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Religion Forum Index » Christian Methodist Forum » Of A Plurality In The Godhead; Or, A Trinity Of...
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| Carl... |
 Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 4:08 pm |
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John Gill, noted theologian and recognized as a great Biblical scholar wrote
the following treatise on the Biblical doctrine of the Trinity. I hope it
brings some edification for you.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
---
Of A Plurality In The Godhead; Or, A Trinity Of Persons In The Unity Of The
Divine Essence
by John Gill
Having proved the unity of the divine Being, and explained the sense in
which it is to be understood; my next work will be to prove that there is a
plurality in the Godhead; or, that there are more persons than one, and that
these are neither more, nor fewer, than three; or, that there is a Trinity
of Persons in the unity of the divine essence. Some except to these terms,
because not literally and syllabically expressed in scripture; as Essence,
Unity, Trinity, and Person; of which see the Introduction, see topic (point
5), 741, I shall,
1. First, Prove that there is a plurality of persons in the one God; or,
that there are more than one. The Hebrew word Mynp which answers to the
Greek word proswpa, is used of the divine persons, ynp "My persons shall go
with thee", (Ex.. 33:14) and if Kynp "thy persons go not with me, (Ex..
33:15) and "he brought thee out wynpb by his persons", (Deut. 4:37). The
word is used three times in (Ps. 27:8, 9) and in each clause the Septuagint
has the word proswpon, and which, as Suidas[1] observes, is expressive of
the sacred Trinity. That there is such a plurality of persons, will appear
more clearly,
1a. From the plural names and epithets of God. His great and incommunicable
name Jehovah, is always in the singular number, and is never used plurally;
the reason of which is, because it is expressive of his essence, which is
but one; it is the same with "I AM that I AM"; but the first name of God we
meet with in scripture, and that in the first verse of it, is plural; "In
the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth", (Gen. 1:1) and
therefore must design more than one, at least two, and yet not precisely
two, or two only; then it would have been dual; but it is plural; and, as
the Jews themselves say, cannot design fewer than three[2]. Now Moses might
have made use of other names of God, in his account of the creation; as his
name Jehovah, by which he made himself known to him, and to the people of
Israel; or Eloah, the singular of Elohim, which is used by him, (Deut.
32:15, 16) and in the book of Job frequently; so that it was not want of
singular names of God, nor the barrenness of the Hebrew language, which
obliged him to use a plural word; it was no doubt of choice, and with
design; and which will be more evident when it is observed, that one end of
the writings of Moses is to extirpate the polytheism of the heathens, and to
prevent the people of Israel from going into it; and therefore it may seem
strange, that he should begin his history with a plural name of God; he must
have some design in it, which could not be to inculcate a plurality of gods,
for that would be directly contrary to what he had in view in writing, and
to what he asserts, (Deut. 6:4). "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one
Lord": nor a plurality of mere names and characters, to which creative
powers cannot be ascribed; but a plurality of persons, for so the words may
be rendered, distributively, according to the idiom of the Hebrew language;
"In the beginning everyone, or each of the divine persons, created the
heaven and the earth". And then the historian goes on to make mention of
them; who, besides the Father, included in this name, are the Spirit of God,
that moved upon the face of the waters, and the word of God, (Gen. 1:2)
which said, "Let there be light, and there was light"; and which spoke that,
and all things, out of nothing; see (John 1:1-3). And it may be further
observed, that this plural word Elohim, is, in this passage, in construction
with a verb singular, "bara", rendered "created"; which some have thought is
designed to point out a plurality of persons, in the unity of the divine
essence: but if this is not judged sufficient to build it upon, let it be
further observed, that the word Elohim is sometimes in construction with a
verb plural, as in (Gen. 20:13; Gen. 35:7; 2 Sam. 7:23) where Elohim, the
gods, or divine persons, are said to cause Abraham to wander from his
father's house; to appear to Jacob; and to go forth to redeem Israel: all
which are personal actions: and likewise it is in construction with
adjectives and participles plural, (Deut. 4:7, 5:26; Josh. 24:19; 2 Sam.
