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PRINCETON, N. J.
HHXATIO.V <>I.-
SAMUEL AG NEW,
OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.
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"T y iJ j.JH^gfl
THE
Holy Scriptural Dextrine
O F T H E
Divine Trinity in Effential Unity,
AND THE
Supreme Godhead cf JESUS CHRIST
Being one and the fame with his Father's :
Shewn to be not only demonftrative, but moft clearly
conceivable fpiritual, and Scriptural Truths.
Wherewith is occcafionally fhewn,
That although the Newtonian Philofophy be for-
mally and mathematically true; yet it is materially
and phyfically falfe.
To which is prefixed
A Prefatory Difcourfe, wherein the Phyfical, Metaphy-
seal, and Theological Errors of a late Treatife, en-
titled, an Effay on Spirit, are clearly fhewn and con-
futed.
By JOHN~SCo¥r 9 D. D.
Author of the late Notes and Obfervations on the
Three Fir ft Chapters of (^pvpqto
There are Three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Spirit, and theft Three are One,
i John v. ver. 7 â– ' .
For in him dwelt all the Fulnefs of the Godhead bodily,
Colof ii. ver. 9.
A Man that is an Heretic, after a firft and fecond Au?no-
nition, rejecl. Titus ill - ver. io»
L N D O im-
printed for the Author, and to be had at his Houfe, in
brchard-ftteet, Weftminfler ; and at Mr. Wood fall's,
Printer, at Charing-Crofs ; and at Mr. Hawkins's.
Bookfeller, at Milton's Head, between the two TempU
Gates, Fleet free t, 1754.
Price Seven Shillings ftitch'd.
Where may be alfo had, his Notes and Obfervations on
the Three firft Chapters cf Genefis y Price ftuch'd Sevtn
Shillings.
_l
( "i )
THE
P RE FACE.
*"" ""^ H E Treatife which I herewith pre-
lent to the Publick, is Part of a
large Work about which I have been long
employed, and intitled An Apology for the
one and only true and divinely revealed fanBi-
fying and Javing, fpiritual and /criptural, and
Chrijlian Religion, that ever was y . or ever
will, or can be in the World. And which is
now prepared and ready for the Prefs, and will
be published by Subfcription ; as fbori as a
Number of Perfons fufficient to defray the
Charge of the Impreflion, fhall have fub-
fcribed to it.
My Defign in this Apology is to revive
and reftore to the World, this one and only
Religion in its original Purity, purged and
purified from all thofe corrupt impure Mix-
tures which have been blended with it, by all
the corrupt, and falfe, and fuperftitious, and
fchifmatical Churches, which have ftarted up
and appeared in the World > from the Begin-
a nin£
iv The PREFACE.
ning; by which this one and only true Reli-
gion hath been fo altered and deformed, tha
it is hardly to be known, and therefore but
very little known even in Chriftendom.
And therein I (hew, that the whole of this
one and only true fanctifying and faving Re-
ligion, con flits in perfect Obedience to the
divinely revealed, and moll perfect and per-
fectly purifying fpiritual Law of perfect
Righteouineis ; which confifts in one Precept,
indifpenfably obliging all Mankind to mortify,
and purify their Spirits from all bodily Lufts,
bv which and by which only, they are moved
and tempted to all the Wickednefs they com-
mit in this World, and which are the only
true and real Devils, by whofe unquenchable
Flames the impenitently wicked are everlaft-
ingly tormented in the next. And in the fin-
cere and true Belief of three fundamental and
divinely revealed, and demon ftratively true Ar-
ticles of Faith, viz. Firjl y That there is a God.
