Isaiah said the words when he saw his glory, and spoke of him, John xii. 40, 41. nor of the Holy Ghost, to whom they are also applied, Acts xxviii. 25, 26. There is another passage in Isai. xli. 21-23. where Jehovah, the King of Ja cob, challenges the heathens, and their gods, to bring proof of their Deity, by prediction of future events; and, in which, he all along uses the plural number; "shew us what shall happen, that we may consider them; declare unto us things for to come, that we may know that ye are gods, and that we may be dismayed; see also Isai. xliii. 9.

And as in the affairs of creation and providence, so in those of grace, and with respect to spiritual communion with God, plural expressions are used; as when our Lord says, If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him, John xiv. 23. which personal actions of coming and making abode, expressive of communion and fellowship, are said of more than one; and we cannot be at a loss about two of them, Christ and his Father, who are expressly mentioned; and hence we read of fellowship with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ; and also of the communion of the Holy Ghost, 1 John i. 3. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. To all these instances of plural expressions, may be added Cant. i. 11, John iii. 11.

III. A plurality in the Deity may be proved from those passages of scripture which speak of the angel of Jehovah, who also is Jehovah; now if there is a Jehovah that is sent, and therefore called an angel, and a Jehovah that sends, there must be more persons than one, who are Jehovah.

The first instance of this kind is in Gen. xvi. 7. where the angel of Jehovah is said to find Hagar, Sarah's maid, in the wilderness, and bid her return to her mistress; which angel appears to be Jehovah, since he promises to do that for her, and acquaints her with future things, which no created angel, and none but Jehovah could, 10-12. and what proves it beyond all dispute that he must be Jehovah, is, what is said, 13. She called the name of the Lord, or Jehovah, that spake unto her, thou, God, seest.

e

In Gen. xviii. 2. we read of three men who stood by Abraham in the plains of Mamre, who were angels in an human form, as two of them are expressly said to be, chap. xix. 1. Dr. Lightfoot is of opinion, that they were the three divine persons; and scruples not to say, that at such a time the Trinity dined with Abraham; but the Father, and the holy Spirit, never assumed an human form; nor are they ever called angels. However, one of these was undoubteda divine person, the Son of God in an human form; who is expressly called Jehovah, the Judge of all the earth, 13-26. and to whom omnipotence and omniscience are ascribed, 14-19. and to whom Abraham shewed the utmost reverence and respect, 27-31..and now he is distinguished, being Jehovah in human form on earth, from Jehovah in heaven, from whom he is said to rain brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, chap. xix. 24. which conflagra

ly

e Works, vol. 1. p. 13.

tion was not made by the ministry of created angels, but is always represented as the work of Elohim, of the divine Persons, Jer. 1. 40. Amos iv. II.

An angel also appeared to Abraham at the offering up of his son Isaac, and bid him desist from it; and who appears plainly to be the same with him who ordered him to do it; expressly called God, Gen. xxii. 11, 12. compared with Hand-Jehovah, who swore by himself, and promised to do what none but God could do, 16-18. see Heb. vi. 13, 14. where what is here said is expressly ascribed to God, Add to this, the naine Abraham gave the place on this occasion, Jehovah-Jirch, because the Lord had appeared, and would hereafter appear in this place.

The angel invoked by Jacob, Gen. xlviii. 15, 16. is put upon a level with the God of his Fathers Abraham and Isaac; yea, is represented as the same; and the work of redeeming him from all evil, equal to that of feeding him all his life long, is ascribed to him; as well as a blessing on the sons of Joseph, is prayed for from him; all which would never have been said of, nor done to a created angel.

The angel which appeared to Moses in the bush, Exod. iii. 2. was not a created angel, but a divine person; as is evident from the names by which he is called, Jehovah, God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I AM that I AM, 4-14. and from the things ascribed to him; seeing the afflictions of the Israelites, coming to deliver them out of Egyptian bondage, and promising to bring them into the land of Canaan, 7, 8. to which may be added, the prayer of Moses for a blessing on Joseph, because of the good will of him that dwelt in the bush, Deut. xvxiii. 16. and the application of this passage to God, by our Lord Jesus Christ, Mark xii. 26.

