fhould be afked, who, or what those agents were which God is here reprefented as fpeaking to, the anfwer is, that the history is filent in this matter. This I think is manifeftly the ftate of the cafe; and therefore, for men to found the doctrine of a plurality of neceffarily exifting agents, whofe complex idea is expreffed by the term God, upon fuch texts as these, in oppofition to the whole tenour of the Bible, and the most exprefs texts to the contrary, is a most prodigious bold attempt. If it should be farther urged, that the one fupreme God is not a coalition or fociety of agents, but only one individual agent, and that in this agent there are three individual properties, or three individual modes of exiftence, or three fomewhats, or the like; and that one of thofe properties, or modes, or fomewhats, and one only was united to the man Chrift Jefus, and in that its united ftate it conftitutes Chrift's divine nature; and that those texts in the precedent arguments, tho' they are in the Bible applyed to Chrift without any limitation, yet they are in ftrictness only applicable. to that part of Chrift which is called his buman nature; whereas the other part of Chrift, which is called his divine nature (whether it be a mode, or property, a fomewhat, or the like) comes in for an equal share of fupremacy of existence, agency, and dominion, with the other two properties, or modes, or fomewhats, or parts of God, as mentioned above; which two parts of God, are, by way of distinction, called the Father, and the Holy Ghoft.

To all this I think it fufficient to answer, that it is the product of a fruitful fancy only, and that it has no foundation in nature or fcripture. Not in nature, there being no fuch thing as a property or manner of exifting abftraled from being, as I have already obferved. And therefore to fuppofe

that a mode, or property of the Deity, can be in fuch an abstracted and feparate capacity, as to be closely united to a man, whilft the Deity or Being it felf is not thus united, but is in another separate capacity from it; or that the Deity it felf with one of its properties, or modes of existence is closely united to a man, whilft the other modes, or properties of the Deity remain in a feparate capacity, and are not united with the Deity to that man; I fay, these fuppofitions are fhamefully abfurd and ridiculous. Befides, there is but one mode, or manner of existence in the Deity, viz. he exists, by an abfolute receffity, in the nature of things; and therefore to talk of God's exifting under different modes, is alike abfurd and ridiculous.

And,

As the abovementioned propofitions are ftranggers to nature, fo they are likewife as much trangers to the Bible. The Bible every where reprefents God as a moral agent, without dividing or distinguifhing him into modes, or properties, or fomewhats, as above; and this one agent it declares is the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, or that one moral agent which the Bible Characterizes by that title; fo that the dividing and distinguishing. God, and Chrift into parts, and parcels, as above, has no foundation either in nature or fcripture.

I fhall not take upon me to examine ftrictly the foregoing fchemes, in order to fhew the confufion and abfurdities that attend them; this would be a work of fuch large extent, that I fhould not know where, or when to end: but all that I fhall farther add, is to defire those men who advance them, to confider what juft occafion they give to unbelievers, to infult and triumph overchrif tianity, as an abfurd and ridiculous thing, by reprefenting the Bible as the ground and foundation of that patch-work, with which they have dreffed up Almighty God. At one time God is three agents;

then

then he is but one agent; then he is three properties; then he is three modes of exiftence; then three fomewhats; and thus men have rung the changes as their schemes required, or as their fruitful fancies have invented, till they have brought the chriftian religion into contempt.

But now, I hope, chriftians will let the time paft fuffice them, to have mixed the pure wine of christianity with the water of their own inventions; and that they will leave off wandring, as above, and return back to the plainnefs and fimplicity of the gospel. The Bible every where confiders, and reprefents Almighty God, as only one individual moral agent; who, out of a tender regard to the happiness and well-being of his creatures, at fundry times, and in divers manners, fent unto them his fervants, the prophets, and that laft of all he fent unto them his Son; not upon a different, but upon the fame errand that he had fent his fervants, the prophets, before him, viz. to call them to repentance, and to bring forth the fruits of righteousness, and thereby to oblige them to render themselves, the fuitable and proper objects of God's mercy and grace. And this laft meffenger is likewife in the Bible reprefented, spoken to, and of, as only one individual moral agent, who, upon the account of his office, his performances, and his near relation to God, is characterized in the Bible, by high and bonourable titles; but still as the Son, the meffenger, and the minifter of the most high.

7

This is the state of the cafe, as it ftands in the gofpel, which is plain and intelligible, and to be understood by the meaneft capacity. But when christians, out of respect to their crucified Mefter, and upon the account of what he had done, and fuffered for their fakes, tried to outry one another in encomiums, and high appellations; then they spake

fpake of him, and paid their refpect to him, not as one whom God had exalted up into the throne, and placed on the right hand of the majesty on high (which is the fcripture account of the cafe) but as if he had been the very fupreme God. And instead of treating him as the Son, minifter, and messenger of the fupreme Being (which still they allow him to be) they spoke of him, and paid their respect to him, as the most high God himself. Yea, their pious zeal did not rest here; for they almoft defied the Virgin Mary, because she was his mother: and from hence fprung all that confufion and abfurdity, with which chriftianity has been leaded in this particular. And fad experience fhews, that when once error grows grey with ag it becomes venerable, and wants neither votaries nor defenders. But, I hope, the prefent age, will fhew themselves to be men of understanding, who will examine and judge of things impartially, and according to the ftrength of evidence that attends them, and not be led away by a jingle of words, which ferve only to confound and perplex a fubject, but not to evince the truth or falfenefs of the propofition to which they are applied.

OBJECTION III.

Thirdly and lastly, It may be objected, that the foregoing arguments do not prove what they are urged for; because there are a great number of texts of Scripture which plainly speak and fhew the contrary.

B

Y way of anfwer to this objection, I fhall examine these texts, and thereby fhew that not any thing can fairly be concluded from them, which will weaken or take off the force of thofe arguments.

Pfalm xlv. 6. Tby throne, O God, is for ever and ever. The ftrength of this text I apprehend lies, either in the term God, or in his throne's being for

ever and ever, as it is brought for an objection in this cafe. To which I anfwer, that the Pfalmift's calling the Son God, does no more prove him equal to, and co-ordinate with the Father, than his calling magiftrates or prophets gods, does prove them equal to, or co-ordinate with him. Of which, fee P. lxxxii. 1. 6. God ftandeth in the congregation of princes, he is a judge among gods. I have faid ye are gods, and ye are all the children of the most high. As to his throne being for ever and ever, this can fig nify no more, than its continuance to the last general judgment; becaufe St. Paul affirms, in 1 Cor. v. 24. 28. That then Chrift shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father, and that the Son himself shall be fubject; that God (viz. the Father) may be all in all. But admitting that it did fignify to eternity, it will not follow that the Son is equal to the Father, any more than a man's continuing to eternity, will make that man equal to him. However, to put this matter beyond difpute, the Pfalmift, in the words following, declares, that this God, whofe throne is for ever and ever, has a God above him. Therefore God, even thy God, bath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Proverbs viii. 22, 23, 24, 25, 30. The Lord poffeffed me in the beginning of his ways, before his works of old. I was fet up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was; When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water; Before the mountains were fettled, before the bills was I brought forth; then was I by him, as one brought up with him, and I was daily his delight, rejoycing always before him. From hence it is inferred, that the Son is co-eternal with the Father; and confequently co-equal to him, To which I anfwer, that Solomon in this, as well as in many other places of his book of Proverbs, reprefents wisdom as affuming a perfonal charetter,

and