OUR Nameless Author in his Divine Ʋnity asserted, spends his third and fourth Pages in laying down gene­ral Rules, which must be used in discerning Truth from Error; that we may not be deceived. I shall therefore pass over those two Pages, and consider how well he keeps to those Rules, or to the Rules of Scripture; or right Reason, which he pretends to be so Great a Master of in clearing so Great a Controversie; and which is so great a Mystery. And first to be­gin with his Reasons, which he lays down as a Foundation to build a Faith upon; that shall reach to Heaven. And he goes on, and prospers in this building; about as far as the Men of Ba­bel did, in their building in the Land of Shinar, Gen. 11. 2, 7. Indeed his Reason is as much [Page 2] confounded as their Language was, for they did but contradict, and so not understand one another; and yet perhaps as great Doctors of Reason among them as our Author himself: He tells us in page 5. that we have a Power of Reasoning, or Faculty of encreasing our Know­ledge by Industry; whereby we come to a Cer­tainty in many things.

Hence I gather from my Author's Rea­soning, that there are various Degrees and Measures of Reason; which the most High God is pleased to give to every Man, accord­ing to the good Pleasure of his own Will; to some more, and to some less; and to some (so far as appears to By-standers) none at all, and others, he is pleased to take their Reason from them after they have had it; witness Nebuchadnezzar and our Bethlem. Now then, seeing God is one, and his Truth is one, and the same yesterday, to day, and for ever: What an unreasonable Reason, doth the short Accountant give for his Faith in his 3d. page? Where he with seeming Triumph tells us, that he therefore believes what God re­veals, because he hath reason so to do: And what if this Gentleman had no Reason, must God's Word cease to be Truth, because he hath no reason to be believe it? And what if he had some Reason, but not so much as now he pretends to; and what if some have a great deal more than he, as I have some Reason to believe there are that have. Is it reasonable to say, God's Word is true or false, right or wrong, according to the Measure of Reason [Page 3] that God hath given to every Man. If this be not unreasonable Nonsence, I know not what is? Thus is the Word of Truth fulfill'd, He that leaneth to his own Ʋnderstanding is a Fool: That there is Reason, to believe what God reveals is certain; and to believe what God reveals because he reveals it, is to make God's Truth and Power the Reason and Foundation of our Faith; but to believe what God re­veals, only because it is agreeable to our reason, is both irrational and absurd: For thereby we make our foolish Reason, the Rule and Standard of God's Truth; and not only so, but of the very Being of God himself; so that if God doth reveal, that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost is one God; and that this one God is the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, this Gentleman will not believe it; be­cause his Reason doth not comprehend it. So that because he cannot find out the Almighty to Perfection, therefore he will not believe him to be, what he saith he is: Thus when the Light shineth in Darkness, and the Darkness comprehendeth it not; then the Light must cease to be Light, because the Darkness cannot comprehend it. These are our Doctors of Reason, or rather our Un­reasonable Doctors, who professing themselves wise are become Fools, Rom. 1. 22. If you tell me that you cannot believe, except you have Reason so to do; because then your Faith would be unreasonable, and unreasonable Men and faithless Men, are joyned together in Scripture, 2 Thes. 3. 2. I answer, the Unrea­sonableness [Page 4] of Unbelief lies in this; That it makes God a Liar, who is Truth it self; and that Men following the Dictates of their own Reason, cannot comprehend nor will their Wills submit to God's Will. Hence it is, that Carnal Reason is Enmity against God, and whereas you tell us page 6. Colume 2. of your Divine Ʋnity asserted: That the Reason you plead for, is not Carnal or Corrupt Reason, it being right Reason you plead for: Yet it is evident enough that you are wrong, notwithstanding all your Pretensions to right Reason; for you confine Carnal Reason to the inordinate Appetites of the flesh, such as drunkenness and the like; which the Reason of the Heathens did see plain enough, was very unreasonable. Now in this you are not right, for the World by Wisdom knew not God; 1 Cor 1. 21. Now the World never accounted these Im­moralities their Wisdom, at least the wise Men of the World never did: And I have reason to believe, Panl had as good a stock of this Reason you plead for, before his Conversion as your self Sir; or any of the other six Wise Masters of Reason: For as touching the Law, he tells you, he was blameless; and doth not the Law forbid Drunkenness, Uncleanness, and the like; and yet at this time a day, he was much about as great an Enemy to Christ, and the way of Salvation by him as your self Sir. For he verily thought, he ought to do many things against the Name of Jesus; God grant you may be, as great a Friend to our Lord Jesus Christ be­fore you dye, as Paul was. And it is very rea­sonable indeed Sir, that you consider, what [Page 5] was the grand Error and Mistake, not only of Paul, but of the whole Body of the Jews, who continued in Unbelief; they could not believe that that same Jesus was the Lord of Life. For Paul tells you, that had they known it, they would not have crucified him; they could see, that he was Man plain enough, and a Holy Man too, but their Reason would not let them see that he was more than Man; except such as God was pleased to reveal his Son unto, as in Paul. But my Author in his Di­vine Ʋnity asserted, tells us in page 5. Colume 2. that these Lights which he had before menti­oned, namely, Sense, Reason, and Revelation, must not contradict each other; and saith, Our Sense is given as a ground to work upon; and our Reason as a means to assist, and compleat the Knowledge we receive by Sensation; and Revelation can't be receiv'd, but by Means of these two former. 'Till now; No, nor yet neither do I understand, that Sense is a Foundation for Faith; nor that Divine Reve­lation is confin'd to our Reason; nay, the con­trary is Evident; and to say, or (think that it is so) is to make God like our selves; but such Fools God himself will reprove, Psal. 50. 21. Nor is our Reason, till truly rectified by the Spirit of God, a means to receive the revealed Will of God; nay, it is the main thing, that opposeth the great Mystery of God's revealed Will in the Gospel: For the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God, and cannot be Subject to the Law, nor reveal'd Will of God; and that not only the Reason of the Drunkard; [Page 6] (as before mentioned) but that which Men call true Reason; though it be far enough from being so: Nay, our Author goes on in the greatness of his Reason, or rather in the madness of his Folly; and saith, We cannot without the greatest Folly, suppose a thing can be reveal'd to us, contrary to our Sense or Rea­son; and thinks he hath sufficiently prov'd it, by saying God cannot tell us, White is black, or that two and one is not three, or that a Debt that is freely forgiven is fully paid.

Now in this you are not Wise, for I will show you that God is greater than Man, Job 33. 12. and there is nothing more true, and certain than this truth; that the God of truth cannot Lye, and there is nothing more true, and self Evident than that God calls that White, which the Wise Men of this World call Black, opposing their Reason against the revealed Will of God, still setting them­selves against God; so that what God reveals to be Good, proud, foolish Man will call Evil. Ay Sir, and as great Doctors of Reason as your self; or else how come the Wise Men and Scribes, to have a hand in our Lords Death, and to think they did God good Service, when they kill'd his Disciples. Doubtless, their Reason such as it was, (and they might have as good a Stock of it as your self Sir, for ought I know;) I say, their Reason thought it reasonable so to do; and it is not long since, one of your Doctors of Reason told us, if I am not mis-informed, there was no God in his Leviathan; and for ought I know to the con­trary, [Page 7] he might have as good Reason so to do, as you have, to deny our Lord and Saviour Je­sus Christ to be God: But our Author goes hobbling on, according to that little blind Reason he hath; and can any Man think it strange that he stumbles, when he kicks at the very Fountain of Light and Life: OUr Author is like one of Jeremiahs conceited Lords, spoken of Jeremiah 2. 31. and therefore, he will not come to him, in whom are hid all the Trea­sures of Wisdom and Knowledge, Colos. 2. 3. No, he is so far from that, that he will tell God to his Face, that a Debt freely Forgiven, and yet fully Paid, is a contradiction: For what doth it signifie, for God to reveal him­self to be a God pardoning iniquity, forgiving transgression and sin, and yet a God, that will by no means clear the guilty. This is a con­tradiction in this Gentlemans Reason, and therefore, cannot be true by Revelation; Short Accountant, Page the Third, Reason the Third.

Yet least our short Accountant should Charge me with being too short, in given up his Ac­count of his Reasons; for his denying the Lord Jesus Christ to be over All, God blessed for every more: I must step back to his 2d. Page, where after he hath given some Account of the unkind, (and if all be as he relates it) unjustisi­ble carriage of Bishop R. S. and the Church under his Care towards him. He begins to lay down his Reasons, which I shall consider, with­out taking any notice of their Relative Neg­lects one to another; I having nothing to do [Page 8] with either the Bishop R. S. or the Church, over which he is Overseer. I not knowing this short Accountant nor B. R. S. nor any of his Congre­gation, that I know of; no, not so much as by Sight or Name, till since I see R. S. on this Subject, and upon inquiring after that, I have been told his Name. To begin therefore with the Account he gives of himself, he saith, As to his Life and Conversation, he doth not know that any hath blamed him for it, nor that he hath been charg­ed with Immorality, which is so far very well, and is his Mercy that God hath not left him so far to himself, as to run with many others, into the same excess of Riot: But he was not as he saith, Able to bear the hearing that Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin, was God by Nature, Co-equal, Co­eternal with the Father. And here I cannot but ob­serve the dark ingenuity of the Gentleman, who foreseeing that any Christian would be ready to grant that the humanity of Christ, which was Born of the Virgin, was not God; for then he had not been Man, but God only; and so we should have been at a loss for a Mediator: For there is one Mediator between God and Man, theresore he saith, He was not able to bear the Notion of a Compound, of part God, and part Man, to make up one Person. I do not find the word, part God, and part Man in Scripture, but the Scriptures do plain enough declare, that our Mediator is true God, and true Man.

But now I shall consider my short Accoun­tants Reasons, why he cannot believe him to be so.

His first Reason is, because God is repre­sented [Page 9] in Thousand of Places of Scripture, to be One single Person or Being; and in some few mistaken and dark places, that seem to infer a plu­rality of Persons in the Divine Being.

Now saith our short Accountant page 3. and our Nameless Author pag. 7. colume 2. We must not oppose a few Texts against many, nor dark ones agaiust clear ones. Very true, and for the same Reason, we must not oppose many against a few, nor clear ones against dark ones; and here any reasonable, unbyast man, may see how those Gentlemen contradict them­selves. Our Author saith page 4. colume 1. That if a thing does not appear clear to him, he hath no good cause to affirm it. And by the same rule, if a thing appears dark to him, it is presumptuous Folly in him to deny it; for a Man to deny that to be true, which he doth not know, or understand to be so by an infal­lible Rule; (And I hope this Gentleman will not say, his Reason is infallible in the things of a Man, much less in the things of God:) such a Man is guilty of equal Folly with him, that affirms a thing to be true, though he do not know it to be so, but upon Hear-say; or by the Dictates of his own weak and erring Rea­son. So my Author and I are agreed in this, that Scripture cannot contradict it self. But,

I proceed to my short Accountants Second Reason, which is this, That this Revelation of God as one single Being or Person, is agree­ing to the Notion taat I have of God in my Mind by my Reason; as most High, Best, and the like. Now, tho' I do not pre­tend [Page 10] to any great stock, much less to be Master of infallible Reason; yet I must own, that according to that measure of Reason that God hath given me, this Argument seems most un­reasonable and absurd; and it is to believe a Man's Notions are true, because they are his Notions; what reasonable Proofs are these? For though I never saw Hobbs's Leviathan, yet I make no doubt, but he had as good Rea­son as this, to deny the Being of God; for what is this more or less, than for the Fool to say in his heart there is no God, and then to intro­duce this Saying or Notion of his, and pro­duce it as an Argument or Reason, to prove that there is no God. I must needs say, that I have reason to believe, that the Scrip­ture doth not say in vain, that as the Fool walketh by the way his Wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a Fool; Eccles. 10. 3. And what if I had not reason enough to see this Truth of God, would the Truth of God be ever the less vailed for my Ignorance; I see my short Accountant falls much too short, in giv­ing a true, reasonable Account of his Faith. But,

I shall pass to his Third Reason, and see if there be any more truth in that, than in his two former; and here he tells us, What▪ is not true in Reason, cannot be true by Revelation: For saith he, (pray mark the reason of the Gentle­man's Argument) What is above my Capacity to understand, or contradictory to my understanding, cannot be revealed to me: Surely, if our Accoun­tant were not blinded with being wise in his own Eyes, he would have seen his Ignorance [Page 11] in this Argument quick enough. Why, good Sir▪ is your Capacity solarge, and your Understand­ing so great, that the one cannot be enlarg'd, nor the other enlightned; are there not ten thou­sand things which your reason doth not un­derstand, which are certain Truths for all that; and is not God able to enlarge your Capacity and your Understanding, and make that ap­pear to be truly reasonable, which now by reason of your Ignorance, you can see no rea­son for; except you will say, that you have attain'd to the highest pitch of Reason and Understanding that God can give you, and consequently that you are infallible in all mat­ters of Faith, and in the very Nature and Be­ing of God? And if so, you would do well to turn out that doating Fool at Rome, and place a wiser in the Chair, and lay aside the Scrip­tures, and Simon Magus like, set up for some great one in the World: I still see reason to guide my Reason by the Scriptures, and there­fore I believe, when I see a Man wise in his own Conceit, I may have more hope of a Fool than of him: Now, though I have reason to believe, that our short Accountant and our nameless Author, are Brethren in this unreasonable Work, of denying that Jesus Christ is the liv­ing and true God; as much as Simon and Levy were in their unreasonable Zeal: Yet if my Reason fail not, I think they contradict each other: For our nameless Author tells us, pag. 5. colume 1. that Reason is a Power or Faculty, of encreasing our Knowledge by Industry; whereby if [Page 12] we rightly proceed, we may come to an absolute certainty in many things. So then Reason is capable of being encreas'd, and growing by Industry.

