the very or selfexistent God. For the Question at present is not, whether the Son be God, or no (that being not only agreed between our selves, but also most expresly affirm'd of him by St. John) with respect to the WORD or Divine Nature united to the Man Christ Jesus : but the Question is, whether the WORD or Divine Nature of Christ Jesus, be the selfexistent God, or no. And the Pfalmift has peremptorily determin'd this Question, by assuring us, that the Son (viz. the WORD, or Divine Nature of the Son) is Jebovab, which Name necessarily signifys, and is appropriat to, the one selfexistent God, even the God of the Fewish and Christian Churches, who has challeng'd that Name as his own Property, and never did or would suffer it to be given to any other Being whatsoever.

As for the two other Passages quoted by this Au. thor in the same Chapter, and exprelly apply'd therein to the Son; I have already declar'd my Opinion, that they relate to the WORD or the Šon's Divine Nature. And if the former of them (quoted v. 6.) be taken from Psal. 97.7. that Psalm is expresly directed to Febovah; and consequently the WORD is thereby declar'd to be the Very God. And as for the latter of them (quoted v. 8,9.) I have already (1) shewn, that that part of it which makes the 9th Verse, relates to Christ's Humanity: and if that that part of it which makes the 8th Verse, relates to his Divinity; as the Psalmist who wrote it, directed it to the selfexistent God, so the Author of this Epistle quotes it in the same manner. And accordingly you your self (m) allow,

(1) Chap.6. p. 31, &c.
(m) Script. Doct. p.89.

that

that the Son is called God in this Text which Conceffion, I think, is inconsistent with the Opinion of those who imagin, that the Psalmist originally meant this Verfe, as he did certainly mean a great part of the Psalm, of King Solomon. But I need not enlarge any further upon the first and recond of these three Quotations made by the Author of this Epistle. If what I have written concerning the third of them, holds good; I dare trust any Man of common Sense with the first and fecond. For I am persuaded, he will not be at the trouble of wresting either of them to a different Sense. And those that will not yield to the Force of that Argument, which I have drawn from the third of these Quotations, I shall despair of convincing by any Argument that I can draw from the first or second, or indeed from any part of the inspired Word of God.

CH A P. XIII.

That the Holy Ghost is the Very God.

I
Proceed now to the second Point in Controversy

between us, which relates to the Holy Ghost or Spirit of God. And this I hope to bring to a much more speedy Issue than the former.

That the Holy Ghost is an intelligent Being, you all along declare ; but the Question is, whether he is one and the same Being with the selfexiftent God, or no. I affirm, that he is : and that you do deny it, I heartily wish I could not prove.

To confirm the Truth of my Affertion, I shall argue from but two Places of Scripture.

1. Then,

O 3

1. Then, St. Paul, that he might satisfy his Difciples, how he came to know those Mysteries, which the greatest Wits could not discover, says, God bath reveled them unto us by bis Spirit. For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For wbat man knowerb the things of a man, Jave the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knowerb Códi's) none but the Spirit of God, 1 Cor. 2. 10, 11. You see, he ascribes his Knowledge of those hidden things, those Gospel Mysteries, to the Holy Spirit, who imparted the Knowledge of them to him : and he shews the Corinthians, that the Spirit himself must therefore be supposed to know them, because the Spirit Searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God; that is, the Spirit knoweth even the greatest Secrets of God himself. But how does this appear ? How are we sure, that the Spirit knoweth God's greatest Secrets? Why, the Apostle subjoins a Demonstration, that it must needs be so, saying, For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of man wbich is in him ? Even so the things of God knoweth none but the Spirit of God; that is, as none knoweth the Secrets of any particular Man's Heart, save the Man's own Spirit, which is in him, or the Man himself; even so none knows the Secrets of God, save God's Spirit, or God himself.

Now it muft be observ'd, that when the Apostle says, none knows the things of a man, Save the man's own Spirit ; and consequently when he supposes, that a Man's own Spirit does know the things of a Man, viz. the Secrets of his Heart: he certainly means a primary, immediat, and necessary Knowledge ; and not a secondary or derived one. For otherwise his Reasoning is manifestly wrong; because any other Person besides the Man himself does know a Man's Secrets, when the Man reveles them to him. And ac

çordingly,

cordingly, in the opposit Branch of the Compari-
fon, when the Apostle says, none knows the things of
God, but the Spirit of God; he certainly means a prie
mary, immediat, and necessary Knowledge, as con-
tradiftinguish'd from a secondary or deriv'd one.
For (blessed be God) by a secondary or deriv'd
Knowledge, not only St. Paul did, but even we our
selves do, know the secret things of God.

When therefore St. Paul asserts, that the Spirit
knows the secret things of God, even as a Man
knows the secret things of his own Heart, viz. by
a primary, immediat and necessary Knowledge, in-
herent in himself, and not derived from any other
Being: he manifestly declares, that the Spirit of
God is as much that God whose Spirit he is, as the
Spirit of a Man is that Man in whom it is; and
that the Spirit of God does therefore know the Se.
crets of that God whose Spirit he is, because he is
that God himself, and not another or distinct Be-
ing, which cou'd not know God's Secrets, other-
wife than by a derived Knowledge ; even as the
Spirit of a Man does therefore know the Secrets of
the Man in whom it is, because the Spirit is the
Man himself, and not another or distinct Being,
which cou'd not know the Man's Secrets otherwise
than by a derived Knowledge. And consequently,
fince the Word God in this place does confessedly
signify the selfexistent Being; 'tis evident, that the
Spirit of God (because he is the same God who is
here spoken of, and not another Being, which cou'd.
not know the Secrets of God otherwise than by a
derived Knowledge) is the selfexistent Being, whom
I call the very God.

If it should be objected, that the Spirit is said
épouvão, to search or inquire into the deep things of God;
and is consequently a different Being from that

O4

God,

1

God, whose deep things, tho' he does search or inquire into them, yet he has not a primary, immediat and necessary Knowledge of: I answer, 1. That whatever the original Notation of it is, yet the Word épovão is sometimes used, when 'cwould be Blasphemy to suppose any proper search or inquiry, or any thing less than a primary, immediat and necessary Knowledge. Particularly this very Apostle says, Rom. 8. 27. that God does épdrão (which must undoubtedly mean, that God does, not search or inquire into, but throughly understand, viz.by a primary, immediat and necessary Knowledge) the Hearts of Men. 2. 'Tis remarkable, that in this very Instance, the Apostle proves that the Spirit does égolvão the deep things of God, because he knows them as a Man knows his own secrets, viz. not by inquiry, but by a primary, immediat and necessary Knowledge. So that it may as well be pretended, that the Spirit of a Man is a different Being from the Man himself, because the Spirit of a Man knows the Secrets of a Man; as that the Spirit of God is a different Being from God, because he does polovêr the deep things of God.

2. The Angel told the blessed Virgin Mary, that her Son should be called the Son of the Highest, and the Son of God, that is, the Son of the selfexistent Being, Luke 1. 32, 35. And for what reason? Why, for that Reason which the Angel exprelly gave, when he said, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest Mall overshadow thee : therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, Mall be. called the Son of God, v. 35. You see, the Man Christ Jesus is therefore the son of the most High God, because the Holy Ghoft begat him.

OW