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The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

After this form the High Prieft was commanded to bless the children of Ifrael. The name of the Lord, in Hebrew Jehovah, is here repeated three times. And parallel to this is the form of Christian Baptifm; wherein the three perfonal terms of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, are not reprefented as fo many different names, but as one name: the one divine nature of God being no more divided by these three, than by the single name Jehovah thrice repeated. If the three articles of this benediction be attentively confidered, their contents will be found to agree respectively to the three perfons taken in the usual order of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. The Father is the author of bleffing and prefervation. Grace and illumination are from the Son, by whom we have the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jefus Chrift. Peace is the gift of the Spirit, whose name is the Comforter, and whofe first and beft fruit is the work of Peace.

Petrus Alphonfi, an eminent Jew, converted in the beginning of the 12th Century, and prefented to the font by Alphonfus a king of Spain, wrote a learned treatise against the Jews, wherein he presses them with this Scripture, as a plain argument that there are three perfons to whom the great and incommunicable name of Jehovah is applied. And even the unconverted Jews, according to Bechai, one of their Rabbies, have a tradition, that when the high Prieft pronounced this Blefling over the people-elevatione manuum fit digitos compofuit, ut Triada exprimerent—he lifted up his hands, and difpofed his fingers into fuch a form as to express a Trinity. All the foundation there is for this in the Scripture, is Lev. ix. 22. As for the rest, be it a matter of fact or not, yet if we confider whence it comes, there is fomething very remarkable in it. See Olferv. Jof. de vaif, in Pug. Fid. p. 400, 556, 557.

XV.

Matt. xxviii. 19. Baptizing them in the name of the
FATHER, and of the son, and of the HOLY GHOST.

XVI.

2 Thef. iii. 5. The LORD (the Holy-Ghoft, fee c. 2. art. 4. 18.) direct your hearts into the love of GOD (the Father) and into the patient waiting for CHRIST.

XVII.

2 Cor. xiii. 14. The grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the love of GOD, and the communion of the HOLY

GHOST.

In this and the foregoing article, the order of the perfons is different from that of Matth. xxviii. 19. The Holy Ghost having the first place in the former of them, and Chrift in the latter: which is a fufficient warrant for that claufe in the Creed of St. Athanafius" In this Trinity none is afore or after other." And Dr. Clarke, I prefume, apprehended fomething of this fort; because he has corrected the Apostle, and tranfpofed the order of the perfons in 2 Cor. xiii. 14. without the leaft apology, or giving his reader any warning of it. §. LV. p. 377.

XVIII.

1 John v. 7. There are THREE that bear record in heaven, the FATHER, the WORD, and the HOLY GHOST—

There has been much difputing about the authenticity of this Text. I firmly believe it to be genuine for the following reafons; 1 St. Jerom1, who had a better opportunity of examining the true merits of the cause than we can poffibly have at this distance of time, tells us plainly, that he found out how it had been adulterated, mistranflated, and omitted on purpose to elude the truth. 2. The Divines of Lovain having compared many Latin copies, found this text wanting but in five of them; and R. Stephens found it retained in nine of fixteen ancient manuscripts which he ufed. 3. It is certainly quoted twice by St. Cyprian, who wrote before the council of Nice: and alfo by Tertullian; as the reader is left to judge after he has read the Paffage in the Margin3. Dr. Clarke, therefore, is not to be believed when he tells us, it was "never cited by any of the Latins before St. Jeroma.” 4. 4. The fense is not perfect without it; there being a contrast of three witηeffes in heaven to three upon earth; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, whofe teftimony is called the witnefs of God; and the Spirit, the water, and the blood, which being administered by the Church upon earth, is called the witness of men. He that de

1 Præf. ad Canon. Epift.`

2 De Unit. Eccl. 109. Epift. LXXIII.

3 Connexus patris in filio, & filii in paracleto, tres efficit cohærentes, alteram ex altero; qui tres unum funt, &c. adv. Prax.

4 See the text in his 2d Edition.

fires to fee this text farther vindicated from the malice of Fauftus Socinus, may confult Pool's Synopfis, and Dr. Hammond; and I wish he would alfo read what has lately been published upon it by my good and learned friend Dr. Delany, in his volume of Sermons, p. 69, &c.

But even allowing it to be fpurious, it contains nothing but what is abundantly afferted elsewhere; and that both with regard to the Trinity in general, and this their divine Testimony in particular. For that there are three divine perfons who bear record to he Miflion of Chrift, is evident from the following Scriptures: Jahn viii. 17, 18. The Teftimony of two men is true. I am ONE that bear witnefs of MYSELF.

The FATHER that fent me beareth witness of me.

1 John v. 6. It is the SPIRIT that beareth witness. And Christ has alfo mentioned, upon another occasion, a plurality of witneffes in heaven,--We Speak (fays he) that we do know, and teftify that we have seen, and ye receive not OUR Witness! which can be no other than the witness of the Trinity; because it is added no man hath afcended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven; therefore no man could join with Chrift in revealing the things of heaven to us.

XIX.

Ifa. vi. 3. And one cried unto another and faid, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the LORD OF HOSTS. See alfo Rev. iv. 8.

