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ibid.

An Answer to the Abfurdities and Contradictions charged on the Do-

Erine of the Trinity by the Brief Notes.

ty

100

ty in Unity, reconciled to the foregoing Explication of it.
That the Fathers made the Three Divine Perfons Three distinct infi
nite Minds.

Page for

That Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft are as diftinct Perfons, as Peter,
James, and John, bow to be understood.

How the Fathers Explain the Unity of the Godbead.

1. By the oμoxoToTns or coeffentiality of the Divine Perfons.

What they meant by the ὁμοσιότης.

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How they proved the Unity of Effence from the fameness of Nature.
Gregory Nyffen's reafoning in this matter, and vindicated from

the Mifreprefentations of Petavius and Dr. Cudworth. 109,&c.

2 To this the Fathers added a Numerical Unity of the Divine Ef-

fence.

Concerning the Unity of Energy and Power.

The dexenons or Circuminceffion is Self-consciousness.

123

125

129,&c.

The Unity of the Godbead confifts in the Unity of Principle.
How the Three Divine Perfons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are ef
fential to the Notion of One God, explained at large.

SECT. VI. Concerning expounding Scripture by Reafon.

The Arguments against a Trinity in the Hiftory of the Unitarians,
**Letter 1. particularly answered.

I Coloff.17. The first-born of every Creature explained.

14a.

153,&c.

His third, fourth, and fifth Arguments answered.

196

His eighth Argument from thofe Texts, which declare that the Fa

ther only is God.

ibid.

No need of any new Command to Worship the Holy Ghost, when it
is revealed, that he is One God with the Farber and Son. ibid.

That the Scripture freaks of God as One person Answered. 196

Whether the Socinian Faith be a reafenable and accountable Farb.

The Socinian Faith ridicules the Scriptures.

This is particularly fhown in the Expofitions of Scripture, contained
in the Hiftory of the Unitarians.

ibid.

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A

VINDICATION

Of the DOCTRINE

OF THE

Holy and Ever Blessed TRINITY,

AND OF THE

Incarnation of the SON of GOD,

In ANSWER to the Brief NOTES on the Creed of St. Athanafius.

SECT. I.

Concerning the Nature of a Contradiction, and

B

how to know it.

EFORE I particularly Examine the Brief Notes on Athanafius's Creed, which under a pretence of expofing that Creed, charge the Chriftian Faith itself of Three Perfons and One God, with the most monftrous Abfurdities and Contradictions: I fhall, I. Shew what a Contradiction is, and in what cafes we can judge of a Contradiction. 2. I fhall take a brief view of the Athanafian Creed,

B

and

and fhew that it fignifies no more than that there are Three Perfons and One God, or a Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity; and that if we own this, we muft own the particular Explications of the Athanafran Creed.

First, As for the first: A Contradiction is to deny and affirm the fame thing in the fame fense; as to say, that a thing is, and is not at the fame time; that there is but One God, and that there is Three Gods; that is, that there is, and that there is not, but One God; for if there be Three Gods, then it is not true that there is only One God: Things which are fo contrary as to contradict each other, can never be both true, for all Contradictions finally refolve into this: It is, and It is not; which is abfolutely impoffible.

;

But when we come to apply this to the nature of Things, we may eafily fancy Contradictions where there are none: For a Contradiction in the nature of Things, is fuch a Notion or Idea of any thing as implies a Contradiction and then it is impoffible any fuch thing can be, as it is impoffible, that fuch a Proposition whose terms contradict each other fhould be true but then before we can pronounce, that fuch a Notion or Idea is contradictious, we must be fure, that we perfectly understand and comprehend the nature of that Being, otherwife the Contradiction may not be in the thing, but in our manner of conceiving it It is not enough in this cafe to say, we cannot understand it, and know not how to reconcile it; but we must say, that we do perfectly underftand it, and know that it cannot be reconciled.

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