TRI-VNITY OR THE DOCTRIN OF THE Holy Trinity ASSERTED IN A DISCOURSE ON 2 Cor. XIII xiv By ISAAC MAUDUIT Minister of the Gospel LONDON Printed by Hannah Clark for Iohn Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey 1694. THE PREFACE TO Them that Love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity at Tooting and in the Neighbourhood Dearly Beloved in the Lord THE Soundness of your Judgments in the Doctrins of the Gospel your entire Vnion amongst your selves and the Generousness of your Spirit is your Glory as Christians your Strength as a Society and my Encouragement as a Minister Three Years I have Labour'd amongst you and I trust that the Lord of the Vineyard will not Sentence any of you as not finding in you the expected Fruit. Most Congregations may sadly Bewail the fewness of Converts but I Rejoyce that God has given me your Hearts and I readily return them to the Donor by desiring to espouse and present you to Christ You know I affect not tediousness on any Subjects that from proper Texts I might through Divine assistance declare to you the whole Council of God Tho' in the course of my Ministry I have in set Discourses laboured to establish your Minds in the Existence of a God in the Deity of our Blessed Redeemer and in his being the true Messiah I now tender what several of you have lately heard an Asserting of the Holy Trinity These Blessed Persons the Father Son and Holy Ghost have contriv'd effected and do apply our Redemption they are that One God whom we Adore and I hope shall be the Object of our eternal Praises I expose this to the publick View not from the least conceit of the stress of my Arguing but to awaken some Acute Pen which may designedly treat of this Subject and answer the Cavils of late Pamphlets Also several of you being at your Residences in London hereby I trust to be Serviceable to you in your Absence and to testifie that the smallness of my Auditory in the Winter is no temptation to me to cause the Offerings of the the Lord to be abhorred by doing my Office Negligently God confirm you in the Truth as it is in Jesus and make me and you a Blessing to each other that we may rejoice in the Great Day I crave your daily earnest Prayers that my Ministerial endeavours may be attended with the fulness of the Blessing of the Gospel of Christ And whilst in these Parts I shall delight to be Your Watchman Brother and Servant in the Lord I. M. Feb. 5. 1693 4. THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY II COR. xiii 14. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all THE Text is the close of this Epistle which the Apostle shuts up with a wish of the greatest Happiness to the Corinthians He took his leave of them as a Christian and as a Minister with excellent Counsels and Prayers His Counsel or Directions are compriz'd in Verse 1. Be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace Be perfect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be compact and united like Members of one Body as parts of the same House Union conducing much to the perfection of a Society This perfection doth not here so immediately respect an improvement of the members in the habits and exercise of grace though this be very desirable as a perfecting of the Body of the Church by restoring upon Repentance such as were for Scandal separated from their Communion and by reducing such as from a contentious humour had withdrawn from this Fellowship The Verb imports a setting Members that were out of joynt into their proper place again Be of one mind If possible maintain the same judgment in the Articles of your Faith at least pursue the same scope or end in the intireness of your Affections Be of good comfort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word may be rendred Be exhorted to obey these Precepts Be confirmed in Divine Truths or establisht in the good ways of God Or keep up a good Heart be chearful under all your Tryals drop not your Encouragement under any Afflictions which you may yet meet with for the profession of the Gospel Live in peace be as free as you can from Division Strife Wrath Debate Envyings wherein you have been too faulty in times past How happy would the Churches of Christ be did they attend to this Apostolical Counsel His Prayer is in the Text St. Paul here wishes abundant Grace and Mercy to all the Members of this Church Omnia Testamenti beneficia a Paulo Apostolo comprehenduntur sub gratia Christi Patris amore Spiritus sancti communione In which Addresses to Heaven note 1. The Object of this Supplication The Lord Jesus Christ God and the Holy Ghost from whom as the Supream Author or Original descends every good and perfect gift 2. The matter of this Petition Grace Love and Communion The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ or that kindness and bounty which flows from him as the Fountain of Grace considered as God with that Grace which is derived from him as Mediator betwixt God and Man let this