those Two can be That Perfon. For whosoever is generated, is from Him which is the Genitor; and whefoeverproceedeth, is from Him from whom he proceedeth; whatfoever the Nature of the generation or proceffion be. It followeth therefore, that This Perfon is the Father; which Name Speaks nothing of dependence, nor Suppofeth any kind of priority in another. — From hence he is ftiled One God, the True God, the only True God, the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Which, as it is most true, and fo fit to be believed; is also a most neceffary Truth, and therefore to be acknowledged, for the avoiding multiplication and plurality of Gods. For if there were more than One, which were from None; it could not be denied but there were more Gods than One. Wherefore This Origination in the divine Paternity, hath antiently been lookt upon as the Affertion of the Unity. pag.

Totum rectè dicitur Pater, quà eft anyù déón]•. fiquidem divinitas, quæ in Filio eft & in Spiritu Sancto, Patris eft, quia a Patre derivatur. Defens. Sect. à. cap. 8, § 5.

Ad Imperatores, Marcum Aurelium Antoninum, & Lucium AureliumCommodum ejus filium & in imperii confortium adfcitum,propiùs fermonem fuum dirigens;& Chriftianorum religionem, cultum Unius Dei profitentium, fimulq; unà cum fummo omnium Parente Tor λózov

five filium ejus adorantium, defendere volens ait, imaginem Regni caleftis in ipforum terreftri imperio quafi adumbrari : Ita fcilicet, ut cum Monarchicum fit utrumq; regimen, duæ tamen fint in utroq; regimine perfonæ regnantes; quarum cùm altera alteri auctoritatem fuam acceptam referat, & utræq; conjunctis animis regnum adminiftrent,Monarchia farta tecta confervatur. Id. Sect. 3, cap. 5.§4.

time adored the Word or Son together with the Supreme Father of all things; al. Ledges, that in their earth ly Empire there was fome fort of refemblance of the heavenly Kingdom : For that, whilst the Government of the whole Empire was Monarchical, yet there were Two diftinct perfons reigning therein; Of whom fince the One received his Anthority from the Other, and Both of them governed the Empire jointly and unani-vatur. Id. Sect. monfly, the Monarchy was therefore nevertheless preferved entire. [And the like Similitude, from the Cafe of Pharaoh and fofeph, is alledged by a late ingenious Author, who that as Pharaoh was the indepenargues, dent Root of the Monarchick Power which Jofeph injoyed by derivation from him; fo the Father is greater than the Son in this respect, that He is a Self-originated and Independent Subfiftence, and the Fountain of Being to the Son; who will be always fo much less than the Father, as Dependency is than Independency, and that which is Derived is less than that which is Selforiginated.]

*

*Confiderati

ons on Mr. W's Hiftorical Pre

face, pag. 51,

52.

"Again: According to the Ex Veterum fententiâ, Opinion of the Antients, cui ratio communis fuffra(faith the learned Bifhop gatur; fi duo in DiviniBull,) to which`alfo com- tate effent Ingenita five mon Sense agreeth; if there principia a fe pendentia, were in the Divinity Two confequens foret ut non Unbegotten or Two Indepen- modò Pater fuâ privaretur dent Principles,it would fol-x, quâ Divinitatem a feipfo,

low, not only that the Father would be deprived of That pre-eminence, by which He hath his Divinity of Himfelf, that is, from No Other; but also, that we muft needs make Two Gods. But now on the contrary, if we allow That Subordination, by which the Father Alone is God of himself, and the Son is God from God the Father; then those Antient Writers thought, that

feipfo, hoc eft, a nullo alio habet; verùm etiam ut duo Dii neceffariò ftatuerentur. Contrà, pofitâ Subordinatione, quâ Pater folus a feipfo Deus, Filius verò de Deo Patre Deus effe docetur; putârunt Doctores, tum illam Patris oxu, tum divinam Monarchiam in tuto iri collocatum. Sect. 4, cap. 4, § 2.

Quod quidem Principium unicum [fcil. Movaxias,] Pater eft, ex quo Filius & Spiritus San&tus originem habent. Sect. 4, cap. 4, $7.

both The pre-eminence of the Father, and the Monarchy of the Universe would be preferved entire. And again: This One Angle Original of Things, [which makes the Government of the Univerfe to be a Monarchy,] is the Father, from whom the Son and Holy Spirit derive their Being.

And the learned Dr Payne: But (faith he) our Saviour fays, He and his Father are One; And Three may be One, as well as Two. We must therefore confider the true Senfe and Meaning of the Words; which was not to teach us a new way of numbring, or to destroy the Nature of Numbers; no more than when it is faid, Man and Wife are One, Chrift and Believers are One, and the many hundred Converts to Christianity were of One Heart and of One Soul. There are feveral forts of Unity: There is an Unity of Confent and Agreement, which may be amongst a great many : Of Power and Authority, which may be poffeffed and executed by feveral Perfons, who may be All One

So

Sovereign and Royal Monarch: A great many Individuals may be One in Nature and Effence; as all Mankind are. And at last he concludes, that the Unity of God confifts in This, that the person stiled in Scripture The One God, is the Father;

- that the Son and Holy Spirit are in the Father, as in the Fountain of their Being; and are naturally and infeparably united to him; and that He is the Self-exiftent unoriginated Principle, the Root and Fountain of the other Two; and therefore they are One with Him, because, though having real Beings and Subfiftencies of their own, yet they are from him and in him. Serm. on Trin. Sunday, June 7th 1696. pag. 20, 21.

The Scholaftick Writers in later Ages, have generally put this matter upon another Foot: Arguing, as if the Unity of God, was not a real proper Numerical Unity, or perfonal Individuality; but only an Abstract and Figurative Unity, of Nature. But This, is very hard to understand: And why Two Perfons, of (or, as the Schoolmen fpeak, in) One Nature, (if they are co-ordinate and equally Supreme,) fhould not be as properly Two Gods, (that is, Two Supreme Governours,} as Two Perfons in Two diftinct Natures would be; no intelligible reason can be given.

§. XL.

The Holy Spirit, whatever his Metaphyfical Nature, Effence or Subftance be; and whatever divine Power or Dignity is afcribed to him in Scripture ; yet in This he is evidently Subordinate to the Father; that He derives

his Being and Powers from the Father, the Father nothing from Him.

See the Texts, No 1148, 1154; & 1149

§ XLI.

The Holy Spirit, whatever his Metaphyfical Nature, Effence or Substance be; and whatever divine Power or Dignity is afcribed to him in Scripture; yet in the whole Difpenfation of the Gospel, always acts by the Will of the Father, is given and sent by him, intercedes to him, &c.

See the Texts, wherein it is declared;

That He acts in all things by the Will of the Father; No 149 IIf5, 156, 11f9, 1164, 1169, 1972, 173, 1174, 1175, 1178, 1180, 1182, 1183, 1184, 1185, 1187, 1189, 1190, 1192, 1197.

That He is given by the Father; N° 1150, 1151, 1152, 1156, 1157, 1158, 1159, 1160, 1161, 1162, 1163, 1165, 1166, 1167, 1168, 1170, 1173, 1174, 1175, 1176, 1177, 1181, 1186, 1188, 1191, 1194, 1195, 1196.

That He is fent by the Father; N° 1153, 1154,

1179, 1193.

That He makes interceffion to the Father, N° 1171,

1172.

See above, $35, 36, & 38.

Notes