In the Divine Effence, we are next to confider two things: First, the divers manner of being therein: Secondly, the Attributes thereof. The divers manner of being therein, are called $Perfons. i A Person is a distinct fubfiftence of the whole Godbead. g Heb. 1. John r. 1. and 5. 31.37. and 14. i Col. 2. 9. John There are three Divine Perfons,the Father,the Son, and the Holy Ghoft: These three Perfons are not three 16. feveral fubftances, but three diftinct fubfiftences; or three divers manner of beings of one and the fame 14.9. Substance, and Divine Effence. So that a Perfon in the 26.3.23. God-head, is an Individual understanding, and Incom and 11.7. municable Subfiftence, living of it self, and not fuftain 2.Hof.1. ed by another k Gen.t. Exod.20 4.7. Ifa. 63.9,10. Hag.2.5, In the unity of the God-head, there is as a plura- Zech.3.2 lity, which is not accidental, (for God is a most pure 6.1 John aut, and admits no accidents:) nor essential, (for God 5.7.Mat. is one Effence only) but perfonal. D 3. 16,17. and 28. 19. John 14.26. 2 Cor. The perfons in this one Effence are but three. In this Myftery there is alius & alius, another and another: but not aliud & aliud, another thing, and another 13:13. thing. 1 Singu la funt in fingulis &omnia in fingulis, &fingula in omnibur, & unum omnia, Aug. lib. 6. De Trin. cap.ult. m Gen. 1. 26. and 3. 22. and 11. 7. Ila. 6.8. n Ferfonæ divinitatis diftinguuntur perfonaliter, five Town, rágio Deus eft indivife, unus in Trinitate, & incon fafe, trinus in unitate. Juftin. in Kanis. The Divine Effence in it felf, is neither divided nor diftinguished. But the three Perfons in the Divine Effence are diftinguished among themselves three manner of ways. 1. By their Names. 2. By their Order. Ba L. By Matth. II.27. TH 1. By their Names, thus. HE⋅ firft Perfon is named the Fathers first, in re-, fpect of his natural Son Chrift: fecondly, in Mat. 3. refpect of the Elect, his adopted Sons, that is, those 17. who being not his Sons by Nature, are made his Sons 9.Ifa.63. 16. Eph. by Grace. & Prov 20.4. 7. 3. Phil. 2.6. t 3.14.15. The second Perfon is named the Son, because he is f begotten of his Fathers fubftance or nature; and he SPfal.3. is called the Word. 1. Because the " conception of a Heb. 1. word in mans mind, is the nearest thing, that in fome 2. 6. fort can fhadow unto us the manner how he is eternally น Bail. begotten of his Fathers fubftance; and in this respect Sup. 5. Than. he is alfo called the Wisdom of his Father, Prov. 8. 12. Secondly, because that by him, the Father hath from gitando the beginning declared his will for our falvation: hence refletir he is called ay quafi yar, the perfon fpeaking with, 62 or by the Father. Thirdly, because he is the chief armodo in gument of all the Word of God; or that Word whereof effabili God fpake when he promised the bleffed feed to the Fa genuit: thers under the Old Teftament. Sicut mens (0 in feipfam internum Et ficut W exterior The third Perfon is named the Holy Ghost; first, be 2620, caufe he is fpiritual without a body: Secondly, beλόγι interioris caufe he is fpired, and as it were breathed from both the Father and the Son, that is, proceedeth from them ae er both. And he is holy, both because he is bely in his own nature, and alfo the immediate fanctifier of all λόγω Gods Elect People. quafi eft: nus ille υποςα Tnds eterni Patris imago eft, & Majeftatis character, Heb. 1.3. John 11. 18. Iren. l. 4. C. 14. Acts 10. 43. Heb. 11. Luke 24. 87. John 5. 45. Acts 3. 22. y Ifa. 63. 10. 2 Cor. 13.31. 2 John 4. 14. 2 Cor. 3. 17. Jehn 20. 21, 22. Gal. 4. 6. Johu 25. 26. 1 Pet. 1. 15, 16, b 1 Cor. 2. 18. 1 Theff. 5. 23. 1 Pet. 1.2. 2. By their Order thus HE Perfons of the God-head are either the Fa either. d Orige effentie origo per locum ba THE The Father is the first Perfon in the glorious Trinity, in divinis having neither his being nor beginning of any other, nulla eft, but of himself; begetting his Son, and together with fonarum his Son fending forth the Holy Ghoft from everlafting. bet in fiThe perfons which are of the Father, are thofe, who in lio refpect of their perfonal Existence have the whole Divineri Effence eternally communicated unto them from the Matth. Father, And thofe are either from the Father alone, as f John 5. the Son; or from the Father and the Son, as the Holy 7: Ideo Ghoft. 28. 19. dicitur Pater quo ad The Son is the fecond Perfon in that glorious Trinity, avaşand the only begotten Son of his Father, not by Grace, but xos & αγέννη by nature; having his & being of the Father alone, and . the whole being of his Father, by an eternal, and incom- g Filius prehenfible generation; and with the Father fendeth dei forth the Holy Ghoft. In refpect of his abfolute Effence, λόγΘ, he is of himself; but in refpect of his Perfon, he is, by effentiam an eternal generation of his Father. For the Effence doth not beget an Effence, but the perfon of the Father be- quidem getteth the perfon of the Son, and fo he is God of God,UTOand hath from his Father the beginning of his Perfon and 8, Order, but not of Effence and Time. b abfolu tam, eft à feipfo αυτο fed ratio пе με τρόπο vrigtews, five effe perfonalis per æternam genera:ionem à Pâtre exiftet: ideoque non eft. AUTOUR, John 28. 37. John 5. 19. b Pfal. 2. 