John xiv.

26. xv. 26.

19.

fent by the Father after he had fent the Son. And this our Saviour hath taught us feveral times in his word, as, The Comforter whom the Father will fend in my name; the Comforter whom I will fend unto you from Mat. xxviii. the Father; and when that Comforter is come, Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft. I conclude therefore against the old (i) Sabellian Herefy, that the Holy Ghoft, although he be truly and properly God, is neither God the Father, nor God the Son; which is my fourth affertion.

Our fifth affertion is, That the Holy Ghoft is the third Perfon in the bleffed Trinity. For being he is a Perfon, by our firft affertion; a Perfon not created, by the fecond; but a divine Perfon properly and truly God, by the third; being though he is thus truly God, he is neither the Father, nor the Son, by the fourth affertion, it followeth that he is one of the three; and of the three he is the third. For as there is a number in the Trinity, by which the Perfons are neither more nor less than three; fo there is alfo an order, by which, of thefe Perfons, the Father is the firft, the Son, the fecond, and the Holy Ghoft the third. Nor is this order arbitrary or external, but internal and neceffary, by vir tue of a fubordination of the fecond unto the firft, and of the third unto the firft and fecond. The Godhead was communicated from the Father to the Son, not from the Son unto the Father; though therefore this was done from all eternity, and fo there can be no priority of time, yet there must be acknowledged a priority of order, by which the Father not the Son is firft, and the Son.not the Father fecond. Again, the fame Godhead was communicated by the Father and the Son unto the Holy Ghoft, not by the Holy Ghost to the Father or the Son; though therefore this was alfo done from all eternity, and therefore can admit of no priority in reference to time; yet that of order

muft

must be here observed; fo that the Spirit receiving the Godhead from the Father who is the first Person, cannot be the first; receiving the fame from the Son, who is the second, cannot be the second; but being from the first and second must be of the three the third. And thus both the number and the order of the Perfons are fignified together by the Apostle, faying, There 1 John v. 7. are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, and these three are one. And though they are not exprefsly faid to be three, yet the fame number is fufficiently declared, and the fame order is exprefsly mentioned, in the baptismal inftitution made in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. As therefore we have formerly proved the Son to be truly the fecond Perfon, and Vide p.111. at the fame time the Father to be the first, so doth this which we have, but briefly, fpoken, prove that the Holy Ghost is the (k) third; which is our fifth affertion.

Our fixth and last affertion, (fufficient to manifeft. the nature of the Holy Ghost, as he is the Spirit of God) teacheth that Spirit to be a Perfon proceeding from the Father and the Son. From whence at last we have a clear description of the bleffed Spirit, that he is the moft high and eternal God, of the fame nature, attributes, and operations with the Father. and the Son, as receiving the fame effence from the Father and the Son by proceeding from them both. Now this proceffion of the Spirit, in reference to the Father, is delivered exprefsly, in relation to the Son, is contained virtually in the Scriptures. First, it is expressly faid, that the Holy Ghoft proceedeth from the Father, as our Saviour teftifieth, When the Com- John xv. 26. forter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he fhall testify of me. And this is alfo evident from. what hath been already afferted: for being the Father and the Spirit are the fame God, and being fo the fame in the unity of the nature of God, are yet dif

490

Mat. x. 20.

tinct in their Personality, one of them must have the fame Nature from the other; and because the Father hath been already fhewn to have it from none, it followeth that the Spirit hath it from him.

