refuted them all, which I am fully persuaded they will never be

able to do.

II. I think I ought here to mention again that which was hinted before, viz. That though the ascriptions of deity to the blessed Spirit are not written in scripture with half so much frequency or evidence, as those ascriptions of deity to the Son of God: Yet if the deity of the Sou be well confirmed, that.of the Holy Spirit will be readily granted by all. Every proof therefore of the godhead of Christ may be counted a consequential scripture proof of the godhead of the Holy Ghost.

A MORAL ARGUMENT.

Before I dismiss this proposition, I would ask leave to add one moral argument, to prove that the Son and Holy Spirit have real communion in the, divine nature, as well as the Father.

A

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The greatest number of christians since the days of the apostles, the most religious, the most holy of men, and multitudes of glorious confessors and martyrs, have believed this doctrine of the divinity of the Son, and Spirit, and under the influence of this belief have paid divine honours to them both : And this many of them have done with such concurring circumstances, that carry in them a good force of argument, viz. they have worshipped them as God, 1. After they have sought the knowledge of the truth with utmost diligence and prayer. 2. When they have been in the holiest and most heavenly frames of spirit, and in their devoutest hours. 3. When they have been under the most sensible impressions of the love of the Father, and the Son, and under the most quickening influences of the blessed Spirit himself. 4. In the devotions of a death bed, and in the sougs and doxologies of martyrdom.

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Now can we suppose that, in such devout and glorious seasons as these are, God the Father should ever thus manifest his own love to souls that are degrading him by worshipping another god? That Christ Jesus should reveal himself in his dying love to souls that are practising idolatry, and worshipping himself, instead of the true God? Or can we believe that the blessed Spirit should give his influences, and his consolations, to encourage and assist such false worship, and himself assume these divine honours, if he had no title to godhead? Or can we imagine that the true and gracious God, should suffer such multitudes of holy souls to be deluded and given up, to believe a lie in such an awful and important point, in their most devout moments, and in their dying hour?

PROP. XI-Since there is and can be but one true God, these Three, who have such a Communion in Godhead, may properly be called the one God, or the only true God.

The reason of it is this: Because, if God will not give his glory, and his name to any other, as we have before proved, Is. xlii. 8. then those to whom he has given his name and his glory, are not another, but they are one and the same with himself. There is a sameness of godhead, therefore, that belongs to these three, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit: So that the Son and the Spirit cannot be called another god, or gods; for if they could, this would support, and not destroy, the polytheism, or multiplicity of gods, which was acknowledged and believed by the heathen nations. And perhaps it is better to express this by a sameness of godhead, than by calling it an equality; for equality is more properly found between several distinct beings : Now wherein soever these three are distinct, it may admit of some doubt and argument whether they are equal or no.

Therefore we cannot fall into any mistake of doctrine, when we read in scripture, that the Father, the Son, and Spirit are one, if we suppose it to signify, or at least to include, they are one in divine nature, or godhead; they are properly one and the same God; as when Christ expresses himself thus; John x. 30. "I and my Father are one;" and when the apostle Jolin, speaking of the holy Trinity, saith; 1 John v. 7. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost And these three are one."

Whatsoever other sense may possibly be put on the first of these texts, I and my Father are one, since Christ. had not in that day so fully revealed his own godhead; yet it is evident, that this last expression of the three that bear record in heaven, cannot signify these three are one in their testimony; or, one in design and agreement, as some would have it: Because when the apostle, in the following verse, speaks of the agreement of the three witnesses on earth, the Spirit, the water, and the bloods; he asserts expressly these three, so agree in one thing: But in this verse he says concerning the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, they are one, which must mean that the three witnesses in heaven have some superior, and more intimate union or oneness, than the three witnesses on earth pretended to: And what can this more justly be applied to, than a oneness in the divine nature? This last text hath been the subject of many cavils and disputes, whether it were written originally by the apostle, or whether it were not foisted into the scripture in some Jater ages; but upon the best examination we can make, I think there are good reasons to approve it apostolical.

Now since there is but only true and living God, these three, or each of them, may be called the only true and living God:

And wheresoever any such expression is found in scripture, attributing the only true godhead to one of these, it is not to be supposed that it excludes the other two from communion in the only true godhead; but rather to shew that there is no other true godhead, but what belongs to these. In this sense we must understand the following texts, where the one God is mentioned, if we would interpret them in a consistency with those numerous scriptures before cited, where the one true godhead is attributed to the Son and holy Spirit. Mat. xix. 17. "Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." Mark xii. 32. There is one God, and there is none other but

he;" and many other places.

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There are some texts wherein the Father is represented as the only true God. John xvii. 3. "That they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." Rom. xvi. 7. "To God only wise, or, to the only wise God be glory, through Jesus Christ for ever." 1 Cor. viii. 6. "To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him." Eph. iv. 4, 5, 6. "There is one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father of all, who is above all.”