7:26, 27; Ps. 58:11, Prov. 30:3; Jer. 10:10) in which places Elohim, gods,
or the divine persons, are said to be nigh to the people of Israel; to be
living, holy, and to judge in the earth; characters which belong to persons;
and now, as a learned man[3] well observes, "that however the construction
of a noun plural with a verb singular, may render it doubtful to some
whether these words express a plurality or not, yet certainly there can be
no doubt in those places, where a verb or adjective plural are joined with
the word Elohim''. No such stress is laid on this word, as if it was the
clearest and strongest proof of a plurality in the Deity; it is only
mentioned, and mentioned first, because it is the most usual name of God,
being used of him many hundreds of times in scripture; and what stress is
laid upon it, is not merely because it is plural, but because it appears
often in an unusual form of construction; it is used of others, but not in
such a form; as has been observed. It is used of angels, (Ps. 8:5) they
being not only many, but are often messengers of God, of the divine Persons
in the Godhead, represent them, and speak in their name. And it is used of
civil magistrates, (Ps. 82:6) and so of Moses, as a god to Pharaoh, (Ex.
7:1) as they well may be called, since they are the vicegerents and
representatives of the Elohim, the divine Persons, the Triune God; nor need
it be wondered at, that it should be sometimes used of a single Person in
the Deity, it being common to them all; and since each of them possess the
whole divine nature and essence undivided, (Ps. 45:6, 7). The ancient Jews
not only concluded a plurality, but even a Trinity, from the word Elohim[4].
With respect to the passage in (Num. 15:16) they say[5], "There is no
judgment less than three"; and that three persons sitting in judgment, the
divine Majesty is with them, they conclude from (Ps. 82:1) "he judgeth among
the gods", Myhla. Hence they further observes[6], that "no sanhedrin, or
court of judicature, is called Myhla unless it consists of three". From
whence it is manifest, that the ancient Jews believed that this name not
only inferred a plurality of persons, but such a plurality which consisted
of three at least.
Another plural name of God is Adonim; "If I am (Adoaim) Lords, where is my
fear?" (Mal.. 1:6) now, though this may be said of one in the second and
third persons plural, yet never of one in the first person, as it is here
said of God by himself; "I am Lords"; and we are sure there are two, "The
Lord said to my Lord", &c. (Ps. 110:1). In Daniel 4:17 the most high God is
called the watchers and the Holy Ones; "This matter is by the decree of the
watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones"; which respects the
revolution and destruction of the Babylonian monarchy; an affair of such
moment and importance as not to be ascribed to angels, which some understand
by watchers and Holy Ones; but however applicable these epithets may be to
them, and they may be allowed to be the executioners of the decrees of God,
yet not the makers of them; nor can anything in this world, and much less an
affair of such consequence as this, be said to be done in virtue of any
decree of theirs: besides, this decree is expressly called, the decree of
the most High, (Dan. 4:24) so that the watchers and Holy Ones, are no other
than the divine Persons in the Godhead; who are holy in their nature, and
watch over the saints to do them good; and over the wicked, to bring evil
upon them: and as they are so called in the plural number, to express the
plnrality of them in the Deity; so to preserve the unity of the divine
essence, this same decree is called, the decree of the most High, (Dan.
4:24) and they the watcher and Holy One, in the singular number in (Dan.
4:13).
1b. A plurality in the Deity may be proved from plural expressions used by
God, when speaking of himself, respecting the works of creation, providence,
and grace. At the creation of man he said, "Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness", (Gen. 1:26) the pronouns "us" and "our", manifestly
express a plurality of persons; these being personal plural characters; as
image and likeness being in the singular number, secure the unity of the
divine essence; and that there were more than one concerned in the creation
of man, is clear from the plural expressions used of the divine Being, when
he is spoken of as the Creator of men, (Job 35:10; Ps. 149:2; Eccl. 12:1;
Isa.. 54:5) in all which places, in the original text, it is my Makers, his
Makers, thy Creators, thy Makers; for which no other reason can be given,
than that more persons than one had an hand herein; as for the angels, they
are creatures themselves, and not possessed of creative powers; nor were
they concerned in the creation of man, nor was he made after their image and
likeness; nor can it be reasonably thought, that God spoke to them, and held
a consultation with them about it; for "with whom took he counsel?" (Isa.
