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the Circuminceflion ; which the Greeks call Perichcrefis. Of each whereof we fhall enlarge a little.
There is, then, one fingle Ej}ence,unt divine Nature, which is Infinite, Eternal, Spiritual 5 which lees all Thiugd, which knows all Things, which is every where, All-mighty, and which created all Things of nothing. See Gob.
In this God there are two Proceffms, or Emanations, viz. that of the Son, and that of the Holy Spirit : The firft is call'd Generation, and the fecond Spiration. See Generation, 1*>c.
The Son proceeds from the Father by way of Know- ledge; for God in knowing himfeif eternally, neceffarily and infinitely, produces a Term, an Idea, a Notion or Knowledge of himfeif, and all his adorable Perfections, which is call'd his Word,, hiSiS&w, who is equal to him in all Things, eternal, infinite, and neceflary as his Father. — The Father regards the Son as his Word, and the Son has a Regard to the Father as his Principle ; And in thus reflect- ing each other eternally, neceffarily, and infinitely, they love each other, and produce an Act of their mutual Love: The Term of that Love is the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son by way of Spiration, Love, and Imputfion ; who is alfo equal in every Thing to the Father and the Son. See Father, Son, and Spirit.
Each divine Proceffion eftablifties two Relations : The one, on the Side of the Principle, or that from whence ; and the other, on that of the Term, or that to which. — Hence, as there are two Proceffions in God, there mult be four Relations; the Paternity, the Filiation, the active Spi- ration, and the paffive.
The 'Paternity is a Relation founded in what the School Divines call the notional Underftanding; in which the Fa- ther ftands related to the fecond Peribn, the Son. — The Filiation is the Relation wherein the fecond Perfon, viz. the Son refers to the Father.
The aBive Spiration, is the Relation founded in the no- tional Act of the Will, whereby the firft and fecond Perfons regard or refer to the third: The paffive Spiration or Pro* ceffion, taken in its ftrict Senfe, is the Relation whereby the third Peribn regards, and is referr'd to the firft and fecond. ■ — Hence it appears, that there are in God four Relations, as we have already laid ; £nd five Notions, as we fhall fhew hereafter.
'Perfon is defiVd an individual, reafonable, or intellectual Subftance ; or, an intellectual and incommunicable Subftance. See Person.
The Hypoftafis, or Subfiftence, is what conftitu'es the Perfon. — There are, then, in the Holy Trinity, three Per- fons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which have all Things m common, except their Relations ; whence that Axiom in Theology comes to have Place, in the divine Perfons there is no Diftinction where there is no Oppofition of Relation : And hence it follows, that if Power be fometimes attributed to the Father, Wifdom to the Son, and Goodnefs. to the Holy Spirit ; or if Sins of Infirmity or Weaknefs be faid to be again ft the Father, Sins of Ignorance againft the Son, and Sins of Malice againft the Holy Spirit, it is only fpoke by way of Appropriation, and nor of Property; for all thofe Things are in common : Whence that Axiom, The Works of the Holy trinity are common and undivided, (i. e. they agree to all the divine Perlons) but not their Productions ad intra, (as they are call'd) by Reafon they are Relative.
By Appropriation we mean the giving of feme com- mon Attribute to a certain divine Perfon, on account of fome Suirablenefs or Agreement. Thus, in the Scriptures, in the Apoftles, and the Mcene Greed, Omnipotence is attributed to the Father, becaufe he is the firft Principle, and a Prin- ciple without Origin, or higher Principle. — Wifdom^ is attributed to the Son, becaufe he is the Term of the divine Understanding to which Wifdom belongs : Goodnefs is attributed to the Holy Spirit, as being the Term of the Will to which Goodnefs belongs.
Some Divines give other Reafons of fuch Kind of Attri- butions and Appropriations, viz. that it is to fUve off" thofe Imoerfections from the divine Perfons which are found in the Creatures : For created Fathers are weak, drooping, and impotent; wherefore to ward off this Imperfection from the third Perfon, he is peculiarly faid to be Almighty.
Again created Sons are ufually imprudent; wherefore to remove this Imperfection from the fecond Perfon, he is faid to be wife, or Eternal Wifdom.
Laftly, great Minds or Spirits, among created Beings, are frequently wicked ; wherefore to remove this Imperfection from the third Perfon, Goodnefs is attributed to him.
The Father is the firft Peribn in the Holy Trinity, by reafon the Father, alone, produces the Word, by the way of Uiiderft/mdwg 5 and with the Word produces the Holy Spirit, by way of Will. _ •-- ; .
Here it is to be obierv'd, that the Holy Spirit is not thus call'd from his Soiritualitv, that being common and effential to all three Perfons ; but from the paflive Spiration, which is peculiar to him alone.
Add, that when one Perfbn in the Holy Trinity is «ali'd f,r]i, another fecond, and another third, it mull not be un- derftood of a Priority of Time, or of Nature, which would imply fome Dependance ; but of a Priority of Origin and Emanation, which confifts in this, that one Peribn produces the other in fuch Manner, as that the Perfon which produces cannot be, or be conceiv'd, without that prodtfe'd.
