Contradictions which arise from the shallow ness of Man's Brains and not from the Repugnancy of things which sometimes makes them fight against the Man in the Moon as their fancy suggests to them to go out of the Road so by Attempts to explain things they entangle them the more and so what themselves call Strength of Wit and Reason others upon better Grounds look upon 't as effects of a distemper'd Imagination for they think to have engrossed and monopolized to themselves all Wit and Learning as for us about these Controversies we follow the Method of Aopollor who shew'd not by the strength of his own Reason Act. 1â— 28 but by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ and thereby mightily convinced the Jews for he was mighty in Scriptures Socinians would seem to refer themselves to be judged by Scripture and Reason as Papists by Scripture and Tradition but the reason of one as the Tradition of the other is a devourer for Reason of one side as Tradition on the other do swallow up Scripture which tho' first named is with them last minded and signifieth least as indeed they both would make of it a stalking Horse and subservient one to his Tradition and the other to his Reason and these would set up for the only Rational Men in the World and whatsoever doth no come up to them they hastily call Nonsense and Contradiction after which Rate the Holy Spirit of God in Scripture is liable to their Censure and shall be as he is by some of them charged with Contradiction yet we know Truth doth not gainsay it self the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Truth his word the word of Truth for so saith he who is Truth it self These Imaginary Contradictions arise not out of the things themselves but out of the Perverseness of Man's Heart and Blindness of their Judgment which as the Apostle says prompts them to wrest Scripture unto their own Destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 such are not the learned and steady in the Truth as some Men in the World account themselves to be but the unlearned and unstable as the Apostle calls them so we may in the Prophet's Words say they are not valiant for the truth Jerem. 9.3 There is a great Difference between gross Contradictions to our Reason and barely being above it that is not having any distinct Conception of the Nature of things in a clear Idea which is a full and evident Perception of it Of two contrary Propositions if one be true the other must necessarily be false according to the rule of Contraries but no such thing as this is to be found in any part of Scripture consequently we may conclude how the great Mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation therein contain'd are true not to be cavilled at by Humane Reason for what is infinite is above our Comprehension no Duration without Succession which is not to be found in an infinite and Eternal Being that existeth of himself yet that Eternity we cannot understand only by parts of time as past present and to come which imply Duration and Succession the reason is because it exceeds our Capacity The way to obviate and prevent any seeming Contradictions in Scripture is first to observe the Analogy of Faith in some places God to condescend to our weak Capacity doth attribute unto himself Humane Passions as Anger Wrath Fury to repent and Members of Man's Body as the Eye Hand Arm c. yet thereupon we must not say God is subject to our Passions like the Antropopathites or hath a Body like the Antropomorphites because we are taught in Scripture God is a Spirit and unchangeable so the second thing to be observ'd is the Scope of the place of many Instances I shall bring but this the blind and dumb both spake and saw Matth. 12.22 Here is a seeming Contradiction if the Blind sees then he is not blind if the Dumb speaks he is not dumb but let the Scope of the place be consulted and it will set things at right and therein we find how a Man blind and deaf was miraculously cur'd by our Saviour so that he who before was blind and deaf both spake and saw having recover'd his Sight and Hearing What he saith Page 138 doth not belong to us for we are not for an implicite Faith we are not against but searching into and examining the Grounds of our Religion but withal say all that Examination will signifie nothing except it be given us from above to understand therefore 't is beyond our Reason Our Religion is not of Works but of Faith which this Opinion of theirs about Reason destroyeth Faith is a strong Perswasion grounded and built not upon Reason but upon God's gracious and special Promise infused into us by the Holy Ghost wherefore in several places of Scripture 't is called the immediate Gift of God for though Faith comes by the Word yet the Application thereof wherein it doth chiefly consist is the immediate and effectual working of the Spirit The several Objections as brought in by him Page 142 143 45 46 have but little in them as I could easily demonstrate if I had but time and room enough I shall take notice of what he saith about the latter end of Page 146. Now Reason is from God as well as Revelation but he must know that Reason is corrupt but Revelation not so when Reason was whole yet it deviated but Revelation is always the same the Light of Reason thorough Sin is become Darkness and a Guide that hath and doth commonly if not constantly err Here he would give us a sound reason which is so no more than a sound Nature Pag. 148. How often doth God in the Old-Testament and Christ in the New complain that People could not hear and understand what was said to them and what he saith to them in the last quoted Page how slowly must the Gospel have moved at the beginning if those that were to preach it had been obliged to qualifie themselves is insignificant 't is known they were immediately inspired by the Holy Ghost and Heaven qualified them not they themselves for if Humane Reason be fallible in natural much more in super-natural things There are many dark and mysterious Passages of God's Providence which our Reason nor any Humane thing can understand whereof Scripture affords many Instances
Upon the Account of our Salvation which by no means can be obtained without it let Arminians say on the contrary what they will For †John 17.3 this is eternal life to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent And who is he but ‖ 1 John 5.20 the Son of God the true God and eternal life We say Trinity or Triunity not Triplicity for this last implies a Composition of Three Parts Father Son and Holy Ghost are alius alius not aliud aliud other and other but not other thing and other thing Three distinct Persons but One and the same Nature we distinguish the Persons saith * De Trin. Vnit cap. 11. Austin but divide not the Deity or Essence they are not distinct Essentially for there is but one Essence but personally that is one Person is not the other the Father not the Son nor the Son the Father and the Holy none of the other two Peter Paul and John are not only distinct amongst themselves but also divided one from another so they are three Men though but one specifical Nature because created and finite but in an infinite Being 'tis otherwise Father Son and Holy Ghost though distinct yet not divided for there is but one numerical Nature the three are Consubstantial or Coessential in Nature Coeternal in Time and Coequal in Power The Knowledge of One God may be had by the Light of Nature but that of the Holy Trinity only out of Scripture for the one is according to Reason but the other above it two ways there are to know God the 1st Nature the 2d Revelation that is defectuous this is perfect to which God tied his Church which alone knoweth and calleth upon God according to what he manifested of himself in his Holy Word and thereby her Religion is different from that of all the rest of the World and there is no other saving way to come to God but by Christ whose Gospel is preached as the only Doctrine of Salvation and we must not have of God such Notions as our Fancy or natural Reason suggest unto us but such as he hath declared in his Word for he is a voluntary Cause of all whose Ways and Methods we ought to observe and be guided by in our Religion for †Ephes 1.11 v. 5. he works all things according to the counsel of his own will and according to the good pleasure of his will Yet this Holy Mystery is a stumbling-block unto the Jews and unto the Greeks foolishness and both look upon it as Heresie though if God's Word be the Word of Truth this as we hope to shew is certainly the True Sound Doctrine because grounded upon it though unsound Men will neither believe it nor consent about it to the Faith of the Primitive Church and Orthodox Doctors of all Ages nor to the Confessions of Faith of all Christian Reformed Churches as if the Spirit of God and of Truth was departed from them All to be only amongst Socinians Second Substances do exist only in the First Man in general existeth only in James John that are individual and Words are what Use makes them an Indivisible and most single Essence abstractively considered may and doth concretively exist in Three Persons no Man may well say that an infinite Essence doth not admit of three Modes or Manners of Subsistence but he only which fancies within his shallow and finite Intellect to understand perfectly an infinite Nature with her Modes of subsisting which to pretend to implieth Absurdity and Impiety And to affirm that to be One in relation to its Essence and many as to the Modes is no more contradictory than to say the same Man is real in respect of his Essence and modal as to his Subsistence wherefore they who would terminate an infinite Essence only to one manner of subsisting so that it may not be communicated to another Person either they understand not what an infinite Nature is or else misTake the meaning of the word Terminate or Confine which is not to prescribe limits for that an infinite Nature doth abhor but the meaning is that an Essence as may be the Father's is so the Father's Essence as may not be the Son 's in the same manner but it may be in a different way Upon this Matter it ought carefully to be observed how the Divine Essence is considered either Absolutely or Relatively to the manner of existing in respect to both the Father is of himself in relation to the first the Son also is of himself but as to the second he is from the Father so is the Holy Ghost of himself in respect to the first that is absolutely consider'd but as to the second he proceedeth from both Father and Son Wherefore the Father is absolutely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self God because both as to his Essence and as to his Person he is not from another but the Son and Holy Ghost are also Self God though not as to the Person the Son being begotten by the Father as the Holy Ghost proceedeth from both but as to the Nature because both are by that Essence which is not produced by another or depend upon another but that same which of it self and by it self doth exist from all Eternity the Three Persons have but One and the same Essence and they are not essentially distinstinguished The Son is from the Father by Generation not as to his Essence but in relation to his Person not absolutely as God but relatively as Son for the Son hath the same Nature and Substance as the Father Self God as he though not in the same manner the Father may not be called Essentiator if I may so say of the Son or Holy Ghost nor these Essentiated the Son is God of himself though not Son of himself the manner whereby theSon is said to be from the Father is in Scripture described by the word Generation which is nothing else but a Communication of one and the same Essence or Life that is Eternal and Indivisible as expressed Psal 2.7 and John 5. v. 26. which are not to be confounded with nor measured by physical Generation there being neither priority nor posteriority of Duration no mutation or passing from Power to Act from a not Being to a Being from a division and multiplication of Essence from a formal Reason of active and passive Generation from a dependency of him that is begotten upon him that hath begotten or from a greater to the lesser so there is no such Imperfections as are in Natural and Metaphysical in which are priority and posteriority of Nature though not of Time So there is no Consequence to be drawn out of one for the other thus though a natural begetter doth efficiently beget of himself materially from himself terminatively out of himself no such thing is to be conceived of this Generation of the Son of God for though in Human Things the