be with you or I heartily wish that from his Fulness ye may receive Grace for Grace The love of God be with you That good will of Benevolence and Complacency wherewith the Father embraces them that are in Christ for his sake The Communion of the Holy Ghost Or I earnestly entreat that all manner of gracious Communications may be granted to you from the blessed Spirit to strengthen quicken refresh and seal your Souls We shall only now consider the first Head remarked or the Object of St. Paul's devout Requests Thus the Text is an eminent Proof of the blessed Trinity all the Persons being here distinctly named the Father is called God the Son Lord and the Spirit is mentioned by his Common Epithet the Holy Ghost Moreover something is here attributed to each of these Persons Love to God the Father as the Spring of his Munificence to his Creatures Or that which mov'd him to send his onely begotten Son into the World to save Believers Grace is here ascribed to the Lord Jesus as that which edg'd him on to give his Life a Ransom for many and to die so freely for the Elect. We farther read of the Communion of the Holy Ghost because by the blessed Spirit the Father and the Son do bestow or convey their Love and Grace to all the Saints Though all the Persons in the glorious Trinity are equal in Essence Majesty Glory and Duration yet from this Verse we may remark That there is A difference in their Order of Subsisting on which account the Father is before the Son and the Redeemer precedes the Holy Ghost Thus God the Father the first Person has the foundation of Personal Subsistence from himself God the Son receives it from the Father and God the Holy Ghost from both To intimate an Order
an Innumerable company of Angels but much more to walk in the love of all the Divine Persons when they come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to God the Judge of all Heb. 12.23 24. It is ground of Faith and much Support that in their Addresses Believers can go to the Father Son and Holy Ghost feeling the Grace of the Lord Jesus the Love of the Father and Fellowship with the Holy Spirit Tasting the Love of God in bestowing his Son and admiring the Redeemer's Grace in giving himself Christians ought to testifie their Love to each Person in the Glorious Trinity By fearing to Offend being cautious of not provoking the Father who is a Consuming Fire also not to displease our God and Saviour according to the ancient Charge Exod. 23.21 Beware of him obey his voice provoke him not for he will not pardon your Transgressions For my Name is in him Also dreading lest we should grieve the Holy Spirit or quench his Motions Thess 5.19 By discharging Duty from a Principle of Love to all the Three Persons If any love me he will keep my Words By giving Glory to them all Being duly affected with their particular Goodness We are Baptized in their Names and should ascribe Praise and Honour to the Father Son and Holy Ghost Our Love ought to terminate on God more for what he is in himself than for his Benefits to us 3. Our Assurance has for its Object all the Three Persons waiting to be Sealed or to have their Ratification of our Evidences St. John declares That all the Saints shall partake of Eternal Life and hereof there are three Witnesses in Heaven the Father Son and Holy Ghost 1 Joh. 5.7 All these three do affix their Seal to this Record Altho' if we are certain of the Love of the one we need not doubt the Affection of them all Yet this ensurance the Faithful may humbly expect to be enjoy'd by a direct Beam darted into the Soul helping them in Prayer to cry Abba Father or after Self-Examination assisting them to conclude I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine The Soul cannot boast in the Lord nor triumph in him till it be satisfied of a Covenant-Interest in all the Persons 8. Observe the distinct acts of Office undertaken by the Trinity for the benefit of the Saints e. g. 1. In Conversion the Father Begets Calls Draws no Man can come to Christ except the Father draw him The Lord Jesus receives Sinners viz. Such whose Souls the Father gave him These shall come unto him and none else Nor will he cast off any that come unto him The Holy Spirit he Unites God Christ and the Soul or is the Bond of Union betwixt Believers and their Mystical Head Baptizing them all into one Body 2. In Duties performed by the Faithful each Glorious Person is particularly concerned e. g. 1. In Hearing we hear the Truth of God the Father The Gospel hence is called A Mystery hid in God from many Ages The Lord Jesus who sits upon the Throne he opens the Book of the Heavenly Councils for this he is stiled The Word of God or Interpreter of the Father's Mind as words discover our Conceptions By virtue of his Priesthood as he is the Lamb Slain he opens the Book Rev. 5.9 There is not a Truth discover'd but it cost the Blood of Christ Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the Seals for thou wast Slain and hast