and laboured more abundantly then any in this service 5. Peter did never claime or exercise any such power over the Princes and Kingdomes of the world as the Pope doth Lu. 22. 25 26. Mat. 20. 25 26. 6. If Peter had desired and usurped any Supremacy over the rest of the Apostles he had thereby degraded himselfe and been last of all Mark 9. 34 35. 7. If the vices of Popes may make them Supream or their errours infallible we are able to prove that by fraud violence and such like black arts they have usurped a power over the consciences of men to lead them â—nto Heresie Antichristianisme Atheisme For by endeavouring to prove their Infallibility by the Scripture and then venting grosse errours as infallible truths upon the authority of the Pope and Church they have tempted some to beleeve neither Church nor Pope nor Scripture The Pope hath told them that they had as good beleeve nothing as not beleeve all and therefore it is to be feared that too many beleeve nothing at all Let us then to the Law and the Testimony and let Christ and his Spirit be heard speake in them and we will proceed to tryal with the Papists upon what points they please We will try all their new Tutelar Gods whether Angels or dead men or their breaden God in the Masse by the 1 Command Their picturing of God and worshipping of him by pictures by the Second Commandment Their Superstitious benedictions Magicall Incantations exorcismes and all those helps to salvation which salt wax spittle bells can afford by the third Commandement and so I might proceed to the Holy-dayes Masses c. or try their Popes usurpations the cruelty of their Inquisition their allowance of Fornication forbidding to marry their equivocations rebellious concupiscence by the Second Table We will by the Gospell of Christ try the Doctrine of Justification by workes their publick prayers in an unknowne tongue their denying of the Testament of Christs bloud to the people we will examine whether there be more sacrifices of Christ then one whether they that dye in Christ rest from their labours I might proceed to examine their Doctrine concerning the Offices and benefits of Christ concerning the nature and use of faith and the Doctrine of the Sacraments and the rest of the points in controversie between us and the Papists And truly when I do read such questions as these I cannot but thinke of those Texts 1 Tim. 4. 1. 2 3. Now the Spirit speakes expresly c. the Spirit doth so expresly condemne these seducing and erring Spirits that whosoever will be perswaded by the evident demonstrations of the Spirit and be over-ruled by his positive definitions in Scripture will confesse that the Papists were very wise in offering to be tryed by unwritten Traditions or the Pope and his adherents in all points in question It is clear that the Popes have taught for Doctrines the Commandements of men He that reades the Epistles to the Romanes and Galathians 1 Cor. 14. Chap. the second Chapter to the Colossians the second Chapter of the second Epistle to the Thessalonians and the plainer places of the Book of the Revelation will acknowledge the Spirit doth speake expresly The Pope must therefore be beholding to his School-men to defend his Doctrine and to his Canonists to keep up his Discipline and pretend no more to Scriptures or pure Antiquity for his Justification If the Anti-Scripturists would but hearken to the Spirit speaking in the Scripture they would say the Spirit hath magnified both Law and Gospel and made them honorable precious and glorious in our eyes I will not insist upon those many convincing arguments whereby the Scriptures are undeniably proved to be the word of God but humbly desire all men to consider whether the true reason why those Arguments do not effectually perswade obstinate men be not cleerly this because men do undervalue the testimony of the Holy Ghost and resist vex grieve or quench the Holy Spirit whose office it is to seale up this and all other saving truths to our consciences and hearts True it is that the law of God is written in our hearts by nature but our nature is corrupted and we are blinded with pride passion prejudice with selfe conceitednes and selfe-love and therefore it is requisite that the wrath of God should be revealed from heaven against pleasing gainfull sins nay unnaturall sins Rom 1. 18. to the end of the Chapter Moreover it is to be sadly considered that the Gospell is not written in our hearts by nature nor can it be found out by any artificiall Demonstration but it is discovered to us by Divine Revelation Rom. 1. 16 17. I know many learned men have used the testimony of humane Authors in a Secondary and subservient way to confirme our Faith in this point but it is cleer that we must rest our Faith upon the Authority of God in this and all other points or else our Faith will not be a Divine Faith God sweares by himselfe because he is the greatest and doth bear witnesse to himselfe in his word Nay to his Word in his Word because he is the truest for he is indeed the prime truth the onely Infallible Truth And hence it is that the Scriptures are called the testimonies of God and the testimony of the Spirit is so often produced 1 Pet. 1. 11. Act. 5. 32. 1 Ioh. 5. 6. It is no shame to adhere to the Testimony of God in the weightiest point Psal. 119. 31 46. Hence it is that the Penmen do so often shew their Commission and cry thus saith the Lord. And hence it is that God doth so often own the Scriptures for his word This is my word saith God this came from my inspiration saith the Spirit 2 Tim. 3. 16. 2 Pet. 1. 21. This is my writing saith Iehovah I will own it and stand to it I have written to him the great things of my Law saith God Hos. 8. 12. The Scriptures are the Oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. They contain the counsel of God Act. 20. 27. God hath given us sufficient assurance that the Law was written by his own finger and all other books by his specâ—al command and inspiration All Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3. 16 Prophecyâ—ame not in old time the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it came not at any time by the will of man but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. Our Saviour gives a full testimony to Moses David the rest of the Penmen of the Psalms and all the Prophets Luk. 24 44. God hath sealed the testimony of the Penmen by miracles on men and divels we need not expect new miracles to confirm this Old-Testament ancient Gospel both are confirmed by the old miracles which stand upon Record in both But if any man preach a New Gospel we may
Coessentiall Trin-unity of these heavenly witnesses And divers other learned and judicious men conceive that these words were blotted out in the time of Constantius and Valens the Emperours who were sworn enemies of the blessed Trinity and professed Patrons of Arrianisme 7. The Hereticks did blot out those words Ioh. 4 24. God is a spirit as Ambrose assures us and therefore this practise of expunging such words in the Scripture as did refute their errours was too common amongst the Hereticks of old as we might prove by witnesses enough if that were our businesse 8. These words 1 Ioh. 5. 7. are to be found in copies of great antiquity and best credit 9. This Text is cited by the Ancient Fathers by Athanasius in his dispute with Arrius at the counsell of Nice and Arrius never denyed it for to be Scripture which certainly he would have done if there had been any doubt made of it in the Primitive times It is cited by Cyprian also in his book de Vnitate Ecclesiae Paxillus in his booke de Monomachia proves by an induction of the learned Doctors of the Church both before and since Athanasius that the Doctrine of the Coessential Trin-Unity of these heavenly witnesses was generally received by all that were esteemed Orthodox and pious in the Church of Christ. Calovius also in his Fides Patrum ante Concilium Nicenum gives in a Catalogue for the satisfaction of all that desire resolution in this weighty point 10. These three heavenly witnesses are one in Power nature and Will all three bear witnesse to the same truth and their testimony is divine 1 Joh. 5. 9. And the truth which they bear witnesse to is a fundamentall truth a saving truth that we may beleeve on the Sonne of God and have eternall life 1 Joh. 5. 11 12 13. And if the authority of any one of these three heavenly witnesses be called into question all may be questioned upon the same grounds because their testimony is of equall authority their testimony is personall and divine and if the testimony and authority of these witnesses were not divine our faith which is built upon their testimony and authority would not be a divine Faith Quale est testimonium talis est fides All three heavenly witnesses joyne with one consent and Will in propounding this fundamentall truth and therefore if we do not beleeve and embrace it we give the lye to all the three witnesses in heaven 1 Joh. 5. 10. And if we do beleeve that Jesus is the naturall Son of God in and by whom all beleevers have eternall life then we must acknowledge that Jesus Christ is one God with his Father the true God and eternall life 1 Joh. 5. 20. Christ is God Attributivè Joh. 1. 1. Subjectivè Act 20. 28. 1 Tim. 3. 16. This one proposition That Iesus Christ is the naturall and proper Son of God is that Fundamental Confession of Faith upon which the Christian Church is built Mat. 16. 16 17 18. Thou art Christ the Son of the living God This is the Rock upon which Christ hath so firmly built his Church that the gates of Hell shal never prevail against it or this fundamentall truth We are all built upon Christ through the Spirit for an habitation of God Eph. 2. 20 21 22. Father Son Holy Ghost all three joyn in laying this foundation and all three are one and the self-same great God who is the only true God blessed for ever as hath been fully proved already in this book and therfore I may be the briefer in the discussion of this weighty point The Form of Baptism doth contain in it a short Creed or Rule of Faith Mat. 28. 19. And when the ancient Fathers speak such high things of the Creed they understand it of this short Creed which is part of Canonicall Scripture and not of that form which is commonly callled the Apostles Creed In like manner when they expound Eph. 4. 5. One Lord one Faith one Baptism they say there is one Faith and one Baptism because the sum of our Faith is contained in the forme of Baptism When Epiphanius hath reckoned up all the Heresies in his Anaceph he opposes this one Scripture Mat. 28. 19. to them all to shew that he looked upon the Doctrine of the Trinity as a Breviary or at least prime fundamentall of the Christian Faith and Eusebius Pamphilus doth the like I might produce many pertinent places out of Irenaeus Tertullian Athanasius Basil Nazianzene Augustin others to make good this useful observation That the prime Fundamentall of the Christian Faith is contained in the Form of Baptism and founded on Mat. 28. 19. It were easie to shew upon what occasion other Articles were added to the publique confessions of Faith in the most renowned Churches in severall ages And it is as easie to prove that the Doctrine of the Coessential Trin-unity was for the matter and substance if not in expresse terms in terminis terminantibus as we say constantly maintained 1. In publique Confessions of Faith composed explained confirmed by the first Generall Councels published by the decrees and edicts of pious Emperours and ratifyed by their civil sanctions from time to time I need not instance in the Nicene Creed or that Creed which was composed by Athanasius who studied this point defended suffered for it above forty yeers The Confession published by the Synod of Constantinople doth not differ in substance from the other Creeds concerning this grand mystery of the blessed Trinity I am not willing to expatiate upon this Argument because I should then be engaged to cite very many testimonies of the Ancients which would swell up my book beyond its due proportion But if any man desire to read more upon this Argument for his own satisfaction and hath not so much time as to peruse the ancient Records he may read Master Parkers book de Desc. ad inferos more especially his fourth book The learned Sermon of Reverend Doctor Vsher concerning the unity of Faith who gives a brief aud satisfactory account of the ancient Confessions of Faith with a special reference to Baptism Doctor Voetius Gomarus and the rest who have written de Symbolo Apostolico or of the mystery of the Trinity The jugling of the Arrians is so plainly set forth in the most faithfull writers of Ecclesiasticall story that I need not relate how they made use of their interest at Court and all their carnal policy in every considerable place to pack Councels forge or corrupt Creeds seduce all sorts of men who were led more by interest then Scripture and then to evade or comply with subtile distinctions mentall reservations equivocations and such unworthy shifts for to save themselves from censure in a time of Reformation 2. The Catechismes of the Ancients hold forth this doctrine the Catechumeni were trained up in the knowledge of it Lucian who lived in Trajans time
5. 23. The great mystery of uniting the soule to Christ by Faith Eph. 5. 32. and making of it one Spirit with the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 6. 17. is a main Fundamentall of the mystery of Godlinesse as shall be proved cleerly before I conclude this chapter III. God the Holy Ghost is the object of a Christians divine Faith The Holy-Ghost speaking in the Holy Scriptures doth teach us to beleeve not only in the Father and in the Son but in himself also It is the Spirit that beareth witnesse because the Spirit is truth 1 Joh. 5. 6. There are three that bear witnesse in Heaven but here is speciall testimony given of the Spirit that we might be moved to beleeve the spirit who is to testifie the whole truth concerning the Father the Son and himself It is the Spirit saith he whose speciall office it is to bear witnesse and therefore there is this speciall testimony given of him that the Spirit is truth and then it follows that the Spirit is one with the Father and the Son one in nature one and the same God with them both These three are one 1 Joh. 5. 7. and the witnesse of God must without controversie be received unlesse we will make God a Lyer as the Apostle reasons the point from the 9th verse to the 12th The Spirit is Truth the Spirit is God therefore the Spirit is the object of Divine faith he that tells a lye to the Holy Ghost tells a lye to God Acts 5. 3 4. He that then gives the lye to the Holy Ghost gives the lye to God The testimony of the Spirit is a Divine testimony 1 Cor. 2. 1. 4. the demonstration of the Spirit a divine demonstration the power of the Holy Ghost a divine power Paul saith his Preaching was not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power that our faith might not stand in the wisedome of men but in the power of God The wisdome power testimony of the Spirit are all of them divine the wisdome of the Spirit is infallible the power of the Spirit is irresistible and therefore our most divine faith is built and doth stand fast grounded and established upon the wisdome of the Spirit because the wisdome of the Spirit is the wisdome of God 1 Cor. 2. 4 5. We read in the Prophets that all the children of God shall be taught of God Esay 54. 13. of all three persons for the Father teacheth Mat. 16. 17. Ioh. 5. 45. and the Son who came out of the bosome of his Father and yet remained in the bosome of his Father teacheth Heb. 1. 2. But the Father and the Son especially since the Ascension of Christ and the effusion of the Spirit do teach the children of God all his Elect by the holy Spirit And therefore the Apostle shewing how God doth teach his Elect after a more peculiar manner so that even babes in Christ those whom he calleth little children are preserved even in seducing times and led into all necessary truths notwithstanding all the diligence and subtilty of those many Antichrists who are industrious to deceive he saith they have an unction from the Holy one and know all things all things necessary to be knowne and beleeved for the obtaining the remission of sins c. ver 12. But more especially he shewes that the Spirit doth teach them to continue in the Son and in the Father ver 24. and therefore in the Doctrine concerning the Father and the Son as it is more expresly set downe in the 9th verse of the second Epistle of Iohn And then he shewes that the Spirit should abide constantly in them to give them cleer and certaine direction in all necessary points 1 Iohn 2. 