40:14). Not with any of his creatures; no, not with the highest angel in
heaven; they are not of his privy council. Nor is it to be thought that God,
in the above passage, speaks "regio more", after the manner of kings; who,
in their edicts and proclamations, use the plural number, to express their
honour and majesty; and even they are not to be considered alone, but as
connotating their ministers and privy council, by whose advice they act;
and, besides, this courtly way of speaking, was not so ancient as the times
of Moses; none of the kings of Israel use if; nor even any of those proud
and haughty monarchs, Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar; the first appearance of it
is in the letters of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, (Ezra 4:18, 7:23) which
might take its rise from the conjunction of Darius and Cyrus, in the Persian
empire, in both whose names edicts might be made, and letters wrote; which
might give rise to such a way of speaking, and be continued by their
successors, to express their power and glory: but, as a learned man[7]
observes, "it is a very extravagant fancy, to suppose that Moses alludes to
a custom that was not (for what appears) in being at that time, nor a great
while after." The Jews themselves are sensible that this passage furnishes
with an argument for a plurality in the Deity[8]. A like way of speaking is
used concerning men, in (Gen. 3:22). "And the Lord God said, Behold, the man
is become as one of us"; not as one of the angels, for they are not of the
Deity, nor the companions of God, and equal to him; for whatever private
secret meaning Satan might have in saying, "Ye shall be as gods"; he would
have it understood by Eve, and so she understood it, that they should be not
like the angels merely, but like God himself; this was the bait he laid, and
which took, and proved man's ruin; upon which the Lord God said these words
either sarcastically, "Behold the man whom Satan promised, and he expected
to be as one of us, as one of the persons in the Deity; see how much he
looks like one of us! who but just now ran away from us in fear and
trembling, and covered himself with fig leaves, and now stands before us
clothed with skins of slain beasts!" or else as comparing his former and
present state together; for the words may be rendered, "he was as one of
us"; made after their image and likeness: but what is he now? he has sinned,
and come short of that glorious image; has lost his honour, and is become
like the beasts that perish, whose skins he now wears. Philo[9], the Jew,
owns that these words are to be understood not of one, but of more; the en
kai polla, the "one" and "many", so much spoken of by the Pythagoreans and
Platonists; and which Plato[10] speaks of as infinite and eternal, and of
the knowledge of them as the gift of the gods; and which, he says, was
delivered to us by the ancients; who were better than we, and lived nearer
the gods; by whom he seems to intend the ancient Jews; this, I say, though
understood by their followers of the unity of God, and the many ideas in
him, the same with what we call decrees; I take to be no other than the one
God, and a plurality of persons in the Deity; which was the faith of the
ancient Jews; so that the polla, of Plato, and others, is the same with the
plhyov of Philo, who was a great Platonizer; and both intend a plurality of
persons.
God sometimes uses the plural number when speaking of himself, with respect
to some particular affairs of providence, as the confusion of languages; "Go
to, let us go down, and there confound their language"; which also cannot be
said to angels; had it, it would rather have been, go "ye", and do "ye"
confound their language: but, alas! this work was above the power of angels
to do; none but God, that gave to man the faculty of speech, and the use of
language, could confound it; which was as great an instance of divine power,
as to bestow the gift of tongues on the apostles, at Pentecost; and the same
God that did the one, did the other; and so the us here, are after explained
of Jehovah, in the following verse, to whom the confounding the language of
men, and scattering them abroad on the face of the earth, are ascribed,
(Acts 2:8-11). In another affair of providence, smiting the Jewish nation
with judicial blindness; this plural way of speaking is used by the divine
Being; says the prophet Isaiah, "I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom
shall I send, and who will go for us?" (Isa. 6: not the seraphim say this,
but Jehovah; for to them neither the name Jehovah, nor the work agree; and
though there is but one Jehovah that here speaks, yet more persons than one
are intended by him; of Christ, the Son of God no question can be made,
since the Evangelist applies them to him; and observes, that Isaiah said the
words when he saw his glory, and spoke of him, (John 12:40, 41) nor of the
Holy Ghost, to whom they are also applied (Acts 28:25, 26). There is another
passage in Isaiah 41:21-23 where Jehovah, the King of Jacob, 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; "show 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 Isaiah 43:9.