From thefe Things it follows, that in the Holv Trinity there are five Notions (understanding by Notion the pecu- liar Manner whereby one divine Peribn is diftinguifh'd from another)._ The Notion-, then, whereby me Father is diftin- guifh'd from the Son and Holy Ghoft, are hmafcibiliry and Paternity. --- That whereby the Son is diftinguifh'd fromthe two other divine Perfons, is Filiation.
ABive Spiration diftinguiflies the Father and the Son from the Holy Spirit ; and paJJJve Spiration is that whereby the Holy Spirit is diftinguifh'd from the Father and Son
The Circuminceffon or Perichorefls, is the intimate In- exiftence of the divine Perfons, or their mutual in-dwelling in each other : For tho" they be really diftinct, yet are they Confubftantial ; whence it is that Jefus Cbrift fays in St. John, cap. xiv. Believe ye not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me'i Identity of Eflence, which the Greeks call oijlvoicl, and Confubftantiality, with a Diftinction of Perfons, are nccefTary to this Circuminceflion.
Many of the Heathens feem to have had a Notion of a Trinity.— Stench. Buguh. de Peren. Philof. lib, 1. cap. 5. obferves, that there is nothing in all Theology more deeply grounded, or more generally allow'd by them, than the Myftery of the Trinity. The Chaldeans, Hebrews, Phoeni- cians, Greeeks, and Romans, both in their Writings and their Oracles, acknowledgd that the fupreme Being had begot another Being from all Eternity, which they fome- times call'd the Son of God, femerimes the Word, fometimes the Mind, and fometimes the Wiflom of God } and afTened it to be the Creator of aft Things.
Among the Sayings of the Magi, the Defendants of Zoroafer, this is one; Ua.v-rv. l^iihtn rac-m %al v® mt$i£(oy£ (f»uTEf«-. The Father f nip' d all T hi i:gs, and deliver' d them to the fecond Mind. — The Son was call'd the Anima Mundi. See Anima.
The JEgyptians call'd their Trinity Hemfhta, and repre- fented it by a Globe, a Serpent, and a Wing difpos'd into one Hieroglyphic Symbol. — Kircher, Gale, &c. fuppofe the ^Egyptians learnt their Doctrine of the Trinity from Jofefh and the Hebrews.
The Philofophers, lays St. Cyril, own'd three Hypoftafes or Perfons. — They have extended the Divinity to three Perfons; and even, fometimes, us'd the Term Trias, Tri- nity^-. They wanted nothing but to admit the Confubftan- tiality of the three Hypoftafes, to fignify the Unity of the divine Nature, in exclufion of all Triplicity with regard to Difference of Nature; and not to hold it neceffary to conceive any Inferiority of Hypoftafes.
In effect, Plato, and fome of his Followers, fpeak of a Trinity in fuch Terms, that the primitive Fathers have been accus'd of borrowing the very Doctrine from the Platonic School ; but F. Mourgues, who has examin'd the Point, aC ferts, that nothing can be more ftupid, than to fuppofe the Platonic Trinity brought into the Church 5 and to have Re- courfe to the Platonifm of the Fathers to difcredit their Authority with regard to this Opinion. See Platonic.
Friary or Fraternity of the Holy Trinity, is a Society instituted at Rome by S. Philip Neri in 1548, to take Care of Pilgrims coming from all Parts of the World to that. Capital to vifit the Tombs of S. Peter and S. Paul. See Fraternity.
In order to this, they had a Houfe wherein they enter- tain'd them for the Space of three Days, and not only them, but poor People who were on the Recovery, and who being turn'd too haftily out of the Hofpitals, were expos'd to Relapfes.
It was firft fet on Foot in the Church of S. Saviour in Camfo ; and confifted only of fifteen poor Perfons, who met in that Church the firft Sunday of each Month, to praitife the Exerciles of Piety prefcrib'd by the Founder, and to hear the Exhortations he there gave.
In 1558 Pope Paul IV. gave the Fraternity the Church of St. 'Benedict, to which th&y gave the Title of r'ne Holy Tri- nity. Since that Time, they have built clofe by it a very ample Hofpital for Pdgrims, and Perfons on the Recovery.
The Fraternity is now very confiderable, and moft of the NoblefTe of Rome, of either Sex, have done it the Honour to be of it.
Congregation of the Holy Trim it?, is a Congregation oi twelve Priefts eftablifti'd in the Hofpital of the Fraternity juft mention'd, to take Care of Pilgrims and others enter- tain'd therein.
The frequent Change of Priefts in the Hofpital occafion- ing a deal of Diverfity in the Spiritual Conduct and In- ftrufti'on of the Pilgrims; to render it more un'fom, the Guardians and Adminiftratcrs eftablifh'd a Congregation of
twelve
