mighty Salvation for us out of the House of his Servant David Luke 1. 68 69. A general Rule for answering all Objections Having considered and answered the principal Objections urged in favour of the Doctrine which asserts Jesus Christ to be truly God in opposition to that of his being only the Man who is the Mediator between God and Men 1 Tim. 2. 5. or that which asserts that none is God but the Father of Christ 't will be needless to confute those other little Objections which still remain since when the chiefest Strength that does uphold an Error is overthrown 't is not in the Power of some little Props to maintain and support it nevertheless lest the Minds of some should thereby be perplex'd I here lay down one general Rule by which all other Objections may be easily refuted and that is this If any Principle in Religion be true by the greater and by the plainer Number of Evidences it can never be false by a few in number or by them that are dark and doubtful If then the Arguments to prove the true God to be only the Father of Jesus Christ are more in number and plainer to be understood than those are which are objected in favour of the contrary you need then only to reply thus that the Proofs that make for it are more both in Number and Weight than those that are against it and that therefore 't would be unpardonable to suffer such Trifles to unsettle and shake your Faith Suppose a Man objects against the Doctrine of God's being but one in Person this Text Let us make Man Gen. 1. 26. and endeavour to prove from thence that God is more than one in Person is it reasonable to suffer this to alter your Judgment when for that one Passage Vs urged in favour of the Belief of more Persons than one you have ten thousand that mention God to be but only one in such Terms as these I thou me he his And as for the Terms of we they them c. they are not mentioned in Scripture so much as once as applied to God alone If every single Objection that is started should be admitted to be of Authority sufficient to invalidate the best and clearest Proofs or if every hard and doubtful Passage in Scripture were enough to overthrow all them that are clear and plain then all true Religion would soon be at an end for some plausible Exceptions may be made against the chiefest and plainest Truths in Religion otherwise so many false and erroneous Opinions would not have obtained that Authority that they have in the World Indeed when we are told plainly that we are in an Error and Arguments truly considerable are at the same time offered to undeceive us we ought then to suffer our selves to be convinc'd for if what is thus urged carries with it so much clear Evidence as makes it undoubted the changing then of our Opinions will not only be reasonable but very honourable too since nothing is more ignoble and base than to be a Slave to Error from which not any thing in this World but Truth can free us Of the true Notion of the Holy Ghost 'T is plain from the general Analogy of true Faith grounded on Scripture-Evidence that the Holy Ghost is no distinct Person subsisting of himself for then 't is clear that our Lord could not be the Son of him who is now called God the Father or the first Person in the supposed Trinity since 't is plain that the Virgin Mary's Conception was occasioned by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost Luke 1. 35. which all Trinitarians acknowledg to be the third Person and not the first 'T is expresly said that that which was conceived in her was of the Holy Ghost Mat. 1. 20. And that she was with Child by him Mat. 1. 18. Wherefore 't is evident from these additional Words and the Power of the Highest shall overshadow thee Luke 1. 35. that the Holy Ghost is only that Divine and Invisible Power of God by which he works his Will and Pleasure in the World and by Consequence that God and the Spirit of God are no more two distinct Persons than Man and the Spirit of Man are for to the one the other is compared in the sacred Scripture 1 Cor. 2. 11. And as the Members of Man's Body do secretly and wonderfully obey the Dictates of his Will or Mind so and much more so do all Creatures act and are commanded by the Almighty Power of God's Divine and most Wise Will and Pleasure When therefore all the elect People of God are said to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost it must be understood of that new Temper and Inclination of Mind which God by his Divine and Invisible Power does work or cause in Men. When he powerfully raises up in them holy Thoughts and excites in their Minds new Desires he is then truly said to sanctify them by his Spirit And when Men wilfully reject those Motions to Goodness which God by his Power does raise up in them they are then truly said to resist and grieve and quench his Spirit And whereas the Spirit is said to receive and to be sent from whence some would infer its distinct Personality 't is replied that these are but improper Expressions such as are before noted to be spoken of God and Christ they are Words fitted to our dull Apprehensions rather than to the true Nature of the Spirit it self even as God is represented as having the Actions and Passions of a Man and to come down from Heaven when yet we know that he is already every where though our mortal Eyes have not Powers fitted to perceive him He that