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 14:23) 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
1:3; 2 Cor. 1:14). To all these instances of plural expressions, may be
added (Song 1:11; John 3:11).
1c. 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 Genesis 16:7, 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, (Gen. 16:10-12) and what proves it beyond
all dispute that he must be Jehovah, is, what is said, (Gen. 16:13) "She
called the name of the Lord, or Jehovah, that spake unto her, thou; God,
seest".
In Genesis 18:2 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 (Gen. 19:1). Dr. Lightfoot[11] 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
undoubtedly a divine Person, the Son of God in an human form; who is
expressly called Jehovah, the Judge of all the earth, (Gen. 18:13, 20, 25,
26) and to whom omnipotence and omniscience are ascribed, (Gen. 18:14,
17-19) and to whom Abraham showed the utmost reverence and respect, (Gen.
18:27, 30, 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, (Gen. 19:24) which conflagration was not made by
the ministry of created angels, but is always represented as the work of
Elohim, of the divine Persons (Jer. 50:40; Amos 4:11).
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. 22:11, 12 compared with
Gen. 22:1, 2) and Jehovah, who swore by himself, and promised to do what
none but God could do, (Gen. 22:16-18; Heb. 6:13, 14) where what is here
said is expressly ascribed to God. Add to this, the name Abraham gave the
place on this occasion, Jehovah-Jireh, because the Lord had appeared, and
would hereafter appear in this place.
The angel invoked by Jacob, (Gen. 48:15, 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, (Ex. 3:2) 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", (Ex. 3:4, 6, 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, (Ex. 3:7,
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. 33:16) and the
application of this passage to God, by our Lord Jesus Christ, (Mark 12:26).
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 (Isa. 63:9; 1 Cor. 10:9).
Again, we read of the angel of the Lord, before whom Joshua the high priest
was brought and stood, being accused by Satan, (Zech. 3:1) who is not only
called Jehovah, (Zech. 3:2) 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 Isa. 61:10).
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 above mentioned
text, (Gen. 19:24) where Jehovah is said to rain fire and brimstone from
Jehovah, out of heaven; and in Jeremiah 23:5, 6, where Jehovah promises to
raise up a righteous branch to David, whose name should be called "Jehovah
our righteousness"; and in Hosea 1:7 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,
2. Secondly, 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, (Num. 6:24-26) and in the
prayer of Daniel, (Dan. 9:19) and in the church's declaration of her faith
in God, (Isa. 33:22) and the word holy repeated three times, and three times
only, in the seraphims' celebration of the glory of the divine Being, (Isa.
6:3) and in that of the living creatures, in Revelation 4:8 which may seem
to be accidental, or the effect of a fervent and devout disposition of mind;
but there is not anything, 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 5:7 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, (1 John 5:9) 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; which 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 names; 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 master; 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 eighth 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 proof 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[12], this passage
was erased; and certain it is, that this epistle was very early corrupted;
as the ancient writers testify[13]: or it might be in the copies used by the
fathers, and yet not quoted by them, having scriptures not 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[14], 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[15], about the middle
of it; and before him by Cyprian[16], in the middle of the third century:
and is manifestly referred to by Tertullian[17], in the beginning of it; and
by Clemens of Alexandria[18], towards the end of the second century: so that
it is to be traced up within a hundred years, or less, the writing of the
epistle; which is enough to satisfy anyone 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 1 John 5:9 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 sunbeam; 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.
