<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2014-04-29</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Olivia Bottum</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Proofed text and corrected markup.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="B17512">
<STC T="W">B931</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">[ocm]12537557</BIBNO>
<VID>199230</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A DEFENCE OF THE <HI>B. Trinity.</HI></P>
<P>BY <HI>ISAAC BARROW,</HI> D. D. Late Ma&s;ter of <HI>Trinity</HI> College in <HI>Cambridge.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Never before Printed.</HI></P>
<Q>There are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Gho&s;t: and the&s;e Three are One. <BIBL><HI>1. Joh. 5.7.</HI></BIBL></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed for <HI>B. Aylmer,</HI> at the <HI>Three Pigeons</HI> again&s;t the <HI>Royal Exchange</HI> in <HI>Cornhill.</HI> MDCXCVII.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="half title">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2">
<P>A DEFENCE OF THE B. TRINITY.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="quotation">
<PB REF="3">
<HEAD>Trinity <HI>Sunday. 1663.</HI></HEAD>
<P><GAP DESC="foreign">. <BIBL>Greg. Naz. <HI>Orat.</HI> 26.</BIBL></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="bookseller's note">
<PB REF="4" MS="y">
<PB REF="4" MS="y">
<HEAD>THE Book&s;eller's Adverti&s;ement.</HEAD>
<P>THIS Excellent and Sea|&s;onable Di&s;cour&s;e in De|fence of the Ble&s;&s;ed Trinity; the Original Copy whereof was found in the Late Learned Archbi&s;hop <HI>Tillot&s;on</HI>'s Study after his De|cea&s;e; and being among many other Duplicate Manu&s;cripts of the Late Learned Dr. <HI>I&s;aac Bar|row</HI>'s Sermons, &s;ince printed in Folio, was mo&s;t certainly over|look'd by His Grace upon Publi&s;h|ing His Works; which might very ea&s;ily be in &s;o great a number; for Dr. <HI>Barrow</HI> u&s;ually writ
<PB REF="5">them &s;everal times over before he thought them fini&s;hed.</P>
<P>This had his la&s;t Hand, as may be pre&s;umed, being very fair and perfect, and every word of his own writing; which, le&s;t any &s;hould doubt of, I have pre&s;er|ved the Copy in my own Hands, where any one that plea&s;es may &s;ee it, and be &s;atisfied.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>B. Aylmer.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<P>Lately Printed, A Sea&s;onable Vin|dication. of the <HI>B. Trinity.</HI> Being an An&s;wer to this Que&s;tion, <HI>Why do you believe the Doctrine of the Trinity?</HI> Col|lected from the Works of the Mo&s;t Re|verend, Dr. <HI>John Tillot&s;on,</HI> late Lord Archbi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury.</HI> And the Right Reverend, Dr. <HI>Edward Stilling-fleet,</HI> Now Lord Bi&s;hop of <HI>Worce&s;ter.</HI> By <HI>W. A&s;heton,</HI> D. D.</P>
<P>Printed for <HI>B. Aylmer.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="1" REF="1">
<HEAD>A DEFENCE OF THE B. TRINITY.</HEAD>
<EPIGRAPH>
<Q><BIBL><HI>COL. III. 2.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Set your affections on things above.