filleth all things can no ways be capable of moving out of his Place Such Expressions as these therefore are plainly improper and must not be understood literally or as at first sight they seem to express The CONCLVSION TO what has been said on this Subject I will only add this one solemn Protestation that as what I here offer is grounded on the Dictates only of plain and positive Scripture and the most evident and perfect Reason as I humbly judg So the Design of this its Publication is the alone Glory of God Almighty and the Church's Peace which no ways can be establish'd firmly but on the Foundations of Truth And though I am sensible the Work is not perform'd with that Exactness as to be in every part without Reproof yet I am satisfied that in the main I have therein managed the true Cause of God and Religion Nevertheless I have a secret Distrust within me that what I here offer will not be kindly received for my best Indeavours must not expect to find better Success than did those of my blessed Lord and Master who though he spake as never Man spake and confirmed his Doctrine with such Miracles as did demonstrate him to be a Teacher sent of God yet was believed on but by a few The Praise of Men was then generally much more belov'd than the Praise of God Joh. 12. 43. And I doubt the Case is still the same Men now seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ Phil. 2. 21. They that love Riches will hardly run the hazard of losing any temporal Preferment for the sake of Truth Others will be averse from acknowledging themselves in a Mistake who before have been honoured with the Repute both of Orthodox and Learned Men and those who have been long prepossess'd with the contrary Perswasion will hardly relinquish it though the best of Reasons be offered to convince them of their Error In short the Religion of Mankind generally is but a Self-righteousness a Law rather of their own making than of God's appointing There are but very few that in all things do either live or believe as the Gospel directs them the whole World does for the most part prefer some senseless Humour before sacred Truth and that immortal Bliss to which it would conduct them THE END
is truly God is him only who is the Father of Jesus Christ 'T is undeniably evident from the Old Testament that the God of Israel or the Lord of Hosts is the only true God for thus it is written Thou art God and thou alone of all the Kingdoms of the Earth 2 Kings 19. 15. There is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee 2 Chron. 17. 20. Thou art God alone Psal 86. 10. Besides me there is no God Isa 44. 6. I am God and there is none else Isa 46. 9. Thou shalt know no other God but me Hos 13. 4. Now as this is plain beyond Contradiction so do all Christians generally acknowledg that the God here mentioned was him only who afterwards was called the Father of Jesus Christ And in the New Testament no Truth is more fully and plainly express'd than this is thus says our Lord himself Father This is Life Eternal to know thee the only true God Joh. 17. 1 3. The same do his Apostles affirm Blessed be God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1. 3. With one Mind and one Mouth glorify God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 15. 6. We give Thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Col. 1. 3. He shall deliver up the Kingdom to God even the Father 1 Cor. 15. 24. Therewith bless we God even the Father Jam. 3. 9. To us there is but one God the Father 1 Cor. 8. 6. Now it is impossible that any one Article of the Christian Faith can be more fully and plainly express'd in Scripture than this is the Words can be understood in no other Sense than what at the first sight they do plainly signify and they give the most satisfying Answer that can be given to any one that shall ask who God is namely that he is only that most Divine Person who is the Father of Jesus Christ And if in this case plain Scripture is not to be relied on I see not of what great Use our Bibles can be to us Yet this so plain and evident Truth is commonly denied For a very great Number of professed Christians do notwithstanding believe that in the Godhead there be indeed more Persons than only one and that Jesus Christ the Son of God is God also as well as his Father But of this Error the former Arguments are sufficient to convince them for if none be God but the Father of Christ then cannot the Son be truly God also since he in no Sense whatever can be said to be the Father of Christ that is of himself And certainly if Men would resolve faithfully to make use but of common Sense and common Honesty they could not but be convinced of the Absurdity of this Opinion by only reading so often as they do in the New Testament of Jesus Christ his being the Son of God for how can he be God himself who truly is no other than the Son of God If he be the Son only then 't is plain that he is not the Father also who alone is God for 't is impossible according to the Notion we have of Sons for any Being whatever to be the Son of himself No understanding Man when at any time he hears mention made of the Son of a King is so idle in his Imagination as to believe that thereby is meant the King who is his Father he certainly then must be very sensless who can think that by the Son of God is any ways meant God that is God most high Christ not the true God because he himself has a God above him 'T is also evident beyond Contradiction that our blessed Lord cannot be truly God since both he himself and his Apostles do very plainly acknowledg that he has a God above him for instance My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Mat. 27. 