and M Son fefus Chrifl. 3 '"'-"...r1 -----------------------------------------------____ Chap.~- C HA P. I r; ThiJt thi.r (jod one in EJ!ence, i8 three in 'Perfons, 1llho jointly co-operate in all (jod's External lVorks. 1 Cor. 8. 6. To m there u but one god the Father, and o11e LordJefm (hrifi. HEre are two Perfons mentioned in the Text, the Father, and Chrift the Lord; and thefe two Perfons are made diftintl: in the God-head. The Father is a R.e)ate, and there mufi be a Son to anfwer as a Cor· re!ate thereunto, and an only begotten Son, for he is that one Lord over [111 J Satnts, ~nd all other Things in the Text. So great a Father would put no other Perfon mto that Sovereignty with·himfelf, but fuch a Son who isof as high a Btrth, and for fubfiantla!ity ofNature, and Generation,equal with himfelf; and w~o in his very Perfon !hould greaten, and fill up this Office of Lord over all the Samts, by whom we and all things elfe, are, and do fublifi: ~here'is a third Perfon in the God-head, the Spiri\ ofGod the Father, and of Chnfi; who, in my handling the Point will fall in, and appear to be that only true God, as well as thefe other two named. A_nd this is a prime Principle for me to premit, for it is influential into the mofl: particular parts of this whole Difcourfe. It runs through every Vein of it,and we !hall meet with it at every Turn, yea, whole Treatifes in it refer to the Dotl:rine of three Perfons in the Trinity, and therefore it cannot be omitted here, but de– fervedly and nece!farily claims a place amongfl: thefe Principles I ft:t firfi. And further, there is this Occafion of my inferring it. We may, and cannot but know, that there bath rifen up in thisour Age,a Generation,of all others the mofi prefumptuous, that have affirmed all the whole Creation to be btit emanati– ons ofthe God-head, or, in plain words, to be materially God bimfelf, tho tur– quoifed and tranflated by himfelfinto fo many le!fer parcels of Beings, which confidered apart, we call Creatures: And that it is but the Folly and Ignorance ofMen, to think themfelves to be but Creatures different e!fentially from God : And that ifMen would but believe themfelves to be God really, and indeed ~which,fay they, we all are); they would be freed from that fond dotage ofbeing m fubjetl:ion to the Law of God, and bondage to the fear ofHell, and !hould in– fiamly be infranchifed, and enter into all the Priviledges the God-head hath. And becaufe they here of, and in Scriptures find three fpoken of, to be in that one God, as Perfonsdifiintl:, whom thefe Men forefeeing to fl:and in their way to this their Afpirement ofeach, and every Man tobe as fo many diftintl: Perfons enjoying the God-head themfelves with God; therefore they make no more ado, but throw down that ble!fed Society ofthree in the God-head, allowing them no other .reality in the Divine Being, but as three Manifefiations, or elfe Operati– ons ofGod in us, and to us, doing herein like Men that are ambitious, and would nfe, they cart down thofe that are in Rank above them : So thefe would deal with the Trinity, as ifthey fiood in their way to this high Preferment: An high Preferment indeed, which Satan (having firfi finned himfelfby the like impious Ambition) prompted our firft Father unto, Gen. 3· 5· YoHJba!J be M GodJ: And he has left the Seeds ofthis Afpirement in our corrupted Nature, upon which God laid, Man i< become M one ofVI. But the Nature ofGod bldled for ever, cannot admit ofthis, nor be able to raife a Creature unto it, for it is utterly inconlifient. For evidence of which, the Man Jefus, tho the Father loved him above all his Saints and Angels, yet all the Pawn in God could not make him God in E!fence, or in Nature ; all that B 2 could ~
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