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PROPOSITION IX.

PROVING THE DOCTRINE BY THE MORAL PERFECTIONS OF THE DIVINE BEING.-THE IMMEDIATE EXAMPLE IS THAT OF GOODNESS.

[The works of creation and providence are passed by, and the divine perfections themselves taken as the guideExemplified in goodness-The divine goodness could not be manifested or displayed in the whole extent of its own nature, in creation and providence, in any way that the human mind can conceive or imagine—If it be not manifested or displayed, according to its own nature, the Divine Being must be imperfect—It must, therefore, be manifested or displayed in the Divine Essence itself-It cannot be manifested in the Divine Essence itself, upon the principle of one mode of subsistence only-Therefore there must be a Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence-One divine person must necessarily communicate the whole of the Divine Essence and perfections, that they may subsist in a mode distinct from what they do in itself, and thereby the personality of a second is constituted—This is entirely according to the economy of the Divine Essence and perfections.]

1. HAVING Surveyed the natural and moral perfections of the Divine Being, so far, and found, by a careful and rational investigation, that by them we can demonstrate, in the most cogent and convincing manner, that there must be three, and that there can be neither more nor less than three, distinct modes of subsistence, or

persons, in the Divine Essence, standing in an incommunicable relation the one to the other, in order that the Divine Being may be absolutely perfect, independent, and happy, in itself, and also may fully and perfectly, in all respects, know itself;--we come now to survey that excellence. which we have so often quoted, as it is manifested in the moral perfections of the Divine Being; more particularly, to see whether, by the nature of these perfections, we can demonstrate the same truth; and, if so, then more fully to establish the foregoing theory, that the doctrine may appear still more clear, more satisfactory and convincing.

2. In attempting to explore the momentous and interesting subject of a Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence, we lay it down as a fundamental principle, that we must keep steadily in view the peculiar law of the constitution and economy of the activity, energy, operation, and influence, necessarily inhering in the life, intelligence, excellence, and efficiency, of the essence and moral perfections of the Divine Being.--And while we must never lose sight of these, we must rise, as far as possible, above the imperfect hints, and superficial views, of the doctrine, discoverable by general speculation on the works of creation and providence; and then endeavour, with the most careful attention, and steady perseverance, to lay hold of the divine moral perfections themselves, as the only certain, direct, and un

erring guide to such rational and demonstrative conclusions, as finite capacity is enabled to ascertain, by the cautious and laborious efforts of abstract reasoning.

The goodness of the Divine Being, considered as a necessary and essential moral perfection of the Divine Essence, affords us very ready assistance, in the important and sacred pursuit, both of discovering, and satisfactorily ascertaining, a Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence. And as goodness is an essential perfection of the Divine Essence, considering it as a moral perfection of the Divine Being, it must be every way as eternal, immense, and immutable, as the Divine Essence itself. This is evidently plain from the necessary and essential connection of a moral Essence, and one of its essential perfections.

3. After the most careful research, and the most extensive survey, of this divine moral perfection, as exhibited to our investigation by the knowledge we have of the Divine Essence, we clearly perceive that, in its own nature, as a moral excellence, it must be active, energetic, operative, and influential; for morality, in its very nature, must be considered as operative, and must be exercised by a moral agent,--otherwise, we are not disposed to call it morality.And if it be exercised by the moral creature, how much more perfectly must it be by the Creafor? This moral perfection must also be consi

dered as corresponding to the Divine Essence, in eternity, immensity, and immutability. And we farther perceive, from a careful consideration of the infinitude of the Divine Essence, as being eternal, immense, and immutable, that the whole works of creation and providence, in all their bearings, as far as we are able to trace them, and in all the extent we may incline to suppose them to possess, however great, however numerous, however often they may be repeated, do, by no means, afford us a full and perfect discovery of the absolute, boundless, and unlimited manifestation or display of the divine goodness, in all the complete and perfect extent of the eternity, immensity, and immutability of its own nature. And if creation and providence could really and truly exhibit it in such a view, then the Divine Being must, necessarily and essentially, be imperfect.

Because creation and providence, considering them in their very utmost extent and variety, however far we may incline to stretch the view, or however numerous we may suppose the systems to be, must, after all, be finite; because the Divine Being cannot create any system, or number of systems, whether of matter or of mind, that could be infinite; and that which is finite, or limited in any way whatever, can never be commensurate with that which is necessarily eternal, immense, and immutable.

It is, therefore, perfectly and undeniably evident, that the whole of creation and providence, were they ten thousand times ten thousand greater and more numerous than they are, and were they repeated ten thousand times ten thousand, at the distance of periods as long as the present system of creation and providence shall last, neither could nor would comprehend or contain the absolutely full and perfect manifestation or display of the divine goodness, in all its uncreated extent and influence, as inhering in the Divine Essence, and as a necessary moral perfection of the Divine Being.

4. Farther; if goodness be a necessary and essential perfection of the Divine Essence, and if it necessarily partake of the activity, energy, operation, and influence inhering in that Essence, which cannot be disputed, then, as we have already showed, it undeniably follows, that this active perfection, from the very nature of the Divine Essence, was as absolute, perfect, eternal, immense, and immutable, in its natural, energetic operation, before creation and providence began, as it has been since; and it is no less certain, that it would be as perfect as it now is, were creation and providence entirely removed out of being, and for ever cease.

The divine goodness can be no more perfect in its own nature, by the continuation of them, than it was before they began to exist, and must neces

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