be by virtue of a natural Privilege and of a divine Prerogative which is the same he had over David Solomon's Father whose Lord he was the same he had over Abraham Pre-existence before Abraham was I am which could not be as to his Humanity wherefore in him there must be another ground namely his Divinity only therein can lay the advantage he had over them all Not only he was greater than all these but also than the Temple it self a place so eminently glorious by reason of God's immediate Presence in it that it was called not only Holy but the inner part of it was called the holiest of all into which none but the High Priest might enter and that only once a year not without Blood yet saith our Saviour Matt. 12.6 8. I say unto you that in this place is one greater than the temple which can be said of none but of God there he also calls himself Lord of the Sabbath not as Man but as God Temple and Sabbath the two holiest things in Israel The second Text is this * Isai 35.4 5. Behold your God will come with vengeance even God with a recompence he will come and save you then the Eyes of the blind shall be open and the Ears of the deaf shall be unstopp'd which our Saviour applyeth to himself who when John's Disciples ask'd him †Matt. 11.3 5. Art thou he that should come or do we look for another Jesus answered them by this the blind receive their sight c. which were the Signes wherewith Isaiah had prophefied God would come these things he commands them to give John an account of wherein he lookt to the Prophet who foretold such things should be done by the Messiah whom in that place Isaiah calleth God when he saith God himself will come and save you which must not be understood of the Father for first we never read that God the Father came into the World to save us but that he sent his Son to do 't he that sends another in his place cannot properly be said to come himself Secondly there is an Energy in the word he himself whereby is meaned not that another in God's stead but God himself by himself would come and though God be said to come when he shews some gracious effect of his Power yet when he is said to send another 't is not to be understood in that same manner And tho Socinus denies him at that time to be God only that he was appointed hereafter so to be he is refuted by his being in that Text at that time call'd the God of Israel your God whom you worship The third Text is that wherein God saith * Mal. 3.1 Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple Now who that God is before whose face John prepared his way is clear enough that he spake of the Lord Jesus not of the Father's coming after him which he pointed at when he said †John 1 26 27 29.30 compared with Act. 13.24 There standeth one among you whom ye know not he it is that coming after me is preferred before me and to make it clearer he points directly at the Person of Christ for the next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him and saith behold the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world which is he of whom I said after me comes a man which is preferred before me for he was before me Can there be a plainer Designation of a person than this To him alone by means of his Preaching he prepared the way and that which is remarkable our Saviour explains of himself the Text of Malachy This is he of whom it is written behold * Luke 7.27 I send my messenger before thy face which shall prepare thy way before thee and the word my face in the Prophet he renders thy face that is of Christ so he quoteth the place not according to the Words but according to the Sense †Luke 1.76 Thou child saith Zechariah of John shalt he called the Prophet of the highest a high Name proper to God for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways it is then most certain that John prepared the way for him that was to come after him and to converse with and dwell among Men not the Father but Christ came after John therefore he is that God that sent his Messenger as in Malachy Socinus his Phrase is no where in Scripture to be read that God came in Christ he sent Christ his Son but came not in him the Father is said to be and dwéll in Christ not to come in Christ he sent him in his own Name Though Christ under the Name Word be called God absolutely * Joh. 1.1 and without any restriction in the same manner as the True God is absolutely called God without any thing to pretext an improper appellation and the repetition of the Word God in the same Signification doth sufficiently demonstrate it †1 Joh. 5.20 nay though he be not barely called God but the True God whence we must necessarily conclude he is true essential God Yet they would have the Father alone to be God and that when the Name of God is absolutely set down it is to be understood only of the Father not of the Son nor of the Holy Ghost so they conclude Father Son and Holy not to be One God to which purpose they wrest some Scripture out of the Old and New Testament which in due time we shall by the Grace of God take an occasion to answer but because the Adversaries use their utmost pernicious Endeavours to oppose these Truths we to make clear these most important Doctrines which our Faith is grounded upon must somewhat more enlarge upon it though we take notice of some things we said before or to the same purpose First We say God is a Name of the Divine Essence or Nature as Man is of Human Nature but whereof there is a different Reason from that of all Names of other Natures for all Individuals are asunder one from another their Nature according to the mental Notion is one but not really so wherefore in them Nature is the species or kind which is predicated and spoken of every singular and individual Person as James is a Man and of many too as Matthew John and Luke are Three Men but as in God the Essence is but One in number and not only in the mental Notion but also is really and most simply One though in Three Persons this Name of God is not predicated as a species of every Person but according to the priority or posteriority of their Origin and Order as thus the Father is God but unbegotten the Son God begotten the Holy Ghost proceeding from both Now if the Name God was as species spoken of the Persons
of Man because manifested in the Flesh he is not called Son of God upon any such account or in any of these Senses as Socinians would have him 1 Job 4.14.15 for they cannot deny the Lord Jesus to be called God Son of God for that Name is given him in so many places of Scripture and herein they would seem to agree but not sincerely for they cavil about the manner and disagree as to the true Sense he is called Son of God by reason of an Eternal Generation by the Father wherefore he is called God's * Rom. 8.3 32. own and proper Son and †Joh. 3.16 only begotten Christ is from the Father by Generation and the Holy Ghost by Spiration to be from the Father by Generation is to be generated or begotten by the Father long before the fulness of times and his appearing in the Flesh God absolutely said to him ‖ Psal 2.7 thou art my Son this day have â—â—begotten thee this represented with Comparisons as when called * Prov 8. Wisdom for as Wisdom is produced by the Mind so is the Son by the Father and in the New Testament by the similitude of †Colos 1.15 an Image of 〈◊〉 Father's ‖ Heb 1.3 Person and of the brightness of his glory and of the inward * Job 1.1 Word in the Mind for as an Image is not every likeness but the express Effigie or Representation of that whereof it is the Image so the Son in his Essence and Essential Attributes is so much the express Image of the Father that * Joh. 14.9 whosoever sees him doth see the Father also as the brightness of the Beam is from the Sun so the Son is from the Father as Light from Light as equally the glorious Image of his Nature as a Letter doth exactly represent the Character out of which it is drawn thus the Son doth exactly represent the Father by whom he is begotten as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Word is conceived by the Mind and remains in it so is the Son begotten by the Father and remains in him and as the Wisdom Image Brightness the Word are one thing from another so the Son is of the Father from the Father not as an Essence is from another but as a Person is from a Person because he is the Character or express Image of the Person of the Father all these in created Things are accidents but in the Son who is in himself and by himself they are essential hence appears how in this there is a true distinction of the Persons begetting and begotten So then Christ is called the Son of God not by reason of any gracious Communication of Existence or of Power but upon the account of a secret and incomprehensible Generation of the Father of his Essence for he is the true proper only begotten highly beloved Son of the Living God and the prepositive Article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Son frequently join'd to this Subject doth denote a Filiation or Sonship altogether of another kind from that of †Heb. 1.5 Angels or Men which can be no other than an essential one a True Son is begotten of the Essence of his Father but the Son of God is a True Son therefore he is begotten of the Essence of his Father Again the proper Son is said to be and is he that hath his proper Father now he is the proper Father who hath begotten his Son of his own Essence Farthermore the Only Begotten Son is only he that is begotten of the Substance of his Father which is demonstrated by the Opposition of natural and adopted Sons who are loved for the sake of the well beloved natural Son of God that Confession of Peter in the Name of the Disciples thou art not * Matth. 16.14 16 17. repeated John the Baptist nor Elias nor Jeremias who had been great in God's Favour nor none of the Prophets they were a meer nothing in Comparison of Christ but †Joh. 6.68 69. Ver. 17. thou art Christ the Son of the living God is not only in its true Sense approved of by our Saviour but he also there attributes it to Divine Revelation as of an incomprehensible Mystery Blessed art thou Simon Bar-â—â—â—as for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Isaac as they object is called * Gen 23.2 and Heb. 11.17 Only Begotten Son but he is not absolutely so called but relatively secundum quid because he was the Only Begotten Son of Abraham by Sarah in a lawful Marriage and thereby made his only Heir to the exclusion of Ishmael whom he had before by Hagar he was Only Begotten Son in relation to the Promise which is expressed in the following Verse ‖ Heb. 11.18 of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed be called The excellency of Filiation is between those who differ in Degrees but here the Difference is greater than in the whole kind as Heb. 1.4 5. Isaac was a Type of Christ in relation to the Sacrifice but not of the Generation the Father hath begotten his Son thorough the Communication of his Nature and so of a true and proper Generation but not of a Physical or Natural such as Man's and of other animated Creatures but by a Supernatural whereby God begets according to the Truth of his Word for the more Excellent he is that begets so the more Excellent is the Generation as it appears by the Example of every thing that doth generate that which is esteemed a Perfection in natural Generation is in an infinitely most Eminent Degree attributed unto God as to beget that which is like unto himself and by the Communication of his Nature as to the thing it self the Generation besides its being asserted in the Word of God the secundity of God's Nature is a reason for it for it requites a Communication to several Persons according to that of the Prophet * Isa 66.9 shall I cause to bring forth and not bring forth or beget my self saith the Lord as if he had said shall I make others fruitful and be barren my self that in relation to the Son and to the Holy Ghost may be done in two ways after the manner of Spiritual Substances namely begetting the Son by a natural Intellection and by the same Will or Love breathing the Holy Ghost both consubstantial to himself and of the same Nature and Perfection distinguished amongst themselves and one from another only by their personalities and personal Attributes this consideration serves to demonstrate not only the Generation of the Son but also the Procession of the Holy Ghost and consequently the whole Trinity for Scriptures describe Son and Holy Ghost as existing of themselves as the Father working understanding witnessing sending c. taken not only passively which is of Things but actively which is of Persons for it belongs to none