Hence it follows, that small measures of Reason, can give a Man but small Certainty in many things; if in any thing, how contrary is this to my Accountants third Reason? whose Capacity is not to be enlarg'd, nor can any thing be true, that is contrary to his present Understanding; but when Reason is thus im­prov'd, my Author himself tells me, and I have Reason to believe him, that it is but a cer­tainty in many things; so that some things are still exempted from a certain Knowledge of by Reason; according to my Doctor of Rea­son, his own Argument. And if any thing be exempted, surely Reason would inform a Man, that the things of God should be some of those things; especially those things that concern his very Being and Nature.

But, to return to our short Accountants Third Reason, for I would not hide any of his most comely Parts, nor diminish any of his strongest Reasons, he proceeds in his afore­said pretended Reason, and tells us, Though he is bound to believe whatever God saith is True, yet it is because I have Reason so to do: But saith he, I cannot believe the thing God saith, till I know what he saith. You are very right Mr. Doctor, the Devil will tell the truth sometimes; but he adds, nor well believe; (pray Mark) nor well believe God saith so and so, till by Reason I am assured it is true: [Page 13] Reason can never assent to that which appears unreasonable, nor can I otherwise, than by Reason assure my self, that the Scripture is a Divine Revelation. These are his very words, for as I said before, I will not hide his strong Reasons: The first part of this Third Reason I have Answered already, but he cannot well believe God saith so and so, till by Reason he is perswaded it is true: If Abraham had had such a Conceit of his Reason, he might have Lived and Dyed in Unbelief; for ought I know to the Contrary: For what Reason had he, to believe, he should have a Son when his own Body was as good as Dead; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of Women; but the revealed Word of God, and he did not say this is according to my Reason, therefore I will believe what God saith; no, he Argued quite otherwise; and said, though I see no Reason for this, but a great deal against it; as much as ever our Accountant can pretend to be Master of. Yet, because it is told me by that God that cannot Lye, and Almighty power being ingaged to perform it, therefore I do be­lieve it, and therefore it is said Rom. 4. 18. he be­lieved against hope, and therefore against reason; but he would have had hope if he had had Rea­son; for Hope will follow Reason, and it would be an unreasonable peice of Nonsence, and a con­tradiction for a Man to say, I have Reason to be­lieve I shall have such a thing, but I have no hopes of it; Rom. 4. 18. Yet our Accountant will needs set up for a Master of Reason, though he knows not what he speaks, nor where of he doth affirm:

[Page 14] Besides, in this my Accountant gives no more Honour and Glory to God, by believing; then he or any Man else, may give to the De­vil: For when the Father of Lyes speaks truth, (and that you know he will do some­times) then you may believe him; if by Rea­son you are assur'd it is true; but God is to be Believed on the Authority of his own Word. It is no wonder, that Men discover themselves to be Fools, when no less Folly will satisfie them, then to kick against him, in whom are hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge, Colos. 2. 3.

But, I pass to my Accountants Fourth Reason, in the aforesaid Third Page, By Revelation saith he, we are taught, and it is no way contrary to Reason, that this one God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is this one God; Joh. 17. 1. Very true; and how forcible are right Words? but what doth your Arguing either prove or reprove from this? We are Taught by the Scriptures of truth, that Jesus Christ is the True God, and Eternal Life, and that the true God is Jesus Christ; 1 Ep. John 5. 20. and John 17. 1. Titus 2. 13. Now, whether this be contrary to my Accountants Reason or no, it is nevertheless true for all that; but I see no Reason to deny the Father to be God for all this, and if I should, yet my Reason and the Inference would be as Justifiable as his; in denying the Son to be God.

His Fifth Reason you have in his aforesaid Third Page, (for you must know they being [Page 15] small, will lye in a little room; Whenever God the Father, and Christ his Son are spoken of in Scripture, they are spoken of as two distinct Persons and Beings, as Joh. 7. 16. It's certain they are so, as the Scrip­ture declares them to be; yet the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, are but one God for all that. And he adds, Though they are said to be One in some Sense, yet never but in such a Sense as God and others may be said to be One, viz. in Love, Agreement and Will. One would won­der, that a Man pretending to Reason and Reli­gion, should not be ashamed to tell the World such an unreasonable untruth as this; what! is Christ and God the Father no otherwise One, than God and others may be said to be One; Namely, in Will and Love? Pray Sir read the 6 ver. of the First of Hebrews, there God commands all his Angels to Worship him. Will you be so unreasonable as to tell me, that God is so One with any of his Creatures, a [...] to Com­mand all the Angels of Heaven to Worship them? the Man Jesus only excepted; who by virtue of his Union, and Personal Oneness with God the Son; our Mediator being God Man, he must have this Honour: For hath not God in the first Command, forbid the worshipping any God but himself; and doth he not again say, He will not give his Glory to another, nor his Praise to graven Images? So then tho' Christ be the true God, he is not another God, and truth it self saith, that it is the Will of God that all Men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father; John 5. 23. And why then, will you discover so much Ignorance of the Scripture, and prove [Page 16] so evidently that your Wisdom, your Reason, is but Folly, instead of being a sure guide to lead you to the Knowledge of God; and again, Christ tells you, if your Reason will but let you believe him, that as the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father, Joh. 10. 15. And pray Sir, will your Reason tell you, that God and any others, which you speak of, are so One, whether Angels or Men, as that there­by they know God, as God knows them; surely God knows all his Creatures perfect­ly. Do any of his Creatures know him so? Thus we see vain Man would be counted wise, though it be far from him, and he is as extra­vagant as the Wild Asses Colt; but it is not to be much wonderd at, upon due consideration of the matter; for how can it be otherwise, when a Man is so far left of God to himself, as to be wise in his own Eyes; and so neglect to Live in a Continued humble dependancy upon him, who gives Wisdom to the simple, and Un­derstanding to them that have no Knowledge; this was the sin, and Folly of the Pharisees, who because they said, they did see, therefore their Sin and Folly remain'd with them, Joh. 9. 41. And our Lord tells us in the 39th. ver. That for Judgment I came into this World, that those that were blind, and so made willing by Grace, to be led in the way they knew not; according to that Gracious Promise in Isaiah 42. 16. should see; and that they which did see, and were so conceited with their own Reason and Righteousness, as not to submit to the Righteousness and Wisdom of God, should be [Page 17] made blind and Dye in their Sins: Again, our Lord tells you in Joh. 5. 21. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. Now Sir, will your Reason tell you? or if it do tell you, and so delude you; can it prove to you by Sound, reasonable Truth; that any Created be­ing, whether Angel or Man, can quicken whom he will; and is this such a Oneness, as God and others may be said to be One.

Unless I find some Truer, and so more reasonable Arguments then these; I shall never be your Disciple: Therefore I shall pass on, and Consider our Accountants 6th. 7th. and 8th. Reasons in the 4th. Page; for they are all of a sort, and if one be confuted the rest must Fall. He tells us, that those things are attributed to the Father, which cannot possibly be said of the Son, as that he is greater than all; and those things are said of the Son, which cannot possibly be attri­buted to the Father; or to the One that is God, as that he was conceived, grew in Wisdom and Stature, and many other such like things. Which is very true, and herein my Author speaks Rea­sonably; for it would have been a very Irratio­nal thing for him, to have thought of imposing his Cunningly devised Fables upon the Weak­est Christians; if he did not Cunningly and Deceitfully Mention some Truths. For it is no new thing for the Enemies of the Gospel, to hold the Truth in Unrighteousness. But Good Sir, what sort of Logick is this? some things are Attributed to the Father, which cannot be said of the Son; and some things [Page 18] are Attributed to the Son, which cannot be Attributed to the Father, which clearly shews that they are distinct; that the Father is not the Son, and that the Son is not the Father: But it doth not follow from hence, that the Son is not God; and whereas you say the Scripture tells us, that the Father is Greater than all; the same also it saith of the Son, for it is expressly said in Rom. 9. 5. That he is over All, therefore Greater than All; God blessed for evermore. And for those many Scriptures, that speak of Christ, his being conceiv'd, grow­ing in Wisdom and Stature, and the Like; which cannot be Attributed to God the Father: It is our unspeakable Comfort and happiness, and shews that Christ God the Son, did really take our Nature upon him according to the Scriptures; Heb. 2. 16. For verily he took not on him the nature of Angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham; and his being Conceiv'd and Born of the Virgin, clearly proves that it was not a shadow, or likeness of Man that he took, but real Man; and in regard it is said, that he took on him the Seed of Abraham; And in the aforesaid Hebrews 2. ver. 14. it is said, As the children are made partakers of Flesh and Blood, he also himself likewise took part of the the same: Which clearly shews him to be God; for who else must this he be, who took on him the Seed of Abraham? and took on himself part of Flesh and Blood? It must be some Being superiour to the Angels themselves; for the Apostle speaks of it, as an Act of Soveraignty and Good Pleasure in this Mighty He; in this [Page 19] Almighty Being; who did not take the Nature of Angels, but did take the Seed of Abraham: So my Accountant and I are agreed in this: That God the Son did take our Nature upon him: And in this Sense. God was made Man; The Word was made flesh. I suppose my Accountant will discover so much Reason, as to own that this He; the Apostle speaks of was not Man nor Angel: For then he had spoken Nonsence, and his Words would have run thus, verily an Angel or a Man, took not on him the Nature of Angels; but the Seed of Abraham: So that it is Evident, this He, was neither Angel nor Man; but a being in­finitely superiour to both. But,

My Author goes on to his 7th. Reason, and saith, That there can be no Essential or Personal Ʋnion be­tween God and a Creature; Finite and▪ Infinite; For the being of God doth not require the being of a Creature to his being. A very unreasonable assertion, and therefore must have some thing reasonable joyn­ed with it; to gull the simple and unwary Reader: There can be no Personal Ʋnion between God and a Creature he saith; and pray why so? why, because the being of God, doth not require the being of a Creature to his being; or any thing but himself, to make up his Person or Self. This is a sort of Logick, that the Gentleman may think, may down well enough with Mechanicks; and such like ordinary Fellows: But it is strange, the Doctors of Reason should send such stuff as this is abroad for sound Reason; but I for­get my Accountant, and his Brother the Name­less Author are Doctors of Reason; and [Page 20] perhaps they think, they have ingrost all Rea­son into their own Hands; and if so, we must take what they will let us have, and at their own price too; or else one would think, they could not be so vain and Foolish as to tell us, there can be no Personal Union between God and a Creature. Surely, Almighty Power is able to take a Creature into Personal Union with himself, and as for that Nonsensical pretend­ed Reason, that the being of God does not require the being of a Creature to his being: What Sense or Reason is there in it? If it had been necessary to his being, it must have been Eternal as God himself is; and then it could not be a Creature, for no Creature is Eternal; and then all the Condescention, Grace, and Love, that the Scripture speaks of; in Gods taking our Nature upon him; must vanish a­way into Idle Tales, or be led Captive at the Heels of our Accountants foolish Reason: Pray try a little, how this Argument will look in other Cases, the being of God doth not re­quire the being of any Creatures to make up his being, happiness and blessedness; there­fore he cannot, or will not descend to the Work of Creation; and when they are all made, they cannot all of them add one Tittle to his Essential Glory: Therefore they were not made for, nor are to his Glory now made. Where is the wise Man? where is the Scribe? 1 Cor. 1 19, 20. God will destroy the wisdom of the Wise, and bring to nothing the understanding of the pru­dent; according to that old threatning against the Wise Men of this World: Isa. 29. 14. That wisdom should perish from the wise, and the [Page 21] understanding of prudent Men shall be hid. But,

I pass on to his Eighth Reason, where I find our Accountant having past all bounds of [...]ight Reason, will needs break thorow all bounds of Truth and Modesty too; and therefore tells us, Whatever is said of Christ in Scripture, is said of him as Man. But, he presently adds to cover this Story, That the shift so many use, of Christ speaking so and so as God, and so and so as Man, is unscriptu­ral and Foolish; and sounds no better then this, that Peter as Peter denyed his Master; but Peter as John did not deny his Master. We look upon it as a prudential peice of Justice, to suspect Common Lyars when they speak Truth; and there­fore I hope, our Accountant will not think it any dishonour to him; If I do by him, as the Noble Bereans did by Paul; search the Scriptures before I receive this assertion for Truth or sound Reason: But upon a Second view of this Eighth Reason, I find there is not one Scripture mentioned, and therefore I may very honestly; retort his assertion back upon him again; and tell him, this assertion is very Foolish and un­scriptural: But if I can give no other Answer than this, I know my Accountant will out Reckon me by abundance; for he is a Man of Reason, and perhaps may be as ready to say to me concerning Reason, as Zedekiah did to Mi­caiah concerning the Spirit; and ask which way went Reason from him to me? 2 Chron. 18. 23. But what faith the Scriptures in this Case? for by them my Author thinks to dishonour our Lord Jesus Christ, with no less then Robbing him of his Divine Nature; Isaiah 9. 9. For un­to [Page 22] us a Child is Born: There his Humanity is spoken of, but read out the verse, and see if your Reason hath not robb'd you of all good Manners and Modesty. You will not dare to give the Lye to the Spirit of God, and there he is called the wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father The Prince of Peace; see ikewise Rev. 1. 17, 18. Now Sir, will you have the impudence, to give the Spirit of God the Lye in these two Scriptures; or will you suffer your Reason, to possess you with so much Madness and Folly; as to charge the Spirit of God with Folly, and say he speaks Nonsence; chuse you whither? But,

