The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

And it is to be noted, that our Saviour in his Eternal subsistence, is called in Scripture, The WISDOM of God, (or his internal Word): and in his Operations in the Creation; he is called, The Word of God, as operative or efficient: and in his Incarnation, he is called The Son of God: Though these terms be not always and only thus used, yet usually they are.

And it is to be noted, that our Saviour in his Eternal subsistence, is called in Scripture, The WISDOM of God, (or his internal Word): and in his Operations in the Creation; he is called, The Word of God, as operative or efficient: and in his Incarnation, he is called The Son of God: Though these terms be not alwayes and only thus used, yet usually they are.

The Words of an ancient godly Writer before cited, are considerable; Potho Prumensis, de statu domus Dei, lib. 1.¹ p. 567. in Biblioth. Patr. T. 9. [Tria sunt invisibilia Dei, h. e. Potentia, Sapientia, Benignitas, a quibus omnia procedunt, in quibus omnia subsistunt, per quae omnia reguntur: Pater est Potentia, Filius Sapientia, Sparitus sanctus Benignitas. Potentia create, Sapientia gubernat, • Benignitas conservat. Potentia per Benignitatem sapienter create: Sapientia per potentiam benignè gubernat: Benignitas per sapientiam potenter conservat: Sicut Imago in speculo cernitur, sic ⟨p. 374⟩in ratione animae. ²Huic similitudini Dei approximat homo; cui Potentia Dei dat Bonum posse; sapientia tribuit scire; Benignitas prae•tat velle: Haec triplex Animae rationalis vis est; scil. Posse, Scire, Velle; quae supradictis tribus fidei, spei, & charitati cooperantur, &c. Read more in the Author, and in Raimundus Lullius: and among latter Writers, in Campanella, Raymundus de sabundis, &c. as I said before. He that will give you a scheme of Divinity in the true method, will but show you how all God's Works and Laws flow from these Three Essentialities or Principles; and the three great Relations founded in them, (His being our Owner, Ruler, and Chief Good:) And how all our duty is branched out accordingly in our correlations: He will show you the Trinity of Graces, Faith, Hope and Love; and the three summary Rules, the Creed, Lord's Prayer and Decalogue; and, in a word, would show you, that the Trinity revealeth it self through the whole frame of true Theology or Morality. But who is able to discern it in the smaller and innumerable branches?