27. But the annointing which yee have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him or it Ye shall abide in Christ and abide in the truth which hath been taught you by the Holy Spirit and the teaching of the Spirit is cleare and certaine for saith he the spirit is truth and is no lye Here is the peculiar teaching of God the Spirit teacheth us to beleeve in himselfe aswell as in the Father and the Son And the Spirit was sent by the Father in the namâ— of the Son for this very purpose Moreover it is evident that the Spirit doth not only teach Babes in Christ but he taught even the Apostles of Christ. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things Joh. 14. 26. Nay the Holy Spirit did endite all the Holy Scriptures and inspire the Prophets Apostles and all the holy men of God in the writing of them The Scriptures were not written by the will of men but by the motion of the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1. 21. where the motion of the Holy Ghost is opposed to the will of men to shew that the motion and will of the Holy Ghost is the motion and will of God Many other places and arguments might be superadded but for the better instruction of ordinary Readers I shall draw out my Arguments into ranke and file 1. The Spirit is God The testimony of the Spirit is the testimony of God 1 Cor. 2. 1. 4. The wisedome of the Spirit the wisedome of God and the power of the Spirit the power of God 1 Cor. 2 4 5. 13. The teaching of the Spirit is the teaching of God Ihe will of the Spirit is the will of God 2 Pet. 1. 21. 1 Cor. 12. 6. 11. 2. The Spirit is the Author of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 16. 1 Pet. 1. 11 12. Revel 2. 29. 3. The Spirit is the Interpreter of the Scriptures and his interpretation is cleer certaine and infallible The Spirit discovers the hidden wisedome of God the wisedome of God in a mystery the deep things of God which could not have entred into the heart of man if the Spirit had not revealed them and therefore the deep things of God â— Cor. 2. 10. are called the things of the Spirit of God ver â—4 and things which are spiritually discerned and therefore they are such things as the Spirituall man by the help of the Spirit is able to perceive discerne receive and to say with truth and comfort Now I have the mind of Christ now I know the things that are freely given me of God because the Spirit hath revealed them to me Consider the discourse of the Apostle quite throughout the Second chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians and this point will be very cleer 4. The Spirit
what I should disallow Phil. 1 9 10 19. I must choose what the Spirit approves and then prosecute what I have chosen with care hope desire and embrace what I attaine to with love and delight and in a word rest satisfyed with the love of the Father the grace of the Son and the communion of the Spirit as my al-sufficient and satisfactory portion for evermore Psal. 17. 15. Psal. 63. 5. Faith is that Grace which enables and enclines us upon the divine testimony of the Spirit to depend on Christ for righteousnesse and life according to the tenour of the Covenant of Grace The divine Testimony of the Spirit is the true ground of justifying Faith but Historicall Faith which may be in Devils Jam 2. and Temporary Faith which may be in Reprobates Luke 8. are not truly grounded on the Testimony wisdome Authority Revelation or demonstration of the Spirit We read of a Revelation of flesh and blood Mat. 16. 17. And the demonstration and Revelation of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 4. 10. 14 15. Ephes. 1. 17. A man who hath nothing but sense and Reason in him may have an Historicall or a Temporary Faith but he who doth upon the divine Testimony of the Spirit beleeve that Iesus is the Christ he is born of God of the Spirit of God and hath the witnesse in himself 1 Joh. 5. 1. 6 10. For the regenerate and they only have a spirituall understanding in them to know him that is true when he is revealed unto them by the Spirit of truth 1 Joh. 5. 20. 1 Cor. 2 14 15. Deut. 29. 4. For the Demonstration of the Spirit is not understood by us untill we are renewed in the spirit of our mind so that we can look upon the Divine truths testifyed by the Spirit with a spirituall eye and discern them after a spirituall manner 1 Cor. 2. 14. And therefore the Testimony of the Spirit is not received but by our renewed Spirits Rom. 8. 16. Before we are Regenerate we receive divine truths only because we judge them reasonable or because we find them in the Scriptures and we beleeve the Scriptures upon an Humane Testimony and therefore only with an Humane not a Divine Faith But the Spirituall man beleeves all upon the testimony of the Spirit and doth constantly beg the direction of the good Spirit O thy Spirit is good saith David teach me lead me quicken me by thy Spirit Ps. 143. 10 11. Finally this good spirit discovers to a man before he beleeves 1. His want of Christ 2. The worth of Christ. His want of Christ by reason of 1. His hainous sins which are inexcusable damnable 2. His Spirituall wants which are innumerable 3. His present misery and slavery which are unspeakable unsupportable The worth of Christ because he is an All-sufficient Saviour and only Saviour the Spirit discovers the treasures of Free grace the mysteries of Divine Faith which even Angels admire the unsearchable riches of Christ the fulnesse of God able to satiate the soule with heavenly glorious everlasting happinesse and even infinite content Then the soule is convinced by the Spirit of God not onely of the truth but goodnesse of the Covenant made by God with man in Christ and that there are better things laid up for beleevers in Christ then any are or can be bestowed by Sathan upon his greatest Agents and dearest favourites the darlings of the flesh and world and upon this account the soule is perswaded by this demonstration of the spirit to close with Christ and deny itself to have no ability wisdome righteousnesse will of its own but to seek wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption in Christ. 1 Cor. 1. 30. In a word to deny its own will and take the will of Christ for its rule and compasse to do or suffer any thing for Christ to lose or sell all for him The good spirit perswades us 1. To prize Christ highly even above all the kingdomes of the world and glory of them 2. To beleeve in Christ stedfastly 3. To love Christ deerly better then our selves or dearest friends better then worldly treasures sensuall joy or any carnall contentments whatsoever 4. To follow Christ fully that we may enjoy him eternally as our Crown our happinesse our heaven And to this end and purpose to set up the word of God in our Consciences as our only rule for to direct us 1. In all points of Faith 2. In all parts of worship 3. In all passages of our life and conversation that we may cast out the world the Devil nay flesh and self and all to make roome for Christ. Now when the Spirit hath by its own evidence testimony authority wisdome and efficacy wrought Faith in the soule to carry it into the armes of Iesus Christ Christ doth bid it welcom embraces kisses it and takes this young beleever by the hand and puts him into his Fathers bosome And when we are thus brought to beleeve in Father Son and Holy Ghost then we are fitted and prepared to worship and obey all three glorious persons as one God blessed forever And therefore I may now proceed to speak of the worship of all three and then of our obedience to all three 2. This grand Mystery of Faith hath an effectuall influence into our Gospel-worship He takes the name of Father Son and Holy Ghost in vain and doth not make that Holy use which he should of the Titles Properties workes and Ordinances of all three who doth not with Knowledge Faith Reverence sincerity and spirituall joy worship all three for this is true Gospel-worship And therefore I would intreat my Reader diligently to consider what I have delivered in the fourth and fifth chapters of this Treatise concerning the divine Nature Titles Properties works of all three in order to worship for the glory of the thrice illustrious and yet single God head and then if he will study the scope of the first Table of the Holy Law of God and the substance of Gospel-worship he will acknowledge that every one who beleeveth in all three persons will find his Faith obliging and inclining him to worship al three glorious persons as one God blessed for ever 1. God the Father is to be worshipped under the Gospel as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Father in him I have touched this point already and because it is not much controverted by our grand enemies I shall not insist long upon it All the knowledge of God which we gain by the Scriptures of truth is revealed to us on purpose for our direction in the worship of God we must not worship God according to our own devices but according to that discovery which God hath made of himselfe to us in his Holy word not onely in respect of his divine nature as when our
Holy Ghost above a world is not as yet acquainted with the mystery of Faith or the Power of Godliness he hath neither Father Son nor Spirit in him CHAP. X. Christians who have a lively sense and sweet experience of this grand mystery of Faith and practicall mystery of Godliness are afraid to hold Communion with such as pretend to be Spirituall Christians and yet deny the divine Nature and distinct subsistences of Christ and his holy Spirit IT is observed by a great States man That he who follows Truth too neere at heeles may have his Teeth heat out but I had rather lose my teeth than not teach and profess the truth He who presses this point in this Licentious Age wherein Scepticks in the highest points are called Seekers and Hereticks good Christians had need beg the promise of the Father that he may be endued with vertue from on high that is a magnanimous and more then an Heroicall spirit to preach the truth We must not feare the face of man in the cause of God if the Devill might set up his Church in England wherein Heresie is instead of a Preacher profaneness and ungodliness instead of Ruling Elders yet I must be bold to say that these Seekers whom the Reformers called Libertines are as the Fathers called them but Nullifidians and Atheists professed Atheists for They are Atheists who will not beleeve and adore the only true God Father Son and holy Ghost and such are the Seekers whom I am to deale with who deny the Lord Christ to be God and I shall easily discover that this is Atheisme whether reigning Atheisme or no let the Socinian Seekers and Deifyed Atheists judge Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he who abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son The second Epistle of Iohn the ninth verse Who is a lyar but he that denyeth that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Son Whosoever denyeth the Son the same hath not the Father 1 Ioh. 2. 22 23 24. He who hath not the true God Father Son and holy Ghost for his God is an Atheist for if he do acknowledge a false God a false God being no God it must still bee granted that no man can bee excused from Atheisme by his acknowledgment or worship of any thing that is not God I speak of such speculative Atheisme as doth commonly run into practical Atheism and may consequently end in direct and down-right Atheisme or at least such affected Atheisme as will permit that Radicall and Seminall Atheisme which was borne with them to sit quietly in their hearts as on a Throne so that they have no actuall belief of the true God which doth amount to an historicall beliefe much lesse any that can effectually over-power or dethrone their natural Atheisme And yet I beleeve these Atheistical Libertines can never fully blot out all the natural notions of a Godhead written in their hearts by the finger of God though many of them have made a very unhappy progress in this devillish study for the devils themselves have not attained to any Atheistical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Devils beleeve and tremble but enough of that the Socinians are Atheists Interpretativè at the least It is not enough for Christian Communicants to attaine to the first principle of natural Theology and confess that there is a God but they must acknowledge the first principle of Christianity which is indeed Supernatural Divinity and acknowledge that Father Son and holy Ghost are the only true God for else we go no farther then Pharaoh that grand Seeker did when he asked who is Iehovah that I should obey his voice Exo. 5. 2. or then the Samaritans and Athenians did who worshipped they knew not what Ioh. 4. 22. Act. 17. 23. The Turks the Pagans the Jews do acknowledge that there is a God unless then we do intend to hold Church-Communion with Pagans Jews Mahumetans we must require somewhat more of those whom we admit unto Christian Communion than a bare acknowledgment that there is a God or that the Father is God For he who doth deny the Godhead of the Son doth deny the Father also and consequently hath no God at all for his God as hath been proved already from the ninth verse of the second Epistle of Iohn and 1 Iohn 2. 22 23 24. He that honoureth not the Son as highly as he honoureth the Father he doth not honour the Father who sent his co-equall Son to give us life Ioh. 5. 21 23. We must acknowledge the Son to be equall to the Father for this redounds to the glory of God the Father Phi. 2. 6. 11. We can have no Christian and spiritual Communion with God the Father but in his natural Son and by their Coessential Spirit as is manifest by comparing these Texts together 1 Ioh. 1. 3. 1 Cor. 1. 9. 2 Cor. 13. 14. Rev. 1. 4 5. Mat. 28. 19 20. Ephes. 2. 18 22. 1 Cor. 12. 3 6 8 11 13. and by the full scope of all my practical Discourse in the ninth Chapter of this Treatise This is life eternal c. Iohn 1 7 3. 1 Iohn 5. 6 7 11 12 13 20. When Saint Paul doth enlarge the bounds of Christian Communion as far as he can he writes thus Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinth to them that are sanctified in Christ Iesus called to be Saints with all that in every place call upon the name of Iesus Christ our Lord both theirs and ours 1 Cor. 1. 2. We cannot maintaine any Christian Communion with such as deny the Godhead of Christ for they must as Francis David and David George c. did deny that Christ is to be worshipped with divine faith and love because as they blaspemously said he hath not the same divine nature with God the Father or else they must say as Socinus who wrote against Francis David said that Christ is to be worshipped with divine worship and then they will if you put their principles together as you may see them together in that Racovian Alcoran the Racovian Catechisme be found to be even the very best o◠them but a pack of Blasphemous Idolaters With whom We ought not to hold Communion For whilst they do blasphemously affirme that Christ is a meere man in glory and the Son of God only in a metaphoricall not any proper sense We must draw these conclusions The best of the Socinians maintaine 1. That Jesus Christ our Lord is but a meere man in glory a very Creature and no more and therefore they are blasphemers and so are all they who say that they are as much God as Iesus Christ for these are high swelling blasphemies such as the Deified Atheists of the Family of love with whom I feare Mr. Fry hath had too
