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in the Divine Essence are, naturally, necessarily, eternally, immensely, and immutably, three, and neither more nor less than three.

Now, if it be admitted, that the imperfect communication of the divine goodness, particularly exercised and manifested according to the divine will in creation and providence, contributes to the divine glory; how much more must the natural, necessary, complete, perfect, eternal, immense, and immutable exercise and manifestation of the divine goodness, according to all the properties and qualities of its own nature, in the Divine Essence, contribute to the divine glory, perfection, and happiness?

11. No where can there be a natural, necessary, complete, perfect, eternal, immense, and immutable capacity to receive the manifestation of the whole of the uncreated, infinite, and immeasurable goodness of the Divine Being, according to all the qualities of its own nature, but in the Divine Essence itself. In this Essence, therefore, there must be found a person every way capable of communicating, and a person every way capable of being constituted by the whole of the divine goodness communicated according to its own nature; and distinct persons, in one joint, active principle, naturally, necessarily, eternally, immensely, and immutably communicating; and a person constituted by this communication in union, distinct from each

and from both; and each of these, co-eternally and co-essentially, subsisting with one another: and co-equally, co-essentially, and co-eternally, in distinct modes, or personality, possessing the whole essence, and all the perfections of the Divine Being, both natural and moral, and, by consequence, this divine goodness itself, according to the qualities of its nature; for, if not, the Divine Being must be imperfect, which is impossible.

For, if the Divine Being necessarily exists, which has been clearly demonstrated, then it must necessarily exist in the full and perfect exercise of each and of all its own perfections and attributes, according to its own nature, every moment, from all past eternity, through all future eternity. And could we conceive the Divine Being to exist, without the full and perfect exercise and manifestation of each and of all its own perfections and attributes, according to their own nature, every moment, without beginning and without end, according to the foregoing law, we could at once conceive that the Divine Being is imperfect, which is surely impossible, and contrary to all correct notions of Deity. Therefore the divine goodness must be fully, perfectly, and absolutely, exercised and manifested, according to all the qualities of its own nature, from everlasting to everlasting, in the Divine Essence itself, altogether independent of creation and providence.

And by reason of the unity and indivisibility of the Divine Essence, as there is a distinction between the first and the second mode, so there must be a union in the third. Therefore, this first and second naturally communicate the whole of the Divine Essence and perfections, that they may subsist in a mode distinct from what they do in each of themselves, and thereby constitute a third. And, by consequence, the eternal, immense, and immutable goodness of the Divine Being, is, by the foregoing law of communication, necessarily, fully, absolutely, eternally, immensely, and immutably exercised, manifested, and displayed, in the inconceivable extent of its own nature, without beginning and without end, unceasingly, by these divine persons in the Divine Essence. And thus the divine efficiency, intelligence, and goodness, as moral perfections, prove the same doctrine.*

*See Note I. on the preceding Proposition.

PROPOSITION X.

PROVING THE DOCTRINE FROM THE NATURE OF THE DIVINE LOVE.

[Argued in a way similar to the foregoing Proposition— No creature, nor all the creatures that ever were, are, or shall be, could receive the whole influence of the divine love-A divine person cannot communicate the divine love twice by itself, and without any regard to another divine person, otherwise the Divine Essence would be multiplied, which is impossible-The communication of the divine love must be exactly aocording to the Divine Nature, eternal, immense, and immutable, and therefore can have neither beginning nor end— The relation in which the divine persons stand to each other, is incommunicable-They can be neither more nor less than three-The same mode of reasoning is applicable to every one of the divine moral perfections.]

1. Ir, from the perfection of goodness, we turn to an investigation of the perfection of love in the Divine Being, by the nature of this divine moral perfection also, the doctrine of the Trinity is no less capable of being fully proved, and established by demonstration: And in the commencement of the chain of reasoning upon this perfection, we lay down our general premises as the great foundation upon which the whole doctrine rests, which is, the natural, necessary, and eternal law of the constitution and economy of the

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activity, energy, operation, and influence, of the life, intelligence, moral excellence, and efficiency of the Divine Essence and perfections.

We may assume, what cannot be denied, that this perfection, or attribute, necessarily inheres in the Divine Essence, and, like this Essence, it is active, energetic, operative, and influential; eternal, immense, and immutable, and represents the Divine Being in the most amiable point of view. We therefore pursue our position, which affirms, that this perfection, when fairly and fully investigated, discovers, reveals, and proves, the doctrine of a Trinity of persons in the Divine Essence.

It will be proper to keep in mind the general or universal distinction between a particular mode of the exercise or manifestation of the divine love, and the natural and necessary manifestation of it, according to all the qualities of its own nature.

2. We follow the foregoing train of reasoning, and presume, that no created being, however great, however glorious, or however exalted, we may suppose it to be, can be capable of experiencing the whole influence of the divine love, according to its own nature, in all its eternal, immense, and immutable energy. Nor all the moral creatures that ever were, or ever shall be, whether in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, were they ten thousand times ten thou sand more than they are, have been, or shall be,

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