he seemed not to be born on Earth but rather fallen from Heaven having neither beginning of Days nor ending of Life but made like unto the Son of God whereof he was a Type shewing these Attributes to be more proper to and true of the Son of God which cannot be otherwise understood then thus either that the Son of God hath such a Nature as doth by no means come and is derived from earthly and carnal Parents without beginning or end and so eternal to all eternity such as is divine Nature or else that both Natures of Christ divine and human are denoted human without Father upon Earth divine without Mother in Heaven and either overthrows the imaginary Notion of Socinus of Father according to the Flesh This must not be understood of the Priesthood about which the Question is not but about his Origine and Genealogy he is said to be without Father or Mother not but that he had some only there is no mention nor description made of it for the Greek word without Genealogy signifieth not the Genealogy it self but the description of it besides that the words without beginning of Days or ending of Life may by no means be applyed to the Priesthood wherefore he is said to have no beginning of Days not but that he had but is brought in as if he had not to answer him whose Type he was Days and Life are not referred to a Priesthood but to a Being a Person an Existence and Life the beginning or ending whereof absolutely no mention is made at all so then in this place the Comparison is not about the Priesthod but about the eternal Person of Christ for Christ's Priesthood had a beginning as is expressy set down in Scripture * Heb. 5.5 6. For he glorified not himself to be made an High Priest but he that said unto him thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee as he saith also in another place Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec So then in that sense it cannot properly be applyed to Christ 't is frivolous to say as if it were to be understood of any Family for the Apostle absolutely speaks of beginning of Days not of a Priesthood to speak absolutely of a Beginning and of a beginning of a Family are two things and that is to wrest the Apostle's sense and meaning and make him say a thing which he never intended We don't deny but that the Apostle speaks of the Priesthood of Melchisedec and of Christ's but it must be owned he also speaks of other things as of Melchisedec's being King of Righteousness King of Salem King of Peace c. and his being without beginning of Days or ending of Life relates to his Person and Life for no mention is made of his Birth or of his Death though both besel him but from the Eternity of his Person the Apostle inferreth the Eternity of his Priesthood So then when the Lord Jesus is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Person of Melchisedec the two last are not to be understood of his temporal Generation and Birth of the Virgin for two Evangelists have written his Genealogy but of his eternal Generation and of this speaks the Prophet †Isai 53.8 Who shall declare his generation An Expression equivalent to this no Man can it is eternal incomprehensible When our Saviour was born of the Virgin he was born in time ‖ Gal. 4.4 When the fulness of the time was come as Scripture calls it Now this Parallel between the Type and Anti-Type Melchisedec and Christ doth not run upon our Saviour's Birth according to the Flesh and about his human Nature but about something higher his Divinity wherefore the Apostle in the place where he saith Melchisedec to be without Father c. doth ascend higher saying * Heb. 7.3 but made like unto the Son of God The more â—o prosecute this Argument we must say how Christ in his Childhood even in the Womb was God for he is Immanuel God with us from the Virgins Womb the thing is clear out of this that God being not Flesh but Spirit can have no carnal only spiritual Sons the true Birth makes the true Sons and this is of two sorts those that are born of the Flesh are carnal those of the Spirit are spiritual for saith Christ Joh. 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit now to be born of the Flesh is to be born of a carnal Seed as to be born of the Spirit is to be born of a spiritual Seed wherefore Peter †Pet. 1.23 24 25. mentioneth two Seeds one corruptible the other incorruptible that of the Flesh as Grass withereth away the spiritual endureth for ever If then Christ was born of the Spirit as not long before we took notice the Adversaries would have him to be because he is said to have been conceived by the Holy Ghost then that Birth of Christ would be spiritual but not according to the Flesh 'T is not without cause that when Scripture speaks of our Blessed Saviour in several places it makes a restriction according to the Flesh and an Opposition to 't according to the Spirit thus 't is in the fore-quoted places Rom. 1.3 4. and Chap. 9.5 thus The word was made flesh the Word and Flesh do signifie two different Principles distinguished and in opposition one to another So the Apostle saith * 1 Pet. 3.18 Chap. 4.1 Christ was put to death in the Flesh but quickened in the Spirit and again He hath suffer'd for us in the flesh that is in his human Nature then in him is a Nature in which he suffer'd not and 1 Tim. 3.16 God was manifest in the flesh In one and the same Subject are two different Natures divine signified by the word God and humane by the Flesh What mean those words of S. Peter * Acts 2.30 31. how God had sworn unto David That of the fruit of his loins according to the Flesh he would raise up Christ and that his Flesh did not see corruption but to shew that in Christ was another Being different from that according to the Flesh according to which he was not David's Son Thus S. Paul as already quoted said God sent his Son in likeness of sinful Flesh there is a difference between being Son of God and being in the likeness of sinful Flesh And elsewhere †Ephes 2.15 Colos 1.22 Heb. 5.7 Ch. 10.20 Having abolished in his Flesh and You hath be reconciled in thâ—â—body of his Flesh again Who in the days of his Flesh and Through the vail that is to say his Flesh that visible Vail did hide some invisible thing Now I say it were in vain in Scripture to see so often mention made of Christ's Flesh if there was in him no other thing as the ground of the Distinction thus when we speak
understand how the Person therein spoken is from Eternity as 't is plainly expressed by * Prov. 8.21 22 24 25. Solomon when bringing the same Person to speak under the Name of Wisdom saith the Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways before his works of old I was set from everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth was when there was no depths when there was no fountains with water and before the mountains were settled I was brought forth that is before there was any Creature now that Christ is the Wisdom of the Father †1 Cor. 1.30 who of God is made unto us wisdom c. no Man ought to doubt of Another Text to prove this Eternity is one of the Names whereby the Prophet calls Christ when he fore-telleth his Birth in the place which we had occasion to speak of before ‖ Isa 9.6 the everlasting Father here is Eternity in the very Spring he not only is Everlasting but is the Father of Eternity it-self in the abstract A farther Proof we draw out of another Prophet who speaking of the place where the Messiah was to be born saith Micha 5.2 Out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel whose goings forth have been of old from everlasting Upon the occasion of knowing the place where Christ should be born the * Matt. 2.4 5 6. Evangelist saith how all the Chief Priests and Scribes quoted this very place to Herod so that as certainly as he was to be born and was actually born there as certainly his goings forth have been from of old from Everlasting this Prophecy was made several hundreds of years before his Birth yet at that very time he was said to have gone forth from of old what is to be understood by this from of old he there explains it thus from everlasting the Hebrew word signifieth from the Days of Eternity whence we may surely conclude that the Person spoken of in that place namely the Lord Jesus hath been and is from Eternity here two goings or comings forth be expressed one passed from of old from everlasting the other to come out of thee Bethlehem shall he come forth c. Daniel calls him the antient of days which is the very same Name in ver 13. of the same Chapter given the True God of Israel whether taken Essentially or Personally whereby is denominated the true everlasting God Now out of the New Testament on my way I shall take notice of the place where he is called * Colos 1.15 the first born of every creature which as the Adversaries would have it doth not include him amongst the Creatures rather it declares him not to be a Creature if he was not made with the Creatures in time then he was before all Creatures were made that is from Eternity for he that was before all Creatures is not created so he was first born because born before any Creature was far from being a Creature he is the Creatour for he created all things as anon we shall have occasion to shew Before I go on this I must say how Socinus's unhappy Design and great Mistake is to interpret Scripture meerly by Criticisms upon the words without any regard to the scope of the place or the analogy of Faith thus he searches into all the Senses that they are possibly capable of till he can find one though never so forced to serve the Opinion he is prepossessed of and before hand though never so contrary to the plain and natural Sense of the place In the Preface to his Explication of the first of John's Gospel he owns not wihtout Vanity how his Interpretation is new quorum verus sensus c. the true Sense of which words saith he seems to have been hid from all the Expositors that ever were extant how proudly is this to applaud himself as if he alone had known God's mind as if the Spirit of God had not assisted but departed from all Good and Learned Men for 1500 years after Christ this is an over-affected singularity of his to turn all into Allegories such shifts to defend a Cause do declare it to be bad for 't is only to preserve it from sinking and if once a Man hath leave to suppose what he pleases then he may prove what he will of this now I shall give but one Instance if by the word beginning which we read in John 1.1 we must as he doth contrary to all particulars of the Text and the scope of the Evangelist understand the beginning of the Gospel then according to this way of explaining by the word beginning which we read in Gen. 1.1 we may understand not the beginning or Creation of the World but of the beginning of the Mosaical Dispensation and so the Creation of Heaven and Earth to be the Institution of the Jewish Religion and so several other things of the same Nature this misinterpretation of Holy Scripture is very injurious to 't and dangerous for after such Notions and Fancies no Error though never so absurd can want one pretence or other to set up against the scope of Texts and Anology of Faith But now we must go on * Joh. 1.1 In the beginning was the word saith St. John in that beginning the Word was with God and in the same beginning the same Word was God it being granted that Christ is signified by the name Word that the Word is God the Eternity of Christ may easily and naturally be understood by the Word Beginning it appears how the Evangelist's Design is to assert the Divinity of Christ wherewith he abruptly begins his Gospel under that name he speaks of him in the fourteen former Verses of his first Chapter and then mentions it no more he saith nothing of his Birth nor of any Circumstance of its Time Place or Person but barely when where what he was and what he did this is plain enough if some Men of perverse Judgment had not thorough vain Deceit and Cavils gone about to darken and wrest that Truth By this beginning of time is here as in other parts of Scripture when spoken without limitation understood the beginning of the World it having here as I observed before the same Signification as in the first Verse of the Book of Genesis in the beginning God created c. and that this is the meaning of this place it appears out of the second and third Verses in the second is repeated what is said in the first the same was in the beginning with God upon what occasion was he then with God Certainly about the Work of Creation for ver 3. it is said All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made and what I say is the meaning of the word Beginning I can make it appear out of Scipture and that what they say to reduce it only to the beginning of the Gospel is a