Our Accountant goes on, and I am willing to follow him; being willing to find out the reason of a thing; and he tells us which he calls his Ninth Reason, Page 4th. That tho' Christ be truly said to be the Son of God, yet he is never in Scripture caelled God the Son. Now would I give you a Scripture, to prove that he is called God the Son; but you have told me already such Scriptures are dark, but I cannot help that; they are Scriptures notwithstanding, and the dark­ness you speak of, lyes in the weakness of your understanding; and the Folly of your pretended Reason. Besides, the Scriptures were Written for this very purpose, to give Wisdom to the simple; but those that are Wise in their own conceit, may be sent away as they came: For you know God himself tells us, that he sends the rich empty away. Pray, Sir Read Heb. 1. 8. but unto the Son he saith, Thy Throne O God is for Ever, &c. I think this is [Page 23] not so dark a saying, but you may understand him to be called God the Son in those Words; and admitting it were dark or hard, as those said, who told our Lord his sayings were hard; when he spoke of giving them his Flesh to eat: And no doubt, but they were as much above their understandings, and as contrary to their Reason; as the Doctrine of the Blessed Trini­ty, is above or against yours; yet were they the Words of Truth it self for all that. And Solomon tells us, Prov. 1. 5, 6. A wise Man will hear and increase Learning: And for this Reason among others, to understand the Words of the Wise and their dark sayings. But our Accountant, and his Brother the Nameless Author are Wise Men; whether it be in their own eyes or others, no mat­ter for that. Their Reason is the Touch-stone of Gods Truth, and therefore whatever God reveals, must First come and make its acknow­ledgments to Mr. Licenser General: our Authors Reason; and if it pass Muster in his Foolish Noddle, it may go for Truth; but if not, (as what reasonable Man can think, that the Mysteries of God should be comprehended by the Foolish, corrupted, unreasonable, though pretended Reason of Man: Especially, seeing the Carnal Mind is Enmity against God and the Scripture; yea, Reason it self may inform us, that none knows the things of God, but the Spirit of God and he to whom he reveals him.) Why then it must pass through the strict In­quisition of the Doctor of Reasons Queries? as, First, How can these things be? Secondly, How can this Man give us his Flesh to eat? Joh. 6. 52. These are hard sayings who can hear them; ver. 60. [Page 24] Or, Thirdly, Thou art not yet fifty Years old, and hast thou seen our Father Abraham? And if our Lord stand to it, and assert his Divine Nature by saying, before Abraham was I am; they will will be ready to Stone him for a Blasphemer; because they knew his Mother, and his sup­posed Father according to the Flesh; therefore he cannot speak the Truth, it will not pass with Doctor Reason: Therefore, Gods Truth must be condemned for Folly and Non­sense: But woe unto those Men that will call evil good, or good evil; or truth error, or error truth; when God riseth up to contend with those Men, he will make them know, he is not such a one as themselves.

But our Accountant after all his Pains to build a Babel's Tower, undermines it all at once in the winding up of his Reasons: For he saith in his Tenth Reason, and his last but one; That the ascribing the Divine Natures incommunicable Perfections, and worship to one and another; or a third Person or self, necessarily infers a Plurality of Gods; and is a breach of the First Commandment; hath many evil tendencies, and is the Ground of all the Idolatry, Antichristianism and Paganism.

This is a high kick indeed, for here our Ac­countant charges the Angels with Folly; and not only so, but all the blessed Company in Heaven; Nay, that is not all, but rather then not do his own business effectually, he will en­ter into Judgment with God himself. Well, however B. R. S. or any under his care may slight him or his Book, as thinking neither worth Answering; yet I must needs say he is [Page 25] a stout bold Fellow, for he dares to charge God himself with contradiction; and with being accessary to the Breach of his own first Command: For according to our Ac­countants Reason, he suffers the Worship and Worshippers in Heaven, to infer a Plurali­ty of Gods; and to lay a Foundation for all Ido­latry, Antichristianism and Paganism. For in Revelations 5. we have an Account of the Wor­ship of Heaven; and in the 11, 12, 13. Verses, we have an Account of the Angels, and the Beasts and Elders giving Blessing, Honour, Glory and Power to him; that sitteth upon the Throne and untothe Lamb for ever and ever, ver. 14. and the 4 beasts say Amen to all this, and the 24 Elders fall down and Worship him that liveth for ever and ever: Here is Divine honour and Worship, Given to him that sitteth on the Throne; and the same in the same breath, given unto another; to use my Authors own Words, Even to the Lamb for ever and ever. And yet God doth not charge them with Idolatry, nor making to themselves another God: No, this is the Worship of Hea­ven, and must continue so for ever and ever. Sure, if our Accountant had any good hope of Worshipping with this blessed Company in Hea­ven; he would endeavour to imitate them while here on Earth: A Man had need have a good Stock of Patience, as also of Faith and every Grace of the Holy Spirit; to live in a continu­al dependancy on him, that gives Wisdom to such simple Ones as he pleaseth; and under­standing to as many of them as have no know­ledge, as seemeth good to Soveraign pleasure; as [Page 26] also humbly to remember, that the Ostrich hideth her Eggs in the Sand, and forgetteth that the Wild Beast may crush them; because God hath deprived her of Wisdom: Or else a Man indu'd but with an Ordinary measure of Reason, and not Balast'd with the aforesaid Graces of Gods Holy Spirit; could not forbear the resenting this unreasonable assertion, so as to give my Accoun­tant a Character, much below that of Master of Reason: But I may not give ill Language, hav­ing not so Learned Christ. Neither is it fit for a Man of a mean capacity, to say to such a Learned Gentleman thou art a blockhead; nor shall I say any thing of the Impudency that there is, in bringing in an Impeachment and Charge of the highest Treason and Idolatry; that Can be against the whole Court of Heaven, the Blessed Him that sitteth upon the Throne and the Lamb (who is worthy of all blessing, Honour, Power and Glory;) not being exempted: This is such a peice of Fool hardiness, as none but those that dare Run, upon the thick bosses of Gods Buckler can be guilty of. I hope, our Ac­countant will not discover so much Folly; as to attempt to excuse himself of an error in this, by Quoting 1 Chron. 29. 20. Where it is said, All the Congregation blessed the Lord God of their Fathers, and bowing their heads Worshipped the Lord and the King. That being but an External or Civil Worship, which the People paid to the King; or that is due from Inferiours to Superiours: And our Accountant himself tells me, he could not bear the ascribing the same Glory to Christ in Prayer, which is due to the [Page 27] Father; whereby he publickly enters his dissent and protest against the Worship and Wor­shippers, and Worshipped also in Heaven: For the Truth is, what ever Worship Kings and such may receive from their Subjects in this World; yet there never was, nor shall be any King, Lord, or Potentate; that shall receive Honour, Glory Blessing and Praise from all the Worshippers both Angels and Men, that are in Heaven for ever and ever; but he who is the only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ who is the true God and Eternal Life; 1 Joh. 5. 20. It is strange, that there should not be one Doctor of Rea­son among all this Blessed Company; to imi­tate Athaliah in crying out, Treason, Treason, Idolatry, Idolatry, contradiction, Nonsence; be­cause the right Heir is Crowned, and receives the Glory of the Kingdom.

But upon Second thoughts, it will not appear so strange as true; for God hath not chosen many wise Men of this world, and those few that are chosen from among them, must first become Fools that they may be truly Wise; For God hath chosen the Foolish things of this World to confound the wise; 1 Cor. 20, 27, to the end. Thus we see the Scriptures made good, The wisdom of this World is Foolishness with God: For it is Written he taketh the Wise in their own Craftiness, 1 Cor. 3. 18.

There is yet another thing, which our Ac­countant will needs call his Eleventh Reason; or Stone in this Babel Building and his last: But whether it may be called his Top Stone [Page 28] or Bottom? no matter for that, such as it is take it word for word, Page 5th. that it is, saith he, Great folly and boldness, to affirm any thing Concerning God; which is unreasonable or absurd, yea, which we do not understand to be true: Surely, what ever mistakes and Errors the Trinitarians may be guilty of, yet it is certain they cannot be guilty of greater; not indeed, so great Boldness and Folly as our Accountant is; as we have seen but now in his last Argument. For I do not find that they enter into Judgment with God, nor charge the most high foolishly, nor with folly; and I pray Sir, upon second thoughts tell me, which is the greatest Folly and bold­ness, to believe what God declares of himself, to be reasonable and true, though we do not understand it; or to give God the Lye, and and tell him that what he declares of himself is false, unreasonable, and absurd; because we do not understand it; Such an Answer as this from a Servant to a Master, would be Ac­counted Impudent boldness, and we see there is nothing more common among Men, whose Understandings and Reason differ greatly yet, far enough are they from differing infinitely; yet among Men, it is no new thing for the Wise and Learned, to understand and know that to be true and Reasonable; which the more Ig­norant are rather more ready to wonder at, than they are able to give a Demonstration of; Yet are these Gentlemen so confident in their own Reason, that they will give the Lye to God himself; if he tell them the Father, the Word, and Holy Ghost are One: So care­ful [Page 29] are these Gentlemen, that their Faith may not stand in the Power of God but in the Wis­dom of Men. But whether it be right in the sight of God, to believe or obey Men rather than God? judge ye; Acts. 4. 19. I have now done with my short Accountant, the rest of his Book being meerly Historical, of what did pass between him and B. R. S. and the Church of which he was a Member; but I have no­thing to do with that, my Business being only to contend for that Faith; which was once delivered to the Saints, and to believe the Truth as it is in Jesus: I shall therefore now, take a view of our Nameless Author again; and see if he can produce any sound Reason, to perswade us to deny our Lord Jesus Christ. For I take it for granted, that it is as great a denial of him to deny him to be as he is, God over all blessed for ever more; as it is to deny him to be our redemer: For indeed the Holy One of Isarel is the Re­deemer thereof.

But on a Second view of our Author in his Divine Ʋnity asserted; I do not find any other Reasons, than what I have already considered, and find in my Accountant, save only he is some­what larger; and in his 10th. page Colume 1. he would deny the Divinity of our Lord, and prove it too if he didbut know how; from this Argument, that Man is made after God's own Image. Now, saith he, If God be a Trinity and Man be his Image, we may find an Image of that Trinity in our selves: But he excludes the Body from any part of this Image, which may look tolerable enough at first view because God is [Page 30] a Spirit; and if he had stopt here, he might have carried his Sophistry off pretty fair; but the Wits of our day must over shoot them­selves: He tells you the Reason why the Body is excluded, because saith he, It is imperfect; and there is no Imperfection with God: Good Sir, did you expect to find the Soul of Man a perfect Image of God, when you first entred on this Argument; really you might well have spared your Pains here, and have given the Spirit of God the Lye once more; and you should have as good Reason so to do, as you have to give our Lord himself the Lye, as you do in your 15th. page colume 2. where you say, The same worship which is due to the Father, is not to be given to Christ; but that which may be given to a Creature for God's sake. Wherein you do in plain English give Truth it self the Lye; for he hth told us, that all Men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father; as hath been already proved by Scripture, John 5. 23. and by the Example of the Worshippers in Heaven: But if you had been sincerely looking, for a faint Resemblance of the Image of God in Man as a Trinity; to say nothing of that Moral Like­ness, that God at first stampt on Man's Na­ture of himself, which consisted in Righteous­ness and true Holiness; which indeed was the greatest Resemblance in Man to God; And yet we have reason to believe, that the Angels were every whit as much like God, as in this sense Man was. Therefore it must be something else in the make of Man, that did bear some Image of God; for which cause it is said, he [Page 31] made Man in his own Image; and if you had not wilfully shut your Eyes you could not but see, that the Scripture speaks of Body, Soul, and Spirit in Man; as the Apo­stle Paul prays for the Thessalonians, 1 Thes. 5. 23. that They might be sanctified throughout in Body, Soul and Spirit. And if there be such a thing as Body, Soul and Spirit in Man, then here is some faint Resemblance in Man of a Trinity in God. I say a faint Resemblance, for I am not so void of Reason; as to think that a finite weak Man can be a perfect Image of God. Yet our Author, to shew what a Ta­lent of Wit he hath; spends all his 10th. page both columes, and part of 11th. to prove that which no Body denies; or that which is for­reign to the purpose: But in his 11th. page his Wit runs over, and his Invention will run too fast for his Reason do what he can; for he saith, That cannot be called Generation or Origination, which never began to be generated or originated; and if he had stopp'd here, he might have danc'd in the Dark; and they that have no Eyes could never have seen him: But the Gentleman's Invention hangs in the Light of his Reason. He tells us the Reason is, That which never began to be a doing was never done; and therefore ETERNAL GENERATION must be ETERNAL NONSENCE. Well argued most Learned Doctor, a Man would be ready to think you were a Pensioner to Hobbs, to make way for, and gain Proselytes to his Le­viathan: For by this Argument, that which never began to be cannot have a Being; and [Page 32] then the Fool may ask us, Where is your God? and the Truth is, the Attribute of God's Eter­nity is as much above, and out of your Rea­son, as the Doctrine of the Trinity; and if you tell me there is a difference between a Being and an Act.

I Answer, that an Eternal Act is as much without a Beginning, as an Eternal Being; and it is equally as great a piece of Nonsence, and as derogatory to the Glory of God, to say God was before he acted; as to say he acted before he was. Really Gentlemen, but only for the great Names and Titles, by which you are pleased to dignifie, and distin­guish your selves from the common People; such as Masters of Reason, Learning, Scholar­ship, and the like; or else a Man may find more sound Reason, among a few Men of the meanest Employments and meanest Capacities; than in an whole Conclave of such Doctors as you are. For I pray you Sir, tell me with­out Heat and Prejudice; and with solid substan­tial Reason, what a kind of senseless, lifeless something worse than nothing, must you snp­pose God to be; if you could suppose him to be without, or before he acted: Hath your great Learning spoiled your Memory so much, as to make you forget that common Maxim, that where there is Life there is Mo­tion. Sure, that Cause must be very despa­rately defective and unreasonably bad, that necessarily runs Men upon Atheism or some­thing worse; and so much the worse, because they pretend to plead for Reason all that while. [Page 33] Nay, the Considerator in his Letter to H. H. is so confident, but foolish enough (God knows) as to tell the World; they were always too hard for the Trinitarians, at these two Weapons Reason and Scripture. But hitherto we have found them too short in their sound Reasoning, we shall try what strength they have by the Scrip­tures in due place.

