fear him, believe, worship, obey him, and live unto him, as God. That we may do this in a due manner, and worship the only true God, and not adore the falfe imaginations of our own minds; it declares, as was faid, that this God is one, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft: that the Father is this one God, and therefore is to be believed in, worshipped, obeyed, lived unto, and in all things confidered by us as the first cause, fovereign Lord, and last end of all: that the Son is the one true God, and therefore is to be believed in, worshipped, obeyed, lived unto, and in all things confidered by us as the first cause, fovereign Lord, and laft end of all: and fo alfo of the Holy Ghoft. This is the whole of faith's concernment in this matter, as it respects the direct revelation of God, made by himself in the fcripture, and the first proper general end thereof. Let this be clearly confirmed by direct and positive divine teftimonies, containing the declaration and revelation of God concerning himself, and faith is fecured as to all its concerns. For it hath both its proper formal object, and is fufficiently enabled to be directive of divine worship and obedience.

The explication of this doctrine unto edification, fuitable unto the revelation mentioned,

mentioned, is of another confideration. And two things are incumbent on us to take care of therein: First, That what is affirmed and taught, fo directly tend unto the ends of the revelation itself, by informing and enlightening of the mind in the knowledge of the mystery of it, so far as in this life we are, by divine affiftance, capable to comprehend it: that is, that faith may be increased, ftrengthened, and confirmed against temptations and oppofitions of Satan, and men of corrupt minds; and that we may be diftin&tly directed unto, and encouraged in the obedience unto, and worship of God that are required of us: Secondly, That nothing be affirmed or taught herein, that may beget, or occafion any undue apprehenfions concerning God, or our obedience unto him, with respect unto the beft, highest, fecureft revelations, that we have of him and our duty. These things being done and fecured, the end of the declaration of this doctrine concerning God is attained.

In the declaration then of this doctrine unto the edification of the church, there is contained a farther explanation of the things before afferted, as propofed directly, and in themselves, as the object of our faith; namely, how God is one, in refpect

of

of his nature, fubftance, effence, Godhead, or divine Being. How being Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, he fubfifteth in thefe three diftinct perfons, or hypoftafis; and what are their mutual refpects to each other, by which, as their peculiar properties, giving them the manner of their fubfiftence, they are diftinguifhed one from another; with fundry other things of the like neceffary confequence unto the revelation mentioned. And herein, as in the application of all other divine truths and myfteries whatever, yea of all moral commanded duties, ufe is to be made of fuch words and expreffions, as, it may be, are not literally and formally contained in the fcripture; but only are unto our conceptions and apprehenfions expofitory of what is fo contained. And to deny the liberty, yea the neceffity hereof, is to deny all interpretation of the fcripture, all endeavours to exprefs the fenfe of the words of it, unto the understandings of one another; which is, in a word, to render the fcripture itself altogether ufelefs. For if it be unlawful for me to fpeak, or write, what I conceive to be the fenfe of the words of the scripture, and the nature of the thing fignified and expreffed by them; it is unlawful for me alfo to think or conceive in

my

my mind, what is the fenfe of the words or nature of the things; which to fay, is to make brutes of ourselves, and to fruftrate the whole defign of God in giving unto us the great privilege of his word.

Wherefore, in the declaration of the doctrine of the Trinity, we may lawfully, nay we must neceffarily, make ufe of other words, phrafes and expreffions, than what are literally and fyllabically contained in the fcriptures, but teach no other things.

Moreover, whatever is fo revealed in the fcripture, is no lefs true and divine, as to whatever neceffarily followeth thereon, than it is, as unto that which is principally revealed and directly expreffed. For how far foever the lines be drawn and extended, from truth nothing can follow and enfue but what is true alfo; and that in the fame kind of truth, with that which it is derived and deduced from. For if the principal' affertion be a truth of divine revelation, fo is alfo whatever is included therein, and which may be rightly from thence collected. Hence it follows, that when the fcripture revealeth the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, to be one God, feeing it neceffarily and unavoidably follows thereon, that they are one in effence, wherein alone it is possible they can be one; and three in their diftinct fubfiftences,

4

fubfiftences, wherein alone it is poffible they can be three; this is no lefs of divine revelation, than the firft principle from whence these things follow.

These being the refpects which the doctrine of the Trinity falls under, the neceffary method of faith and reafon, in the believing and declaring of it, is plain and evident.

I. The revelation of it is to be afferted and vindicated, as it is propofed to be be lieved for the ends mentioned. Now this is, as was declared, that there is one God: that this God, is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and fo, that the Father is God, fo is the Son, fo is the Holy Ghost,

II. This being received, and admitted by. faith, the explication of it is to be infifted on, and not taken into confideration until the other be admitted. And herein lies the preposterous courfe of thofe, who fallaciously and captiously go about' to oppose this facred truth. They will always begin their oppofition, not unto the revelation of it, but unto the explanation of it, which is ufed only for farther edification. Their difputes and cavils fhall be against the Trinity, effence, fubftance, perfons, perD

fonality,