Observations, censures, and confutations of notorious errours in Mr. Hobbes his Leviathan and other his bookes to which are annexed occasionall anim-adversions on some writings of the Socinians and such hæreticks of the same opinion with him / by William Lucy ...

Sect. 14.

It may be justly enquired now, why we should call these three persons, since they are not so termed in Scri∣pture.

This question was debated by S. Augustine long ago,* 1.1 in his 7. book de Trinitate, cap. 4. and, methink's, satisfactorily, in the which he hath these passages; first, Since the Father is God, the Son God, and the holy Ghost God, why are there not three Gods? He that saith the Scripture doth not call them three Gods, and therefore he dare's not, answer's himself, for neither doth the Scri∣pture call them three persons. He had shewed before, that the Scripture saith, that there is one God, and that these three are called God; but as he had shewed, that although the Scripture doth not say, that there is one essence of God, yet we believe confidently, there is but one essence; so may we do of these persons; take this phrase, Propterea licuit, disputandi necessitate, tres perso∣nas dicere, non quia Scriptura dicit, sed quia Scriptura non contradicit: he saith, That the necessity of Disputation make's a man say something, which is not against Scripture, in this point; and that is enough, for if the Scripture ex∣press that there are three, and that loquendi causâ (as he speak's at the beginning of that chapter) de ineffabilibus ••ari aliquo modo possumus quod ••ffa i nullo modo p••ssumus; That (saith he) we may say somewhat of these unspeakable things, which we cannot clearly speak out in full and signifi∣cant terms, we speak thus: And again in the same chap. Excedit supereminentia Divinitatis usitati eloquii faculta∣tem; verius enim cogitatur Deus, quàm dicitur; & ve∣••ius est, quàm cogitatur; the result of which is this, that the thoughts of man are short of the Divine perfections, and the language of man short of his thoughts; because our lan∣guage being formed to our usual business, which we converse about, all which are excelled infinitely by the divine per∣fections, they must be short in their expressions of those di∣vine excellencies: And therefore again that most excel∣lent

and learned man in the same chap. Quid igitur re∣stat, nisi ut fateamur loquendi necessitate parta haec voca∣bula? and indeed they are the most significant which can be found out; for since we conceive that this term person is the last actuality and addition which can be made to any reasonable substance, it may most justly be applied to this of the Trinity and each distinct suppositum thereof; but still with this reservation, that the Divine things are ineffable and not fully to be conceived, much less expressed by us; say God's essence is thus, or thus, we may; but to say, that that language, whatsoever it be, doth fully express his essence, or being, is a presumption in any man; and the like, and no otherwise, of these personalities, it is the nearest expression man can make, and let us be contented with it. A second question may be,* 1.2 whether this personal distinction in the Trinity be a main and great difference, or some little and inconsider∣able thing: For answer to this, my humility and adora∣tion of the Divine persons is such, that I dare affirm positively nothing in the world, which is not expressed in the holy Scripture; a relation we are sure there is, by which the one is signified to us and not the other, as the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit proceeding from them, which spiration signifie's a procession, which always involve's a person proceeded, and a person from whence it proceeded; and these relations must needs be founded in some substance; when we consider them in God, who hath no accident, but what difference is in that founda∣tion the Scripture is silent, I am at a maze, whether in∣finite, bccause whatsoever is in God is infinite, and there∣fore some may conceive it such; but then they must make the unity in God infinite likewise, because that is most primarily affirmed in him, and yet both may be in

him, though they seem impossible in us, whose perfecti∣ons excell our thoughts, as much as these irreconciliable things amount unto; and therefore here I could, with Mr. Hobbes,* 1.3 declaim bitterly against the School, who so boldly intrude their busy Wits into the unsearchable things of God, by rashly, according to their imaginati∣on, determining twenty, yea an hundred, things about the Trinity, which God hath not revealed, and yet lazily sitting still, and not endeavouring to make their under∣standings mount up to those things which God hath revealed; it is a most vertuous industry in man, to make his Reason wait upon Faith as close as it can; but it is an effect of a most busy and presumptuous under∣taking, to adventure to pry into that Ark, which God hath concealed and hid; as I have attempted the one, so I have abstained from the other.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Why they are called three persons▪ being no Scripture-language, and ••ow, long ago, debated by St. August••ne.
• * 1.2

  The extent or limits of this personal di∣sti••ction the Bish••p ••eve∣••ently for∣bear's to de∣term••ne.
• * 1.3

  And disl••ke's the rash curio∣sity of the School-men.