DISSERTATION VII. 887 distinction between them, tobe set forth, especially in the lan- guage of the Eastern nations, where the scripture was written, as three personal agents ? Thus there are three that dwell in heaven, and bear witness to the gospel, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, and these three are one; 1 John v. 7. For the proof of the divine authority of this text, see the learned Dr. Calamy's Sermons at the end of his Treatise of the Trinity, 'which contain arguments in them that are hardly to be refuted. SECT. IV.The Conclusion. Far be it from me to assert this explication of the sacred doctrineof the Trinity with any positive airs, or in assured lan- guage: Much less would I demand the assent of others, and pretend to determine their opinion or faith of this mystery, by my manner of comparing it with things human, even though the comparisons and resemblancesare borrowed from divine revela- tion. All that I aim at here, is to gain; and give as clear and distinct ideas as I can of the words which the scripture uses, that asfar as possible, in explaining the word of God, I might secure myself andothers from talking without ideas. And sinceI think it is evident, that the scripture represents each of the sacred three astrue God, and yet represents them sometimes, under distinct personal characters, my only design and ambition is, to make out at least some possibility of this sacred doctrine to the under- standings of men, to secure it from ridicule and contempt, and to wipe offthat unreasonable reproach of nonsense and absurdity, which has been by too many writers so plentifully thrown upon the deep things of God, merely becausethey seem too hard to be perfectly adjusted and explained by men. Though I have used some human comparisons in this and the foregoing dissertations, and have formed some resemblances between the great God and the soul of man, yet let none imagine, that things divinecan be exactly paralleled, or adjusted by any precise conformity,to things human. I presume no farther, than to exhibit a sketch, or distant shadow of heavenly things. The naine of God has something in it so superior to all our human ideas, that it may be doubted, whether his very essence may not be something almost as much superior to our ideas of a spirit, as a spirit is superior to a body. When God is pleased to represent his powers and actions by corporeal images, such as hands, ears, eyes; seeing, hearing, &c. we are sure this is not proper, but analogical language. When God is described as a spirit as to his essence or substance ; when scripture speaks of his understanding, his will, his Word, and his Spirit, it may bear an enquiry, whether, this be a most exact, natural, and univocal description of him ; or, whether it be not rather a sort of similar representation of God by way of
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