is here said to reign The Lord God Almighty but to reign belong to Kings and if we go back to v. 15. this we shall find The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ who is called * Ch. 19.16 Vers 6. King of Kings and Lord of Lords and if we go back to v. 6. we may hear Alleluia the reason is for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and in another place we read of the song of the lamb which I suppose no Man doubts to be the Lord Jesus and what is the Song Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God Almighty He is the Almighty God and certainly we have as many Evidences of his Omnipotency as there be Miracles wrought by him And if God the Father be Almighty as they will not deny him to be the Son must also be Almighty †John 5.19 for whatsoever things the father doth these also doth the son likewise Unchangeableness belongs to the true essential God Christ's Immutability but thou art the same saith the Psalmist 102.27 and Christ is unchangeable in his Words and Promises ‖ Matt. 24 35. Heaven and earth pass away but my words shall not pass away for * 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen and †Rev. 19.11 He is called faithful and true Other Names and Attributes there are in Scripture which though not incommunicable yet are so eminently spoken of the Divinity that they are almost equivalent to it so that they be fixed in God as their Spring and in the Creature but detivatively and as it were a small Drop in comparison with the vast Ocean and these being attributed unto Christ by way of Excellency do not only illustrate but also prove his Divinity I shall speak but few words about them the first is the highest which indeed I find in Scripture never to be spoken of Men in the superlative degree This is spoken of Christ in the place where it is said * Gen. 14.18 19 20. Melchizedec was the Priest of the most high God equivalent to the word highest and in the two following Verses 't is repeated so that no less than thrice the Name most high is set down which I conceive to be not without cause and may be in relation to the most holy and blessed Trinity Well this Name is attributed unto the Lord Jesus as what Zacharias said of his Son John †Luke 1.76 And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the highest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways So the Attribute is given to the Person therein spoken of which no Man may question to be the Lord Jesus This was given him by the Multitude and approved by him upon his entrance into Jerusaâ—em for they cryed saying * Mat. 21.9 Hosanna to the son of David Hosanna in the highest and though as I said this be simply proper to God and †1 Tim. 6.15 belonging only to him yet being joyned with the Name of God is attributed unto Christ ‖ Acts 16. These men are the servants of the most high God which shew unto us the way of salvation Servant of Christ is a Title which Paul doth usually take upon him Who this Most High God is we read in the next Verse Jesus Christ in whose Name he commanded the Spirit to go out which he did the same hour The word the blessed with an Article doth as I have had occasion to shew signifie the same as God and 't is said of the Son of God *âŽ* Psal 72 17. All nations shall call him blessed and the Multitude in the fore-quoted place called him so blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord and in that noted place the Apostle joyneth both blessed and God and gives him * Rom. 9.5 who is over all God blessed for ever Paul saith not Let him be in a way of Wish and Desire nor he shall be as if then the thing was not but only to come but he saith He is God blessed for ever thereby meaning his Being and Nature In Scripture †Isai 14. Psal 71.23 the Name of holy one is given to the only true God whom Israel doth worship This also is spoken of Christ ‖ Psal 16.10 Thou wilt not suffer thine holy one to see corruption and Peter *âŽ* Acts 2.27 and 3.14 doth certainly declare those words to have been spoken of Christ The Angel said to Mary * Luke 1.35 Therefore also that holy thing or holy one for it was a Person which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God before he was born Holiness was his Attribute and 't is †Rom. 1.4 according to the spirit of holiness that he was declared to be Son of God with power he not only is holy but also Holiness it self in the abstract To him sitting upon a Throne the Seraphims ‖ Isai 6.1 2 3. cryed Holy holy holy is the Lord of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory which is by John â‚ Joh. 12.41 applyed unto Christ These things said Esaias when he saw his glory and spake of him and * Rev. 4.8 The four beasts â—est not day and night saying holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come which last is in S. John's stile a Description of the first these words spoken to him who sits upon the Throne and I hope none will deny Christ is sitting upon the Throne as absolutely expressed in several places of this Book So Daniel ‖ Dan. 9.24 called him The most holy Other Names and Titles Scripture doth appropriate unto Christ which are all strong Demonstrations of what he is namely the natural Son of God which I only shall name for indeed it would be almost an endless Work to insist upon all Testimonies of Scripture upon the matter He is then King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 17.14 and 19.16 King and Lord of glory Psal 24.7 10. compared with 1 Cor. 2.8 Lord of David Psal 110. with Matth. 22.44 where 't is observable how the same Name given to the Lord spoken â—f is also given to the Lord spoken to as equally belonging to both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in this sense he is in several places of Scripture called one Lord 1 Cor. 8.6 and Lord of all Acts 10.36 because all things were made by him John 1.3 So the Lord and Saviour because there is no Salvation in any other Acts 4.12 Let special notice be taken of Psal 68. where speaking of Christ according to Paul's interpretation Ephes 4.8 he among other high and great Names is called the Lord God the God of our salvation and such more which certainly do belong only to the true essential God In Scripture the Names of Lord God King absolutely taken or with the distinction
Grave Victorious as coming from Bozrah in his glorious and red apparrel Isa 63.1 3. I that speak in righteousness mighty to save I have troden the wine press alone and of the people there was none with me No Angel or any other Creature was joyned with him in that work so that with his own arm he hath gotten himself the Victory As to the applieation of that purchased redemption it cometh from him in every part thereof as Vocation Adoption Justification Sanctification which contain spiritual life and every other grace and at last Glorification which in Scripture are all attributed to the Lord Jesus all but the last are wrought in us by the ministery of the word which ministery himself instituted Ephes 4.8 11. by sending Ministers he doth continue it and with his blessing doth promote and according to his promise will do so to the end of the world Resurrection from death is followed with eternal life John 6.54 1 John 5.20 both attributed to Christ who is called the true God and eternal life for not only he give life but also he is life nay eternal life for whosoever hath him is sure of eternal life As to the great work of our effectual Calling and Conversion that we may answer the call he first openeth our understanding Luke 24.45 Acts. 16.14 as he opened the understanding of his disciples that they might understand the Scriptures After he openeth our hearts as he did the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which are spoken by his Servants he also bestoweth all other means of grace upon us Acts. 5.31 Chap. 11.18 2 Cor. 7.10 Heb. 12.2 as repentance for he is a Prince and Saviour to give repentance to Israel such as is called repentance unto life and unto salvation without which we cannot be saved Faith also is his gift so intirely that he is called the Author and finisher of our Faith from him comes the beginning progress and perfecting of it this made his disciples aske him Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 John 1.16 what Love Charity Meekness Humility Temperance Sobriety Goodness Joy Peace c. are in us Of his fullness have we received it all 1 Cor. 1.30 Moreover he is made unto us wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption In few words he is our all in all Psal 87.7 John 15.26 and in him are all our springs he gives the Holy Ghost ruleth governeth and preserveth his Church These few things more I must add how it is clear out of Scripture that he is true and eternal God who is the author of Salvation and eternal Life for this the Lord the King of Israel attributes to himself to be his redeemer â—â—a 44.6 Chap. 45.15.17.21 and 43. â—â— the Saviour of Israel by whom Israel shall be saved with an everlasting salvation no God else besides him a just God and a Saviour all this undisputably spoken of the true essential God Now Christ is the King of Israel John 1.49 Matth. 1.21 1 John 1.7 Heb. 12.24 Chap 9.15 16. Gal. 3.15 that saveth his people from their sins and his blood cleanseth us from all sin he is the mediator of the new Covenant of the new Testament being himself the Testator which the Apostle denyeth to be a man's Covenant these several places I quoted to shew how under the Old Testament the true Eternal God delighted to call himself the God the Saviour and the Redeemer of his people which being one of the works proper to God and not only being attributed but in a special and singular manner being applied to Christ who is no better known by any name than that of Saviviour of the world and in him Luke 1 4â— Acts 4.12 Res 1.7 as in her God and Saviour the spirit of Mary rejoyced because there is no salvation in any other for he is the Lord our God by whom the Lord doth save us This I say to me doth evidence how he who under the New Testament is by his proper name called Saviour or Jesus must be if not the same person at least of the same nature with him who under the Old was pleased at several times to call himself the Saviour and Redeemer of his people But now being upon the divine works of grace proper to the Lord Jesus I must not omit one highly considerable and most singularly proper to God which is to forgive sins which our blessed Lord appropriated unto himself Luke 7.48 Mark 2.5 when he said to the woman thy sins are forgiven and to the man sick of the Palse Son thy sins be forgiven thee whereat the Jews were so startled and offended as presently to say Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies who can forgive sins but God only In that thing they were in the right to say that none but God can forgive sins but in the other they were in the wrong not to believe Christ to be God if they had all had been set at rights and their prejudice removed wherefore to convince them how they were in an error and that he had not taken upon him as a man to pardon sins but as God he presently proved his divinity by a miracle and cured the man he who of himself could work a miracle had certainly power on earth to forgive sins And as he is a Prince and Saviour so he hath right to give forgiveness of sins Acts 5.31 certainly he declares himself true essential God when by his authority he forgives sins and giveth others power in his name to declare the same as he did Now if to what hath been said we add that he is the resurrection and the life John 20.23 John 11.25 Chap. 5.26 v. 21. Chap. 6.39.40 Phil. 3.20.21 and that he that believeth in him though he were dead yet shall he live seeing he hath life in himself and quickeneth whom he will also all the Father hath given him and every one that believeth in him he will raise up at the last day wherefore our Conversation is in Heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body According to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself All these and many more which for brevity's sake we omit are sufficient evidence to convince any in whom the God of this world hath hot blinded their minds that Christ is the eternal Son of God of the same nature but to unbelievers he saith if you will not believe me at least believe me for the works sake John 5.36.1 for the works I do bear witness of me but alas all men have not faith for faith is a gift of God CHAP. IX Worship proper and due to the true God belongs to Christ NOW Christ appropriateth to himself all these and many more works that belong only to the true God to the end that