In the mean time it may not be an unrea­sonable Work, to enquire what true Reason is; that we may not be as Men beating the Air, crying out great is Humane Reason; and at the same time scarce know what true Rea­son is. And if the Doctors of Reason would not be offended, I would tell them what I take it to be. It is a good Gift of God, which he is pleased to bestow in some measure on most of the Children of Men; whereby we are enabled to discern the Con­nexion or Dependancy, that one thing hath upon another.

Hence it follows, that Knowledge is not Reason, neither can Reason work without knowledge; any more than a Man can walk in the Air, or a Carpenter can build a House without a Foundation. Hence it follows, that the greatest Scholars are not always the wi­sest Men; as one of their own hath lately told us, as good, and as great a one perhaps as any this day living: Saith he, ‘There are a great many Scholars, who are carried only by their Books.’ They know much and therefore can tell a great deal; as you know every Fool can tell as he is told: But for matter of [Page 34] sound Reason, whereby they are inabled to draw, just and Reasonable conclusions from known and certain Premises; If it be never so little out of their Book Road; and for which they have not as yet, consulted an Author. Truly, a Man may let a great many of these Gentlemen a­lone; hence it comes to pass, for we are now discoursing about Reason; it is a power of drawing just and right conclusions from known and certain Premises: Hence it is that though Learning is in it self, a very great, and very good Gift of God, and a great accomplishment to a Man; and therefore to be highly prized by them that have it, and to be honoured by them that have it not: Yet great Scholarship, cannot deliver some Men from being great Blockheads; for Soveraign Pleasure will bestow his Gifts to whom, and how he pleaseth; to one a Word of Wisdom, to another the Word of Know­ledge, by the same Spirit; 1 Cor. 12. 8. How preposteriously then do those Gentlemen go to Work, that would Measure the being and pro­perties of the infinite God, by their weak and imperfect Reason; of which there are as many degrees it may be, as there are Men in the World; and which can no more Work of it self, without some Knowledge to Work upon; then an Artist can Work without Tools, or Matter to Work upon. And it is impossible for Man to have any saving Knowledge of God, but by Revelation; and there are but three Ways, that ever God revealed himself by to Men; they are his Works, his Word, and by his Holy Spirit; and it is not our Reason, as it is [Page 35] a Faculty or Power in us now corrupted; that can gather any true or saving Knowledge of God, as he is in himself or will be to us, from his Works of Creation and Providence: No, nor from his Word neither, without the Aid of his Holy Spirit; and that in an especial manner: We see this by the Heathen, who were as great Masters of Reason, as any of our present Pre­tenders; and yet were far enough from a true Knowledge of God; and how could they, for who knows the Mind of God, much less the Nature, but the Spirit of God; and he to whom he reveals him: But let us consider, the Knowledge that God gives us of himself by Creation, and see what improvements Rea­son can make of it; we see a visible World, and therefore by the Apostles Argument in Romans 1. 19. 20. we may conclude, that there was some being, that gave being to those Visi­ble, Changeable things; and that this being must be, before all those things that do ap­pear; else he could not give them being: Thus arguing by Reason, from the Effects to the Cause; we rise from the Men now in being, to the first Man that was Made; and so likewise of all other Created beings, to the first of them: And so likewise of the Heavens and the Earth, and all that therein is; whose very being declare they had a Maker, who is God; for he that Maketh all things is God.

Hence we may Reasonably conclude, that this God is an Almighty Infinitely Wise God; yea, that he is a Merciful God, for his Mercy is Written in visible Characters over all his visible [Page 36] Works; and yet it must be acknowledged, that all the Reason that the greatest Doctors of it ever had; could never gather any Reasonable hope of the Pardon of their Sin, or of Eternal Life; by the Revelation that God hath made of himself by the Works of Creation and Providence. If you tell me, you may hope for Mercy, because you are the Works of his hands; his Mercy being over all his Works. I Answer, the Devils may as Reasonably hope for Mercy as you, or I, upon this Account; for they are Creatures, and so are we; and they are Sinners and so are we. So that there is a necessity for God, to reveal himself to us by some more Clearer Light, then that of Crea­tion; if you and I, ever come to a true and saving Knowledge of him; this necessarily leads us to consider, what Revelation God makes of himself in his Word. But,

Before I come to Consider that I would a little inquire, what further improvements Reason can make of the Work of Creation to find out God; and Counting things One by One, to find out the Account as we have be­gan; we may come to know that God is an Eternal being, without beginning of days, or end of time; and it is necessary he should be so, else he could not give being to all other beings; neither could such an Infinite being arise, or spring out of nothing; but he is a Self Suf­ficient All-sufficient being without beginning. Now though Reason, rightly Arguing from the Effects to the Cause; may find out the Eter­nal Power and God-head (as the Apostle speaks) [Page 37] that is know; that God is an Eternal being: Yet all the Doctors of Reason, can never shew how it can be so; any more than they can shew how the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost can be One God: And I do hereby pro­mise, (not to trouble the Learned about such im­possiblities as either of these are;) that on the same Day in the Morning, of which our Doctors of Reason, shall give me a reasonable Demonstration; how a being can be without a­beginning: I will, in the Afternoon of that same day before the Sun goes down, give them as Reasonable a Demonstration; how the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one God. For when you have Magnified your Reason, as far as you will or can, you have but two ways to Work it by; either you must argue from the Cause to the Effect, or from the Effect to the Cause; Not from the Cause to the E­fect, for the very Supposition of a Cause, de­stroys the Nature of a Being without a Be­ginning; nor can you find it out, by arguing from the Effect to the Cause; for where there is no Cause all Effects must cease. So that the Argu­ment is very Rational, both against you that will not believe God to be as he is; because your Reason cannot comprehend him: Whereas if you could, he must cease to be God; for an In­finite and Eternal Being, cannot be compre­hended by a Finite, Foolish Man; As also a­gainst the greater Atheist, who deny the being of God; because they say, there can be no being without a Beginning; but that God is, all his wondrous Works decl [...]re; for there [Page 38] could be no Effects, If there were not a first Cause to Produce those Effects; and he him­self must be without a Cause, or else he must be but an Effect of some other Cause; and that destroys his Eternal Power and Godhead. So that as the Works of God do clearly shew that he is, and that he is and Eternal Being; yet all the Reason in Man by the utmost searching, can never find out the Almighty so to per­fection; as to give a Demonstration how he can be so. So that, however these Gentlemen of Reason cry out against Misteries; yet this one Attribute of Gods Eternity is such a Miste­ry, as all the Worshippers in Heaven both Angels and Men, shall adore and admire God for; as well as for his other excellencies and perfections, even to Eternity. And it is ob­servable, that in Rev. 4. ver. 8. There the four Beasts that stood round about the Throne adore God for his Eternity; and they rest not day and night, saing, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty; which was, and is, and is to come, those Blessed Creatures adore and believe, what they could not give a Reason for; and for that very Rea­son they admire, and adore God so much the more: Whereas if they could have told how God was, they would have declared it; and not Ananias and Saphira like, have kept back any part of their knowledge. For we find in all their Thanksgivings, they go as far as they can; in Rev. 5. ver. 9. in their new Song which they Sing, they say; the Lamb is worthy to take the Book, and open the Seals thereof; and when they Praise him for Redeeming them, and making them Kings and Priests; they rest not there, [Page 39] but go as far as they can, even to the Founda­tion of all; saying, who hath Loved us and washed us in his blood; and thereby made us Kings, and Priests unto our God: Where by the way we may observe, that all Gods Kings and Priests are made so, by being washed in Christ Blood; and not by their imperfect following Christ Example, of which more in due place.

Upon the whole matter, let our Men of Reason make never so much Noise and Clamor, against the Doctrine of the Trinity, as being contrary to Reason and after they have darkned Counsel; by Multitudes of Words without Knowledge, yet it is evident, that all their Reasons, may be reduced to one which lyes with equal force against the very being of God; that is, their Reason cannot comprehend how three can be One: And I will for once venture to assert, not knowing any Law nor Reason against it; that their Reason can as little comprehend and their understand­ing is as much at a Loss, to know how a being can be without a beginning: So that notwith­standing their pretentions to Christianity, they are but Factors to Atheism; for if the Atheist can but prove, that every Mans Reason is his sufficient Rule for what he ought to believe; and Practice, he will gain a great Point; and the greatest Fools will never want Arguments, to justifie their Foolish Notions and Practices. For if the worst of Fools, (an Atheist) come and say, there is no God; he will pretend Rea­son for it: Though it be the most irrational thing, that a Reasonable being can be guilty of; For there can be no beings that we see, but either made themselves or were produced by [Page 40] some other Cause or sprang out of nothing; or else it is Eternal without beginning or Cause: Surely, we our Selves did not make our Selves, nor could something of it self, spring out of nothing; much less could nothing, produce somthing: Therefore the Heavens and the Earth, could not make themselves; neither could such a Fabrick of it self, arise out of nothing; there­fore it must have a Creator, that by an Al­mighty Power, could speak things into being; without matter to Work upon: Or else the Heavens and the Earth must be Eternal, with­out Beginning or Cause; and then they yield their Argument, and contradict themselves. If they say, the Heavens and the Earth, did by Chance jumble into the order in which they now are, out of a confus'd Chaos of mat­ter, pre existant to the Heavens and the Earth; (to say nothing of the strangeness that it should not jumble back again, into the same Confus'd Chaos; by the same Chance before this time of day.) I Demand, how this confus'd Chaos, or disorderly matter came into being; out of which this Heaven and Earth, Chopt into into such an orderly Frame? If they tell me that this confus'd matter was Eter­nal,

I answer, That this is so sottish and blockish, that none but Madmen or Fools can be guilty of it; for who but those that have no reason, or having had it have now lost it, will deny an Infinite, Eternal Being; and yet attribute these Perfections to nothing, or confused Mat­ter [Page 41] which is worse than nothing. But these are not the Fools I am concerned with, I am treat­ing with Gentlemen; a Title too good, and too great for the greatest Atheist in the World, however they may assume it to themselves; or their flattering Trencher dependants may as treacherously, as well as cowardly give it unto them. But the Gentlemen I am concerned with, are Men of Reason; only their great Learning hath so stuft their Heads and Me­mories, that they have almost forgot what sound Reason is; as hath been already seen, in examining the Stuff they call Reason. It is to be lamented, that one good Gift of God should fall upon such bad Ground, as to drive out another; but so it is, what else is the meaning of that Word, Let not the Wise Man glory in his Wisdom, nor the Rich Man glory in his Riches, &c. But to shew, that as the glo­rying in these things, robs the Giver of his Due, so it makes the Receiver become a poor, weak Fool, Jer. 9. 23. And indeed, it is very unreasonable to think it can be otherwise, for if every good and perfect Gift comes down from the Father of Lights; and is dispensed to us through the Son, by the Holy Spirit; what can those Gentlemen do otherwise, but discover themselves to be as they are; who shall deny our Lord Jesus Christ, to be as he is; over all, God blessed for evermore; and thereby deny to live by Faith upon him, and as much as in them lies, cut themselves off from him, in whom dwelleth the Fulness [Page 42] of the Godhead. Col. 2. 9. But if Reason fail, these Gentlemen say they will remove the Cause to the Scriptures of Truth; most gladly therefore with them to the Scriptures I will go, and guide and subject my Reason thereunto: And indeed, it is impossible for us to have a true Knowledge of God; with­out the Revelation that he gives of himself, by his Word and Spirit.

And here I cannot but take Notice, of the fool­ish as well as slanderous Report; that my name­less Author (in his Divine Ʋnity asserted, pag. 6. Col. 2. as well as the Considerator in his 19th. and 20th. pages of his Answer to the Bishop of Sarum) gives to the Christian Divines; say­ing, That were it not for Church Awes, and for fear of losing their Stipends; they would deny the Doctrine of the Trinity themselves. I thank God, I lye under no Temptation of being byass'd by the Churches Smiles or Frowns; I being no Clergy-Man, nor the Son of a Clergy-Man; and therefore my Judgment cannot be bribed with the hope os getting, or fear of losing any Benefice. But God having given me an Immortal Soul, it becomes me, and it is but my reasonable Duty as well as Interest, to be as much concerned about the Eternal Sal­vation thereof; as any of those whose Busi­ness it is, being called of God as Aaron to serve at the Altar; by preaching the unsearch­able Riches of Christ, and the great Myste­ries of the Gospel and Godliness, God mani­fested in the flesh; Eph. 3. 8. 1 Tim. 3. 16. And here I must take leave to tell our Do­ctors [Page 43] of Reason, that if the Scriptures tell me, that Jesus Christ is the true God and Eternal Life as I find it doth; 1 John 5. 20. Tit. 2. 13. I must therefore believe this Truth, because I find it Testified in the Scriptures of Truth; although thereby I should practically give those Gentlemen [...]he Lye, who say he is but a Man; and although to prove their Sayings they tell me, their great Reason and Learn­ing hath taught them so to say and believe; therefore to do them right, I do freely ac­knowledge that they have a just right, to lay claim to the Title that the Apostle gives to those simple Gentlemen; spoken of in the 2 Tim. 3. 7. Who were ever learning, and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth. And yet it is evident, that these were no small Fools in their own Conceit; for in the next Verse, the Apostle compares them to Jannes and Jambres; whose Ignorance and Folly was over-laid with such a stock of Impudence, that they had Confidence enough to resist Mo­ses; though he was one of the greatest Men that ever lived upon the Earth. And there were such pretended Wits in the Apostles days, Men of corrupt Minds resisting the Truth, concerning the Faith reprobate: But their Folly was made manifest, as the Unreasonableness of our pretended Men of Reason at this day is. But let us see, how these Men reconcile Scripture to their Reason, or rather pervert it; for my Author in his 16th. page, colume 1. ar­gues; that because we are to love God with all our Hearts, therefore the Son is not God; [Page 44] for then our Love would be divided. Which argues strongly that he is God, because we are commanded to love and honour him as the Father; as hath been proved by Scripture Command, and the Example of the Worship­pers in Heaven: And also is an undeniable Argument, that the Father and the Son are one; whether my Author will receive it, or can understand it or no.

