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^THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, |
'^ Princeton, N. J
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I
No. ®
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^
From the Rev. W. B. SPRAGUE, D.D.
Case, Pjvision i|p
Shelf, Section 2
E TRUE /^ ■ a:^(^^
\E Doctrine
THE'
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THE T R U E x^ -^^^^^^
,' Scripture Doctrine
O F T H E HOLY AND EVER-BLESSED
TRINITY,
STATED AND DEFENDED,
IN OPPOSITION TO THE
ARIAN SCHEME.
BY ABRAHAM TAYLOR.
LONDON:
Printed for John Clark and Richard Hett,
at the Bible and Crown in the Poultry near
Cheapfidc. MDCCXXVn.
/
To the Reverend
DrWATERLAND.
Sir,
OU may, perhaps, be fur- prized at the following work being infcribed to you, by a perfon fo lit- tle known to you ,- but there may this advantage attend your not know- ing any thing of my defign, that none will think the errors I may have com- mitted, have in the leaft met with your approbation.
The controverfy relating to the
do6lrine of the blefled Trinity, was
never fo carefully examined, as it has
been fince the late revival of Aria-
A i nifm
The Dedication.
nifm in our nation. The adverfaries of the truth cannot pretend they have been refufcd a fair hearing : On the other hand, their caufe has been tried, and found contrary to fcripture, rea* fon, and primitive antiquity. I am flire of having the concurrence of all judges of true merit, when I fay, none has contributed more to this great work, than your felf. In your excellent writings on the great fub- jed: of the Divinity of our blefled Lord, you have unravel'd the fo- phirtry, and laid open the fallacy of our adverfaries, you have folidly and nervoufly confuted their unfcriptural novelties, and have baffled their falfe pretences to antiquity : So that not being able to ftand before you, after the moft able hands of the party had been, for fome years, employ'd againft you, they have thought fit to make a very diflionourable re- rreat*
Seeing
The Dedication.
Seeing the controverfy has run ouc into a very great length, I appre- hended it might be ufeful, to throve together the Icripture proofs of the catholic dodlrine of the Trinity, and to try if I could fet them in an eafy and juft light. As I muft profefs my felf to have received great benefit and advantage from your learned labours, I could not but publickly teftify my gratitude, in prefenting thefe flieets to you 3 hoping that you will approve of an honeft zeal, to fupport a caufe, in which you have appeared widi fo much honour 3 and depending on your candor and goodnels, to over- look the faults, which a perfon of your difcerning cannot but find, in fo imperfed a performance.
Upon reviewing what! have wrote,
I find my felf under more obligati*
ons to you, than I was at firft fenfi-
bie of: For thofe mafterly ftrokes of
A 3 reafon-
The Dedication^.
reafoning, which occur in your wri- tings, made fo ftrong an impreffion on my mind, in reading them, that I find, in feveral cafes, I have fallen into almoft the fame thread of argu- ment, even when I was not appre- henfive I was indebted to you.
I can hardly expeA, that in all the topicks I have gone upon, my way of thinking will be wholly approved by you • but notwichftanding a va- riety in our thoughts, concerning fome incidental matters in this controverfy, and our different fentiments about o- ther things ^ yet feeing we maintain the common faith againfl; the com- mon enemy, I hope the opinions in which we differ, will be no bar a- gainft the ufefulnefs of our labours^ in defenfe of that truth in which \\x agree.
We have a clear view of the mif- chiefs produced by Arianifm, in the
fur-
The Dedication.
furprizing growth of Atheifm and Deifrrij within thefe few years 3 we have no reafon to wonder at this^, for when once men make their im- perfect reafon the ftandard, accord- ing to which matters of pure reve- lation muft be interpreted, they have but a fliort ftcp to take, to deny, that the fcriptures have any divine autho- rity at ail.
That God may appear, in our time, to fcatter the darknefs of error^ which has fo much overfpread our unhappy land, that he may preferve to us the purity of the chriftian faith, and may baffle all attempts made by mtn of corrupt minds, to rob us of this facred pledge, committed to our truft, is the fincere prayer of,
Reverend Sir,
Your faithful humble Servant,
Abraham Taylor.
V
/
J>
THE
PREFACE
HERE have been many fchemes framed, by the difputers of this world, againll the c'oStrine of the ever blefled Trinity in unity, but the moft confiderable are the Sabel- han, with which the Socinian is almcil the fame, and theArian: Both thefe hypothefes have taken their rife, from mens confounding being and perfon, and refolving that nothing fhall be a perfon, but what is a feparate being. The Sa- bellians, convinced that theTcripture reprefents the Son, and the holy Spirit, as really divine, make the facred three to be the one fupreme God with three names; and to preferve the true Deity of the Son and the Spirit, deny their rcal perfonality. This fcheme is not attended with thofe difficulties on the foot of reafon, which clog all other heretical hypothefes, which men have framed ; but it is fo dire£l:ly contrary to fcriptuie, that whenever th*" anti-trinitarians have taken refuge in it, their caufe has prefently become dcfperate.
^ The
V
ii The preface.
The Arians always have acknowledged the perfonality of the Son and the Spirit, and to preferve this, have been for reducing them to the rank of creatures; tho' in order to avoid popular cenfure, and to fcreen their true fenti- ments from the view of well meaning perfons, they have moflly been fhy of calling them foi
The fcriptures fpeak of Chriil in more capa- cities than one; he is fet forth as really God in many places, but he is, in many more places, fpokeof as mediator, and as man; inboththefc latter cafes, he is reprefented as fubordinate to the Father, as fent by him, as commiilion'd to do his will, as obeying him as his fervant, as yielding him fubjection, and as praying to him^i on feveral occafions. This reprefentation of Chrift, in his oeconomical capacity, as fubor- dinate to the Father, and as inferior to him. in office, has been improved by the Arians, to countenance the notion of an inferiority of na- ture: It has been greedily fwallowed by many, who do not carefully lock into the matter, and do not confider the high things which are elfewhere, in fcripture, fpokc of Chrift, nor at- tend to the abfurdities that flow from the fancy of an inferior, fubordinate God: On this ac- count the Arian hypothefes has had, at times, a greater run in the world, than any other heterodox fcheme.
The Arians, in all ages, have been remarka- ble for tricking and difguife, for infincerity and double dealing ; and have veiy often fliiftcd and palliated their notions. It ^ wou'd be an end- lefs task, to give a detail of all their divillons,
* I Ihall refer the Englifh reader, who dcfires a fiillef account of the rife, progrefs, and downfal of Arianifm of eld, to the tranllations of the hillories o^ Arianifm, of Fa-
amon
The preface. in
among thcmfelves j but it may not be improper to give a brief account of the feveral turns this herefy has taken in the world.
The Arian herefy, as is well known, took its name, in ^ the beginning of the fourth cen- tury, from *^ Arius, a proud conceited prefbyter of Alexandria : His firft motive to it was a perfonal fpite againft Alexander, a pious and excellent man, who was advanced, over his head, to the bifliopric, which he had afpired after. He had fome among the deacons of the church of Alexandria to join with him, among which was another perfon named Arius, the rcfl were Achillas, Euzoius, Carpones, Aethales, Lucius, Sarmates, Julius, Menas, Helladius and Caius: With thefe fome African bifhops join'd thcm- felves, as Secundus of Ptolemais, and Theonas of Marmarica, and Piftus, whom the Arians afterwards call'd bifliop of Alexandria. Seve- ral ^bifhops, in other parts, foon declared thcm- felves in favour of Arius 5 but his main fupporter was Eufebius bilhop of Nicomedia, a diflemb-
ther Maimbourg, and of M. le Nain le Tiilemont, and ef- pecially to the learned and accurate Dr. Berriman's hifto- rical account of the Trinitarian controverfy, p. 163. — 250. 257.- — 270. 320.- — 362.
^ About the year 317. the notion which he efpoufed had been, by fome obfcure perfons, ftarted before, as ap- pears from a fragment of Dionyfms bifhop of Rome, pre- ferved by Athanafius, ( De Decret. Synod. Nicen. Vol. I. p. 275, 276. Ed. Poris. Vol. I. p. 231, 232. Ed. Bened.) part of which is inferted in the following treatife, (p. 123, 124.)
* Vid. Socrat. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. I. c. 5, 6. Sozomert. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. I. c 16. Thepdorit. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. I. c. 2, 3. Epiphan. Haeres. 69.
^ Thefe were Aetius bilhop of Diofpolis, Athanafius bilhop ofAnazarbus, Auxentius bilhop of Milan, Euftathius bilhop of Scbafte, Gregory bilhop of Bcrytus, Maris bilhop of
ir The PREFACE.
ling artful courtier, who did more to proftidtd the fpreading of Arianifm, than any other per- fon whatever.
Arius, at his firft fetting our, was very bold and daring, in his denial of the Son's Divinity ; he, indeed, deceitfully caird him God, but at the fame time he affirm'dj that there was a time tvhcn he w^as not j that he is a creature, made out of nothing, and that this created Word, united to the human flefh, fupplied the place of a human foul. In his letters, ^ which are re- maining, he ufed the following cxpreflions a- mong others. ^' The Son is not made out of any prc-exiflent matter, but is, by the will and power of the Father, conftituted a perfe6t on- ly begotten Godj before all time > but he was not before he was begotten, or created. We lay, the Son has a beginnings and is made out of nothing. We own but one felf-exillent, e-
Chalcedon, Menophantus bifhop of Ephdfus, NarcifTui bl- fiiop of Irenopolis, Patrophilus bifhop of Scythopolis, Pau- linas bifliop of Tvre, Theodotus bifliop of Laodicea, and Theognis bifhop of Nice.
w«o?y o ^ 0SS5 ccvuf'^'<; jVj* ^oc riro ^iun^[/ji6x, )o en 'urrofSifj «|
f| Ittoxhi^h nvoq. Arius Epill. adEufebium Nicomed. Apud Theodorit. Hill. Ecclef Lib. i. cap. 5. p. 21. Ed. Valef 8c apud Epiphanium Haer. 69. p. 731, 732. Ed. Par.
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ternal
/
The preface. v
ternal and true God, who begot his Son before all times, by whom he made the worlds, who is conflituted unalterable, by his will, a ipcrfeS: creature of God , yet not like one of the other creatures, but Vvho was created before time, by the will of God : He received his life, and be- ing, and glory, from the Father : He was be- gotten and created by the Father, before all ages J but he is not eternal, nor co eternal with the Father j and becaufe he received from God his being, his life, his honours, and all that be- longs to him, God is his principle, and rules and governs him, as his God, and is before him, becaufe he is from him."
Arius was very diligent, to make ufe of all opportunities that ofFer'd, to propagate his opi- nions 5 and as perfons who have not opportu- nity to look into things, are moil eafily im- pofed upon, he provided fomcthing that might ftrike the imagination, and fuit the guft of fuch^ therefore he compofed ballads, ^ for the ufe of millers, failors, and travellers, which were (luf- fed with his peculiar notions, and were proper
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Z tQ
Vi The preface.
to difTeminate his hereiy, in a merry way, a^ niong the ignorant populace, and the unthink- ing mob.
For the ufe of perfons of a politer tafte, he compofed his Thalia, partly in pfofe, and partly in loofe metre, which was % drawn up in a wanton bantering way, and in a lufcious ftile, more becoming an amorous romance, than a theological treatife j of this we may take an in-
v'iic, ccfx,ih<^i^>i^ T ccv^aT^oiv. Photjus ex Piiiloftorgio. 1 1 . 2. p. 470. Ed. Valef.
^/wv, iKT'AK>Mi^cic, y^ yeXoioi^ tj^vjo-*, xuiu tvv 'AiyuTTriov S^y-
•Tj^/jv. Athanai". de Sentent« Dionyf. Vol. I. p. 552. Ed. Par.
nav aAA&v cly.av, Sw7k'^/;5 tj? lliv^nTcci 7:0.^' uuTolq, 0 kxi Trap*
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Uaq 1^ icu.6aXiyjii<^ E>cjcA)3(7Ja5 lanv^ oi T^f 'Ayo<^oXliCKy eCTtori'iX- \^-i/jivoi 7n?iv^ Kx\ KXivZv KXKCov l^iv^iTui yivcf/jivoi j o't m psj •jsyv B-UCJ9 y^x<pii)i/ Xoyix KXTxXil'^ovTitiy 7K5 i^ ©xXc-iuq Afiiiit ffoiPiXii KXivaj cvof^(^ovTS<;, ii^Jrai; thto XiyovTt(; kxiv/.v 'ui^vi<nv u-sxyy.>.>,i<(n ■ ^to Kxl B'xvjt^a-inv xv T<;, 071 tsoWx "^tcX'aZv cvv- 'myfJMTXf Kx) TrXii^xc, c^^Xlxti u^ yi tkv tc xXfiUxv xxi 7-,;v kxivhv ycu'^citTCitf, y.x) TTxfx f/jij^m Qx>.i\x<, itfJerxo^'^j?, xXXx (A}m •^«i)ji. ml'; g-TTH ^diae, tZi iAAiiy&'y, >! Ttxi^x {.{svoiq roiq 06dV(rt tcc nuiZret ^"Tx^x rroTa; fJUiiii xpoVif y.xi (ryM\ti[A^7uv iv '7rxiaixi(;^ XfiVAv Toij ysAX^ rr«p' Iti^uv. 'O ^xvyjcii^e, ^'A^u^ cveiv viui^ jiv /i>w/A^pUjW/iv(^, xXXx. Kxl rcl ruv a-TTis^XiUv ocyyoiio-xc,, xXiX^x^ T* Tzyy uX/.ckiv Xi^i<riuv oToxAzyflf^, ttjv too I^utzcoh [/^vou yiXoio- XnyiXV li^i;>Mfri ' t: yx^ ITTfiTTS TTnTv xCrvVf h ^iXovrx xxtu tou
rfiiq Kxl ^,x^iifjt,ivci<i fjoiXscrt a-r,yuuisii'.'>. Idem, ibid. p. 3*^9*
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/
The P R E P a C E. vii
fiance, in ^ this filly, as well as prophane paf- fage> " God has fpoke many words, which of thefe fhall we call the only begotten Son, and Word of the Father?" In this odd compofure, he inferted fome paflages wrote in a more grave manner, and in the way of dry debate, or ra- ther of dull cavil 5 one large fragment of this kind, is preferved by ^ Athanafius, in which the heretic has fpoke his mind boldly and freely: Among other things he has thus declared : " We call God the Father eternal, becaufe of hiia who was made in time 3 he who was without beginning, conftituted the Son the beginning of things, made and adopted him. The Soa has nothing proper to God, for he is neither equal to him, nor confubftantial with him. Ic is evident, that God is invifible to all creatures,
fjbav, ocXXci r Atyt>7rrio¥ "Zwnid^/iy h r« \k'. kx) r^ iKX^int fhip^m. Idem, De Synod. Armin. & Seleuc. Vol. I. p. 885.
i,Tiypu'^c QaXiiiCf • sVf 3 e x^^^^ztt^^ tow fii^>^lii ^xuvog kxI Jiflfc-
crates Hill. Ecclef. Lib. i. c. 9. p. 25. Ed. Par.
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made
^
viii The PREFACE.
made by the inftrumentality of the Son, and to
the Son himfelf^ for to fpeak plainly, how can
he who is invifible be fcen by the Son ? There
is a Trinity, but not of equal glory, one per-
fon being iafinitely more glorious than another;
The Father is of a different fubflance from the
Son, being without caufe : The Son once was
not, but by the will of the Father he exifted,
and he is of a different kind from other creatures.
Is not the Son what he is, by the will of the
Father ? In a word, God is ineffable to the Son ;
he can never comprehend and declare the Fa^*
ther, for certainly the Son can never fearch
out what is incomprehenfible, relating to the
Father, when he is derived from hirn, becaufe
he docs not know his own effence. What rea-
fon have we to think, that he who is of the
Father, can know and comprehend him, who
begot him? It is plain, that he who has a be-
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ginningj
The preface, ix
ginning, can never know him who is without a beginning, as he is.'* To fuch a height of bold impiety, did this unhappy man run, at his firft going forth, to defy Chrift, the Hving God. Some of his friends, at this time, were not much upon the referve, but, thinking all refiilance would fall before them, they ^ ipoke their minds freely and openly, in terms fit to make the ears of chriftians tingle.
To obviate thefe daring blafphemies of Arius and his abettors, the emperor Conftantine the great fummon'd a council of three hundred and eighteen biihops, to meet at Nice, in which cither Euflathius bifhop of Antioch, or Hofius
c'jx, eiQt 7j i?-i9. Arius in Thalia, apud Athanaf. de Svnodis Arimin. & Seleuc. Vol. I. p. 884, 885. Ed. Par. Vide & A- thanaf. Orat. 2. c. Arian. p. 311, 312.
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M« fJUiytj<Pii roi<i 'Ztfec ''Apjwv, Si' ^.iyaoriVy itv ttoi s ors isK hv 0 hio^ t5 0s5* *^ '^ 0 UTutoa lioq -yiyoviv A^a^;, }^ ciMui^ 0 Ayjuq ?j» Tf^ r5 yivi^ T HTUiocii 6 Jj HcrccVus ix, h Tr^ri^ov, kXKu. fjtiTK rctZrc6 yiyon. Georgius Laodicen. Epift. ad eund. apud Athanaf. ibid»
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TleiiT fjt/iTK yjafjbii)^ ^vci^m (rvvTxyf{^Tiov • — sv riirco t^v otK^/dcc 9^ TJjF ^ejifhTTifiit TM Xpts-3 o-vyKP/vui, f/JiXXov i) '^fOT.i/j()(ra4 ccvtcu^ j^ Mym u?^>.ij9 uvxi Tta.^ riv Xp<fB» iv r'2 Qico (ro:p,'xv, niv reu
*yecf s^i Tuv yivtifuf, j^ iii tuv vryj'mv pua-icov £,t • >c, aa-Tnp >)>.«©- I» ToTq fiMT^ofd^on Xte, fjuiv s^i Tav ^ctivof^^m^ ?^u,f^7m ^ Truini y» H9<rfAa KCCTK vr^arTU^iv rev ^i7inrn{^7(^ • Hretfi 6 iioq, Uq a>f
tfcnrZ n^rf/bot, HuXiv Ti (pi](nv, kv 7nr% on oCk w, itrof y^u^a*
a bifhop
\
X The preface.
bishop of Corduba prefided. In this council Arius and his opinions were condemned: His friends, at firfl, made a great out-cry, againft ellablifhing human forms, and creeds, not drawn up in fcripture words -, but they had neither the honelly nor courage to (land it out, but to keep their bifhoprics, fubfcribed a creed which they had rail'd at as unfcriptural. Eu- febius billiop of Nicomedia, Theognis bifhop of Nice, and Maris biHiop of Chalcedon, for fome time refufed to condemn Arius, but at laft they fubfcribed to his condemnation > for Eu- fcbius being perfuaded to do it, by the princefs Conitantia, fiftcr to the emperor, that fo he might hav'e it in his power, more to ferve Arius, t lie reft follow'd his villainous example. Among all the fivourers of Arius, none ftuck to him, but Secundus bifhop of Ptolemais, and Theonas biftiop of Marmarica.
Arius, we have feen, was at firft: open and bold, in delivering his opinions 5 but a little ex- perience fhew'd him, this was not the way to gain credit j becaufe his tenets were too iliock- ing for common chriftians to bear : Befidcs, after he had been cenfured by the council of Nice, it was vain to think to be reconciled to the emperor Conftantine, on any other foot, than feeming to fall in with what had been a- greed upon there. He ^ made ufe of a preiby-
iri^fMit • iTTu i^ Ur^oq, ?rpa tow Urfweiv itxt t^v rov t7ri<pff/jwi, Kect ?r«cA«v, ivspyirixTj (ptXoTifJttlct, tKii^n 6 iiUt «s« TFifina-ix Jl-
VMf^iUq iTTOiWi* CCU7VV 0 UXTJ}^. Kxl -TTUXlVf 'E* T* S^lAW TOU
iyp«4.f f^vat,. Athanafius, ibid. p. 887, 888, 889.
^ Vide Socrat. Hill. Ecclef. Lib. i. c. 25. Sozomcn. HilL' Ecclcf. Lib. IL c. 27.
ter.
The ? R E F a C E. xi
ter, who having perverted the princefs Gon- ftantia, the widow of Licinius, was by her, on her death bed, recommended to her brother the emperor, and was much in his favour. ThiS fly hypocrite fo far impofed on Conllantine, as to make himfelf pafs with him as a firm ad- herent to the Nicene faith, and to bring him to believe, that Arius was too hardly dealt with, and was not the man his enemies reprefented him to be. Arius being callM upon, to give an account of his faith, having learn'd the art of tricking and difguife, together with Euzoius, delivered a creed, drawn up in ambiguous ex- preffions, that bore outwardly a found mean- ing : "^ By this the emperor was inclined to have him re-admitted to communion j but feveral things hindering it for fome years, at lad, " up- on Arius's giving in an ambiguous de<:laMtion of his fentiments, which upon ait kpp^al to the fearchei;,of hearts, he declared v/as his true faith, he cothtrtahded it fhould be done, telling him withal, that if he diflembled, God would cer- tainly judge him 3 and accordingly, the day be- fore he was to be admitted, the equivocating wretch was cut off by death, in a fudden and furprizing manner.
InroZv X^i'piVy. Tvv hiov etwrow, srpo ttkvt&jv tuv cciayuy yiyivvrifd^ev Oiiv Aoyov, di » TBt TTtcvTX iy!viro^ tk rg iv h^uvui, km tu tTn t*
tt'Troak^f/^iSx ocA'/i&aqj coq TToiarcc x.ei6e>\.iKH iKKXiioiec^ KtU eci yoxCbeil cid'cca-Kuc-i, uiq KXiu Tcuvrcc TrifiuefAn, KfiTi^q v.f^ah i<^9 6 ®ioc,, Arii & Euzoii Symbol apud 8oc. Lib. I. c. 26. p. 51. Ed, Par. Sozomen. Lib. IL c. 27. p. 395.
" Vid. Athanaf. Epift. ad Serapion, Vol. I. p. 670, 671. Ed. Par. Vol. L p. 341. Edit. Ben. Socrat. Hilt Ecclef. Lib. I. c. 37, 3g. Sozomen. Hift. Ecclef. Lib, 2, c, 29, ^o. Theodorit. Haeretic. Fabul. Lib. IV. c- 1.^
a 2, his
xii The PREFACE.
His followers after him would fometimes fpeak their fentiments plainly, as in the ° fynod at Philippopoli, where they boldly condemned the term confubftantial, and declared that the Son was unlike the Father j yet they moftly chofe to fcreen themfelves, behind the mift of ambiguous words, which might carry outward- ly an orthodox appearance, to captivate the un- wary 'y but yet had a fecret meaning, to keep the perfons that ufcd them, clear from the charge of open felf-contradiclion : And accord- ingly we find the Arians, when they met in fynods, over and over p anathematizing fuch as call'd the Son a creature, or affirm'd him to be niade in time, or out of nothing > while they meant no more by this, than that Chrift was not brought into being, or created, in the fame manner with other creatures, and that they did not determine, as to the time, when he was created. They hid unfcriptural opinions un- der fcripture expreflions, wrefted and abufed; and difguifed their heretical tenets under ambi- guous and obfcurc phrafes, which might be taken in a good {cnk; that Co they might ob- trude the poifon of their opinions upon the lefs difcerning, and yet might have fomething inreferve, to plead with the few of their own party, who were bold and open, and were rea-
cftor, KUi pct,n^a<i Mivriv tv f//iv ofJi/ois(rio\f ccyuSifX/tcnQnu-i tkv ^ re*
Socrates HiH. Ecclef. Lib. II. c. 20. p. 85. Ed. Par.
P See llie Arian creeds recorded by Athanafms, (Vol. I. p. 896. 900. Ed. Par.) by Socrates, (Hift. Ecclef. Lib. IL c. 8. p. 72. Ed. Par. c. 18. p. 80. c. 19. p. 81, 82. c. 30. p. 1 01.) and by Sozomen, (Hilt. Ecclef. Lib. III. . c. in
p. 416.)
dy
The preface. xiii
dy to accufe "^ them of hypocrify and double dealing.