because infinite communicable without being multiplied in many persons To the same purpose they object in another manner God is One therefore cannot be Three so there is none but the Father The Answer is easie and we already have said something to it that which is one cannot be two or three in the same respect it cannot be one and many in the same sense What Christ says John 10.30 I and my Father are one is most true so that One is related to the Nature and I and Father to the Persons so then God is one as to the Nature and three as to the Persons Seeing the Nature or Godhead cannot be multiplied it follows that the Persons and Subsistences only are multiplied They say farther A simple Essence cannot be of three Persons otherwise it will be divided or multiplied But though this be true of finite it is not so of an infinite Essence neither doth it follow that because the Essence is common to three Persons it may be common to more for it were contrary to divine Revelation which only mentioneth one Father one Son and one Holy ghost the Father God the Son God the Holy Ghost God yet not three Gods but only one God Neither doth it follow that because divine Essence is common to three Persons therefore every Person shall be common and because the Persons are not common therefore the Nature must not be This is the cause of their Mistake that they do not mind the distinction of the Person from the Essence for tho they differ not really yet rationally they be distinguished It doth follow to say if the Essence be common to three Persons therefore the Persons are common no more than to say if Abel hath his Nature from Adam and is a Man therefore he hath his Posterity and is a Father from him The things say they that are separately numbered are not one in number and essence but the Father and the Son are separately numbered and are by themselves called one as one God one Mediator one God and Father one Lord wherefore Father and Son are not one only God or one Essence But I say Numeration doth not import a distinction of Essence for in finite things Essences being multiplied they are reckoned individual not in relation to the Essence but to the Persons that which is numbered is one neither is it one without the Essence yet for all that it is not one essentially or by his own Essence separated from any other whatsoever so then when the Father and Son are numbered they are not so essentially but personally also they are the same in number and essence contrary to what is objected whereof one is said to be with the other as the word was with God for in God to be one with another is only an hypostatical or personal distinction for as to be one with another doth import a distinction so the same Evangelist sheweth the Essence of both to be but one and the same when he addeth the word was God Furthermore they argue thus The Father and the Son are really distinguished for the Father is absolutely God that is the divine Essence for say they the words Father and God are synonimous or the same because the word God is explained by the word Father 1 Thes 1.3 therefore the Essence of the Son is distinct from that of the Father Our Answer is Tho' the Persons of the Father and of the Son be really distinct it doth not follow that their Essences are so as if the Essence of one was not that of another seeing the names of Father and Son are relatives which indeed signifie different Persons in the same Nature but rationally distinguished from the same If Father and Essence be synonimous what remaineth for the Son besides a shadow of the Deity For as the Paternity and Innascibility or not being begotten which are proper only to the Father are incommunicable that Essence if it be the same thing as is the Father cannot be communicated unto the Son It doth not follow neither that the Names God and Father are the same because the first is sometimes used for the last seeing it is attributed unto the Father in his Person to constitute the Deity by reason of the Spring and in the comparison and order of Persons and not because the Person of the Father is in no wise distinguished from the divine Essence Paul doth congratulate with the Thessalonians for their Work of Faith Labour of Love and Patience of Hope and because their Hope was in the Coming of the Lord Jesus these three he referreth in God whom he calls Father because he already had made mention of the Mediator But if the Names God and Father be the same by reason that Paul had to the word God joyned Father by way of explication Tit. 2.13 2 Pet. 1.2 then the Names Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ are also the same because two Apostles explain the name of Christ by that of God our Saviour Besides the Argument is faulty for it hath four terms to the end that both Propositions be true in the major the Person of the Father in the minor his Essence are to be understood To this Argument answereth another The eternal Father is not the Son whom John calls the Word but the Essence of the Divinity or that one God of Israel is the eternal Father of the only begotten Son therefore the Essence or the God of Israel is not the Son called the Word The major is false for to have it true the sence ought to be this That Essence or that God which is the Father is not the Son that is the Person of the Father is not the Person of the Son This farther they say The Essence and one God are convertible but according to us in the Unity of God there is Trinity therefore in the Essence there is also Trinity But we say God who is one in Nature is three in Persons so in that onely Essence there is a Trinity that is wholly and indivisibly subsisteth in three Persons there are not three Essences The minor Proposition must be understood of a Trinity of Persons and not of Essences I observed before how they quarrel much with several expressions used in this matter as Trinity Essence Person c. which are neither prophane nor unworthy of God seeing in Scripture there are words which answer to them Rom. 1.20 Col. 2.9 Phil. 2.6 2 Pet. 1.4 as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both signifying Godhead and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Form of God and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Divine Nature Also the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which in Latin is translated sometimes Substance sometimes Essence sheweth the quiddity or nature of the thing As for the word Person Clastical Authors as well as Divines in this holy Mystery take it for a rational Subsistence or Father Son and Holy Ghost however out of these they
take matter of Argument against us for they say thus The Doctrin of God ought to be taught according to Scripture but those Names are not to be found therein therefore not to be used I answer the major Proposition with a distinction If they mean it of the sence of Scripture we own we ought not to depart from it but if of the letter and bare words we deny it for in the Church is the gift of Prophecy and of explaining the word And whereas Hereticks are apt to wrest the sence and under variety of words to involve and disguise the Truth it is sometimes necessary to make use of new words to hit and refute their false glosses and interpretations in defence of the Truth As to the minor about the several words we say Scripture speaks of one God whence cometh Oneness or Vnity and Divinity is attributed to three Father Son and Holy Ghost hence is Trinity Jah and Jehovah signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 him that is so from Esse we derive Essence all which words we are not Authors of but received them from the Primitive Church which by a publick consent used them almost from the Apostles time to these which they reject when themselves would bring in barbarian words to signifie their erroneous notions as God Essentiating and Essentiated Apostolical God Emphatical and articulated God Author and God Executor and the like Thus they make themselves really guilty of such things as unreasonably they would charge us with They must needs have a very great opinion of their own abilities seeing they would make us forbear the expressions used by the Church for so many Ages and impose their new-fangled words upon the World 'T is in them a blasphemous Impiety and a damnable Slander to charge us with bringing in new Gods under such words as are made use of to explain Scripture and they know well enough our meaning thereof as we so often explained it these different words do not change the sense so may not be called erroneous and tho' sometimes there be Variety in words and expressions the sense still remaineth the same so we do not consider them as Popish or Antichristian Forgeries Indeed they make a ridiculous Objection Jehovah the Essentiator Father is of the masculine Gender but Essence is of the feminine therefore not to be used But to say something to the purpose they must prove that in the nature of things according to the Rules of Grammar there is a difference of Sex Of the like nature is this no abstract Name signifieth a Substance but Trinity is an abstract Name therefore c. But the first proposition is false for when we call Deity or Divine Nature we understand a Substance seeing in God all things are Substance and no Accident So by the word Trinity we understand three Persons really subsisting 2 Sam. 23. We find David's mighty Men of Valour to be distinguished by three and three But as to their exception against the fore-named words once for all I say to them Tho' every Truth asserted be not in Scripture in so many Letters yet if it be therein implied and by a good and necessary consequence thence derived 't is to be esteemed the Word of God as if expressed because in it contained Thus Preaching is the Word of God because deduced out of it not as to the words but as to the sense hence it is that Preaching produces the effects attributed to the the Word as to quicken convert regenerate and sanctifie when sometimes in a whole Sermon few Sentences are repeated word by word And in several places of the New Testament the Evangelists and Apostles do quote out of the Old not in the very words but accoding to the sense and scope of the place upon such a ground our Translators do render the word Hypostasis by that of Person and so 't was among the Primitive Church which word we find used in the New Testament only four times thrice in the Epistle to the Hebrews Chap. 1.3 Chap. 3.14 Chap. 11.1 and 2 Cor. 9.4 yet every where in a different sense Some few words more I shall add to answer some other Objections in order thereunto I say In the Deity there is an Essence which is but one in that Essence do subsist three Persons really distinguished one from another but only modally from the Essence which doth not make any fourth thing in the Godhead As there is but one Essence so these three Persons are but one God which Name God is spoken not only of the Essence but also of every one of the three Persons Vnity in relation to the Nature and Trinity in respect to the Persons One Essence there is without which there is no God but the three Persons are this one God in Essence who subsist in that Essence Father Son and Holy Ghost The Adversaries are in an Error when they think there is no real difference except there be some difference in number and Essence they would have a Thing and a Substance to be the same when that which differeth by reason of the definition from another doth also really differ from it God in one number and essence admitteth of no renting or division and they are not three bare Names the Essence doth not as the Genus contain three Species but it doth subsist in three Persons in which all and in every one is the same Nature and Godhead To own three Essences were to assert three Gods and we say that Father Son and Holy Ghost as to the Nature are of themselves tho' not as to the Personality for on this last account we own the Son to be from the Father and the Holy Ghost from both I say again how the Essence maketh no fourth thing in the Godhead as if the three Persons were derived from it as from a thing pre-existing or as if it being common to the three was really distinguished from the three these we never said but are against The Essence is wholly and entirely common to every Person these Persons do not proceed from the Essence but we say they from all Eternity subsist in the Essence and tho' we own a distinction between Essence and Persons yet they are not as a thing abstracted from the Essence The great difficulty arising about this is in the case of the Incarnation which is justly called The wisdom of God in a mystery 1 Cor. 2.7 even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory The Son was incarnated or made Flesh took upon him our human Nature now the Father and Holy Ghost having the same Essence with the Son how were not they both incarnated We know the Person and not the Nature was incarnated but how the Nature which is wholly in the Son as wholly in the Father and in the Holy Ghost was not made Flesh 't is a Mystery that passeth all understanding This is one of the secret things that belong to God which we
