Trenaus (advef. Her. l. 3. c. 17.) Difputes against thofe who faid that Jefus was the Receptacle of Chrift, upon whom Chrift Defcended like a Dove; So you fee this is no new fhift of our Authors to avoid this Text.

Origin (in John, p. 416. 2. Tom fays, That the Son is the Brightness of all Gods Glory, as it is deliver'd by Paul. Heb. 1. 3. who being the Brightness of his Glory. But ther are particular Brightneffes, which come from this Brightness of all the Glory. But none can partake of the Whole Brightness of all Gods Glory durỡ Except His Son. And, fays he, if you add His Spirit too, you will think and fpeak most truly and perfectly of God. These are the words of Origin.

SOC. I must not now be Diverted, I have had my faying to that Argument already. Therefore I defire to know if you have any more to prove the Diverfity of Perfons in God, or, which is the fame, that either of the two, the Word, or the Spirit, are Perfons.

2.

CHR. John. 16. 13, 14. Chrift fays of the SpiritHe ball not speak of Himfelf, He shall receive of mine, and The Holy fhew it to you; and in anfwer to this, the Hift. of Unita. Ghost a Perfon. pag. 99. fays, That of those who are Unitarians, all the Arians and very many Socinians do acknowledge that the Holy Spirit is a PERSOŇ.

SOC. But in the fame Place, they deny Him to be God. And make Him only Chief of the Heavenly Spirits, and, prime Minister of God, and of Chrift.

CHR. Then you make Him not only to be a Creature, but to be a Subject or Minister to another Creature, which. is Chrift.

SOC. I cannot help that.

CHR. But what fay you of the Word of God? Is that a Creature too?

SOC. The Divine Wisdom and Power is call'd, The Word. As faid before.

clude all Particulars, without mentioning the particulars, or any of them.

But to take way all his excufe, thefe Words are exprefly apply'd to Chrift. Heb, 1. 10. Thou Lord in the Beginning haft laid the Foundation of the EARTH and the HEAVENS are the work of thine Hands. We fhall have occafion to clear this further by and by. verf. 2. it is faid by whom (Chrift) He (God) made the World. But your Author will not let this mean the Creation, because the words Heaven or Earth or Sea are not there, for the fame reafon he will except against ver. 3. of Chap. ii. The Worlds were fram'd by the Word of God, fo that things which are feen, were not made of things that do appear. These things which are feen must be Heaven, Earth or Sea. But it is no matter, if they be not nam'd it fhall not do : Befides the Apoftle is here making a Regular Deduction down all along from the Creation, which he begins verf. 3. in the words I have Repeated, then verf. 4. he comes to Abel, verf. 5. to Enoch. verf. 7. to Noah verf. 8. to Abraham, and fo on. But all this is nothing, that must not be the Creation whence this Narration begins, but it fhall be what came to pafs, fome thousand years after, and which has no Relation to the Narrative the Apoftle has in hand. But that the Creation may be meant without the Mention of Heaven, Earth or Sea, appears from A&t 17. 24. there it is faid. God that made the World and all things therein. That this was fpoken of the Creation no. Socinian dare deny. It is St. Paul's Argument to the Heathen Idolaters, who knew nothing of the Gofpel being call'd the Creation of the World. Indeed Hea ven and Earth are mention'd afterward, where it is faid that God is Lord of Heaven and Earth, but ther is no mention of Heaven or Earth, where it fpeaks of the Creation, and fo fpoilt our Authors Obfervation. Tho' if it were Granted him, it cou'd do him no Service, because the Creation is attributed to Chrift, with exprefs mention of Heaven and Earth, as before is fhewn, Heb. 1. 10. again

again. Col. 1. 16. By Him. (Chrift) were all things Created that are in Heaven, and that are in Earth. And ther are feveral other Texts to the fame purpose.

But ther is nothing better to confute a Socinian then plainly to fet down his Paraphrafe, and fhew how it fills the words of the Text. Thus then the Def. of the Hiftory Paraphrafes this verf. Joh, 1. 3. all things were made by him, and without him, was not any thing made, that was made. Paraphrafe. All things necessary to the Propagation of the Gospel, were Perform'd by him: "And without his Direction there was not any thing perform'd, that was perform'd.

A little of this art wou'd turn the whole Chap. of Gen. from meaning the Creation, or any thing else. I am weary of pursuing fuch Extravagance.

But let Creation mean only the Preaching of the Gofpel, or what you please, yet is not that it felf a Perfonal Action? How come you then to deny the Word to be a Perfon? You dare not truft your Cause, and all your Defence is because Wisdom is faid to Live, &c.