2a. 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 4:24, 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 anything made that is made" (John 1:3). 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. 1:2; Job 26:13; Ps.
104:30) and all three may be seen together in one text, (Ps. 33:6) "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. 2:10) 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. 54:5) and of the Holy Spirit, Elihu in so many words says, "The Spirit
of God hath made me, and the breath of the almighty hath given me life" (Job
33:4).
2b. A Trinity of persons appears in the works of providence. "My father",
says Christ, "worketh hitherto and I work", (John 5:17) that is, ever since
the works of creation were finished, in which both had an hand, they have
been jointly concerned in the works of providence, in the government of the
world, and in ordering and disposing of all things in it; and not to the
exclusion of the Holy Spirit, for, "Who hath directed the Spirit of the
Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?" that is, in the affair of
the government of the world, as follows; "With whom took he counsel, and who
instructed him and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him
knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding?" to manage the
important concerns of the world, to do everything wisely and justly, and to
overrule all for the best ends and purposes (see Isa. 40:13,14). And
particularly the three divine persons appear in that remarkable affair of
providence, the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, and the protection and
guidance of them through the wilderness to the land of Canaan. Whoever reads
attentively (Isa. 63:7-14) will easily observe, that mention is made of
Jehovah, and of his mercy, lovingkindness, and goodness to the children of
Israel; and then of the Angel of his presence, as distinct from him, showing
love and pity to them, in saving, redeeming, bearing, and carrying them all
the days of old; and next of his Holy Spirit, whom they rebelled against,
and whom they vexed, and yet, though thus provoked, he led them on through
the wilderness, and caused them to rest in the land of Canaan.
2c. The three divine persons are to be discerned most clearly in all the
works of grace. The inspiration of the scriptures is a wonderful instance of
the grace and goodness of God to men, which is the foundation and source of
spiritual knowledge, peace, and comfort; it is a divine work: "All scripture
is given by inspiration of God", (2 Tim. 3:16) of God, Father, Son, and
Spirit; and though it is particularly ascribed to the Holy Spirit, "holy men
of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost", (2 Peter 1:21) yet no
one surely will say, to the exclusion of the Father; nor is there any reason
to shut out the Son from a concern herein; and we find all three dictating
the writings David was the penman of: "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me,
and his word was in tongue; the God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake
to me", (2 Sam. 23:2, 3) where, besides the Spirit of the Lord, who spake by
every inspired writer, there is the Father, the God of Israel, as he is
commonly styled, and the Son, the Rock of Israel, the Messiah, often
figuratively called the Rock; and in the same manner, and by the same
persons David was inspired, all the other penmen of the scriptures were.
Those writings acquaint us with the covenant of grace, no other writings do,
made from everlasting before the world was; this covenant was made by
Jehovah the Father, and was made with his Son, who condescended and agreed
to be the surety, mediator, and messenger of it; yea he is said to be the
covenant itself; and in which the Holy Spirit is promised, and whose part in
it is, and to which he agreed, to be the applier of the blessings and
promises of it to those interested therein; see (Ps. 89:3; Isa. 42:6; Mal.