by †De Vnit Eccles Cyprian and also by Tertullian Ignatius c. This Text doth so well agree with that of the Evangelist to baptize all Nations in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost which it doth allude unto that none may doubt but it was suggested by the same Spirit and the name word particular to St. John doth sufficiently witness how those lines together with the rest came out of his Pen Non unus sed unum saith one of the fore-quoted Fathers Not one Person sed unum c. one Nature not only the unity of Testimony as they are three distinct Witnesses not only the unity of Consent and Will but also of Nature as I and the Father are one Joh 10.30 which the Jews understood very well for thereupon they accused him of Blasphemy and took up Stones to have cast at him the reason they give for 't is this Because thou being a man V. 33. makest thy self God In few words we cannot be baptized in the name of Father Son and Holy Ghost except the names of these three equal in Authority Dignity and Essence be called upon on our behalf and as I observed before 't is unlawful to be baptized in the name of any man The Israelites were baptized by the Worâ—â— or Ministry or as the Syriack hath it in the Hand of Moses but not in his Name Before we leave off these Objections against the most adorable Trinity for the better understanding of the matter I shall speak some few words more for indeed the point is of so high a concernment and affords such a plenty and variety of Discourse that we can never say enough of what is to be known in the case Tho' as we said they be the same in Essence yet they differ first in personal Names as Father Son and Holy Ghost Secondly in their Order Father first as the Spring then Son thirdly Holy Ghost Thirdly In their manner of Operation the Father doth act of himself the Son from the Father and the Holy Ghost from both Gal. 4.4 John 14.26 15.26 so the Son is sent by the Father the Holy Ghost from both Father and Son but we never read the Father was sent So there is a difference in the outward Works for tho' they be common to the three Persons yet Creation is properly attributed to the Father Redemption to the Son and Sanctification to the Holy Ghost Thus these three Persons have every one their personal unity in number they are distinguish'd yet are but one God in number of Essential and natural unity wherefore in God are not three Beings three Infinites or three Things Yet they object the names of Trinity Personality and Essence were not heard of before the Apostles time nor the Doctrin of the Trinity I answer to the first that tho' the Names were not yet the Things were and Words are to signifie Things that there is one God the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit as it appears out of the places quoted to prove the Divinity of the Son and Holy Ghost which here I need not to repeat and if the things be true why should Men dispute about words which do not in the least prejudice the Analogy of Faith on the contrary do explain and confirm it As to the Second I say that the Doctrin of the Trinity was mentioned of old as I proved it already out of several places of Scripture the Question is not about the Father but the Son concerning whom is the clear Testimony of Psal 2 whose coming as Jehovah and God of Israel for the Prophet speaks to Israel when he calls him your God was foretold Behold Isa 35 4 5. Mat. 11.4 5. Psal 51.10 11. your God will come with vengeance even God with a recompence he will come and save you which is applied unto Christ Of the Holy Ghost mention is made by David and in other places but that which under the Old Testament was under a Vail is clearly revealed under the New for the Persons are plainly named and their number expressed as in the places already made use of not only in the Baptism of our Saviour but in his Commission given his Apostles to baptize c. which as I shewed is unlawful to be done in any man's name As there is truth in Jesus so this is the truth of his Gospel which also hath in conformity thereunto been the sense of the general Orthodox Councils and of the Doctors of the Primitive Church however this must be said that tho' this Mystery of the holy Trinity be expressed in Scripture yet 't is such a one as exceedeth our understanding and capacity Again they say In most places of Scripture 't is said there is but one God and that this God is the Father of Jesus Christ I answer The Name God when properly spoken and of the true God is taken either essentially for Divine Nature or personalty for some of the Persons when taken in the first sense it doth not exclude but include the Persons only it is set down in opposition to Idols and false Gods which by Nature are not Gods the things absolutely spoken of the Oneness of God do not at all prejudice the Persons which are that onely God hence it is that not only the Father but also Son and Holy Ghost are called God In this Essential sense are taken the places they quote out of the Old and New Testament as for instance Mark 2.7 Luk. 5.21 that of Mark and of Luke which among others they make use of Who can forgive sins but God only The word God belongs to the Essence yet that power doth belong to the Son as to the Father for there Christ assumeth it to himself which same power is also attributed unto the Holy Ghost Receive ye the Holy Ghost John 20.21 22. whosoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them When the word God is to be understood personally then there is a note of distinction joyned to know what Person is spoken of whether Father Son or Holy Ghost What we say of the word God the same we affirm of the name Father which doth not always signifie the first Person but also the Nature and three Persons Thus when God is said to be Father of all and in the Lord's Prayer we call him Our Father when we cry Abba Father c. in all Texts of that nature Father Son and Holy Ghost are understood As to the Particle besides me sometimes used it excepts nothing within tho' every thing without the Deity or that hath not the Divine Nature But one of the Arguments which most of all they ground themselves upon is this Joh. 17.3 And this is eternal life to know thee the only true God and whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ They would have Christ to be excluded from being the only true God which they restrain only to the Father but herein they are much
assert the Distinction of Persons but because they are distinct Persons it doth not follow that there is not one and the same Essence of the three Persons and that they are not one only God Father Maker and Preserver of all and out of the Texts they produce they cannot make out what they intend how the Father and the Son are never contain'd together under the Name of God for the Persons are distinguish'd where Scripture speaketh Relatively of God and doth oppose or compare them or describe their Proprieties Further they object they have distinct Essences whose workings are distinct but Father's and Son's workings are distinct therefore their Essences are so But we say the major Preposition is to be understood of Operations ad extra or outward for if whilst one doth work the other ceaseth then the Essences are distinct but as to the inward workings there is no distinction or difference of Essences far from it that the Generation of the Son and the Procession of the Holy Ghost do confirm the unity of Essence for by the Generation one and the same whole Essence of the Father is communicated unto the Son and by this same reason there is but one and the Essence of both Now the Minor Proposition speaketh of inward Operations and this Omonimy or Ambiguity of Terms brings in four Termini in the Argument contrary to Rules but if one and the same kind of Operations be understood then one of the Propositions is false the major is understood of those ad imra the minor of those ad extra and in the case of the Incarnation there are two terms to be consider'd a quo from whom and ad quem to or in whom tho' as thus it be terminatively in the Son yet a quo or originatively it is the work of the whole Trinity Another Argument of theirs is this the Essence unbegotten and begetting is not the same with the Essence begotten and not begetting but the Essence of the Father is unbegotten yet hath begotten the Son but the Son 's is begotten yet nor begetting therefore the Essence of the Father is not the same with that of the Son This Argument is borrow'd from the Arrians whereof the minor Preposition is false namely that the Essence of the Son is begotten the Names begotten or not begotten do not belong to the Essence but shew an Hypostatical or Personal Difference Should the Essence beget it would either beget it self and so should be begotten of it self so it would make many different Essences of the Godhead whence would follow many Gods Moreover as in natural things not the Essence but the compositum doth beget so in divine things the Person begets and is begotten which yet is not a vain Relation seeing it is not constituted without the Essence Now if it were true that the Divine Essence doth beget one could say either the Son doth beget or deny the Son to have the Divine Essence Again They say Two or three distinct Persons have so many distinct Essences for the distinction of Essences doth follow that of Persons so then Father Son and Holy Ghost being three distinct Persons they have three distinct Essences but the first Preposition is true only in natural not in Divine things besides they are in a mistake when they think there is no real Distinction except the things do differ in an Essential Number when there are several things that differ in the thing and definition which yet in Essence and Number are but one Here by the by I say the words like and likeness when a Comparison is made between the Persons is not convenient to be used but equal and equality which indeed containeth a likeness but something above Another thing I shall add here how some things are properly spoken of the Essence which also are properly spoken of the Persons for 't is properly said of the Essence and of the Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost that they are Spirit and Holy for the word Spirit is spoken of as common and essential John 4.24 God is a Spirit properly and personally of the Son Christ declared to be the Son of God according to the Spirit of Holiness Rom. 1.4 Heb. 9.14 â—Pet 3 18. and who thorough the Eternal Spirit offereth himself and elsewhere Christ was put to death in the flesh but quickned in the spirit So of the Father and Holy Ghost also to be holy is an Attribute of the Essence yet in particular and properly in Scripture attributed to the Father to the Son and to the Holy Ghost Upon this Matter one thing more I shall take notice of how Adjectives in the Plural may be attributed to God by reason of the Number of Persons and Substantives in the Singular only upon account of the Essence Further they object Christ hath a Father who is the God of Christ but the Father hath no God call'd his therefore Father and Son are distinguished in Essence the major they prove out of our Saviour's Word I ascend unto my Father and to your Father unto my God and to your God and my God my God why hast thou forsaken me I answer Christ hath a common Father and God with us in as much as the word was made Flesh and dwelt among us and in as much as the Man Jesus Christ is Mediator between God and Man yet so as in his Mediatorship he is true Man so he is true God This Discourse being intended for his Brethren he begins with the Profession he makes to own them as his Brothers Go to my Brethren all which to be understood of the Nature which the Brotherhood doth relate to and tho' the Father continueth such in relation to what the Son was when the Word was with God yet in the Birth and Incarnation the Father remaineth what he was God is the Father of all Flesh but not in the same manner and sense as he is the Father of the word in Scripture 't is declared in what sense and on what side they are Brethren to the only begotten Son of God Colos 1.18 I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren but he said before I am a Worm and no Man Psal 22.6 Christ is by the Apostle call'd the First-born amongst many Brethren also because the First-born from the Dead Furthermore they say if Christ when he speaketh of God stould mean also himself he would include himself in the mention he makes of God but he doth not but maketh a difference between himself and God whom he calls the true God so in the Apostolical Writings God and Christ are spoken of asunder which places I quote in the Margin c. John 3.16 and 17.3 d. Rom. 16.23 1 Tim. 6.13 14 15 16. 1 Cor. 15.24 Col. 1.3 Eph. 4.5 1 Thes 1.2 3 9 10. to shew we omit none of them So say they he not joyning himself with God sheweth he is not the same with God thus the name God absolutely taken belongeth only