Some of the Arians declared their blafphe- mies, with great freedom and boldnefs, affirm- ing the Son to be made out of nothing, and to be every way unlike to the Father 5 thefc were caird Anomoeans and Exoucontians, and the principal men among them were Aetius, who for his boldnefs, in difputing againfl fcripture myfleries, was calPd the atheift, and Eunomius, who got to be bifhop of Cyzicus. The chief *^ argument, which thefe men ufed, was, that the Son could not be like the Father, becaufe the Father only is felf-exiftent. Eunomius has declared his fentiments, in a long creed, ^ which we have remaining, but in a confufed manner, frequently contradidting himfelf 5 but he has given the fum of his opinions more diftinftly,
xpcl ofjijoXo-ya oZroi TtkiTic, tu. uCtu Aty^ff"*, xfV7rru(^ovTXi J). Aetius de Eudoxio & Menophilo, apud Epiphan. Haer. 76. c. 4. Vol.1, p. 916. Ed. Pai-.
' ^xa-Kii — on a duiccrcut rv uyivmrov b^oicv uvxi rep ytwiiru ' XXI yi Kxrec tv otofjbx a^ixXXurru ' tv' f/jlv yap hif X'^vvvirov, tv ^ymnrot. Aetius, apud Epiphan. Haer. 76. c. 6. p. 918.
Ay.vviiToti ■^ at 8x XV TTon TTfoa-oiro •^yv})(nv, u^i 4 to)xg
f/jirx^Zvxi tS> yivvef//iv(a ^uau^t iK^oyot rt xv Tixirxi truyK^nnv x.xl Keivavixv Trpoq to yimfrov. Eunomius, Apologet. c. 9. In Fabric. Biblioth. Gr. Vol. VIII. p. 272.
We have remaining of Aetius, a parcel of quibbles on the word xymyir(^, which the reader may fee in Epiphanius. p. 924 — 930.
The followers of thefe two men were call'd Anomoeans, from their affirming the Son to be, xvo[jt,ei(^y unlike to the Father, and Exoucontians, for their owning him to be made, s| owe o>r<yy, out of nothing.-
^ See Eunomius's creed in the eighth volume of M. Fa- bricius's Bibliotheca Graeca, (p. 253—260.) And in Vale- rius's notes on Socrates, (,p. 48, 49, 50.)
a 5 in
\
xLv The PREFACE:
in theclofe of his apologyj which Bafil confut* ed : His words are ^ thele : " There is one felf- exiftcnt and unoriginated God, having none be- fore him J for nothing can be before him who is felf-exiltenr s nor with him, for the felf-ex- iftent God is one onlyj nor in him, for he is iimple and uncompounded : He being one only, and always the fame, is the God, and creator, and framer of all things, primarily and eminent- ly of the only begotten 5 but properly of all things made through him. He begot, created and made the Son alone, by his own power and efficacy before all other creatures, not by com- municating any thing of his fubltance to him whom he begot > for God who is incorruptible, indivifible, and infeparable, does not commu- nicate his efience : Neither does he conflitute another Hke himfelf, for he alone is felf-exiftent, and to be begotten, fo as to have the felf- exiftent efTence, is impoffible : He did not lef- fen his own eflence, but begot the Son, by his will onlyj neither did he beget him, accord- ing to his own efTence, but fuch as he pleafed : Thro' the miniftry of this Son, he made the
Tivoi ovTu, j<JV» Y* TTpo rw oi,yivv^)Ti{ iivai ovvccrsn, in (tw tcvTa, 5.-? y«p xxl f^v(^ Oio^ 6 «^'vy>}T(^, out' iv etur^, aVA«5 yxf xccl tC(njv6iT(^. Eli ^ et))i, ksc] /!/^v<^ aiv, Kcci ocA 6 uiit^c, <yy, Traaf" rtut i^ 0£(J5> x«< xT<rtJ5, Kxl J^^ispycc, Tp^rw? fjuh xccl i^oiifi- ra^ TOW Movoyivoui^, ietui; -^ ruv }i olutoZ yivofji/ivuv, tvv fjun yajp vkov, TT^o 'Tcwnuv, KUt %i^o %(t<rv^ x,7i(riU(^, fA^vov t>j Iavtov ohvufjun xu\ ivi^ytici, lyinwi 7i, koci fKritn, Kotl sTroma-iv, ou^v 'f locvrw vTreg-ufTiu^ f/^XTU^ii^ t'm ymfiHtn. ''A^^arp®- y«p, xx\ u^cclfi- T©-, y.u\ eCfjt/ipi^^ a Oioq ' 6 ^ u(pSa.^T(^ r? tuvTou oua:ccf oi
ttCroc, uyiiivi)T(^y xurx ii rnv otytvvtjTov ouaixv yivi>i6yivcci cc^'uvctTcv, OvTi ov¥ Tvi iuuTou cuaia kzix^yta-xro, uXXx rvj ^uMan /uisvvi' in xuTec T ouaifcv, <iAA' olov i(iii>i^6n iymittrs. Ka/' ^oc roZnt^ :ffci)Tov lAiiv TTecnuf kccI fJbii^w, to Ttviuyi^x, to ayiov iTFuwtv, i^a-
holy
The preface. xy
holy Spirit, the firft and greateft of all things created, by his own power and command, but by the efficience of the Son: After^the Spirit, he created all things, in heaven and earth, vifible and invifible, corporeal and incorporeal, by the Son. There is therefore one God, unbegotten, uncreated, and unmade > and there is one Lord Jefus Chrift, begotten of him who is unbegot- ten, but not in the fame way with other things begotten 5 the creature of him who is uncreated, but not created in the fame way with other creatures > the work of him who was unmade, but not made in the fame way with other things made : And there is one holy Spirit, the Jfirft and greateft of the works of the only begotten, made at the command of the Father, by the power and efficacy of the Son." This is a plain account of genuine Arianifm, and is what is really maintained by the whole party 5 tho' fome may be more cautious of fpeaking their minds than others. Aetius and Eunomius were rem.ark able for their pretending to have got fuch clear and bright ideas of God, as to be able fully to comprehend his efTence. The former thus " declared : " I know God in the fame man- ner that I know my felf> nay I do not know
cioe. f^tv ic:u, Kx) Tfioa-Tuyf/jccriy hifynu, ^ y.eu ^wizfjuu roZ vicu, fAtiToi ^ reuro, roi XoiTToi, ttuvtx ru ii o6^ctv(Z tcu] l-m y??, ci^xroc TS Kdi oiopccrct, Kcti <ra>f/joe.rct rs kxI eca-aifXtoCTcc, ^ile, rov iioZ stjvh}'
c-iv. Ei? «v 0«o? ftJymjjT©-, uy,Ti?<^, UTnunr©^, kuI «$ Kt-
p<©- lYifToZc, X^i'iZ';, 0 w;o5 Tcu ©iov, yiJVYiyjoc, rou oiyrnvm, ey« 6)5 sv Tav ymY)(J!joc.ri-)v, Kiioryju, rou ixrtVs^, oC^ ac, % ruv xricr-
7rnv[X/c6 ocytov, tt^^tov kcc) fJi/H^v frocvrav rm rev ^cnyivoZc, 'soyav, TT^erocyfuuTi fmv roZ n«r^o$, ivifyucc, ^ kxI ^vvuf^zi row 'tuoZ yg- vifBfioK Eunomii Apolog. c. 28.
Tvr 6)9 ^ Qfcv. Aetius apud Epipban. p. 989.
a 4 . my
xvi The PREFACE.
my felf fo well as I do God." The other, with greater infolence, thus pronounced : ^' ^' God knows no more of his own eflence than we do, nor is it known more clearly by him, and more obfcurely by us j but what wc know of it, he knows ^ and what he knows, we fliall find our felves to know, without any difference."
There were fome peilbns, who favour'd A- rianifm, who were fo lliock'd at thefe bold im- pieties, that they chofe to fall in with what they caird Semi-arianifm, and profefs'd to be- lieve very high things of the Son, and the Spi- rit, only they fcrupled to call them confublfan- tial with the Father 5 but proper Semi-arianifm, is meer nonfenfe and felf-contradi6lion -, for there can be no medium between God and a creature, between infinite and finite. The principal per- fons of this fort were Balil bifliop of Ancyra, and Macedonius bifhop of Conftantinopk : This laffc was the perfon, who is faid firll to have introduced the way of talking, of the Son's being like the Father in fubilance: He pretend- ed to differ very little from the catholics, with refpeft to the Son} but he utterly dilclaimed the Divinity ol the holy Spirit, making him to be a created minillring fpirit, of the fame kind with the angels j this opinion was con- demned in the council of Conltantinople,
The Arian herefy never could keep its ground, except when the fecular power fupported it ; The profefTorsof this opinion always made loud outcries againft perfecution) yet they were mofl
'*^ *0 0sfl? 5Tif< r tuvToZ ovr.cci ovhv ttXiov if/jZv tTn^etToci ' cuds jriv uvry) /w/SAAov fjutv iKuvM, kttov at i>f/ijTv ytyutTKofOjjr) ' icXX' cTtp ecv iihiyiutjtv yfJtji\(, 'ZZr6<' tx-'JiViC, toZto 5r<i»T&'5 xeiKi'ii(^ oi^v' c oi utt ^acX.11 iKUv(^, 7oZro ivfi(rii<i U7^ufoi.X?^UKTUiiv yfJuXv. Eunomius
apud. Soc. Hifl. Ecckf. Lib. IV. c. 7. p. 176, 177. Ed. Par.
bitter
The preface. xvii
bitter perfccutors, whenever they had it in theisr power. In the firll perfecution they raifed, un- der that weak prince Conftantius, who thp' not in their fentiments, was a tool to them, being wholly managed by Eufebius bifhop of Nicomedia, and Eulebius his great chamberlain, they did not perfecute any, meerly becaufe they held the catholic fiiith, but they vented their rage againft the orthodox, becaufe they would not hold communion with themj they look'd upon them as narrow fpirited bigots, who knew nothing of the noble principles of liberty, and therefore they were for propagating compre- henfive charity and moderation, by force and violence. They did not proceed to inflid ca- pital puniihment^ or if they did, they invented crimes of a civil nature, to accufe fuch of, as they had a mind to put out of the way. When Valens, who was in principle an Arian, raifed another perfecution againft the catholics, he was not content with banilhing and imprifoning fuch as maintained true faith, but he punifhed them with X death j and, in his cruelties, feem'd to make the heathen perfecuters, the model which he copied after : His behaviour, in this refpcdb, was fo intolerable, that y Themifrius a pagan, but a wife and moderate man, was moved to
» Vid. Gregor. Naz. Orat. 20. Vol. I. p. 348. Ed. Tat. Orat. 25. p. 432 — 434. Orat. 32. p. 512. Socrat. Hill. Ec- clef. Lib. IV. c. 16. p. 186. Ed. Par. Sozomen. Hift. Ec- clef. Lib. VI. c. 14. p- 533.
y Vid. Socrat. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. IV. c. 32. p. 305. So- xomen. Hift. Ecclef. Lib. VI. c. 36. p. 365. Vid. & The- mift. Orat. XII. p. 156, 157., 158, 159, 160. Edit. Harduin.
This oration of Themiftius was in commendation of Va- lens, after he had complied in part with his advice not to pfcrl'ccute for confcience fake.
cntreqjt;
^ _ »••
iviii The PREFACE:
entreat him, not to force men to change their lentiments, by tortures and violence.
The Arians, to be fure, very much weakcn'd their party, by their divifions among themfelves, and by their pe.fecuting one another, on ac- count of their differences : And I believe it may be juftly Cud, that the herefy never prevailed fo much among the people, as it did among the ecclefialtics ; therefore it is not to bewonder'd at, that as foon as ever the great and wife em- peror Tbcodofius, deprived Arianifm of the fup- port of the civil power, it, like a ruinous build- ing, fell down at once, fo as never to rife again, in the eaftern part of the world. The fup- preffing Ananifm, without ufing feverity, was the glor)' of that pious and excellent prince's reign, and contributed more to his honour, than all tne triumphs that attended his fword.
When Ananifm was entirely fupprefs'd, in the eaft, it was fpread all over the well, by the nortaern nations, who over-run the empire, in the reign of Honorius, and after. The Goths were tainted with Arianifm, by the means of Ulphiks, whom they made their bifhop, and who had been their agent at Valens's court, where he received the infeaion. All the other nations derived the Arian tenets from the Gorhsj and It IS nowonder they fhould fo readily fall into them, for the tranfition to them from pa- gamfn> is very eafy. In fome places, the bar- barians let the catholics alone, but in others they pcrfccuted them with great fiercenefs. The mo^remble perfecution of all, ^ was that raifed by Gifenc and Hunneric, the Vandal kings in
maa.r., will meet with an account of the Vandal perfecu-
Africa,
The preface, xU
Africa, in which fuch as would not deny their God and Saviour, were treated with fuch hor- rid cruelties, as might raife pity in the moft fa- vage bread. This perfecution was continued mmiy years, under their fuccelTors, but not with fo great violence. t ri- •
Afterwards, when the emperor Jultmian's general, the great Belifarius, the glory of his time, for condud and bravery, had recover'd Africa from the Vandals, and Italy from the Goths, Arianifm made very little figure in the world. The Goths a few years after, recover'd Italy, but they were foon driven out of it by Narfes. Indeed, when that brave general, to revenge the ill treatment he met with, unhap- pily caird the Lombards into Italy, the Ariaii herefy again rear'd its head in that country > but in a few years, there, and in all other parts, it dwindled to nothing.
The Arians, when they are reminded of the perfecutions, raifed by their predeceflbrs in he- refy, retort the charge of perfecution upon the orthodox j but tho' the Arians might be driven from their preferments, they cannot fhew that ever one was put to death, on account of his being of their fentiments : Nay, I believe, it cannot be proved, that any heretics were put to death, in the fourth and fifth centuries 5 on- ly fome hot headed ecclefiaftics perfuaded Max- imus, the tyrant and ufurper, to execute two or three Prifcillianifts, who had more of paga- nifm than chriftianity in their fcheme^ but this
tion, in Viftor Vitenfis, as publifli'd by father Ruinart. For the hiftory of the recovery of Africa and Italy, he may confuk Procopius's hiltories of the Vandal and Gothic y/ars.
aftion
XX The preface;
adion was, by the chriflians of that time, u-r niverfally condemn'd.
There was no attempt to revive Arianifm in the dark anti-chriflian ages, men then follow- ing other deluHons ; indeed the ingenious Peter Abelard, the celebrated lover of Eloife, and Joachim, abbot of Flora, ufed fome expreflions which might tend this wayj but that might only be from an undue fondnefs, to explain the doctrine, and probably, they meant better than they fpoke.
After the reformation, the anti-trinitarian er- rors had a great run, efpecially in Poland j but the prevailing herefy, was that of Paul of Sa- mofata, and Photinus, revived by Laelius Soci- nus, and his nephew Fauftus, which makes Chrift to be a meer man. Some, indeed, chofe the Arian fcheme, as Valentinus Gentilis, Pauli, Alciate, Gonelius and Farnovius, and Blandrata, for fome time, tho' he afterwards changed it for Socinianifm. The learned Eraimus, was too much inclined to this herefy 5 and after- wards fome of the remonltrants, as Epifcopius and Curcellaeus, if they did not embrace it, came too near it.
Petavius the Jefuit, either from an inclination to Arianifm, or from fome other view, laboured to prove, that the antenicene writers were all of that opinion, which was condemned at Nice : This was laid hold of by Zuicker, a Socinian Phyfician, but he was well confuted by the learn- ed Hoornbeck. The fame thing was ilrongly infifted on by Sandius, a profefs'd Arian, in his ecclefiaflical hiilory. Thefc pretences of Peta- vius and Sandius, caufed our learned countryman bifhop Bull, to write his admirable defenfe of the Niccne fliith, in which he has fully and ac- curately
The preface. xxi
curately vindicated the antient writers, from Co ungrounded a calumny. This elaborate work, has not had any thing wrote againft it, that can merit the name of an anfwer j what was lafl: publiih'd againft it by Dr. Whitby, feems more the effe6t of dotage than any thing elfe.
A few years ago a bold enthufiafl revived A- rianifmin England, under the name of primitive chriftianity > but as he was for enlarging the fcriptures, with fuch bungling forgeries, as the Clementine recognitions, and the apoftolical conftitutions, he has been defpifed and pitied, by all men of fenfe. When this author had broke the ice, another writer of more judgment, and of a cooler head, put Arianifm in a new and lefs offenfive drefs, and he, and his party, have been too fuccefsful in fpreading it. They pretend they do not deny the divinity of Chrift, but only deny that he is the fame fimilar, iden- tical, whole fubftance with the Father 5 but as they deny Chrift's neceflary exiftence, and affirm that the Father has a dominion over him, they, by neceflary confequence, deny his true Deity, and make him a creature, which is the eflence of Arianifm. This revival of an old herefy has produced many excellent pieces, in defence of the antient faith. Among the reft, I cannot but take notice of the writings of the learned Dr. Waterland -, he has, with great judgment and accuracy, vindicated the catholic faith, and has baffled the adverfaries pretences to fcripturc and antiquity j infomuch, that after the moft confiderable hands of the party were employed againft him, they at laft thought fit to retreat, and to leave him the entire pofleffion of the field.
My
3txii The PREFACE.
My defign, in the following work, is to give a fummary view of the controverfy, relating to the do61:rine of the Trinity, and to fet the fcripture arguments, which appear to me flrong and convincing proofs of the true Divinity of the Son and Spirit, in as eafy and juft a light, as I am able. I have not confined my felf to the confutation of any one author, but have taken the objeftions, that are made againft the catholic dodtrine, which I defend, from the writers of the other fide, which I have feen, whom I apprehend to ilate them in the ftrong- cft manner.
I have avoided railing and reviling, becaufc I know, that the wrath of man works not the righteoufnefs of God j but I have not been a- fraid to fpeak, with fome feverity, of the mean way our adverfaries often ufe, of begging the quelHon, and of the grofs untruths they fome- times would palm upon us. Fallacy and mif- rcprefentation I have avoided, looking upon fuch artifices, as too mean to be ufed in a re- ligious controverfy j for I am fully afTured, that the hidden things of dillionefty, are the moll unfit engines that can be made ufe of, to fup- port the caufe of truth.
I have all along, where there was occafion, fhew'd, as briefly as I could, that the opinions I defend, are the fame which were held, by the primitive writers, who lived, in the three firlfc centuries, before the rife of Arianifm. 1 found not my faith on the authority of any men, or bodies of men, but on the fcripture only ; how- ever I cannot think it a difadvantage to our caufe, that it is as antient, and as catholic, as it is good and true.
I do-
The preface. xxiii
I do not pretend to bring any thing new, in fome of the arguments I ufe 5 for every proper judge knows, that it is impoffible to engage in any controverfy, without ufing arguments, which have been often ufed, and difculTing ex- ceptions, which have often been made. If I have, in any meafure, fet the proofs I bring, in a jufi: and eafy Hght, I have attained my end. I am very fenfible, many imperfedions and de- fe6ls mull attend a performance, in which fo mean a hand as mine is concerned j for which I ought to make an apology > but I make no apology for my engaging in fuch a fubje6t, it being the right of every chriftian, to defend what he takes to be the faith laid down in fcrip- ture, when it is oppofed. I can, from my con- fcience, fay, I have nothing in view, but a fin- cere regard to truth, in the following work: Therefore I humbly recommend, to the bleffing of the mighty Redeemer, and the good Spirit, whofe honor and dignity I plead for, what I have wrote in defence of this fcripture and ca- tholic do6trine, that, tho' there is but one true God, yet there are three Perfons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, who are the one fu- preme God, the fame in fubftance, and equal in power and glory.
March j.
Abraham Taylor*
V
ERRATA.
Age 6. lin. 5, 6. read, firm belief, p. iz. I. 20. foi*
word, r. world, p. 15- 1- ult. r. Bargeus. p. 25. noc-
1. ^. r. Mark x. 18. p. 74. 1. 19, 20. r. to the feven. p. 2i8» not. I. 7. r. Broukhuiius. p. 396. not. 1. 1 1. r. Francius.
Other lefs faults I hope the reader will cxcufe, there not being many.
THE TRUE
Scripture Dodrine
O F T H E
TRINITY.
Part the First.
Containing the joint proofs of the Divi- nity of the three perfons, the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit.
^^■^<
B
THE TRUE
Scripture Doctrine
O F T H E
ri-i
r R I N I T Y.
Part the First.
HE knowledge which we have of the things that readily prefent themfelves to our view, muil be owned to be very imperfecl:, by every one that will be fo ingenu- ous to confefs, what he mult ne- cefTanly find in himfeir, whether he will ac- knowledge it or no. If we caft our eyes on the fmalleft plant, or the moft contemptible rep- tile, we may find in them many things which may raife our admiration, and puzzle our un- derilandingsj but if we rack our invention ever lo much about them, we can fcarce get farther than a probable conjedure, how the things we lee are brought about.
II wc look on any material being, we cannot
but wonder, how the parts of it are glued to-
B 2. ^ gether>
4 The true Scripture Doctrine
getherj we can fee nothing that hinders it from falling in pieces ; We may, indeed, from fome experiments conclude % that there is a power in nature, by which every particle of matter at- tra^ls every other particle, vv'ich a force valily great at the point of contact, but not reaching far from the particles, with any fenfible effect : Thus far we may fifcly proceed, on the foot of thedifcoveries, made by the great philofopher of our age and nation: But when we come to look for the caufe of this attraction, we muft own our felves to be at a lofs. If we fuppofe it proceeds from a fubtle aetherial medium, pe- netrating bodies, and, by a6i:ing upon them, makmg their particles cohere, ifill we mud con- fcCs^ that we know not what this aether is, and that we are ignorant of the laws of its ope- ration.
If we contemplate the larger bodies of the univerfe, we may be fatisfied, from the demon- ftrations of the incomparable ^ Sir Ifaac New- ton, that the planets and comets, as they move round the fun, arc retained in their orbits by the force of gravity, and we can prove, that this force is reciprocally proportional to the fquares of the diflances from the centre 5 but in what manner this power ads upon bodies, and what is the caufe of it, wx are not able to de- termine : If it proceeds from the fame caufe as the cohefion of the particles of matter, but act- ing under a different law. Hill the fame diffi- culties return that were obferved in that aiCc, We muit, after all oiu* enquiries, own our ig-
* Sec the queries at the end of Sir If.iac Newton's optics, 2^ or 3'' edition, p. 323—327.
^ Vid. Ncwtoni principia. Lib. III. Phxnom. i-- 6. Pro- pofit. 1 — 7. 13. 40.
norance
oftheTrinity. 5
norancc of many things, and we mii{l refolve this matter into the will and power of the great creator of the univerfe.
If we confine our enquiries to our fclves, we have the dime proofs of the imperfection of our knowledge. Upon taking a view of our bodies, we have reafon to cry out, that we are fearful- ly and wonderfully niadej but we murt own, there are many things in them, which we cannot fully underiland. We know not how the fcxtus is formed in the womb -y we can fcarce guefs how nutrition is performed 5 and how the ieveral humours of the body are feparated from the blood, by their refpeclive gLmds •, and we are in the ^ dark, about the caufe of nmfcular motion. After all our fearches to find ou- the caufes of thefe natural fundions, we can go no farther than probability, but we cannot fay, that we reach to demonilratlon We are, in a manner, without any knowledge, hovx^ our na- tural fun6tions are perform'd, tho' we have the cleared evidence that they can be, nay really are, brouglit about. And to come lower, there is even a great deal of room left, tor improve- ment in the knowledge of the very parts, of which our bodies coniill, notwith (landing the many difcoveries in anatomy of the laft age.
If we contemplate the m.ore noble part that is in us, the foul, w^e lliall find our felves in- volved in perplexity, as to many things : How little are we acquainted with the nature of a fpiritual fabftance? How ihallow is our know- ledge of the foul's union with the body? And what account can we give, how our thoughts are formed?