these unhappy daies may as easily be reconciled as Sophocles and Euripides were concerning the goodnesse of women Sophocles being asked the reason why he did alwaies represent women in his Tragedies as very good whereas Euripides did ever represent them as very bad answered that be and Euripides did not at all contradict one another for saith he I do ever represent women just as they should be and Euripides just as they are In like manner some Writers represent these times just as they should be and others represent them just as they are But I must needs condemn those who draw a crooked conclusion from the corrupt doctrine and manners of this untoward and crooked generation and infer that there is no Church of God in England because Antichristian and blasphemous Seducers are multiplyed without number and favoured in the Land though all the Magistrates and godly of the Nation are by one confederate Body obliged by solemn Oath to root out Idolatry Blasphemy Heresie Schisme Profanenesse and whatsoever else is contrary to sound doctrine and the power of Godlinesse 1. It is not denyed that there is a fry of Achans in the Land 2. The sins condemned are inexcusable and so are all the Foster-fathers of them 3. We pray that they who have given their power to the Beast may give it to the Lamb. 4. All faithfull Ministers do open heaven to the faithfull and shut it against unbeleevers as our Master enjoynes us Mark 16. 15. Luk. 24. 47. and therefore we are true and faithful to the King of Saints and Commonwealth of Israel 5. There are thousands in England whose hearts bleed at their eyes for the abominations of the Land men that do seriously endeavour to save themselves others from this untoward generation according to Peters direction Act. 2. 40. 6. The house of Jacob was the Church of God and yet there were foule faults Incest and murder found amongst his Sons The Lord perswade and encourage the Fathers of this Nation to be as zealous against the sins of the Nation as Jacob was against the sins of Reuben Simeon and Levi. I must go backwards here as Shem and Japhet did I have not time to mention other things but let all such as have the power and bowels of Fathers take heed that they do not persecute or offend one of those little ones who beleeve in Christ much less undo one of those great ones who have much of Christ and his Spirit reigning in them Beleeve it Sir there are a company I put my self out of the number of Select men in Oxford I know not whether there be all things considered the like in the World againe men able and willing to promote the Common-wealth of true Religion publike Liberty and ingenuous learning for the Common-weale and good of mankind in all Nations for they are acquainted with all necessary Arts Sciences and Languages and dare throw the Gauntlet to the proudest Champions in the Antichristian World Some few of these may perhaps be complained of by some Weathercockes who can rather turn then crow some froward children who bite their mothers breasts or vipers who would eate a way to their own preferment thorow their mothers Bowels It is not for want of pride or ignorance that these afflict your doores and eares with unnecessary complaints which they prove just as Erucius did his against Roscius who when he was asked who told him so he answered No body and when it was demanded how the accusation would be proved answered In truth I know not What is this saith Tully pro Sexto Roscio but to abuse the Laws and Judges to object what you cannot prove nay do not so much as endeavour to prove It may be you will reply as Hazael did Am I a dog that I should be accessary to any grievous or unrighteous Decree You know what Hazael did and you know that Asa was a good man and yet a Persecutor But I hope that as you have been zealous for the Reformation so you will be zealous for the preservation of the Vniversity which is the earnest desire and prayer of Sir Your thankfull Servant Fr. Cheynell To the Reader I must entreat you not to mistake the Printers oversights for my dictates I was seldome here to overlook the Presse and can only glance over the Book now with a running eye I leave it to your candor and judgement to correct ordinary slips but before you set your self to read be pleased to correct these 3. places In page 35. line 22. Not is left out and for in line 23. read both thus Not as the spirit of disobebedience acts in children of wrath for we c. In the Margin page 28. b read thus Actus divini considerati secundumid quod sunt In the Margin pag. 370. For Pultum ocera read cultum opera The God of wisdome blesse our endeavours The grace of Christ the love of the Father and Communion of the holy Spirit is the best portion let us all beg it for our selves our friends and our posterity in these evill daies and the Lord send us a gratious returne of all our Prayers at the Throne of grace that we may all find grace and mercy in this time of need March 26. 1650. CHAP. I. The Godhead is Spiritual Infinite Incomprehensible WE read of the eternal Godhead in the Book of the Creature Rom. 1. 20. and therefore I prize Philosophy because it is subservient to Divinity nay that Philosophy which manifests the Eternal Power and God-head of our great Creator is indeed and Truth nothing else but Natural Divinity This Natural Divinity is called The truth Rom. 1. 18. and it is a Divine Truth because it doth declare 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all that can be known of God by the light of nature Rom. 1. 19 20. I subscribe to that of Clemens Alexandrinus We ought not to swear allegiance to any sect of Philosophers whether Stoicks Epicures Platonists or Peripatetiques but we must select and embrace whatsoever is true and faithfully delivered concerning God by any Sect and the Truth selected out of all Sects is not vaine Philosophy but Natural Divinity There is something of the Image of God Law of Nature written in our hearts and consciences as is evident by common experience and plain testimonies of the world of God and therefore the Scripture doth not condemn all Philosophy but vain Philosophy Colos. 2. These natural notions of the eternal Godhead should excite us to enquire farther after God as the Apostle shewes in Acts 17. ver 27. because though our natural notions concerning God are true yet they are such imperfect and obscure notions or rather hints that we are by reason of the corruption of our nature very apt to abuse them and therefore we must regulate them by the Word of God The Godhead is Spiritual and therefore invisible the Professors of Wisdome became fools when upon a clear sight of some invisible
are required to give to God the Father Ioh. 5. 23. 4. Examples every way warrantable because agreeable to these precepts are frequent in the Word Act. 7. 59. 60. 1 Cor. 1. 2. Rev. 22. 20. 5. Baptisme is administred in the name and to the honour of Christ Mat. 28. 17. 18 19 20. 6. At the day of Judgement every knee must bow to him and acknowledge him to be equall to his Father Isa. 45 21 22 23 24. 25. compared with Rom. 14. 10 11 12. Phil. 2. 6 9 10 11. 7. All that are justified do believe in him and they who do believe in him shall not be ashamed Rom. 3. 25 26. 1 Pet. 2 6 7. 8. The Apostolicall benediction so often repeated in the Epistles From whence I argue since God will not give his glory to another because he is true Isa. 48. 11. and cannot because he is just it followes that though Christ be a distinct person yet he is not a distinct God from his Father but one and the same God with him God blessed for ever Much more might be produced upon this argument That which hath been said is abundantly sufficient if God set it home upon our spirits by his own Spirit but if men will not be perswaded by these Scriptures neither would they be perswaded though one should rise from the dead In the next place I am to demonstrate the Divine Nature Person Titles Attributes Works Worship of the Holy Ghost 3. The same eternall Godhead doth subsist in the Holy Ghost who is God blessed for ever The Holy Ghost is a spirituall and infinite substance subsisting with peculiar properties and acting according to the counsel of his divine will The Apostle having distinguished betweene the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit shews that the Spirit it selfe That one Spiris l That one and self-same Spirit doth work and distribute all those excellent gifts according as he pleases 1 Cor. 12. 4. Now 1. these particularising and indigitating terms That one that same Spirit 2. The wiâ—â— of the Spirit 3. The discriminating energâ— or efficacy of the Spirit do all demonstratâ— the subsistence of the Spirit peculiarity 〈◊〉 his Subsistence When the Spirit of truth 〈◊〉 come He will guide Iohn 16. 13. he saith noâ— It but He and therefore doth not speak 〈◊〉 an Attribute but a Person He c. which is the more to be observed because thâ— word in the originall which signifies Spiritâ— is of the Neuter gender and yet our Savior speaking of the Spirit saith He to point out the peculiar subsistence or person of the Spirit When He the Spirit of Truth c. Iohn 16. 13. and therefore we ought to take speciall notice of that expression and all those notes of particularity 1 Cor. 12. applyed to the Spirit do shew that he is a particular and undivided substance one Spirit the same Spirit the self same Spirit one and the self same Spirit 1 Cor. 12. form the 4. v. to the 12. And that this spirituall particular undivided substance is a divine substance is evident because it is said that the same Spirit who doth work all in all is the same Lord and the same God 1 Cor. 12. 5 6. and Lord in the new Testament doth answer to Iehovah in the old as hath been proved above in this very Chapter when Peter drew up a charge against Ananias he puts this question to him Why hath Sathan filled thy heart to lie to the holy Ghost thou hast not lyed unto men but unto God Act. 5. 3 4. The black and unpardonable sin is after a more speciall manner committed against the Godhead subsisting in the Holy Ghost and the peculiar office and dispensation of the Holy Ghost then against the Father or the Son and that sin is in some respects pronounced the most grievous sin Mat. 12. 32. If the Holy Ghost were only the Power of God as Socinians love to dream that sin would not be so highly aggravated for it is not the highest and foulest aggravation of sin to say it is committed against the Power of God The Father Son and Spirit have but one Power as they have one and the same nature and therefore the Father is said to work in the Son and by the Spirit and hence it is that Christ is called the Power of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. and the Holy Ghost is called the Power of the most High Luk. 1. 35. because the Power of the Father who is called the most High in opposition to the highest of creatures doth reside in is exercised and made manifest by the Holy Ghost and especially manifested in that Omnipotent Work of the Conception of our Lord and Saviour the very shadow of the Holy Ghost makes a Virgin to conceive this miracle speaks him God The Holy Ghost is Jehovah the great God and King above all Gods as is evident by comparing Psal. 95. 3 6 7 8 9. with Heb. 3. 7 9. The Spirit of Iehovah is the God of Israel 2 Sam. 23. 2 3. The People rebelled against Jehovah and tempted him in the Wildernesse Deut. 6. 16. Numb 14. 26 27. Deut. 9. 7 24. now that is meant of tempting and rebelling against the Holy Ghost as well as against God the Father and Jesus Christ as is cleare if you compare Isa. 63. 10. Heb. 3. 7 9. with the places alledged The Holy Ghost is that Jehovah who made the New Covenant with his chosen People Ierem. 31. 31. compared with Heb. 10. 15 16. The Holy Ghost is that Jehovah who spake by Isaiah the Prophet compare Isa. 6. 8 9. with Acts 28. 25 26. we might argue in like manner from Levit. 19. 2. c. compared with Heb. 9. 7 8. and severall other places Num 12. 6. Heb. 1. 1 2 Pet. 1. 21. 1 Cor. 12. 5 6. The Omnipotence of the Spirit is clearly proved because he worketh all in all according to the counsell of his Will and worketh miracles which transcend not only the common course and order but the whole power of nature 1 Cor. 12. 6 9 10 11. such are the raising of the dead Rom. 8. 11. the regeneration and sanctification of our souls Tit. 3. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 11. and therefore he is called the Holy Ghost because the Father and the Son do according to Divine dispensation sanctify us by the operation of the Holy Ghost Moreover the Holy Ghost did teach the Prophets and Apostles and lead them into all truth he overshadowed the Virgin c. Iohn 16. 13. Acts 2. 4. 1 Pet. 1. 11. and 2 Pet 1. 21. The holy Ghost is the great God and Creatour of all things Psal. 93. 3. 5. Heb. 3. The Holy Ghost is Omniscient for he knowes the deep things of God and the secrets of men he inspired the Prophets and Apostles and moved them to reveale the mysteries of faith and godlines 1 Cor. 2. 10. 11. and 1 Pet. 1. 11. 2
and dispensation to be observed amongst them as we shall hereafter prove But the intent of the Holy Ghost is to exclude all that are not Gods by nature as the Apostle speaks Gal. 4. 8. from the Godhead and from laying any claim to the naturall Attributes of God or pretending to do any work that is proper and peculiar to God The true and living God is opposed to Idols 1 Thes. 1 9. But Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are to be acknowledged and served as oneâ— rue and living God with the Father The living God the God of truth and King of eternity is opposed to those counterfeit Gods Jer 10 11 12. And therefore when the Apostle saith There is no other God but one 1 Cor. 8 4. He tells you whom he doth exclude such as are but conceited gods so called and so reputed equivocal gods v. 5 6. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Ghost are God by nature the same God with the Father and therefore they are not excluded In like manner when it is said that Iehovah alone did lead the people in the wildernesse and condâ—ct them unto Canaan that exclusive particle is put to exclude strange gods such as were then idolized but were indeed no Gods as is most evident Deut. 32. 12. So Iehovah alone did lead him and there was no strange god with him but these strange gods who are here excluded were no gods as is cleare by comparing the 16. and 21. verses of the same Chapter I have already proved that the title of Iehovah is given both to Christ and the Holy Spirit and therefore when it is said Iehovah alone did lead them in the wildernesse the Son and Spirit are not excluded for the Spirit did instruct and guide them in the wildernese Nehem. 9. 20. and the Spirit did instruct their teachers also but they rebelled against the Spirit Isa. 63. 10. And Iesus Christ the Angel of Gods presence was present with them to guide them Exod 23. 21. The Name of God and the Nature of God is in him for he is to pardon sin or punish as â—e pleases Our Saviour is called The onely Lord and The onely wise God Iude Epistle in the 4 and 25. verses but the Father is not thereby excluded from being God for he is the onely wise God also 1 â—im 1. 17 and therefore by the same reason the Father is the onley true God and the Son and Spirit are the very same onely true God also When our Saviour presses that Text Mat. 4. 10. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve he doth not exclude himself or the Holy Ghost for both are to be worshipped with divine worship as hath been already proved at large in this very Chapter Many other proofs might be produced from other Scriptures and divers other arguments colleâ—ed from the 17. of Iohn to prove that Jesus Christ is not excluded from being the same only God with his Father To know Christ who is God and annointed of God Heb. 1 8 9 Psal. 45. To know Christ whom thou hast sent Eâ—go he was a divine Person before he was sent to take the humane nature and he had eternal glory with his Father before the world was Iohn 17. 5. Naâ— his calling of God Father makes him equall with God nay he is not only equall to but one with his Father Ioh. 5. 18. Ioh 10. 