46. I ascend to my God and to your God Joh. 20. 17. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God Rev. 3. 12. The Head of every Man is Christ and the Head of Christ is God 1 Cor. 11. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 1. 3. The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ knows I lie not 2 Cor. 11. 31. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the Spirit Eph. 1. 17. Therefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with the Oil of Gladness above thy Fellows Heb. 1. 8 9. These Texts are very plain and need no Interpretation to make them be understood Now if our Lord Christ have thus a God above him then 't is evident if any thing in the World be so that he himself is not God most high Christ not God because what he does is by a Power received from God This Truth Christ himself does plainly declare I can saith he of my own self do nothing Joh. 5. 30. All Power is given unto me both in Heaven and in Earth Mat. 28. 18. When the Multitude saw his Miracles they marvelled and glorified God who had given such Power unto Men Mat. 9. 8. Now these things can in no tolerable Sense be said of him that is truly God for he that is God most High hath essentially in himself all kind of Divine Dignity and Excellency and cannot without the highest of Blasphemies be in any Sense said to receive them of another But of our Lord it is recorded that he neither said nor did any thing especially in the Work of our Redemption but what he was commanded to say and do by his Father I have not spoken of my self saith he but the Father which sent me he gave me a Commandment what I should say and what I should speak Joh. 12. 49. Is he able to save the World To this Power he was raised by God Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour Acts 5. 31. Can he give Power to Believers to become the Sons of God This Power he also has received Thou hast given him Power over all Flesh that he should give Eternal Life to as many as thou hast given him Joh. 17. 2. Has he Power to raise from the dead Even this Power also he did receive As the Father hath Life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have Life in himself Joh. 5. 26. Has he Power to judg the World 'T is God that does enable him to do this This is he that was ordained of God to be Judg of Quick and Dead Acts 10. 42. I can do nothing of my self as I hear I judg Joh. 5. 30. Moreover 't is thus said The Glory which thou hast given me I have given them Joh. 17. 22. I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me Luke 22. 29. The God of our Lord Jesus Christ hath put all things under his Feet Eph. 1. 17.
own Practice was according to his Doctrine I bow my Knee saith he to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Eph. 3. 14. and in many other Places God or the Father not Christ is mentioned as the alone Object of Divine Adoration and Petition And 't is worth nothing that Christ himself whose Example and Footsteps we should follow prayed always to his Father and never did so much as once petition any other Person of the supposed Trinity And as to Thanksgiving 't is plainly said to be the Will of God that we should do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus giving Thanks to God and the Father by him Col. 3. 17. And in another Place we are commanded to give Thanks always unto God and the Father in the Name of Jesus Christ Eph. 5. 20. And accordingly we read in a great number of Places in the New Testament how the Apostles gave God Thanks through Jesus Christ Jesus our Lord is said in Scripture to appear in the Presence of God for us Heb. 9. 24. to be an Advocate for Sinners 1 Joh. 2. 1. To make Intercession for the Saints Rom. 3. 34. To be the Mediator between God and Men 1 Tim. 2. 5. The Minister of the new Covenant Heb. 8. 6. All which proves him to be the Person that pleads our Cause that solicites our Acceptance the great Transactor and Manager of all Affairs between God and us but it no ways intimates any Divine Worship due to himself And indeed should we put Christ instead of the true God and make him the alone Object of Divine Prayer and Thanksgiving in whose Name then shall we approach the Throne of Grace and by whom shall we render Thanks to God who shall be our Intercessor our Advocate our Mediator For my part I know but of one Mediator and that 's the Man Christ Jesus 1 Tim. 2. 5. and he only is the Mediator between us Men and the one true God whom I before have proved to be only the Father of Jesus Christ To make our Lord Christ therefore the Object of our Divine Addresses is as much as in us lies to deprive him of his Mediatory Office which also by Consequence is to deny him to be the Son of God even the Beloved in whom alone we are accepted Eph. 1. 6. Yea and by this we deny also the Godhead of the Father in whose stead we do by this Means place Christ than which there can be nothing in this World that is more truly Antichristian See 1 John 2. 