The next Scripture that I find Our Author mentions in particular, after he had mentioned several to prove God is one; which signifies no more to his Cause, then if a Man pretend­ing to prove, there is no Night in our Climate; should tell us when we see the Sun shine we may be sure it is day: For all true Christians believe God is one, and that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, is this One God. But the Text which he mentions and recites at Large, is in his 18th. Page. 1 Colume; Phil. 2. 6. where the Apostle speaking of Christ, saith, who being in the Form of God, thought it not Rob­bery to be equal with God; but made himself of no Reputation, and took one him the Form of a Ser­vant: My Author saith, (the reconciling Sense is, that is, to there Foolish Reason) that he thought of no such Robbery, as being equal with God: It is very strange, that the Ser­vant should so much excel the Master; when the Devil himself, transformed himself into an Angel of Light; he did not Quote Scripture so Falsly, nor pervert it so palpably as this a­mounts to; when he Brought Scripture to Tempt our Lord, to cast himself down from the Pina­cle [Page 45] of the Temple; as any Christian may, see by comparing the 4th. of Matthew and 6th. with the 91st. Psal. ver. 11. But Let us Consider, what the Holy Ghost was pressing on Christians in the Context; that we may not Charge him with Contradiction and Nonsence, how bold so ever we may be with his Disciples; and here we find he speaks of some Person or being, that was in the Form of God; and therefore the other assertion, that he thought it no Robbery to be equal with God, was a necessa­ry Consequence of the Former; and to take it as my Author doth, is but to give the Lye to the Holy Ghost, or to Charge him with Con­tradiction; let him choose whether: Besides, the 7th. and 8th. verses make it clear, that the Apostle was speaking of some Person or Be­ing, distinct and infinitely superiour to Hu­mane Nature; and therefore speaks of his Condescension, in taking on him the Form of a Servant, and being found in the Fashion of a Man. Whereas were this this He the Apo­stle speaks of, no other but a Man; the Apostle had contradicted himself, and his Ar­gument would have been meer Nonsence, and would have run thus; a Man humbled him­self, and took on him the form and fashion of a Man. Besides, it is a Contradiction in the Nature of the thing it self; and is no better Sence than to say, a Man made himself a Man: It may seem strange, that Men should be so blind; but how can it be otherwise, when they will needs war against him who is the Light and Life of Men. I always thought [Page 46] that my Author was endu'd with a conside­rable stock of Learning; only it look'd like a Jewel set in Lead, for want of sound Rea­son, and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ to manage it; until I met with his reconciling Faculty, in his aforesaid 18th. page; and that brought to my Mind what the Apostle Peter saith, 2 Pet. 3. 15, 16. where speaking of some of Paul's Epistles, of which this to the Philip­pians, and that to the Hebrews are some: He saith, There are some things hard to be under­stood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also other Scriptures to their own Destructi­on: And when I read these things, I cannot for my Life, forbear thinking on my Name­less Author: For, besides the flat Contradicti­on he gives the Holy Ghost, it is directly con­trary to the Scope of the Apostle; which was to move them to Humility, and Condes­cension one to another from Christ's Exam­ple: But if he were a Man only, to say no­thing of the Nonsence that there is, in say­ing a Man humbled himself to become a Man; the Man Jesus, considered as a Man only; was highly honoured in his being conceived, and brought forth of a Virgin in such a Miracn­lous Manner. So that consider the Text which way you will, either with respect to the Words themselves, or with respect to the Context; we are bound to believe the Truth as it is revealed; that He thought it no Robbery to be equal with God. There is nothing more material in my Author, which I have not taken Notice of, and shewed how unreasonable it is; es­pecially [Page 47] where he pretends Scripture for his cunningly devised Fables. And the Truth is, those Gentlemen would make much surer Work in their Babel Building; if they could but race out the Scriptures from among us; than ever they will be able to do by wrest­ing them one by one, to speak according to their foolish Reason.

And indeed the Considerator, in his Answer to his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canter­bury, bids fair for it; for though he had tryed in vain by false and absurd Glosses, to make the first Chapter of John, and many other Texts mentioned by his Lordship; to speak according to his own, and his Master Socinus his foolish Reason; or rather corrupt Mind: Yet he flies at first to his best shift, though for Subtilty sake somewhat indirectly; to except against the Gospel of St. John, the three Epistles and the Revelations; and would im­pose upon us, that they were counterfeited by one Cerinthus in John's Name: And therein he hath not only secur'd his own Cause, but greatly oblig'd the Papists; a piece of Wicked­ness they never had the Impudence to attempt, though they kept them lock'd up in an Un­known Tongue. Yes, but the Considerator tells us, that the Revelations of St. John were de­nied, and writ against by some of the Papists; as being no part of Divine Writ. Well, be it so, every Body knows for what Cause, we have it recorded in Acts 6. 10. because they were not able to resist the Holy Ghost that speaks therein; and at the same time others [Page 48] of them, are striving with all the might they have, to ward off the Blow that the Spirit gives to that Interest; in wresting it to any sence, that may secure their Popish and Fop­pish Cause.

In like manner doth the Considerator, not only with the Revelations, but with the Gos­pel of St. John and his three Epistles, and scarce any Text that is urg'd against them; but they say either it is not right translated, or it is no Scripture; or else they manifestly wrest it from the plain Sence and Meaning of the Holy Ghost. There in one Instance among many we have in the Gospel of John, Chap. 8. v. 58. where our Lord saith, Before Abraham was I am; Considerator, pag. 57. co­lume 1. that is saith he, In the Decree and Counsel of God: Why, good Mr. Considerator, what a great Secret have you found out now; are not all God's Works known to him from Eternity, were not you and I, and all the Men that shall be in the World to the end thereof, in the Counsel and Decree of God from Eternity? Surely, God is not like Man; to determine and purpose one thing yester­day, and another to day.

But pray Sir, be pleased to take a View of your own Learned Countenance; in your 6th. page colume 1st. and 2d. There you give several Arguments, to prove a thing cannot be possess'd before it is in being; and in particular you instance the Day of Judgment, which is not yet come; and therefore not possess'd. I hope you will not say it is not, or that it was not in the [Page 49] Decree of God; when and before he made the World: Therefore your Saying after Grotius, that a Man descending from Abraham; could not be any otherwise before Abraham, than in Divine Purpose and Decree; is very true and turns the Argument against you: Besides, Abraham was in the Decree of God as soon as any Man. Therefore you must own, that our Lord did exist before he was born of the Virgin, or that he spoke Nonsence; for they themselves knew, that the Decrees of God were Eternal; and our Lord had not given them an Answer to their Question, which was whether he had seen Abraham, he being not fifty years old? Besides, our Lord had told a plain di­rect Lye; if he had said he was in the Decree of God before Abraham: For Abraham was in God's Decree as soon as Adam, and therefore no Man descending from Abraham, could be in God's Decree before him.

But the Considerator goes a little further, and saith, our Lord did exist in the Promise of God before Abraham; which is very true also, for he was promised the same day of the Fall; but neither will this do the Business, nor discharge our Considerator from charging our Lord with Folly or Nonsence, or both: For it was promised presently after the Flood, long before Abraham; that God should per­swade Japhet to dwell in the Tents of Shem, and yet the Gentiles the Seed of Japhet did not receive the Gospel, till since our Lord's coming in the Flesh. So likewise was it pro­phesied of Josiah an hundred years before he [Page 50] was born; could he therefore say before I was born I am? Nay, is not Mr. Considerator himself, and the rest of his Learned Bre­thren prophesied of by Name? in 2 Pet. 2. 1. where the Holy Ghost tells us, there shall be false Teachers among Christians; who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies, denying the Lord that bought them; and bring upon them­selves swift Destruction. Will you add so much Pride to your Folly, as to say concern­ing your self as our Lord did? that because I was in the Decree of God and prophesied of, therefore 1600 Years before born I am: Besides, I Am, is a peculiar Title to God, sig­nifying his Self-existence and Self-sufficiency; which no created Being can take to himself without Blasphemy. Well, but after all, the Considerator is resolved to be a good Cham­pion for a bad Cause; who will loose his Ground Inch by Inch: And therefore, he saith in his 57th. page; first colume, That notwithstanding all this, we must be Socinians or Arrians; for Christians we may not be. No, by no means! if the Considerator can but jump in­to the infallible Chair, and prescribe a Reli­gion for us. Thus it is, and thus it will be; as the truly Rational and Learned, as well as Pious Doctor Owen hath observed; ‘Truth will not please, the Devil will subscribe to any Creed, but that which God gives of himself in his Word.’ But, good Sir, why must we be Arrians? Why, because Christ though he did exist before the World was made, yet he was but a Creature for all [Page 51] that; but the first that ever God made: But neither will this shift, enable you to over­throw the Christian Religion; nor shall you thereby, rob the Author of it of his Divine Nature; who is the great God and our Sa­viour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us: Titus 2. 13, 14. For hereby you do but tread in your old Steps; by resisting and contra­dicting the Holy Ghost as your Predecessors did in Acts 7. 51. For in Revelation 1. the 8th. and 11th. Verses our Lord saith, he is the First and the Last: And to put the Matter out of Doubt, that it is Jesus Christ there speaks; the 12th. Verse to the End of the Chapter makes it evident, he being in the Likeness of the Son of Man. And in the 17th. Verse, he saith again, I am the first and the last: And in the 18th. I am he that was dead and am alive: All which shews that this was Jesus Christ, and that this Jesus Christ is Godman; for he being the first, God the Father was not before him, then he could not be first; and he being the last End of all things; all things must end and terminate in his Glory: For God's Glory is the highest and chiefest Good, and therefore must be the ultimate and last End of all things; and that this was no other than Jesus Christ, is evident in that he saith, I am he that liveth and was dead. Surely, God cannot dye, therefore this must be that mighty Child that was given to us, who also was the everlasting Father; spoken of in Isa. 44; 6. and Isa. 9. 6. Godman, God with us in our [Page 52] Nature. And therefore he may well be called wonderful, because he is Godman in one Per­son; God he must be, else he could not be the first nor last neither; for God only is the last End, as well as the first Cause of all things. Man he must be, else he could not dye; and God he must be, else he could not have power to raise himself again, as he tells you he had; John 10. 18. No man taketh it from me, saith he, but I lay it down of my self; and I have power to take it up again: And this com­pared with the next Verse, together with Acts 20. 24. proves the Father and him to be one; as he saith of himself, in ver. 30. of this 10th. Chapter; I and my Father are one. Besides, in the first Chapter of Gonesis it is said, In the beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth. Why then will you impose Arrianism upon us, and contradict the Spirit of God; by telling us that God created be­fore the Beginning, or before he created the Heavens and the Earth?

The Considerator therefore, shall never im­pose his School-Divinity upon me, of one Se­nior and two Junior Gods; for unto me and unto us Christians, there is but one God the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things and we by him; 1 Cor. 8. 6. And in­deed, here lies these Gentlemens Mistake, they find the Scriptures in many places speak of Jesus Christ as Man: Therefore say they, he cannot be God, as my Accountant pag. 4. but as hath been observed, we do not say that [Page 53] Man is God, or that the Humane Nature is the Divine; or that those two Natures are con­founded, but we believe according to the Scriptures of Truth, that God took upon him our Nature; Heb. 2. 16. and united that Holy Thing, that by the over-shaddow­ing of the Holy Ghost was conceived, and born of the Virgin: So that it did not sub­sist, nor was it a distinct being of it self, but was united into a personal Union with God the Son; and thus he continues to be two Natures in one Person for ever. If you ask me how these things can be.

I answer, such Knowledge is as much too wonderful for the Angels (for ought I know) as to know how God was; and therefore neither you nor I must pretend to it: It is enough these are the true Sayings of God, and there­fore it is to the Peril of those that will not believe it: If you say it is impossible, I an­swer with Men it may appear so and really be so; but with God all things are possible. If you say it is Nonsence and Contradi­ction.