^ See the learned Dr. Mead's introduftion to the lift edi- tion oi Mr. Cowper's Myotomia Reformata, pag. 69—77-
B } Frora
6 The true Scripture Doctrine
From what has been Taid it appears, that there are myfteries in nature, relating to things liib- jeCl: to the view of our fenfes, which we can- not pretend to know perfedly, and yet our im- pcrfc(5l knowledge of them is no bar to our in- firm belief of their reality: So that it is no jufl: objection againil our afTenting to the truth of a thing, that we can give no account how it is, what it is.
There are myfteries in natural reafon, which are far above our moll enlarged and elevated conceptions 5 fuch are the attributes of God ; of which we cannot properly be faid to have no idea, becaufe reafon forces us to believe them, but we cannot, with any truth, pretend, that we have adequate and clear ideas of them.
The felf-exillence, fimpUcity, omniprefcnce, and omnifcience of God, and above all, hispaft eternity, are things too high for our moil tower- ing contemplations, to afford us clear concep- tions of 3 yet every one, who is above theftupi- dity of taking refuge in atheifm, aflents to them in the grofs, and docs not rcjed the belief of a God, bccaufc he cannot form adequate ideas of his attributes ^.
If
^ Dcus eft reternus & infinitus, — - durat fcmper & adeil libique, - — eft unus Sc idem Deus femper & ubique. Omni- praefens eft non per virtutem folam fed per fubftantiam, nam virtus fine fubftantia fubfiftere non poteft. In ipfo continen- tur & moventur omnia — Deum Turn mum neceffario ex- iftere in confeftb eft: & eadem neceffitate Temper eft &■ ubique. Unde etiam totus eft fui fimilis, totus oculus, to- tus auris, totus cerebrum, totus brachium, totus vis fcn- tiendi, intelligendi & agendi, fed more minime humano, more minime corporeo, m'ore nobis prorfus incognito. Ut coecus non habet idcam colorum, fic nos ide.im non habe- inus modorum, quibus Deus fapientiftimus fcntit «S:-intelli- git omnia. Corpore omni & figura corporea prorfus deili- tuitur, idcoquc videri non poteft, nee audiri, nee tangi,
liec
OFT HE Trinity 7
IF there are myderies in reafon that we can- not adequately conceive, it is no Vvonder, that in things which we could never have known, without revelation, there is a depth winch we cannot flithom. If they who afHrm, that there is nothing in matters of revelation, but what wc mull fully underibmd, when the revelation is once made, before we can aflent to it, "would but coniider with what confufe, imperfe^f, and in- adequate ideas of the attributes of God, they are forced to take up, they would treat fcrip- ture myileries with more reverence than they generally do. Were this matter well weigh'd, we fhould not have fuch contempt thrown on believing the myileries of chiifcianity : They would be treated with the religion of fubmil- fion and wonder, and would be received with the devotions of filence, and the humble di (lances of adoration. But the pride of fome men is fo great, that what their fhallow reafon cannot com.prehend, they ignorantly make the fubie6L of their fcorn -, and what is above their con- denfed apprehenfion, they unjuftly treat with contempt : They rejeft the myileries of thego- fpel as f:^olifhncrs, and no wonder, for ^ with- out a fpiritual diicerning,; the things of God can neither be received nor known,
nee fub fpecie rei alicujus corpore^e coli debet. Ideas habe- mus attributorum ejus, fed quid fit rei alicujus fubdantia minime cognofcimus: videmus tantum corporum nguras & colores, audimus tantum fonos, tangimus tantum fuperficies externas, olficimus odores folos, & guftamus fapcres : inti- mas fubftantias nullo fenfu, nulla adione rcflexa ccgnoici- mus, & multo minus ideam habemus fubftantiae Dei. Hunc cognofcimus folummodo per proprietates ejus & attributa, & per fapientiffimas & optimas rerum ftrufturas, & caufas finales, 6c admiramur ob perfeftiones, veneramur autem & colimus ob dominium. Newtoni principia, p. 529. Edit. 3. I I Cor. ii. 14,
B 4 . I rea-
8 The true Scripture Doctrine
I readily grant, that what our fenfe and rea- fon can fully comprehend, and can demonftrate to be falfe, is not to be received as a myllery ; we muft not bring the things of fenfe and rea- fon to faith, fo as to exclude our felvcs from judging of them according to fenfe and reafonj for under the pretence of believing a myfcery, the papills impofe the belief of that monftrous abfurdity of tranfubftantiation. When this ex- treme is to be avoided, we ought to take care that we do not run into another as really, tho' not fo openly abfurd, of bringing down the myfteries of revelation to reafon, and ma- king that judge of matters, which fall within the com pals of faith.
A fcripture my fiery is a truth reveal'd by God, which the bare light of reafon cannot difcover, nor fully comprehend, as to the modus of it, after it is revealed : It is a truth, and fo has nothing in it contrary to right reafon > but there is in it fomcthing, that reafon, without revelation, can never find out> and there is a depth in it, that imperfe61: reafon cannot fully comprehend, even after it is difcover'd by re- velation. This is matter of fcorn to fccptical men, who deride what they really know no- thing of, and boldly refufe to fubmit to the authority of God, who has an uncontrollable right to require them to receive whatever he has feen fit to reveal j and whofe great end, in doing this, is, to humble and calt down the pride and haughtincfs of m.an's reafon. Such perfons take the wrong way to gain knowledge, for what a great author ^ has obfcrved, of the le- crets of nature, holds true in matters of a higher
^ Br. Mead of mufcular motion, p. 77.
concerns
O F T H E Tr I N I T yJ p
concern > " A mind inflated, by gmfplng at the knowledge of all things, can undcrftand no- thing tmlyi but to one prepared with the juft love of truth, the difcovery of our ignorance, in any particular, will be more grateful, than any t ran (lent fame that may attend a falfe pre- tenfion to knowledge. " All the difputings or men of corrupt minds, againll the niyfteries of revelation, mufl: be founded on this ri'diculoufly abfurd fuppofition, that the {hallow reafon of man is capable of fully coniprehending what- foever relates to the divine infinite being This pernicious miilake carries in itfuch a glaring ab- furd iry, rhai fcarce any are hardy enough to af- Icrt it in words 5 becaufe it would be expoling themfclves, feeing it is notorious, that they re- ceive things, as difficult to comprehend, as any gofpel myileries c;;n be -, but it is the real fpring of all the hard fpeeches, which the potfherds of the earth utter againfi: the right of the infi- nitely wife God that made them, to require their aflent to what he reveals, without giving them an account of his matters.
Of all the myfterics revealed in the oracles of truth, the mod: important is the dodrine of the Trinity 5 that there is one God only, is as clear from fcripture, as it is from reafon > and it is alfo exceeding plain, that there are three fpoke of in the language of perfonality, in fcripture, the Father, the'bon, and the holy Spirit, to whom the titles proper to God are afcribed, of whom the attributes of God are predicated, and by whom works, that can be done by God onlv, are re- prefentcd to be performed. This glorious doc- trine of three divine perions, in one divine na- ture, has been, in all ages, the faith of the chriftian churches > but of the modushow three z ^ perfgns
lo The true Scripture Doctrine
perfons can be one in nature, none can pretend to have a clear and adequate idea. Ideas of it we have, but they are inadequate and indeter- minate j on this account, there is fcarce any point has been more wrangled againfl:, by thofe who lean to their own underitanding. This adorable myllery has been clouded by the ex- pHcations, which have proceeded from the un- due curiolity of the inquifitive > it has been cor- rupted by the violent affe6ters of novelty -, and it has been alv/ays derided by the proud preten- ders to reafon, who have, in a peculiar manner, in all ages, fv/ell'd with malice, and foam'd with rage againil it.
There are many who, it is to be hoped, in their pra6tical belief, have affented to the true dodtrine of the Trinity, who yet have not been able to keep from the vanity of being wife above what is written > but have obfcur'd this truth with the clouds of ufelefs fubtilties and fpeculations, and the mifts of difproportionate fimilies. This arifes from an abounding mea- fure of felf- conceit : And thefe perfons, as they only grafp at clouds and beat the air, fo they obfcure matters inll:ead of clearing them ; They darken this great myftery, by hard words and uncouth terms -, and while they endeavour, as they fancy, to give a fcheme attended with bright and clear ideas, they utter things unfound as to faith, and lofc themfelves in an inextricable la- byrinth, Vv^hich they themfelves have imprudent- ly framed, without taking care to provide them- felves with a clue, to get out of the mazes of it. Such perfons are ready to take it very ill, if the name of any ancient herefy be given to their fcheme j when perhaps the cafe is, that they really, by gratifying an unbounded curio-
fity,
oFTHE Trinity. it
fity, have fallen into fome falfe opinion, which has formerly been condemned, without being rightly fenfible of what they have been doing.
There are others, who have often gone ofF from the true fcripture account of this truth, out of a fooliih itch after novelty : Such pcr- fons are ready to remove the ancient landmarks, on no other account, than that they have flood a great whiles they themfelves not knowing where to place them better : They are above going in the good old way, becaufe others have trod it before them, and lb they ftray in rugged thorny paths, till finding no track they lofe them- felves. They cannot confine themlelves to old experienced truths, but difcard the primitive doctrines, as not fit to be received by perfons of fuch free thoughts, and unconfined enquiries as they, miflakenly, imagine themfelves to be, and by this means, they are always minting fomething new, till after having been carried about a long time with every wind of doctrine, they too often end in fcepticifm.
There are flill others, who blafphemoufly de- ride this myflery, becaufe the modus of it fur- pafTes their ihallow reafon j and becaufe the doc- trine thwarts the pride of their corrupt natures. They are refolved to be their own faviors, and that, with the better grace, they may leifen the merit of ChrilVs fatisfadion, they endeavour to degrade his perfon. This I take to be the true ground of all the rude blafphemies which have been utter'd againfl this great truth, by daring infolent wretches, and. of all the pains which more thoughtful perfons have taken, to form fchemes to deprive Chrifl of the glory of his deity. In thefe attempts, by the jufl hand of God, they have been left to condemn them- 2. ^ felvcs,
12 The true Scripture Doctrine
felves, and have been Co infatuated, as to run entirely counter to reaibn, which they pretend fo xTiLich to Hand up for, and to exalt.
There is no fchcme which has been oftener flartcd, in oppoGcion to the catholick faith, than the Arian hypothefis, and this has fome- timcs flood its ground a pretty w^hile, when other fchcmes have funk, aim oil as foon as they have been framed -, but the light of truth has always prevail'd above the darknefs of this hc- lefy. It is attended with fuch fliocking abfur- dities, on the bare foot of reafon, that when once perfons come to fee the difficulties with which it is clog'd, it is impoiTible it fhould keep its ground : For nothing can be more con- trary to reafon, than admitting two Gods, one fupremc, and another inferior 5 nothing is more nbfurd, than worflrip paid to a creature, and no- thing is more fhocking to common fcnfe, than that a creature fhould create the Worli. If thefe things are not directly own'd, this herefy is flill big with nonfenfe and conrradidion 3 for, fure- ly, nothing can be more monflrous and ridicu- lous, than tlic notion of a being, which is nei- ther infinite nor finite, neitlier God nor a crea- ture.
The great myftery of the Trinity in unity, or that the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, tho' three real perfons, are the one infinitely blcfTed God, while yet the Father is not the Son, nor the Son the Father, nor the Spirit ei- ther the Father or the Son, is a truth that lies at the bottom of the chriflian religion > all other myfleries of revelation depend upon it : And if this prime article of faith be given up, it iignifics nothing to ihew any zeal for other doclrincs revealed in fcripture : It is therefore
an
O F T H E Tr I N I T Y. I 5
an undertaking becoming a chiillian to endea- vour to refcue this fundamental article, from the cavils and fophilhy of the difputers of this world, who endeavour to draw chriilians off from an adherence to this adorable myllery.
The true Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity is very well exprefs'd in thofe forms of found words, which have been in ufe among us. la the articles of the church of England, which we, who feparate from the national g eilablifh-: ment, fubfcribe, we have the following account: of it. '^ There is one living and true God, everlafling, without body, parts, or paffions, of infinite power, wifdom, and goodnefs, the maker and preferver of all things, both vifible and invifible ♦, and in the unity of this God- head, there are three perfons, of one fubftance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit. The Son, who is the Word of the Father, begotten from everlafting of the Father, is the true and eternal God, of one fub- ftance with the Father. The holy Spirit, pro- ceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one fubftance, majelly, and glory, with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God. " From this excellent form, our own confefHons (to the honour of them that franied them) do not dif- fer in the main, as will appear by producing the words in which they exprefs this dodrine : ** There is but i' one, only, living and true God 5
« The firR, fecond, and fifth articles of the church of England.
^ Weftminller and Savoy Confeffions, C. 11. Se6l. 1.3.
N. B. Thefe two confeffions only differ in this, that in our congregational confeffion, the following claufe is with great judgment added ; " The dodrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comforta- ble dependence on him. "
who
14 The true Scripture Doctrine \vho is infinite in being, and perfeclion, a mod pure fpirit, inviliblc, without body, pavts, or pafHons, immutable, immenfe, eternal, incom- prehenfiblc, almighty, moll wife, moll holy, moll free, mofl abfolute, working all things, according to the counfel of his own immu- table, and moil righteous will, for his own glory; mofl loving, gracious, merciful, long- luffcring, abimdant in goodnefs and truth, for- giving iniquity, rranfgreflion and fin, the re- warder of them that diligently feek him ; and withal, moil juil, and terrible in his judgments, hating all fin, and who will, by no means, clear the guilty. In the unity of the God- head, there are three perfons, of one fubilance, power, and eternity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the holy Spirit : The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding : The Son is eternally begotten of the Father ^ the holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son. Which doctrine of the Trinity is the foundation of all our communion with God, and comfortable dependence on him." The £\vne do6lrine is briefly, and ad- ^mirably fumm'd up in our fhorter Catechifm K " There is but one only, the living and true God : There are three perfons in the God- head, the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, and thefe three are one God, the lame in fub- ilance, equal in power and glory. "
Thefe admirable fummaries of the doctrines of the Trinity, contain what! believe the icrip- tures to have declared. Though I have the higheil veneration for thofe excellent perlons, who drew them up, yet I do not legard them
I AJlembly's fhorter Catechifm^ Anf. 5, 6.
merely.
OF THE Trinity.^ 15
merely as they are the words of men, but be- caufe I take them to be juil accounts of what the fcripture reveals, concerning the Father, the Son, and the Sphit.
1 fhall endeavour to prove from fcripture ^, that the three perfons, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are the one God > I fhall begin my defign with the joint proofs of the Divinity of thefe three > or with {hewing, that there is but one God 3 that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are this one God, that thefe three are the fame in fubflance, and that they are equal in power and glory.
^ Tu vero, cujus claro de lumine lumen Exoritur nobis, tacitolque exfufcitat ignes, Unde, akam afflati mentem coeleftibus auris, Deferimus populos, & habentes nubila terras, Verus amor Patris, natique aeterna volaptas, Spiritus, hinc atque hinc, pariter qui profluis, 8c qui Cunfta movens, te tota hominum in praecordia fundis, Mortalique doces ore immortalia fari, Sanfte fave ; praefioque adfis ingentibus aufis.
P. Angelius Burgeus Syriad. Lib. I. circa init.
CHAP,
16 The true Scripture Doctrine
CHAP. I.
Of the fcripture notion of God, of the divine Unity, and of the Trinity of Perions.
T is certain, by the b'ght of nature, hat there is a God -, and it is certain, I hat this God can be but one 5 he is an infinite, eternal, unchangeable, Hidcpendent, and neceflarily exiftent being, every where prefent^ the creator, pre- ferver, and governor of all things, infinite in wifdom, power, holinels, jullice, goodnefs, and truth.
The fcripture wholly agrees with the light of reafon, in the notion it gives us of one that is really, truly, and properly God : An account of this I fliall give in the words of a =» great writer, not being able to exprefs my felf better, or more according to my own mind. " If we trace (fays he) this matter through the old teflamcnt, we fliall find, that the fcripture no- tion of a perfon, that is truly God > and fhould be received as fuch 3 includes in it, ^ power and
might
^ Dr. Waterland, in his fermons on Chrift's Divinity, p. 18, 19.
^ O Lord Jehovah — what God is there in heaven, or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might, Deuteron. iii. 24.
Jehovah your God is among you, a mighty God, and terrible, ibid. vii. 1.
Jehovah your God is a God of Gods, and a Lord of Lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, ibid. x. 17.
Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatnefs, and the power, and the glory, and the vidory, and the majeily, i Chron. xxix. 1 1 •
He
OF THE TrINI T Y. IJ
might irrefillible 5 ^ perfccb knowledge, and confummate wifdom, ^ eternity, ^ immutabili- ty, and ^ omniprefence j 8 creative powers -y
^' fupre-
He is wife in heart, and mighty in ftrength, who has harden'd himfelf againlt hiin, and profper'd r Job ix. 4.
With him is llrength and wifdom, ibid. xii. 13.
I know that thou canil do every thing, ibid. xlii. 2.
In the Lord Jehovah is everlalling firength, Ifaiah xxvi. 5.
God, even Jehovah, that created the heavens, and liretch'd them out, he that fpread forth the earth and what comes out of it, he that gives breath to the people upon it, and fpirit to them that walk therein, ibid. xlii. 5.
*" He that is perfect in knowledge is with thee. Job xxxvi. 4.
Doft thou know the wonderous works of him that is per- fe6l in knowledge ? ibid, xxxvii. 1 6.
BlelTed be the name of God \ for wdfdom and might are his, Daniel ii. 20.
^ Thy throne is eilablifhed of old, from everlafting, Pfalm xciii. 2.
God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be fearch'd cut, Job xxxvi. 26.
Abraham called on the name of Jehovah, the everlafting God, Gen. xxi. 33.
The eternal God is thy refuge, Deut. xxxiii. 27.
Thus faith the high and holy one, who inhabits eternit}', K Ivii. 15.
^ I am Jehovah, I change not, Malach. iii. 16.
^ Whither fhall I go from thy fpirit, and whither ihall I fly from thy prefence? If I afcend up into heaven, thou ar.t there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there ; if I take the wings of the mxorning, and dwell in the uttermoll parts of the fea. even there fhall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand uphold me : If I fay, furely the darknefs fliall co- ver m.e, then the night will be light about me j yea the dark- nefs hides not from thee, but the night Jhines as the day, the darknefs and the light are alike to thee, Pfalm cxxxix.
7—12.
Am I a God at hand, faith Jehovah, and not a God afar off? Can any hide himfelf in feciiet places, that I Ihall not fee him ? faith Jehovah ; Do not I fill heaven and earth \ Jer.xxiii. 23, 24.
^ Job xxvi. xxxvii. xxxviii. xxxix. xl. xli. throughout.
O Jehovah ; ■ thou art God alone, thou haft made hea- ven and earth, 2 Kings xix. 15.
C lam
1 8 The true Scripture Doctrine
^ fupremacy, independence, and neceflary ex- iftcnce. Thefe are the diilinguifhing charaiSters under which God was pleafed to make himfelf known J and it is upon thefe accounts, that he, in oppofition to all other Gods, claims to be received and honoured as God. Thefe are there- fore what make up the fcripture idea of a per- fon who is truly, really, and properly God : And if fcripture has inform'd us, what proper- ties, attributes, and perfe6tions muft be fuppo- fed to meet in one, that is truly and properly God, our own reafon muft tell us, that thefe attributes, properties, and perfe6lions, mud have a fubjeft, and this fubje6t we call fubftance : And therefore the fcripture notion of God is^ that of an eternal, immutable, omnifcient, om- niprefent, almighty fubftance. If it be pretend- ed, that thefe are the charafters of a fupreme God only, and not of every perfon that is true God : 1 anfwer, that fupremacy, ( ^ negatively confider'd, in oppofition to any fuperior nature,) is one of the chara6ters belonging to any per- fon that is truly God, as much as omnipotence, omnifcience, or any other, and confequently, he is not truly God, in the fcripture notion of God, who is not fupreme God."
I am Jehovah, that makes all things, that flretches forth the heavens alone, and fpreads abroad the earth by my felf, Ifaiah xliv. 24.
I am he, I am the lirfl, I alfo am the lafl, my hand alfo has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has fpan'd the heavens, ibid, xlvii. 12, 13.
Jehovah he is the true God, he is the living God ; — i*. He has made the earth, by his power, he has eflablifli'd th^ world, by his vvifdom, and has Ilretchedput the heavens, by his difcretion, Jer. x. 10, 12.
^ God faid, I am, in that I am, Exod. iii. 14.
* I fay, negatively; becaufe pofitive fuprem'acy, over Others, could not commence till the creation.
This
OF THE TrINITV. ig
This is the true notion of God, which may be drawn from the writings of the old tefla- ment, and the fame runs thro' thofe of the new. The ancient chriflian ^ writers received no other idea of God, than this : They are by many de- fpikd^ as mean writers, but, on this head, they had more rational fentiments than many in our time, who think they can reafon better, and
Ofo? i^i. Juflin. Dial, cum Tryphone. p. 21. Ed. Jebb. p. 140, Ed. Thirlby, ^^
Qui enim fuper fe habet aliquem fuperiorem hie neque Dens; neque rex magnus did poteft. Irenaeus, lib. IV. c. 2. p. 229. Ed. Ben.
Quaecunque autem initium fumpferunt & diffolutionem poflunt percipere, & fubjefta funt, & indigent ejus qui fe fecit ; neceffe eft omnimodo uti difFerens vocabulum habe- ant, apud eos etiam, qui vel modicum fenfum in difcernendo taha habent : Ita ut is quidem., qui omnia fecerit cum verbo fuo jufte dicatur Deus & Dominus folus ; quae autem fafta funt, nonjam ejufdem vocabuli particibilia effe, neque jufte id vocabulum fumere debere, quod eft creatoris. Idem, lib III c. 8. p. 183.
Deus fubftantiae ipfms n omen, id eftDivinitatis, Dominus vero non fubftantis fed poteftatis ; fubftantiam femper fuilTe cum fuo nomine, quod eft Deus, poftea Dominus, acceden- tis fcihcet rei mentio, nam ex quo eife cceperunt, in quse poteftas Domini ageret, ex illo per acceffionem poteftatis & taftus & diftus eft Dominus. Tertullian. c. HermoRenem, c. 3.
Nega Deum quem dicis inferiorem, nega fummum mag- num quern credis minorem. Idem. c. Marcionem, lib. i. c. 6.
^ Ego non nomini Deo, nee fono, nee notae nominis hu- jus, fummum magnum in creatore defendo, fed ipfi fubftan- tiae cui nomen hoc contigit, hanc invenies folam innatam, mfeftam, folam aeternam, & univerfitatis conditricem : non nomini fed ftatui, nee appeliatiojii fed condition! ejus fum- mum magnum & afcribo & vendico. Idem ibid. c. 7.
Cum enim eos, qui non funt Dii, nominat, non in to- turn, quemadmodum praedixi, fcriptura oftendit illosDeos; led cum ahquo additamento, & fignificatione per quam often- ciuntur non clTe Dii, Irenaeus Lib. III. cap. 6.
C z have
20 The true Scripture Doctrine
have obtained clearer and more diftind ideas of things.
The word God muft be granted to be ufed, in fcripture, in an improper fenfe, when it is appHed to creatures, on account of their having a remote Hkenefs, to fome part of what enters into the notion of God. Thus, angels are call'd gods, becaufe they are fpiritual fubllances : Mo- fes is faid to be a god to Pharaoh, becaufe he publifhed commands from heaven j princes and magiflrates are ftiled gods, becaufe they exer- cife dominion -, the belly has the appellation of god, becaufe luxurious epicures wholly devote themfelves to the pampering their diforderly ap- petite ', and the devil is denominated the god of this world, becaufe the grcateft part of man- kind give themfelves up to his condu6t, and are led captive by him at his wiih but, in allthefe cafes, it is plain, the word God is ufed in a fi- gurative, improper fenfe.
It has been by fome ^ afTerted, that the word God is, in fcripture, ufed not in an abfolute fignification, but that it is a relative word of office, and not of nature •, and that the fupreme being is liiled God, in the facred writings, not becaufe of his eflential perfe6tions, but becaufe of his dominion over us. This can never be a true account of the fcripture idea of God, for that, ^ as has been proved, takes in the per- fedions of eternity, unchangcablenefs, omnifci- ence, immenfity and almighty power. The notion of God being call'd fo, in the fenfe of dominion, is only making him to be God in a
* Clarke's Scripture Dodrine, p. t6/i. Ed. 2. Reply, p. 284, 290. Jackfon's Colleftion of Queries, p. 40.