Secondly, That Men have immaterial and im-
mortal Spirits. And Thirdly, that there is a fu-
ture State after this Life, which will be a State
of either perfect and endiefs Happinefs, or of
mod exquifite and everlailing fpiritual Mifery
in the next World ; according as Men have
provided and laid up the one or the other for
themfelves, during their Continuance in this >
by perfevering in Obedience or Diiobedience
to this perfectly purifying fpiritual Law \ and
in the fincere and true Belief or Difbelief of
thefs
The PRE FACE. %
*hefe three fundamental Articles of Faith
which contain all the mod powerful Motives
and indifpenfable Obligations to Perfeve-
rance in perfect Obedience to this mod per-
fect: and perfectly purifying and divinely re-
vealed fpiritual Law of perfect Righteouf-
nefs.
And that this original and fundamental
Law, and thefe three fundamental Articles of
the Faith, are the fundamental Points upon
which all the Law and the Prophets, and all
that was preached by our blefed Lord and
Saviour ye/us Gbrift* and all that was com*
mitted to Writing by his Evangel! its and
Apoftlcs hang and depend. And that they
of themfelves are a mod perfect and com-
pleat, and the only perfect and com pleat
Rule of Faith and Morals that ever was in
the World. And they, taken together, aro
an infallible Rule and Standard, and the only
infallible Rule and Standard, by which all
particular Texts of Scripture relating to Faith
and Morals can be truly, and therefore ought
always to be interpreted. And an infallible
Rule by which we can always and readily di£
cover, whether any particular Texts of Scrip-
ture be genuine, (7. e.) whether they were
written by Perfons infpired, or affifted by the
Holy Spirit of God, or thefpurious Interpola-
tions of wicked Men, And they are alfo the
only true and infallible Rule and Standard by
Wiich we can truly judge of all the parti-
a 2 cala:
vi The PREFACE.
c ular diflinguiming religious Do&rines and
Precepts of all particular Churches, Sect%
and Perfons, whether they be true or falfe,
and righteous or wicked ; and to which all
fuch particular Doctrines and Precepts ought
always to be brought and tried, and judged of,
whether they be true or falfe, or righteous or
wicked, and conducive to, or deftructive of
true and fpiritual Sanctification, Salvation, and
true and rational Happinefs both temppral
and everlafting, and confequently whether
they ought to be embraced or rejected.
And as this divinely revealed fundamental,
fpiritual and fcriptural Law, and thtfe thiee
fundamental Articles of divinely revealed, fpi-
ritual, or fcriptural Faith, which contain the
powerful Motives, and indifpcnfable Obliga-
tions to Perfeverance in perfect Obedience to
this Law, contain the whole of the one, and
only true fandtifying and laving Religion,
wbofe Defence 1 have undertaken ; and all
Things necefiky to be known, and fincerely
and truly believed and done by all Ranks and
Orders pi Mankind, in order to their being
perfectly qualified for the Enjoyment and At-
tainment of tine and fpiritual Sanctification,
Salvation, and eternal Life ; and felf-fufficient,
but io indifpenlably neceffary to be perfectly
obeyed, and fincerely and truly believed by all
Ranks and Orders of Mankind, in all States
and Stations, from the higheft to the iowefr,
that itkiropoflibleby the Reafon of Things for
any
The PREFACE. vii
a ny Perfon to obtain any one of thefe great
neceffary Ufes and good Ends, without per-
fectly obeying the one, and fincerely believ-
ing the other; which io powerfully tend to
move Mankind to mortify and purify their
Spirits from all bodily Lufts, and to love
God with all their Hearts, &c. whilll they
are in this World, without which no
Man can poffibly be truly or ipiritually
happy, or other wife than fpiritually miferable
in this World, and everiaitingly fo in the
next. I therefore thought it my Duty as an
Apologiit for this one and only true fandtify-
ing and faving, and fpiritual and holy fcrip-
tural Religion, and for moving and encoura-
ging Mankind to awake and return to it, and
embrace it, and perfevere in perfect Obedi-
ence to its mofl perfect and perfectly purify-
ing fundamental Law, and in the fincere and
true Belief of the three fundamental Articles of
its Faith ; which together comprehend and
contain the whole of this one or only true
fandtifying and faving Religion. To fet before
them, i/l y The divine Original or Revelation
of that Law. And, idly, the felf-evident Per-
fection, and perfect Righteoufnefs, and puri-
fying Tendency of it. And, $dly 9 the in^
difpenfable Necetiity of perfevering in perfect
Obedience to it. And tfhly, the divine O-
riginal or Revelation of the three fundamen-
tal Articles of the fpiritual and fcriptural
Paith ; which contain the powerful Mo-
a 3 tive*
viii The P REFAE.
tives and indifpenfable Obligations toPerfeve-
rance, in Obedience to this moft perfect and
perfectly purifying fpiritual and fcriptural Law.