Once more, the angel that was promised to go before the children of Israel, to keep and guide them in the way through the wilderness to the land of Canaan, is no other than Jehovah; since not only the obedience of the children of Israel to him is required: but it is suggested, that should they disobey him, he would not, though he could, pardon their iniquities; which none but God can do: and also it is said, the name of the Lord was in him; that is, his nature and perfections; and since it is the same the children of Israel rebelled against, he could be no other than Christ, the Son of God, whom they tempted; the angel of God's presence; who, notwithstanding, saved and carried them all the days of old, Isai. lxiii. 9. 1 Cor. x. 9.

Again, we read of the angel of the Lord, before whom Joshua the highpriest, was brought and stood, being accused by Satan, Zech. iii. 1. who is not only called Jehovah, 2. but takes upon him to do and order such things, which none but God could do; as causing the iniquity of Joshua to pass from him, and clothing him with change of raiment; see Isai. Ixi. 10.

To these may be added, all such scriptures which speak of two, as distinct from each other, under the same name of Jehovah; as in the abovementioned text, Gen. xix. 24. where Jehovah is said to rain fire and brimstone from Jeho

197 vah, out of heaven; and in Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. where Jehovah promises to raise up a righteous branch to David, whose name should be called Jehovah our righteousness: and in Hos. i. 7. where Jehovah resolves he would save his people by Jehovah their God. Other passages might be mentioned, as proving a plurality in Deity; but as some of these will also prove a Trinity in it, they will be considered under the following head; where it will be proved,

II. That this plurality in the Godhead, is neither more nor fewer than three; or, that there is a Trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence; this I have before taken for granted, and now I shall prove it. And not to take notice of the name Jehovah being used three times, and three times only, in the blessing of the priest, Numb. vi. 24-26. and in the prayer of Daniel, chap. ix. 19- and in the church's declaration of her faith in God, Isai. xxxiii. 22. and the word holy repeated three times, and three times only, in the seraphims celebration of the glory of the divine Being, Isai. vi. 3. and in that of the living creatures, in Rev. iv. 8. which may seem to be accidental, or the effect of a fervent and devout disposition of mind; but there is not any thing, no not the least thing that is said or written in the sacred scriptures, without design.

I shall begin with the famous text in 1 John v. 7. as giving full proof and evidence of this doctrine; For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one: which is not only a proof of the Deity of each of these three, inasmuch as they are not only said to be one, that is, one God; and their witness is called the witness of God, 9. but of a Trinity of Persons, in the unity of the divine essence; unity of essence, or nature, is asserted and secured, by their being said to be one; whịch respects not a mere unity of testimony, but of nature; for it is not said of them, as of the witnesses on earth, that they agree in one; but that they are one. And they may be called a Trinity, inasmuch as they are three; and a Trinity of Persons, since they are not only spoken of as distinct from each other, the Father from the Word and Holy Ghost, the Word from the Father and the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Word; but a personal action is ascribed to each of them; for they are all three said to be testifiers, or to bear record; which cannot be said of mere names and characters; nor be understood of one person under different naines; for if the one living and true God only bears record, first under the character of a Father, then under the character of a Son, or the Word, and then under the character of the Holy Ghost; testimony, indeed, would be bore three times, but there would be but one testifier and not three, as the apostle asserts. Suppose one man should, for one man may bear the characters, and stand in the relations of father, son, and master; of a father to a child of his own; of a son, his father being living; and of a master to servants under him; suppose, I say, this man should come into a court of judicature, and be admitted to bear testimony in an affair there depending, and should give his testimony first under the character of a father, then under the character of a son, and next under the character of a mas