"" See more on this fubjeft in Dr. Waterland's firfl Defenfc of his Queries, pag. 47—54.
figura-
OF THETrINITY. 21
figurative, improper fenfe j but fince they ^ who firit llarted this flincy, have been forced to de- fert it, there is no great need to infill farther upon it
As natural reafon afliires us, that there can be bar one abfolutely infinite being, fo the fcrip- ture effablifhes the unity of God, in the fullcfl and ftrongefl manner : This Mofes proclaimed in the ears of Ilrael, ° " Hear, O Ifrael, Jeho- vah our God is one Jehovah i " and that there can be but one true God, the mofl high him- felf has afTured us, fpeaking thus, by the pro- phet Ifaiah 5 P " I (Jehovah of holls) am the firfl, and I am the lall, and befides me there is no godj — there is no god befides me, I know not any." Chrift acknowledg'd, that the fcribe anfwcr'd difcreetly, when he faid % " There is one God, and there is no other but he." The apoflle Paul has declared, ' " There is one God." And, not to multiply quotations in fo plain a matter > the apoftle James reprefents this truth to be too clear, to be deny'd by the devils 'y for he thus fpeaks to fuch, as vainly pre- tended to faith, without good works 5 ^ "thou believefl that there is one God, thou doft well, the devils believe and tremble." Thefe decla- rations of the unity of God, effedually guard againft all inferior, fubordinate gods, and ef- fedually exclude all creatures from having di-
" See Jackfon's Reply to Dr. Waterland, p. 171, 172. See alfo Dr. Waterland's fecond Defenfe of his Queries, p. 169 — 172. ° Deut. vi. 4. P Ifaiah xlv. 6, 8. ° Mark xii. 32. ' I Tim. ii. 5, f James ii. 19.
C 5 . vine
2 2 The true Scripture Doctrine
vine honour afcribed to them. ^ None that arc not gods by nature, can be efteemed truly and properly gods. The apoftle Paul tells the Galatian converts, that they were entirely ig- norant of the true God, while they worfhip'd (uch as, by nature, were not gods j " " Then, when you knew not God, you did fervice to them, which by nature are no gods. " None can be true God, in a fcripture fenfe, but one infinitely perfe6t being, who is God by nature, or nece&rily exiftent.
God is declared, in fcripture, to be but one j which denotes the unity of the divine nature -, but it is moft certain, three are fpoke of, un- der the chara61:ers of true divinity, and are de- fcribed in the language of perfonality, the Fa- ther, the Son, and the holy Spirit. This may be gathered from the following account of the baptifm of Chrift, given us by the cvangelift
* Neque igitur Dominus, neque Spiritus fanftus, neque apolloli eum, qui non eflet Deus, definitive & abfolute Deum nominaflent aliquando, niii effet vcre Deus ; neque Dominum appellaffent aliquem ex fua perfona, nifi qui domi- natur omnium, Deum patrem & filium ejus qui dominium acccpit a patre fuo omnis conditionis. ^m, Vere igitur cum pater fit Dominus, & lilius vere fit Dominus, merito Spiritus fanflus Domini a ppellationefignaviteos. Irenaeus, Lib. III. c. 6. p. 1 80. Ed. Bened.
Nunquam neque prophetae neque apoftoli alium Deum nominaverunt, vel Dominum appellaverunt praeter verum & folum Deum. Multo magis ipfe Dominus. Idem ibid. c. 8. p. 182.
" Ton fo^ iijc uUrtc, ©joy, i^aXiocrotli reX<i fjuli ^utrei aV* QioT<i, Galat. iv. 8.
See Dr. Knight's Scripture Do6lrine of the Trinity vindi- cated, p. 19, &c. True Scripture Dodrine of the Trinity- continued, p. 73, &c.
See al fo Dr. Waterland's firll Vindication of Chrift's Divi- nity, p. 369, &c. Second Vindication, p. 464, &c.
Luke 5
OF THE Trinity 25
Luke 5 ^ " Jefus being baptized, ?did praying, the heaven was opened, and the holy Spirit de- fcended, in a bodily fhape, like a dove, upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which faid, thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleafed/' The fame may be drawn from the promife of Chrift to his difciples, "^ that the Fa- ther would fend the Spirit, as a comforter, in the name of him the Son 5 and from the com- mand y he gave them, to baptize in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.
Tho' the fcripture has revealed thefe three, under the names of the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, and always reprefents the Fa- ther as begetting the Son, the Son as begotten by the Father, and the holy Spirit as proceeding from the Father and Son^ yet it never gives us the reafon of thefe names, nor affords us the leaft hint, for explaining the mode, how Chrift is the eternal, and only begotten Son, or how the Spirit proceeds eternally from the Father and Son. Therefore, I fhall not be afhamed to prcfefs my ignorance of the mode of this great myilery > and ihall be very cautious of imitathig the pride and vanity of fach, who, not being content, without being wife above what is written, have endeavour'd to give clear accounts of this matter 5 which, I am well fatisfied, fur- pafTes the capacity of finite creatures > and fo have introduced numbers of hard words, and obfcure notions, into this controverfy, which are fo far from making the matter plain, that they confound and obfcure it.
^ Luke iii. 21, 22.
* John xiv. 26. XV. 26, 27. xvi. 13, 14.
'' Matt, xxviii. 20. ^,
^ C4 The
24 The true Scripture Doctrine
The three peifons, who are call'd the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, are defcribed, as having their diliin^t parts in the work of crea- tion, the Father commanded, the Son brought things into being, and the Spirit threw every- thing into a beautiful order : They likewife have their dillin6t parts, ^ in the oeconomy of falva- tion 3 the Father ele6bed the heirs of fiilvation to glory, and appointed the Son their redeemer 3 the Son, in the fulncfs of time, took the hu- man nature into a perfonal union with himfclf, and, by dying and rifing again from the dead, compleated the work of redeeming the ele6c of the Fatlier 3 and the Spirit fandifies, and re- news thofe whom the Son redeemed, and con- duds them till he brings them to heaven.
In thefe tranlaftions, the Son and the Spirit afled in oeconom.ical fubordination to the Fa- ther 3 and therefore are reprefented in fcripture as fubordinate to him, in a great number of places : This has made the Arians reprefent them as inferior in nature to the one fupreme God, the Father of all, who is over all^ and above all : But, as the fcripture affures us, there is but one God, and yet fpeaks of three perlbns, under the marks and charaders of true divinity 3 I fhall endeavour to prove, that the three perfons, the Father, the Son or the Word, and the Spi- rit, are the one true God, or that thefe three divine perfons diftindly fubfill in one divine na- ture.
The true Divinity of the Father is nor. deny'd by our adverfaries3 nay to preferve it, and yet to keep their favourite maxim, that being and
"^ Eleft according to the fore-knowledge of God the Fa- ther ; thro' fandlification of the Spirit to obedience, and fprinkling of the blood of Jefus Chrill, i Pet. i. 2.
perfon
OF THE Trinity. 25
perfon are the fame, they exclude the Son and Spirit from true Divinity j urging the Father's characters of fupremacy, which belong to him as God 5 and fome exclufive terms, which are, ia fcriptuie, ufed when he is fpoke of j as for in- Ihnce, where it is faid, ^ he is the only God 5 the '' only true God > *^ there is no other God than he 5 and ^ there is none good but one, that is God. But it is certain, thefe exclufive terms are not to be extended to the Son and Spirit, but muft be underilood in oppofition to falfe, fubordinate gods, and creatures : Were the matter otherwife, many abfurd confequences would follow 5 as for example, from thefe words
* John V. 44.
^ John xvii. 3.
See Dr. Bifhop's fermons, p. 54—60.
•^ Mark xii. 32.
^ Mark xix, 17.
See Dr. Bifhop's fermons, p. 93, &c.
A late writer has, on this text, made the following decla- ration ; ** If, fays he, there be any one pafTage, in any one Greek, or Latin writer, in the world, accurate or inaccu- rate, wherein the word ^ui unus] or any other mafculinc adjeftive, placed abfolutely, without any antecedent fubllan- tive (as ^hU & u<i are placed in this text,) can poifibly fignify either thing, or being, or any thing elfe, Lefide perfon, I will acknowledge my explication of this text to be erroneous, Clarke's Reply, p. 40, 41 .
That this is meer bounce, will appear from the following words of the apoftle. Gal. iii. 28. " There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female, you are all one [tW] in Chrift Jefus. " He could not but be fenfible, that this text ilood in contradidi- on to his arbitrary maxim, but thinking himfelf qualified to be a dictator in fcience, he makes a long harangue to tell us, the word sfs mull be underlloodjn a figurative fenfe, which is no more than letting us know, that he is entirely at a lofs what to fay, and yet that he has the confidence to imagine, that we mull regard his dictates, when he only blunders out €ontradi(5tions.
z of
26 The true Scripture Doctrine
oFChriftj ^ "no one knows the Son, but the Father 5 and no one knows the Father, but the Son y " it would follow, that neither the Fa- ther, nor the Son, know themfelves, and that the Spirit knows neither ; From thefe words of the apoftle Paul, ^ " the things of God knows no one, but the Spirit of Gods '* it WQuld fol- low, that the holy Spirit knows more of the things of God, than either the Father or the Son : And from what is faid of Chrift, in the 8 Revelation J "he had a name written, that no one knew but himfelf ^ " it would follow, that the Father and the Spirit knew not this name of the Son. If the exclufive terms were to be in- terpreted with the utmoft rigor, this monftrous abfurdity would inevitably follow, that every one of the three divine perfons know more, and yet, at the fame time, lefs than the other two.
It will farther appear, that the exclufive terms and titles of fupremacy, which are ufcd in fcrip- ture, when God the Father is fpoke of, mull not be underftood to be in oppofition to the Son and Spirit, if we confider that they all, or terms equivalent, are afcribed elfewhere in fcrip- ture to the Son and the Spirit, or to the Son Ungly. If the Father bears the name of Irfio- vah, fo ^ do the Son and the Spirit > if tRe Fa- ther is reprefented under the name Jehovah, with all the charafters of fupreme power, glo- ry, and majefty, fo is > the Son : If the Father
« Mat. xi. 26. See Dr. Waterland's fcrmons, p. 1 28. *■ I Cor. ii. II. See Dr. Waterland's fermons, p. 128. s Rev. xix. 12. See Dr. Waterland's fcrmons, p. 129. Second Defence, p. 26, 51.
^ See part II. chap. 3. part II. chap. i. ' See part II. chap. 3.
is
I
OF THE Trinity.' 27
is caird @£o?, God, in the abfolute fenfe, very many times in the new teftament, fo is the ^ Son, fevcral times, and the Spirit ^ more than once: If the Father iscall'd the mod High, fo is ^ the Son : If the Father is call'd the great and the mighty God, fo is "the Son: If the Father is call'd ° the only wife God, fo is p the Son: If the Father is call'd a God, befides whom there is no other, fo is ^i the Son : If the Father is call'd the only ^ true God, the ^ Son is (liled the true God : If the Father is call'd Pantocrator the Almighty, or abfolutely Su- preme over all, fo is ^ the Son : If the Father is call'd the " one Gcd and Father of all, who is over all, and thro' all, and in all 5 and the ^ one God, of whom arc all things, and we in him 'y the Son is fliled ^ our only fovereign God and Lord, the blefled and only Potentate, the God over all, by whom and for whom arc all things. If neceflary exiftent eternity be predi- cated of the Father, fo it is y of the Son : If the Father is unchangeable, fo is ^ the Son : If
^ See part II. chap. 4.
^ A6ls V. 4. I Cor. iii. 16, 17. See part III. chap, i. ^ Luke i. 76. See part II. chap. 5. " Titus ii. 13. Rev. xix. 17. Pfalm xcv. 3. If. ix. 6. ~See part II. chap. v. ^ Rom. xvi. 27.
P I Tim. i. 17. See part II. chap. v. ^ Ifaiah xlv.ig, 21, 22. ' John xvii. 3. ^ I John V. 20.
^ Rev. i. 8. See part II. chap. v. " Ephef. iv. 6. ^ 1 Cor. viii. 6. See Dr. Bifhop's fermons, p. 60—65.
* Jude iv. 1 Tim. vi. 15. Rom. ix. 5. Col. i. 16. See part II. chap. 5, 7.
y See part II. chap. 6.
* Ibid.
he
28 The true Scripture Doctrine
he is omnifcicnt, and ouihi^ refeiic, io are » the Soil and Spirit: It the father is rcpreicnt- ed as the Creator of all things, fo are ^ the Son and Spirit : If the Father is fet forth, as the object of religious worihip, fo is the ^ Son, in conjunction with him, and likewife the Spirit j and fo are the ^ Son and Spirit fmgly.
If all this be proved, as it really may, it can never be fappofed, that any high things, which are fpoke of the Father in fcripture, are meant to exclude the Son and the Spirit from true fupreme Godhead J tor the real dcfign of the facred writings is, to fet forth the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, as the one true God y or to reprefcnt thcfe three divine per- fons to be one in nature, and equal in power and glory.
* See part II. chap. 6. and part III. chap. 2. ^ See part II. chap. 7. p:.rt III. chap. 3. ^ See part I. chap. 3, 4. part 11. chap. iz. and part III. chap. 4.
^ See part II. chap. 12. part III. chap. 4.
CHAP.
OF THE Trinity. 29
CHAP. II.
The Father, the Son, and the holy Spi- rit, proved to be one God, or one in nature, or fubftance.
N the fcripture^ three are fpoke of under the chara61:ers of true divinity, the Father, the Word or the Son, and the holy Spirit, thefe are dcfcribed as three perfons, and three intelHgent agents j but as God is but one, and can be but one, they cannot be call'd feparate or divided perfons, but mult be fome way united. How this can be, has employ'd the fancies of men more cu- rious than wife, in every age of chriltianity It. is much the beft way, to confider it as a mat- ter of fa6b, revealed in fcripture, and to enquire, whether it is really fo, and if we find the fcrip- ture declares, that there are three divine per- fons, and yet but one God, we ought to re- ceive it, without enquiring how this can be. That the three perfons mufl be three feparate beings 5 or that it is impofHble for the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, to be one God, is what no man can ever fairly prove, becaufe none could everiix a principle of individuation 5 and till this be done, men only give their fancies, inllead of proofs, and their affirmations inftead of arguments.
In theinfpired v/ritings', the Father bears the name of Jehovah, which is a name pecuhar to God, exprefling his neceflary exillence, inde- pendent eternity, and immutability j the fame
name
30 The true Scripture Doctrine
name ^ is given to the Son, and the Spirit : The Father is call'd God, and ^ fo are the Son and the Spirit : The Father is defcribed, as in- veiled with infinite perfections, as are alfo ^ the Son and the Spirit : The Father is fet forth as creator -, and the work of creation is afcribed, ^ in the fulleft manner, to the Son and the Spi- rit : And the Father is propounded to us, as the object of our rehgious worfhip j and we, in like manner find, that ^ the Son and the Spi- rit are to be worfhip'd. Now, the' three per- fons bear the name of Jehovah, yet we are af- fured, that there are not three Jehovah s, but that Jehovah is only one 5 tho' three are ftiled God, yet there are not three Gods, but one God y tho' three are defcribed, as inverted with infinite perfections, yet it is a contradiction to fay, there are three infinites, for there can be but one infinitely perfeCt being > tho' three bear the character of creator, yet there are not three creators, for there can be but one almighty creator of all things 5 and tho' three are pro- pounded to our religious adoration, yet there are not three objeCts of worfhip, but one God only is to be adored. Therefore the necefTary and undeniable confequence is, that thcfe three, thie Father, the Word or the Son, and the holy Spirit arc the one God j and fince the na- ture and fubftance of God is but one, thefe three divine perfons muil be one in nature, or of the fame fubftance.
* See part II. chap. 3. part III. chap. i.
'^ See part II. chap. 4. part III. chap, i .
^ See part II. chap. 6. part III. chap. 2.
** See part II. chap. 7. part III. chap. 3.
* See part I. chap. 3, 4. part II. chap. 12. part III- chap. 4.
A It
OF THE Trinity. 31
It is a juft and neceflary confequence, from what We find in fcripture, that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are one in nature 5 and we are not without an exprefs proof of this, in the following famous pafFage of the apoille John's firfl epillle. ^ " There are three that bear wit- nefs in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Spirit, and thefe three are one > " our ad- verfaries here § tell us, that thefe words prove no more than an unity of confent : That a unity of confent is not here only to be underllood, but an unity of nature, is plain, from the apolUe's varying his flile, in the next verfe, where he fpeaks of the Spirit, the water, and the blood agreeing in the fame teftimonyj for he fays, ^ " Thefe three agree in ona: " Now in the verfe under confideration, he does not fay, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit agree in one j but, " thefe three are one 5 " not one perfon, but one being, If unity of nature were not in- tended, no reafon can be given, why the apo- flle fhould fo vary his form of fpeaking. The earthly witnckTcs agree in one, becaufe they wit- nefs the fame things but the three heavenly witnefTes, the Father, the Word, and the Spi- rit, as they witnefs the fame thing, fo they are one 5 and if they are one in nature, furely they muft be one in confent, or mufl: agree in their teftimony, to the truth of this great do6brine of the gofpel, that Jefus of Nazareth is the Son of Godj the true Meffiah, who really took on him the human nature, and appeared in the fleih.
Tps<5 SKTiv el fA/U^Tfj^.^Cisq iv rZ ^(etvSj o nes/tjp, o >soy^) tcxi TV kyiov zrvivf/jcc- y^ in oi 6i r^siq Iv ii(ri, l John V. 7. 2 See Clarke's Script. Do6t. p. 205. 'Oi Tf£j5 lis 7© iv iiviy, V. 8.
Our
3 2 The true Scripture Doctrine
Our adverfaries do not give us any fubftan- tlal reafons, why this text mufl be underftood of unity of confent only, contenting themfelves with roundly affirming it -, but they attack us, as to this verfe, with bold defiance, on another foot : They tell us it is fpurious, and foifted in- to the text, and ought not to be regarded, as part of infpired fcripture, but reje6]:ed as a human interpolation. A great deal ^ has been wrote againll the authority of this text, and much ^ has been faid to prove its genuine- nefs> fo that the controverfy concerning it has run out into a great length : I fhall endeavour to flate the matter in as fhort a compafs as I can.
^ By father Simon in his Critical Hiftory of the New Teftament, cap. i8.
By le Clerc in feveral parts of his writings.
By Dr. Clarke in his Scripture Doftrine, p. 205, 206, in his Reply, p. 206- — 212. and in his Letter to Dr. Wells, p. 42—47.
By Emlyn in his full enquiry into the authority of this text, and in his two anfwers to M. Martin.
^ By Dr. Smith in his Diflertation againfl: F. Simon.
By Dr. Gir;d)e~in his Notes on Biihop Bull, p. 126. al,
P- 139-
By Dr. Mills in his Diflertation on this text.
By M. van Maellricht on the place.
By M. Kctncr in his Critical Hiftory of this text.
By M. Rogier in his Diflertation on this text.
By Dr. Jenkyn in his remarks on fome books, p. 1 86—197.
By M. Martin in his Diflertation on this text, in his exa- mination of Emlyn's anfwer, and in his genuinenefs of this text proved.
By Dr. Calamy in his four fermons on this text.
By Dr. Knight, in his true Scripture Do6lrine of the Tri- nity vindicated, p. 137, 138, 139. and in his true Scripture Doftrlne of the Trinity continued, p. 290—303.
By M.May in his nnfwcr to F. Simon, chip. 18.
By Bifliop Smallbroke in his Letter to Dr. Bcntley.
By Mr. Wade in his brief Enquiry into the Dodrine of the Trinity, p. 7 1 —90.
The
OF THE Trinity. 5^
The context favours the genuinenefs of this text, for the apoflle a little after fpcaks, by way of inference, of the tcftimony of God be- ing greater than that of men 5 1 which muft be the teilimony of God the Father 5 becaufe it is concerning his Son Jcfus Chrift : Now if the text under debate be caft out, there can no paf- kgc be found, in which the Father's teaimony IS mention'd, and confequently there would be nothing faid concerning it, in the words pre- ceding, for the apoftle to argue upon.
Beiides what may be drawn from the con- text, there are three forts of authorities which mufl be confider'd, with relation to this textj one fort of authorities to be taken from Greek manufcripts, another from the old verfions, and a third from the ancient writers who have cited it.
The firft fort of authorities I ih.all conflder, IS that of Greek manufcripts: And here, J free- ly confefs, that the words under debate are not to be found in many Greek copies 5 nay, perhaps not m the grcateft part of thofe that have been collated J and particularly, they are wanting in the two moll ancient manufcripts we have heard ^^' , ,^^^[ i" our King's libraiy at Weftminfler, calld the Alexandrian copy, and that in the Vatican library, from which pope Sixtus the fifth pubhih'd his Greek bible. 1 will not pre- tend to fay, whether they were ftruck out by hereticks, who, as a judicious hiftorian ^ has told us, from old interpreters, corrupted this epiftle of John, in order to make two perfons
lY^r. 9, ,0. ^oyhi. Socrates Hift. EccleT. VII. 32. p. 304. Ed Par
D in
34 The true Scripture Doctrine in Chrift j or whether they were omitte-d by the carelefnefs of tranfcribers, " which I rather think. I behevc the omiflion was made very foon, whilH: copies were few and fcarce, and were handed about privately. I cannot how- ever agree to what ° fome fuppofe, that the Arians have flruck thefe words out of the textj becaufe, tho' I grant, the corrupting the fiicred text, has been a badge of iniquity, that has al- ways cleaved to thofc liereticks, yet I cannot bring my fclf to think, they could have done it in this cafe, without our hearing of it from their opponents. I rather choofe to be of opi- nion, that the words were, before thofe times, left out, and that they were not in the genera- lity of the Greek copies ufed by the writers of the fourth century.
Some of our adverfaries tell us, P this text does not appear, with any certainty, to have been in any Greek manufcript at all > others "5 go farther, and, with bluflring infolence, tell us, there is not one old Greek manufcript of the new teftament, which warrants this text for genuine. That this is feeble vaunt, and an empty flouriih, will eafily appear in the fequel.
About three hundred years ago, Lorenzo Valla, a very learned Roman nobleman, engaged in a defign of comparing the Greek text of the new teltament with the vulgar Latin verfion ; to this end he made ufe of at lead: feven Greek co-
" Vid. Grabium in Bullum, p. 126. al. 139.
Inflances of tranfcribers omitting a fentence, when the next fentence ends with the fime, or nearly the fame words, .ire known to be very common, by all fuch as have been con- verfant in manufcripts.
" See Dr. Calamy's fcrmons, p. 435, Sec.
P Clarke's reply, p. 207. See alfo his letter tQDr.Wells,p.72.
•i Emlyn's anfwer to M. Martin, p. 44.
pi(*,
OFTHElRINITT. 35
pies, as he ' himfelf aiTures us : Tho' it is not certain, that all thcfe copies contain'd the whole \ new teflamentj yet it is certain, he had fome I f which contain'd the firft cpiftlc of John: In "^ his notes, he fets down the moft minute diffe- rences between the Greek text, and the Latin vcrfion 'y now lince, on the verfe under de- bate, he fays nothing of any difference be- tween the one and the other > there is all the reafon in the world to ^conclude, that he found this text in his Greek, as well as in his Latin copies.
About the time of the reformation, the fa- mous cardinal Ximenes, prime miniffer of Irate in Spain, was at the charge of a noble work, which was a beautiful edition of the Hebrew and Greek text of the bible, of the Greek ver- fion of the old tefhment, and of the common Latin verfion, which was publiOi'd at " Alcala des Henares. This work contained ^"^ the firff impreffion of the Greek text of the new tefta- ment, tho' it layby unpublifh'd 'till fome other imprefiions faw the light. The cardinal had one ancient manufcript, that was brought from Rhodes, and contain'd the apoftolical epillles 3 with the reft he was fupply'd out of the Vati- can library, by pope Leo the tenth's order, who commanded him to make one very anci-
^ Vid. in Joh". vii. 30.