30. Moreover if the Father have not a divine and eternal Son how is he a divine and eternal Father Finally if the Father Son and Holy Ghost are not all three the same true God there is no God for these three are one and therefore all three are one God or else there is no God at all from whence it will follow that if we will be Socinians we must be Atheists The Son and Spirit have the same nature with the Father and therefore if his nature be divine so is theirs CHAP. V. The Manner of GOD'S Being or Subsisting in the Father Sonne and H. Ghost is the best manner of Being that is or can be and the single Godhead is thereby thrice illustrious throughout the woâ—ld HItherto we have contended for the truth of this Divine Being or Subsisting Now â—e shall demonstrate the excellency thereof God is made known to us as the everlasting Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and is to be adored worshipped as the Father of our Lord Iesus Rom. 15. 6. Ephes. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 1. 3 If God had been the Father of men and Father of Angels only and not the Father of our Lord Jesus he would not have been so exceeding glorious as now he is for Angles have but a sinite excellency but when he begets a Son equall to himself without any change in himself and the begetting of this glorious Person is as eternal as the divine nature it self This mysterie is exceeding glorious and admirable and like the Godhead incomprehensible Moreover the Lord Iesus Christ his own Son Rom. 8. 32. and his only Son begotten by eternal generation Ioh. 1. 14. being the illustrious brightnesse of the Fathers glory and the expresse character of his subsistence is so exceeding glorious that the most glorious Angels above are commanded to adore and worship him Heb. 1. 3 4 5 6. For to which of the Angels said God at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And therefore when he brings his first-begotten and his only begotten Son into the world he saith And let all the Angels of God worship him Behold how the Godhead shines gloriously not only in one single Person but in Father and Son both by this manner of subsistence that every tongue may confesse Iesus Christ to be God and Lord to the glory of God the Father And therefore the Father is not lessened or robbed of his glory by the glory of his coequal Son Phil. 2. 6. 11. but there is a pious acknowledgment made of this glorious mysterie which doth very much redound to the glory of God the Father For by this meanes God the Father is acknowledged to be the First personall Principle subsisting of himself and by himself for he received not his subsistence from any other and he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons equall with himâ—elf The Socinians seem to be very zealous for the glory of God the Father and therefore they deny the Godhead of Christ and the Holâ— Spirit to the glory of God the Father as they pretend but the Scripture teaches us the contrary namely to confesse the Godhead of Christ and the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father For it doth exceedingly redound to the glory of the Father that he gives subsistence unto two glorious Persons who are equall to himself and yet receives no subsistence from them or any other For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Joh
we adde a fit Epithet and say the Father is a divine Person or an uncreated Person and say the same of the Son and Holy Ghost The word Person signifies the most excellent kind of Subsistent an understanding Subsistent as is acknowledged by all the Masters of Language sacred and prophane as hath been proved and that place 2 Cor. 1. 11. is very cleare of all the derivations of Persona that pleases me best Persona quasi per se una because it doth expresse the unity and excellency of a personall subsistence Per se notes the excellency because subsistere per se notes the most excellent kind of subsistence Nay the word Person doth expresse more excellency then the word subsistence alone doth import for it is proper to say that a Beast doth subsist but it is absurd to say that a Beast is a Person because a Person is an understanding subsistent But neither of these words doth expresse the excellency of that subsistence which the Father Son and Holy Ghost have in the Godhead And therefore we do not only say that these three are Persons or Subsistencâ—s but we say they are uncreated Persons Divine Subsistences Persons subsisting in the Divine Nature Persons of the Godhead that so we may take in all the excellency which these words Subsistence and Person do afford and then by other Epithets superadd that excellency which is proper to Father Son and Holy Ghost and leave out all that imperfection which is in created persons and subsistences The word Subsistence is in the Scripture Heb. 1. 3. The word Person is in Scripture applyed to men 2 Cor. 1. 11. who have a more excellent subsistence then beasts An understanding subsistence and therefore both Greek and Latine Fathers did at last agree to use the word Person because it signifies an understanding subsistent And if you adde divine or uncreated Person then there is no danger of any mistake unlesse men will be so vain as to say the word Person doth sometimes signifie a visible shape an outward form or appearance the countenance or gesture of a man or else some office relation or quality and say that we do make three shapes countenances c. in the Godhead as Sabellius Servetus and such bold Atheists as have sucked in their poyson are wont to say We do therefore vindicate the Church of God from these insolent and groundlesse aspersions and freely declare what we mean by Person namely an understanding Subsistent Every of the Three Divine Persons hath an office and hath a relation but no Divine person is an Office or a mere Relation but the Godhead doth contain all relative as well as absolute perfection within it self as hath been said God as represented to us in Scripture doth as it were take upon him the person of a displeased Father and sometimes of a well-pleased Father but we do not say there are three such Persons in the Godhead for one Divine Person may sustain the person of a well-pleased Father at one time and the person of a displeased Father at another And if any man will be so ridiculous us to conclude from thence that then one person may be two persons I hope he will see his own vanity and be sensible of the equivocation by considering what hath been said already in this very Chapter When we say God doth take upon him the Person of a well-pleased Father we speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the manner of men just as when we speak of the eyes and hands of God but we must be understood 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after such a manner as becomes the infinite dignity and pure majesty of God If men do not wilfully mistake they may then know what we mean by Person when we say there are three uncreated Persons in the Godhead The word Person is in Scripture and if it were not yet as long as the thing signified by it is there we have no reason to account that word or any other such like an Exotick word because we find it very proper and pertinent to the point in hand in the sense which we have so often declared that there might be no mistake but a full agreement in such an high and weighty point It is out of question that we may expound the Scripture by words and phrases which are not in those very letters and syllables to be found in Scripture as long as we do not affect a needlesse curiosity in inventing new and obscure phrases a rigid superstition in defending them for that would not conduce to edification but beget or foment an endlesse contention Our expressions must be sober and plain grave and usefull such as may hold forth the godly and prudent simplicity of the Scripture That is al that needs be said for the use of such words and phrases as are fit and necessary to be used in this and divers other obscure points There are some that mistake the Attributes of God for Persons and they make more then three persons and therefore I shall not go about to reckon up the innumerable absurdities which follow upon that one mistake Vno absurdo dato mille sequuntur I read indeed that Sabellius conceived the Father Son and Holy Ghost to be different Attributes of God But the Orthodoxe Christians desired him to remember that there were more then three Divine â—ttributes and pressed him to acknowledge that A Trinity of persons do subsist in the unity of the nature of God and then they would close with him and give the right hand of fellowship unto him The fraud and subtilty of Arius Sabellius and the rest of the old Heretiques gave the reverend Doctors of the Chuâ—ch cause to use the words Trinity Coessential Consubstantial and the like that they might more clearly and fully manifest this profound and glorious mysterie And they who did wrangle about these Words did indeed deny the Mystery and thing it self and therefore did but manifest their pride fraud obstinacy for the maintenance of their damnable Heresie when they quarrelled with those eminent Writers for making use of unwritten words phrases upon so just and necessary occasion that the written truth might be more clearly explained and fully defended It is not in the judgement of any man any fault at all to make truth plain unlesse in the deluded judgement of such who are enemies to truth Now we have removed the rubbish we begin to build A Divine Person is a Spiritual and Infinit Subsistent related indeed to those other uncreated Persons which subsist in the same Divine Nature with it but distinguished from those Coessâ—ntial persons by its peculiar manner of subsistence order of subsisting singular relation and incommunicable propertie In these few line there is matter enough to fill many sheets and I am to treat of the distinction of persons at large in the next
and Substance oâ— all that can be said a parte rei as we use to speak but because we are not able distinctly to apprehend the absolute and Relative Perfefection of God God doth make himself known to us in a way most suitable to our weak apprehensions in representing himself to be an eternal Father and then we are ready to enquire after and willing to heare of an eternal Son Now according to our weak manner of conceiving we must needs apprehend that there is a Divine Relation between the eternal Father and his coeternal Son and conclude that these two are distinguished from and in a well qualified Sense opposed to one another with a mere Relative Opposition for there can be no contrarie Opposition between the Persons but this Relative and friendly Opposition assures us that the Father is not the Son and that the Father did not beget himself but did beget his Son But then we consider again that this Son is an eternal Son and therefore is God and we are sure God did not beget another God for the Power of God is not nay cannot be exercised about any thing repugnant to the Nature of God and nothing is more repugnant to the Godhead then a Pluralitie of Gods and therefore we must conclude that the Father and Son are one and the same God Now we are come to the Mysterie which faith must receive and reason admire 7. We may best resemble all that difference which is between the Essence of God and the Divine Subsistences by considering the transcendent Affections of Ens simpliciter and the Attributes of God who doth infinitely transcend not only a Praedicamental Substance but a Metaphysical Entity as the most Metaphysical men who are sound in the Faith do honestly confesse 1. Concerning the transcendent Affections of Ens which are unum verum bonum we say these three affections and Ens in latitudine do not make foure things really distinct and yet we say they are reall and positive affections for our Metaphysical science hath too much serious Majesty to be pleased with the pretty fictions of Reason when our understanding hath got leave to play and recreate it self with its own artificial inventions The thing is most cleare and evident to all at the very first proposal because the things which God hath made are not beholding to God only for their Entity and to us for their goodnesse for the things do not cease to be good when our understanding ceaseth to work but the things are truly and really good whether we think them to be so or no. Moreover we say that these Positive and reall affections of Ens do not make any composition at all in Ens transcendently considered because then the most simple and uncompounded Being would lose its Being For Simplicity would be repugnant to Entity if that Entity it self did involve any Composition And therefore it is agreed on all sides that this proposition Ens simplex est Ens is a true proposition Finally from what hath been said it is reasonably and commonly inferred That Entity Truth Goodnesse and Unity make but one Real thing though they do all foure differ quoad modum significandi Because the thing adaequately signified by all those foure words is but one Real Thing namely the very Entity of Ens transcendently considered For when I say Ens est unum this Praedicate Vnum doth not superadde any new Entity but doth imply and connote the very Entity of Ens. Nay more if you ask these Metaphysical men what this transcendent Unity is they will not answer that Vnity is Indivision but Unity is the very undivided Entity it self not that Unity alone doth signifie simply and adaequately the same that Ens doth in tota latitudine as Res or Aliquid do for Unity doth not signifie Truth and Goodnesse which are the two other transcendent affections of Ens but Ens in its complete compasse and adaequate signification doth import Entity Truth Unity and Goodnesse also Truth is a single affection of Ens and therefore it doth signifie or rather connote Entity under an inadaequate conceit or notion for it doth represent Ens not in its full latitude but as considered with respect to the understanding If we may now make so bold as to compare the Essence of Essences with these Metaphysical notions we may in some weak measure resemble that difference which is between the Essence of God and Divine Subsistences at least in some few particulars For if when we compare creatures with creatures there appear to be some dissimilitude even in the most apt similitude and no similitude runs as we say upon four feet it is not to be wondered at if this comparison be rather a resemblance then an illustration When Divine revelation hath gone before and we have built upon that as the ground-work and foundation by a serious faith these Metaphysical notions may be subservient helps in a subordinate way 1. The Father Son and Holy Ghost do all Three really positively truly subsist in the Divine Essence and yet these three Subsistences and the Divine Essence do not make four no nor two things really distinct even as Entity Truth Goodnesse and Unity do not make four things really distinct as you heard but now but are one reall thing and no more 2. Ens is not compounded of Entity and its three Affections nor is God compounded of the Godhead and three Subsistences nor is any one Person compounded of the Divine Nature and Subsistence 3. As Truth is not Goodnesse nor Goodnesse Truth nor either of them Unity and yet all three are Entity so the Father is not the Son nor is the Son the Father nor is either of them the Holy Ghost and yet all three are God for they are all three but one God subsisting with all absolute and relative perfection as hath been shewen 4. Every one of the three Affections of Ens doth connote Entity Every one of the three Subsistences doth connote the Godhead the Divine nature as hath been proved at large 5. Not any one of the three Affections of Ens doth nor do all three together super-adde a new Entity not any one of the three subsistences doth nor do all three together super-adde a new Deity a new Divine nature or Godhead For Ens is one Ens est trinum non triplex trinum et unum Ens trinunum Deus est trinus non triplex trinus et unus Deus trinunus This instance doth in some measure resemble the mystery of the Trinunity 6. No affection of Ens can be really separated from Ens Nor can one of the Divine Persons be separated from the Divine Nature or the Divine Nature from any one of the Divine Persons or any one of the Persons from either of the other two 7. All the Affections of Ens are distinguished but none divided all the three Subsistences are distinguished but they cannot be divided 8. Truth and Goodnesse