I Answer it is the highest impiety and great­est impudence, that a Man professing to be­lieve there is a God can be guilty of; to say, that any thing that God reveals concerning himself or us; is impossible or contradictory to it self: And therefore, after all the Conside­rators glorying of his own, and the rest of his Brethrens Honour and Dignity; as being Free­men of the Common-wealth of Wit and Learn­ing; Page 44. both Collums. And after he hath [Page 54] spoken very Contumeliously of the Dignities of the Church, and given himself a good Word as a Person fit for Preferment: If the Honours and Profits of the Church, were bestowed as they were at first designed, upon Persons of Wit, Learning and Merrit; no doubt, but he might come in for an Arch-Bishop: And yet in all this glorying, I do not find him men­tion one thing, that Paul a Minister of Jesus Christ made any reckoning of; his Study and glo­rying being to know Jesus Christ, and him Crucified. No, the Considerator doth not speak one Word of this, in all his own Letter of Re­commendation; though both Colums, Pag. 44. be taken up about it; yet there is not one word of Repentance towards God, and Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ spoken of, as being of any Concernment in a Minister of Jesus Christ. And therefore, seeing he hath such a conceit of his own Merits, without those (accounted) un­necessary things; I would advise him to step Over to Rome, for if he make good Friends, those things are not much minded there; If he tell me there is no hope of getting a Cardinals Cap, because the Doctrine of the Trinity is maintained by the Church of Rome also. I An­swer, the Being of God is an Article of their Creed too; and yet I doubt not but Mr. Conside­rators great Learning, hath delivered him from so much ignorance in Church History; That he well knows some Atheists, or Atheistical Fellows have by more Wit and Learning, then by sound Reason, Honesty and true God liness stept into the in [...]alible Chair for [Page 55] before now. And this may serve for an An­swer, to Our Nameless Authors argument in his Pag. 18. where he would deny the Doctrine of the Trinity, because tis maintained by the Church of Rome; An Argument so Weak and Foolish, that I did not think it worth my while, to take any other Notice of it, than occa­sionally by the way: for sure we shall never be able to maintain the Protestant Doctrine; If this be any Argument with us, That we are right because we dissent from them, or because in many or most things they are wrong; but a foolish Cause must have foolish Arguments or none at all. And indeed notwithstanding the Considerators vain glorious boasting of his great Learning; I look upon him to be as great a dishonour to the Schools, for want of Answer­able measures of sound Reason; as it must be an affliction to our Clergy, to find such Hereticks harboured in the Bosom of our Church: For although he boast so much of the Mighty Re­volution, that, greater liberty in matters of Re­ligion would make, from Christianity to Soci­nianism or Deism; yet if he had sonnd Reason, and integrity answerable to his great Learn­ing; and the knowledge that he must needs have there by in Church History: The remem­brance of the Arrian Persecution, must deli­ver him from that foolish Dream; nor could he were his attainments in Divinity, and sound Reason, proportionable to his great Learning; deny our Lord Jesus Christ to be the true God, and Eternal Life according to the Scriptures; 1 Joh. 5. 20. when he himself asserts That in [Page 56] his Pag. 11. Colum 2. and Page 26. Colum 2. which by sound Reason, and by Just and ne­cessary Consequence proves him to be so, for he saith, God neither hath, nor can give him the incommunicable properties of the Deity; such as Ominpotency, Omnipresence, Omniscience, and the; like so then it is but for me or any private Christian, to prove that Christ hath those in­communicable properties of the Divine being; and the Considerator himself will maintain that he is God. Now Sir, if you had not excepted against the Revelation of St. John, as being no part of Divine Writ; you know I could presently have proved that our Lord Jesus Christ is Omniscient, Rev. 2. 23. I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: Pray Sir, com­pare this with Jer. 11. 20, 27. and 10. 9. But seeing the Seducers, and Cunningly devising fable Men of our day, under the Specious pre­tences of Learning and Reason, would fain gather up us Lay-men as Branches cut off from the true Vine; (and may succeed therein a­mong the withered Branches, according to what our Lord hath foretold and threatned; concerning such in the 15th. of Joh. and the 6th.) Yet our Lord hath given his word for it, that they shall not deceive the Elect, though they may and shall deceive many; Mat. 24. 4, 5. and 22, 23, 25. And that those pretenders to Reason, are those very deceivers among others there spoken of is evident; not only from our Lords words in ver. 11. calling them False Prophets, and deceiving many; which they could never be able to do, if they did not [Page 57] pretend Reason for there Cnnningly devised Fables; but also their own Practices should be­wray them to be Wolves in Sheeps Clothing, in treading in the very steps of the Grand Sad­dneers in our Lords-day; who that they might carry on that Fundamental Herisie of deny­ing the Resurrection the more successfully, they denyed the greatest part of the old Testa­ment, and would own nothing for Divine Writ, but the 5 Books of Moses; and sticking there, they thought to confound our Lord himself, by their Rational and Learned Argument; that there must be Confusion, Contradiction, Absurdity and Nonsence if the dead Rise: And you know Sir, they grounded their Ar­gument upon Scripture, and made their foolish Reason, and ignorance of the Power of God, Judge of the Cause. Seeing therefore, the Con­siderator is not ashamed to tread in the Sadduces Steps, but will imitate them in denying part of the Word of God; and yet at the same time (as they did) pretend Reason and Scripture for what they held: And to give them their due, there are as many contradictions, and seeming impossibilities to Reason against the Resurrection, as there are against the Doc­trine of the Trinity; and our Faith therein, must be intirely resigned up unto the re­vealed will and Almighty Power of God. But I say, seeing the Considerator will imitate the Sadduces, in denying part of the Scrip­tures; I shall endeavour to follow the Ex­ample of my Lord Jesus Christ, and prove from such part of the Scriptures as they will own, [Page 58] that our Lord Jesus Christ is Omnicisent and and Omnipresent; (but at the same time pro­testing against their unreasonable partiality, in choosing and refusing what they please for Di­vine Writ; and saving to the Service of the Truth all those arguments that are or may be drawn from any part of the Gospel of St. John the Three Epistles and the Revelation, for destruction from God is a terror to me, and because of his greatness I cannot indure to add to those things, nor take away from the words of the Book of this Prophesie; least God should take away my part out of the Book of Life; Job 31. 22. Revelation 18. 19.) Now Sir, I think you do not except against the Gospel of St. Mat. and there we read Chap. 28. ver. 20. Christ Promised his Disciples to be with them alway, to the end of the World. Now, Sir, let me freely Discourse with you, concenring this Promise, our Lord Jesus Christ is gone to Heaven, and his Humane nature is to continue there till the Restitution of all things; neither can a Man be at two Places at one time. Now▪ what will you do, will you give our Lord the Lye in this Promise; or will you be­lieve that a Man, or the Humane nature of Jesus Christ is not only in the Sacrament of the Alter, and so in Thousands of Places at the same time with the Papist; but also every where, in all places of the World, where ever there is a Believer: Or will you believe the Truth as it is in Jesus, that he is the Omnipresent God, and so is with his People in all places, and in all Con­ditions, [Page 59] according to his gracious Promise; Joh. 14. 18. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you: Perhaps you will tell me, that this is no more then Paul said of himself; 1 Cor. 5. 3, 4. where he tells the Corinthians, that though he is absent in Body, yet he as present in Spirit, had Judged already as though he were present, concerning him that hath so done this Deed: And in the next verse tells them what they should do, wehen they wre gathered together; and my Spirit, with the Power of our Lord Jesus Christ, Colo. 2 5. to the same purpose; but were not Mr. Considerator one of the best, or rather the worst at perverting of Scripture, and one of the greatest reproachers of sound Reason, under the greatest pretentions to it; I should not have mentioned these Scriptures, as having the least shew of Reason in them, to invalidate the Truth of our Lords Promise; or that he will not be with his People, and that really present with them to the end of the World, in all Places, and in all Conditi­ons according to that gracious Promise, in Isa. 43. 2. When thou passest through the fire I will be with thee, and the waters shall not overflow thee. If you tell me this Promise in Isaiah must be under­stood of God the Father. I answer, if it be so, it doth but confirm our Lords Deity; the Pro­mise being no more then what he Promiseth his Disciples, which clearly proves our Lord Je­sus Christ to be the Omnipresent God, that fills Heaven and Earth with his presence; for what Paul said to the Corinthians and Colossians, is no more then what we may all say to one another, [Page 60] when we are desirous to have a good Work carried on by the Church, or any other Civil Society, at which we have a right to be pre­sent as Member; tho' we are else where de­tained, yet approving the Work we say, our Heart is with them, our Mind and Spirit is in the Work: But will Mr. Considerator say, this is all the comfort our Lord promises his Dis­ciples, Mat. 28. Truly if so, they might say of him, as Job said of his Friends; miserable comforters have ye been; but our Lord cannot deceive, any more then he can be deceived; and therefore he will come unto his People, and will take up his abode with them; accord­ing to his gracious Promise in Joh. 14. 23. Jesus answered and said if a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him: Here the Son is to come, and be as much present with his Dis­ciples as the Father: And in ver. 16. of the same Chapter our Lord saith, I will pray the Father, and he shall send you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.

All which, with many other Texts of Scrip­ture, not only prove the Son to be Omnipresent; but also the Unity of the Divine being, and the Trinity of that Unity; and doth undeni­ably prove to all sincere, unbyast Christians; the Divine authority and Truth of that Word in Joh. 5. 7. which Mr. Considerator and the rest of his Tribe do so much Bark at, but they shall never be able to Bite it out of Gods Bible, as long as the Sun and Moon indure; nor can they, though in Conjunction with the Gates [Page 61] of Hell; be able to Rob the People of God, of the comfort and Consolation, that they enjoy by Communion with the real, (though Spiritual) and Divine presence of Jesus Christ. For when the Atheist and Deist, and Mr. Considerator him­self have Mock'd and Scoff'd at Communion with God, as much as their Elder Brother Ishmael himself did at the Son of the Promise; yet know ye there are that know, their Fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ; Joh. 1. 3.

And yet, Mr. Considerator, to shew what a Doctor in Capernaum and Nicodemus's Divinity he is, proves himself as good an Advocate for the abomination of Transubstantion as Belarmine himself; or any Cardinal of them all could do: Yet is he no Papist but any thing; so he can but do some thing against the Truth; for in Page 21. Colum 2. and 22. He labours all be can, to make the abomination of Transub­stantiation to be a small sin, if any; which he calls a folly or a mistake; it is not an impiety he saith, but a Philosophical Error; Colum 2. Page 21. and hath mis-represented that abo­mination, that he might redicule the Truth; For he saith, it is not pretended by the Papist, that the bread and Wine have received any, the least change: Where as this is the very thing they have burn'd many a Christian for, because they would not believe that the Bread and Wine were changed; or Transubstanstiated into the very Body and blood of Christ: And as for his Body being present in a Spiritual manner, it was the Doctrine of the Lutherans and not of the Papists.

[Page 62] And in his 20th. Page, Colum he saith himself, the Papists say, the words of our Lord import, that the Bread of the Sacrament is really, and verily made to be the Substance of Christ's body, in which he was Crucified.

But in his Page 21. Colum 2. He tells us, they are of another Mind, and that they do not pretend that the bread and Wine, have received the least change in what is an Object of Sense: Why good Sir, is not the very Substance of Bread an Object of Sense? Perhaps this Gentleman, may pretend a License to Con­tradict himself; but the Trinitarians must have a care, of saying any thing contrary to the dictates of Mr. Considerators foolish Reason; for fear of being Guilty of the unpardonable sin of Contradicton. But the Gentleman was labouring to Contradict Christ, and to Charge him with Folly and Falshood; therefore no wonder if he Contradict himself, for our Lord hath pro­mised to be with his People, to be really pre­sent with them in this World. This Mr. Con­siderator see would prove him to be God, the only true God; therefore he will Give our Sa­viour the Lye, and say he neither is nor can be Omnipresent: Page 11. Colum 2. But our Lord saith, Mat. 18. 20. that where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them: And that the will be with his People to the end of the World, Mat. 28. 20. Yet Mr. Considerator is pleased to say, the Doctrine of Christ real presence, is worse then the abomination of Transubstantiation: But that his Fables may pass with some Colour he thinks it meet to [Page 63] colour his Charge with Falshood; and tells us of some, whom he saith, ought not to call themselves the Reformed, who believe the real Presence of Christ's Body in the Sacrament, pag. 20. colume 2. But I know none of that Belief except the Papist, nor the Considerator neither I believe; but the Gentleman's Design was, to deny the Real Divine Presence of Christ: But that being too great a Truth, to be beat out of the Scripture of Truth; he contents himself in that place, in denying his bodily Presence. I have insisted the more on the Omnipresence of Christ; because Mr. Conside­rator in his 11th. page, not only denies it; but also acknowledges if he be so, he must be the Living and True God; because it is an incommunicable Attribute of God.

Now, we have our Lor'ds Words for it over and over again; that he will be with his People in all places in the World: Now whether Mr. Considerator will believe our Lord's Words, or give him the Lye; or whether his Reason hath taught him that the Humane Nature of Jesus Christ is bodily present with his People; in all places and at all times; and if so, he gives himself the Lye: Or whether he will believe that he is the Living and True God, and fills Heaven and Earth with his Presence? Let him choose; I am not to be accountable for his Faith.

But the Considerator goes on in his 11th. page, and tells us, some of their Number think Our Lord Jesus Christ may be invocated in Prayer, not because he is omnipresent or omniscient, but be­cause [Page 60] [...] [Page 61] [...] [Page 62] [...] [Page 63] [...] [Page 64] it pleased the Father to reveal to him our Pray­ers: And quotes Revelation 1. 1. He might as well have quoted Mark 13. 32. For neither of those Texts speak of Prayer, but of the Humane Nature of Jesus Christ; and if he had been writing to those that deny his Humane Na­ture, they had been to his purpose: But Chri­stians that believe him to be Godman, are confirm'd in their Faith by these Texts; as by several other in Revelations and elsewhere: He being that wonderful Person, who is the First and Last; who was dead and is alive: But if some of your Number scruple praying to him, I do not know any of the Number of Christ's Disciples, that make any scruple of it: Stephen the first Christian Martyr, dyed calling upon God; and saying, Lord Jesus receive my Spirit; Acts 7. 5.

