eternal Generation, of his Father. For the Effence doth not beget an Effence, but the* Perfon of the Father begetteth the Perfon of the Son, and fo he is God of God, and. hath from his Father the beginning of his Perfon and Order, but not of Effence and Time.

The Holy Ghost is the Third Perfon of the bleffed Trinity, proceeding † and fent forth equally from both the Father and the Son, by an eternal and incomprehenfible Spiration. For as the Son receiveth the whole Divine Effence by Generation; fo the Holy Ghost receiveth it wholly by Spiration.

This Order betwixt the Three Perfons appears, in that the Father begetting mult in order be before the Son begotten; and the Father and Son before the Holy Ghost proceeding from both.

This Order ferves to fet forth unto us two things: Firft, the manner how the Trinity worketh in their external Actions; as, that the Father worketh of himself, by the Son and the Holy Ghost; the Son from the Father, by the Holy Ghost; the Holy Ghoft from the Father and the Son. Secondly, To diftinguish the first and immediate beginning, from which thofe external and common Actions do flow. Hence it is, that forafmuch as the Father is the Fountain and Original of the Trinity; the begin

*

Pfal. 2. 7. Heb. 1. 5. Aliud eft habere effentiam divinam à seipfo, & habere effentiam divinam à feipfà exiftentem: remotâ enim relatione ad patrem fola reftat effentia quæ eft à feipfà; hinc filius dicitur principatus, non effentiatus. Th.Sum.pag.q. 33. tJohn 15. 26. & 16. 15. Therefore Rom. 8. 9. the Holy Ghoft is called the Spirit of Chrift. Spiritus, S. à Patre, & àFilio procedit, tanquam ab uno & eodem principio, in duabus tantum perfonis fubfidente, non autem tanquam a duobus ac diverfis principiis.

ning of all external Working, the * Name of God in Relation, and the Title of Creator in the Creed are given in a special Manner to the Father; our Redemption to the Son, and our Sanctification to the perfon of the Holy Ghost, as the immediate Agents of thofe Actions. And this alfo is the caufe why the Son, as he is Mediator, referreth all Things to the Father, not to the Holy Ghost; and that the Scripture fo often faith, that we are reconciled to the Father.

This Divine Order or Oeconomy excepted, there is neither firft nor laft, neither fuperiority nor inferiority, among the Three Perfons; but for Nature they are co-effential, for Dignity co-equal, for Time co-eternal.

The whole Divine Effence is in every one of the Three Perfons; but it was incarnated § only in the Second Perfon of the Word, and not in the Person of the Father, or of the Holy Ghoft, for three Reasons.

First, That God the Father might the rather set forth the greatness of his Love to Mankind, in gi ving his First and only begotten Son to be incarnated, and to fuffer Death for Man's Salvation.

Secondly, That he who was in his Divinity the Son of God, fhould be in his Humanity the Son of

* Hinc Dei nomen fæpe in fcripturis Patri xal' o tribui tur. John 14. 1. Rom. 8. 2. 1 Cor.8.6.1 Cor. 15.24. † Matth. 11.25, 26, 27. John 5. 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.& 11.41,42, & 12.49. 2 Cor. 5. 18. &c. Incarnatio verbi propriè non patri, nec Spiritui Sancto nifi *Teudoníav nysavuaseiar competit. Damaf. 1. de Orth. fid. c. 13. Implevit carnem Chrifti pater & Spiritus S. fed majeftate, non fufceptione. Aug. Serm. 3. de Temp. John 3. 16. Rom.8.12. & 5.8, 10. Hoc mirum fœdus femper mens cogitat, uno Hoc tu ne dubita fœdere parta falus. Melan. Ut qui erat in divinitate Dei Filius, fieret in humanitate hominis Filius, ne nomen filii ad alterum trapfiret, qui non effet æterna nativitate Filius. Aug. Man;

Man; left the name of Son fhould pass unto another, who by his eternal Nativity was not the Son.

Thirdly, Because it was a meeteft that That Perfon, who is the fubftantial Image of his eternal Father, thould rettore in us the Spiritual Image of God, which we had lost.

In the Incarnation the Godhead was not turn'd into the Manhood, nor the Manhood into the Godhead; but the Godhead as it is the fecond Perfon, or Word, affum'd unto it the Manhood, that is, the whole Nature of Man, Body and Soul; and all the natural Properties and Infirmities thereof, Sin excepted.