And, $thly, the demonftrative Truth of thefe
three fundamental Articles of the fpiritual and
holy fcriptural Faith. And 6thly, the indif-
penfable Neceffity of perfevering in the fin-
cere and true Belief of thefe three Articles of
Faith all the Days of our Lives. And, jtbly,
that the divinely inftituted inftrudive and
Memorial ritual Ordinances, are not Parts of
this one and only true fandifying and faving
Religion (as they have been taught to be, by
all the corrupt and falfe and fuperftiiious and
fchifmatical Churches that have ever fince
been in the World, who have always abufed
and perverted them to fuperftitious Ends or
Purpofes) aiiti that they were inftituted for
no other End or Purpofe than for inftrud-
ing Mankind in the Knowledge of, and for
putting them continually in Mind of the in-
difpenfabte Neceffity and Self-fufficiency of
perfevering in fhe fincere and true Belief of
the three fundamental Articles of the divinely
revealed and demonftratively true fpiritual
and holy fcriptural Faith, and in perfect Obe-
dience to the divinely revealed, fundametal
fpiritual and fcriptural Law, in order to their
San&irication, Salvation, and true and rational
Happinefs, both temporal and everlafting.
And that although they be necefiary and be-
neficial to be publickly obferved, when, and
wherever
The P R E F A C E. \x
wherever they are publickly adminiftered, ac-
cording to God's Appointment ; and for the
End for which he appointed them to be (b ad-
miniftered 5 and by thofe Perfons, and by
thofe only whom he hath appointed and au-
thorized, exclufively of all others, publickly
to adminifter them. Yet they are not to
be looked upon as indifpenfably necefTary to be
fo obferved ; as the Faith and Law are to be
believed and obeyed, in order to Sanclihcation,
Salvation and eternal Life.
And in my Apology for this one, and on-
ly true fandifying and faving, and divinely
revealed fpiritual, and holy fcriptural Religion,
I have moft clearly and demonftratively
proved all the aforementioned Points, which
are indifpenfably necefTary to be fincerely and
truly believed and obeyed; and therefore to
be kept in continual Remembrance by all
Mankind, and may with a very little Pains
be as eafily remembered by them, as their
own Names, or any other Thing that may
be incumbent upon them to keep in Re-
membrance. So when I was upon the De-
monftration of the Being of a God, I judged
it necefTary, to fhew from the Revelations
and fenfible Reprefentations that he hath been
gracioufly pleafed to make of himfelf in his
holy Word, in order to enable us to form juft
and true, and fpiritually beneficial, although
not complete and adequate, Notions, of his
Vbiquity or Ommprefence y and of his other
a 4, won*
x The P R E F A C E.
