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miracles. But when our Saviour was on earth, the Father within him, and acting by him, did the fame thing.

Why then, should any perfon be so defirous of retaining fuch a doctrine as this of the trinity, which he must acknowledge, has an uncouth appearance, has always confounded the best reason of mankind, and drives us to the doctrine of inexplicable myfteries; to the great offence of Jews, Mahometans, and unbelievers in general, without fome urgent neceffity? Of two difficulties we are always authorised to chuse the leaft; and why should we risk the whole of chriftianity, for the sake of so unneceffary and undefirable a part.

Let thofe then who are attached to the doctrine of the trinity, try whether they cannot hit upon fome method or other of reconciling a few particular texts, not only with common fenfe, but also with the general and the obvious tenor of the scriptures themselves. In this, they will, no doubt, find fome difficulty at firft, from the effect of early impreffions, and affociation of ideas;

but

but an attention to the true idiom of the fcripture language, with such helps as they may easily find for the purpose, will fatisfy them that the doctrine of the trinity furnishes no proper clue to the right understanding of these texts, but will only ferve to mislead them,

In the mean time, this doctrine of the trinity wears fo difagreeable an aspect, that I think every reasonable man must say with the excellent Archbishop Tillotson with respect to the Athanafian creed " I wish

we were well rid of it." This is not setting up reason against the scriptures, but reconciling reason with the scriptures, and the scriptures with themselves. On any other scheme, they are irreconcileably at variance,

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BQO K I.

THE HISTORY OF OPINIONS WHICH PRE-
CEDED THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVI-
NITY OF CHRIST, AND WHICH PRE-
PARED THE WAY FOR IT,

CHAPTER I.

Of thofe who are called Apoftolical Fathers,

T muft, I think, have been evident from the confiderations fuggefted in the

I pre

ceding Introduction, that the doctrines of the divinity and pre-existence of Christ, were not taught in the fcriptures. But as great ftrefs has been laid upon them in later ages, it is of fome moment to trace both when, and in what manner they were introduced.

With respect to the latter of these circumftances, I think I fhall be able to give my readers abundant fatisfaction, but with refpect to the precife time when, or the particular perfons by whom, they were introduced, there is lefs certainty to be had. This, however, is of no great confequence, it being fufficient to fhew that they came in from fome foreign fource, and after the age of the apoftles, which accounts for their not noticing the doctrines at all.

The oldeft writer in whofe works thefe doctrines are unquestionably found is Juftin Martyr, who wrote about A. D. 140. But fome traces of them are to be feen in our prefent copies of the writings of those who are called apoftolical Fathers, from their having lived in the time of the apoftles, and being therefore fuppofed to retain their doctrines, especially as they were not men of a philofophical education. It would certainly be a confiderable argument in favour of thofe doctrines, if they had been certainly held by fuch men; but this can by no means be proved. For it is to be lamented that, few as these apoftolical Fa

thers

1

thers are, their works are not come down to us as they wrote them, or rather, except a fingle epistle of Clemens Romanus, which contains no fuch doctrines as thofe of the divinity or pre-existence of Chrift, the works that are afcribed to them are almost entirely fpurious, and the time of their compofition is not cafily afcertained. I fhall make a few obfervations on all of them that contain any trace of the doctrines above mentioned. They are the fuppofed works of Barnabas, Hermas, and Ignatius.

Though I am well fatisfied that the only genuine epistle of Clemens Romanus contains no fuch doctrine as that of the divinity or pre-existence of Chrift, yet, because it has been pretended that the latter, at leaft, is found there, I fhall produce the paffage which has been alledged for this purpose, and make a few remarks upon it.

"For Chrift is theirs who are humble, "and not who exalt themselves over his " flock. The fceptre of the majesty of "God, our Lord Jefus Chrift, came not in "the show of pride and arrogance, though "he could have done fo, but with hu

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