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE></P></Q>
</EPIGRAPH>
<P>FOR under&s;tanding this Apo&s;tolical Precept, two Particulars mu&s;t be con&s;idered; fir&s;t the Act, <GAP DESC="foreign"> (which is rendred to <HI>&s;et
<PB N="2" REF="6">our affections</HI>) then the Object, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>things above;</HI> the&s;e we briefly &s;hall explain.</P>
<P>The word <GAP DESC="foreign"> doth pri|marily, and al&s;o according to common u&s;e, denote an ad|vertency, or intent application of the mind upon any Object: Of the mind, that is, of a man's Soul, e&s;pecially of its rational part; &s;o as to include the powers of Under&s;tanding, Will, Affection, Activity; whence it may imply direction of our Under&s;tanding to know; of our Will to chu&s;e and embrace; of our Affection to love, de|&s;ire, reli&s;h; of our Activity to pur&s;ue any good (real or apparent) which is propo&s;ed;
<PB N="3" REF="6">according to which mo&s;t com|prehen&s;ive &s;en&s;e (&s;uting the nature of the thing) I do take the word, &s;uppo&s;ing that Saint <HI>Paul</HI> doth enjoin us to employ all our mental Faculties in &s;tu|dy, choice, pa&s;&s;ion, endea|vour upon &s;upernal things.</P>
<P>The <GAP DESC="foreign"> (things above) may be &s;o taken, as to import all things relating to our &s;pi|ritual Life here, or our future State hereafter; the which do either actually &s;ub&s;i&s;t above in Heaven, or have a final refe|rence thither; &s;o they may comprize, 1. The Sub&s;tantial Beings, to whom we &s;tand related, owe re&s;pect, perform duty: 2. The &s;tate and con|dition
<PB N="4" REF="7">of our &s;piritual Life here, or hereafter, as we are Servants and Subjects of God, Citizens of Heaven, Candi|dates of Immortal Happine&s;s: 3. Rules to be ob&s;erved, Qua|lities to be acquired, Actions to be performed, Means to be u&s;ed by us in regard to the &s;u|perior Place and State.</P>
<P>Of the&s;e things the incom|parably Principal and Su|pream, the <GAP DESC="foreign">, is the ever mo&s;t Glorious and Ble&s;&s;ed Trinity; to the minding of which this day is peculiarly de|dicated, and the which indeed is always the mo&s;t Excellent, mo&s;t Beneficial, mo&s;t Com|fortable Object of our contem|plation,
<PB N="5" REF="7">and affection; where|fore upon it I &s;hall now im|mediately fix my Di&s;cour&s;e.</P>
<P>The Sacred Trinity may be con&s;idered, either as it is in it &s;elf wrapt up in unexpli|cable folds of My&s;tery; or as it hath di&s;covered it &s;elf opera|ting in wonderful methods of Grace toward us.</P>
<P>As it is in it &s;elf, 'tis an Object too bright and dazling for our weak eye to fa&s;ten up|on, an Aby&s;s too deep for our &s;hort rea&s;on to fathome; I can only &s;ay, That we are &s;o bound to mind it, as to ex|erci&s;e our Faith, and expre&s;s our Humility, in willingly
<PB N="6" REF="8">believing, in &s;ubmi&s;&s;ively a|doring tho&s;e high My&s;teries which are revealed in the Ho|ly Oracles concerning it; by that Spirit it &s;elf, <HI>which &s;earch|eth the depths of God,</HI> and by that only Son of God, who re&s;iding in his Father's Bo|&s;ome, hath thence brought them forth,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Joh. 1.18.</NOTE> and <HI>expounded them</HI> to us, &s;o far as was fit for our capacity and u&s;e: And the Lectures &s;o read by the Eternal <HI>Wi&s;dom of God,</HI> the Propo&s;itions uttered by the Mouth of <HI>Truth it &s;elf,</HI> we are obliged with a docile Ear, and a credulous Heart, to entertain.</P>
<PB N="7" REF="8">
<P> That there is one Divine Nature or E&s;&s;ence, common unto. Three Per&s;ons incom|prehen&s;ibly united, and inef|fably di&s;tingui&s;hed; united in E&s;&s;ential Attributes, di&s;tin|gui&s;hed by peculiar Idioms and Relations; all equally infinite in every Divine Per|fection, each different from other in order and manner of &s;ub&s;i&s;tence;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 10.38.14.10.17.21.</NOTE> that there is a mu|tual inexi&s;tence of one in all, and all in one; a communicati|on without any deprivation or diminution in the Communi|cant; an Eternal Generation, and an Eternal Proce&s;&s;ion without precedence or &s;ucce&s;|&s;ion, without proper cau&s;a|lity