wonderful and amiable, and adorable and in-
exhauftible revealed Perfections, and his won-
derful Manner of fubiifting or acting in a
Plurality of Perlbns or intelligent Agents in
the one Jehovah, or divine Effence ; and that
this Plurality of divine Perfons, different and
diftinguifhable from each other by their dif-
ferent States and Forms, and Motions, Ope-
rations or Actions, but one and the fame in
refpect of the one Effence in which they fub-
fifted, which is fo undivided and indivisible,
and infeparable, that no one of them could
fubfift as an Agent, or move or act effentially
divided and feparate from, &nd independent
of both the other, were co-eternal, co-effential
and co-equal in all their divine Powers, Pro-
perties and Perfections attributed to them; fo
that none of them was, or is before or after
other, nor greater nor lefs, nor fuperior nor
inferior to other ; and that, although the
particular Actions of each of them are differ-
ent from the Actions of each of the other,
yet the particular Actions of any one of them
may with juft and equal Propriety be afcribed
to either of the other, becaufe no one of
them could have been performed by any one
of them feparately and independently of the
other two 5 or if the whole three Perfons had
not co-operated, and in different Ways and
Manners, in the Production of them: So that
any of the Actions of any one of them may
with equal Propriety be afcribed to
any
The PREFACE. xi
any other of them, and to the whole three
Perfons; and therefore when any Action is
afcribed to any one of them, it is not to be
afcribed to him, exclufively of the other two.
And as each of thefe Perfons, fo diftinguiuhed
froin each other, as I have before obferved,
are divine Perfons, and may therefore be each
of them called God?, yet, when either the
Father, Son or Holy Ghoft, are called God,
it is not to be underftood, as if any one of
them was God, exclufive of the other two;
fo that although the Father be God, and the
Son be God, and the Holy Ghoft'be God,
yet thefe three co-eternal' and co-effential,'
and in every Refpecl co-equal Perfons, are in
effential Unity together but one God. And
all thefe Things 1 have not only fhewn to be
demon ft ratively true, but as clearly conceiva-
ble Truths as any are in the natural or ma-
terial World, by the Revelations and fenfibly
perceptible Representations which God hath
been moft gracioufly pleafed to make of him.
felf, by the material and vifible Heavens, in
his holy Word ; by which I have put 'the
Truth of the Doftrine of the Trinity of three
divine Perfons in effential Unity in the one
Jehovah, and all co-eternal, co-effential and
co-equal in all divine Powers, Properties and
Perfections, out of all Doubt, and thereby
put a Stop to all future Controverfy about
that Point, among Perfons capable of being
con-
xii The PREFACE.
convinced of their Error by the Power and
Force of mod clear and demon ftrative Truth.
And I have likewife there (hewn from the
holy Scriptures, that the Word Father when
it is there underftood of God, is taken in a
twofold and different Senfe: Firjl y For the
whole three Perfons in the divine Trinity,
taken together, who is, or are the Father of
Our bleffed Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift y
fcnd that thefe three Perfons together with
our Lord Jefus Chri/i is the God and Father
of all Mankind j and in this Senfe it is taken
\vhen we fay our heavenly Father, or our Fa-
ther which art in Heaven, (u e.) who haft:
been gracioufly pleafed fenfibly to fignify and
reprefent thyfelf to us, by thy material and
vifible Heavens, as a Plurality of Perfons in
effential Unity. And, Secondly^ For one of
thofe co-eternal and co-eflential, and in every
Refpeft co-equal Perfons in the divine Trini-
ty, diftinguifned by the perfonal Names of
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, that we might
be thereby inftrudted and taught, that the
three co-eternal and co-eflential Perfons
in the divine Trinity, are living and intelli-
gent Agents, and not fuch lifelefs and unin-
telligent Agents as they are reprefented by, in
the material Heavens, in order to render
their fubfifting in Plurality in eflential Unity
conceivable by us. And thefe two different
Acceptationi of the Word Father in the ho-
ly Scriptures, ought to be carefully dif-
tinguiihedy
The PR EE ACE. xli!
tinguiflied, for by Men's having confounded
them together, and by their not having kept
up the Diftindion between them, great and
virulent Contentions have been raifed and
continued for many Ages m the Chriftian
Church, which have greatly contributed to
the Corruption of the Faith, and to the
Growth of deftruflive and damnable Hcr -
fies.