of God can be communicated to a Creature any more then the Divine Essence it self Isa. 42. 8. Matth. 19. 17. 1. Tim. 1. 17. For all the Attributes of God are his Name his Perfection his Glorie his Essence his Godhead and if any of the Attributes were communicated the Essence of God must be multiplied divided or distracted from it self The communicable Attributes are infinite and there cannot be more infinites then one and therefore they must all signifie one single and infinite Perfection For if any of the Attributal Perfections were finite then the Perfection of God would be made up of many finite Perfections and God would not be infinitely perfect in himself of himself and by himself but by some finite Perfections superadded to his Essence which is utterly repugnant to the single and infinite Perfection of God Yet true it is that some Attributes of God are said to be communicable by Analogical Accommodation not in respect of the properties themselves which are all infinite but in respect of the Effects of those properties there is something in the Creature by the bountie of our Creatour and Grace of our Redeemer which doth after a weak manner resemble the Perfection of God and therefore we are said to be partakers of the Divine Nature 2. Pet. 1. 4. when we bear the image of God in righteousnesse and holinesse of truth For we are still to remember that God is to be known per viam eminentiae when we make an Eminent Distinction between one Divine Attribute and another or ascribe any of the Perfections which are found in the Creatures by way of Attributal Perfection unto God For God is not great in quantity or good by a qualitie but by his own infinite Essence We must remove all imperfection from God that we may know him per viam negationis and therefore we say mercie and goodness are not accidents in God his understanding and his will are not faculties his anger and hatred are not passions his many Attributes are but one single Perfection the Perfections which are in the Creature are imperfect but the Perfection of God is infinite Finally we must consider God as the cause of all Perfection in the Creature that we may know him per Viam Causalitatis These grounds being laid let us consider what great difference there doth to ouâ— weak understanding appear to be between the Divine Attributes whether they be compared with the Divine Nature or with one another and yet that indeed and truth there is no real difference between the Attributes and the Divine Nature or between the Divine Attributes themselves and we shall more easily conceive what great difference there is between the Father Son and holy Ghost without any Essential difference between them The holy Scriptures speaking to our weak capacitie describe God and his Attributes after such a distinct manner to us that we cannot but conceive that there is some ground even in the word of God for this virtual and eminent Distinction between the Attributes as will-be most evident to any that observe the usual phrase and language of the Scriptures in these and the like places Exod. 34. 6. 7. 1. Tim. 1. 17. Psal. 103. 8. 9. 10. 1. Tim. 6. 15. 16. But it is as clear that God doth herein gratiously condescend to our weakness because we know that the Divine Nature is â—â—ngle and infinite and therefore doth conâ—ain in it all Actual Perfection eminently â—nd all possible Perfection both singly and â—ctually because all true and pure Perfection is most Formally included in the Naâ—ure and Essence of God and therefore this eminent Distinction grounded on the Phrase of Scripture and upon visible Obâ—ects and Effects gives us no ground at all â—o conceive that the Divine Nature is not one single infinite perfection because the Scripture speaks distinctly of God and of his several Attributes only to teach us to apprehend the impartible perfection of God by degrees rather then parts because we cannot apprehend it altogether Our conceits of God are inadaequate and collected by way of Analogy from the perfection of the creatures but we must consider that what the creatures do performe by many and distinct qualities and acts God doth performe by his owne Essence which is one most single and most pure act And therefore we conclude that this distinction is not really grounded upon God himself upon his Nature or Essence but upon the Effects of God The objective conceits or things conceived are not really or actually different in themselves but virtually and â—minently in the several Effects Egresses Terminations of Gods eminent vertue and single power which is every way boundlesse and infinite and therefore never works according to its full and adaequate vertue The Scotists do indeed seeme to say more because they say that this distinction of the Attributes is Formall and ex natura Rei but then they come off againe in their explication of these termes and say that their meaning is that they are distinguished Formally not Actually but Virtually and Eminently and therefore we meane the same thing For the divine Essence is not only a single Unity but the first Unity which is uncapable of any difference or number whatsoever only we cannot by a single act comprehend Gods single perfection because our understanding is finite and his perfection is infinite But it will be said that the Attributes of God have to our apprehension not only different but contrary effects the Justice of God doth punish and the mercy of God doth spare The answer is easie the Effects are to our apprehension contrary nay they are contrary in themselves but the Attributes are not contrary for the Attributes do both belong to the same God nay they are the same God and these Attributes do not overthrow but preserve one another Now we readily grant that the Effects are really different nay contrary but we deny that the Attributes of Justice and Mercy are really different or contrary in themselves Finally we grant that according to our manner of apprehension it is very improper to say that the Attribute of Gods mercy is the Attribute of his Punitive Iustice because the termes are here taken in sensu formali as we use to speak and therefore that manner of predication is improper yet if you take the termes in sensu identico the thing is true because Mercy and Justice are the same thing the same Essence We may say that the same God the same Essence which is mercy it selfe doth punish but it is very improper and absurd to say that God doth forgive by his punitive Iustice because God who speaks distinctly of his own Attributes in his word that he might help our weak understanding will not give us leave to speak so confusedly of his glorious Attributes as to puzzle the understanding of our weak brethren What I have said concerning the
to be God who cannot cease to be God but hath life in himselfe as well as the Father Iohn 5. 20. and hath the self-same divine life divine nature divine power which the Father hath and therefore the Schools conclude well that the Father and the Son have the same power but with a different relation but these different relations do not superadd a new Essence a new divine Nature and they who have the same Essence must needs have the same power because the Power of God is not distinguished from the Essence of God and the Father doth communicate the same Essence and Power which the Son receives 5. There is the same reason of the Son and Holy Ghost for these three are equall nay one Essentially one one God with the most perfect kind of unity as hath been shewen and some that are Metaphysical acknowledge that nothing is simply one but that which is most 〈…〉 and nothing is most singly 〈◊〉 but God who hath nothing in himself but that which is himself Aristotle discoursing of six kinds of unity saith that things may be said to be one 1. in respect of Continuity because they are one Continued body 2. In respect of their Subject as two accidents in the same subject 3. Because they are under the same Genus 4. Because they are of the same Species 5. Because they have the same definition but then he concludes that all these are but imperfect kinds of unity if compared with the last unity which is 6. When a thing is one in respect of its single and indivisible Essence Now the Father and Son are one Iohn 10. 30. The Father Son and holy Ghost are one 1 Iohn 5. 7. and they are one after the most perfect manner they are one in respect of the most single and indivisible Essence because the divine Essence is most single and perfectly one And therefore since Essence and Power are not distinguished in God it followes undenyably that these three who have one Essence have one and the same power but with different properties and relations This truth will be more evident when we have discoursed of the distinction of these three divine persons of which we are to treat in the next Chapter VI. Created Persons have a different place and presence but Uncreated Persons are omnipresent they cannot be separated or divided from one another in respect of place or presence but do subsist in one another The Father did beget the Son in the unity of the divine nature and the Son doth subsist in the nature of God Phil. 2. 6. and all three persons subsisting in the same single omnipresent nature they must needs subsist in one another The divine nature of the Father is in the Son and therefore the Father is in the Son the divine nature of the Son is in the Father and therefore the Son is in the Father and the like may be said of the Holy Ghost for the divine nature of the Holy Ghost is in the Father and the Son These three glorious persons are distinguished from one another and yet they do subsist in one another They do subsist in one another without any contraction commixtion or confusion as Damascen taught the Schoolmen to speak when Philip desired Christ to show him the Father our Saviour answers He that hath seene me hath seene the Father John 14. 9. because he is the Image of his Fathers Person and the illustrious brightnes of his Fathers glory nay because the nature of his Father is in him and the person of his Father is in him and therefore he calls upon Philip to beleeve that his Father is in him Iohn 14. 10 Beleevest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me as if he had said I wonder you should not beleeve this truth it is a special Article of your faith if you be a Christian and it is a very plaine Article for you have some sensible Arguments to confirme your faith in this point both from my words and from my works you may hear the Father speaking in me and see my Father working in me The words that I speak unto you I speak not of my selfe but the Father that dwelleth in me he doth the works Joh. 14. 10. And then he presses the point home upon him by a Peremptory Injunction in the 11. verse Beleeve me that I am in the Father and the Father in me or else beleeve me for the very works sake Philip might hear what was truly divine in the saving words of Christ and see what was divine in the miraculous works of Christ and by the words and works and Spirit of Christ making both effectuall he might be brought to beleeve this necessary point that the Nature of God the Father and the Person of God the Father is in Christ. Give me leave to insist upon this point for there is more in it then we can well observe at first view and therefore our Saviour did presse this point home very frequently and require that men would expressely beleeve it Iohn 10. 38. beleeve the works but to what end Why that yee may know and beleeve that the Father is in me and I in him This is the end of Christs working so many miracles amongst them to bring them to beleeve that he and the Father did mutually subsist in one another Credite operibus beleeve my works saith he they speak me to be God and the Son of God and therefore I am not guilty of blasphemy because I say I am the Son of God and equall to God for I am God I and my Father are one God and if you beleeve that I and my Father are one God you must beleeve that I am in the Father and the Father in me This is the summe and substance of our Saviours discourse from the 25. verse of the tenth chapter of Iohn to the 39. verse of that chapter and our Saviour did enter into this discourse at the request of the Jewes who came round about him and desired him not to hold them in suspence any longer but to tell them plainly whether he were the Christ or no. John 10. 24. all then who beleeve Jesus Christ to be the Christ the true Messiah the onely Saviour and an all sufficient Saviour must beleeve confesse and acknowledge this truth That the Father is in Christ and Christ in the Father From what hath been spoken it is clear and evident that this is a point of life and death as we say a fundamentall point a point necessary to salvation and therfore our Saviour did so often insist upon it In the 8th of Iohn our Saviour tells them more then once that he was not alone and therefore his testimony of himselfe was not a single testimony but his Father who was with him and in him did bear witnes with him and of him John 8. 16. for I
creatures to communicate their nature by generation in their low and imperfect way but the great God who is not subject to imperfection doth after the most glorious and perfect manner beget a Son in the unity of his own living Essence who is therefore called the Son of the living God that is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God who hath the same Divine Life Nature Essence with the Father and therefore Peter is so highly commended for confessing that Christ is the Son of the living God Blessed art thou saith our Saviour for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in heaven upon this fundamentall truth Christ hath built the Christian Church as on a Rock Matth. 16. 16. 17 18. He who hath life in himself is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of the living God he hath the same Will Power Nature Essence Life with his Father Iohn 5. 18 26. Iohn 16. 15. Iohn 10. 30. 1 Iohn 5. 7. The same single and infinite Essence is in Father Son and Holy Ghost the whole undivided and indivisible Essence of God dwels in the Son in its fulnesse and infinite perfection Coloss. 2. 9. 4. The Father did beget his Son without change or motion after a most glorious and wonderfull manner there can be no change motion or succession in this eternall and most perfect generation The Essence of God is spirituall Iohn 4. 24. and therefore the Son is not begotten of the Fathers seed or any materiall substance because God is a single and pure Act who doth beget a Son within himself Essentially one with himself and therefore his Sonne doth not subsist out of himself John 14. 10. Iohn 10. 30. for an infinite nature cannot be poured forth beyond it self There can be no essentiall change in the Son by this generation because the generation is eternall and the nature which is communicated by generation is unchangable the Father did unchangably beget his Son and his Son is unchangably begotten there is no shadow of changing or turning either in the Father of lights or the Son of righteousnesse because they are one and the same unchangable Jehovah Iames 1. 17 Malach. 3. 6. They are too carnall and base who make an unworthy and odious comparison between the material generation of a weak man and this more then spirituall and supernaturall generation The eternall and unchangable Father doth beget an eternall and unchangable Son according to the perfection of his eternall unchangable infinite nature The Father doth beget his Son naturally and therefore in a way agreeable to his unchangable Nature if the Son were not necessarily begotten his being would not be necessary and then his Essence would not be divine V. Jesus Christ is truly and properly the onely-begotten Son of God and therefore the only Naturall Son of God Jesus Christ is called the Son of David according to his humane nature but the Lord of David and the Son of the living God according to his divine nature as appeares by our Saviours discourse with the Pharisees Matth. 22. from the 41. verse to the 46. And the Jewes sought to kill Christ because he called God his proper Father as appears by the originall text for our English translation doth omit that most observable Emphasis the words are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iohn 5. 