376 THE ARIAN INVITED TO ORTHODOX FAITH. By a careful perusal of the Word of God, I hope I am arrived at a just and reasonable satisfaction in this general truth, that " there are three which are called the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who are represented in scripture as personal agents, sustaining different offices and characters in the trans- actions of God with his creatures; and that these three hav- ing divine titles, properties and attributions given to them, must have such communion in the one godhead, or divinenature, as to lay a just foundation for these ascriptions." This is the general doctrine of the Trinity, which has been professed by the greatest part of the christian world, and this is what I mean when I say more briefly, " there are three persons who are one God." Now, since this doctrine appears to carry in it a seeming inconsistency, it has been the labour of christians ieall ages, to find out some particular schemes of explication, whereby the difficulties may be removed, and the seeming oppositions re- conciled, whereby we may attain some clear conceptions, how one God may be exhibited under three personal characters. Among the several schemes which have been proposed in order to reconcile the seeming inconsistencies of this doctrine, there is not any one of them that has given so plain, full and sa- tisfactory a solution to all the difficulties that arise, as to render all further attempts needless. There is yet room therefore for the employment of study and prayer, and humble endeavours to obtain clearer light. Having surveyed the probabilities, and the inconveniences which attend the several hypotheses which I have seen I have ventured to indulge some degrees of assent to one particular sort of explication, which seems to me more correspondent to every part of scripture, and bids fairest for the reconciliation of some of these' difficulties with which other schemes are encumbered.- But I am far from having arrived at an assurance herein, nor dare I be peremptory, or positive in the assertion of it ; for even to this hour L look upon all these hypotheses but as particular human and fallible explications of that doctrine, which in general is divine and true. No, though the knowledge of any of these particular schemes is by no means necessary to our salvation, yet if divine grace will assist us us to set these things in a reasonable light, it will add a sensible pleasure even to our inward devotions, when we behold the great God, the object of then'', in amore distinct and conspicuous, view. And if by this memos we can better de- fend the true scriptural doctrine of the Trinity from the objec- tions of men, we shall do some honour to the truths of God and his gospel, and perhaps, by this means we may have the happi- neés of establishing the faith of christians.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=