Secondly, Though it be not exprefsly spoken in the Scripture, that the Holy Ghoft proceedeth from the Son, yet the fubftance of the fame truth is virtually contained there because those very expreffions which are spoken of the Holy Spirit in relation to the Father, for that reafon because he proceedeth from the Father, are also spoken of the fame Spirit in relation to the Son; and therefore there must be the fame reafon prefuppofed in reference to the Son, which is expreffed in reference to the Father. Becaufe the Spirit proceedeth from the Father, therefore it is called the Spirit of God and the Spirit of the Father. It is not ye that fpeak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. For by the language of the Apostle the Spirit of God is the Spirit which is of God, faying, The things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. And we have received not the fpirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God. Now the fame Spirit is alfo called the Spirit of the Gal. iv. 6. Son; for because we are Sons, God hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts: the Spirit of Christ, Rom. viii. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none Pet. i. 11. of his; even the Spirit of Chrift which was in the Prophets; the Spirit of Jefus Chrift, as the Apostle Phil. i. 19. fpeaks, I know that this fhall turn to my falvation through your prayer, and the fupply of the Spirit of Jefus Chrift. If then the Holy Ghoft be called the Spirit of God and the Father, because he proceedeth from the Father, it followeth that, being called alfo the Spirit of the Son, he proceedeth alto from the Son.

1 Cor. ii. 11, 12.

9.

I

Again, Because the Holy Ghoft proceedeth from the Father, he is therefore fent by the Father, as from him who hath by the original communication Johnxiv.26. a right of miffion; as, the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend: but the fame

Spirit which is fent by the Father is alfo fent by the Son, as he faith, when the Comforter is come whom I will fend unto you. Therefore the Son hath the fame right of miffion with the Father, and confequently must be acknowledged to have communicated the fame Effence. The Father is never fent by the Son, because he received not the Godhead from him; but the Father fendeth the Son, because he communicated the Godhead to him: in the fame manner neither the Father nor the Son is ever fent by the Holy Spirit because neither of them received the divine Nature from the Spirit: but both the Father and the Son fendeth the Holy Ghost, because the divine Nature, common to both the Father and the Son, was communicated by them both to the Holy Ghoft. As therefore the Scriptures declare expressly, that the Spirit proceedeth from the Father; fo do they alfo virtually teach, that he proceedeth from the Son.

From whence it came to pafs in the primitive times, that the (1) Latin Fathers taught exprefsly the proceffion of the Spirit from the Father and the Son, because by good confequence they did collect fo much from thofe paffages of the Scripture which we have used to prove that truth. And the Greek Fathers, though they ftuck more clofely to the phrafe and language of the Scripture, faying, that the Spirit proceedeth from the Father, and (m) not faying, that he proceedeth from the Son; yet they acknowledged under another Scripture-expreffion the fame thing which the Latins understand by proceffion, viz. That the Spirit is of or from the Son, as he is of and from the Father; and therefore ufually when they faid, he proceedeth from the Father, they (1) alfo added, he received of the Son. The interpretation of which words, according to the Latins, inferred a (0) proceffion; and that which the Greeks did understand thereby, was the fame which

the

the Latins meant by the proceffion from the Son, that is, the receiving of his effence from him. That as the Son is God of God by being of the Father, fo the Holy Ghoft is God of God by being of the Father (p) and the Son, as receiving that infinite and eternal effence from them both.

This being thus the general doctrine of the Eaftern and the Western Church, differing only in the manner of expreffion, and that without any oppofition; (q) Theodoret gave the first occafion of a difference, making ufe of the Greeks' expreffion against the doctrine both of Greeks and Latins; denying that the Holy Ghost receiveth his effence from the Son, because the Scripture faith, he proceedeth from the Father, and is the Spirit which is of God. But St. Cyril, against whom he wrote, taking finall notice of this objection; and the writings of Theodoret, in which this was contained, being condemned; there was no fenfible difference in the Church, for many years, concerning this particular. Afterwards divers of the Greeks exprefsly denied the proceffion from the Son, and several difputations did arife in the Western Church, till at laft the Latins put it into the (r) Conftantinopolitan Creed; and being admonished by the Greeks of that, as of an unlawful addition, and refusing to rafe it out of the Creed again, it became an occafion of the vast Schifm between the Eastern and Western Churches.

Now although the addition of words to the formal Creed without the confent, and against the protestation of the Oriental Church, be not juftifiable; yet that which was added is nevertheleís a certain truth, and may be so used in that Creed by them who be lieve the fame to be a truth; fo long as they pretend it not to be a definition of that Council, but an addition or explication inferted, and condemn not those who, out of a greater refpect to fuch fynodical determinations, will admit of no fuch infertions, nor

fpeak