other but Divine as it appeareth of what Scripture saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not Heb. 10.5 but a body hath thou prepared me He certainly need have had a Being before this natural Body was prepared for him me then he was a Person before the Body This Inferiority must be understood of his Person in that voluntary humiliation of his in his state of exinanition yet this his being inferiour to the Father in respect of his Humanity doth not at all take away the equality between him and the Father in relation to his divine Nature for he is the Word Son of God tho' when he was made Flesh he was made that which he was not before with assuming human and mortal Nature yet he still remained that which he was before namely God blessed for ever there was no addition diminution or alteration in his divine Nature but continued the same Person of the most holy Trinity begotten of the Father from all Eternity Christ is less than the Father in respect to his Office of Mediatour We are in Covenant with God not upon our account but upon that of Câ—â—â—st who is thus become the Head of all Men that are in covenant with God and in relation to this he is called the Mediatour of the New Testament Heb. 9.15 wherefore we must observe how in Scripture the Lord Jesus is said to be made Lord and Châ—ist Acts 2.36 but never said to be made God which things are very different for by Nature God is Lorâ— but Christ by Will and Appointment in respect of his Personal Dominion and of the Oeconomical Kingdom belonging to his Mediatorship He is God absolutely but Lord and Christ relatively unto us God essentially and Christ accidentally In this last sense he was anointed with that Oyl and Gifts of the Holy Ghost for in the other sense he wanted no such thing he was not anointed simply as God but as Christ a Prophet a Priest and a King for our sake and for our good And all places in Scripture wherein the Father is said to be greater than Christ to be the Head of Christ to have made Christ Lord to have exalted and anointed him and the like ought to be taâ—â—en in this sense that is in regard of his human Nature and Mediatorship and not as to the divine for when this is spoken of our Saviour himself saith I and my Father are one John 10.30 there is no difference either in Nature or Power After this manner also is to be understood that place John 5.22 27. wherein the Father is said to have committed all judgment unto the Son and given him authority to execute judgment because he is the Son of man which hath a relation to his Office of Mediatorship in the Government of the Church and Judgment over the Enemies thereof His essential Kingdom he hath of himself but this dispensatory one from the Father not because he is the Son of God but because he is the Son of Man which reason tends to breed in us Comfort and Assurance in that we are to be judged by a Man one who having taken our Nature with its Infirmities Sin excepted will compassionate us for he was tempted as we are and in human Judgments 't is a Privilege to be â—ry'd by his Peers and Equals that is of the same â—ank and condition with us In this sense ought also to be taken the place where it is said The Son also shall be subject unto him that put all things ander him 1 Cor. 15.28 and deliver up the Kingdom into his hands the Kingdom of ruling governing and preserving of the Church This giving or dellvering up of the Kingdom is no sign of inequality for as the Son is to give it up to the Father so the Father gave it up to him without any diminution of his Power neither shall the Son receive any diminution of his he shall deliver it in a perfect Oeconomical administration having overcome all Enemies and brought all his Elect to be crowned with Glory so there will be no more to do no need of being a King in that respect By the words Then shall the Son himself be subicel is to be understood the account he is to give of his administration thereof and this is a kind of subjection which shall be swallowed up in that perfect Happiness wherein God will be all in all no more Enemies to fight no more need of a Mediator But for their last gasp they reserve a frivolous and insignificant Exception for some of them say our Arguments are not coherent sometimes we plead for Unity at other times for a Trinity but we form our Arguments according to the nature of the Matters and the Principles of those whom we do dispute against Against the Gentiles and Heathens we prove That there is but one true God against the Jews That besides God the Father there is also another Person namely the Son of God who is also true God We are to deal against several Adversaries to this truth Arrians Sabellians Samosatenians Socinians Tritheists c. and accordingly we frame our Arguments suitably with the Principles of those whom we dispute against If I deal against Gentiles my Arguments must not be drawn out of Scripture which they receive not but from natural Reason and out of the Writings of their Philosophers and other Authors as St. Paul did in Athens Acts 17.28 So if against Samaritans I must argue only out of the Pentatench or five Books of Moses If against Jews only out of the Old Testament because they own not the New and so of the rest This is the substance of what they say in opposition to these Heavenly Truths which to compass they are not ashamed to wrest Scriptures to force upon them a sense contrary to the Design of the Spirit of God and to the Analogy of Faith and in order to form a detestable System whereby they do what they can to overthrow the whole foundation of our holy Religion not only they for many Years rack'd their own Brains to extract all the Poyson which Satan could infuse and 〈◊〉 â—own natural Corruption suggest but also called for Help upon the most infamous and abominable Hereticks that ever were in the Christian World and out of all made a Quintessence of all that erroneously impiously or blasphemously can be forg'd or said against the Divine Nature Attributes Persons and Grace of God Yet not wholly trusting to this they have set up a Diana a God-Idol of their own even their own natural Reason that where abusing Scripture cannot serve the turn their unreasonable Imaginations may do 't wherein they seem to scorn being guided by the Word of God where it doth not answer their Ends but divine things must not be measured by our shallow Capacity And if we believe Scripture to be the Word of God then we must receive that which God teaches us therein and we must not
to the prejudice of this be guided by our own Reason which in such matters is but an ignis fatuus a false and deceitful Guide that will lead us to Rocks and Precipices that only must be our Rule which God hath revealed in his Word For an Instance Will not Human Reason suggest that if our Saviour instead of poor Fishermen unlearned and of no account in the World had called the Josephs of Arimathea the Nicodemus and men of good parts and of quality in the World the Gospel would hove gotten more ground and been more spread abroad in the World yet this is contrary to God's Method who hath hidden these things from the wise and prudent Mat. 11.25.26 1 Cor. 1.26 27 28 29 and revealed them unto Babes who hath chosen and called the foolish the weak and base things of the world to confound the wise and the mighty And why so first because so it seemed good in his sight secondly to the end that no flesh should glory in his presence Joh. 7.48 This confirmed by Experience for Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him So then to insist on this reason is no less than to arraign the Wisdom of God which no Man may or ought to do Farther some things there are taught by Philosophy of the Soul of the World of several things therein and of Man's Soul which to human Understanding appear to have no Truth in them yet in those things if upon the account of the Learning and Wit of those great Men we have a kind of esteem and reverence for their Opinions much more ought we to have a reverence for the Truth contained in God's Word and received by so many great and good Christians and suffer'd for by them in all Ages for never was any Divine Truth more universally and in all places and times received notwithstanding the opposition of some wicked men than the Mystery of the most holy Trinity As indeed not only the Offering and Preaching but also the whole Application of Salvation to be obtained in this and another Life do depend upon the truth of the holy Trinity because everywhere the Father works by his Son and this with the Father by the Holy Ghost which if we believe not we cannot have either the use or comfort of things relating to Salvation but God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.10 12. and we have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God 'T is then our Duty and Comfort to know the Father in the Son and both through the Holy Ghost for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God as Christ saith none knoweth the Father but the Son and to whom the Son will reveal him so John testifies that he that hath not the Son hath not the Father and Paul Mat. 11.27 1 Joh. 2.23 Eph. 2.12 that those that are without Christ are also without Hope and without God in the world 'T is said indeed how God at sundry times and in several manners spake in time past unto the Fathers by the Prophets but the knowledge of him and of Salvation then was in the dark till the last days when he spoke unto Men by his Son When we hear of the salvation which God sent into the World then at the same time the Son and Holy Ghost are mention'd because without them there is none Among several other places in Scripture wherein this great work is spoken of and wherein we find the three Persons mention'd that is remarkable wherein the Apostle joyneth them together Heb. 10.29 Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under foot the Son of God and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and hath done despite unto the spirit of grace All three are concerned so they were before salvation was actually effected long before when all was under Types and Figures 1 Pet. 1.11 12 compared with 2 Pet. 1.21 for by the spirit of Christ the Prophets prophesied of old so now in this great business the Son hath his part and the Holy Ghost his also As much as God hath been pleased to reveal unto us about this adorable Mystery we must study and enquire after but no farther where God is silent we must be so too and we ought to curb our Curiosity and Presumption and not to stretch our Brains to find out Proofs out of Comparisons with Sun Soul Rainbow Trees Triangle c. which are all lame and defective This I speak as to us who believe that high and incomprehensible Mystery upon God's Word wherein he hath revealed it unto us for as to the abominable wretches which out of Hell are broken loofe against it and not only make a Jest of and despise and hate it we must leave them to God if peradventure he will give them repentance 2 Tim. 2. â—â— to the acknowledging of the Truth As to our blessed Saviour whom they go about to rob of that Glory and Honour which Scripture declares do belong to him and which therein he assumeth unto himself and whom they would make a meer Man a Creature and if I dare speak it without blasphemy an imaginary and a mock God acting the part of a God as an Actor doth upon a stage that of a Prince when he is not such In Scripture the Names of God absolutely attributed to none but unto the true God and that also in so many places of Scripture whereof many we already quoted and others not We have given instances of all the incommunicable Names of Divine Nature appropriated unto him also we made it appear how all Attributes proper to the true God and never communicated to the Creature do belong to Christ as do all divine works truly such why then should not all own him to be true God by Nature seeing essential Attributes are inseparable from the Essence The Oneness of which Essence with the Father he doth attribute unto himself explaining in what sense he calleth God his Father not by Adoption or Grace or meerly by reason of his assumption of our human Nature John 10.30 38. or by vertue of any Office and Dignity but because of his eternal Generation and Co-essentiality with the Father in which sense he saith I and the Father are one Chap. 1.14 3.16 Rom. 8.3 32. Mar. 14.33 and upon the account of this oneness of Nature he saith The Father is in me and I in him And this eternal Generation in one Essence is denoted in Scripture when called only begotten of the Father Gods own and proper Son the true Son of God yea such a Son as is Heir of all things and in opposition to Angels as the Son is to the Servants which Sonship and Generation is more clearly expressed when he is called the Brightness and