Redeemed us to God by thy Blood Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ Meritoriously Joh. 1.17 The Blessed Spirit he applies the Eye-Salve to grant us an Understanding of what is Revealed and ingrafts the Word in our Hearts 2. In Prayer God the Father is addressed to to him we look up saying Our Father Not but that Christ and the Spirit may be Prayed to as well as Believed on being equally God But from the distinct Offices of these Blessed Persons we therefore Supplicate God as the Object and hearer of our Petitions We regard the Son as our Advocate and the Holy Ghost as an Intercessor in us The Spirit Indites our Requests and Jesus Presents them with his own Odours Rev. 8.3 And here Note These distinct Offices of the Trinity are only during the administration of Christ's Mediatory Kingdom When that is finished the Father will draw none to Christ The Son will Offer no Sacrifice unto God the Holy Ghost will no longer assist Sanctisie or Seal us in this Life but Grace shall be perfect and the ends of the Covenant be attained Till the Restitution of all Things peculiar Glory redounds to each Divine Person by these Offices The Father reconciles the World to himself The Son took the form of a Servant to purchase Eternal Life therefore he is Glorified in his People's Hearts The Blessed Spirit begins the work of Grace and perfects it All saving habits are Fruits of the Spirit and for this he is distinctly Adored The Hearts of Saints are Ravished with the Love Goodness and kind Offices of the Glorious Trinity Rev. 1.4 5 6. God doth not barely aim at the Glory of his Essence but at an exalting the Excellency of the Persons as well as at the admiring the Attributes of the Deity Rev. 4.8 They rest not day and night saying Holy holy holy By a constantly repeated Acclamation they acknowledge One God and confess him also to be Three Persons FINIS Books Printed for John Dunton at the Raven in the Poultrey 1. PRoposals for a National Reformation of Manners Humbly offered to the Consideration of our Magistrates and Clergy To which is added I. The Instrument for Reformation II. An Account of several Barbarous Villanies detected by the Society for Reformation As the same have been Sworn before two of Their Majesties Justices of the Peace As also the Black Roll containing the Names and Crimes of several hundred Persons who have been lately Prosecuted for Whoring Drunkenness Sabbath-breaking The whole Published by the Society for Reformation Price 6 d. 2. A Narrative of the late extraordiry Cure in an Instant wrought upon Mrs. Elizabeth Savage Lame from her Birth without the use of any Natural Means with the Affidavits which were made before the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor and the Certificates of several Credible Persons who knew her both before and since this Cure Enquir'd into with all its Circumstances by Noted Divines both of the Church of England and others and by Eminent Physicians of the Colledge and many Persons of Quality who have express'd their full Satisfaction With an APPENDIX attempting to prove that Miracles are not ceas'd Price 6 d. 3. This is to give Notice That it was design'd that no Persons who did not Subscribe to the 2 d. 3 d. and 4th Volumes of the French Book of Martyrs c. which with the First lately Publish'd compleat the Work by the 24th of December last should have had any Advantage by the Proposals made concerning it but at
in the Trinity therefore perhaps we find that the Son in some Texts of Scripture is mentioned before the Father so in the words read sometimes the Holy Ghost is nominated before the Father Ephes 2.18 We have access by one Spirit unto the Father Or he is spoken of before Jesus Christ Revel 1.4 Grace be to you from the seven Spirits i. e. from that Holy Ghost whose Gifts are various and from Jesus Christ v. 5. But although on the account of Relation or with regard to the Order of Subsistence one of these insinite Persons is set before another yet we may not derogate the least Punctilio from the Immensity of either of them any low Thoughts of this nature would be an attempt to disfigure the beautiful Aspect of the Trinity or to diminish their adorable Perfections The Words being thus open'd the conclusion hence may be Doctr. There are Three Persons in the glorious Godhead When we say there are Three Persons Personality denotes a compleat Subsistence endow'd with Understanding therefore we retain the Term as importing a most excellent kind of Being Nor do the sacred Oracles disdain to attribute this Title of Person to the God of Glory Heb. 1. v. 3. Our Redeemer is styl'd The express Image of the Father's Person When we affirm there are Three Persons in the Godhead i. e. the Divine Essence may be conceiv'd by us as modisied three ways 1. As the Fountain or Principle of the Deity Thus it is the First Person or the Father who is not the Cause but the Principle of the Godhead The beginning of a Thing is not necessarily its