I have told you already, That the Second Perfon of the Trinity is defcrib'd by the name of Wisdom, in the Proverbs Particularly, and in many other Scriptures. But I need not this now, for I will freely acknowlege, That Actions proper to Perfons are fometimes, by a Figure, apply'd to things, and even Qualities.

But at the fame time you will allow me, that ther is a way to diftinguish 'twixt Figures and Plain fpeaking; and that a Figure will not do in every place; and that notwithstanding of Figures, we may deftinguish Perfons from Qualities. And no where more plainly than in the prefent Cafe. How cou'd you diftinguish one Perfon not to be another Person; or that the thing you speak of is not a naked Quality, more than to fay, He fball not speak of Himself- He hall receive of mine, and fhew it to you?

Do men ufe to say, that a Quality fhall not fpeak of it felf, which certainly cannot speak at all? Wou'd you make

Christ guilty of fuch a Figure of Speech as this? Domen
fay that a Quality, fhall Receive of one, and give it to
Another? If thefe be not Marks by which to diftinguish
Perfons, I wou'd defire to know any others that are more

certain.

All Actions are Perfonal Actions: And when they are afcrib'd to Qualities, it means, That it was by fuch Qua litys that the Perfon perform'd fuch an Action, otherwife it is not proper to afcribe Perfonal Actions to Qualities.

Ads. 13.2.

You will fay it was great Wisdom, Built fuch a Fabrick, Erected fuch a Monarchy, or the like effects of Wisdom: But you do not fay, That Wisdom walks in the Garden, or Rides fuch a Horfe, or calls fuch a Man by his Name, or grants him a Commiffion to go to fuch a Place, to do such things, which otherwise he had not Authority to do, let him have never fo much Wisdom as to Command a Troop of Horfe, to be Governor of fuch a Town, to Grant a Pardon or the like, Thefe are a little too Perfonal to afcribe to naked Qualities, and no man wou'd understand you, if you speak at fuch a Rate, you might as well give a Quality Power to Raife Money, declare War against France, and name every Ambaffdor, and fay Lord B fhall not not go, but Lord D fhall go.

SOC. This indeed wou'd be out of all roads of Speaking, but can you find that the Holy Ghoft ever fpoke fo particularly as this, and nam'd Perfons of Himfelf to do this or that, without Acting by Minifters, that is Inspiring Prophets to name Men, and the like.

CHR. Yes, as pofitively as ever was faid of any Perfon, and in Actions as Perfonal and Particular.

The Holy Ghoft faid feperate me Barnabas and Saul, for the Work whereunto I have called them.

thy

The Spirit faid unto PHILIP, go near and join Acts. 8.29. felf to this Chariot. And again, The Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip. ver. 39. Was not this a Perfonal Action? Cou'd a naked Quality catch a Man up in the Air, and carry

him

carry him from one place to another? The Spirit faid unto Peter, behold three Men Seek thee. Act 10. 19. Peter cou'd not tell by his own Wifdom, that ther were three Men feeking him; therefor this cannot be made Parallel to the Expreffion of Wisdom building a Houfe, or the like Effects of Wisdom in a Man; for this was no Effect of any Wisdom in Peter, but a Revelation to him from the Spirit; which therefor must be a Perfon.

It is not call'd a Revelation which I find out by any Wifdom God has given me.

Chrift fays, I will fend the Comforter to you from the Father. Do Men fend Qualities of Errands? Is not the Sender a different Perfon from him that is fent? Or do's a Man fend himself from himself? Befides Chrift was Conceiv'd by the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin, which fure is a Perfonal Action. Naked Qualities do not use to Beget or Generate.

SOC. This must be Confider'd of: But go on.

CHR. I wou'd defire you to tell me what Spirit it was which Chrift fpeaks of, Joh. 16. 13, 14. where he fays, That the Spirit fhall not fpeak of Himfelf, &c.

SOC. That is told you in the fecond Anfwer which we are now upon pag. 100. of Brief History. That it was the Holy Spirit, or Power of God.

CHR. Is this Spirit or Power any thing different from God?

SOC. No. That has been told you already from pag. 83. where it is faid in plain and exprefs Terms, That the Divine Wisdom and Power is not fomething different from God, but is God, and that 'Tis the common Maxim of Divines; that the Attributes and Properties of God, are God.

CHR. Then it was God, who was not to speak of him. Self; but to receive of Chriß; Chrift was to Dictat, and God to Repeat!

Foh. 15.26.

SOC.