An Sh.h.p 210 Anshhp 212. oufnefs which I have defcribed, and by this St. Austin represents the Trinity in Unity; and I hope his Authority will defend me from the charge of Innovation; and I am fure the reafon of the thing will defend itfelf. But for the better understanding of this, we must further obferve, that the Fathers refolve the Unity of the Godhead into the Unity of Principle: that is, though there be Three Divine Perfons in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, yet the Father is the Original Fountain of the Deity, who begets the Son of his own Subftance, and from whom, and the Son, the Holy Ghoft eternally proceeds, of the fame Substance with Father and Son: So that there is but one Principle and Fountain of the Deity, and therefore but Öne God. But this, as Petavius well obferves, does not of itfelf prove the Unity of the Godhead, but only the Suosions, or fameness of Nature; and therefore the Fathers Τα κλιζίμα και ποιέρρα ἔξωθεν τῇ ποιν • bar, cu Taip ἢ φὸς ἐκ ἔξωθεν, ἀλλ ̓ ἐκ τῇ γυνῶν πρός Kaioveiar for ader for,, add, That God begets a Son not ance TÙ BE AUTô xỳ & auris. Και σε αυτήν εἶναι αδιαρέ πως υπάρχων aiding Tacx Tij talei as aμ p. 265. p. 268. ἐν Without, but within himself, for the Wifdom of God is within him, and infeparable from him: This they illustrated by the Sun, its light and splendour, which are coxval and infeparable; by the Fountain, and its Streams; by a Tree, and its Branches, which are united in One; which Comparisons must not be ftrained farther than they were intended, as if Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were one in the fame manner, as the Sun and its Light, or the Tree and its Branches, or the Fountain, River, and Streams, but only that there is fuch a natural and and effential Union between the Divine Perfons, as makes them One numerical God. But there is something still to be added to this to An sep 214. compleat this Notion, that as the Father is the Foun-i tain of the Deity, and the Son and Holy Ghoft infeparably united to him, fo Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft are effential to One God, as St. Austin calls the Trinity, Unam quandam fummam rem, One Aug. 1. 1. De Supreme Thing: And as all acknowledge, that the Doct. Christ. Three Perfons are One God, and fince God is the most C. S. neceffary Being, all Three Perfons are neceffary and Anga. hep 103 214. effential to One God: That there muft neceffarily be Three Divine Perfons in the Unity of the Godhead, and there can be no more. For the explication of this I fhall proceed by these An Shtep 215. steps, which are all plain and universally acknowledged. 1. That there are no Accidents, nor Qualities, nor Faculties in God, as there are in created Spirits; but whatever is in God is gads, Effence and Substance, a pure and fimple Act. This is universally acknowledged by all Chriftians; St. Auftin affirms, That there are no Accidents in God: Athanafius, That Aug. de Trin. there is no Compofition in God, as between Subftance. 5. c. 5. and Accident, (and it is much a-like, as to Mind and its different Faculties and Powers,which is a Compofition) but that God is a rì, a pure fimple Act but there is no need of Teftimonies to prove Athan. Syn. that, which Natural Reafon proves, for nothing can be Eternal and Self-orginated, but a pure and fimple Act, for what is compounded is made; for it wants a Maker. Nicænæ Decr. P 271. Ansh hp 215 (7 215 217.313 Ansh W p 225 2. That it is effential to an eternal Mind to know itself, and to love itfelf; for this is effential to a Mind; no humane Mind can be without it, much lefs the moft perfect and excellent Mind; and therefore God does know himfelf, and love himself and his own Image. 3. That Original Mind and Wifdom, and the Knowledge of it felf, and love of it felf, and its ownF Image, are diftinct Acts, and never can be One fimple, individual Act. They are diftinct Powers and Faculties in men, Knowledge, Self-reflexion,and Love, and are fo distinct, that they can never be the fame : , Knowledge is not Self-reflection, nor love either Knowledge or Self-reflection, though they are infepably united, they are distinct. 