^ Vid. Vallam in i Joh. iii. i.
* See M. Martin's diflertation. Part I. chap. 8- p. 54- Examination, chap. 10. p. 66 — 75. Genuinenefs ot the text demonlbated. Part II. chap. 3. p. 77, 78, 79.
" In Latin Complutum, from whence this work has gene- rally been calPd the Complutenfiam polyglot.
^ The new teftament was iinifh'd 1514, but the whole work was not finilh'd till 15 17; and the cardinal foon after dying, it was not publilh'd till about 1525.
D i ent
J 6 The true Scripture Doctrine
ent copy, which was fcnt him ^'5 the ground- work of his edition of the new teflamcnt. In this noble edition, the controverted text is in- ferted, y tho* with Tome variations from our common editions. Now fince the cardinal was commanded by the pope, not to vary from the Vatican manufcript, it can never be imagin'd, * he would infert thefe words, if they had not been in that copy : For this like wife w^e have the fuffrage o£^ Erafmus, who lived at the fame time, who has told us, he believed, the learned men employ'd by cardinal Ximenes, follow 'd the Vatican copy, when they inferted this text. What is objected, that the text is not found in the oldeil copy of the Vatican library, is of no weight in this cafe > for it is founded on a ^ miilake, that the copy from which pope Sixtus publifh'd the new teftament, at the end of his edition of the Greek vcrfion of the old tefta- ment, w^as the very copy which was ufed by car- dinal Ximencsj for thefe copies were certainly dif- ferent, if we fuppofe the Alcala edition to be pub- liilied from any Vatican manufcript 5 it having too many peculiar readings, to give us room to ima- gine, it was publifh'd from the old copy, ufed in the edition of Sixtus. It is moil likely the manufcripts ufed by cardinal Ximenes, were ne- ver returned, but are either loft, or He conceal'd
" Quibus ex pontilicis autoritate exemplar eximiae ve- tuftatis, fpedaf.eque fidei, exhibitum, e bibliotheca vatica- na, a quo julTi funt non rccedere. Erafmus, lib.xxiii. Epill:. 8- Vid. Alillii prolegomena, p. io8. Le Long Bibliotheca Soc. Vol.1, p. 8— 12. Wolfii Biblioth. Hebr. Vol.11, p. 139, 140.
y The Alcala edition reads tTn t^ p^?, & o< rfi?; tj? to h fi<r)vf and it omits thefe words at the end of the eighth vcrfe.
^ See bifl;op Smalbrokc's letter to Dr. Bentlcy, p- 12 — 30.
^ Exemplar ex eadem, ni fallor Bibliotheca (fc. vaticana) petitum fecuti funtHifpani. Frahnus in loc.
^ Sec bifhopSmalbrokc's letter to Dr. Beulley, p-3i— 47-
2 in
OF theTrinity. 37
in fome of the libraries in Spain. The fuggefti- on of foine ^^ that this text was inferted from Thomas Aquinas, is as groundlcfs as it is mean and uncharitable, and can never be gathered from the marginal '^ note, which is added in the Al- eak edition.
The nev/ teftament, in the Alcala polyglot, was printed before any of Erafmus's editions came out , but by reafon of that great work being kept fome years unpublifh'd, this learned man had opportunity of publifhiing three ^ edi- tions, before it came abroad. In his two firft editions, he omitted the difputed text, but, in his third, he inferted it on the authority of a copy in England 5 which if he faw not himfelf, as is very probable, he was fatisfied of the rea- lity of It : For he was too cautious, and honeffc a man, to infert any thing without grounds. His authority in this cafe is of greater weight, becaufe he doubted of the authenticknefs of the text. It is exceeding frivolous for our adver- faries to objeft, that the manufcript is not now
*^ Clarke's Reply, p. 209.
^ San6lus Thomas in expofitione fdcundae decretalis dc fumma Trinitate & fide catholica traftans iitum paffum contra abbatem Joachim, vid. Tres funt qui teftimonium dant in coelo. Pater, Verbum & Spiritus fanftus, dicit ad literam verba fequentia. Et ad infmuandam unitatem trium perfona- rum, fubditur, & hi tres unum funt. Quod quidem dicitur propter effentiae unitatem : Sed hoc Joachim perverfe traherc volens ad unitatem charitatis & confenfus inducebat conle- quentem auftoritatem. Nam fubditur ibidem j & tres funt qm teftimonium dant in terra. Sc. Spiritus, Aqua, & San- guis. Et in quibufdam libris additur ; & hi tres unum funt, fed hoc in veris exemplaribus non habetur ; fed dicitur efle appofitum ab haereticis Arianis ad pervertendum intelledum fanum audloritatis praemiflae de unitate elTentiae trium per- fonarum. Haec beatus Thomas ubi fupra.
! 1516, 1519, 1522.
D I ^ to
3 8 The true ScRiPiyRE Doctrine
to be found > for furely, in the compafs of two hundred years, a manufcript may be lofh, or may have had many owners, efpecially if wc confider, how the libraries in England were fcatter'd, by the diflbUition of the monaftcries. It is farther pretended, this copy was formed after the Greek veriion of the a6ls of the Late- ran council j but this is fo precarious a furmife, that it needs no confutation, efpecially fince, in this cafe, it falls out, that there are no lefs than four variations ^ between the two co- pics.
In the large edition publiih'd by Robert Ste- phen, thefe words "in heaven," are marked, as wanting in feven of the copies he had made uCc of j Ibme have thought there is a millake in the mark, but there is no certainty of this. However certain it is, that the controverted text was in fome of the copies, from which this learned printer publiih'd his edition ; this vjc are ailured of by the excellent g Beza, who was acquainted with that diligent man, and had a fight of his papers, and perhaps of fome of his manufcript copies. The teftimony of fo
^ Cod. Britannic. Gr. Concil. Latcran.
'^Ori 'T^ii^ iitriv oi y^ccolvpSf- ' On r(u<i ii<rlv ol ^«prtif»vrf5
htriv. sv iiiriv.
s Hunc verfum legit Erafmits, in Britannico codice, & extat in Complutcnli editione, Sc in nonnullis Stephani vctc- ribus libris : Non convenit tamen in omnibas inter illos co- dices. Nam Britannicus legit fine articiilis ^arnf, Aov®- xai TTvivujx. In noilris vero leguntiir articuli, & praeterea ctiam additum erat fancti epitheton Spiritui. Beza in loc.
Adhaec omnia acceffit exemplar ex Stephani noltri biblio- thcca, cum viginti quinque plus minus manufcripcis codici- bus, & omnibus poene impreffis, ab Henrico Stephano ejus fJio — collitum. Idem in praefat.
great
OF THE Trinity 3 9
great a man for learning and integrity as Beza, mufl not be thrown afide, becaiife our adverfa- ries are pleafed to furmife ^'5 that he might miftake. It is impoffible ever to come at the truth of any thing that depends on telHmony, if we are at liberty to infmuate, that fuch as affirm a thing may miflake,. when we can give no proof that they acbually did miftake '.
There is a manufcript in the King of Pruflia's library at Berlin about three hundred years old, in which the text is to be found. This copy- has been arraign'd as fpurious, and is (aid to be a tranfcript of the Alcala edition -, but this is a very great miftake, for it varies fo often from the text of the Alcala bible, that it can never be imagined to be tranfcribed from it ^. It cannot, I believe, be fully proved that the manufcript is fpurious, tho' it mufl be own'd to be not ve- ry ancient.
There is a ^ manufcript, which formerly be- long'd to archbifhop Uflier, but is now in the library of Trinity college in "^ Dublin, of about five hundred years old, in which the contro- verted
^ Emlyn's anfwer to M. Martin, p. 33-
' It has been pretended, that there muft bea miftake in this matter, becaufe the copies in the French King's library, which Stephen ufed, have not the verfe. The truth is,^ fome perfon has marked fixteen copies in that library, as it they had been ufed by Stephen, but it is certain, that thefe copies are not the fame which he ufed ; this has been proved to a demonftration by M. Martin (Genuinenefs of the text demonftrated, p. ii. c. 6. p. 102—115.) in oppofition to F. k Long.
^ See M. Martin's Genuinenefs of the text demonflrated, p. II. c. 8. p. 123 — 135.
^ See M. Martin's Genuinenefs of the text demonflrated, p. II. c. 12. p. 155—165.
"" In the Dublin manufcript, the two verfes arc read thus
*'Or« rfjr? iirlv oi uutiDTvoSvr s» t« 8v« jtkP ?^o7^ *i '^"^ uyiov,
P *4 ^ «"*
40 Tke true Scripture Doctrine
verted text is to be found, and it is read jufb as it was in the Englifh copy, that Erafmus fol- lowed, excepting one variation, fo that fome have conjeclut'd it to be the very fame.
Thus I have proved, that the text, which our advcrfarics have boldly aflerted to be found in no manurcript,is to be found in feveral. I may add,un- der this head of authority, from copies, the proof for its genuinenefs, which maybe taken from its being found in the rituals of the Greek church. One of thefervice books of that church is call'd Apodolus, which contains the portions of the apolloiicalepiftlcs, which are to be read on fab- bath days and holidays J 'Mn that appointed to be read on Trinity funday, the words difputed are to
Supra fcriptae Gnecae lineae, quae coeleftium trium, tri- umque terreitrium tedium teftimonium perhibent, hae lineae jnquani exicriptae fuere ex manufcripto codice Gracco totius novi teftamenii, qui codex, in dorfo infcriptus G. 97. mem- br.tnaceiis eft in 8"° ex manufcriptis nomine UfTerii nuncu- patis, quod re vera celeberrimi praefulis Jacobi Uflerii Arma- chani, dum in vivis, fuerc. Infuper afTeverans mcipfum verbatim, ipfas fcilicet lineas, cum aucographo fuo ex quo exfcriptae mere, contuliile, nulljmque in iis ne quidem in apice uno difcrep.intiam ab iplb reperiifle. In cujus rei tcHiinonium manum meam appofui, 25dieAugufti, 17 19.
Gulielmus Lewis,
Librariuo bibliothccac coUegii S.Trinitatis Dublinii. ° Certe in ritualibus Ecclefue Graecorum orientalis, ve- lut ab antiquis feculis, recepta eft ejufdcm in epiftola ilia lec- tio publica quotannis in quinta feria hebdomatis a pafchate tngcTimae quintae, ut liquet ex eorum codice cui titulus A^tVcA:^, Selden de Synedriis, Lib. II. c. 4.
The Mufcovite church, which is a branch of the Greek, has always had ihefe words in the verfion made ule of in it, and in the fervice of that church they are read, at the fame time that the Greek: church reads them. See M. A'lartin's Genuincncl's of tlie text demonllrated, p. 2. cliap. 10.
p. i43---i,-o.
be
OF THE Trinity. 41
be found. As this cufbom is very ancient, and as fome of the copies of this ritual are exceeding old, above a thoufand years, it is a great con- firmation of the genuinenefs of the text.
The next fort of authorities, which I am to examine, is that of ancient verfions. Our ad- verfaries have boldly ° affirmed, that the con- troverted text is not to be found in any of the ancient verfions. Upon a careful review it will appear, that there are as many verfions done from the Greek, which have this text, as there are which have it not. The old verfions which are done from the original, are only four, the Sy- riac, the Coptic, the Armenian, and the Latin.
The old Syriac verfion, which is by fome fuppofed to be of the fecond century, has not the text: But befides other omifiions, this tran- flation wants the fecond and third epiftles of John, the fecond epiftle of Peter, the epiftle of Jude, and the book of the Revelation. Thefe parts of fcripture are added, from another Sy- riac verfion made by Thomas of Heraclea -, whether the difputed text is in this latter ver- fion, is not P known. The Arabic tranflation which is publifiiVJ, is not done from the Greek, but the Syriac, and is befides of no great antiquity.
The Coptic tranflation, which is about fourteen hundred years old, has not this text. From this verfion the Ethiopic tranflation was done, and that very ill > befides, the printed editions are from copies fo extremely incor-
° See Emiyn's full enquiry, p. 14.
P Two copies of the four evangelifts, according to tins jerfion, are to be found in the Duke of Tufcany's library, Plut. I. codd. I, 9. and two more in the Bodleian library; but I never could learn, that any other parts of it have been brought into Europe.
icft.
42 The true Scripture Doctrine
re6b, that they are not in the kail to be re- garded.
The Armenian verfion, which was made a- bout a thoufand or eleven hundred years ago, ^ has the text under diiputc.
The old Italic verfion was made in the be- ginning of chriitianity J the text was certainly in it, ns appears from its being quoted by Ter- tullian, Cyprian, and Fulgent ms, and from its being referred to by Cafliodorus, who all ufed this verfion, of which hereafter. It was not re- jected by the learned Jerome, who mended the old tranflation, for in the oldcfl copies of his reformed verfion, it is to ^ be found -, elpecially in that famous copy which is preferved in the ab- bey of Vaux-celles at Rome, which was wrote in the beginning of the ninth century, by our learned coimtry-man Alcuin, who, with fome others, by command of the Emperor Charles the great, revifcd Jerome's bible. It appears like wife from a revife made in the tenth
*J Indeed the author of the full enquiry, p. i 8. tells us, that Sandius, who Hnv the Armenian bible at Amfterdam, fays, the text is not in it. But we may better rely on the credit of the late Mr. Guife, than on the word of fo worth- lefs a writer as Sandius ; that modell and very learned per- fon afTured Dr. Mills, the text was in the Armenian tranfla- tion, as he tells us in the following words, " Pericopen hanc praefert verfio Armeni.i, quod nos olim moriuit vir longe doftiffimus Gulielmus Guifius (p. 742.) " Mr. Guife un- derftood the language better than any other European, and very likely might have feen manufcripts, as well as the print- ed copy, which is exceeding rare. Whereas I do not be- >andius underftood any thing of it. I do not remem- any other, who is a proper judge, has faidany thing !imatter.
M. Martin's DifTertation, Part I. chap. 2, 3, 4. p. "f-'-zi. Examination, chap. 2, 3. p. 9—22. Genuine- nefs of the text demonllrated, P. I. chap. 9, 10. p. 54 — 64.
centuiy,
OF THE Trinity. 4^
century, which is preferved in the library of the Sorbonnc, and from the old rituals of the Latin church, that this verfe always had a place in the Latin tranflation : There are indeed fome copies that want it, but they are by much the Icis number, and can never counterbalance the authority of thofe which have it.
The lad: fort of authorities to be examin'd, with relation to this text, is that of quotations of it, in ancient writers : And here I granit, that none of the moft ancient Greek writers quote it, except one, but it has in all ages becjn cited by the Latin writers, and by fome of the latter Greek authors.
In the latter end of the fecond century iiv{!d e Tertullian, he, as we may very juftly conclude, | refers to the text in the following pafTagesj ! ^ " The Comforter, fays Chrift, fliall take of mine, as he alfo ihall of the Father's , fo th at the connexion of the Father in the Son, and of the Son in the Comforter, make three, dofo ly join'd together one of the other: Which three are one, not one perfon j in like manner as it is faid, I and my Father are one -, to de - note the unity of fubitance, and not the fingu - larity of number. " Here our adverfaries tell us, that the words are only Tertullian's owni, but they muft not expc6t to be believed, onl y on their afHrmation. Any one who knows that author's way of citing fcripture, will fee no rea- fon to deny, that he quoted the text, efpecialhf
^' Caeterum de meo fumet, ficut ipfe de patris, ita con-i nexus patris in filic, &: fA'n in paracleto, tres efficit, cohae-' rentes, alterum ex altero. Qui tres unum funt, non unus : quomodo didum eft. '' Ego & pater unum fumus : " AJ fubftantiae unionem non ad numeri fingularitatem. Contr:* Praxeam. cap. 25.
if
44 The true Scripture Doctrine
if we confider, what he adds, by way of explica- tion, that by the Father, the Son, and the Com- forter being one, is not meant unity of perfon : And that he is proving, that they are three real perfons, but yet the fame in llibltance. If it be pretended, that luppoling it be granted that TertuUian intended thefe words, " which three are one," as a quotation of fcripture, yet he might take them from the next verfe, which was myftically interpreted of the Father, Son, and Spirit; I would only reply 5 that fuch a furmife is without any foundation, for there is no proof of that interpretation being invented, fo long ago as the fecond century. Upon the whole, wx find the words, which our adverfa- ries would brand as fpurious, brought to prove a do6trine, which they infolently call a novelty, that there are three divine perfons, which are the fame in fubftance, not much above a hun- dred years after the epiillc, of which they are a noble part, was wrote.
In the third century we find Cyprian ex- preflly quoting the text. * ^' Our Lord fliys, I and my Father are one j and again, it is writ- ten concerning the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit j and thefe three are one." And in another place, he plainly refers to it. ""If, i&ys he, any one can be rightly baptized by he- reticks, he can obtain remifTion of fins j if he
has
* Dicit Domimis *' Ego & pater unum fumus; " Et ite- rum. De Patre, Filio 6c Spiritu fanao fcriptum eft. " Et hi tres unum funt. " De unitate Ecclefiae, p. 255. Ed. Pamel.
" Nam fi baptizari quis apud haereticos potuit, utique & remi/lam peccatorum confequi potuit: Si peccatorum re- miffam confecutus ell, <Sr lanftificatus eft, & templum Dei faftu$ eft J quaero cujus Dei ? Si crcatoris, non potuit, qui
in
OF THE TrINI TY; 45
has obtained remiilion of fins, he is fanftified, and become the temple of God 5 I afk of what God? If of the Creator, he cannot be his tem- ple, who has not believed in him ; If of Chrift, he cannot be his temple, who denies Chrift to be God j if of the holy Spirit, fince thefe three are one, how can the holy Spirit be propitious to him, who is an enemy to the Father or the Son ? " Our adverfaries pretend, that Cyprian took the earthly witnciTes, the Spirit, the Wa- ter, and the Blood, myftically to denote the Fa- ther, the Word, and the Spirit > and they pro- duce w Facundus, a writer of the fixth century, in proof, that Cyprian thus interpreted the words. But the fenfe of Cyprian is beil to be underllood from his own words, which are as plain and eafy as can be defired ^ there is no fhadow of his following that myftical interpre- tation, which fome afterwards run into, I fup- pofe from their not having the feventh verfe in their copies, and yet finding the words, thefe three are one, fometimes quoted concerning the three divine perfons. Facundus was one of thefe,
in eum non credidit; fiChrilli, nee hujus fieri poteft tem- plum, qui negat Deum Chriftum ; Si Spiritus fandi, cum tres unum fmt, quomodo Spiritus fanftus placatus effe ei poteft, qui aut Patris aut Filii inimicus eft. Epift. ad Jubai- anum, p. 184.
^ Joannes apoftolus in epiftola fua de Patre, & Filio, & Spi- ritu fanfto, fic dicit, " Tres funt qui teftimonium dant in terra, Spiritus, Aqua, & Sanguis, & hi tres unum funt. " In Spiritu,fignificans Patrem— in Aqua, vero Spiritum fanftum— in Sanguine vero Filium — Quod Joannis apoftoli teftimoni- um beatus Cyprianus Carthaginienfis antiftes & martyr, in epiftola five libro, quem de Trinitat? fcripfit, ac de Patre & Fi- lio, & Spiritu fan£lo diftum intelligit. Ait enim ; " dicit Do- minus, Ego & Pater unum lumus, & iterum, de Patre, & Fi- lio, Sc Spiritu fandlo fcriptum eft, & hi tres unum funt. " Facundus Hermianenfis Defenf trium capitulorum, lib. I.
he
4^ The true Scripture Doctrine
he found Cyprian had thus apply 'd the words, and therefore he imagined it might be a myftical interpretation of the eighth verfe 3 but he might miflake Cyprian's fenfc, as well as blunder, as he does in the title of the book he quotes ; and no reafon can be given, why he fhould better understand Cyprian, than Fulgentius, who has afTured us, that he quoted the fevench vcrfe which is difputed, as will be feen below, when his teftimony comes to be confider'd in its order. What elfe our adverfaries object to Cyprian's teftimony, is fo exceeding weak, that meer pity may prevent a perfon's expo- fing it.
In the fourth century lived the anonymous author of an ufeful book, call'd the Synopfis of fcripture^ this has been attributed, thro' mif- take, to Athanafius 3 but tho' it is not his, yet it is as ancient, or very near as old. In the fummary of the apoftle John's firft epiftle, the author fays, that * " he ihews the unity of the Son with the Father." Now it would be ve- ry difficult, to find any place in this epiftle, where the unity of the Son with the Father is exprefHy {hew'd, except in the difputed text, tho' many other pafTages imply it : So that it is more than probable, this ancient v/riter had his eye upon it.
In the fime century lived Jerome, who, if the prologue to the canonical epillles be his, has given a decifive teftimony to the genuine- nefs of the text in the following words j y " If the canonical epillles, as they were di-
gefted
* T«i' tvoTiilcc 3 ■'■5 vii' Tps? rov ^cclt^oc Oiixitvcn. Athanafii op. Vol. 2. p. 138. Ed. Par.
y Quae fi ficut ab eis digeftap funt, ita quoque ab inter-
prctibus
OF THE TRINIXy.' 47
geftedby the Greeks, had been by interpreters faithfully tranflated into the Latin tongue, rea- ders would not have met with fuch ambigui- ties, nor would there have been fuch variety of opinions, clafhing one with another > efpecially in that place, where we read concerning the unity of the Trinity in John's firfl epiftlej there we find unfaithful tranflators have greatly err'd from the true faith, who have retain'd only three words, the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood, in their edition, and omitted the teflimony of the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, by which the catholick faith is greatly corroborated, and the one divine fubftance of the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit is proved." This is wanting in fcv^ral copies, and fome other things have y been urged againfb its genuinenefs, which I ihall not difcufs. I muft own, I do not fee that it is demonftratcd to be fpurious 5 and I cannot but think, there is fome weight, in the fimilitude there is in thefe words to Jerome's ufual way of writing -, 2 however, I am content to leave the matter doubtful. If this preface has been by miftake
pretibus fideliter in Latinum verterentur eloquium ; nee am- biguitatem legentibus facerent, nee fermonum {cCe varietas impugnaret, illo praeeipue loeo ubi de unitate Trinitatis, in prima Joannis epiftola pofitum legimus ; in quo etiam ab infidelibus tranllatoribus multum erratum g& a fidei ve- ritate comperimus ; tria tantummodo vocabula, hoe eft Aqua, Sanguis, & Spiritus, in ipfa fua editione ponentibus, &Patris, Verbique & Spiritus tellimonium omittentibus, in quo maxime & fides catholica roboratur, & Patris, ae Filii ac Spiritus fanfti una divinitatis fubftantia eomprobatur.
y Vid. Millium in loe. p. 743, 744, 745. See Dr. Cala- my's fermons, p. 452.
^ See what is faid in defenfe of this prefaee by M. Mar- tinDifTert. p. i. c. 5. p. 23—33. Examinat. c. 4. p. 22^-- 31. Genuinenefs, &c, P.I. c. 8. P- 47— $4.
afcribed
4S The true Scripture Doctrine
afcribed to Jerome, ftill it is ancient, for it was certainly compofed before the eighth cen- tury.
In the beginning of the fifth century, =» Eu- cherius cited this text as an account of the Tri- nity. To this teftimony ^ our adverfaries ob- jed, that the learned know, fucli interpolati- ons of texts are frequent in the Latin fathers, and this may be of that kind, which is a mean fuggeilion, that needs no farther animadverfion than to mention it. They farther fay, it is in- confiftent with the author's underftanding, elfe- where, by a myflical interpretation, the Tri- nity to be meant by the Spirit, the Water, and the Bloody but how this can be, when he, in the place under confideration, takes the three earthly witnefles, as well as the three heavenly witnclles, to be meant of the Trinity, I can- not underftand.
Towards the end of the fame '^ centmy, Hu- neric the Vandal tyrant in Africa, a fierce pro- pagator ofArianifm, by the power ofthefword, fummon'd a meeting of the catholick biihops to the number of four hundred , at which time, a confefiion of faith was drawn up, by Euge- nius bifhop of Carthage, and fign'd by the reft of his brethren, and prefented to the pcrfecu- ting barbarian, by the common confent of the biihops of Africa, Mauritania, Sardinia, and Corfica. This confelTionis fet down by Vi6lor'^ bifhop of Vice 5 in it the difputed text is brought
^ De Trinitatc legimus in Joh::innis epiflola. Tres funt qui teftimonium dant in coclo, P;Ucr, Verbum, & Spiritus iandus, Sc tres iunt qui tellimonium dant in terra, Spiritus, Aqua, & Cr.ro. De Formulis Spiritalibus, chap. xi.
