which yet is a Thing impoflible in it felf fince an individual Effence cannot be communicated, for that very Reason, because it is an Individual, i. e. one and no more. Nor can three Effences be one and no more, by being connexè & conjunctè (as Tertullian's Thecla, or the Spirit of Montanus taught hìm) bur only three Effences joined, and connected to one another.

Moreover hence it must follow, that the fame numerical Effence muft be Self-existent, and not Self-existent, communicated, and yet incommunicable, (as a Self-existing Effence muft neceffarily be) generated, and ungenerated, derived, and underived: It being certain that the Father's Effence is felf-exifting, uncommunicated, and underived; and that the Effence of the Son is not fo. So that it must be an exprefs Contradiction to predicate thefe oppofite and contradictory Affertions of the fame numerical Effence. And hence it will follow, that this God must be Deus de Deo, and yet, Deus de Nullo; or, which is the fame Thing, a felf-exifting Being, as he neceffarily is in the Father, and yet he must communicate himself to another; who yet only is another, by having that Effence communicated to him; and he muft communicate himself unto another, by continuing invariably the fame that he was before. To omit many other like Absurdities. Accordingly a

learned

learned Author (a) very well obferves, that as this Doctrine would deprive both the Son, and Holy Ghoft of any proper Effence and Attributes of their own; fo would it follow that they are only Names. For the fame Reason, neither can an individual Power be communicated, as the fame Author proves in thefe Words, The Reason why the individual Knowledge, or Power of God cannot < be communicated, any more than his individual Existence, is, because they are individual, and nothing that is individual can ever be communicated from one thing to another. Anf. to Remarks, &c. p. 230.

<

Thirdly, The Effence of the Father being effentially an intelligent, and active Effence, and fo a perfonal Effence, it is evident, it cannot be communicated, unless a perfonal Effence be communicated; and then the Perfon to whom it is communicated must be two Per fons. From hence arise these Corollaries.

First, that the Son is a real and distinct Perfon, from the fupreme God. And also,

Secondly, that he is not of one and the fame individual Effence with him.

Firft, He is a real Perfon diftinguished from him. For Chrift every where declares

himself not to be the Father, but to come forth from him, to speak by his Authority and Commiffion, to do nothing of himself,

B 4

(4) Modeft Plea continued, Anf. to Query 23. p. 50

but

but every Thing by the Power of the Father; nothing to his own, but every Thing to his Father's Glory,

And yet he speaks thefe Things of himself confidered as coming down from Heaven; and with Pronouns perfonal; and fometimes in Oppofition to the whole Perfon of the Father, as when he faith, He that believeth in me, believeth not in me, but in him that fent me, John xii. 44.

Secondly, That he is not of the fame individual, or numerical Effence with God the Father, is evident from thefe Confiderations.

First, that where the numerical Effence is one and the fame, the Will and Actions of that Effence must be one and the fame. And where the Will and Actions are numerically distinct and diverfe, there the individual Effence muft alfo be diftinct and different. And this Damafcen (a) declares to be the Doctrine of the Holy Fathers.

Hence it demonftratively follows, that if the Effence of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be numerically one and the fame, the Will, and all the other Actions of these three must be numerically one and the fame: So that what the Father wills, and does, the Son and Holy Ghost must will, and do, alfo.

Now

(α) Οι Πατέρες οι άγιοι ἔφασαν, ὧν ἡ ἐσία μία, τάτων καὶ ἐνέρα γεια μία, καὶ ὧν Διάφορα ἡ ἐσία, τάτων Διάφορες καὶ ἡ ἐνέργεια 4. 15. de Orthod. Fide, 1. 3. p. 331. & c. 19. p. 255.

Now to fhew the inconfiftency of this with the plain Declarations of Holy Scripture, let it be confidered,

First, That if the Effence of the Son (for Inftance) is one and the fame with that of God the Father, his Will muft of neceflity be one and the fame with that of God the Father. And what the Father wills, the Son must of neceffity will alfo ; that is, the Will of the Father must of neceffity be his Will too. But this is directly inconfiftent with thefe Words of Chrift, Joh. v. 20. 1 feek not mine own Will, but the Will of the Father which fent me. (a) And ch. vi. 38. I came down from Heaven, not that I might do mine own Will, but the Will of him that fent me. iv. 34. My Meat is, that I may do the Will of him that fent me; and that I may finish his Work. For can the numerical Effence fend it felf, and be fent by it self, and become his own Legate? Neither can he that hath the fame numerical Will with the Father, come down from Heaven not to do his own Will And here note, that all this is spoken of the Will of him that came down from Heaven, and therefore of the Divine Will of the Son.

And ch.

Secondly,

(a) Nec fuam, fed Patris perfecit voluntatem, Tertul. ad. Prax. c. 8.

Ἕτερον ἑαυτὸν * Πατρὸς δείκνυται 2 * * ζῆ τὸ θέλημα τὸ · ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τ' πέμψαντα με, καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἔρανος καταληλες θῆναι οὐκ ἵνα ποιήση τὸ θέλημα ἑαυτοῦ ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντος αυτόν. Eufeb. Eccles. Theol. 1. 2. c. 7. p. 110.

Secondly, where the individual Effence is one and the fame, the Actions of that Effence must be one and the fame: So that what is done by the Father, muft of Neceffity be done by the fame individual Effence of the Son, provided both have one Effence. And yet this alfo is plainly inconfistent with the Words of Chrift, and with the Declarations of Holy Scripture. As when Chrift faith, My Doctrine is not mine, but his that fent me, John vii. 16. Again, chap. xii. 49, 50. The Father which fent me, he gave me a Commandment what I should fay, and what I should Speak: As the Father hath given me a Commandment, fo I fpeak.

(a) Now can the fame individual Effence fend, and command it felf? Or could our Lord absolutely deny that Doctrine to be his, which proceeded from his own numerical Effence? If I and the Father are one, fignifie one in Effence, it must fignifie one in Action alfo; and fo what one sends, the other must fend; what one commands, the other muft also Command; and the Doctrine which one teacheth, must be taught by the other alfo.

Again,

(a) Alium dicam oportet, ex neceffitate fenfus eum qui jubet, & eum qui facit. Nam nec juberet, fi ipfe faceret dum jubetet fieri per eum. Tamen jubebat haud fibi juffurus, fi unus effet; aut fine juffu facturus, quia non expectaffet ut fibi juberet. Tertull. adv. Prax. c. 12 & 9. Bonum placitum patris filius perfecit, mittit enim Pater, mittitur & venit Filius. Iran. 1. 4. c. 14. ὁ δὲ ἐντελλόμεν@· ἑτερῳ ἐντέλλεται τις. Conf. Antioch. Sex Epif. Concil Tom. 1. Ed. Lab. p. 84.