"They are not content (fays Origen) to fay it once or twice, but "take the perfect number of the Trinity, thereby to declare the "manifold halinefs of God; which is a repeated intercommunion "of a threefold holiness; the holiness of the Father, the holiness "of the only begotten Son, and of the Holy Ghoft 2.” And that the Seraphim did really celebrate all the three perfons of the Godhead upon the occafion, is no conjecture; but a point capable of the cleareft demonftration.

The prophet tells us, ver. 1. he faw the Lord fitting upon a throne; and at ver. 5. that his eyes had seen the king, the Lord of

1 John iii. 11.

Wen eis fufficet femel clamare fanctus, neque bis; fed perfectum numerum Trinitatis affumunt, ut multitudinem sanctitatis Dei manifestent; quæ eft trinæ fanctitatis repetita communitas; fanctitas patris, fanctitas unigeniti filii, & fpiritus fancti. Orig. Hom, in loc.

Hofts. Now if there be any phrase in the Bible to distinguish the true God, it is this of the Lord of Hofts. I never faw it difputed by any Arian writer. The author of an Effay on Spirit confesses it'; and Dr. Clarke fuppofes the name Lord of Sabaoth (Jam. v. 4.) proper to the Father only. So that in this Lord of Hofts, fitting upon his Throne, there was the prefence of God the Father. That there was also the prefence of God the Son, appears from John xii. 41. These things faid Efaias, when he saw his (Christ's) Glory, and fpake of him*.

And that there was the prefence of God the Holy Ghoft, is deter mined by Acts xxviii. 25. Well spake the Holy Ghoft by Efaias the Prophet unto our Fathers, faying, &c. then follow the words which the prophet affirms to have been spoken by the Lord of Hofts.

The text of John xii. 41. which being compared with this of Ifaiah, proves the second person of the Trinity to be the Lord of Hofts, is evaded by Dr. Clarke in the following manner: "The "Glory which Ifaias saw, Ifai. vi. 1. is plainly the glory of God "the Father; whence the followers of Sabellius conclude, because "St. John here calls it the Glory of Chrift, that therefore the Fa"ther and the Son are one and the fame individual perfon 2." It is concluded, by the Orthodox of the Church of England, that the person of Christ, and the person of God the Father, are not one and the fame individual perfon, but one and the fame Lord of Hofts; because the Scripture, thus compared, hath affirmed them fo to be; and THIS is the conclufion Dr. Clarke fhould have answered, But instead of this, he has produced the monftrous and impoffible doctrine of Sabellius, that they are one and the fame individual person, and answered that: which to be fure is easily done, and is

1 P. 65.

It is written at ver. 3.-Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hofts, the whole earth is full of HIS GLORY. This St. John has affirmed to be the Glory of Chrift; but it was the glory of the Lord of Hofts: therefore Chrift is the Lord of Hofts. And if the pa, rallel paffage of Rev. iv. 8. be compared with this, it will appear (as it hath already Chap. I. Art. XXIII.) that he is the God Almighty spoken of in that Book. The Greek verfion of the LXX. hath it thus:

ayı, ayı, ayı© Kvpi© sablau9.

In Rev. iv. 8. it is, ayı✪, ayıQ, ayı¦ Kups® • OεG o wartoиparag. Whence it evi❤ dently appears, that Kupi • GEC wastoupate'g, is equivalent in the language of heaven to Jebovab Sabaotb: therefore, as Chrift is the Lord of Hofts of the Old Testament, he is thereby proved ipfo fatto to be the God Almighty of the New. Which hews the weakness of those frequent remarks Dr. Clarke has bestowed upon the word arronparog, as the great term of diftin&tion between the perfon of Chrift, and that of God the Father. 2 P. 102.

!

quite foreign to the purpose. The other conclufion, which is the only true and natural one, is kept out of fight, because it cannot be answered: and this of Sabellius is flurred upon his credulous Readers, as the doctrine of the orthodox, who difclaim and abhor it. This is no flander; for let any perfon read his book with a little circumfpection, and he will foon find who and what he would mean by the followers and doctrine of Sabellius. And let me give the reader the following caution, which he will find to be of great fervice in detecting the fallacious anfwers of the Arian writers in their controverfies with the orthodox. Always be careful to examine whether they have replied to the proof itself, or to fomething elfe in the place of it. For when you have obtained any clear evidence from the Scripture, that two or more perfons are one God, one Lord, &c. they will give a new face to your conclufion, by changing the terms God or Lord, which are names of a nature, for that of perfon, which can belong only to an individual. And then they fhout for victory. O, fay they, this man is a Sabellian! he believes three perfons to be one person! But on the other hand, if you make it appear that in the Unity of the one God or Lord there are more persons than one, then they change the word perfons for that of Gods: fo that you are confuted this way alfo; and they cry you up for a Tritheift, a maintainer of three Gods! By the help of this artifice, Dr. Clarke attempted to deal with the Scripture; and the Author of an Effay on Spirit with the Creeds and Liturgy of the Church. And, though it be a matter scarce worth mentioning, thus alfo the Authors of a Monthly Review have attempted to deal with myself. Some time ago I published a full Answer to the Effay on Spirit, which has fince been reprinted in Ireland, and I humbly hope may have done fome little service. But when thefe Gentlemen had deliberated with themselves upon it for three or four months, it was retailed from their scandalous Shop as a fyftem of Tritheifm, Sabellianifm, and what not? I hope God will forgive them! and this is all the anfwer I fhall ever make to fuch men and fuch writers.

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