^ Emlyn^s anfwer to M. iMirtin, p. 18, 19, 20.
^^ A. D. 484.
^ De perfccutione Vandalica^ lib. 3.
to
OF THE Trinity. 4.^
to prove, that the Father, Son, and Spirit, are one God, ^ " That we may fhew it to be clearer than the light, that the holy Spirit is partaker of the one Godhead,with the Father and the Son, ic is proved by the teftimony of the evangelift Johnj for he fays, ^ " There are three that bear Avitnefs in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Spirit, and thefe three are one : " He does not fay three feparated in different quality, or divided by any degrees of diverfity, or by a great interval of feparation, but three, fays he, are one. We can never fuppofe, fuch a num- ber of men would have been fo filly, or fo un- fair, as to have alledged a text which was not allowed to be part of fcripture, by their enemies, as well as themfelves. To this cloud of wit- nefles for the genuinenefs of the text, our ad- verfaries have nothing of moment to objeftj only 8 they endeavour to lefTen the credit of Vidror, as a relater of ft range miracles, like monkifli legends, of perfons ^ fpeaking, when their tongues were cut out. This is nothing to the purpofe 5 for fuppofing a perfon credu- lous
* Et lit adhuc luce clarius unius divinitatis efTe cum Patre & Filio Spiritum fanftum doceamus, Johannis Evangeliftae teftimonio comprobatur : ait namque, " Tres funt qui teili- monium dant in coelo. Pater, Verbum, & Spiritus fanftus, & hi tres unum funt, " nunquid ait tres in diiFerente quali- tate fejun£li, aut quibuflibet divcrfitatum gradibus, longo feparationis intervallo divifi, fed tres, inquit, ununi funt.
*■ Vid. Smith DiiTertat. Theolog. in i Joh. v. 7. p. i6g, M. Martin's Differtat. p. i. c. 6. p. 36 — 42. Examinat. €. 7. p. 43—47. Genuinenefs, &c. p. i. c. 6. p, 39—44,
^ Emlyn's full enquiry, p, 2 1 .
^ Linguas eis & manus dexteras radicitus abfcidiiTet. Quod cum faftum fuiffet, Spiritu fanfto praeflante, ita loquuti funt & loquuntur quomodo antea loquebantur. Sed fi quls ^credulus elfe volueritj pergat nunc Conftantinopolim, Sc
B ^ ibi
50 The true Scripture Doctrine lous enough to aflent to a flilfc miracle, it dotrs not follow, that he would forge a publick re- cord. But however, as to the fa6t of fome perfons fpcaking, after the blood-thirfty Arian Vandals had cut their tongues out, for confef- fing the Divinity of Chrill, nothing is better atteflcdj and if wc will not give credit to it, when it comes back'd with the fulleil authori- ty, hillory muff be own'd to be of no ufe. No lefs a perfon than the great and wife Emperor * Julfinian, has aiTured us that he himfelf, be- fore his advancement to the imperial dignity, faw the venerable perfons, who fpoke, after their tongues were cut out by the roots. Mar- cellinus, ^ his chancellor, has afTured us, that he alfo faw them. Aeneas of Gaza ^ has left us his atteifation, that he not only faw fome of thefe fufferers, and heard them fpeak, but open'd their mouths, for greater certainty, and found their tongues entirely cut out : and Pro-
ibi reperiet unum de illis, fubdiaconum Reparatum, fer- mone? politos fine ulla offeiifione loquentem: ob quam cau- fam venerabills nimium, & praecipue Regina mira eiim re- verentia veneratur. Victor Vitenfis de perfecuticne Van- dalica, lib. 5. cap. 6.
* Vidimus venerabiles viros, qui abfciffis radicitus Unguis, ppenas fuas miferabiliter loquebantur. Cod. lib. i. tit. 27. De officio praefccli praetorio Africae.
^ Ncmpe tunc idem rex Hiinnericus unius catholici ado- lefcentis, vitam a nativitate fua fine ullo fermone ducentis, linguam praecepit excidi, idemque mutus, quod fine hu- mane auditu Chrifto credens fide dedicerat, mox, praecifa fibi lingua, locutus eft, gloriamque Deo in primo vocis fuae exordio dedit. Denique ex hoc fidelium contubernio, ali- quantos ego religiofiffimos viros, praecifis Unguis, manibus truncatis, apud Byzantium, integra voce, confpcxi loquen- tes. Marcellinus Comes in Chronico, p. 45. Ed. Scaliger.
oicivor/m, cjAjjv c^ p<'(^(y|r «jy«cr;T«<0£j(r«j' ihai^ovf tkv yXu^TTUv. In Theophrallo.
copiusj
OF THE Tr I n i t r.^ 5 f
Coplus % who was far from being a bigot to Chriflianity, has declared, that he converfed with fome of them at Conftantinople, who fpokc as well, as if nothing had befallen them j only he adds, that two falling into lewdnefs, loft the ufe of their voice, and never after could fpeak. The truth of this matter is like- wife attefted by " Vidor Tununenfis, ° Eva- grius, and p feveral others. There appears therefore no reafon to impeach the credit of Viftor, becaufe of his relating this wonderful fad.
One of the fubfcribers to the confeffion, pre- fented by Eugenius, was Vigilius biihop of Tap- fus, who generally, when he wrote againfl the Arians, made ufe of feigned names. In q a trea- tife which he wrote againfl: Varimad, an Arian Vandal, under the name of Idacius Clarius, he quotes the difputed text. « John, writing to the Parthians, fays, There are three that bear witnefs on earth, the Water, the Blood, and the Flefli, and thefe three are in us s and there
Aei^cy t'c^vTw. Procopius Vandalic. lib. i. c. 8. Tom i. p. ^196. Ed. par. p. loi. Ed. Hoefchelii.
"^Quos confefTores, quod Unguis ablciffis, perfefte finem aduique locuti funt, urbs Regia adteftatur, ubi eorum cor- pora jacent. Chronic. Zenone Aug. Cof. p. 4. Ed. Scalig. ° Lib. iv. cap. 14.
J' Paulus Diaconus in Odoacro. Gregorius Mag. Dialog, "D- 3- c. 32. Ifidorus Hifpalenf. \n Chronico.
^^ Item ipfe adParthos, " Tres funt qui teilimonium per» iiibent m terra, aqua, fanguis, & caro : Et tres in nobis 3unt. lit tres funt qui teflimonium perhibent in coelo. Pa- ter verbum & Spiritus fanftus, & ii tres unum funt," cap. 97,
51 The true Scripture Doctrine
are three that bear witnefs in heaven, the Fa- ther, the Word, and the Spirit, and they three are one. " The fame author, in his trcatife of the Unity in Trinity, which he wrote under the name of x'\thana{ius, or rather in which he has brought in an Athanafian, or perhaps Atha- nafius, difputing with an Arian, after the man- ner of thofe that have written dialogues, has twice cited this text. The firft time in the * following words > '' In one example the names of the perfons are evidently fhewn, and the united na1:ural name is covertly declared, John the Evangelill having told us in his epiftle. There are three that bear witnefs in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and in Chrill: Jefus they are one 5 not one perfon, for they cannot be one perfon." The fecond time is in thefe words, ^ " To what purpofe do you read, that John the Evangelift faid, thefe three are one, if you takf. the perfons to be different natures?"
In the fixth century, w^e find Fulgentius bi- fhop of Rufpe, feveral times quoting this text, ^ as for inilance, " The apoftle John witnefles,
faying,
' ^ In hoc exemplo veritatis, in quo nomina perfonarum evidenter funt oilenfa, & unitum nomcn naturale claufe eft declaratum, dicente Joanne Evangelilla in epiflola fua. " Tres funt qui teftimoniumdant incoelo, Pater, &verbum, &Spiri- tus, & in Chrifto Jefu unum funt : " Non tamen unus eft, quia non eft eorum una perfona, Lib. i . Ad Theophilum dc imitate Trinitatis inter opp. Athanafii. Vol. II. p. 553. Ed. Par.
^ Cur, " Tres unum funt," Johannem Evangeliftam dixiflc legitis, fi diverfas naturas in perfonis effe accipitis. Ibid. Lib. VII. p. 573.
^ ' Beatus Joannes teftatur dicens, " tres funt qui teftimo- nium perhibcnt in coelo. Pater, Vcrbum, & Spiritus fanftus, & hi tres unum funt. Quod etiam beatifiimus martyr Cy-
prianus
OF theTrinity. 55
faying, There are three that bear witnefs in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the holy Spirit, and thefe three are one} to which the blefled martyr Cyprian adds his tellinriony, in his epiftle of the unity of the church." This is not only a proof that the Latin copies had the words in the time of Fulgentius, but may be fet in oppofition to what is objected to Cy- prian's teitimony out of Facundus, which I have mentioned above. In another " place, he has thus introduced the text. " In a fliort com- pafs you have a proof, that the Father is one perfon, the Son another perfon, and the holy Spirit ftill another perfon ; different in perfon, but not different in nature, and therefore Chrill fays, " I and my Father are onej " teaching us to refer " one" to the nature, and "are" to the perfons. So Hkewife the fcripture fays, *^ There are three that bear witnefs in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and thefe three are one. " The text likewife is cited in two w other pieces afcribed to this great man, but the genuinenefs of them is not undifputed.
All the Latin writers except one, who have quoted the difputed text, are Africans > this
prianus in epiilola de unitate Ecclefiae confitetur dicens — dicit Dominus, " Ego 8c Pater unum fumus. " Et iterum, de Patre, Filio, & Spiritu fan6lo fcriptum eft, " Et hi tres unum funt. " Fulgentii refponf. ad Arianos. Tub. fin.
" En habes in brevi alium effe Patrem, alium Filium, alimn Spiritum fanftum, alium & alium in perfona, non aliud & aliud in natura ; & idcirco " Ego, inquit, & Pater unum fumus " *' unum" ad naturam referre nos docens, " fumus" ad per- fonas ; fimiliter & illud, " Tres funt, inquit, qui teftimo- nium dicunt in coelo. Pater, Verbum, & Spiritus, & hi trcs unum funt. " Fulgent, de Trinitate ad Felicem Notarium, cap. 4;
Lib contra Pintam Arianum, contra Fabianum, lib. 6. fragment. 21.
E 3 . migh:
54 The true Scripture Doctrine might make it fcem probable, that it was pre- ferved only in the copies in ufe in Africa j but the fingle teftimony of Eucherius, (not to infid now on the preface afcribed to Jerome,) {hews, that it was in other copies. We have a farther confirmation of this, from the text being re- ferr'd to by Cafliodorius, who lived in the fixth century, in a work of his lately publiih'd in Italy, from a copy as old, or very near as old, as the author's time, by the noble and learned Marquifs Scipione MafFei, which contains brief reflections on fome books of the new tefta- mcnr. In his reflections on the chapter, to which this text belongs, he has the following words y ^ " He who believes on Jefus as God, is born of God the Father, and is without doubt a believer 3 and he who loves the Father, loves him who is born of him, that is, Ghrift. We love him, when we do his commands, which are not grievous to righteous minds j but they rather overcome the world, who believe in him that created the world, to which the three myfteries on earth bear witnefs, the Water, th(? Blood, and the Spirit > which we read were fulfilled in the pailion of our Lord : And in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and thefc three are the one God." This tefti- mony is pf the greater weight, becaufe Gaflio-
^ Qui Deum Jcfum credit, ex Deo patre natus eft, ifte fine dubitntione iidelis eft; & qui diligit genitorem, amat Sc eum, qui ex eo natus eft, Chriftus. Sic autem dcligi- mus ; cum mandata ejus facimus, quae juftis mentibus gravia nonvidentur: Sed potius yincunt faeculum, quando in il- ium credunt, qui condidit mundum. Cui rei teftificantur in terra tria myftcria ; aqua, fanguis, $c Spiritus : Quae in paflione Domini leguntur'impleta : In coelo autem Pater & Filius, Sc Spiritus fanftusj & hi tres unus eft Deus.. Caffio- elorii Complexioncs, p. 124, 125. Ed.'Flcr.
dorius
OF THE Trinity 55
doriiis ufed the old Italick verfion, and there- fore it is plain, the text was in copies ufed in Italy, as well as in thofe ufed in Africa. This authority would be of the utmofl importance, if what y fome have, v/ith probability, fuppofcd, could be fully proved, that, in this work, Cal- fiodorius only tranflated Clement of Alexandria : But as it is hardly pofTible to render this cer- tain, I ihall not infiil upon it, tho' I fee no reafon for entirely giving it up.
I do not think it neceflary, to trace the quo- tations ^ of the text under debate, in the Latin writers, after the ii::th century, becaufe our ad- verfaries allow, that it had a place in the Latin bibles from this time ^ I ihall therefore en- quire, what Greek authors, after the fixth cen- tury, have cited the text. ^
In the feventh century lived Maximus, who is generally fuppofed to have wrote a difpute between Arius and x^thanafius. This the tran- fcribers have reprefented, to be held in the coun- cil of Nice, but there is no evidence of this title being from the author. Our adverfaries call this a fpurious piece, but it does not de- ferve fuch a name > for if the author brought in Athanafius talking with Arius, he did no more than what other writers of dialogues have done, who bring in perfons not of their own
^ See Mr. Wade's fhort enquiry into the dodrine of the Trinity, p. 87-90.
^ Nobis unus Pater & unus Filius ejus verus Deus, & unus Spiritus fanftus verus Deus, & hi tres unum funt, una divi- r,itas, potentia $c regnum. Audtor expofitionis Fidei ad Cy- rillum inter opp. Hieronymi.
* They that would fee more of this matter, may confult M. Martin's Diflertation, P. I. c. 3. p. 11— 19. His Ge- nuinenefs of the text demonflrated, P. I. c. 9. p. 54—58. And Dr. Calamy's fermons, p. 4.79—485.
E'4 . time.
56 The true Scripture Doctrine
time, and fometimes of different ages, talking together, as all know who have read the dia- logues of Plato, Dion Chryfoftom, andLucian, Tho', perhaps, the author of this dialogue might only defign, ^ to reprefent an Athanafian and an Arian disputing together. After he had made his Athanafian urge feveral arguments, for a confubftantial Trinity, he reprefents him as fay- ing ; <= ^' Befides all thefe things, John fays, and thefe three are one," The fuggeftion of our adverfaries, that this was a Latin authorj is without any foundation 5 and their pretence, that he quotes the latter end of the eighth verfe, is only a pitiful begging the queliion.
Towards the latter end of the eleventh ccn^ tury, or in tl^ beginning of the twelfth, Eu- thymius Zigaffenus, a monk of Conftantinople, at the command of the Emperor Alexius Com- nenus, wrote a large work againft herefies, caird Panoplia Dogmatica, a Latin tranflation of which has been publiih'd in the Bibliothcca Patrum 5 the Greek original was publifh'd, ^ fix- teen years ago, in Walachia by Athanafius bi- fhop of Dryftra, at the advice of Chryfanthus Patriarch of Jerufalem, In this work, Euthy- mius produces thefe words, " three are one,'- to prove, that the three perfons are one in na- ture > ^ '^ The term one is meant of things con-
fubltantial,
^ This he feems to infinuate in the fpllovving words,
^^'i b ^'^^Ttii TTuTiu, lutcnvA ^cta-Kttf im) •* rfui tS ft «<r<r.
Athanaf. opp. Tom. I. p. 147. Ed. Par.
" Vid. Fabricii Bibliothf.c. Grace. Lib. V. c. 11. Vol. 7. p. 460, kc.
To t¥ tTTi rcoy ifju6na:eo/ >,tyiXi, \»6«c •rutro7ti<i ^uvlu^ f»fj$ hf^Tui J i/;Tc5wVj«r J»$ 7i>\ ml to Tf<'« ?y. Tit. v. The
Greek
a
OF THE Trinity. 57
fubftantial, hence there is a famenefs of nature, and a difference of perfons, according to this, and three are one. " So that we have a certain evidence, of the difputed text being in fome Greek copies, above fix hundred years fince.
In the beginning of the thirteenth century, the Lateran council was held by pope Innocent the third > fome fragments of a Greek tranfla- tion of the adls of the council, made at that time, are remaining. In the fecond chapter, which contains decrees againft the errors of the abbot Joachim, the '^^ text is cited, and faid to be extant in fome copies. Our adverfaries fay, the citation is only rendered into Greek from the Latin, but of this they give no proof j on the contrary, 8 the other quotations, in this tranflation, are not made according to the vul- gar Latin verfion, therefore there is no reafon to fay, the quotation of the text in difpute, is made after a different manner from the reft.
In the fame century lived Manuel Calecas, who wrote a ^ treatife of the principles of the catholick faith, in which he cites the contro^ verted text.
The text is likewifc quoted, in a confeflion of faith of the Greek church, and is inferted
Greek of this paflage was communicated to M. Martin, by M. Bovin, out of a copy in the French King's library. (See theGenuinenefsofthe text, P. II. c. 9. p. 140, 141. c. 13. p. 1 66, 1 67.} There has fcarce been above one copy of the edition publilhed in Walachia brought into Europe.
'Op t^ttov ci rij xuvovikv; rS lauvv^ i7Ti<joX'v[ uvxyiveoa-Kiject'
UnZf/jX uyi6v * (^ «Te< el Tpa? iv ^iixiv • ivB-i<; rt vr^oa-ri^wi' «-o iM^aq jv TiG-i Ku^^li)) iv^itTKiTui. Concil. Latcran. Capit. II.
^ See M. Martin's Genuinenefs of the text, &c, P. IL f- 13- p. 168, 169, 170.
: In Qombefifii auaario noviflimo, Tom. IL p. 219.
5 .in
58 The true Scripture Doctrine
in the modern Greek verfion, made by ' Maxi- miis of Callipoli, and publifhed in Holland near a hundred years ago. I know our advcrfaries {light this evidence as modern, but, I am apt to think, it will have fome weight, with fuch as are not under the power of prejudice.
I have gone through the evidence in favour of this celebrated text : It mufl: be own'd, that it is found in feveral Greek copies, unlefs we "will brand fome perfons of the greatefl reputa- tion, with being fools or knaves: It has been always received, as part of fcripture, by the Greek, the Mufcovite, and the Latin churches: Among the ancient Latin writers of the fix firll centuries, Tertullian, Cyprian, Eucherius, Eu- genius, and the African bifhops, Vigilius, Ful- gentius, and Caffiodorius have cited it. And it is quoted by fome Greek authors, as the author of the abridgment of fcripture, Maximus, or whoever was the author of the difpute between an Athanafian and an Arian, Euthymius Ziga- denus, the compilers of the ads of the Lateran council, and Manuel Calecas. Therefore I can- not but afFcrt it to be genuine : And as it has been, from the beginning of chriftianity, urged JLS a proof, that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are one God, tho' not one perfon > I hope it will flill be look'd upon, as a full and exprefs proof of the fame glorious doftrinc, and that wcfliall not let our adverfaries, with empty vaunts and big flourifhes, bully us out of re^ ceiving it as a part of canonical fcripture.
^ Ot: Tpfi? ufy,i iKSivii 0 tov puot^Tv^outriv ?<? rov co^ccvov, 0 TTXT^j^y
CHAP.
OF THE Trinity^ 5^
C H A P. III.
The Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, proved to be equal, from the equal worfhip that is paid to them.
AVING proved that God is but one, and thdc the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, tho' three real
perfons, are this one God, I fhall
proceed to {hew, that thefe three divine per- lons are equally to be worihipM by us. This will be a farther proof of their being one God, for if the fcripture abfolutely forbids the wor- fliip of any being, except the"onefupremeGod> and yet if it appears, that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit are worihip'd with the fame re- ligious worfhip, it will neceffarily follow, that: thefe three divine perfons are the one fupreme God, the one objea of religious worfhip.
Religious worfhip lies in acknowledging the infinite perfeftions of the fupreme being, and owning our dependence on him, for what we are, and for what we have. As there is buc one fupreme, almighty, all-fufficient God, who knows all the wants of thofe whom he has brought into being, and who is ever prefent with them, it unavoidably follows, that there can be but one objed of religious adoration : Civil worfhip, or civil refpeft, we may pay to thofe who are of the fame mould with our felves, who are exalted to high flations of au- thority : But religious worfhip mufl be paid to HO creature, becaufe no creature is a fit objefb
cf
0O The true Scripture Doctrine
of our trufl: and confidence. All creatures are confined to fome one place at a time, and fo cannot be always prefent with us, to help us in our exigencies; they are bounded in know- ledge, and fo cannot know what all our wants are, or what are the beft ways of fupplying them y their wills are mutable, and fo they can- not be uniform in their condud to us, and their power is limited, and fo they cannot do for us all the things which we might defire, or even they might be willing to do. Natural reafon fully afllires us, that creatures who depend on their maker, as much as we do, are moft im- proper to be the objefts of our hope, truft, and religious worfhip.
Were we to fuppofe the cafe otherwife % that creatures might be wife enough to know, and powerful enough to fupply, all our wants : The holy fcripture, which is the only rule to direft us in the obje6t and manner of our wor- fhip, has been beforehand with us y it has po- iitively fixed religious worfhip, to be paid only to the moft high God, and has ftridly forbid us to adore any inferior beings, let them be ever fo noble creatures. The firft command in the decalogue is, ^ " Thou ihalt not have any other Gods before me; " this may receive i'ght from the next command to it, ^ " Thou ihalt not make to thy felf any graven image, or any likenefs of what is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth, thou ihalt not bow down thy felf to them, nor ferve them, for I, Jehovah thy God, am a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the
* vSee Dr.Waterland's firftDefenfe of his Queries, p. 230— 244. Preface to his fermons, p. 40—49. ^ Ejcod. XX. 3. I Ver. 4, 5.
fathers
OF THE Tr IN IT Y.^ 6t
fathers upon the children, to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." From hence it appears, that God, who is jealous of his own honour, looks on the worfhip of all inferiors, to be an affront offered to his divine majefty, and reckons all, who offer fuch in- dignity to him, among the number of them that hate him, whom he will follow with a juft revenge. This is often inculcated in Mo- fes's law 5 as for inftance, in the following words ', ^^^ Hear, O Ifreal, Jehovah our God is one Jehovah > Thou Ihalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy might > Thou fhalt fear Je- hovah thy God, and ferve him, and ihalt fwear by his name: You fhall not go after other gods i— left the anger of Jehovah thy God be kindled againft thee, and deftroy thee from the earth : For Jehovah thy God is a jealous God. " And again, "" " Ifrael, what does Jehovah re- quire of thee, but to fear Jehovah thy God, and to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to ferve Jehovah thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy foul : — For Jehovah your God is a God of Gods, a Lord of Lords, a great God, and a terrible.— Thou fhalt fear Jehovah thy God, him fhalt thou ferve, and to him thou fhalt cleave, and fwear by his name j he is thy praife, and he is thy God.** God, we fee, claim'd the homage and religious wor- fhip of his people, as his right, on account of his divine perfedtions j and he fuffer'd none to come into partnerfhip with him in this mat- ter i according to what we find in another
^ Deuteron. vi. 4, 5, 13, 14, 15-. f Deuteron, x, 12, 17, 20, 21.
pl^CCy
62 The true Scripture Doctrine jlace, ^ " Thou fhalt worihip no other Godj ibr Jehovah, whofe name is jealous, is a jealous God." Under the Mofaic inftitution, who- ever ofFer'd to worfhip any other God, bcfides the true God, was to fall by the fword of civil juftice: For it is pofitively commanded, that s " He who faci ificed to any God, fave to Je- hovah only, fhould be utterly deflroy'd." Nay, the working of miracles can give no credit to any one, who fhould venture to teach the wor- ililp of any, befides Jehovah. '' ^ If there arife among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives thee a lign, or a wonder, and that iign or wonder come to pafs, whereof he fpoke to thee, faying •, let us go after other gods and ferve them 5 thou fhalt not hearken to that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: —but he Ihall be put to death, becaufe he has fpoke, to turn you away from Jehovah your God. " This prohibition, to worihip any but the true God, was not confined to the Jews, but was obferved by all that had right notions of God ; as may appear from thefe words of Job, ^ " If I beheld the fun when it fhined, and the moon walking in brightnefs, and my heart has been fecretly enticed, and my mouth has kifled my hand j this alfo were an iniquity to be punifhed by the judge, for I fhould have denied the God that is above." This fliews, that any a6t of wor- ihip offer'd to the creature, is a virtual denial of the Creator.
