Recapitulation and conclusion.

19. In the whole of the foregoing reasoning, which, it is hoped, will be found fair, legitimate, and conclusive, we have followed, with vigilant circumspection, and attentive investigation, the nature of those divine perfections upon which we have founded the whole of our argumentation. We have not presumed to launch into vain and unfounded hypotheses, or romantic theories. But, keeping close by watchful demonstration, we have followed the natural guidance of the divine perfections and essence, and by them explored the perfection of the Divine Being, as subsisting in three distinct modes. Following up this same principle, we have ascertained the order of the subsistence of these divine modes; and, by the very same data, have fully demonstrated that there must be Three, and can be neither more nor less than Three, distinct modes of subsistence, or persons, in the Divine Essence; and have seen, that this is the way that the Divine Being presents itself most naturally to our contemplation, and the way which is most consistent with the Scripture representation of the terms, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as applied. to the Divine Being.

* See Note D. on the preceding Proposition

PROPOSITION V.

PROVING THE DOCTRINE FROM THE NATURE OF THE DIVINE INTELLIGENCE.

[Intelligence is a perfection of the created mind-There must be a corresponding perfection necessarily inhering in the uncreated Mind-If not, we cannot know how the Divine Being can be the moral governor of the universe -The disparity between a created moral perfection, and a corresponding uncreated one-The operations of the divine intelligence stated in comparisons ascending from the creature to the Creator-The necessity of distinct objects subsisting in the Divine Essence, according to the economy of the Divine Nature-These cannot possibly be upon the hypothesis of one mode only in the subsistence of the Divine Essence-Mistakes of some of the ancient philosophers-The human mind cannot know itself perfectly-Upon the hypothesis of only one mode of subsistence, it is impossible for us to conceive how the Divine Mind could exercise its own intelligence.]

1. HAVING considered the Divine Being by the assistance of the perfection of efficiency, and from this essential perfection of the Divine Essence, it is humbly presumed, that by fair and direct reasoning and argument, we came to the undeniable and demonstrative conclusion,-that there must be three, and neither more nor less than three, distinct, not separate, modes of sub

sistence, or persons, in the Divine Essence, standing in an incommunicable relation the one to the other, each having the whole of the Divine Nature in itself, and each co-essential, co-existent, co-eternal, and co-equal in the divine perfections, natural and moral, with the other-we come now to view the same doctrine in another light, and to confirm and prove the foregoing theory by another chain of reasoning, founded upon the nature of the divine intelligence. And here it is laid down as a principle, that as is the nature, so is the intelligence, and as is the intelligence, so is the knowledge, of every rational being. Intelligence is derived from the nature, and knowledge is derived from intelligence.

2. When we speak of intelligence with respect to the human mind, we say, it is that perfection of a created rational spirit, by which it knows when it is acted upon, or when it receives communications from external objects; by which it knows its own thoughts, or is conscious of what passes within itself; by which it receives sensations, agreeable or disagreeable, and acts in consequence of these; by which it arrives at the knowledge of itself and of other things; and by which it makes progress in knowledge.

Notwithstanding it is undeniable that the human mind is radically endowed with innate ideas, which it is most probable every created rational spirit is to a certain degree, yet it is well known

:

to metaphysicians, who study the human mind philosophically, that this stock of knowledge is but small, though, perhaps, it may be the foundation of all progress in knowledge; and it is certain, that the human mind obtains by far the greater part of its knowledge from sensation and reflection and by many able philosophers these are considered as the only sources of the knowledge of the human mind. Intelligence operates by these mediums. But without disputing this point, it is well known, that, properly speaking, mind can only be acted upon by mind; and as this is strictly true, it is fairly and legitimately inferred, that were there only but one created mind in the universe, it could not exercise its in-. tellectual endowments, nor make the smallest progress in the enlargement of knowledge, nor could it make advancements in mental experiments, or improvements of any kind whatever, unless it were acted upon, or were receiving communications from the great uncreated mind.

3. Hence it is evident, that as the created mind is capable of progressive attainments, and of increasing enlargement in knowledge, it is constitutionally intelligent, dependent, and social. It is formed to receive external information, and external communications and influences, either from other created minds, or from the great uncreated mind, which we have already ascertained to be necessarily existent, independent, and the

first cause of all things. Or, the created mind is capable of receiving information both from a created mind and from the uncreated, and in this way it arrives at the knowledge of itself, and of all things within the sphere of its intelligence.

Without this property or perfection, which is called intelligence, it is absolutely impossible that ever the human mind could arrive at the knowledge of itself, or of other things, in any degree; nor could it ever be recipient: but it must remain stationary, and unprogressive in perceptive improvements for ever.

4. Now, as intelligence is an essential perfection of the human mind, as a moral being, a perfection which, in a certain sense, may be said to comprehend reason itself, and all its perceptive powers and faculties, and which may be said to comprehend one half of its capacity, and extend through all the powers and faculties of its understanding; we must, therefore, consider intelligence as an essential perfection of the human mind, and a most noble and dignified endowment bestowed upon it by the Creator.

5. Now, seeing intelligence is an essential and necessary perfection of the created mind, a necessary and essential perfection corresponding to it must naturally be in the uncreated Mind, in all the unlimited and absolute extent of a divine perfection; because man is created after the image of the Divine Being. For though the Creator