12 THE DOCTRINE of THE TRINITY. Again Mat. iii. 28. " Jesus, by the Spirit of God cast out devils." Now if there were any other distinct godhead in the Son, besides the godhead of the Father, or of the Spirit, it seems to be somewhat strange andunaccountable, that themira- cles of Christ should never be plainly ascribed to that peculiar distinct godhead of the Son, but that scripture should so often tell us, he wrought his miracles by the Holy Spirit, or by the aid of his Father. I think, therefore, it must at least imply thus much, that the godhead of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, is but one and the same godhead. And it is this same one godhead, or divine essence, that is united personally to the man .Jesus Christ, and wrought his miracles,: It is the same godhead that subsists in the Father, and in the Son, whatsoever personal distinctions are between them, which shall heconsidered immediately. 3. Many of those scriptures, in the Old Testament, which apparently refer to God the Father, that is, -to the great God, considered and exhibited as the prime Creator, and Lord of all, the God of . Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ; I say, many Of these very scriptures are ascribed to Christ, in the New Tes, talnent, and interpretedconcerning Christ, particularly in Rom. x. 11 -13. xiv. 10-12. Eph. iv. 8-10. Ps. ii. 6-11. Heb. i. 10-12. which, I think, could not be a just representation, if the godhead of Christ, and the godhead of the Father, were not one and the sanie godhead. I add after all, this bath been the common and general sense of all our protestant divines, at home and abroad, that' the godhead of the Father, Son, and Spirit, is but one and the sainegodhead, or divine essence. XV. Yet, there is a plain distinction held forth in scrip- ture, between the sacred Three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as I have already declared ; even so plain and strong, as that they are all several times represented, in a personal manner, and are spoken of, as three distinct Per - sons*, who have different works or offices, attributed and as- signed to them. The Father is represented, as the prime Agent, in our cre- ation, and redemption, our sanctification, and salvation : It was he sent his Son Jesus Christ to redeem, and save us from hell : *Though they are generally called "threedistinct'Persons," byour divines, yet there are no writers, either abroad orat home, that ever pretended this to be the express language of scripture; And there are very few, if any, of our most orthodox writers, who ever supposed the word 'f person," was to be taken here in the fall, common, and literal sense of it, for a distinct conscious being; but only in a qualified and restrainedsense, or a sense that is analagous, or a-kin to the common meaning of it, among men : for threedistinct persons, in the com- mon and literal sense of it, would be three distinct $pinta, whichvery few Tri. nitarians allow. -
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