22. Now from the aforegoing Arguments 't is evident that whatever the Sense of the objected Places are yet they cannot mean that which the Objector intends since in vastly more numerous and plain Places the Scriptures make God and not Christ to be the alone Object of our Divine Addresses Of the Novelty of the Vnitarian Doctrine Some object against the Doctrine of God's being but one in Person the Novelty thereof that 't is but of Yesterday in comparison to that which asserts a Trinity which is they say of at least 1600 and odd Years standing I answer that the Objector is greatly mistaken for can that be a new Doctrine which has the greatest and the most plain part of the Scripture for its Foundation The Doctrine of God's being but one in Person is in the former part of this Work proved to be expresly and plainly contain'd both in the Old and New Testament and by Consequence must needs be as antient as the Scriptures are The long Continuance of the contrary Doctrine if it were as antient as the Objectors affirm is yet no Argument of its real Truth We read that soon after the good Wheat was sown the Enemy began to sprinkle Tares in the Field Mat. 13. 25. And the Mystery of Iniquity began to work even in St. Paul's time 2 Thess 2. 7. So that 't is no wonder that some Errors as suppose this of the Trinity be almost of equal standing to the greatest Truths for where God has a Church the Devil always has a Chappel 'T is not the long or short Continuance of any Doctrine as to its Profession that makes it authentick but that Foundation of Reason and Scripture on which it is built A Tenet is not therefore true because of its long or general Belief if at the same time it contradicts Self-evidence and the general Current of the sacred Scriptures Of Scripture-Mysteries Some object that much of the Scripture is mere Mystery and therefore since all Scripture is the Object of our Faith we must sometimes believe things which we cannot comprehend I answer if we are to believe Mysteries when clearly revealed yet it does not from thence follow that therefore we must believe Impossibilities and Contradictions A just God can never lay on us a necessity of submitting to those Terms and Conditions of Salvation which we cannot possibly understand Hence it follows that such obscure Mysteries as evidently do contradict other plain Truths do no ways concern us so long as we are in the dark as to their true Sense and Meaning When a Mystery is plainly express'd in Scripture as when 't is said a Virgin did conceive a Son or that all Men shall rise again or that Christ shall judg the World and no other plain Scripture contradicts it neither is it contrary to humane Reason we are then to believe it tho it may be above our Understanding to conceive which way the Power of God should enable a Virgin to conceive or in what manner our scattered Dust shall be recollected and revived or how our blessed Saviour can be made fit for so great a Work as an Universal Judg. But if some Places in Scripture had said these things but others more numerous and plain had affirmed the contrary or had it contradicted any self-evident Principle of Reason we might then have rejected the Belief thereof as safely and with as good Authority as we now do that of the Popish Transubstantiation which by the way is as expresly contain'd in Scripture as is that of the Trinity But for Mysteries of a more doubtful Nature such as want the Qualifications before express'd they can no ways oblige our Faith so long as their true Meaning lies hid in Obscurity of Expression There will be a time when all secret things shall be revealed and all hidden things shall be brought to light for which we must wait with Patience and not pretend as some do to explain even what is most hard and difficult by such Notions as are purely unintelligible for this is but the more to confound their Minds which were at a loss before 'T is true if any Man can rationally explain a Mystery he then does good Service both to God and Man but this we are infallibly certain is never done when the Sense that is given of a doubtful Place of Scripture is contrary not only to the general Current of the rest of the Word of God but is also a
Contradiction to the most self-evident Sentiments of humane Understanding But some may say If such Passages as these are so generally to be overlook'd in the Business of Religion why then did God cause them to be recorded in the sacred Scripture I answer that it may as well be asked why God made so many sorts of small and as we think useless Insects to live upon the Earth since we know not what Benefit they are of to the World Doubtless God who does nothing in vain made them for some great Ends though our short-sighted Understanding cannot perceive what those excellent Ends of his are Even so likewise will his Wisdom be manifested some way or other by what to us is yet hard to be understood in Scripture And though we are ignorant of the true meaning of many of the most obscure and doubtful Parts thereof yet the Ends and Purposes of God in causing them to be written either are or shall in due time be accomplished In the mean time we ought to magnify that manifest Goodness of God who hath communicated to Mankind such a number of plain and evident Precepts as will be fully sufficient for Salvation if we carefully observe them All are concern'd in the Business of Life Eternal therefore hath God given us Laws sutable to our common Capacities The Gospel of Christ was preach'd to the Poor which intimates that the Glad-tidings of Salvation did not consist of unintelligible Mysteries but of such plain and evident Notions as did fit the Understandings of the lowest People Of Faith and Reason There are a sort of People in the World of several false Perswasions who when they can no longer maintain their Errors against the Power of true Reason fly to Faith as their last Refuge and tell us that 't is by Faith only that we are made able to overcome the World 1 Joh. 5. 