But pray Sir, sometimes you pretend to be a Man of Reason; but as is your Reason so is your Divinity: The Scriptures speak every where of coming to the Father by the Son, not to the Son by the Father; Ephes. 2. 18. Through him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father: Neither can any man come to the Father, but by the Son; John 14. 6. But if the Father reveal our Wants to him, and he cannot know them by his own Omnisciency; then we are necessitated to come to the Son by the Father; and instead of Jesus Christ spreading our Wants, and offering our Pray­ers to the Father with his own Incense; the Father must offer up our Prayers to the Son.

It is not for Mechanicks to call the Learned [Page 65] Blockheads, nor will I presume to determine, whether it be a Common or a Strange Thing? to find such a Monster, as a Learned Dunce among the Schoolmen. But I must needs say this Sir, that notwithstanding your great Boasting in your 44th. page; of your being free of the Common-Wealth of Wit and Learning; (though I will not question the Copy of your Freedom of the City of Learning.) And yet we Mechanicks have so high an Esteem for the Noble City of Learning; that we cannot think such Jolts, could ever attain the Honour of being free of that City: But that we are inform'd, that it is the Custom of that City confirm'd by a Law, made by a Common Council of the same, for the Encouragement of Strangers to send their Children thither; that after seven years Service, every Tutor shall be obliged to make all his Dunces free.

But notwithstanding all this, Sir, I think it is a Reproach to the States of the Common-Wealth of Sound Reason; to naturalize such Gentlemen as you are among them: Yet I would not reflect on the Proceedings and Con­duct of that Sereen Republick. And therefore I do freely acknowledge, that it is very pro­bable, that we Mechanicks may not understand the Meaning of some of those Learned Words, that flow so naturally from such great Cri­ticks as you are; we having not the Gift of divers kinds of Tongues. And therefore, it is probable, that by Wit and Learning you mean, only the Den of Subtilty and Cun­ning Sophistry; whereby you are enabled to [Page 66] [...] [Page 67] [...] [Page 68] [...] [Page 69] [...] [Page 66] devise cunning Fables to deceive us Laymen, if God do not give us more Grace and Sound Reason to withstand you. And so you may notwithstanding all this foolish Flourish, pag. 44. be Strangers and Alliens from the Common-wealth of Sound Reason. And truly you have little Reason to Glory, in your being free of the Den of Subtilty and Cunning; for when you have done all you can, the Old Serpent will outdo you in that kind of Learning and Logick.

But I think it is almost time for me, to take my leave of Mr. Considerator; for although I promised my self great Improvements of my Reason, when I first saw his Title Page; and no doubt but much might have been learn'd from him, had his Book been as rational as his Attempt is daring and bold. And yet up­on a Close View, I do not find his Reasons are any other, that what are contained, or may be reduc'd, to what I find in my short Accountant; save only that his great Learn­ing hath puft him up with so much Vanity, that he is not ashamed to speak evil of Dig­nities.

But Mr. Considerator goes on in his 11th. page, from denying the Omnipresence of Christ, to deny the Satisfaction of Christ's Death: And in page 12. colum 1. he saith, The end of Christ's Death. was to recommend Mankind to the Mercy, Forgiveness, and Favour of God: And again Col. 2. he saith, He suffered to recommend us unto the Mercy of God: And in page 32. colum 1. he saith, Though he would willingly [Page 67] give it us in the Lord Bishop of Sarum's Words, and doth indeed no less than charge his Lord­ship with a Dissent from the Catholick Church, in his 1st. colum, page 31. But in page 32. colum 1. he saith, The Sacrifice of Christ was not tendered to the Justice of God, as an equi­valent Amends or Reparation; but to his mercy as a Supplication, and as such accepted. And this he saith, the Socinians contend for; but pray Sir, let us reason the Case a little, about this Account that you give of the End of Christ's Death: But first let it be remembred, that you grant, that Christ died to expiate the Sins of Mankind; page 31. col. 2. This expiation was not offered to the Justice of God you say, but to his Mercy; and to his Mercy, not as an Expiation of Guilt; but as a Supplication for Mercy: This is a double Contradiction, I see the Gentleman will not prove himself a small Fool; for first, you set the Cause in the place of the Effect; and the Effect in the place of the Cause: And in the second place, you destroy the very Na­ture of Mercy, and make it no other than Justice it self; in that an expiatory and pro­pitiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of Mankind, must be offered up thereunto: First, You make the Effect to be the Cause of that, which it is but the Effect of: For the Mercy and Love of God was the first, and only moving Cause of God's sending his Son into the World; and therefore all that he did in the World could not be the Cause, nor so much as a Means ro procure his Mercy; consider'd [Page 68] without respect to Justice: John 3. 16. For God so loved the World, that he gave his only be­gotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ‘Mercy and Love in God, (as the truly Rational and Heavenly Dr. Owen hath observed) being no less than God's willing good to the Crea­ture; and whoever God wills Good to, they must have that Good willed to them:’ For God's Will in this Sence, must infallibly be done both in Heaven and in Earth. But God will not convey Good to any Creature, in a way that shall destroy a greater Good; then the Salvation of all the Men and Angels in Heaven and Earth will amount unto. But such is the Manifestation of the Glory of God's Justice, therefore though God's loving Kindness and Mercy was from everlasting, and therefore needed not a Sacrifice in time to procure it; much less a propitiatory one to appease it which is a Contradiction with a Witness; but this is not to be taken Notice of in Men, that have ingross'd all contradiction to themselves, under the specious pretence of Reason; for 'tis below the pretended Wits of our Day, the Great, Vain glorious Freemen of the Com­mon-Wealth of Wit and Learning, to prove themselves little Fools.

But I say, Mercy will never be extended in a way, that in the least derogates from the Justice and Truth of God: No, Justice and Truth must be equally exalted with Mercy, where-ever it is extended: Therefore when [Page 69] God proclaims his Name in Exod. 34. 6, 7. he proclaims himself to be a God that will shew Mercy, and yet will by no means clear the guilty. This you Men of Reason are pleased to contradict, and do in so many words tell us; that a Debt fully paid, and yet freely for given is a contradiction; Nameless Author page 6. col. 1. And Mr. Considerator calls it a Mock Pay­ment, pag. 13. col. 1. But we know the things of God, useth to be accounted Foolishness with Men; but Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ, we do as well know that God hath made foolish the Wisdom of this World; and that the foolishness of God is Wiser then Men; 1 Cor. 1. 20, 21,—25, 26, 27. But in the aforesaid Exod. 34. The Lord proclaims himself to be the Lord God, merciful and Gracious, long suffering, and abundant in good­ness and Truth. Pray observe, goodness and Truth must go together, and without Truth Goodness would cease to be so. And in verse 7. He saith, Keeping Mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, Transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear theguilty. Now Gentlemen are you not ashamed, if you are not you may be; to say a Debt fully paid, and yet Free­ly forgiven is a Contradiction; for do you not thereby Contradict God himself and Charge him with Folly and Falshood; who saith, he will pardon iniquity and forgive sin; and yet will by no means clear the guilty.

Surely God is true, and can no more Lye then he can dye or deny himself; therefore his infinite [Page 70] wisdom hath contrived that which his Almighty Power hath effected, a way to pardon sin; and yet by no means clear the guilty. This could not be done by offering up a Sacrifice to the Mercy of God, nor was there any need of such a thing: Mercy being the first moving Cause of setting infinite Wisdom to Work, to find out a way to save the sinner, and yet not clear the guilty; and at the same time to save the Ho­nour of Gods Law, and to vindicate the immu­tability of his Truth, to shew Mercy to the sinner; and yet at the same time to magnifie his Law, and make it Honourable; Isa. 44. 21. to magnifie his Mercy, and yet at the same time, and by the same way and means, and with re­spect to the very same Persons; to exalt his Justice. This was a Work becoming God, be­cause no Created being had Wisdom and Pow­er to do so; and as it is wonderful in its own Nature, so likewise should it be to us; and Humbly and thankfully closed up with. It is not to be quarrelled with, but if you will re­ject the Counsel of God against your selves, because it is Foolishness with you; yet know you that to them that believe, Christ is the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God; and they do receive this Truth with all manner of Acceptation. And although it may seem to be foolishness to you wise Grecians, yet to them that believe both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the Wisdom of God and the Power of God; hence it comes to pass, that the Lord is well pleased for his Righteousness sake, he thereby magni­fying his Law, and making it Honorable; this answers the end of God, both in Creation and [Page 71] Redemption. See Sir Francis Bacons Confession of Faith. The end of God was to manifie his own glory, but for which he would not have de­scended into the Work of Creati­on nor Redemption; For he bath made all things for himself, even the wicked for the day of evil; Prov. 16. 4. And we are Redeem­ed and Called for this very end, that we may be to the Praise of the Glory of his Grace in Christ Jesus; Eph. 1. 6,—12. Yet so as that the Glo­ry of his Justice, might shine forth with equal Luster with his Mercy; Rom. 3. 25, 26. Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation, through Faith in his blood, to declare his Righteousness for the Remis­on of sins, that are past through the forbearance of God; ver. 26. To declare, I say at this time, his Righteousness; that he might be just, and the justi­fier of him that believeth in Jesus; God doth all things becoming himself, and Gods glory be­ing the chiefest good, and the manifestation thereof the Highest end; God could have no Lower end, than the manifestation of his own Glory; as the first and chief end, in the Work of our Redemption and our Salvation, next thereunto. A wise Man will not do great, and Noble things for a base and low End; how much less will God save sinners in a way, that advances the Glory of one attribute to the abase­ment, or in the least Ecclipsiing the Glory of an­other: This would reflect on his Wisdom and Power, but God will not, God cannot extend Mercy in a way, that may reflect on his Justice and Truth: If the King pardon a Convicted Traytor, he thereby extends his Mercy, and [Page 72] shews a great deal of Pitty, and Compassion, and good Will to the Person of the Traytor: But he cannot with respect to that Person, but stop the Execution of Justice, and the Law in that particular Falls to the Ground; and that be­cause he is Man, and not God; but not one jot, nor Title of Gods Law shall Fall to the Ground; neither shall Justice be in the least stopt or Suspended, by Gods extending Mer­cy to the Sinner; because the Lord is God and not Man: Therefore we Read, that Mercy and Truth are met together, Righteousness and Peace have kissed each other. Psal. 85. 10. God is as Just in Justifiing him that Believeth in Jesus, as he is in Condemning the Unbeliever; Rom. 8. 26. So that it as clear as the Sun shining at Noon day; that as Mercy was the first and only moving Cause, of Gods sending his Son into the World to save Sinners; and therefore there was no need of his coming to procure Mercy, his coming being the greatest Demonstration of Mercy and Love; Joh. 3. 16. So likewise is it a Demonstration that all he did, and espe­cially what he Suffered; was with respect to Justice. The determinate Counsels of the Three that bear Record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, the one Eternal God; had first, if we may to help the weak­ness of our understanding use such an expression; as First or Second, concerning the decrees of God. I say, the First thing God had in his Eye in saving Sinners, by sending his Son into the World; was the Manifestation of his own Glo­ry: This being the best good must be the First [Page 73] Cause, and Last End of all Gods Works; and in Subordination thereunto, Gods Mercy and great Love wherewith he Loved us, was the moving Cause of sending his Son into the World, with respect to God himself; the Manifestation of his own Glory was the Cause, and must be the Effect and last End thereof with respect to us; Love, Pity, and Compas­sion, and Mercy, was the First moving Cause, and our Eternal Salvation the last End; so then if Christ came to Expiate sin, or to take away sin; it must be to bear the punishment due to sin, or to the Sinner for sin; to take a­way the guilt of sin; which cannot be done but by bearing the punishment due for sin; the guilt must be taken away. For God will by no means, therefore not by Mercy it self, clear the guilty: Therefore the guilt must be taken away, that Mercy may flow in with all its Bles­sed effects upon the Sinner; therefore the Fa­thers sending his Son, was the Highest Act of Mercy in the Father; and the Sons coming and dying in our Nature, was the highest Act of Love in the Son: The thing it Self was all Mercy with respect to us, and the doing of it was with respect to the Honour of Gods Law, and and the Manifestation of his Justice and Truth: Therefore Christ did not offer himself up as a Supplication to the Mercy of God, but as an expiatory Sacrifice to his Justice; and not as a partial expiating of sin, for that would but in part take away guilt; but all guilt must be taken away, or else the sinner will remain guil­ty; and God will by no means clear the guilty.

[Page 74] Hence we read of Gods forgiving for Christs sake, Eph. 4. 32. and of Redemption through his Blood the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his Grace. Here is Redemption, but at no less Price than the Blood of Ghrist; here is the forgiveness of sins, but it is through the Blood of Christ; for we are not Redeem­ed with Corruptible things, but by the pre­cious Blood of Christ; Peter 1. 18, 19.

