8 $ And yet if we confider thefe Three Divine Persons, as containing each other in themselves, and effential ly One by a mutual confcioufnefs, this pretended Contradiction vanishes: For then the Father is the One true God, because the Father has the Son, and the Holy Spirit in himself; and the Son may be called the One true God (of which more presently) because the Son has the Father, and the Holy Ghost in himself and the Holy Ghoft the One true God, because he has the Father and the Son in himself, and yet all but One true God, because Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are united into One; and then though One of thefe Perfons is not the other, yet each Perfon by an effential unity contains both others in himself, and therefore if all Three Perfons are the One true God, each Perfon is God. And this is the true meaning of the Athanafian Creed, which this Author has corrupted by adding, the One true God to every Perfon; that the Father is the One true God, the Son the One true God, the Holy Ghost the One true God, as if each Perfon as diftinguifhed and feparated from the other, were the One true God; and then it would indeed found pretty like a Contradiction to add, yet there is but One true God: But the Athanafian Creed only fays, The Father is God, the Son God, the Holy Ghost God; yet Three are not Three Gods, but One God; which plainly fhews, that it does not fpeak of thefe Three Divine Perfons, as diftinguished and feparated from each other; but as united into One God, not as Three parts of the Deity, but as Three Persons, who are effentially One God, as mutually containing each other, that is, by a mutual felf-confcioufnels, as I have now explained it, which is the effential Unity of a Mind. As As for this expreffion, The One true God, it is ne-, An fhh p 135-137 ver attributed to Son, or Holy Ghoft, that I know of' either in Scripture, or any Catholick Writer; tho it is to the Father, whom our Saviour himself calls, The only true God; for all Three Divine Persons as in conjunction with each other, being the One only true God This Title cannot fo properly be attributed to any One Perfon, but only the Father, who is the Anshhap 138.307. Fountain of the Deity: for though all Three Perfons are in each other by a mutual consciousness, and therefore each Perfon has all the Perfections of the Godhead; yet the Son is in the Father, and the Holy Spirit in the Father and the Son, in such a manner, as the Father is not in the Son, nor the Father and Son in the Holy Spirit, which the Schools call the Modi fubfiftendi; that is, the Son is in the Father by eternal generation, and the Holy Spirit in Father and Son by eternal proceffion; and this is the natural Order of the Trinity; and therefore when this One God is to be fignified by the Name of any One Perfon, it is proper to follow the Order of Nature, if I fo fpeak, and to fignifie the whole Sacred Trinity by the Name of the Father, who is the eternal Source and Fountain of it. may The Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of Creed. The meaning of the last claufe is, that the Glory Notes. Father. An gehe 1309 1 Therefore I ask, whether the Glory and Majeft y with which the Son and Spirit are Glorious and Majeftical be the fame in number (that is, the very fame) with which the Father is Glorious and Majeftical, or only the fame for kind or degree? If it be not the fame in number, then the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, is not (as this Creed teaches) all One, and they are not One and the fame God: for Two infinite and distinct Glories and Majesties make Two Gods, and Three make Three Gods; as every One fees, and (to fay true) the Trinitarians themselves confefs. It remains therefore that they fay, That the Glory and Majesty of the Son and Spirit is the fame in number and not for kind and degree only, with that of the Fa ther; but then it follows, that the Glory and Majesty of thefe Perfons is neither equal, nor coeternal. equal, for 'tis the fame, which equals never are. Not coeternal, for this alfa plainly intimates, that they are diftinct; For how coeternal, if not diftinct? Do we fay, a thing is coeternal and cotemporary with itself? Therefore this Article alfo doth impugn and deftroy itself: Befides, if the Glory and Majefty of the Three Perfons be numerically the fame, then fo are all their other Attributes: from whence it follows, that there is not any real difference between the Three Perfons, and they are only Three feveral Names of God, which is the Herefie of the Sabellians. Not What he says, That if the Glory and Majefty of the *Answer. Three Perfons be numerically the fame, fo are all their other Attributes, is certainly true; for their Glory and Majefty is nothing elle, but the infinite Perfections of their Nature. And therefore to make short work with this, I affirm, that the Glory and Maje- Anshhep 309. fty, fty, and all the other Perfections of these Three Di- An sh hep 308. vine Perfons are as diftinct as their Perfons are, and therefore may be coequal and coeternal, because they are distinct, and yet they are as numerically One and the fame as the Godhead is. They are Three infinite Minds, and therefore distinct as Three Minds are, but they are all mutually conscious to each other, and therefore as effentially One, as the fame Mind is One with itself by a felf-confcioufrefs; this does not destroy the Diftinction of their Perfons, nor con-, fequently of their Majefty and Glory, their Glory and Majesty is as diftinct as their Perfons are, and united as their Perfons are, into One effential and numerical Glory of One Supreme God, a Trinity in Unity. But to expofe the ridiculous Sophiftry of this, instead of their Glory equal, their Majefty coeternal, let us put in their Perfons equal and coeternal, for the equality of their Glory,and coeternity of their Majefty, is nothing elfe, but the equality and coeternity of their Perfons; that the Godhead of the Father of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is all One,their Perfons equal and coeternal. And then our Note-makers Argument runs thus: "I ask, whether the Perfons of the Son, and of "the Holy Ghoft, which are equal and coeternal "with the Perfon of the Father, be the fame in num"ber (that is, the very fame) with the Perfon of the "Father, or only the fame for kind and degree? If "they be not the fame in number (that is, if they "be diftin&t Perfons, (as the Creed affirms) then "the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, is not "all One, and they are not One and the fame God, N 2 "for 194 "for Two infinite and distinct Perfons make Two. "Gods, and Three makes Three Gods. Is not this now, a felf-evident proof, that there cannot be One Godhead, if there be Three Perfons, because Three. Perfons make Three Gods! Quod erat demonftrandum; that is, it cannot be, because it cannot be: But to proceed with his argument. "It remains therefore, that thefe Trinitarians lay, "That the Perfon of the Son and Spirit, is the fame in number, and not in kind or degree only, with "the Perfon of the Father. That is, because they affirm these Divine Perfons to be distinct, therefore they must lay, they are numerically the fame; and what then? Why then they are neither equal, nor coeternal, becaufe they are the fame without any real diftinction, and the fame thing is not equal, nor coeternal with itfelf: Right! very right Sir! a plain demonftration! And thus the poor Trinitarians are eternally confounded! They teach, that there are Three diftinct Perfons, and One eternal and infinite God; he plainly confutes this by faying, That if there be One Godhead, there cannot be Three diftinct Per-fons, for Three diftinct Perfons are Three Gods; and if he had proved it, as well as faid it, it had been a di rect confutation. They affirm, that thefe Three diftinct Perfons are coequal and coeternal; he proves, that they are not, because they must say, (though they fay the quite contrary) that they are not Three, but One numerical Perfon, and then they cannot be coequal and coeternal: and thus they fhamefully contradict themselves, and this Article is Felo de fe:: If this be the profound Reafon of Hereticks, God deliver me from Herefie, if it were for no other Reason, but to keep my Understanding: And yet as ridicu lous. |