And I have Iikewife (hewn, that the
Word Son, when understood of the Son of
God in the holy Scriptures, is alfo taken in a
two fold and different Senfe: Firji, For one
of the divine Perfons in the ever bleffed
divine Trinity, perfonally diftinguifhed by
the Name of the Son, from the other two
Perfons, fo diftinguifhed by the peribnaj
Names of the Father and Holy Spirit 5 and
who is co-eternal and co-effential, and 'in all
Refpecls co-equal with and to the Perfon
diftinguifhed by the Name of the Father in
the divine Trinity. And, Secondly, For the
only begotten Son of God, (/. e .) f the
whole divine Trinity, who together are but
one God, the Father of our Lord Jefus
Chrifti and who together with him is the
Father of all Mankind, and of all Things
vifiblc and invifible; and that the only be-
gotten Son Jefus Chrift is not co-etcrnal nor
co-effential, nor co-equal in RefpecT: of his
Humanity, with any of the Perfons in the
divine Trinity, diflinguifhed by the perfonai
Names
xiv The PREFACE.
Names of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and
who neither is, nor ever was one of the Per-
sons in the divine Trinity : And whom I have
there fhewn to be God together with, but
not exclufive of his Father (the whole Trinity)
muft intimately and fpiritually, /. e. intel-
lectually and morally) and alfo effentially
united to him, and dwelling in him with all
the Fulnefs of the Godhead, by Means of
that holy Spirit of Faith, which was com-
municated to him without Meafure or
Bounds, by which his Knowledge, Will,
Words and Actions became one and the fame
y^kh his Father's; and his Father's Know-
ledge, Will, Words and Actions became one
and the fame with his ; fo that whatever he.
laid or did, might with juft and equal
propriety be afcribed to his Father ; and
whatever his Father faid or did at any Time,
Smight be with as juft, ftridt and equal Pro-
priety be afcribed to him, they being fpiritually,
and alfo effentially one, by Means of the im-
menfurable Spirit of Faith, which was com-
municated to him by his Father ; and there-
fore, he faid with moft Uriel: Juftice and
Propriety, that, He that hath Jeen me> hath
feen my Father, he and his Father being one.
And therefore when he is faid to be equal to
God, and to be the eternal and true God, it
is to be underftood of the Godhead, which
was moft intimately and infeparably united to
him, and dwelt in him in all Fulnefs. Thefe
Things
The PREFACE. xv
Things I chofe to (hew, and fet forth from
the holy Sariptures, concerning the Man
jfejus Chri/l, the only begotten Son of God,
in order to put an effe&ual Stop to all
future Conteft and Controverfy, concerning
the Truth and Reality of his Godhead, as it
is moft clearly fet forth in the holy Scriptures,
and therefore to be taken in no other Senfe
than as it is there fet forth ; and not as fcrip-
turally ignorant Men, who have followed
their own groundless Imaginations have fet
it forth, in their unintelligible Attempts other-
wife to explain it.
And 1 have likewife there fhewn, that by
Men's not having diftinguifhed between the
Perfon in th^ divine Trinity, difUnguifhed
by the Name of the holy Spirit, who is co-
eternal and co-eiTential, and co-equal w 7 ith
the Perfon s diftinguifhed by the Names of
the Father and the Son: And the holy Spirit
of fanctifying and faving Faith, which ft
obtained by the fincere and true Belief of
the divinely revealed Word of God, have
railed and run into Difputes and Contefb,
by which Multitudes have been brought to
waver, and many to depart from the Faith,
to the everlafting Deftru&ion of their im-
mortal Spirits.
Thefe Difputes were all originally raifed
and fet on Foot by Heretics, who were ra-
ther guided by the fake Syftems of Philo-
fophy by which they had been prejudiced,
than
V
xvi The PREFACE.