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The fecond Perfon took not upon him the Perfon of Man, but the Nature of Man. So that the • Humane Nature hath no perfonal Subsistence of its own (for then there fhould be two Perfons in Chrift) but it fubfifteth in the Word, the Second Perfon. For as the Soul and Body make but one Perfon of Man, fo the Godhead and Manhood make but one Person of Chrift.

The two Natures of the Godhead and Manhood are fo really united by a personal Union, that as they can never be feparated afünder, fo are they never confounded; but remain still distinguished by

a Congruebat filium affumere humanam naturam, ut hac perfona quæ eft fubftantialis imago æterni Patris reftitueret imaginem Dei in nobis corruptam. Athan. b Heb. 3. 17, 18. & 4. 15. Infirmitates meræ privationis non praveæ difpofitionis. Humana natura eft diftin&tum individuum à naturâ divinâ, etfi non fit diftin&ta perfona, Keck. Syft. Theol. lib. 3. pag. 119. d Üniri hypostaticè Deum & hominem, nihil eft aliud quam naturam humanam non habere propiam exiftentiam, fed affumptam effe à Verbo æterno ad ipfam Verbifubfiftentiam. Bellar. de incarnat. lib. 3. cap. 8. e Salvis & diftin&tis manentibus proprietatibus naturæ tam affumentis, quam affumptæ.

F

their several and effential Properties which they had before they were united. As for example, the infiniteness of the Divine, is not communicated to the humane Nature, nor the finiteness of the Humane, to the Divine Nature.

b

Yet by reason of this perfonal Union there is fuch a communion of the properties of both Natures, that That which is proper to the one, is fometimes attributed to the other Nature. As that God purchased the Church with his own Blood; And that he will judge the World by that Man whom he hath appointed. Hence also it is, that tho' the Humanity of Christ be a created, and therefore a finite and limited Nature, and cannot be every where present by actual Position, or local Extenfion, according to his natural Being; yet because he hath communicated unto it the perfonal Subfiftence of the Son of God, which is Infinite, and without Limitation, and is fo united with God, that it is no where fevered from God; the Body of Chrift, in respect of his perfonal Being, may rightly be faid to be every where.

3. The Actions by which the Three Persons be

T

diftinguifhed.

HE Actions are of two Sorts, either External, respecting the Creatures; and those are after a Sort common to every one of the Three Perfons: or internal, respecting the Perfons only amongst themselves, and are altogether Incommunicable.

a Acts 20. 28. b Acts 7. 31. Dr. Field of the Church; Book 3. C. 35. Secundum effe naturale, Chriftus non eft ubique. Secundum effe perfonale Chriftus eft ubique. f In operibus ad extra tres perfonæ operantur fimul, fervato ordine perfonarum in operando.

The

The External and communicable Actions of the three Perfons, are these.

*

The Creation of the World, peculiarly belonging t› God the Father: The Redemption of the Church to God the Son: And the Sanctification of the Elect to God the Holy Ghoft. But because the Father created, and ftill governeth the World by the Son, in the Holy Ghost; therefore these external Actions are indifferently, in† Scripture, oftentimes afcrib'd to each of the Three Perfons, and therefore call'd communicable and divided Actions.

The internal and incommunicable Actions, or Properties of the Three Perfons, are thefe:

1. To beget; and that belongeth only to the Father, who is neither made, created nor begotten of any.

2. To be begotten; and that belongeth only to the Son, who is of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten.

3. To proceed from both; and that belongeth only to the Holy Ghoft, who is of the Father and the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So that when we fay, That the Divine Effence is in the Father unbegotten, in the Son begotten, and in the Holy Ghoft proceeding; we make not Three Effences, but only fhew the divers manners of fubfifting, by which the fame moft fimple, eternal and unbegotten Effence fubfifteth in each Perfon:

Rem. 11.36 †As Redemption, A&s 20.28. and Sanctification, 1 Pet. 1.2. to the Father; Creation, 1 John 3. and Sanctification, Cor. 1. 2. to the Son; Creation, Pfal. 33. 6. and Redemption, Eph. 4. 30. to the Holy Ghost; joyntly all to each, 1 Cor. 6. 11. Opera Trinitatis ad extra indivifa, ad intus divifa.

Namely,