7. Heb. 1. 5. Aliud eft habere Effentiam divinam à feipfo & habere Effentiam divinam à feipfo exiftentem: remota enim relatione ad Patrem fola reftat Effentia que eft à feipfo; hinc filius dicitur principiatus, non ef. fentiatus: Th. Sum pag. q. 33. The Holy Ghoft is the third Perfon in the bleffed Trinity proceeding, and fent forth equally from both the John 5. 26. John 16. 15. therefore Rom. 8. 9. The Holy Ghoft is called the Spirit of Chrift. k Spiritus S. à Fatre & à Filio procedit, tanquam ab uno eodem principio, in duobus tantum perfnis fubfidente, non autem tanquam à duobm ac diverfis principiis. B 3 Father 1 Hinc in Scri tribui ur. Father and the Son, by an eternal incomprehenfible fpiration. For as the Son receiveth the whole Divine Effence by generation, fo the Holy Ghost receiveth it wholly by fpiration. This Order betwixt the three Perfons appears,in that the Father begetting,muft in order be before the Son begotten; and the Father and Son, before the Holy Ghoft proceeding from both. This Order ferves to fet forth unto us two things firft the manner how the Trinity worketh in their eter nal actions; as that the Father worketh of himself, by Dei no the Son, and the Holy Ghost; the Son from the Father mer pe by the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghost from the Father and pluris Pa- the Son. Secondly, to diftinguish the firft and immediTate beginning, from which thofe external and common ἐξοχὴν Eox actions do flow. Hence it is that forafmuch as the FaJoh 14. ther is the fountain and original of the Trinity, the be1. Rom. ginning of all external working, the Name of God in I Cor. 2. relation, and the title of Creator in the Creed are given in a fpecial manner to the Father; our Redemption to Mat. the Son; and our Sanctification to the person of the Ho 26, 27. ly Ghost, as the immediate agents of thofe actions. And Joh.5. this alfo is the caufe, why the Son, as he is Mediator, re21, 22, ferreth all things to the Father, not to the Holy Ghosts 23. John and that the Scripture fo often faith, that we are recon42. John ciled to the Father. 8.3. 6.1 Cor. 15.24. II.25, 19 20, 12,41 II.49. m This divine Order or Oeconomy excepted, there is nei2 Cor. 2 18, & ther first nor laft, neither fuperiority nor inferiority anatio ver. mong the three Perfons, but for Nature they are co-efbi proprie fential, for Dignity co-equal, for Time co-eternal. n Incar non patri, non Spiritui San to nifi The whole Divine Effence is in every one of the three of Perfons; but it was incarnated only in the fecond Pernat'iudoxíar Javμaтoggíav comperit. Damaf. de ortho. fil. c. 13. Implevit carnem Chrifti Pater & Spiritu S. jedmajeftate, non fufceptione, Auz. ferm, 3. de Temp.John 3.6.Rom. 8. 12. and 5.8, 10. Hoc mirum fœdus femper mens cogitet; uno hoc ne dubita fadore parta falus. Mel. Ut qui erat in divinitate dei filius, fieret in humanita:e hominis filius, ne nomen filii ad alterum tranfiret qui non effet æterna nativitate filius. fon fon of the Word, and not in the Perfon of the Father, or of the Holy Ghost for three reafons. First, that God the Father might the rather fet forth the greatness of his love to Mankind; in giving his first and only begotten Son, to be incarnated, and to fuffer death for mans falvation. Secondly, that he who was in his Divinity, the Son of God, fhould be in his Humanity the Son of Man; left the name of Son should pass unto another, who by his eternal Nativity was not the Son. Thirdly, because it was meeteft, that that Perfon etat filiwho is the fubftantial Image of his eternal Father, should reftore in us the Spiritual Image of God which manam we had loft. o Congru um affu mere bu naturam, utbac qua eft In the Incarnation, the God-head was not turned in- perfona, to the Manhood, nor the Manhood into the God-head,but fubftantithe God-bead, as it is the fecond Perfon, or Word, affu-alis image med unto it the Manhood, that is, the whole nature of tris, reji man, body and foul; and all the natural properties and r infirmities thereof, fin excepted. terni pa imaginem Dei in ruptam. Heb. 2. P 18. meræ pri The fecond Perfon took not upon him the perfon of man, but the nature of man. So that the humane na- Athan. ture hath no personal fubfiftence of its own (for then there should be two Perfons in Chrift) but it fubfifteth Heb. 4. in the Word, the fecond Perfon. For as the foul and infir body make but one Perfon of man; fo the God-head mitales and Manhood make but one perfon of Christ. The two natures of the God-head and Manhood are non prafo really united by a perfonal union,that as they can ne- fationis. ver be feparated afunder, fo are they never confounded, naturag but remain ftill diftinguished by their feveral and Effen-diftinitum tial properties, which they had before they were united. uma naAs for example, the infiniteness of the Divine, is not tura di r vationis ve difpo Humana eft individu vina, etfi non diftinita perfona. Keck. Syft. Theol. 1. 3. a Uniri Hypoftatice Deum & kominem nibil eft aliud, quam naturam humanam non habere propriam exiftentiam, fed affumptam effe & verbo eterno: ad ipfam verbi subsistantiam. Bellar. de Incarn. 1. 3. c. 8. r Salvis & difinitis manen ibus proprietatibus nature tam affumentis, quam affumpre, A&ts 10. 201 A&ts 7.31. B4 communi |