III.

alfo. The Exiftence of any one is not more SER M. néceffary than the Co-existence of the other Two They exift neceffarily together, and effentially imply and include each other, which no other Persons or Beings do. And for thefe Reasons we profefs to worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither con founding the Perfons, nor dividing the Subfrance Since, as we have feen, it may be clearly proved, that there is one Perfon of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost; though the Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft is all one, the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal, But now when, in order to exprefs their Diftinction, we call them Perfons, or when, in order to exprefs their Union, we fay they are all but one Subftance; we muft remember the exceeding great Difference there is between Perfons Human and Perfons Divine, and make proper Allowances for the vast Disproportion of Circumftances. We muft not, because every Perfon is a separate Being among Men, imagine it is fo alfo in the Perfons of the Godhead; Nor again may we fuppofe, that, becaufe one Substance or Being is but one Perfon, when applied to the Human Nature; therefore it is no more,

SERM. when applied to the Divine. We must not III. object Contradictions in the incomprehensible

Nature of God, from comparing it too strictly with our own frail Nature of Flesh and Blood *

I know not how to illuftrate this more clearly or aptly, than by an Inftance produced by a late and very ingenious Author † of a Man born blind. Were we to endeavour to give fuch a Perfon any Notion of the Nature of Sight; we might tell him it perceives feveral things at once, and things distant as foon as things nearer at hand: That it can reach the Sun, the Moon, or the Stars, which are fome millions of Miles from us, as foon as it can a Pole or a Yard, or any thing as near us as ever you please. Now were we to give fuch a Description as this, of Sight, to one who never enjoyed that Bleffing; and were he to conceive it after the manner of Bodily

To this Purpose hear the learned Dr. Clark again before cited: "The Unity of God is an Unity of Nature or Effence : "As to the Diversity of Perfons &c. to the End of the Paragraph. Dr. Clark's Sermons ut fupra. p. 51.

So again the fair and open Mr. Wbifton." I believe for Inftance &c." p. 43. &c. Excellent good Reasoning of both thefe Gentlemen: And it is pity that either of them should now be ashamed of it.

+ Leslie against the Socinians.

Motion,

III.

Motion, or paffing from one Place to another S ERM. on his Legs; how could he be ever able to reconcile the Contradictions that would follow from it? He would therefore be fenfible that this was only made ufe of as an Allufion to him: And he would fuppofe Sight to be of a different Nature from bodily Motion, and that there is no real Contradiction in it, though he knows not what it is.

7

4

And thus it ought to be with regard to the Doctrine of the Trinity: We know the Trinity is of a different Nature from three Men, or from any three things whatfoever upon Earth. And yet we must fpeak of it after the manner of Men, because we can speak of it no otherwife. But if we will therefore ftrictly apply the fame Ideas we have of three Men, to the three Perfons in the Godhead we fhall fall into as many Contradictions as the unhappy Perfon before mentioned. But then as fuch a Perfon would be fenfible that the feeming Contradiction would arife only from pursuing the Comparison of the Motion of the Body and Sight too closely; fo we believe that there is no Contradiction in the Doctrine of the Trinity; but that the feeming Contradiction arifes only from applying too closely what is fpoken of God, after the

manner

SERM.
III.

manner of Men.

For we have no Words

whereby we can speak properly of the Na-
ture of GOD; as we have none whereby we
can speak of Colours or Sight to a Person born
blind. For as we cannot give fuch a Person
any Notion of Light or Colour, but he muft
apprehend it as fomething that must be felt,
or heard, or fmelt, or tafted; (for we can
explain it no otherwife than by Allufion to
fome of those Senfes which he has ;) So if
there were any Words which could exprefs
the Nature of GoD properly, or as he is
known to the Angels in Heaven; they would
yet, for want of Capacities in us, be as un-
intelligible to us, as the Word, Seeing, is
to a Man born blind. The Apostle hath
told us, that when he was caught up into
Paradife he heard unspeakable Words which
it was not poffible for a Man to utter, 2 Cor.
xii.
4. the Reafon very probably was, because,
if they were uttered, it would not be poffible
for Man to understand them.

And this, I prefume, is fufficient to clear the first Point, viz. the Doctrine of the Trinity, from implying any Contradiction. And the fame Distinction will, if I mistake not, help us as easily to clear the other Point I mentioned, the Co-eternity of the Son with

the

III.

the Father, and of the Holy Ghost with the SERM, Father and Son. For here again they usually charge us with a palpable Abfurdity. The Son we declare to be begotten of the Father, and the Holy Ghost to be proceeding from both: How then, fay they, can the Son be co-eternal with him who begot him, or the Holy Ghost with the Perfons from whom he proceeds? For must not he who begets a Perfon neceffarily exift before him who is begotten by him, and they, from whom a Perfon proceeds, before him who proceeds from them? Since then we affert, in the Athanafan Creed, that the Son is of the Father, and the Holy Ghoft both of the Father and the Son; why do we add, that none is afore or after other; but the whole three Perfons are co-eternal together?

But to this again we answer, that this is still measuring from one Nature to another, from the Human to the Divine; when the latter is what we know but little of, and can only fpeak of it by Allufion to the former. In Human Generations it is true that the Father precedes the Son, and begetteth one that is younger than himself: But what is this to the Generation or Proceffion of the Perfons in the Godhead? Of which we understand

no