ter; every one will conclude, that though here was a testimony three times bore, yet there was but one, and not three, that bore record. This text is so glaring a proof of the doctrine of the Trinity, that the enemies of it have done all they can to weaken its authority, and have pushed hard to extirpate it from a place in the sacred writings. They object, that it is wanting in the Syriac version; that the old Latin interpreter has it not; that it is not to be found in many Greek Manuscripts; and is not quoted by the ancient fathers who wrote against the Arians, when it might have been of great service to them. To all which it may be replied; that as to the Syriac version, though an ancient one, it is but a version, and till of late, appeared a very defective one; the history of the adulterous woman in the eight of John the second epistle of Peter, the second and third epistles of John, the epistle of Jude, and the book of Revelation, were all wanting, till restored from a copy of archbishop Usher's, by De Dieu, and Dr. Pocock; and who also, from an eastern copy, has supplied the version with this text, so that now it stands in it. And as to the old Latin interpreter, it is certain that it is to be seen in many Latin manuscripts of an early date, and is in the vulgate Latin version, of the London Polyglot Bible; and the Latin translation which bears the name of Jerom, has it; and who, in an epistle to Eustochium, prefixed to his translation of those canonical epistles, complains of the omission of it, by unfaithful interpreters. As to its being wanting in some Greek manuscripts, it need only be said, it is found in many others; it is in the Complutensian edition, the compilers of which made use of various copies, out of sixteen ancient copies of Robert Stephens's, nine of them had it; and it is also said to be in an old British copy. As to its not being quoted by some of the ancient fathers, this can be no pro of its not being genuine; since it might be in the original copy, and not in that used by them, through the carelessness and unfaithfulness of transcribers; or through copies erased falling into their hands, such as had been corrupted before the times of Arius, even by Artemon, or his disciples, who lived in the second century; who held that Christ was a mere man; by whom, it is said', this passage was erased; and certain it is, that this epistle was very early corrupted; as the ancient writers testify: or it might be in the copies used by the fathers, and yet not quoted by them, having scriptures enough without it, to prove and defend the doctrine of it; and yet, after all, it appears plainly to be quoted by many of them; by Fulgentius, in the beginning of the sixth century, against the Arians, without any scruple or hesitation: and Jerom, as before observed, has it in his translation, made in the latter end of the fourth century: and it is quoted by Athanasius', about the middle of it: and before him by Cyprian*, in the middle of the third century: and is manifestly referred to by Tertullian', in the beginning of it; and by Clemens of Alexandria", towards f Vid. Wittichii Theolog. Pacific. c. 17. s. 254. spons. contr. Arian. Obj. 10. & de Trinitate. c. 4. Trin. ad Theophilum, l. 1. p. 399. * De Unitat. 1 Adv. Praxeam, c. 25. Pædagog. 1. P. 184.

h Re

Vid. Socrat, Eccl. Hist. 1. 7. c. 32. iConti. Arium, p. 109. de Unit. Deitat. Eccles. p. 255, & in Ep. 73. ad labajan

in fine.

of

the end of the second century: so that it is to be traced up within a hundred years, or less, to the writing of the epistle; which is enough to satisfy any oné of the genuineness of this text. And besides, it should be observed, that there never was any dispute about it, until Erasmus left it out in the first edition of his translation of the New Testament; and yet he himself, upon the credit of the old British copy, before mentioned, put it into another edition of his translation. Yea, the Socinians themselves have not dared to leave it out in their German Racovian version, A. C. 1630. To which may be added, that the context requires it; the connection with the preceding verse shows it, as well as its opposition to, and distinction from the following verse; and in verse 9. is a plain reference to the divine witnesses in this; for the inference in it would not be clear, if there was no mention before made of a divine testimony. But I shall not rest the proof of the doctrine of the Trinity on this single passage; but on the whole current and universal consent of scripture, where it is written as with a sun-beam; according to which, a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead, appears in the works of creation, providence, and grace; in all things respecting the office and work of Christ; in God's acts of grace towards and upon his people; and in their worship and duties of religion enjoined them, and practised by them.

1. In the works of creation: as by these the eternal power and godhead are made manifest, so in them are plain traces of a Trinity of persons; that God the Father made the heavens, earth and sea, and all that are in them, under which character the apostles addressed him as distinct from Christ his Son, Acts iv. 24, 27. none will doubt; and that the divine Word, or Son of God, was concerned in all this, a question cannot be made of it, when it is observed that it is said, All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that is made, John 1. 2. And as for the Holy Spirit, he is not only said to move upon the face of the waters which covered the earth, and brought that unformed chaos of earth and water into a beautiful order, but to garnish the heavens, to bespangle the firmament with stars of light, and to form the crooked serpent, the Leviathan, which being the greatest is put for all the fishes of the sea; as well as he is said to be sent forth yearly, and renews the face of the earth at every returning spring; which is little less than a creation, and is so called, Gen. i. 2. Job xxvi. 13. Psal. civ. 30. and all three may be seen together in one text, Psal. xxxiii. 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth; where mention is made of Jehovah, and his Word, the eternal Logos, and of his Spirit, the breath of his mouth, as all concerned in the making of the heavens, and all the host of them. And as in the creation of man, in particular, a plurality has been observed, this plurality was neither more nor fewer than three; that God the Father is the maker of men, will not be objected to; Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? Mal. ii. to and the Son of God, who is the husband of the church, and the Redeemer of men, is expressly said to be their maker, Isa. liv. 5. and of the Holy Spirit, Elihu in so many words says, The