18. and Christ is called Gods proper Son 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 32. and the Apostle gives the reason why he is called the proper Son of God in a more excellent way then the most glorious Angel is the Son of God because Christ is begotten by the Father but the Angles were only created by him observe the words of the Apostle For unto which of the Angels said he at any time Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee so that the proper reason why he is called the proper Son of God is because he is begotten of God there is the most excellent reason why Christ is said to obtain a more excellent name then Angels Christ was begotten in the unity of the Godhead and therfore he alone is properly the Son of God with a supereminent excellency The Angels are not such excellent sons as Christ is 1. Because Christ is begotten of God v. 5. 2. Worshipped by Angels with divine honour worshipped as God v. 6. 3. He hath the Throne Scepter Kingdom of God v. 8. 4. He hath the soveraign and proper Title of God v. 8. 5. The Attributes of God eternity v 8 10 â—1 12. 6. He sits at the right hand of God v. 13. All these excellencies are due to Christ as the proper Son of God Hebr. 1. wheras the Angels the most excellent sons by creation are but ministring spirits From theâ—e proper and excellent reasons we infer that Christ is the only proper or naturall Son of God because he is the only-begotten Son of God We saith Iohn beheld his glory As of the only begotten Son of God The word As is not assimilative but declarative and demonstrative in that place for it doth declare to us that the glory of Christ is agreeable to his divine nature he being the only naturall Son of God because he is the only begotten Son of God just as if when we see a King sitting in his Royall robes on his Throne with a Crowne on his head and a Scepter in his hand we should say now we see him as a King that is now he is like himselfe his state is agreeable to his Majesty even so was the glory of Christ which the Apostles beheld agreeable to the majesty of the only begotten Son of God Iohn 1. 14. and therfore the word As was not inserted tanquam terminus diminuens to diminish the glory of the only begoten Son of God for the word As is left out in the 18. verse of this very chapter The only begotten Son which is in the bosome of the Father Iohn 1 v. 18. The Scripture doth abound with several expressions to the same purpose But we are specially to observe that the only begotten Son of God is propounded to us as the object of saving Faith and therefore this point ought to be diligently studied and considered by us For so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3. 16. The Socinians observing how much it concernes us to stand stedfast and not yeeld one whit of ground in this point have tryed their wit to deceive and seduce us and therefore they object Isaac is called the only Son of Abraham Gen. 22. 2. 12. To this we answer without any great study That Isaac was the only Son which Abraham had by Sarah he was the onely begotten Son of the Promise though Ismael was the son of Abraham by Hagar the bond-woman in an unworthy and dishonourable way and therefore this example will
his Resurrection according to that of the Apostle Rom. 1. v. 4. Declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holinesse that is his divine nature by the resurrection from the dead Christ was not made but declared to be the Son of God by his Resurrection His divine sonship lay hid under the forme of a servant before only they who had spirituall eyes did discern it Iohn 1. 14. we have seen and beheld the glory of the only begotten Son of God Moreover it is observable that the Apostle endeavours to make the mystery of Christs divine sonship manifest in the thirteenth of the Acts not simply by his Resurrection but by the manner of his Resurrection and the state whereunto he was raised 1. For the manner he was raised by his own Almighty and most glorious power in an irresistible way he did offer violence to all the forces of death and powers of the grave because it was not possible that he should be holden of them Acts ◠24. when he came to declare himself to be the Son of God with power Rom. 1. 4. 2 For the state whereunto he was raised he did not rise to return to the grave again as Lazarus did but he raised himself to an immortall life And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead now no more to return to corruption Acts 13. 34. Rom. 6. 9. Now God by raising Christ after such a manner to such a state did declare him to be his only begotten Son of whom David speaks in the second Psalm and therefore it was evident by the Resurrection of Christ that God had fulfilled his promise by sending his only begotten Son to be a Saviour unto Israel that we might have forgivenesse of sins and all sure mercies by him who died for our sins and rose again for our justification this is the scope of the Apostles discourse in the thirteenth of the Acts from the 23 verse to the 39· The second Psalm is cited here by Accommodation to make good a remote and Implicite consequence as those words I am the God of Abraham Isaac c. are cited to prove a resurrection by an Implicit consequence Matth. 22. 31 32. Thou art my Son mine owne proper Son whom I own for my only begotten Son by raising thee to a never dying life The fifth Cause which they assigne is the Exaltation of our Lord and Saviour to glory and the conferring of a Name and Power upon him above all creatures for the Apostle as they conceive speaks of this sonship Hebr. 5. 5. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee I cannot but admire that the acute Socinians should cite every place where the second Psalm is named to prove that there are so many severall causes of the divine sonship of Christ but I do more admire that they should cite this Text of all the rest for if their fifth argument have any force in it doth overthrow and disprove their four first arguments If Christ was not begotten before his exaltation to glory then he was not the Son of God before his exaltation for surely these men of reason will easily grant that the effect cannot be before its proper and complete cause was in its causall actuality or actuall causality The words of God in the second Psalm are so often repeated to teach us to keep our eye constantly fixed upon the divine sonship of Christ when ever we discourse of his conception birth resurrection transfiguration exaltation to glory and conclude that the self-same person who was begotten of God from the dayes of eternity took our flesh dyed for our sins and rose for our justification for this is that great and fundamentall truth which runs quite thorow the Gospel That the Son of Mary who did and suffered all for us is the proper the naturall Son of God the only and All-sufficient Saviour of his people from their sins We must not part with this truth for this is all our salvation It was very proper for the Apostle to speak of his divine sonship when ever he spake of him as a Mediatour as a Priest c. because he could not have undertaken or gone thorow with any such office unlesse he had been the Naturall and Proper Son of God equall to God and therefore we do readily grant that the divine offices of Christ do declare and make manifest the divine sonship and nature of Iesus Christ and this truth is most evident from the connexion of the seven and eight verses of the second Psalm I have with the more patience and content waded thorow this large and deep sea that I might come to the haven where we desire to be That we might come to take harbour and sanctuary in the merit and satisfaction of Jesus Christ who is the naturall and proper Son of God In the next place I am to prove the eternall procession of the Holy Ghost whereby I shall make the distinction of the Persons more cleare and evident and therfore I hasten to the discussing of that mysterious but usefull point The Holy Spirit is not called a spirit because of his spirituall nature only for the same spirituall nature is common to all the three blessed Persons but he is called a Spirit upon a special and peculiar reason because he is breathed forth by the Father and the Son The Holy Ghost is called the Spirit which is of God 1 Cor. 2. 1◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Spirit who proceedeth from the Father is sent by the Son from the father Iohn 15. 26. The Greek Church acknowledges that the Spirit doth proceed from the Father by the Son All things that the Father hath are mine saith our Saviour Iohn 16. 15. But the Spirit did receive all from the Father and Christ and his Father are essentially one Iohn 10. 30. the Spirit is said to receive of the Son and to glorifie the Son John 16. 14. Whatsoever things the Father doth the Son doth and as the Son can do nothing without the Father so the Father can do nothing without the Son not that there is a defect of power in either but an unity of power and nature in both The divine nature of both the Father and the Son was communicated to the Spirit by this eternall spiration and therefore he is sent by both and he receives of both and he glorifies both and he is the Spirit of both the Father and the Son He is called the Spirit of the Father Matth. 10. 20 because he proceedeth from the Father Iohn 15. 26. and he is called the Spirit of the Son of God Gal. 4. 6. the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8. 9. the Spirit of Jesus Christ Phil. 1. 19. the Spirit of Christ 1 Pet. 1. 11. because he receives of Christ is sent from Christ is breathed forth by
this time he sees how easie it is to retort his owne Argument and if this retortion may helpe him to answer it I shall be glad that I have retorted it His onely answer ought to be I doe beleeve that these three are three Subsistents in the same single and infinite Godhead Phil. 2. 6. Joh. 10. 30. 1 Joh. 5. 7. Heb 1. 3. Vorstius Valentinus Gentilis the Transylvanians require some more curious answer but I shall be as plaine and as briefe as the weight and depth of this Mystery will permit me to be I remember that Aristotle saith He doth make a truth sufficiently plaine who brings such proofes as the point in question will beare Now it is most evident that supernaturall Mysteries cannot be expounded according to the rules of Art Some returne this answer That if by Tres Res three reall things you meane three persons there are three Real persons in the Godhead they are not made three by a fiction of reason they are declared three by the plaine words of Scripture but they were three before any Scripture was written even from the dayes of eternity But if by Tres Res three reall things you meane three Divine Essences we do deny that three persons are three Divine Essences or three Gods for these three persons are but one God blessed for ever If you aske others they will say that these three are one Being but they are three proper and peculiar manners of being subsisting in the same God-head They have one essentiall subsistence say others but they have three Incommunicable manners of subsisting Some expresse it thus these three are Really distinct but not Essentially Modally but not separably Truly but Relatively Formally and yet but Personally Others that meane the same thing say they are distinguished Secundum esse Personale non secundum esse Quidditativum They then that say the persons are Really distinct should explain themselves warily according to some of these or the like safe expressions namely that by really 1 they doe not meane essentially 2. They do not mean separably 3. That by really they doe meane that the Relations and personall properties whereby the three persons are known to be distinguished are reall relations and reall properties and not fictions of reason The Relations are opposite the properties incommunicable and much might be said of the personall actions to the selfe-same purpose but I must hasten Some do adventure to call this distinction naturall but that is a very dangerous expression it must not passe without some favourable graines of allowance nor can it then passe unlesse it be seasoned with some graines of Salt and be mollified with some faire and Orthodox Interpretation By naturall distinction they meane Relative because say they the relations which are between these uncreated persons are not onely real but naturall also The Relation between God the Father and his owne naturall Son is a naturall relation grounded upon a naturall and personall actâ—on namely the eternall generation of the Son The Greek Fathers speake much of the Familiar and proper Emphasis of this naturall Relation between the Father and the Son By naturall distinction then they do not meane an essentiall distinction as if the three uncreated persons did differ in nature but naturall in that sound and Orthodox sense recited above I had rather leave my Margin to relate the curiosities of others then to perplex a meer English Reader with any Scholastical difficulties I have said enough for the explication of those termes which are most usuall and yet likely to give offence to such as do not understand the importance of them I shall therefore conclude this point with Fulgentius his Commentary which is an excellent Contexture of some pertinent Scriptures for the proofe of the point When you read saith he of Father Son and Spirit understand that there are three persons of one essence omnipotence eternity c. For our Saviour saith I am not alone but I and the Father that sent me Ioh. 8 16. And concerning the spirit he saith And I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter even the spirit of Truth Joh. 14. 16 17. Moreover he commanded his Apostles to baptize all Nations in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost And the equality of the Persons proves the unity of the Nature Phil. 2. 6. Iohn 5. 18. and from hence he concludes that there are three Persons and not three Natures in the blessed Trinity From what hath been said it is evident that these three uncreated Persons are truly distinguished but they cannot be divided and it is not so safe to expresse the distinction of uncreated Persons by Termes of Art They who say the distinction is Naturall Reall Absolute or Relative do deny that the distinction is Essentiall or that the Persons are separable They who speak most tenderly say it is Modall Formall Personall They who say it is Naturall in respect of Personall Relations and Naturall Actions confesse that it is Supernaturall and Mysterious because the Unity of the Godhead is unquestionable the Trinity of Persons subsisting in that Godhead admirable both put together undeniable and inexplicable and yet most necessarily and highly credible They who say the Persons are Formally distinct do mean that they are truly distinct they do not conceive that the distinction of the uncreated Persons is grounded upon a meer fiction of reason or upon the weaknesse of our apprehension as if we did conceive one Person to be three Persons because he is called by three names as Praxeas Sabellius and some others dreamt Nor do they beleeve that this distinction of these three uncreated Persons is only grounded upon the phrase of Scripture but they do acknowledge that there is a true and proper not an improper and figurative distinction between these uncreated Persons nay they all confesse that this true and proper distinction is an Eternall distinction it was from and it will last to all eternity and therefore is not grounded only upon some offices and externall dispensations which have respect unto the creature CHAP. VIII The Grand Mystery of three Divine and Coessential Subsistents in the single Godhead is not Problematicall but Fundamentall ALL points of Doctrine revealed in Scripture are profitable and precious truths and every man is obliged to receive beleeve and embrace every truth made known to him in and by the holy Scriptures Because all truths contained in Scripture are of equall credit in respect of the Authority of the Revealer but all truths are not of equall necessity weight and importance in respect of the Nature and Matter of the points revealed There is a vast difference between the nature matter weight and importance of these two Propositions 1. Paul left his Cloak Books and Parchments at Troas 2 Tim. 4. 13. 2. Jesus Christ is God and man the only Mediatour between God and man the only and All-sufficient Saviour of