than by the holy Scriptures, whofe Do&rines
and Precepts they profeffed and pretended to
embrace, and which contain and fet forth
the only true Principles of natural Philofo-
phy or Phyfta > and of fupernatural Philofo-
phy or MetaphyficSy and of moral Philofophy
or Ethics, that ever appeared in the World,
as I have elfewhere fhewn. And they have
been continued and carried on by the Arians,
and the antient Refiners upon them the Sa-
belliam, and the Revivers of their Do&rinc
the SocinianSy and the modern Refiners upon
Arianijm y the late Dr. Clarke, and his Co-
adjutors and Adherents, who not diftinguifh-
ing between the Father of our Lord Je/us
Cbrifi, and the Perfon diftin^uifhed by the
Name of the Father in the divine Trinity ;
nor between the Perfon diftinguifhed by the
Name of the Son in the Trinity, who is
co- eternal, co-eflential, and in ali Refpe&s
co-equal to the Perfon diftinguiihed, and
called by the Name of the Father in the
Trinity , and between the only begotten Son
of God, the Man Jefus Chrijl, who is not
one of the three Perfbns in that divine Tri-
nity -, nor between the Perfon diflinguifhed
by the Name of the holy Spirit in the di-
vine Trinity, who is co-eternal and co-effen-
tial, and in all Refpcdls cc-equal to the Per?
fons diflinguifhed, and called by the Names
of the Father, and the Son in the Trinity ;
and that holy Spirit of fanftifying and laving
Faith, which is obtained by the fincere and
true
The PRE FA C E. xvii
true Belief of the divinely revealed Word
of God, have all along believed, among
other Falftioods, That the true and ortho-
dox Church of God, believed and taught*
that the only begotten Son of God, the Man
Chrijl Jejus, was one of the three Perfons ia
the divine Trinity, and that he as Man, was
co-eternal and co-effential, and co-equal with
the Perfon called the Father in the divine.
Trinity, which were Doctrines which thq
true and orthodox Church of God never be-
lieved nor taught j for to have done fo, would
have fhewn, that fhe was not Orthodox, and
that fhe taught Doctrines or Articles of Faith,
that did not tend to move Mankind to lov*
God with all their Hearts, nor to Perfe-
verance in perfect Obedience to the only
perfect, and perfectly purifying, fpiritual ancj
icriptural Law, (For all the divinely re-
vealed and fcriptural Articles of Faith, which,
the true Church of God hath always taught^
or required Mankind to believe, were always,
to be known by their evident Tendency to,
move Men powerfully to perfevere in doing
thofe two Things, which are not only in-
difpenfably neceflary, but all the Things that
are in any Meafure neceflary to be done by
them, in order to their Sanctification and Sal-
vation, and eternal Life ; and that only in*
fallible Criterion by which they can be known,
and by which we may clearly perceive and
judge, whether the Doctrines of the co-eter-
fiat
xviii The PREFACE.
nal and co-effential Trinity in the one "Je-
hovah or divine Effence : And of the truly
adorable Divinity of J ejus Chr(/l y the only
begotten Son of God, as fet forth in the holy
Scriptures, and taught by the only catholic
Church ; or the Doctrines of the Arians,
and of the Refiners upon Arianifm^ concern-
ing thefe two Points, be the Truth.) How-
ever, under this Miftake of the true fcriptu-
ral Doctrine, which hath been always taught
by the catholic and truly orthodox Church of
God, the Arians and Refiners upon them,
have raifed and carried on warm and virulent
Difputes againft her, charging her with teach-
ing Doctrines which (he never taught. And
having overlooked the fenfible Reprefentation,
which God was moil gracioufly pleafed to
make of himfelf, by the material or vilible'
Heaven, in order to render his Ubiquity or
Omniprefence, and his Manner of fubfifting
and operating in a Plurality of Perfons in
the one Jehovah or divine EfTence, clearly
conceivable by us, that we might by that
Reprefentation perfectly underftand the Re-
velations he had made concerning his Plu-
rality in Unity, which would' have been
otherwife inconceivable and unintelligible by
ns. And that we might likewife thereby clear-
ly perceive, that theie three perfectly diflindt
and different Perfons, cfTentially and infepa-
rably united in the one Jehovah or divine
Effence, were co-eternal, co-elTential^ and co-
equal
The PREFACE. xlx
equal in all Refpe&s with each other; and
yet not three Gods independent of each other,
and therefore altogether but one God. And