And yet there are not Three Almighties, but One Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.

And yet there are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewife the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord.

And yet not Three Lords, but one Lord.

For like as we are compelled by the Chriftian Verity, to acknowledge every Perfon by himself to be God and Lord.

So are we forbidden by the Catholick Religion, to Say, there are Three Gods, or Three Lords.

This is the fum of all, that as the Catholick Reli- · gion, both Natural, Mofaical, and Christian, requires us to believe, that there is but One God, fo efpecially the Chriftian Religion teaches us, that there are Three Divine Perfons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, who are this One God. Now if each Perfon with respect to the fame Divine Nature be God, then all the effential Attributes and Perfections of a God must be allowed to each Perfon; that he is Uncreated, Infinite, or Incomprehenfible, Eternal, Almighty God and Lord; unless we will fay, that there may be a Created, Finite, Temporal, Impopotent God; that is, a God, who is not in truth either God or Lord and yet though we must acknowledge each Person to be God and Lord, we must not affert Three diftinct Uncreated, Incomprehenfible, Eternal, Almighty Gods (which is the true fence of the Article, of which more anon) for that is to make not One, but Three Gods and Lords, which overthrows the Unity of the Godhead.

Now

Now whatever difficulty there may be in conceiving this (which I do not now difpute) if that be any fault, it is no fault of the Athanafian Creed, but of the Doctrine of the Trinity itfelf; the Athanafian Creed only tells us what we must believe, if we believe a Trinity in Unity, Three Persons and One God: And I challenge any Man, who fincerely profefles this Faith, to tell me, what he can leave out of this Expofition, without destroying either the Divinity of fome of the Three Perfons, or the Unity of the Godhead. If each Person must be God and Lord, must not each Perfon be Uncreated, Incomprehenfible, Eternal, Almighty? If there be but One God, and One Lord, can there be Three feparated Uncreated, Incomprehenfible, Eternal, Almighty Gods! which muft of neceffity be Three Gods, and Three Lords: This Creed does not pretend to explain, how there are Three Perfons, each of which is God, and yet but One God, (of which more hereafter) but only afferts the Thing, that thus it is, and thus it must be, if we believe a Trinity in Unity; which fhould make all Men, who would be thought neither Arians, nor Socinians, more cautious how they exprefs the leaft diflike of the Athanafian Creed, which muft either argue, that they condemn it, before they understand it, or that they have fome fecret diflike to the Doctrine of the Trinity.

Nor is this to make any additions to the Chriftian Faith, as fome object, no more than to explain what we mean by GOD is an addition to the Faith: This was all the Chriftian Fathers aimed at in their Difputes against Arius, and other Enemies of the Catholick Faith, and, in thofe Creeds they framed in oppofition to thefe Herefies, to affert the true Divinity

of

of the Son and Holy Spirit in fuch exprefs terms, as would admit of no evafion: For this reafon they infifted fo immoveably upon the term Homo-oufios, which fignifies, that the Son was of the fame Nature with the Father, as he must be, if he be true and real God; whereas had he been only like the Father, as the Arians afferted, he could not be One God with him; for that which is only like fomething else, is not the fame : Now though the term doo, is not in Scripture, yet this is no unfcriptural addition to the Faith, because all that is fignified by it is there; that is, that Chrift is the Eternal and Only Begotten Son of God, a true and real, not a made, or created, or nominal God: And the Athanafian Creed, as far as it relates to this matter, is only a more particular explication of the Homo-oufios, or in what fenfe the Son is of the fame Nature with the Father, and One God with him.

In the next place, the Athanafian Creed having very explicitely declared the Unity of the Godhead in Three Perfons, it proceeds to the diftinct Characters of each Perfon, and their Unity among themselves; and here alfo it teaches nothing but what seems effential to the Distinction and Unity of the Three Divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten.

The Son is of the Father alone, not made, nor crea ted, but begotten.

The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers, One Son, not Three Sons, One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts.

The Distinction then between thefe Three Divine Perfons, (if I may fo fpeak) is in the manner of their Subfiftence: That the Father is durée, God of Him. felf, the Original Fountain of the Deity, not made, nor created, for then he would be a Creature, not a God; nor begotten, for then he would be a Son, not the first Father and Origine of all.

The Son is of the Father alone, which is effential to his being a Son; not made, nor created, for there was no time, when he was not, as all things made or created must have a beginning, but begotten; which is the proper term, whereby we exprefs Generation, and whereby the Eternal Generation of the Son is expreffed in Scripture: What it fignifies we know not any further than this, that it is the Eternal communication of the Nature and Image of the Father to him; as an earthly Parent communicates his own Nature and Likeness to his Son.

The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son, not made, nor created, for no Creature, not begotten, for no Son; but proceeding, canoprobμor, the manner En nogóμs of which we understand no more, than the manner of

the Eternal Generation; but there is this plain difference between being begotten and proceeding, that though the Holy Spirit have the fame Nature with the Father and the Son, yet he represents the Person of neither, as the Son does the Perfon of the Father, as being the brightneß of his Father's Glory, and the expreß Image of his Perfon and therefore is faid not to be begotten, but to proceed.

But

But the difficulty of this is with reference to the Difpute between the Greek and Latin Church about the Filioque, or the Spirit's proceeding from the Father and from the Son: the reafon why the Latin Church infifts on this, is to preferve the Unity and Subordination of the Divine Perfons to each other: The Son is united and fubordinate to the Father, as begotten by him: The Holy Ghoft is united and fubordinate to Father and Son, as proceeding both, from the Father and from the Son; but if the Holy Spirit proceeded only from the Father, not froin the Son, there would be no Union and Subordination between the Son and the Spirit, and yet the Spirit is the Spirit of the Son, as well as of the Father, and, that thefe Three Perfons be One God, it is neceffary, there fhould be an Union of Persons, as well as One Nature: But then the Greek Church confeffes, That the Spirit proceedeth from the Father by the Son, though not from the Son; and by and from are fuch Nicies, when we confels, we understand not the manner of this Proceffion of the Holy Spirit, as ought to have made no Difpute, much lefs a Schifm between the two Churches: The Greek Church acknowledges, the Distinction of Perfons, and their Unity and Subordination; That there is One Father, not Three Fathers, One Son, not Three Sons, One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts; that the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshipped: which is all this Creed requires as neceflary to Salvation: He therefore, that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity: that is, muft acknowledge and worship a Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity; which the Greek Church does, and therefore are not excluded from Salvation in this Creed upon the Ꭰ

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