is the Author of Faith he gives us supernaturall light and spirituall eyes 1 Cor. 2. 8 9 10. Ephes. 1. 17 18. He that beleeveth on the Son of God hath the witnes in himselfe The Spirit is called the witnesse 1 Ioh. 5. 6. 10. And the Apostle assures us that none can say with faith and full perswasion of heart that Iesus is the Lord till he hath been taught to say so by the Holy Ghost 1 Cor 12. 3. They who are sensuall and have not the Spirit Iude ver 19. do slight the testimony of the Spirit because the world cannot receive the Spirit or the things of the Spirit It is a naturall mans pride and folly to account those things below him which are above him for he doth account spirituall wisedome foolishnesse wheras indeed it is too excellent for him to understand because he is a meer naturall sensual man but these spirituall things are spiritually discerned he doth not receive them he cannot know them 1 Cor. 2. 14. This is the true reason why men do not beleeve in the Spirit and adore the Spirit because he is the Spirit of Truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him Ioh. 14. ver 17. But saith Christ to his Disciples ye know him for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you Ioh. 14. in the selfe-same ver and Act. 5. 32. 5. The Spirit is the Supream Judge of truth even of controverted truths in matters of Religion we need not speake of a Private judgement of Discretion such as spirituall men may passe by the help of the Spirit and word of truth nor of that Publick and ministeriall judgement which may be passed in greater or lesser Synods where Pastors and Elders are assembled by the Ordinance of Christ and therefore may pray in faith for the direction and assistance of the Holy Ghost in all their Ministeriall determinations But I speak of the supremacy and Soveraignty of Iudgement which belongs to the Holy Ghost True it is that Christ is King and head of the Church and therefore he is our master Doctor Lawgiver Mat. 23. 10. Iam. 4. 12. But the Father hath sent the Spirit in the name of Christ to teach us the meaning of the Word of Christ and to lead us into all truth and holinesse by the holy Scriptures of truth The Spirit did indite the whole Scripture and it is agreeable to the light of nature that he who made the Law should expound it This Holy Spirit is a publick Spirit he governes the whole body of Christ the whole Church and speaks in the whole body of the Scriptures every part thereof and if we do compare one place of Scripture with another we shall by comparing of Spirituall things with Spirituall come to understand the saving wisdome which the Holy Ghost teacheth which things we speak saith the Apostle not in the words which mans wisedome teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing spirituall things with Spirituall 1 Cor. 2. 13. The Holy Ghost speaking to us in plain places doth discover to us all that is necessary to be knowne and beleeved for our eternall salvation and doth thereby give us so much light as that we may sufficiently understand hard places if we pray as we should compare and search the Scriptures as we ought in the Spirit of Faith and modesty Iam. 1. 5. Ioh. 5. 39. Mat. 7. 7. 1 Ioh. 5. 14. Rom. 2. 2. 3. and practise what we know before Ioh. 7. 17. Phil. 3. 15 16. for we shall at least learne so much wisedom as not to expound hard places of Scripture in any sense that is contrary to the mind of the Spirit cleerly delivered in plaine places of Scripture If we expound hard places according to the Analogy of Faith cleerly delivered in other places though we should mistake in the application yet the Spirit doth so far interpose as to keep us from falling into heresie And if we meet with no plaine places to expound an hard place by there is then no danger of heresie because all things necessary to salvation are set downe cleerly in the plaine places of Scripture This conference of Scriptures is an excellent means to bring us acquainted with all Book-cases the determinations which the Spirit hath made in Scripture and left there upon Record in those sacred Rolls which are the treasury of the Church for the direction of the Saints And whether we make use of this ordinance in our private reading or in the publique ministry the spirit doth deliver his judgement authoritatively and infallibly in the holy Scriptures and we may come to be acquainted with the mind and judgment of the Spirit by both Ordinances Thine eyes shall see thy teachers And thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying This is the way this and not that behold a cleere direction walk ye in it continue and go forward in it do not forsake it when we are wavering and even turning out of our way on one hand or the other when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left then even then doth the Spirit resolve us and put us out of doubt when we are disputing and even yielding up the truth in a controversie we have a cleer certain and infallible direction from the holy Spirit Isa 30 20 21. The Holy Ghost doth exhort the Jewes to compare the dimmer light of the Prophers with the cleerer light of the Apostles that so the Sun of righteousnesse may shine in its strength with its healing beams into their hearts and then tels them that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of private interpretation because Prophets spake as the Apostles also did not as the will of man did move or the fancy of man direct but according to the mind and will of the Holy Ghost And therefore since all the Scriptures were endited all are to be expounded by the Holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures thus compared for the Holy Ghost did move all the Holy men Apostles as wel as Prophets to write and teach them what they should write And though we have no extraordinary revelations now by a voice from the excellent glory for our direction yet we have that which is better the writings of the Prophets and Apostles to compare together the Prophesies be darke yet they are sure more sure then those voices which may be more easily counterfeited though the Prophesies be dark yet the Spirit who did endite them will if you compare them with the writings of the Apostles give light to both and deliver his judgement as cleerly in all necessary points as if it were written with a Sun-beame this I take to be the scope of the Holy Ghost in that excellent discourse 2 Pet. 1. from the sixteenth verse to the end of the chapter
Arminians the constant enemies of the Grace of God should consider that the Pelagians the advocates of Free-wil and corrupt nature were confounded with those plain Scriptures which were urged by the Councels of Carthage Milevis Orenge and Holy Augustine in his fragrant works The Socinians the enemies of the onely true God Father Son and Holy Ghost should consider that the Arrians were overthrown by the Scriptures in the Nicene councel and by the godly Pastours of the Church who instead of broken Scriptures which the Arians urged with as much fraud as the devil did Mat. 4. produced plain Scriptures and the whole Series of both Testaments and so did invincibly refute their blasphemous errours The Libertines who claym a liberty of publishing damnable Heresies and blasphemies under pretence of Prophesying might learn that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty true liberty but no where else for he who protends to speak by the Holy Ghost and yet denies Iesus to be the Lord doth at once blaspheme Christ and the Holy Spirit and is an Anti-spiritual Lyar an Antichristian Blasphemer and hath neither Father Son nor Spirit dwelling in him For he who speaks by the Spirit doth acknowledge Jesus to be the Lord 1 Cor. 12. 3. And he who denies the Son hath not the Father Who is a lyer but he who denies that Iesus is the Christ He is Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son whosoever denies the Son the same hath not the Father 1 Jo. 2. 22 23. In like manner every Spirit which confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God but of Antichrist 1 Joh. 4. 2 3. This is that Vorstian liberty which hath undone so many Nations already and is now Idolized in England under the name of Liberty of Conscience by such as have neither Conscience nor liberty Reverend Dr. Sibbs did exceedingly cry out against this kind of Liberty in his time He would not have way given to Vorstian lawlesse licencious liberty of prophesie that every one so soone as he is big of some new conceit should bring forth his abortive Monster for then the Pillars of Christian Faith will soon be shaken and the Church of God which is an house of Order will beâ—ome a Babel an house of Confusion The dolefull issues of which pretended Liberty we see in Polonia Transylvania and in Countries neerer hand I might proceed but this is sufficient for a taste and if I should but name all the errours of this age and not confute them I should abuse my Reader and therefore I desire to stop in time and beseech all that are spiritually minded to heaâ—ken to the Spirit speaking in the word Beloved beleeve not every spirit but beleeve the Holy Spirit who is the Author of the Scriptures the Author of Faith the Iudge of Controversies the interpreter of the Scriptures the Doctor and comforter of the Elect and he will lead you into all necessary truth for your present edification and everlasting Salvation The Holy Spirit will assure you that the Scriptures of truth were all written by his own Authority and you may safely set to your seale when you have received the infallible testimony of the Holy Ghost We are witnesses of these things saith the â—postle and so is the Holy-Ghost also Act. 5. 32. We shall never receive the word as the Word of God with joy reverence submission and assurance of Faith specially in times of â—ffliction and temptation unlesse we receive the witnesse of the Spirit and ground our Faith upon the wisdome and evident demonstration of the Spirit When we look upon the word of God and consider 1 The wonderfull consent of all those Holy and selfe-denying men that penned it 2. The marvellous fulfilling of all the strange Prophecies in the fullnesse of time appointed by God 3. The Admirable Providence of God in preserving the Scriptures notwithstanding all the rage and malice of Hereticks and persecutors 4. The supernaturall Miracles wrought for to confirm it 5. The Harmonious testimony that the Church Martyrs Saints have in all ages given to it 6. The Antiquity Majesty Efficacy of it 7. The divine and heavenly matter contained in it 1. Mysteries above reason 1 Cor. 2. 9. 2. Commands contrary to our corrupt nature sent to all Nations and even to the greatest and proudest of men 3. Threats beyond the strength of man to inflict or the capacity of man to comprehend an hard heart a seared Conscience and yet a trembling Spirit a reprobate mind and sense a spirit of madnesse giddinesse horrour or slumber an everlasting worm eternall fire torments with the devil and his Angels 4. Promises and rewards beyond the power of man to bestow or wisdome of Angels to comprehend 1 Pet. 1. 12. Ephes. 3. 10. 5. The fall corruption Redemption Salvation of man wonderfully declared in the Holy Scriptures the inward frame and disposition of mans heart his secret thoughts and most intimate projects his reserved wishes desires ends and purposes undenyably discovered for his conviction even to admiration and amazement 1 Cor. 14. â—5 then the reason of man is even confounded the obstinacy of mans heart subdued all the pride of humane glory stained and the Scriptures appeare to be the word of God But now all these Arguments and many more which I could name will not be effectuall for our regeneration and conversion untill the Spirit be pleased to set all home upon the heart by his own irresistible efficacy and seale this truth to the Conscience by his own infallible testimony But when the Spirit speaks to and works upon our spirits then we do assent and consent to all the proposals of God our very thoughts are captivated and subdued unto the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10. 5. Our Conscience is convinced swayed and undeniably obliged to beleeve what is promised allow what is commanded our will made willing to chose both the affections to embrace both our whole man to follow after both according to the directions of God for performing what is commanded and obtaining of what is promised Rom. 7. 12. 22. Psa. 119. 106 112 113 127 128 167 173 174. I must acknowledge my absolute total and universal dependance upon the infallible wisdome infinite truth power majesty greatnesse and goodnesse of the Holy Spirit and confesse that he hath soveraigne Right and divine authority to reveale and prescribe whatsoever he pleases upon the rewards and penalties of everlasting life and death And I am obliged to beleeve and embrace al that the Spirit teacheth without any contradiction though it seeme never so improbable to my carnall reason and be really contrary to my corrupt affections ends and esianes The spirit teaches me how to apprehend and judge of spirituall things after a spirituall manner for the spirit teaches me what to approve and
Christ redeemes us according to the will of God and our Father Gal. 1. 4. Iohn 10. 17 â—8 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus who hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in heavenly things in Christ according as he hath chosen us Ephes. 1. 3 4 11. Much more might be said to this purpose but this may suffice It is now time to proceed to my next Point which is that 2. Divine Worship is due to the second Person of this Coessentiall Trinity to Jesus Christ our Lord and God There is but one immediate formall proper Adaequate and Fundamentall reason of Divine Worship or Adorability as the Schooles speak and that is the Soveraign Supreme singular Majesty independent and infinite excellency of the eternall Godhead There is a peculiar and singular esteeme Faith Love and Worship due to Father Son and Holy Ghost who are one God the only true God These three are the only Object of Religion and therefore the only Object of religious Adoration There is but one kind of Divine Worship that Worship and all degrees of it is due to this one God Father Son and Holy Ghost this truth is made good against the Papists as well as against the Socinians and divers others whom I need not name the Ubiquitists and Arminians by a cleare stating of the point in Controversie and invincible demonstrations to confirme the Truth First For the cleare stating of this Point we must look a little into the rise of this Controversie and consider how far it hath been discussed by Learned men and stated by such as are Orthodoxe and prudent men since the Socinians Ubiquitists and Arminians have endeavoured to make the question more perplexed and the truth more obscure The Papists are deeply engaged to prove that religious honour may be given to a Creature at least in some degree their distinctions are so well known that I need not to insist upon them Cardinall Perron exceeds them all for sophisticall distinctions which he who is at leisure may read in his fifth Book and twentieth Chapter of his Answer to King Iames. But Smiglecius being engaged against the Socinians states the Point right he distinguisheth between Christs Naturall Power as he is the Naturall and Coessentiall Son of God and his Delegated Power which he hath as Mediatour and concludes that Christ is to be worshipped as he is the Naturall Son of God with Divine Worship because his Naturall Power is his Divine Nature But saith he Christ is not to be worshipped in the second consideration with Divine Worship Doctor Rainolds in his Book de Idololatria Romana hath abundantly refuted all that the Papists bring to excuse their Idolatry and proves clearely that It is Idolatry to give Religious honour to any Creature I shall not therefore trouble my Reader with any set-dispute upon that Argument The Socinians tell us that The Father is the only Absolute Supreme Independent God but Christ is a Dependent and subordinate God And therefore may be worshipped as he is Mediatour with a Relative and subordinate Worship which they are not affraid to