And whereas he further says, This prepared his way to make Goodness, ⟨p. 24⟩Wisdom, Power, — a natural Trinity n Unity, herein the Defender is mistaken. This is not the Trinity which the Enquirers discourse was ever intended to terminate in, as he himself hath expressly said, and the Defender takes notice of it, which makes me wonder how he could think it was so intended, citing the very passage p. 37. where the Enquirer professes,1 not to judge, that we are under the precise notions of Power, Wisdom and Goodness, to conceive of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. But why then were these three so much discoursed of before? They are three most celebrated Divine Attributes, wherein we have our most immediate and very principal concern. And some have thought the Trinity was most fitly to be conceived by them: The Enquirer did not think so; but he thought first, it would be requisite to have our minds disentangled from any apprehended necessity of conceiving ⟨p. 25⟩them to be in all respects the very same things, nor are they the very same, if they be so distinguished as is expressed in the 16th. of the summary propositions;2 where also they are each of them said to be common to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whence therefore it is impossible they should be thought to distinguish Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But that some distinction being admitted even of them, this might facilitate to us our conception of the greater distinction which must be, of Father, Son and Spirit, as is expressed p. 38. Indeed he did not think fit to interrupt his discourse by staying to show reasons why he did not rest in that account alone of the Trinity, tho' it might seem plausible, or not absurd, but proceeded further to what was more satisfying to himself, and might be so to other men. And (as the intervening Series of his discourse leads thereto) this is more directly done p. 47. & 48. &c. especially ⟨p. 26⟩where he comes to speak of the necessary coexistence, and the (as necessary and natural) order of the Father, Son and Spirit, towards each other. The second being, not by any intervening act of will, but by necessary, eternal promanation, from the first, and the third from them both. And the true reason why Power, Wisdom and Goodness, were not thought expressive of the distinction of Father, Son and Spirit, but common to each of them (as is said, Summary Prop. 16.)
And whereas he further says, This prepared his way to make Goodness, ⟨p. 24⟩Wisdom, Power, — a natural Trinity n Unity, herein the Defender is mistaken. This is not the Trinity which the Enquirers discourse was ever intended to terminate in, as he himself hath expresly said, and the Defender takes notice of it, which makes me wonder how he could think it was so intended, citing the very passage p. 37. where the Enquirer professes,1 not to judge, that we are under the precise notions of Power, Wisdom and Goodness, to conceive of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. But why then were these three so much discourst of before? They are three most celebrated Divine Attributes, wherein we have our most immediate and very principal concern. And some have thought the Trinity was most fitly to be conceived by them: The Enquirer did not think so; but he thought first, it would be requisite to have our minds disentangled from any apprehended necessity of conceiving ⟨p. 25⟩them to be in all respects the very same things, nor are they the very same, if they be so distinguish'd as is expressed in the 16th. of the summary propositions;2 where also they are each of them said to be common to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whence therefore it is impossible they shou'd be thought to distinguish Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. But that some distinction being admitted even of them, this might facilitate to us our conception of the greater distinction which must be, of Father, Son and Spirit, as is express'd p. 38. Indeed he did not think fit to interrupt his discourse by staying to shew reasons why he did not rest in that account alone of the Trinity, tho' it might seem plausible, or not absurd, but proceeded further to what was more satisfying to himself, and might be so to other men. And (as the intervening Series of his discourse leads thereto) this is more directly done p. 47. & 48. &c. especially ⟨p. 26⟩where he comes to speak of the necessary coexistence, and the (as necessary and natural) order of the Father, Son and Spirit, towards each other. The second being, not by any intervening act of will, but by necessary, eternal promanation, from the first, and the third from them both. And the true reason why Power, Wisdom and Goodness, were not thought expressive of the distinction of Father, Son and Spirit, but common to each of them (as is said, Summary Prop. 16.)
- 1Calm Disc.
- 2Calm. Disc. p. 140.