The command of worfhipping God only, is founded in nature, and is of moral obligation :
*" Exod. xxxiv. 14.
s Exod- xxii. 20. See alfo Deut. xiii. 8—15.
** Deuteron. xiii. i, 2, 3, 5.
I Jobxxxi.' 26, 27, 28.
As
OP THE Trinity, ei
As it is amply declared, and enforced with the fcvereft penalties, in the old tefhment j fo it is confirmed, and moft finally reinforced in the new teftament. When our blefled Lord was tempted by the devil, who had a mind to be fully aflured who he was, to pay him fome fort of inferior worfhip, as the god of this world, he rejcdted his propofiil, not by telHng him, he was a reprobate fpirit, and alienated from God, and fo one v/ho had no right to wor- fhip > but by quoting the old command, which determines the objed of worfhip : ^ "Jefus fiiid to him i get thee hence, Satan, for it is writ- ten. Thou fhalt worfhip the Lord thy God, and him only fhalt thou ferve. " Chrifl farther eflablifh'd the force of the fird commandment, in his anfwcr ^ to the fcribc, where he gave the fum of the firlt table of the law j « The firfl of all the commandments is, Hear, O Ifracl, the Lord our God is one Lord: And, thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul," and with all thy mind, and with all thy flrength : This is the iirft com- mandment. " If we are to love God only, cer- tainly he is only to be fear'd, ferved, and wor- fhip'd by us.
We fee then the firft commandment, which forbids us to pay religious worfhip to any be- ing whatfoever, except God, is fully ratified by the authority of Chrifl himfelf. Yet, as there is nothing too bold for men left to them- fclves to vent, we find that fome of our mo-
* Mat. iv. lo. Lukeiv. 8 See^biHiop Sraalbroke's Ido- latry charged on Arianifm, p. i, &c. Dr. Bifhop's fer- mons, p.277=-28i. Dr. Waterland's firft Defence, p. 251, 232. ^ ^
I Mark xU. 29, 30,
5 dern
64- The true Scripture Doctrine
dern Arians have the impudence to affirm "^j it is repealed : they grant, that they worfhip one befides the fupreme God, and they are fo daring as to fay j It it be included in the firfl com- mand, that we fliould have no other obje6b of worfhip than the fupreme God, that command is fo far repeal'd, even as the fourth command of the decalogue, fo far as concerns the feventh day. Such a dreadful piece of rude blafphemy would have too much refpe6t fhew'd it, were it confuted elaborately j however, I think it cannot be too often mention'd, to fhew what horrible lengths men will run, rather than fub- mit their underltandings to the revelation of God,
The paying religious worfhip to creatures is fo far from being countenanced in the new tefla- ment, that it is reprefented as a great abomina- tion. The Gentiles are, by the apoftle Paul, branded as not glorifying God, when they wor- fhip'd the creature befides the creator, " " When they knew God, they glorified him not as God, — for they changed the truth of God into a lie, and worfhip'd and ferved the creature, befidcs the creator, who is blefled for ever. " The apoftle here cenfures the heathens for pay- ing any worfhip to created beings. And, in another place, he blames idol worfhippers, o " who did fervice to them that by naiure are not godsi" or worfhip'd other beings, befides the true and fupreme God.
Left any one fhould imagine, this prohibiti- on only to extend to idols, or feigned beings,
"^ Appeal to a Turk or Indun, p. 1^24, 125. ^ " E(ri^cc(r6Ka-uv ymI iPiUT^itKncv tjJ ktio-u 7:ccfoc rev KTiTciVTet^ 05 i<fiv ivXoyviTtxi S(c TOi/c, UiZvci'i, Rom. 1. 21, 2 5« «» Gal iv. 8.
we
OF THE TrINI TY. 65
"we are likewife forbid to worihip angels, which the fcripture afTures us are real beings, and crea- tures of great llrength and power. 1 his pro- hibition is laid down by the apoflle Paul , p '' Let no man beguile you of your reward, in a vo- luntary humility, and worfhiping of angels, in- truding into thofe things which he has not feen, vainly pufF'd up in his flefnly mind." Accordingly, when the apollle John went to worfhip the angel, who explained to him the wonderful vifions which he faw^ either incon- fiderately in a fudden tranfport, or imagining it might be Chrift, the angel forbid him iTicwing any fign of outward worfhip, bccaufe, God only was to be worlliip'd. ^ " Sec thou do it not, I am thy fellow fervant, and of thy bre- thren the prophets, — worfhip God." He re- fufed adoration, not bccaufe it was not com- manded, but becaufe religious worfhip was only to be paid to God.
If we look into the primitive writers, we fliall find the fame notion of worfhip prevail'd amongll them. Juflin Martyr ^has afhjred us, that he and his fellow chriiiians worfhip'd God only, and has determined, that he ought only to be adored. Athenagoras ^ has declared againft worfhiping any, but the Creator of the world.
P 1 Col. i. ig. .
1 Rev. xix. 10. xxii. 8-
' ©fov fjjevov TT^oa-K^voZfAjiv, Juilin. Apol. I. cap. 23. p. 26. tL Thirlby.
(a>iov fjucvcv ou TT^oocvtiiVy Idem Ibid. c. 21. p. 2c.
^ 'Ov rSrov (fc. T H^r'f/j^jf) clXXxT Ti;^»iTy;i' kxjxi Tr^oa-KvyrSTjej], Apolog. c. 13. p. 55. Ed. Oxon.
TJjy Id. Ibid. p. 56.
Theophi-
66 The true Scripture Doctrine
Theophilus ^ has affirmed, that none but the real and true God ihould be worfliip'd. " Ta- tian, with great zeal cries out Pgainft creature worfhip. Irenaeus ^' has inllructed us, that we fhould only worlliip the Lord our God, and not the creature. Clement of Alexandria ^ has warn'd us againft honouring angels, men, the fun, and the world, and has laid it down as a rule, that none but the divine being, the au- thor and maker of thefe, the one neceflarily exifting Almighty, is to be worfhip'd. Ter- tulHan's opinion v was, that God, the creator,
6 B«(ri?i£V5 l?r' uurS yiyem. Theophilus Antioch. Lib. i. c. 16. p. 48. Ed.Woliii.
'OuK uXXoi j|cv £f f TTfotrKvveitBui ocXX' vi ^/ijcvo^i^. Idem
Ibid.
" Oo/SjjTFOf fjijovov liv (^icv. Tatian. c. 6. p. 17. Ed. Ox.
^iXco. Idem c. 7. p. 18.
Ss/3«p T <^ci^Huv rviV t/OTS"«£ny, ^t lev 7Tii^i:i)v. Idem C. 36.
P- 79-
^ Dominum tmim adorare oportet & ipfi foli fervire, Sc
non credere, ei qui falfo promifit ea quae non funt lua, di- cens, " haec omnia tibi dabo , ^1 procidens adoraveris me. — Neque enim conditio fub ejus potellate ell quandoquidem & ipfe unus do creaturis eft. Irenaeus, Lib. V. c 22. p. 320. Ed. Bened. ' ^ Kiciiva ifyov i^i Kcci ii{'CCvo^ y^ y,M^ ' ^ ''Ayy:Aot ^ 'uv6(&>7roi
i^yX T ^U.KTVXC0V CCVtS. ■ ■ f/^>] TCV 'i^>ilOV TIC, IfJtjCOV Tracer AVViir Of y
uX}^oc 70V viXiH 7roi7tr>]y iTtiT^oBnTu ' {jjYth Tvv yja-ffjcv lyJnaLiTOy uX}ioi TCV i(^(rf/Jii ^'^fjuiti^yov iTn^TiTwu-Tv. Clem. Alex. Coh. ad Gentes, c. 4.^ p- 54, 55- Ed. Oxon.
TcV KVfiOV TO)V TTVlVfA/dCTUly XO^Sly TOV KU^iOV ToZ TTVfO^, TCV X,0<rf//it
^yjIMin^yjii ' TCV x^^la (puTuyuyov 0£o$ sVi^jjToJ, ov toc t^yei
TCV &iov. Idem Ibid. c. 6. p. 59.
VCV (Ti^iiV ©£51', tIv 0VT&>C, CVTOC. TTCCVTOK^XTO^Oi. Idcm StrOm.
lib. vi. c. 18. p. 825.
y Quod colimus, Deus unus eft, qui totam molem iftam, cum omni inftrumento elcmcntorum, corporum, Tpirituum, vcrbo, quo juffit, rationc, qua difpofuit, virtute qua potuit,
only,
OF THE TRINITr. 67
only, is the objed of the chriftian's worfhip, aud that they are forbid to worihip any other. And, to name no more, Origen ^ rightly arf^u- ed, that no creatures are to be worihip'd, %y fuch as are in fcripture taught, not to ferve the creature befides the Creator.
y/e have full proof, that the fcripture re- quires all our religious worOiip to be paid to the one true and fupreme God. Yet it is plain, religious worfhip is paid in fcripture, not to the Father only, but to the Son and the Spi- rit 5 from whence it is eafy to gather, that thefe three are one God : But' the Arians will only allow the Son and Spirit to be creatures 5 aixi that they may pay them proper honour, they have invented a diflinftion of fupreme and fubordinate worihip : This they have borrow'd from the Pagans, for they were not fo foolifh as to worfhip more than one fupreme God, but paid fubordinate worfhip to many inferior deities. ^ This didinaion has been adopted by the papiils, to countenance the worfliip they pay to the Virgin Mary, angels and founts. As the diftinclion of worfhip into fi.ipreme and fubordinate, is extremely fhocking to right rea- fon, fo there is not the leail fyllable in fcrip-
de nihllo expreffit in ornamentum majefiatis fuae. Tertul- han. Apolog. c. 17. p. 173. Ed. Havercamp.
Praefcribitur mijii ne quern alium Deam dicam : Ne dicendo non minus lingua quam manu Deum iingam : Neque alium adorem a at quoquo modo venerer, praeter unicum ilium qui^ita mandat quern & jubeor timere. Idem. Scorpi.c. c. 4.
^ Tlfca-Kvvi'i'ii Kui ^xv(/,xl^iiv x.xi cri/ouv ;^f>; roy taZtoo ^stfci^- i^roi' Kul ^AV — — :cs£^>;v^W&.'5 civ r<5 ciSoi, Sirs x^j^i^ ^oZ
^W^^^ry^Z e^cET, Ir^ ^dl ^cr' Ui^cv, Origen. c. Celfum.
i-ib.III^p. 15.8. Ed.Cant.
./ , ^"*''^"'' 0 '^^ «'^'''»'> '^^' ^^. '■'jy 0=ou ^^fjijipayyiyiccrx'
-ny fiT.frun-^, idem ibid. Lib. VII. p. 375, '
F z ' ture
68 The true Scripture Doctrine
ture to countenance it. In Scripture, the Fa- ther, the Son, and the holy Spirit, have equal divine woriliip paid to them. This I fhall pro- ceed to fhew, referving the particular proofs of divine worfliip being given to Chriil:, and an anfwer to the pleas for paying him inferior wor- Ihip, to another * place.
We have a full proof, that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are worihip'd with the fame woriliip, in the prophet Ifaiah's vilion, ^ which he thus relates -, " I law Jehovah fit- ting on his throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple j above it flood the Se- raphs, each one had (ix wings, with one pair he cover'd his face, with another pair he co- vered his feet, and with the other pair he ilew. And one cried to another, holy, holy, holy, Jehovah of hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory. And the polls of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the houfe was fil- led with fmokcj Then faid I, wo is me ! I am undone J— my eyes have feen the King, Jehovah of hofts : — Alfo I heard the voice of the Lord, fiying, whom Ihall I lend, and who will go for us? Then faid J, here am I, fend me: And he faid, go and tell this people j hear you indeed, but underftand not, and fee you indeed, but perceive not : make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and ihut their eyes > left they lee with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and underftand with their hearts, and convert and be healed." That Jehovah, w^hofe glory the prophet faw, is more perfons than one, appears from thefc
* Sec P^rt II. chap. 12. ^ Ifaiah vJ. 1—5, 8, 9, 10.
words,
i
OF T H E Tr I N I T Y. 69
words, " who Ihall go for us. " That the Fa- ther, the Son, and the holy Spirit, are this one Jehovah is probable, from the repetition of the word holy thrice: But this is not all> we have certain ^ proof, that all the three divine perfons are here worlhip'd by the angels. That the Father is, I believe none will deny or doubt, and therefore 1 fhall not go about to prove it.
That the Son is Jehovah, whofe glory Ifaiah faw, and whom the angels worfhip'd, we are fully afllired by the apoille John 3 ^ Tho' he had done fo many miracles, — they could not believe > becaufe Efaias fiid, he has blinded their eyes, and harden'd their heart, that they fhould not fee with their eyes, nor underftand with their hearts, and be converted, and I fbould heal them. Thefe things faid Efaias, when he faw his glory, and fpoke of him." Our ad- verfaries know not what to do with this fcrip- ture, therefore ^ they fay the meaning is, when the prophet faw the gloiy of God the Father, revealing to him the coming of Chri ft, he fore- faw the glory of him, who was to come in the glory of his Father. But this is only an info- lent contradi6bion to an infpired apoftle, who fays expreiliy, it v/as the Son's glory which Ifaiah faw, and it was of him that he fpoke. Ifaiah really faw the glory of the Father, for
^ Sec Dr. Berriman's feafomble review of Whiflon's ac- count of primitive Doxologies, p. 19. Second review, p,29— 3^.
Vid. Witfii Excrcitat. in hoc caput Mifc. Sac. Vol. II. P- 10, II. Vitringa in Ifaiam, Vol. I. p. 138, 142, 143, 152.
^ Johnxii. 37, 39, 40, 41.
V'.d. Limpe Comment, in Joh. Vol. II. p. 89,7—901.
^ Cl-arke^s Script. Do(^. P- 93-
F J . the
70 The true Scripture Doctrine
the Father and the Son are one Jehovah -, but for any to fay, he faw only the glory of the Father, andforefaw the glory of Chrift, as the Father's delegate, is fettjng their prefumptuous determination, in oppofition to a writer under the inf^ilhble direction of the Spirit of truth, who fay^ otherwife.
That the holy Spirit alfo is Jehovah, whofe glory Ifaiah fiw, is affirmed by the apoftle Paul, ^" Well fpokc the holy Spirit, by Elaias the prophet, to our fathers, faying, Go to this peo- ple, and lay, hearing you fliall hear, and fhall not underlland , and feeing you fhall fee,, and fhali not perceive." What the prophet fays Jehovah fpoke, the apoftle affirms the holy Spi- rit fpoke ; from whence it follows, that the holy Spirit was with the Father and the Son, the one Jehovah, whom the angels, with low humility worfliip'd, and whofe glory the pro- phet faw. Our advcrfaries g tell us-, Ifaiah, by the revelation of the holy Spirit, f\w God fit- ting on the throne of his glory, and heard him fpeak. Here they again irreverently contradi6b an infpired teacher 3 ior Vs'hat he exprcilly af- firms the holy Spirit to have fpoke, they fay the prophet heard the Father fpeak, by the re- velation of the Spirit.
It plainly then appears, that the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, are the one Jehovah, whofe glory Ifaiah faw in a viiion> which three divine perfons were diflin6tly worfhip'd by the angels, with the fame degree of religious wor- fhip. It is manifefl, that the apoil:le John re- fers to this vifion, in his account of the wor-
^ Afts xxviii. 25, 26.
i Clarke's Script. Doa. p. i8r.
fhip
OF THE Trinity 71
fhip be (Iiw paid to God in heaven. ^ "The four living creatures, had each fix wings about him, and they were full of eyes v/ithin, and they reft not day nor night, faying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. " This account is juft the fame with that in Ifaiah> therefore it is extremely probable, from the threefold repetition of the word holy, that the angels here woiiliip the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, as one Lord God almighty, eternal, unchangeable, and necefl-arily exift"ing : This will not feem ftrange, if we confider, that thefe titles are dftuaHy given to the ^ Son in this book y and that k the Son is, without difpute, worlhip'd, in conjunaion with the Father, in the procefs of this vifion.
\n the ninety fifth Pfalm, the royal prophet has fung the praifes of Jehovah, the God o. heaven and earth, with the greateft elevation of thought and didion : " O come let us ling to Jehovah, let us make a joyful notfe to the God of our filvation : Let us come before his prefence with thankfgiving, and make a joyful noife before him with pfalms ^ for Jehovah is a great God, and a great King above all gods : In his hand are the deep places of the earth, the ftrength of the hills is his alfo 5 ^^^ fea is his, and he made it, and his hands form'd the dry land. 6 come let us worihip and bow down, let us kneel before Jehovah our maker ^ for he is our God, and we are the people ot
^^ ^ ''Ayi^, ^y;(^, uyi^, yJ^i(^, o €>iU, o i:<^ytr>%\d7m^. h fl»y, jcet» 0 ^v, xal 0 i^x>^i^oc. Rev. iv. 8-
y idc Marckium in Apocalypf. p- 187, 188.
' Rev. i. 8. See Part II. chap. 5.
k Rev. V. 8, 12, 13. vii. 10. See Part II. chap. 12.
F 4 ^ ^'^
7 2. The true Scripture Doctrine
his pafturc, the ihcep of his hand : To day if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the day of temptation in the wildcrnels •, when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and faw my works : Forty years was I grieved with this generation, and laid, it is a people that err in their hearts, and they have not known my ways> to whom I {wore in my wrath that they fliould not enter into my reft.'* From the ap- phcations made of this Pfalm, in the new tefla- ment, to the Son, and the Spirit, it is certain, that the three divine perfons are worfliip'd as the one Jehovah, the one fupreme God.
The latter part of this Pfalm is apply'd to Chrifl, by the apoftlePaul, in his epilUe to the Hebrews, in the following manner : ^ " We are made partakers of Chrid, if we hold the be- ginning of our confidence firm in the end *, whilft it is faid, To day, if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the pro- vocation, for fome, when they heard, pro- voked, — with whom he was grieved forty years, — to whom he fwore in his wrath, that they fliould not enter into lus reft." It is plain it was Chrid:, whom the rebellious Ifrae-^ lites provoked, into whofe rcfr they were not fuffer'd to enter, therefore Chrift is included with the Father, in the one fupreme Jehovah.
The fame paflage is likewife apply'd to the holy Spirit, by the apodle Paul. "^ " The ho- ly Spirit fays, harden not your hearts : — your fathers tempted me, proved me, and faw my works — therefore I was provoked with that generation 5 and-?— I fwore in my wrath, they ihall not enter into my rell." This fliews,
J H^b. iv. 14, 15, 17, 1$. m Hcb. iv. 7--U,
that
OF theTrinity. 71
that it was the holy Spirit, whom the Ifraelites tempted, proved, and provoked, who fwore, they fhoLild not enter into his reft. Therefore the ho* ly Spirit, as well as the Son, is included in the one Jehovah .
Since an infpircd apoftle has afTured us, that the Son and the Spirit are Jehovah, who being provoked by the murmuring Ifraelites, refolved, that their carcafTcs ihould fall in the wilder- nefs, and they fhould not enter into the land of Canaan > and fince none will pretend to exr elude the Father from being Jehovah > the ine- vitable confequence is, thefe three divine per- fons are the one Jehovah, whom the royal pro^ phet worfliip'd as the one fuprcme God. The Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit, therefore, are the one Jehovah, the great and the fupreme God, whofe power made the fea, and whofe almighty hand form'd the dry land, into whofe prefence we fhould come with thankfgiving, whom we fhould, with the loweft- proftration, worfhip as our maker, to whom we owe our lives, and to whom we are indebted for all the comforts we enjoy, whofe mercies if we fin away, we cannot expc6t to efcape without pa- nifhment.
If it fhould be objc&ed, that this way of ar- guing tends to make the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, one perfon , I anfwer, there are fuf- ficient proofs in the infpircd writings, that thefe are three real perfons -, therefore any part of fcripture which proves them to be one God, does not hinder them from being three perfons, no more than any other part of fcripture, which declares their diftin6t pcrfonality, can keep us from concluding, that they are all together the one true God.
Some
74 The true Scripture Doctrine
Some have thought, the three divine perfons were worlhip'd, in the folemn blefling, with which the high prieil:, under the law, difmifs'd the congregation oflfrael. " "Jehovah blefs thee and keep thee, Jehovah make his face to ihinc upon thee, and be gracious to thee. Jehovah lite up his counrcnance upon thee, and give thee peace. " For my own part, 1 fee no ab- furdity in this interpretation, tho' I will not poiitively aflert it. It fcems probable 5 and no reafon fo good can be given, why Jehovah fhould be three times invocated 5 as that the three perfons, who are one Jehovah, are pray'd to. I am however fatisfied, it cannot be proved, that the words mull not be thus underftood.
The equal worfliip of the three divine per- fons, may be proved from the apoflle John's falutation to the feven churches in A (in, to "whom he infcribed his revelation j o " John to feven churches in Afia, grace be to you and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come, and from the feven fpirits which are before his throne, and from Jefus Chriil the true and faithful witnefs, the firft begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth." The apoftle here pray'd for grace and peace to defcend on thofe to whom he wrote, from all the three perfons of the adorable Trinity : The Father is defcribed by his eternity, immutability, and neceflary ex- iftence.
The holy Spirit is invocated, in the fame manner as the Father. He is callM feven Spi- rits, by reafon of the variety of his gifts and
Numbers vi. 24, 25, 26.
« Rev. i. 4, 5.
P Vid. Marckium in loc. p. 12—20.
Opera-
OF THE Trinity. ys
operations. It would be very crude, to fuppofe angeis join'd with the Father, in a folemn in- vocation, bur ic is very naturai to fuppofe, that the holy Spirit, who is at other times wor- fliip'd togetheu with the Pother and the Son, is here joined with them. As this place muft be underdood of the Spirit, it may check the confidence of them who alTert, that he is never dire6tly invocated^ for here he is invoked by the apoflle, to bellow grace and peace, as well as the Father and the Son : This proves, that he is w^ith them the one God, to be wor- fliip'd and honoured by us: And if he be to be worlhip'd, it is the vileft facrilegc, and treafon againfl heaven, for any to deny him the glory he has a right to. I know the papifrs have alledgcd this place, to jullify their worfhiping of angels, but this has been fufficiently ex- ploded ', therefore I cannot but entertain a mean opinion of that caufe, the abetters of which will rather give up this place to the papifts, than apply it to the Spirit. It is a poor fhifc for P any, after they have told us, expofitors are not agreed whether this be meant of the Spirit 5 to compare it with thofe words of the apollle Paul, ^ where he charges Timothy be- fore God, Chrifl, and the eled angels 5 be- caufe it comes not up to the point : For, fure- ly, Vv'hen we call God and Chrifl: to witnefs, we may call angels and men to witnefs, with- out paying them any worfhip. But it feems any creatures may be honour'd with God, ra- ther than his Son and holy Spirit.
The Son is join'd Vv'ith the Father and the Spirit, in the apoille's invocation, and he is de-
P Cbrke's Script. Dod.. p. 207. ^ i Tim. v. 21.
fcribcd
76 The true Scripture Doctrine fcribed by hi^ three offices : He is the true and faithful witnefs, in that he, as the great pro- phet of the church, has given us a clear reve- lation of the mind and will of God : He is the iirft begotten from the dead, in that, after he, as a prieft, had offered himfelf a lacriiice to God's juftice, he rofe from the dead, that he might become the firft fruits of them that flept : And he is the pnnce of the kings of the earth, in that, as the univerfal Lord, he has all men in fubje^bion, his redeemed whom he will rule with a fceptre of mercy, and his enemies, whom he will govern with a rod of iron.
