PROPOSITION XVIII. 173 torewhich they are forced to handle with much art and criticism,.. and to twist, and to strain, and topervert them from their plaim . and native sense, before they can make them consist with the Arian or Socinian doctrines. But the christian who believes, that the Son and Spirit have proper communion in the godhead, reads with pleasure all those expressions of scripture, which ascribe divine titles and dignity both to the Spirit, and the Son, as well as the Father, and understands, and believes them in the plain sense of the words, with much satisfaction and ease, and lets his faith rest upon the express revelation of` God in his word. All that is incommunicably divine, and that is attributed to the Son or Spirit in scripture, is naturally and easily ap- plied or imputed to the same godhead or divine nature, which belongs both to the Father, to the Son, and to the holy Spi- rit, or in which the Sou and Spirit have communion together with the Father. PROP. XVHTI.-,--Where any Thing inferior to the dignity of Godhead is really and properly .attributed in Scripture to the Person of the Son, or the Holy Spirit, it may be easily imputed to some inferior. Nature, united to the Godhead in that Person, or to some inferior Character or Office sustained by that Person. Here let it be observed, that there are some inferior pro- perties and actions in scripture ascribed to God in general, and to the person of the Father, as well as to the Son and Spirit, which arc not to be taken properly, but merely in a figurative sense,, such as to. have eyes and cars hands and feet, to rejoice, to grieve, to repent, &c. Which signify the pure actionsofGod as an infinite Spirit, expressed towards his creatures in a figurative and familiar way, and in likeness to man, that we may under- stand them the better. These are not the inferior expressions which I speak of. But when any thing inferior to the dignity of godhead, is in a real and proper manner attributed to the Son, or the Spirit ; then it is to be explained in one of these two ways which this proposition describes. The reason of this proposition is evident; because since the Son, and the holy Spirit, are truly and properly partakers of godhead, or the divine nature, therefore nothing that is inferior to the nature of God, can be asserted concerning them, consi- dered absolutely and simply as partakers in the divine essence. 'Whatsoever therefore is properly ascribed to any of these sacred persons, that is beneath the dignity of godhead, must arise from something external to God, something that is not essential to the divine nature. Now this something external to God, is either real or rela
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