3:1; Heb. 7:22, 12:24; Ezek. 36:27; John 16:14, 15) and they are all three
mentioned together as concerned in this covenant, in (Hag. 2:4, 5) where,
for the encouragement of the people of Israel to work in rebuilding the
temple, it is said, "For I am with you, saith the Lord of hosts", according
to "the word that I covenanted with you"; or rather, as Junius renders it,
"with the Word" by whom I covenanted "with you, when ye came out of Egypt",
(at which time the covenant of grace was more clearly and largely
revealed;)"so my Spirit remaineth among you": where may be observed, Jehovah
the covenant maker, and his Word, in, by, and with whom he covenanted; and
the Spirit standing, as it may be rendered, remaining and abiding, to see
there was a performance and an application of all that was promised. In the
sacred writings, the economy of man's salvation is clearly exhibited to us,
in which we find the three divine persons, by agreement and consent, take
their distinct parts; and it may be observed that the election of men to
salvation is usually ascribed to the Father; redemption, or the impetration
of salvation, to the Son; and sanctification, or the application of
salvation, to the Spirit; and they are all to be met with in one passage, (1
Peter 1:2) "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of
Jesus". The same may be observed in (2 Thess. 2:13, 14) where God the Father
is said to choose men from the beginning unto salvation; and the
sanctification of the Spirit, is the means through which they are chosen;
and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, the end to which they are chosen and
called: but no where are these acts of grace more distinctly ascribed to
each person than in the first chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, where
God the Father of Christ, is said to bless and choose his people in him
before the foundation of the world, and to predestinate them to the adoption
of children by him, in whom they are accepted with him, (Eph. 1:3-6) and
where Christ is spoken of as the author of redemption through his blood,
which includes forgiveness of sin, and a justifying righteousness; which
entitles to the heavenly inheritance, (Eph. 1:7, 11) and then the Holy
Spirit, in distinction from them both, is said to be the earnest of their
inheritance, and by whom they are sealed until they come to the full
possession of it (Eph. 1:13,14). The doctrine of the Trinity is often
represented as a speculative point, of no great moment whether it is
believed or not, too mysterious and curious to be pried into, and that it
had better be let alone than meddled with; but, alas! it enters into the
whole of our salvation, and all the parts of it; into all the doctrines of
the gospel, and into the experience of the saints; there is no doing without
it; as soon as ever a man is convinced of his sinful and miserable estate by
nature, he perceives there is a divine person that he has offended, and that
there is need of another divine person to make satisfaction for his
offences, and a third to sanctify him; to begin and carry on a work of grace
in him, and to make him meet for eternal glory and happiness.
2d. A Trinity of persons in the Godhead may be plainly discovered in all
things relating to the office and work of Christ, as the Redeemer and
Saviour. In the mission of him into this world on that account: he, the Son
of God, was sent by agreement, with his own consent, by the Father and the
Spirit; this is affirmed by himself, (Isa. 48:16) "Now the Lord God, and his
Spirit, hath sent me"; even he who says, (Isa. 48:12, 13) "I am the first
and the last", and whose hand laid the foundation of the earth, and whose
right hand spanned the heaven, and who is continued speaking to (Isa. 48:16)
and must be a divine person; the mighty God, who is said to be sent by
Jehovah the Lord God, and by his Spirit; who therefore must be three
distinct persons, and not one only; or otherwise the sense must be, "now I
and myself have sent myself", which is none at all. Christ the Son of God,
sent to be the Saviour, in the fulness of time was made of a woman, or
became incarnate; and though he only took flesh, the three divine persons
were concerned in this affair; the Father provided a body for him in his
purposes and decrees, council and covenant; the Word or Son was made flesh,
and dwelt among men, and that which was conceived in the Virgin, was of the
Holy Ghost, (Heb. 10:5; John 1:14; Matthew 1:20) and in the message to the
Virgin, and the declaration of this mysterious affair to her by the angel,
mention is made distinctly of all the three Persons; there is the "highest",
Jehovah the Father; and "the Son of the highest", who took flesh of the
Virgin; and the Holy Ghost, or "the power of the highest", to whose
overshadowing influence, the mysterious incarnation is ascribed (Luke
1:32,35). Christ, the Son of God, being incarnate, was anointed with the
Holy Ghost, his gifts and graces without measure; whereby, as man, he was
fitted and qualified for his office as Mediator. The anointer is said to be
God, his God, the great Jehovah; the anointed, the Son of God in human