All which shews that we are freely Forgiven, and yet Justice is fully satisfied; God having no Motive, nor was it possible he should, to concern himself about our Salvation; but his own Soveraign good Will and good Pleasure, he will have Mercy, because he will have Mer­cy: This makes the difference between Man and Man, and this makes the difference between Man and Devil; he took not upon him the Nature of Angels, but the Seed of Abraham: And what ever Reasons may be given for this, by those wise Criticks that will vainly intrude into those things that they have not seen; yet they must at last all Center in this; Even so O Father, be­cause it pleaseth thee. It was the good pleasure of God to save his Elect, therefore Christ did not come to purchase this good pleasure; but to Execute it by taking away sin, both in its guilt and filth, and to bring in an Everlasting Righteousness: Therefore we read, the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand; Isa. 53. 10. Dan. 9. 24. And our▪ Lord doth so often declare, that he came not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him; that is needless to mention particular Scriptures to prove it: All which shows that Christ offering himself [Page 75] up by the Eternal Spirit as a Sacrifice to God; was to take away sin, both in the guilt and filth of it; and had respect to the Justice and Holi­ness of God to Vindicate his Truth, and the Honour of his Law, in shewing Mercy to the Sinner: Therefore it is said, he was made sin for us, that we might be made the Righteous­ness of God in him; and in respect to Mercy and Love, our Lord tells us, At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you: For the Father him­self loveth you, Joh. 16. 26. Yet if any Man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous 1 Epist. of Joh. 2. 1. And he tells us again, At that day ye shall ask in my name; and I say unto you, that I will pray the Father for you; and in Joh. 16. ver. 23. Verily verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you: Which compared with Joh. 14. 13. 14. shews that the Father and the Son are One, for saith he, What­soever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. And again, in the next Verse, If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. All which shews that Christ did not purchase, nor doth he interceed for the Fathers Love and Mercy, but interceeds as an Advocate pleading his own merrit in tak­ing away sin, and bringing in an Everlasting Righteousness; so that is for Gods glory, the Honour of his Law, the strickness of his Justice, to shew Mercy to the Sinner: Therefore he saith, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son: And indeed, it is little less then the [Page 76] Blasphemy to say, that the Fathers Love and Mercy is not so great, or was not so early as the Sons; for God is of one Mind, and who can turn him. Having thus proved that Christ of­fered himself up as a Sacrifice to the Justice of God to make an Attouement for Transgression.

It will be necessary to enquire, what kind of Priest and Sacrifice this must be, what mighty Mediator this must be that interposeth be­tween the Justice of God and the guilty Sin­ner. Aand as the Doctrine of Satisfaction, ought to be received with all Humility and Thank­fulness, with all Care and Watchfulness, to prove our selves to be of the number of those, that are Redeemed from a vain Conversation; and to have a Witness within us, even the Spi­rit, to bear Witness with our Spirits, that we are the Children of God; and shew out of a good Con­versation the Virtues of him, that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. Prov­ing that the Grace of God that hath appeared to us, hath Effectually Taught us to deny all un­godliness, and Worldly Lust, and to live Godlily, and Righteously, and soberly in this present evil World: And that we do not only look to the Blood of Christ, to deliver us from the guilt of sin; but we do also Live by Faith on him, and do find his Blood Effectual to Cleanse us from the Filth of Sin; 1 Joh. 1. 7. so should we in our inquiry after this Mighty Saviour, be Serious and Humble; Resolving to guide our Reason by the Word of God, Subjecting all the Powers and Faculties of our Souls there­unto; Humbly imploring the Spirits aid and [Page 77] special assistance, without which we cannot discern the things of God, because they are Spiritually discerned. And surely, this mighty Salvation can be wrought out, by no other then an Almighty Saviour; whom we Read of in Isa. 63. 1. One that speaks in Righteousness, that hath dyed Garments; and therefore Tra­vielleth in the greatness of his strength, and is mighty to save; and therefore this mighty de­liverer must be no other then God's fellow, which no Created being can be spoken of; Zacha. 13. 7. And this is evident from the Nature of the Work, which hath been already proved he was to do; which was to bring in an Ever­lasting Righteousness, and to make an Attone­ment for sin; Dan. 9. 24. Which no Created Being could do, for no Man nor Angel, nor any Created Being whatsoever can be Profitable to God, as he that is wise can be Profitable to himself, Job. 22. 2. And not only are Christ's Disciples, but all Created beings are unprofitable Servants; Job 4. 18. Behold he puteth no trust in his servants; and he chargeth his Angels with folly: None can do any more then their duty, therefore none can come in as Mediators between God and sinful Creatures; none have any Excellency but what they have received from God: Therefore it is but their duty, to return all back again to him, from whom they received their Beings, and all the Excellency thereof; and the more any Creature receives, the more is he in Debt to the Giver. So that it is utterly impossible, for a Creature to interpose, between the offend­ed Justice of God and a guilty Sinner; the Nature of a Created being will not, cannot ad­mit [Page 78] of such a thing: Therefore, seeing our Lord Jesus Christ did interpose between God and Sinners; he must be such a days Man, as could lay his hand both on God and Man; and there­fore must be that Child given to us, whose name is called Wonderful Counsellor, the mighty God, the Everlasting Father; spoken of in Isa. 9. 6. And indeed were he not so, we could have no Comfort here, nor happiness hereafter by all that he did or Suffered.

For, First, What comfort could we have here, or Expectation of happiness hereafter; from what he did if he were but a Man, or any Created being only; If he were but a Creature, though such an imaginary One as Mr. Considerator speaks of, in Page. 57. 1. and Colum 1. 2. Created before God Created the Heavens and the Earth yet he being but a Creature, could merit nothing for us, that Command to Love the Lord with all the heart, and all the might, and all the strength, makes it the indispensable duty of every Created Being; to do all that they are Capable of doing in Obe­dience to God: And in so doing, they do but their own duty, which is but their Reason­able Service. The Nature of a Created Being, if we could suppose such a One; as might be Ten Thousand times more Glorious and Excellent, then the most Glorious Angel in Heaven; yet being but a Creature, it ows its being, and all that it is Capable of doing to its Creator; It can pay no more then its own Just Debt: And the more Excellent it is, the more it is obliged to God to pay the same. [Page 79] So that it is utterly impossible, to find Works of Superrogation in any Created being; so then if Christ were not the true God, he could Merit nothing for us by all that he did, for If you tell me there have been some Men, such as Abraham and David, and the like; for whose sake God saith, he will do good to their Posterity: I Answer, such Expressions are al­ways to be taken Figuratively as they were Types of Christ; or as Declarations of Gods Faithfulness, in keeping Covenant with Abra­ham and his Seed for ever: But all those Men had a Mediator, to take away there own Guilt, for it is Written, there is none good, no, not one. Therefore they being saved by the Mercy of God, conveyed to them through the Merrits of Christ; it is impossible that they could do any thing, for the sake of which, God should shew. Mercy to their Posterity. For if an ino­cent Creature can do but its duty, how much less can a sinful Man, though renewed by Grace; do any thing to Merit for another.

And here both Mr. Considerator, and our Nameless Author, may take an Answer to their Babels-Tower; that they have thought to build so High as to reach Heaven, by their fol­lowing Christ Example; concerning which, I shall only ask these Gentlemen, Two or Three Queries.

First, Whether they think the Law of God was not a perfect Rule of Righteousness, though our Lord had never come into the World?

[Page 80] Secondly, If it was necessary, that our Lord should come into the World to give us an Example only or chiefly; what should be the Reason, why he was not sent as soon, or be­fore Sin entered into the World?

Thirdly, If we are saved by following Christ's Example, what is become of Abraham, David; and all the Old Testament Saints that lived and dyed before he gave this Example?

Fourthly, I would ask Mr. Considerator him­self and my Nameless Author; whether they do not think in their Consciences, if God should enter into Judgment with them, and deal with them according to their following, or not following Christ's Example; they must not unavoidably perish without any hope of Mercy. Perhaps these Gentlemens Ignorance, both of God, the Law, and of Sin, which is a trans­gression of the same; may furnish them with a ready Answer to the last Query, the same that one of their Tribe gave me, above twenty years agoe to a Question of the like Nature; namely, that he did not know, whether a vain Thought were a Sin or no? But whatever their Answer may be to the aforesaid Que­ries, I am taught by the Word of God, and sound Reason drawn from the same; to believe that it is these Gentlemens Igno­rance of God, of his Law, and of themselves; that first laid the Foundation of this Anti­christian Fabrick in their Hearts; and is still the Principal Matter and Stuff, by which this Babel Tower is carried on and supported.

[Page 81] But let us next consider, what Comfort here or Happiness hereafter, we could expect from our Redeemers Suffering; if he were but a Man, or any Created Being whatsoever: And here it may be remembred, that it hath been already proved, that no Creature can merit any thing from God by doing; but may not an innocent Creature's Suffering, merit something at the Hands of God for others?

To this I answer, there are but three Ac­counts or Reasons, for which we can sup­pose God should afflict or punish his Crea­tures.

1. His own absolute Sovereignty, and un­accountable Dominion that God hath over all his Creatures; and whatever he doth on this Account. We all know he can do no Injustice. Or,

2. God punishes the Creature for its own Sin or Guilt. Or,

3. For the Guilt of some other.

But our Lord Jesus Christ did not suffer for himself, for though the Messiah was cut off, it was not for himself but for his People; Dan. 9. 16. For He had no Sin nor was guile found in his Mouth. And it hath been proved by Gods own Proclamation, in Exod. 34. 6, 7. that Guilt must be taken away, or else the guilty Sinner cannot be cleared; and so will remain under the Law and under the Curse. Now Guilt cannot be taken away, without suffering the Punishment that Guilt bound the Sinner over to; this could not be done by [Page 82] a Man only, or any limited Power whatsoever. This Mr. Considerator not only owns in pag. 31 and 32. but also denies that the Acts of Christ, though they were of an infinite Value, which yet he will not own they were; but if they were, he argues against the Satisfaction of Justice thereby; because he saith, One infinlte Satis­faction is not equivalent to all those Guilts and Punishments, each of which is infinite: And this he calls a Reasoning or Computation, which is self-evident; but why doth not Mr. Con­siderator see, that his Arguing is self-contra­dictory, one while he will not own our Lord Jesus Christ to be God, because he saith, it im­plies more infinites than one: Which he saith, is impossible.

Now, to render him an insufficient Savi­our, he tells us of a great many, infinite Guilts, which one infinite Saviour is not able to grapple with. What Pains doth this Gentleman take to prove, that he is not of Paul's Mind and Faith; who saith, Christ loved him and gave hsmself for him. And that he is not concern'd to be one of that Number spoken of, in Isa. 53. 3, 4, 5. where 'tis said he bare our Iniquities, Griefs, Sorrows, Chastisements; and by his Stripes we are healed. And if he bare our Sins or Punishments, as the Scripture doth so often declare; he either bare all that was due from Divine Justice, or he bare but a part: If he bare but a part, we are but partly cleared, he is but a part Saviour; Guilt is but in part re­moved, and finally we can be but partly saved, [Page 83] which is to be fully condemned; for God will by no means clear the guilty.

And whereas Mr. Considerator speaks of a great many infinite Sins and Guilts; yet it is certain that Sin neither is, nor can in its own Nature be infinite; though as it is committed against Infinite Justice and Goodness, it hath a kind of infinite Evil in it; but properly it is not, nor can be infinite: For as there is but one Good that is God, so there is but one Infinite, that is, God. And indeed Mr. Considerator, should have considered, that as he argues in his 33d. page; he makes it as possible for Sin to destroy the very being of God, as to overthrow the Satisfaction of Christ. For Sin is Enmity against God, and if it had power it would destroy God; but as great, and as exceeding sinful as sin is, yet the Power of God is able to subdue it, and the Goodness of God is able to overcome it, and the Suf­rings of Christ are able to take away the Guilt of it.

And whereas he saith, that one (supposed) infinite Satisfaction, is not equivalent to a great many infinite guilts, I have already prov­ed, that our Lords Satisfaction was not sup­posed, but really such as Answred Divine Justice, by taking away all guilt from all his Elect, else they could not be cleared, and consequently not saved. And as for his setting many infinites of guilt and sin, against one infinite satisfaction; if it had pleased God, to [Page 84] endue him but with half so much sound Reason, as he hath bestowed on many of the Common People; of whom Mr. Considerator hath Pro­phesied in his Pag. 30. Colum 1. That they shall turn Divines▪ and raze the very Foundation of Ba­bylon. I say, had Mr. Considerator been a Legal Freeman of the Common-wealth of sound Rea­son, as he Boasts Pag. 44. Colum 1. he would have easily seen, that his Argument, is every Whit as strong for the destroying of God himself, and Causing him to cease to be; as against the satisfaction of Christ. For if there be a great many infinite sins and guilts, and therefore one infinite satisfaction cannot Answer them; be­cause many to one is odds: By the same Reason, there being a great many infinite Evils, and but one infinite good; many to one being odds, the many infinite Evils must destroy the one infinite good: Thus we see God con­founds the Wisdom of the Wise, and makes their Knowledge foolishness; and it is a thing to be much observed, that there is scarce any one Argument, that our pretenders to Reason make use of against our Lord Jesus Christ: But when it is lookt into, a Man may see that an Atheist may with as much Reason, urge the same against the very being of God. The Wisdom, and Justice, and Soveraginty of God herein is to be humbly and thankfully adored, in that he is pleased to hide those things from the wise and prudent; and to reveal them to Babes, even so O Father because it pleaseth thee, This should teach all, both learned and unlearned, to believe God to be, as he himself reveals himself in his [Page 85] Word to be; least while we proudly go about to make God like our Selves, we provoke him to Leave us to our Selves; and then Wisdom must perish from the Wise, and understand­ing from the prudent; and in denying God to be as he is; we shall proceed to deny him to be. And indeed, as great Charnock hath well observed, of the two; it is a greater evil to deny him to be as he is, then to deny him to be.

Let every sincere Christian therefore, make it his dayly Prayer to Almighty God, to give him an understanding, that he may know him that is true; and also know, that he is in him, that is true; even in his Son Jesus Christ: This is the true God and eternal Life, 1 Joh. 5. 20. and let us, one and all with Heart and Voice, yield Obe­dience to the will and Command of God; Joh. 5. in honouring the Son, even as we honour the Fa­ther: Joyning with those Blessed Ones we Read of Rev. 5. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Singing Songs of Praise and Thanksgiving to the Lamb, who hath redeemed us by his blood, and made us Kings, and Priests unto our God: Saying, Blessing and Hon­our, Glory and Power, be unto him that sitteth up­on the Throne; and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And let all that Love our Lord Jesus Christ in Sincerity, say, A men, and Amen.