4. Therefore thefe three Acts, which are fo diftinct, that they can never be the fame, must be three fubftantial Acts in God, that is, three Divine fubfifting Perfons; for there is nothing but Effence and Substance in God; no Accident, or Faculties, as there are in Creatures. 5. That these are the true and proper Characters of the diftinct Perfons in the ever bleffed Trinity. The Father is Original Mind and Wisdom; the Son the Word and Wildom of the Father, that is, the reflex knowledge of himself, which is the perfect Image of his own Wisdom; the Holy Ghoft, that Divine Love which Father and Son have for each other: It would be very impertinent to confirm this by the Authority of the ancient Fathers, because all men, who know any thing of them, know that this is their conftant language. I am fure this is very agreeable to the Language of Scripture, and Anfwers all thofe Characters we find there of the Son and Holy Ghost. The The Son is exprefly called the Word and the Wif dom of God. That Word, which was in the begin. ning, which was with God, and was God, I John I. For God did certainly always know himfelt, and therefore this Word was always with God, intimately prefent with him, not as our tranfient and vanishing Reflections are, but as a permanent and fubstantial Word, the fubfifting and living Image of his Fathers Wisdom: as he is called the Brightneß of his Fathers Glory, and the expreß Image of his Perfon, 1 Hebr. 2. His Fathers Glory and Perfon is Eternal and Original Wisdom; He is his Fathers begotten Wisdom, or the bright Reflexion of his Wildom which is as perfect and exact, as the Fathers Knowledge of himself. And therefore St. John might well fay, No man bath feen God at any time, the only begot ten Son, who is in the bofom of the Father, he hath declared him, 1 John 18. And our Saviour might well tell us, As the Father knoweth me, even fo know I the Father, 10 John 15. that he feeth all that the Father doth That he receiveth all his Commands from the Father, that he that feeth him, feeth the Father, and many fuch like Expreffions he uses to fignifie his ; perfect knowledge of his Father; for he is that Wif- An sa hp 159. dom and Knowledge, wherewith his Father knows himself; and if the Father perfectly knows himfelf, he is the perfect Image and Wisdom of the Father. For this reafon he is called the Son, because he is the perfect Image of the Father, begotten of his own Eternal Wisdom, by a reflex Act upon himself: for he begets his own Son in his own likenefs by knowing himself; and therefore the Son must be of the fame Nature, the very wifdom of the Father, unle's the Father knows himself otherwife than he really is. S 2 This This is the Eternal Son and Word of God, whereby he made the Worlds; for it is this reflex Knowledge and Wisdom, which makes all things: The Eternal Ideas of Truth and Wisdom in the Divine Mind effect nothing, no more than meer Speculation does in us, till it is brought into Act by reflexion; for it was this reflex Knowledge, which took the Patterns of things for the new World, and gave being to them; and therefore God made the World by his Son and begotten Wisdom; who doth all things by seeing what the Father doth, as the Father doth all things by feeing himself in his reflex and begotten Wisdom; for Aw fl hep 192.21% the Father and the Son are one fingle Energie and O>peration. John 9. V. 18. This is that eternal Word and Reason, that true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, which communicates the light of Reason, and the eternal Idea's of Truth to Mankind: This is that Son, who reveals the Father to us, and acquaints us with his fecret Counfels for the Salvation of Sinners. This is that word, which became flesh and dwelt among us, who hath undertaken the Work of our Redemption, and is become the Wisdom of God, and 1 Cor. 1. 24. the Power of God to Salvation to them that believe: for all the natural Communications of Wifdom and Reason ; all the new Discoveries of the Divine Wifdom; whatever the Divine Wisdom immediately does, must be done by this begotten Wisdom ; that is, by a reflex Wisdom, which is the Principle of Action and Execution: and therefore as God made the World by his Word, fo alfo he redeems the World by his Incarnate Word; this being as immediate an effect of the Divine Wildom and Counfel, as his Creation of the World:. As |