4. And that therefore 't is necessary for Men to believe what yet they cannot comprehend To this I answer That Faith indeed is the chief Duty of the Christian Religion because 't is the Belief of God's Promises and Threatnings that does ingage Mankind to the Obedience of his Precepts Few I doubt would be religious were there no Fear of Hell nor Hopes of Heaven 'T is said that all things are possible to him that believes Mark 9. 23. which in other Words imports that no Difficulty nor Hazard how great soever shall be able to stop them in their Christian Race And in this Sense it only is that Faith is said to be the Victory that overcometh the World But though 't is only a firm Perswasion of the Truth of God's Promises and Threatnings that inspires the Faithful with Courage to overcome and conquer the Temptations not only of the Devil but of the Lusts of this World too yet this is no Argument that therefore we must assent to that which we see no Reason to believe for then we might be every whit as liable to believe things false as things that are true Wherefore it behoves us to be very watchful and circumspect in avoiding false Principles for Error of any kind will rather make us Slaves to the Devil than enable us to overcome and conquer him As therefore thou oughtst to imbrace Truth wheresoever thou dost find it so be as ready to relinquish Errors when by carefully examining into Religion thou hast discovered them to be such for 't is in every respect as Heroick an Act of Faith to believe our selves in the wrong when we really are so as 't is to adhere stedfastly to a Truth undoubted Know then that no kind of Faith can be true that is certainly unreasonable for the Light of Nature is as much God's Law as Divine Revelation and none must ever think that God's Law can contradict it self Right self-evident Reason is the only Touchstone that Men have to distinguish Truth from Error and 't is the Agreement even of Scripture with this Reason that makes us know it to be the Word of God 't is not our Forefathers saying so but the exact Concurrence of the Witness of our Spirit and that Testimony And though some would perswade us not at all to trust to Reason in Matters of Religion yet 't is observable that those very Men that exclaim most against it are yet necessitated to give Reasons of their own to prove if 't were possible that your Reason is not to be relied on and certainly that Guide must needs be most safe whom the whole World in some kind or other do find it so necessary to follow Of the true Nature of Religion 'T is certain that the Laws of Religion are design'd by God for the only Good of Mankind he forbids some things and commands others only because the one is prejudicial to Man's Well-being and the other is absolutely necessary to his Peace and Happiness In order then to the true Happiness of this Life there is required a sutable way of living even such as respects the Universal Good of the whole Kind which in short is that which Men call a Life of Holiness or a Life perfectly free from every kind of Injustice or Mischief both to one's self and others And as for the Heavenly State that is a State of perfect Goodness and Purity and 't is impossible that any one can take delight in that Divine kind of Life hereafter which he hated here And for that Reason could the Wicked be admitted into Heaven yet then would they be unhappy by reason that there none of those base and ignoble Pleasures would be found which their corrupted Minds on Earth did love and admire 'T is then only a good Life on Earth that can fit us for the Heavenly Inheritance Now this Goodness of Life so necessary to Man's both present and future Bliss does not consist in Speculation but in Practice Belief is of no other Use than as it enacts Obedience and that 's the Reason that the Day of Judgment is represented as taking no notice of the Opinions but of the Practices of Men. Have you fed the Hungry Have you clothed the Naked Have you visited the Sick Mat. 25. 36. At that great Solemnity the Inquiry will not be What had you in the World or what did you profess but what good Deeds have you done therein how has your Care been to promote the Universal Good of rational Beings Have you renounced the Lust of the Flesh the Lust of the Eye and the Pride of Life 1 John 2. 26. and lived soberly and righteously and godlily in this present World Tit. 2. 12. and done justly and loved Mercy and walked humbly with God Mich. 6. 8. Now if 't is the Goodness of our Practice that is the one thing necessary to Salvation then the disbelieving either a few doubtful or else a few unreasonable Opinions can never be dangerous Let us then as to the Point now under Examination ask our selves but this one Question Will the Belief of the Doctrine