nature, called therefore the Christ of God, the true Messiah; what he was
anointed with was the Holy Ghost, his gifts and grace, signified by the oil
of gladness; see (Ps. 45:7; Isa. 61:1; Acts 10:3 when he was thirty years
of age he was baptized of John in Jordan, where all the three divine persons
appeared; the Son in human nature, submitting to the ordinance of baptism:
the Father, by a voice from heaven, declaring him to be his beloved Son; and
the Holy Spirit, descending on him as a dove (Matthew 3:16, 17). This was
always reckoned so full and clear a proof of the Trinity of Persons in the
Godhead, that it was a common saying with the ancients, go to Jordan, and
there learn the doctrine of the Trinity. Before our Lord's sufferings and
death, he gave out various promises to his disciples, that he would send the
Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to them; in which there are plain traces of a
Trinity of Persons; as when he says, "I will pray the Father, and he shall
give you another Comforter" (John 14:16). Here is God the Father of Christ,
who is prayed unto, who is one Person; and here is the Son in human nature,
praying, a second Person, the Son of God; and because he was so, his prayer
was always prevalent; nor could he be a mere creature, who speaks so
positively and authoritatively, he shall give you; and then there is another
Comforter prayed for, even the Spirit of truth, distinct from the Father and
the Son; the same may be observed in and in (John 15:26, 16:7). Christ by
his sufferings and death, obtained eternal redemption for men. The price
that was paid for it, was paid to God the Father so it is said, "hath
redeemed us to God by thy blood" (Rev. 5:9). What gave the price a
sufficient value was, the dignity of his person, as the Son of God, (1 John
1:7) and it was "through the eternal Spirit" he offered himself to God,
(Heb. 9:14) which some understand of the divine nature; but it is not usual
to say, Christ did this, or the other thing, through the divine nature, but
by the Spirit, as in (Matthew 12:28; Acts 1:2) besides, in some copies of
(Heb. 9:14) it is read, "through the Holy Spirit". Again, Christ having
suffered and died for men, he rose again for their justification; in which
all the three persons were concerned; God the Father raised him from the
dead, and gave him glory, (1 Peter 1:21) and he raised himself by his own
power, according to his own prediction, (John 2:19) and was "declared to be
the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness" or the Holy
Spirit, "by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4, see also Rom. 8:11).
2e. This truth of a Trinity in the Godhead, shines in all the acts of grace
towards or in men; in the act of justification; it is God the Father that
justifies, by imputing the righteousness of his Son, without works, (Rom.
3:30, 4:6, 8:33) and it is not only by the righteousness of Christ that men
are justified; but he himself justifies by his knowledge, or by faith in
him, (Isa. 53:11) and it is the Spirit of God that pronounces the sentence
of justification in the conscience of believers; hence they are "justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God", (1 Cor. 6:11)
in the act of adoption; the grace of the Father in bestowing such a favour
on any of the children of men, is owned, (1 John 3:1) and through the grace
of Christ, a way is opened, by redemption wrought out by him, for the
reception of this blessing; and he it is that gives power to those that
believe in him, to become the sons of God, (Gal. 4:4, 5; John 1:12) and the
Holy Spirit witnesses, their adoption to them; hence he is called the Spirit
of adoption, (Rom. 8:15, 16) and all three appear in one text, respecting
this blessing of grace; "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit
of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father", (Gal. 4:6) where the
Father is spoken of as distinct from the Son, and the Son from the Father,
and the Spirit from them both, and all three bear their part in this
wonderful favour. Regeneration is an evidence of adoption; and an instance
of the great love and abundant mercy of God; and which is sometimes ascribed
to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 1:3) and sometimes
to the Son of God, who regenerates and quickens whom he will, (John 5:21; 1
John 2:29) and sometimes to the Spirit of God, (John 3:3, 5) and all three
are mentioned together in (Titus 3: 4-6) where God the Father called our
Saviour, is said to save by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of
the Holy Ghost; which grace of his is shed abroad in men through Jesus
Christ our Saviour. Once more, their unction, or anointing, which they
receive from the Holy One, is from God the Father, in and through Christ,
and by the Spirit; "Now he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and
hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of
the Spirit in our hearts", (2 Cor. 1:21, 22) where God the Father is
represented as the establisher and anointer, and Jesus Christ, as a distinct
person, in whom the saints are established and anointed; and the Spirit,
distinct from them both, as the earnest of their future glory.