Cause e. g. The first Point in a Line is not the Cause thereof Neither have the Son and the Holy Ghost any principle of Time but of Order no Commencement of Duration but of Proceeding or Origine 2. If we apprehend the Divine Nature as streaming forth from the Father then it is the Second glorious Person 3. If we regard the Essence of God as breathed forth by the Father and the Son this we call the Holy Ghost The Doctrine of the Trinity might be illustrated if we consider That in the Sun is Light Heat and Beam yet these make up but one Sun In the vegetative Soul there is a triple Vertue Moving Separating proper Matter for Nourishment from what is unfit and attractive or a kind of analogical Appetite In the Sensitive Nature there is a threefold Operation viz. Vitally active apprehensive and appetitive In the rational Soul though the Vertue be centrally one as in the Vegetative and Sensitive yet its working is various in Activity Understanding and Will In the new Creature there is an holy Power Wisdom and Love And all these meet in one Man Grotius is noted in his Catechism to give us some Light herein In his Questions and Answers following Que ratio suadet tres ut credantur in uno R. Distat a carente sine quod fines habet Artificis nusquamne sui spectatur Imago R. Sol Lux carorque tria sunt unum tamen Nil hominum natura jubet nos tale tueri R. Vigere sapere velle in uno sunt tria A Trinity in Vnity is not then too hard to be conceived of us But this Article of our Faith touching the ever-blessed Trinity may be prov'd by the Attestations of the Old Testament by the Records of the Gospel and in that Reason cannot justly deny what is thus revealed The Declarations of the Old Testament do warrant our belief of this Doctrine Full evidence of a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead we have from Gen. 1.26 Let us make man in our image after our likeness God 's not speaking now as before Let there be light v. 3. Let the waters bring forth abundantly v. 20. But the Lord's varying the phrase insinuates that Man was the most perfect Work of God in the visible World and this Expression as well as other Texts makes it plain that Man had more Creators than one Person Other Scriptures confirm to us the Vnity of the Godhead and this clears a distinction of the Persons Neither can the seeming Contradiction of more than One enjoying the Deity be reconcil'd but by acknowledging a Plurality of Persons in the Unity of Essence God said Let us make Man in our Image Here observe 1. It is ridiculous to pretend that the Most High thus spake to the Angels for as much as they to whom the Discourse is directed were Partners or Companions in the wonderful Work of Creation which Work exceeds any finite Power Nor can the Creature be an Instrument in such an Operation because Creation denies any duly prepared subject matter to work upon being the making of Things out of nothing or indisposed Matter also denying Time to work in as producing in an instant Now without Matter and Time no Instrument can act 2. It is as groundless to suppose that when God said Let us make Man he spake after the manner of earthly Princes or Grandees seeing such a form of speaking in the Plural Number was no wise agreeable to the plainess used in the first Ages or elder Times of the World nor consonant to the Hebrew style The Isralitish Kings spake of themselves in the Singular Number particularly David 2 Sam. 3.28 I and my Kingdom are guiltless from the blood of Abner Not we and our Empire 1 Chron. 21.17 Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbred Even I it is that have sinned Let thy hand I pray thee O Lord my God be on me Me me inquam in me convertito ferrum In the same manner did the Eastern Monarchs issue forth their Proclamations especially Darius Ezra 6.8 I make a Decree which ye shall do to the Elders of these Jews for the building of this House of God So also Ezra 7.21 I even I Artaxerxes the King do make a Decree It is then a daring presumption for any to intrude the Customs of the later Times into the ancient Records of the Holy Scriptures Yea the God of Glory spake of himself singularly Thus when he manifested his Resolve to drown the World Gen. 6.17 I even I do bring a flood of waters Likewise when he display'd his Glory Power and Majesty at the Publishing of the Law on Mount Sinai Exod. 20.2 I am the Lord thy God So the Prophet notes Isa 42.6.8 I the Lord have called thee I am the Lord that is my Name and my Glory will I not give to another neither my Praise to graven Images Wherefore that passage Let us make Man after our likeness supposes more than one Person to be concern'd in framing of Man Nor is the Old Testament a stranger to the Trinity of Persons we have them all mentioned Isa 63.7 9 10. Here is a discovery of God the Father or Jehovah I will mention the loving-kindness of the Lord and the praises of the Lord. Notice is given us of Jesus Christ called here the Angel of his presence Other