There are also some texts, wherein our Lord Jesus Christ may seem to be represented as the only true God. Is. xlv. 21, 22. "There is no God else besides me, a just God, and a Saviour, there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else." Jude ver, 25. "To the only wise God our Saviour be glory and majesty." And some learned writers suppose, that whole title in the fourth verse of his epistle belongs to Christ, where men are said to deny the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ; and they translate it thus agreeably enough to the greek, "and our Master, God Lord and Jesus Christ.” Τον μονον Δεσπότην, Θεον και κυριον ημών Ino u Xprov. Especially when St. Peter's second epistle, of which St. Jude's epistle is but a sort of epitome, applies the same word Acorns to Christ; 2 Pet. ii. 1. Now in any of these scriptures, we are not to imagine that either the Father or the Son are excluded, or shut out from true godhead; but that in some of them the only true godhead is represented in the person of the Father in the others, the same godhead is represented in the person of the Son, for this only true goodhead subsists and acts in three different persons; as we shall see in the following propositions.*

;

Here it may not be amiss to mention that which some divines have laid a great stress upon, to prove the doctrine of the Trinity, viz. That God the Father, when he was about to create man, speaks thus; Gen. i. 26. "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; consulting, as it were, with the Son and Spirit, This seems very probable: And perhaps it may be upon this account, that the bebrew word is used in the plural number in the following texts: Ec. xii. 1. "Remember thy Creators in the days of thy youth." Ps. cxlix. 2. "Let Israel rejoice in bis Makers." Job xxxv. 10. “None saith, where is God my Makers > e. liv. 5. “Thy Makers is thy husbands." Though other critics conceive

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PROP. XII-Though the Father, Son and Spirit are but one God, yet there are such different Properties, Actions, Characters, and Circumstances ascribed to these Three, as are usually ascribed to Three distinct Persons amongst Men.

Te make this proposition evident I shall do two things. First, I will attempt to prove that they have personal actions and characters ascribed to them in scripture: And then secondly, shew that these actions require distinct persons. First, "The sacred three have personal actions and characters ascribed to them." That God the Father is a person all parties easily allow. The actions of creating, and governing all things, purposing ends and using means, and disposing the creatures according to the rules of his wisdom, justice and grace, are abundant evidences of his personality, and the scripture is full of them. The Son of God, even before he came into this world, did converse with the ancient patriarebs, was sent of God as the angel of his presence, to lead the Israelites in the wilderness, to encourage Joshua as captain of Jehovah's host, and then to take flesh upon him of the virgin Mary; all which are personal actions. The holy Spirit did lead Israel through the desart, did inspire the prophets, and speak by them, did guide and influence our Lord Jesus Christ, did work miracles by the apostles, &c. And all these are personal' actions.

Now Jest any opposer should say, "All these several actions are performed by one single person, even the great God himself, under mere different names or appearances, and not by three distinct personal agents," I shall therefore prove.

In the second place. That "actions which require distinct persons, are ascribed to the sacred three in scripture." Now those are certainly such distinct personal actions and characters, as require three distinct personal agents, which cannot be ascribed or attributed to each other. And there are such different and distinct personal characters and actions ascribed to each of these

these plural words, to be mere expressions of eminence concerning God in the het rew language, as Abraham is called "masters," and Pharoah, Lords; Gen xxiv. and Ix. 1. Add as the hebrew word for God is n Elohim, which signi fies Gods, and is used for a false god or an angel, as well for the true God.

There are also serne other expressions in scripture, where the Father, Son and Spirit seem as plainly to be denoted; Gen. iii. 22. "The Lord God said, behold the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.” And Is. vi. 8. When the Father, Son, and Spirit are represented in vision, the prophet "heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I seud, and who will go for us?” That is, as one God, and us as three persons.

Since this was in the press, there has appeared a small discourse called "The Trinity of the Bible," wherein the argument arising from these bebrew plurals, and from the same Elohim is shewn in its fullest force, and pushed to the utinost; and that with great probability, if the author had but answered the objections, be himself bas raised in the margin, page 9 and 10. to the fuller satisfaction of his readers.

three in the word of God, as cannot possibly be ascribed to either of the other two. There are such things attributed to the Father, which cannot be attributed to the Son, or the holy Spirit: And again, there are such things attributed to the Son, as cannot be long to the Father, nor the Spirit: And such things are attributed to the Spirit, which cannot be ascribed either to the Father, or the Son: Of which I shall produce a few instances.

The Father is said to generate, or beget the Son. Ps. ii. 7. "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." Which is applied to Christ; Heb. i. 5. and chapter v. 5. Now this paternal act whatsoever it mean, yet it cannot be attributed either to the Son or the Spirit. The Son is called the "only begotten of the Father;" John i. 14, 18. Which filial character cannot be ascribed to the Spirit, or the Father. The Spirit is said to be. given by the Father to the Son; John iii. 34. "God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." And Is. Ixi. 1. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me;" which is applied to Christ; Luke iv. 18. But what is said here of the Spirit, cannot be attributed to the Father, nor the Son.

The Father sent the Son into the world to take flesh upon him, and to be born, or made of a woman ;" John vi. 38, 39, 40, 57. Gal. iv. 4. But neither the Father nor the Spirit, are ever said to be sent to take upon them our nature, or the likeness of sinful flesh, as is expressed concerning the Son; Rom. viii. 3. The holy Spirit is said to be sent from the Father, by our Lord Jesus Christ unto the disciples; John xv. 26. "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father." And Acts ii. 33. "The Son having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed him forth in his various gifts upon the apostles." The diversity of characters and offices which are sustained, and fulfilled by the Father, Son and Spirit, in order to the salvation of sinners, are so many distinct personal titles properties, and actions attributed to them, whereby they are plainly distinguished from one another, as three personal agents.

The Father sustains the character of the supreme Lord, and Governor of all things, in the economy of our salvation. He is represented in scripture as maintaining the rights of godhead and demanding satisfaction for the affronts that are done thereto, your sins: He purposes and appoints the scheme of our salvation in himself; Eph. i. 9. He sends his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, to make satisfaction to his injured authority, and to the offended dignity of godhead.

The Son took flesh and blood, to do the will of the Father. Heb. x. 5, 7. "A body hast thou prepared me: And lo, I come, in the volume of the book it is written of me, to do thy will, O God." It is the Son who dies to make atonement for sin, who rises again, and ascends to heaven as our high-priest,