call Divine Worship But they confess that they worship the Father only as the supreme Cause the First Efficient and the last End But they worship Christ as the second or middle Cause of our Salvation and the intermediate end of Religion The ground and formall Reason of this subordinate Worship is as they conceive Christs mediatory Office the new subordinate Godhead and Lordship over us bestowed upon him for his obedience unto death which they say is the Mediate as his Exaltation is the Immediate Cause of this Subordinate glory The Arminians in their Apology and other writings endeavour to excuse and gratifie the Socinians for they deny that our grand Argument taken from the Divine Honour and Worship of Christ doth sufficiently prove his Nature to be Divine and Christ to be one God with his Father This Argument say they is not invincible and irrefragable nay they call it a leaden Argument because this Divine Honour is given to him by his Fathers gratification in time Some Lutherans are very much to blame in this Point for they say That the Divine Majesty Worship Glory Omnipotence Omnipresence of the Son of God are communicated to Christ as man but enough of that Divers Learned Orthodoxe Judicious Doctours of the Church have given the Enemy too much advantage by their unwary expressions in this Point and the vigilant Enemy hath taken that advantage and made a very vnhappy use of it to the great prejudice of Christianity Vno absurdo dato mille sequuntur Error parvus in Principio fit magnus in Fine I do therefore entreat the most accurate and nice Reader at his best leasure to read Iunius Chamier Polanus Polyander Pareus Camero Maccovius Cluto Beza Heidan Diest Zanchius Voetius Altingius and other sate Writers upon this Point who have observed every turn ward shift of the Enemy and have given a very faire account of all For the present State of the Question be pleased seriously to consider these plaine and weighty conclusions following 1. Divine excellency infinite Majesty and Perfection is the Formall and Adequate ground and reason of Divine Worship For by Divine Worship we do acknowledge and declare the Infinite Majesty Truth Wisdome Goodnesse and Glory of our blessed God We do not esteeme any thing worthy of Divine Honour and Worship which hath but a finite and created glory because Divine Honour is proper and peculiar to the only true God who will not give his glory to any other who is not God God alone is the Adequate Object of divine Faith Hope Love and Worship because these graces are all exercised and this worship performed in acknowledgement of his infinite perfection and independent excellency and therefore no such worship can be due to any thing below God But the most glorious and excellent Creatures are all below God and therefore that point is cleare 2. The Father Son and Holy Ghost are one and the same God as hath been proved in the fourth Chapter of this Treatise and therefore one and the same worship is due to all three because they are Coessentiall Coequall Coeternall they have one and the same divine nature excellency perfection and essentiall glory and therefore the same acknowledgement is due to all three both from men and Angels There is not one kind of divine honour due to the Father and another to the Son nor one degree of honour due to the Father and another to the Son for there can be no degrees imaginable in one and the same excellency which is single because infinite and what is infinite doth excell and transcend all degrees and bounds And if there be no degrees in the ground and Adaequate reason of Divine Worship there can be no ground or reason of a difference of degrees in the
verbo 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi cinctum quid vel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi habens aliquid circa corpus q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quamvis substantiam primâ—m significat tam animatam quà m inanimatam Pâ—â—sona verò tantùm substantiam singularem intelligentem qualis Deus Angelus homo Vncreated Persons r Magnâ prorsus â—opiâ humanum laborat eloquium Dictum est tamen tres personae non ut illud diceretur sed ne taceretur omnino Non enim rei in effabilis eminentia hoc vocabulo explicari valet Aug. lib. 5 de Trinitate cap. 9. s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damascen in Dialog cap. 43. Nazianzen orat 31. in laudem Athanasii t Vocibus non semper cum respectu suae originis sed ex receptà consuetudine utendum Anti-Trinitarians aequivocate in abusing the various significations of the word Person u Persona significat RelationeÌ„ prout est Subsistens in naturâ divinâ Aquin. p. 1. q 39. art 1. In creaturis relationes sunt accidentales proinde accidentaliter insunt relationes autem in Deo sunt subsistentes ipsamet essentia divina Aquinas ibidem Pater non genuit meram nudamque relationem sed correlatum Filium subsistentem nec non coessentialem * How a divine Person is said to take upon him two severall Persons a Locutiones Impropriae Dei essentiam non exprimunt sed ejus notitiam tenuitati nostrae accommodant Vnwritten words hold forth the written truth b Voces tanquam consecratas omni jure judicamus si earum conjugata Synonyma in Sacrâ paginâ reperiantur Si enim talibus vocibus sensum mentemque Scripturae exprimentibus uti non liceret nec explicare Scripturam pro concione liceret neque in alias linguas vertere c Temerè non sunt inventa nomina quae per evidentem consequentiam mentem Domini in Scripturis loquentis fideliter exprimuÌ„t cavendum est ne vocabula repudiando ipsam repudiemus veritatem superbaeque temeritatis simul haereseos arguamur Persons are not Attributes as Sabellius drâ—am't Vnwritten words hold forth the written truth d Cùm Scriptura testetur tres dici quorum quisque in solidum sit Deus nec tamen plures esse Deos nimis morosum est de voce contendere cùm res in aperto sit Colon. Anal. Paraphrast Calv. Inst. pag. 34. In Scripturis occurrit vox Trinitatis numero namerante 1 Iohan 5. 7. numero numerato passim ut in Baptismo Christi Matth. 3 in Baptismo nostro Matth. 28. e Hiâ—ar lib. de Synodis Inane enim est calumniam verbi peâ—timescere ubi res ipsa cujus verbum est non habeat difficultatem expertus pridem sum quidem saepius quicunque de verbis pertinacius litigant fovere occultum virus ut magis expediat ultrò provocare quà m in â—orum gratiaÌ„ obscuriùs loqui A Divine Person described The description of a Divine Person explained and confirmed Three distinguishing questions propounded which are in their order to be stated and resolved f Vox Natâ—rae a â—ascendo derivatur sed pro quavis essentiâ usurpatur vocibus enim non semper cuÌ„ respectu suae originis sed ex receptâ coÌ„suetudine utendum Hypostases in divinis non dicunt aliquam suppositioneÌ„ vel subjectioneÌ„ sed aequalitatem coessenâ—ialem The difference between the divine Nature and Persons The Inacâ—â—quade conceâ—t of a divine Person The Socinians engaged to state the point in question Divina natura salvâ omnimodâ perfectione Dei non potest carere aliquâ personarum divinarum Deus est idem quod sua essentia vel natura de Deo loquentes utimur nominibus concretis ut significemusejus subsistentiam utimur nominibus abstract is ut significemusejus simplicitatem Quod ergo â—icitur Deitas vel vita velaliquid hujusmodi esse in Deo referendâ— est ad diversitatem quae est in acceptione intellectus nostri non ad aliquam diversitatem rei Aqin Sum. p. 1. q. 3. art 3. in corpore Art resp ad primum Est de essen iâ cujusliber personae divinae cujuslibet personalitatis divinae esse ipsum esse per essentiam saltem a parte reâ— quicquid sit de modo concipiendi nostro Vide Suarez Metaph Dâ—sp 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The transcendent affections of Ens. Rationes praecedences minuunt rationes subsequentes augent fidem a Ens est unum verum bonum Ens est essentiâ unicum affectionibus autem trinuÌ„ trinum unum Ens trinunum Unum est quod prius de unoquoque ente cognoscitur Verum quod proxime cognoscitur intellectus enim est prior potentia quà m intellectus verum dicit ordinem ad intellectum bonum ad voluntatem Denique si res sit ficta non est bona proinde bonitas quodammodo fundatur in veritate omnes autem tres passiones sunt à parte rei Entitas quoad significatum intrinsecum entitas est bonitas è converso b Una subsistentia divina non plane prastat idem quod praestat altera est enim inter perâ—onas divinas differentia relativa numerica Nec est essentia divina bis aut pluries id quod est per tres subsistentias Nam per subsistentiam Patris essentia divina est Pater non Filius per subsistentiam verò Filii nec Pater est nec Spiritus Sanctus non itaque bis est Pater vel bis Filius vel bis Spiritus Sanctâ—s nec possibile est ut eodem respectu essentia divina sit Pater quo est Filius Tanta autem est essentiae divinae perfectio ut una subsistentia ipsi non possit esse adaequata Per subsistentiam itaque Patris divina essentia adaequatè est Pater non verò adaequatè Deus vid. Bisterfeld lib. 2. sect 1. cap. 5. c In quibus ratio estintegra religionis nostrae mysteria cum ratione consentiunt in quibus corrupta cum ratione pugnant mysteria ut rationem corrigant potius quà m superent In omnibus enim mysteria supra rationem sunt omnino re ratione â—odo d Deus est essentia univocè sive Ens entium transcendens transcendenâ—ium proinde essentias non solùm Physicas sed Metaphysicas omnes infinitè omnibus modis superat proinde discrimina multa incidere ne mireris propter similium istorum inaequalitatem maximam e Veritatem convenienter Naturae ex sacris Scripturis asserimus exiguum autem lumen tam est simile maximo ut prout naturâ—â— unum sunt ita conjunctione in unm transeant in majore ac perfectiore minus sorbeatur vide I unium Trinit defens 1 f Curandum est quod mentem errantium occupat tumor rationis humanae inaâ—i Philosophiae Metaphysicae spe cie abreâ—tae unuâ— aut alterum Scripturae locum in
Saviour saith God is a Spirit and from thence concludes that God is to be worshipped in Spirit and truth but in respect of the Divine Persons also We are to worship God as a Creator as the first of Causes last of Ends best of Beings to whom we owe our Being and our well-being but we must worship God the Father as God and look upon him as the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and as our Father reconciled to us in Christ this is that worship which becomes the Gospel and therefore we ought to worship God the Father considered after this Evangelicall manner that he may be glorifyed we moved and affected with those endearing expressions O God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ and our Father in him Such expressions as these do beget in us 1. Holy boldnesse mixed with Reverence 2. Christian confidence our Father wil supply the wants of his children out of his rich treasure for he commands Heaven earth 3. Filial Love and cheerefull obedience which are even con-naturall to our new man upon due consideration of this sweet relation between God and us Ier. 3. 19. 4. A thankefull acknowledgement of Gods fatherly bounty even unto admiration Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God 1 Joh. 3. 1. Nay heyres of God Rom. 8. 17. What are we vile wretches wormes and no men yea by reason of our filthinesse Dogs and Devils that we should be adopted into the family of God married to the Sonne of God and made co-heyrs with the Lord of glory When the Spirit of a man is raised by such thankfull acknowledgements unto an Holy admiration then it is brought into a Gospel frame and by such high and sweet thoughts of Gods fatherly love and bounty fitted for filiall and Gospel-worship But it will be said that the whole Trinity is our Father and therefore all three persons are to be worshipped under that fatherly consideration and in that deare Relation To which I answer 1. That when the word Father is attributed unto God essentially though all creatures are excluded yet all the three Divine persons are included because they are co-equal they have one nature will and worship they are one and the same God and they are one Father also in opposition to Images Ier. 2. 27. To Saints Is. 63. 16. Doubtlesse thou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel acknowledge us not Thou O Lord art our Father our Redeemer thy name is from everlasting And in opposition to all creatures Mat. 23. 9. and in the Lords Prayer Father Son and Holy Ghost are all called upon as our Father 2. The word Father is sometimes taken personally and attributed to a single person of the God-head More frequently and more peculiarly to God the Father who is the first Principle of subsisting life even in respect of his own naturall and Co-essentiall Son as hath been proved at large in this Treatise and is to be reckoned first in order and finally in regard of our Adoption and the mysterious and divine Oeconomy and dispensation vouchsafed for the salvation of man and yet these peculiar notions do not exclude the other persons from being God as hath been proved above in the fourth chapter nor do they exclude them from being our Father in the common notion of Father in opposition to creatures and Idols nay all three persons have a Fatherly care of us and love to us and therefore Christ is called our Father Isa. 9. 6. Heb. 2. 13 14. And it is the proper office of the Holy Ghost to Regenerate us as it is of the Father to Adopt us but then the Father doth Adopt us in Christ who is a Father to us though a Son to God the Father and the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Regeneration and Adoption and therefore all three Co-essentiall persons are our Father 3. We may direct our Prayers to any one person as Steven directed his to the Lord Jesus Act. 7. 59. Lord Iesus receive my Spirit 4. We may direct our Prayers expressely unto two of the divine persons Now God himself and our Father and our Lord Iesus Christ direct our way unto you 1 Thes. 3. 11. 5. We may direct our Prayers unto all three as we do in the administration of Baptisme and in that Fundamentall Benediction 2 Cor. 13 14. 6. When we direct our prayers to one of the divine persons we exclude none because the Persons are in one another the Father is in the Son and they are all three coessentiall coequall They are one God and therefore are to be worshipped with that selfe same religious and divine Worship which is due to their single and undivided Godhead 7. When we direct our prayer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ the terme Father is taken in a peculiar notion not in the common notion and the Apostle directs his prayer after this peculiar manner Eph. 3. 14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ of whom the whole Family in Heaven and Earth is named God the Father looks upon us poore wormes as part of his Family nay as his deare children whilest we are here on earth as well as he looks upon his other children the glorious Saints who are made perfect in heaven Oh what a quickning consideration is this to bring us upon our knees at a Throne of grace before Christs Father and our Father that we may have a childs Portion and be prepared for that place which Christ is now preparing for us We are part of the Family numbred amongst those of the best ranke we are children and have the same Father that Christ and the Saints in heaven have Iohn 20. 17. Ephes. 3. 14. and therefore shall come to be Coheires with Christ and them Here is heavenly encouragement unto Gospell-worship and Gospell-conversation It is no wonder then if that Gospell-worship be frequently performed to God under this endearing consideration and in this sweet and comfortable relation The Apostle wishes us grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 1. 7. and in like manner 1 Cor. 1 3. 2 Cor. 1. 2. Observe that solemn forme of thanksgiving Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort 2 Cor. 1. 3. Oh how willingly and cheerefully do we run to the God of all mercies and comfort in a time of temptation and affliction 2 Cor. 1. 4. For the Father discovers his bowels of mercy on purpose to invite us to him The Father himselfe loves you Iohn 16. 27. All spirituall glorious eternall blessings our Election Redemption Salvation are ascribed to this Father of all grace mercy comfort glory