to the Father I answer the name of God is taken either personally namely as he begets and as he is begotten and thus the Son is distinguished from the Father and upon this account the Apostle speaks of them separately Christ is distinguished from God both in Person and Office not in the Godhead or Essence or else the name is absolutely simply Rom. 8.31 32. 1 Tim. 1.1 1 John 5.20 Joh. 14.1 and essentially taken when the Question is about the Godhead then as to the Deity the Son is not distinguished from the Father as when Christ saith there is none good but God he doth not exclude himself from being good 't is as if he had said unto the Man if thou believest me to be good for so thou callest me thou must also believe me to be God for none is good but God and this was to have the Man to look upon him to be God Again When our Saviour saith Vnto God all things are possible and that God is able out of Stones to rise Children unto Abraham when the Apostles in their Salutations name first God and our Father and then the Lord Jesus Christ 't is no good Consequence to say that the Son is not of the same Nature with the Father for the Name of God is therein attributed unto the Father as the Spring and first in order of the Deity then the Son is proposed as Mediatour to lead us unto God for we are led by Christ unto the Father to worship and adore him together with the Father for he saith Ye believe in God believe also in me thereby shewing we ought to render unto him the same things we render to the Father wherefore in several places we read how when the Name Father is added yet that of God is immediately put before when generally something is taught which belongeth to Father Son and Holy Ghost then having named the Father the Mediatour is mention'd to breed in us Hope and Comfort thus the same Apostle opposeth one God to Idols where Christ is not excluded for immediately in the same Verse he declareth who that one God is namely the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things 1 Cor. 8.6 Ephes 4.5 6. and we by him thus in another place he saith there is one God as there is one Baptism Christ in whose Name we are baptized is not excluded from that oneness of Godhead Joh. 14.6 and because he would come to the Mediatour he very fitly nameth the Father to whom as the Head of the Deity there is no approach without the Mediator so by the Name Father is represented God essentially offended by Mankind and by the Son and Christ that Person of the adorable Trinity who hath undertaken to make our Peace and reconcile us unto God he is the way the truth and the life and none can come to the father but by him So when we read the word God we must not separate the Father nor the Son because the Divinity of the Father and of the Son is but one and the same Moreover they object the Father is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God of himself hath all of himself and acts of himself but the Son is not God of himself he is from the Father himself he saith he came from the Father and the Father sent him to this I answer They go upou a wrong Principle for they would have this to be of one self or of another to import a different Essence or Nature for even in created things that which is begotten is ever of the same Nature with that which hath begotten but by reason of Imperfection these are one only in Species but God the Father and the Son may not be said to be one in Species or Kind because thus they would make two Gods What they add how in Divine things he that begetteth and he that is begotten are not one either in Essence or Species because Men and Angels are called Sons of God which are not one with God either in Nature or Kind is very frivolous for 't is certain they are call'd Sons of God upon a very different account from that on which Christ is so call'd None is ever call'd God's own and proper Son only begotten come from the Bosom of the Father for unto which of the Angels or Men said he at any time thou art my Son Heb. 1.5 this day have I begotten thee and again I will be to him a Father and he shall be to me a Son Moreover they are mistaken to think that to be of another is to be of a different and inferiour Nature indeed he who receiveth not all but out of favour only part of what another hath may be said to be inferiour to him of whom he receiveth but he not so who hath all that another hath not by favour but by Nature and Generation They are farther much mistaken when they deny Christ simply and absolutely to be God of himself for he must need be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is a being or Essence of himself Life of himself Holy of himself Power of himself is good of himself Light of himself Truth of himself Wisdom of himself Righteousness of himself Perfect of himself and Glory of himself which all are Attributes of the Deity and to whom they belong So doth also Divine Nature all which Attributes were by the antient Orthodox Doctors of the Church and after them by the eminent Instruments of Reformation owned to be the Right and Property of the Son of God grounding themselves upon the Authority of Scripture in several Places especially that of 1 John 5.20 by me already quoted we are in him that is true even in his son Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life If we look upon the Son of God as he is from Eternity begotten of the Father and as he is the second Person on such an account we own the Son to be from the Father seeing he is true Son but if we consider him as God he is altogether self God and God of himself for the Divinity is wholly unbegotten and of her self knoweth of no beginning and needs not to borrow of others what it hath of it self and if to the Son one would attribute a Begotten and formed Essence this is from the Father to make a second God Lastly Many of the Places which the Adversaries do heap up do speak of Christ's Office of Mediator which they improperly misapply to his Divine Nature for though Christ's Humane Nature hath no Personality but is upheld by the Divine Person yet that upholding doth not confound the Natures otherwise Passion and Death might be attributed to Divine Nature On this Matter they form other Arguments grounded upon false Suppositions as sometimes they would have Father Son and Holy Ghost to be three Spirits and the words unbegotten begotten and proceeding
to be Essential Differences when to speak of three Spirits in the Godhead is as good as to say there are three Gods 1 Cor. 8.4 whilst Scripture saith there is none other God but one who hath his Being from himself and from none else for we must say of every God so called which is not such by Nature Hosea 8.6 what the Prophet saith of the Calf of Samaria the workman made it therefore it is not God and 't is a right Consequence for nothing can be God that is made by another So then to talk of three Spirits in the Godhead is to set up three Gods for God as our Saviour saith absolutely is a Spirit and when we say Spirit we understand his Nature for a Spirit is a Spiritual Substance and being thus they go on still upon their Suppositions they would have the words unbegotten begotten and proceeding to be essential Differences and not personal as they are so other times they would have the Son because he is of the Father not to be one God with the Father who existeth of himself and so not to be the one true God because he hath a Being from another but we must distinguish between the being of Essence and that of the Person the first the Son hath of it self and the second of the Father They farther object he that is Mediator with the God of Israel is not the God of Israel himself for if it were so three Absurdities say they would follow the first God would be inferiour to himself 2dly God would pray to himself 3dly the Party offended shall be Mediatour with himself but to the first we answer Tho' God be Mediator it followeth not he is inferiour to himself for tho' upon the account of the Office he that is a Mediator be inferiour to him whom he intercedeth with yet he is not thereby inferiour in Nature for even among Men one Equal doth intercede with his Equals As to the second the Son prayeth to God for us according to his Humane Nature tho' we exclude not the Divine from interceding for it belongs to it in as much as it is the Eternal Will of the Son that the Father would by reason of his Sacrifice receive us into Favour the Prayers and Submission belong to Humane Nature but the Divine maketh them effectual both Natures being united in one Person The Divine was united with the Humane mediately in the Person of the Son but the same Person was immediately united to Humane Nature As to the third it were absurd indeed if the Party offended was Mediator when there is but one Person offended but where several Persons are offended there is no Absurdity if by their common Consent one of those offended Persons offereth satisfaction for the Offender and to reconcile and in this Case it could not be otherwise for it was required that the Reconciler should be God and 't is but a Cavil to say that he with whom the Son is not Mediator could not be reconciled and that the Son was not Mediator with himself or with the Holy Ghost but only with the Father for first not only he is reconciled and appeased by the Mediator with whom the Son performeth the Office of Mediator but also they that are joyn'd and about it agreed with him wherefore seeing in every thing the Will of Father Son and Holy Ghost be agreed it followeth that through the Merit and Satisfaction of the Mediator the Father being fully satisfied the Son and Holy Ghost are so too I add as to the second it is not absurd as they think that the Son should be Mediator with himself for the Son of God doth the Office of Mediator in both Capacities for as God being one with the Father he receiveth us into Favour and as he is Mediator according to both Natures so as he is God manifested in the Flesh by reason of his Merit and Satisfaction we are received into favour and although this being received into favour be common to Father Son and Holy Ghost yet the Mediator is said to intercede for us with the Father who is consider'd as the Spring of all Divine Counsels and Operations who being willing that the Son should satisfie for our Sins and that by vertue of that satisfaction our Sins should be forgiven it is not possible for the Son to will and do otherwise to this purpose makes what the Apostle saith about our being reconciled to God by Jesus Christ and what the Evangelist writeth he that hath my commandments 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20 21 and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him John 14.21 23. to the same effect doth tend what is said in another place of Christ who when he had by himself purged our Sins sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high So then the Son is appeased Heb. 3.3 and forgiveth our sins receiveth us into favour and giveth us Eternal Life upon the account of his own satisfaction The Father Son and Holy Ghost do the same by reason of the satisfaction given by the Son In the mean while in relation to the Son who for his own sake receiveth us t is call'd his Will in relation to the Father 't is call'd Mediation or Intercession therein the Will of the Son in order of the Person and Divine Working doth follow the Will of the Father Hence it appeareth how they do ill to confound the Divine Nature of Christ under his Office of Mediator as such according to his Humane Nature he pray'd to the Father and taught us a form of Prayer that we should call upon the Father through the Mediator yet he thereby never intended to exclude or deprive himself of his own Due or Right there is no Contradiction to worship the Father in the Face and thorough the Intercession of the Mediator for we worship the Father not in his Person only but of the whole Nature and Christ in John 5.22 as in the form of Baptism proposeth himself to be worshipped for Adoration is not confined in the Person of the Father only They say If the Father be greater than Christ then he is not God equal with the Father but Christ saith John 14.28 the father is greater than I Therefore is not God equal with the Father in this place Christ speaketh not of his Divine Nature but of his Office the Father doth send and the Son is sent and though he be less as to his Humanity he is equal in relation to his Divinity Wherefore I answer Christ is less than his Father in respect to his Humane Nature which he assumed with the Infirmity thereof Sin excepted for he was hungry weary sorrowful and the like and we read he wept tho' never that he laughed but before that Assumption of the Flesh he had a Being of another Nature which can be no