2f. It plainly appears that there is a Trinity of persons in the Godhead,
from the worship and duties of religion enjoined good men, and performed by
them. The ordinance of baptism, a very solemn part of divine worship, is
ordered to be administered, and is administered, when done rightly, "in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost", (Matthew 28:19)
which are to be understood, not of three names and characters, but of three
persons distinctly named and described, and who are but one God, as the
singular word "name", prefixed to them, signifies; men are to be baptised in
one name of three persons; but not into one of three names, as an ancient
writer[19] has observed; nor into three incarnates; but into three of equal
honour and glory. God alone is to be invoked in prayer, and petitions are
directed sometimes to one Person, and sometimes to another; sometimes to the
first Person, the God and Father of Christ, (Eph. 3:14) sometimes to Christ
himself, the second Person, as by Stephen, (Acts 7:59) and sometimes to the
Lord the Spirit, the third Person, (2 Thess. 3:5) and sometimes to all three
together, (Rev. 1:4, 5) and whereas the saints, who are made light in the
Lord, need an increase of light, prayer is made for them, that the God of
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, would give unto them the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, that is, of Christ, (Eph.
1:17, 1 where the Father of Christ is prayed to; the Spirit of wisdom is
prayed for; and that for an increase in the knowledge of Christ, distinct
from them both: and whereas the saints need an increase of strength, as well
as light, prayer is made for them, that the Father of Christ would
strengthen them by his Spirit in the inward man, (Eph. 3:14-16; Zech. 10:12)
and in a formentioned text, prayer is made to the divine Spirit, to direct
the hearts of good men into the love of God, and patient waiting for Christ,
(2 Thess. 3:5) where again the three divine Persons are plainly
distinguished; and who may easily be discerned as distinct Persons, in the
benedictory prayer of the apostle, (2 Cor. 13:14) with which I shall
conclude the proof from scripture, of a Trinity of Persons in the unity of
the divine essence; "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of
God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all". Amen. To which
may be added; that a plurality of Persons in the Godhead, seems necessary
from the nature of God himself, and his most complete happiness; for as he
is the best, the greatest and most perfect of Beings, his happiness in
himself must be the most perfect and complete; now happiness lies not in
solitude, but in society; hence the three personal distinctions in Deity,
seem necessary to perfect happiness, which lies in that most glorious,
inconceivable, and inexpressible communion the three Persons have with one
another; and which arises from the, incomprehensible in being and
unspeakable nearness they have to each other (John 10:38 14:10, 11).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDNOTES:
[1] In voce agiov.
[2] Vid. Alting. Dissert. Philolog. 4. s. 6, 7, 8.
[3] Allix's Judgment of the Jewish Church, p. 124.
[4] See my Doctrine of the Trinity, p. 30.
[5] Gloss. in T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 46. 2.
[6] T. Bab. Betacot, fol. 6. 1. & Gloss. in ibid.
[7] Kidder's Demonstration of the Messiah, part 3. p. 90. edit. fol.
[8] See my Doctrine of the Trinity, p. 35, 36.
[9] tou poihswmen plhyov emfainontov, De Confus. Ling. p. 344, 345.
[10] In Philebo, p. 372, 378. Ed. Ficin. Vid. Parmenidem, p. 1111, 1112,
1117, 1120, 1122.
[11] Works, vol. 1. p. 13.
[12] Vid. Wittichii Theolog. Pacific. c. 17. s. 254.
[13] Vid. Socrat. Eccl. Hist. l. 7. c. 32.
[14] Respons. contr. Arian. Obj. 10. & de Trinitate, c. 4.
[15] Contr. Arium, p. 109. de Unit. Deitat. Trin. ad Theoph. l. 1. p. 399.
[16] De Unitat. Eccles. p. 255. & in Ep. 73. ad Iubajan. p. 184.
[17] Adv. Praxeam, c. 25.
[18] Paedagog. l. 3. in fine.
[19] Ignat. Epist. ad Philip. Ascript. p. 100/ Ed. Voss. |
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