We have the jufteil grounds to conclude, that all the three divine perfons are dircdlly in- vocatcd in the following prayer, w^hich the apoftle Paul put up in behalf of himfelf, and of the Chriftians at Theflalonica, in his firll epiftle to them : ^ " May God himfelf, even our Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrilt, di- re6t our way to you, and the Lord make you to encreafe and abound in love towards one another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you, that he may eftablilh your hearts unblameable in holinefs, before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jefus Chriit with all his faints." That the apoflle equally invoked the Father and the Son, to afford him their prefence, guidance, and prote61:ion, in his journey, to vilit the church at ThefTalonica, is
' *Avrc<i 3 0 ©£f? y^ TTernj^ v.fltasy, ^ e yJ(K(^ yfijZv JwS^ Xpi-^<; XtcnvSuvxi iCj rl^v 6dbv Yf/jav Tr^a^ 'vujoy,^ IfJtjoic, ^ o x.'Jfi(^ TrMovonrai
iiiJuH^ he, M/^'Os;. 'E<? TO T'teA^oct if/iSv rw; •ACifiiX", uyuif/j7tTii<i ov
Kwg^'a y.fXfMv Ijjtrs ;v;p<fcy ]W/£7t< ttkvtwv tuv d^av sivTou. i ThelT.iii.
u> u, 13"
too
OF THE TrINI TY.' 77
too plain to need proof: The Lord whom he befought to caufe the chrillians there to abound in love to one another^ and to all men, mull be underflood of the holy Spirit, bccaufe he is plainly diilinguifh'd from the Father, and from Chrifl: j for the end of his making thefc believers abound in charity was, to eitablifh their hearts in holinefs, to caufe them to walk without blame, in the fight of God the Father, as pcrfons who cxpecbed the fecond coming of Chrifl, to judge the fecrets of all hearts. So that it is the holy Spirit, to whom the apoflle immediately diredled his prayer, at the fame time that he pray'd to the Father and the Son. Belides, the work of eftablifhing the hearts of chriftians in holinefs, is the particular work of the Spirit, which would have made it proba- ble, that he is the Lord to whom the apofde addrefs'd himfelf, had he not been exprcllly di- ilinguifh'd from the Father and the Son. ^ I ihall conclude my fcripture proofs, of the ' joint worfhip of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, with one fo plain and full, that it can- not be evaded or difputed : It is the apoflolical benedidion. ^ " The grace of the Lord Jefus Chrifl, and the love of God, and the commu- \ nion of the holy Spirit be with you all. Amen." \ This has been ufed in all ages of the church, 1 as the common form of bleffing. The apo file, in it, prays, that the Grace of Chrifl, who has redeemed believers from mifery, the love of God, who chofe them to falvation, and the communication of the bleflings of the holy Spi- rit, who fandifies them, ' might refl on the
H ;5<6pj5 ToZ Kv^icu \r,ToZ Xp»5-ow, KUi ij UyotTi) rev QioZ; xoti *i KOivavix T«u fi^a 7rnoy^ciT(^^ ^ir^d iraiyTu* iyjon^ u^jui^y. 2 Cor. iiii. 13.
4 chriftians
ys The true Scripture Doctrine
chriftians at Corinth. All the three divine perfons are here folemnly invocated, and in this form, equal woriTiip has been paid them, from the beginning of the chrillian difpenfition, and it is to be hoped will be, to the very end of time.
Thus I have fhevv'd that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft are equally to be wor- fhijAi; it therefore follows, that they are equal in glory, even the one true God, who only is religiouily to be adored.
Our adverfaries pretend we ihould regu- late our worfhip by thefe words of the apoitle Paul ', ^ " Through Chrift we have accefs, by one Spirit, to the Father 5 '* but this is not a di- rectory for our worfhip, never to be varied from 5 it is rather an account of the privilege "we enjoy, of free accefs to the Father of mer- cies, thro' the merits of Chrilt, our great high pried, who makes intercefiion for us, and by the alliftance of the holy Spirit, who makes in- terceffion in us, helping us to pray as we ought. This merciful privilege does not debar us, when we glorify God the Father, who has chofe us to falvation before the foundation of the world, from glorifying God the Son, who has redeem'd us jfrom mifery, and God the holy Spirit, who fandifies us, and all the elect people of God.
It was cultomary in the ancient churches to glorify the Father thro' the Son in the Spirit 5 but they likewife dire6ted doxologies to all the three divine perfons. Some " of our adverfaries have confidently aflerted, and ^^ others meanly infinuated, that, in the firft ages, all doxologies
* Eph. ii. 18.
" See Whiilon's letters concerning doxologies.
*' Jackfon's reply to Dr. Waterland, p. 387.
4 • were
O F T H ^ Tr I N I t y. 79
were directed to the Father. That their un- fairnefs may be feen, I will lay ^ before the reader the proofs for the equal worfliip of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and the Doxo- iogies direded to thefe three, which are in the writers of the three firft centuries.
In the firil century Clement of Rome, in fome part of his works, which is loft, equally worfhip'd the three divine perfons in the form of an oath, y '' God lives, and the Lord Jefus Chrill, and the holy Spirit." This fragment is preferved by Bafil -, it is meer trifling to ca- vil againll: it, becaufe it is not to be met with in thofe remains of Clement, which have been tranfmitted fafe to us, fince there is a great de- fed in his firll epiille, and molt of his fecond epillle is loft, and it may reafonably be fup- pofed to have been in fome of thofe loft parts of his epiftles. All the three perfons are fworc by, as having life of themfelvcs, and I believe none will expofe themfelves fo £ir as to fay, this oath is not an a6t of religious wcrfhip.
In the fame century lived Ignatius, who re- ceived the crown of martydom in the begin- ning of the fecond ^ century, being expofed in the theatre to wild beafts, for his adherence to the caufe of Chrift. There is a letter remain-
_ * See this matter more fully difcufs^d by Dr. Mangey, in his defenfe of the'bifhop of London's letter.
_ And by the lerj-ned Dr. Berriman, in his feafonable re- view of Whiflon's account of primitive doxologies ; and in his fecond review. See alfo his account of the Trinitarian controverfy, p. 155 — 160.
y Z^ 6 ©£3$, Ku] 0 Ky'ci©- IvKTovc, Xf;^5, ymX rn ccyiny ^nvijcoc,
Clemens apud Bafil. de Spiritu S. cap. 29. Vol. II. p. 358. Ed. Par.
Chronologers differ about the year, but it is generally fuppofedtobe A.D. 107,
so The true Scripture Doctrine
ing, which gives an account of his fuffchngSj which is concluded with the following doxo- logy. * " Thro' whom, {viz. Chriil) and with whom, be glory and flrength, to the Father, with the holy Spirit, forever. Amen." Ouv advcrfarics object forne things '" againll the ge- nuinenefs of this piece, but they are of very lit- tle moment.
Polycarp lived in the firft century, being the paftor of the church at Smyrna, to whom the apoftle John dire61:ed the epiftle, which Chrilt diftated to him. His life was extended to a great age, to the middle of the fecond century, and being tempted to deny Chrift, he chofe ra- ther to die for the fake of fo good a m after, whom he had ferved fo many years, without ever receiving any ill at his hands. When he came to fuffer, he concluded his life with an a£b of worihip to the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit. ^ " For this, and for all things^ I praife thee, I blefs thee, I glorify thee, with the eternal and heavenly Jefus Chrill, thy be- loved Son, with whom, to thee, and the holy Spirit, be glory both now and for ages to come. Amen. " Thefe were the words of this blefTcd martyr, while the fire w^as getting ready to wafte his fleih, and crack his aged finews. The laft ufe he made of his fpeech, was in afcribing
* Li », ncu f/ji^' i ra> TTur^l^ y ^c,\u, y,xl nv jef«T©- a-uv tS u^u TTvivfjt^xTty h^ ciiuvoKiy AjO/jjiT. Ep. dc iTiartyr. Ignatii, p. 52. Ed. Smith.
^ See Dr. Berrlman's additions to his fcafonable review of Whifton's account of primitive doxologic?, p. ji 4, 5.
*^ AiU TcZrOy tcecl sripj 'zrzcvTuy, ciiva a, ivXoya tn, dc^uCa erf,
Ajub^r. Polycarpi novilTima in epillola Ecclefiae Smymcnfis, cap. 14. p. 75- Ed. Oxon. Smith.
OF THE TrIN I T Y. 8 I
glory to the Son and Spirit, together with the Father. Tho' I build not my taith on the au- thority of any man, yet I muil own, I cannot but regard the laffc words of one, who chear- fully chofe to follow his Lord thro' burning flames, rather than conceal his faith in him, more than the artful infinuations of fuch wholiebafk- ing in warm Preferments, which they hold, by the wicked tenure, of hypocritically fubfcribing articles of fliith, which they really dcfpifc, and in oppofing and bantering which, they Ipend their time, and employ their pens.
The church at Smyrna, who were deprived of this excellent overfecr, clofe the letter, which gives an account of his fufferings, with a doxo- logy to the three divine peifons. ^ ^^ We wiili, brethren, that you may go on happily, walk- ing according to the rule of the gofpel of Je- fus Chrill:, with whom be glory to God, even the Father, and to the holy Spnit, for the fill- vation of the chofen faints."
In the fecond century, Juftin Martyr prefent- cd his apology on behalf of the chriifians, to the Emperor Antoninus Pius j in which, he gives ^ the following account of the worihip of the chriftians, by way of defenfe againfl the charge of atheifm, which the pagans brought againil them : " We are called atheifts, and we con- fefs, that in refpe6l of fuch reputed gods, we
^ Epp6;c2^ yjW/of; sv^of/UidcCy uhx<poiy ^oix.ovvTa,^ ru kxtoc t»
Kctl x^cp ^vivfjijxri IttI (rarr,^ioc r^ tuv UXiKTay. Epift. Ecclef. Smyrnenf. c. 22. p. 75.
vofAo^ofAjivm GiiJv ot6£oi Uvxi, oiXX' ^;fc;* ra c<,^y,&i^uTii, kxI TruTfiot; oiicxiO(rvyY)<i j^ (ru^oocuvrii >^ rav 'u,X>^uv ct^iTuVy stnTTi^Urif re HSiKteti ©stf, «AA' Ekhvov n, y-eii to» 5r«p' <«cT«tt lU^not, vtov, kxI
G are
82 The true Scripture Doctrine
are atheilb, but not in refpecl of the moft true God, the Father of righteoufnefs and fobriety, and all other virtues, who has in him no mix- ture of evil 5 him and the Son, who came from hmi^ (and taught us, and the hoil of the other, the good angels, who follow and refemble him, thcfc things) and the prophctick Spirit, we worfnip and adore, honouring them in rea- fon, and in truth." Our adverlaries ^ are for giving us a conilrudlion of this place, which makes the hoil of angels to be worfhip'd, with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit j but 8 no- thing can be more contrary to Juftin's avowed docftrine, than this poor fhifr, which they have borrowed from the pnpiils. Juftin has luffici-
ci^ci^ovTcc v,f/joi.Ci rcMTO, Kui Tz\ Tuv u'aXuv iTTofd^av Kctl it^ofAots-
f^iSx KXi Tipoa-KvvoufS/j, >[oya) kuI ccXfjieiU, Tif/juvnq. Juflin. A- pol. I. c. 6. p. II. Ed. Oxon. p. 1 1 .' Ed. Thirlby.
^ Whifton's account of the primitive fliith, p. 375.
Jackfon's replv to Dr. WatcrJand, p. 375.
s Vid. Bull. Defenf. Fid. Nicacme, Sed. 1 1 . c. 4. Scft. 8. p. 70, 71. al. 66, 67.
Animndverf. in G. Clerk, p. 275, 276.
Le Moyne not. in varia Sac. p. 180.
Nourrii Appnrat. ad BiWioth. Max. p. 414.
Grabium in loc. p. 11. EJ. Oxon.
Dr. Ibbetfon's fermon, p. 22 — 26.
Dr. Bcrriman's additions to his feafonable review, p. 5, 6^
Dr. Waterland's fermons, p. 299.
What Jullin fays of the angels being taught by CliriH, may receive light from tlic following paflliges.
Hie pater Domini nortri Jefu Chrilli, per Verbum fuum, qui eft filius ejus ; per eum revelatur & manifeftatur omni- bus, quibus revelatur : cognofcunt enim eum hi ; quibus revelavcrit Filius, fempcr autem coexiftens Filius Patri, olim, & ab initio, fcmper rcvelat Patrcm, &: angelis, &archange- lis, Sc poteilatibus, & virtutibus, & omnibus quibus reve- lare vult Deus. Irenacus, Lib. II. c. 30. p. 163. Ed. Ben. c. 55. p. 185. Ed. Oxon.
entlv
OF r H E Tr I N 1 T r. 85
ently declared, that the chrilKans worfhip'd ^ one God only > therefore when he alfo de- clares, that they worfhip'd the Father, the Son, and the Spirit 5 as he neceflarily muit be under- llood of their having equal worfliip paid to them, fo he could mean nothing elfe, but that thefe three divine perfons were, by the chriftians of his time, worfhip'd as the one God.
That all the three divine perfons were w^or- fhiped in his time, Juflin has in another place ailured us j ^ " Being taught, that Jefus Chrill is the Son of him w^ho is really God 3 that we with reafon worfliip him, reckoning him in the fccond place, and the prophetick Spirit in the third order, we fhall demonftrate. " Our ad- verfaries urge this place as a proof, that fu- preme worfhip was paid to the Father, and fubordinate worfhip to the Son, and the Spirit. But nothing like this can be drawn from the words, which only ihew, that the chriftians, when they worfhip'd the facred three, did not break in upon, or confound the order of the divine perfons.
In the fame century lived Clement, the ve- ry learned catechift of Alexandria -, he has left us the following doxology : ^ " Be kind to thy
HJvj -^ rat; y!yyi^}i<; fjjtfjtjcih^iitXt ru^H>\vi<Pxf3^ Try ocM^HXf^ xeci Tvvc; iTTi rTtreov oi^y^oTU^ yiytjTo] ^y^. Clemeils -Alex. Stro-
mat. Lib. VI. c. 7. p. 769. Ed. Ox.
^ 0JCV fj^voy TT^oa-KWvZfSf. Ap.I. c. 23. p. 26. Ed.Thirlby,
Oicy fjf^vov ^iiTrpcTKoviTv. Ibid. c. 2 1 . p. 25.
^ Inxeuv Xjiffpy 1 buy darcZ Tcy ovrax; 02oy fXiU&oiTiq^ KXi
ov o'iVTi^ce, y^ufec ixcvTsq, 7rnuu>6i rt 7r^o:pi/)ri)f^v^ ci r^trtj ru^u, or*
^iroi Xcya nujUiSM, u'^o^uletSfi. ApoL I- C 1 6. p. iq, 20.
Ed.Thirlby. -r- ir
G z ^ children.
84 The true Scripture Doctrine children, O Inftru61:cr, O Father, O Guide of Ifrael, Son and Father, both one, O Lord, grant us, that, following thy precepts, we may fill up a likenefs to thy image j and according to the ftrength given us, may know God, not as a fevere judge > and enable us, that we all having walked in thy peace, may be tranflated to thy city, after we have quietly liail'd thro' the waves of fin, and be carry'd on with joy by thy holy Spirit 5 and with unfpeakable wif- dom, night and day, even to the perfc6t dayj let us praife and give thanks, to the only Fa- ther and the Son, to the Son and the Father, to the Son, the Teacher and Inftruder, toge- ther with the holy Spirit, in all things one, in whom are all things, by whom all things are one, by whom is eternity, whofe members we all arc, whofe is the glory and eternity ; Who is in all things good, in all things excellent, in all things wife, in all things righteous, to whom be glory, now and for ever. Amen," This is fo eminent a proof of the three divine per- Ibns being wor/hip'd as the one God, that our adverfaries have no way to elude it j therefore they w^ould detrad from it, by calling it a ju- venile flight, and by faying, Clement was, in
cf^oiaf/jci TTX^aifrai rr' £i>(5V©-, uSuvuBui n xutzz •k^ut'^^ uycchu Tcu 0£oy, mrcu n fjuvt TTiKfcv' xui TTccfcco^t ci.7r»vrecq ctvn^, tv
f/jxvrai; rp cifjcjupjixq rov x.Xv3Kvx d'iUTrXsutrxvrcc^, yx^viavTUi tiyi»
cvy xcci Tw dyiu TTvivijuccri 'ttzcvtoc rai £v» • ov d> tu TTzivroc, oL or ite. Ttuvrex, £v, di ov to oiU ' jj |t/;f A>) Tuivnt; ' ob dc^cc, ectZnq ' TrztvToc t» uyci6cij, 'TTUvTcc T(^ xxXu.Tmvroc tu (ro(pu^ru) alifgii'M tk Tncvrec' at
^clu )cecl vvv, Kxl «<5 T8S ui'aycc^. A^vik. Clemen? Alci, Pae- dagog. Lib. III. c. 12. p. 311. Ed. Oxon.
Z his
OF THE Trinity. 85
his younger time, a Sabellianj which mean in- finuations deferve only to be pafs'd over with pity and contempt.
In the fame century Athenogenes fuffer'd martyrdom : he, as ^ Bafil alTured us, when the fire was going to be kindled about him, as a farewel to his friends and followers, fung a hymn to the honour of the holy Spirit, and it cannot be thought he omitted the Father or the Son.
In the third century Hippolytus wrote his treatife againil hereiies, the lafl chapter of which, in oppofition to Noetus, is remaining ^ he has concluded that chapter, and confequent- ly the work, with a doxology to the three di- vine pcrfons. ^ " This is the God who was made man for us, to whom the Father has fub- jeded all things, to him be glory and ftrength, together with the Father and the holy Spirit, in the holy church, now, and for ever, and for ever more. Amen " This writer alfo has con- cluded another of his pieces, with giving glory to the Son and the Spirit. " " He (who is bap- tifed) is the Son of God, and an heir together with Chrifl, to whom, with his moft'^holy,
^E{ i) r<5 KXi T If^vov Adivoyiyai; 'iyvu, ov, uxttti^ T( 'ccXXo sliTTjfiov, roT<; (rvvcZ(nv uvtZ Kccrx}iiXoi7riv o^f/uav ^^/j ^^c, tjJv Jlat irypo? TsAjwcTiv, okh y.ct\ iy^v to^ |M,«6fTOp6;v yv6)^>;v, o7tu<; ii^ov -cfei reZ z:ryiV(/jXT(^. Bafil.de Spiritu S. cap. 29. Vol.11, p. 359. Ed. Par.
rX^iV 0 TTXrup,^ cCVtSi il A'|ot km TV »^XT(^, UfAX TTxre}^ Kx] xyiid
^vivf/^xri, Kxl vZv, Kx) Ui^, Kxl ii<i xiarxi tud ectuvuv, Amv. Vol.^^II. p. 20. Ed. Fabric.
icxi xpotT©-^ c-lv TO) TTXYX^o), Kxl xyxSu, Mc) tpu7:oi(^ xvrcZ :ri>ivf/jX7t, vvv Kxl xsly Kx\ ii<; (rvfjuTTuvrx^ Ximxc, ruv ' xtavuv, ^f^"^'; Hippolyti homil. inTheophaneiam, cap. 10. Vol. I. p. 264. Ed. Fabr.
G 3 good.
S6 The true Scripture Doctrine
good, and quickening Spirit, be glory, and power, now, and for ever, and for ever more. Amen. " Our advcrfaries may perhaps fay, thefe writings are fpurious, or interpolated -, but till they give better arguments than their bare word, there is no reafon to defert the generality of learned men, who own them to be genuine.
In the fame century flourifh'd that prodigy of learning, Origen. Bafil thought this ° great man's opinion, as to the Spirit, was not alto- gether found -y yet he has allured us, that he did not venture to forfake the common method of giving glory to the Spirit j having done it in his commentary on the Pfalms. There are fome imperfe6b pieces of Origen's comments on the Pfalms remaining, but they have not been pub- lifh'd. In the conclufion of his expofition of the hundred and tenth pfalm, a doxology is found diredcd to all the three divine pcrfons. P " We fhall enjoy the good things to come, by the grace and kindnefs of our Lord Jefus Chrift, with whom, to the Father, together with the holy Spirit, be glory, honour, and worfhip, for ever and ever. Amen." He like- wife has ^ told us, that the water of baptifm fignifies nothing lefs, than the wafhing of the foul from all ftains of pollution, which mercy is conferred, " on him who dedicates himfel'f to the Deity of the adorable Trinity j by virtue of invocations, fuch a perfon partakes of the
"" Bafil. de Spiiitu S. c. 29. p. 35S.
^ Toil' Uji>^Xcvruv oC7ro>.xvct>f^ oe.yx6m, ;>af* i"* J^** ^iA«y<'p4'^wi
Ta K'JQAH iiUjm \YiG-i Xft^S, fjlji^' if TftJ 'TTCCT&^i UfJUCt. Ti* Ciyim TTIiU-
Cod. MS. Bnrocc. Num. 335.
^ To T» vd'u.T®^ XSrfov (rufj(,l3ii?i.ov rvy^ai y,u6ufcriif 4'^%<?, -TrutTX pvxot r ccrrii kukikc, ccTroTiXvmfB^v.c, • i^'iv et y,ttov xrii xu6'
principle
OF THE Trinity ^7
principle and fountain of graces.'* This paf- iage ihews, that Origen tliought all the three perfons to be invocated in baptifm.
Contemporary with Origen was the learned Julius AfricanuSj whofe chronology, to the great damage of learning, is loft : He concluded the iifth and laft book of that work, with afcribing praife to the facred Trinity. ^ " We who know the value of thofe words, and are not ignorant of the grace of faith, praife him, who has given to our fathers the Saviour of all men, even our Lord JefusCh rift, to whom be glory and great- nefs, together with the holy Spmt, for ever. "
A little after thefe great men lived Dennis, bifhop of Alexandria, who ended his fecond apologetical epiftle to his namefake, the bifliop of Rome, with a doxology to the three divine perfons, which he has aftlired us was a form he had received from thofe before him, to fliew his agreement with whom, he chofe thus to clofe his letter. ^ '< To God, even the Father, and to the Son, our Lord Jefus Chrift, with the holy Spirit, be glory and power, for ever
T^ ^vvacfAjsa^ iTTiKXysa-iaVf ;^Jap{(^^6{^V<yI' «;p;^n!' £;^« x«i 7rr,y'iiv. Ori- gen. apud Bafil. De Spir. S. cap. 29. p. 359.
This pafTage is fomething different in our printed copies of Origen ; but it is moft probable the true reading is pre- fer ved in Bafil.
"" 'Hf/Jii<; 04 kxx.^v&)v rwv ^Yif^ireov to fA/trfov tXiTSif^oi^ Xj T Tn^iUi; ^x, elyvo^vTiq rr,f ;j,sip<!', iv)(^6ifi<f^f/jiv t5 T«p«^oW/£Cft/ To<5 ioloi<; ijfjjav Tccr^oiG-i tvv rav oXm trarvtou^ y^ Ku^iov v,f/j60v \v>iriv Xp<f3? (0 if ^^cc K^ ii fjtjiyuXca-6vi)y (rip oiyico ^viufjtjccri, uc, t«5 dimett^. ApudBafd. de Spiritu S. cap. 29. p. 359.
jrps(r,5y7Tp«yp tuttcv k. y.ci'mu. Tap«A>;^crf5, ciJijo(pci>vuc, uvroic, TTpotnv- ;fc:«f'5"SvTj?, fC, ^n (c' >uv vfMiv i7riTE>^XovTi^y xetTcCTruvorefAiv. Tu> di Qiu Kcu TTurpt, KM biuj rSJ jsyp/^j yfjucov I>}(row Xp^^-oJ, <rov T*» kylof TTvivujccTt hlcc km x^xt(^, h<; T^^ <i<2r«? rZv kiavaiv. A^Jji*. Dionyfius Alex, apud Bafil. De Sp. S. cap. 29. p. 358.
G 4 ^ and
SS The true Scripture Doctrine and ever. Amciv " We are aniucd by Bafil f, Gregory of NeocaeGirea, Firmilian, and Me- letius, perfons that lived at the fame time, ufcd doxologies directed to all the three perfons.
Thus \vc have feen, that in every age, from