Imatges de pàgina
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** it is not intended, that Directions were given them to go from one Place to another in the "Manner as one Man does to another, when «he is faid to fend him; but to send, as it

is thus applied to the Father or Son, figni"fies an Act in it felf indeed to us incom

prehenfible; but as near, as may be in "God, correfponding to the Action of fend“ing in Man, and which, for Want of a "more proper Word, we are forced to ex"prefs by the fame Name. This I take to

be a rational Anfwer to those two Objec"tions of the Unitarians, which I have above "proposed, and fufficient to satisfy every Man, "who is content with St. Paul, as long as he "is in this Life, to know the Things of God "in Part, &c. Nor is there any other Dif

ficulty in the Holy Trinity, as it is ex"preffed either in the Holy Scripture, or in "the Creeds and Liturgy of our Church, but "what in the fame Manner may be fairly ac"counted for Sect. 36. I take this Way of "accounting for the Attributes, Actions and "Perfons of the Godhead to be not only in "itself very fatisfactory; but also, if rightly "understood, of great Importance towards "putting an End to all thofe Disputes that "have arisen in the World about these Mat

"ters;

"ters; and if the Reader is not fatisfy'd with "what I have here faid, I defire him, before "he paffes his Cenfure, to have Recourse to "the School Divines, who have handled this

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Subject; particularly I recommend to him "Tho. Aquinas contra Gent. cum Com. Fran. "de Silv. Lib.1. Cap. 32, 33, 34. where he will "find these three Things exprefly maintain'd. "First, That when we make use of the fame "Words in fpeaking of God, and of any o"ther Thing; fuch Words are not to be un"derstood univocally, or in one and the fame "Signification, the Nature and Effence of "God not being of the fame Kind or Sort with that of any other Thing whatsoever. Secondly, That yet fuch Words are not to "be understood to be meerly equivocal, or "the fame in Sound only, but without any "Manner of Agreement in their Senfe or Sig"nification. For there may and ought to be "an Agreement, though not an univerfal

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one, in the Signification of every Word, "that is applied to God and any Creature; "that is to fay, when at any Time we speak "of God in the fame Words as we do of a

Creature, the Ufe of fuch Words ought not "to be altogether groundless and precarious, "but founded upon fome juft and fufficient I "Reason.

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"Reafon. Thirdly, Therefore that fuch Words "are always to be understood analogically, that "is to fay, with some reasonable and well'grounded Resemblance of Signification in "fuch their different Application: For fince "in this Life we have no immediate or fen"fible Knowledge of God, but only trace as "much as we can of his Nature and Attri"butes from thofe Effects, which immediate"ly incur into our Senses and Understanding, " and of which we can demonftrate him to be "the Caufe; either we must have no Con

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ception at all of such his Nature and Attri"butes, or else we must conceive them, as well "as we can (and in fuch a Manner, as may "be a fufficient Foundation for our Duty)

from fome faint and dark Refemblance, “which we apprehend to be between them " and those of fome of his Creatures.

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Or if

"the Reader is not willing to trouble him"felf with the difficult Terms of the Schools; "let him read his Grace the Lord Archbishop "of Dublin's Sermon, entitled Divine Predeftination and Foreknowledge confiftent with "the Freedom of Man's Will, where he will "find this Matter very clearly and fatisfactorily handled." So much I thought proper to transcribe from the excellent fmall Tract above

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above-mentioned, because therein this Matter is clearly represented, and it is entirely agreeable to my own Sentiments. I need add no more (having already, I am afraid, too much trespassed upon your Patience) but that I am with the greatest Respect,

SIR,

Your most obliged bumble Servant, &c.

FINIS.

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