<PB N="8" REF="9">or dependence; a Father imparting his own, and the Son receiving his Father's Life, and a Spirit i&s;&s;uing from both, without any divi&s;ion, or mul|tiplication of E&s;&s;ence; the&s;e are Notions which may well puzzle our Rea&s;on in con|ceiving how they agree, but &s;hould not &s;tagger our Faith in a&s;&s;enting that they are true; upon which we &s;hould medi|tate, not with hope to com|prehend, but with di&s;po&s;ition to admire, veiling our Faces in the pre&s;ence, and pro&s;tra|ting our Rea&s;on at the Feet of Wi&s;dom &s;o far tran&s;cend|ing us.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="9">
<P> There be tho&s;e, who, be|cau&s;e they cannot untie, dare to cut in &s;under the&s;e &s;acred Knots; who, becau&s;e they cannot fully conceive it, dare flatly to deny them; who, in&s;tead of confe&s;&s;ing their own infirmity, do charge the plain Doctrines and A&s;&s;ertions of Holy Scripture with impo&s;&s;i|bility. Others &s;eem to think they can demon&s;trate the&s;e My|&s;teries by Arguments ground|ed upon Principles of Natu|ral Light; and expre&s;s it by Similitudes derived from com|mon Experience: To repre&s;s the Pre&s;umption of the for|mer, and to re&s;train the Cu|rio&s;ity of the latter, the fol|lowing
<PB N="10" REF="10">Con&s;iderations (im|proved by your thoughts) may perhaps &s;omewhat con|duce.</P>
<P N="1">1. We may con&s;ider, that our Rea&s;on is no competent or capable Judge concerning Propo&s;itions of this nature:
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Nobis ad intellectum pectus angu|&s;tum e&s;t, &amp;c.</HI> Min. F.</NOTE> <HI>Our Brea&s;t</HI> (as <HI>Minutius</HI> &s;peak|eth) <HI>is a narrow Ve&s;&s;el, that will not hold much Under&s;tand|ing;</HI> 'tis not &s;ufficient, nor was ever de&s;igned to &s;ound &s;uch depths;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Plato <HI>in</HI> Tim.</NOTE> to de&s;cry the ra|dical Principles of all Being; to reach the extreme po&s;&s;ibili|ties of things. Such an intel|lectual Capacity is vouch&s;afed to us as doth &s;ute to our de|gree
<PB N="11" REF="10">(the lowe&s;t Rank of In|telligent Creatures) as becom|eth our Station in this inferi|our part of the World; as may qualify us to di&s;charge the petty Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es commit|ted to our management, and the facile Duties incumbent on us; but to know what God is, how he &s;ub&s;i&s;teth, what he can, what he &s;hould do, by our natural Per&s;picacity, or by any means we can u&s;e, farther than he plea&s;eth to reveal, doth not &s;ute to the meanne&s;s of our Condition, or the narrowne&s;s of our Capacity; the&s;e really are the mo&s;t elevated Sublimi|ties, and the ab&s;tru&s;e&s;t Subtil|ties that are, or can be in the
<PB N="12" REF="11">nature of things; he that can penetrate them, may erect his Tribunal any where in the World, and pretend ju&s;tly that nothing in Heaven or Earth is exempted from his Judgment: But in truth, how unfit our Rea&s;on is to exerci&s;e &s;uch uni|ver&s;al Juri&s;diction, we may di&s;cern by comparing it to our Sen&s;e; it is obvious that many Bea&s;ts do (by advantage of a finer Sen&s;e) &s;ee, hear, &s;mell things imperceptible to us; and were it not very unrea&s;o|nable to conclude that &s;uch things do not exi&s;t, or are in them&s;elves altogether in&s;en&s;i|ble, becau&s;e they do not at all appear to us? Is it not evi|dent,
<PB N="13" REF="11">that we ought to im|pute their imperceptibility (re|&s;pecting us) to the defect of our Sen&s;e, to its dulne&s;s and gro&s;ne&s;s, in regard to the &s;ub|tilty of tho&s;e Objects? Even &s;o may Propo&s;itions in them|&s;elves, and in regard to the capacity of higher Under&s;tand|ings (for there are gradual dif|ferences in Under&s;tanding, as well as in Sen&s;e) be true and very intelligible, which to our inferiour Rea&s;on &s;eem unintel|ligible, or repugnant to the Prenotions, with which our Soul is imbued; and our not di&s;cerning tho&s;e Truths, may argue the blindne&s;s and weak|ne&s;s of our Under&s;tanding, not
<PB N="14" REF="12">any fault or incon&s;i&s;tency in the things them&s;elves; nor &s;hould it cau&s;e us anywi&s;e to di&s;tru&s;t them, if they come recommended to our belief by competent Authority.</P>
<P>To &s;uch purpo&s;es indeed the Holy Scripture frequently doth vilify our Rea&s;on and Know|ledge:
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Jer. 10.14.</NOTE> <HI>Every man</HI> (&s;aith <HI>Jere|my) is bruti&s;h in knowledge. The Lord</HI> (&s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t) knoweth the thoughts of men (of wi&s;e men,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;. 103.14.</NOTE>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 3.10.</NOTE> as St. <HI>Paul</HI> quoteth it) <HI>that they are vanity. Vain man</HI> (&s;aith he in <HI>Job) would be wi&s;e,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 11.12.</NOTE> <HI>though man be born like an A&s;&s;es colt;</HI> (that is, However we affect to &s;eem wi&s;e, yet to be dull as an A&s;s, to be wild
<PB N="15" REF="12">as a Colt, is natural to us.) <HI>My thoughts</HI> (&s;aith God in the Pro|phet) <HI>are not your thoughts,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;. 55.8.</NOTE> <HI>nor are your ways, my ways; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, &s;o are my ways than your ways; and my thoughts than your thoughts:</HI> God's Wi&s;dom is as the Heavens, the highe&s;t and top of all Wi&s;dom; Man's as the Earth, beneath which there is no degree, but that of Hell and Darkne&s;s: We therefore in this re&s;pect are unfit to determine concerning things &s;o exceedingly &s;ublime and &s;ubtle.</P>
<P N="2">2. We may con&s;ider, that not only the imperfection of our Rea&s;on it &s;elf, but the
<PB N="16" REF="13">manner of u&s;ing it doth inca|pacitate us to judge about the&s;e Matters. Had we com|petent Skill to &s;ail in this deep Ocean, yet we do want a Gale to drive us; and a Compa&s;s to &s;teer our Cour&s;e by therein; we have not any firm grounds to build our Judgment on, or certain Rules to &s;quare it by. We cannot effectually di&s;cour&s;e or deter|mine upon any Subject, with|out having Principles homo|geneous and pertinent thereto (that are <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Anal. I. 7.</NOTE> cognate and congruous to the Subject-matter, as the Philo|&s;opher &s;peaketh) upon which to found, our Argumentation:
<PB N="17" REF="13">Now all the Principles we can have, are either originally in|nate to our Minds; or after|ward immediately infu&s;ed by God, or by external In&s;tru|ction from him di&s;clo&s;ed to us; or acquired by our Ex|perience, and ob&s;ervation of things incurring our Sen&s;e; or framed by our Rea&s;on, comparing tho&s;e means; of which the three former &s;orts are mo&s;t arbitrarily commu|nicated, and both for num|ber and kind depend upon the free plea&s;ure of him, who di&s;tributeth them ac|cording <HI>to a mea&s;ure</HI> &s;utable to each man's occa&s;ions,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Rom. 12.</NOTE> e&s;ti|mated by him&s;elf; how ma|ny
<PB N="18" REF="14">tho&s;e are, and how far they may qualify us to judge, or di&s;cour&s;e about tho&s;e tran&s;cendent Matters, is hard to define; but mo&s;t certainly they never can cla&s;h with one another; no Light in any manner imparted by God can ob&s;cure the Do|ctrine declared by him, no Doctrine can thwart Princi|ples in&s;tilled by him. The latter &s;orts appertain only to material and &s;en&s;ible Ob|jects; which therefore can only enable us to deduce, or to examine Conclu&s;ions relating to them; and be|ing applied to things of ano|ther kind, are abu&s;ed, &s;o
<PB N="19" REF="14">as to become apt to pro|duce great mi&s;takes: As, for in&s;tance, mo&s;t Ancient Phi|lo&s;ophers ob&s;erving, that the Changes and Vici&s;&s;itudes in Nature were generally, by the &s;ame Matters undergo|ing &s;everal Alterations, or putting on different Shapes; and that Bodies once being in re&s;t, did u&s;ually con&s;i&s;t in that &s;tate, until by im|pul&s;e of other Bodies they were put into motion, did thence frame &s;uch Axioms, or Principles of Di&s;cour&s;e, <HI>Ex nihilo nihil fit;</HI> and <HI>Quic|quid movetur, ab alio move|tur;</HI> which Propo&s;itions, &s;up|po&s;ing them true in rela|tion
<PB N="20" REF="15">to the pre&s;ent conditions and Powers of &s;en&s;ible things, yet were it unlawful to &s;tretch them unto Beings of another kind and nature,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Id quod Deus e&s;t, &s;ecundum id quod e&s;t nec humano &s;ermone edi|ci, nec humanis auri|bus percipi, nec huma|nis &s;en&s;ibus colligi po|te&s;t.</HI> Novat. de Trin. cap. 7.</NOTE> (to Beings immaterial and in|&s;en&s;ible.) Or to in|fer thence general|ly, that in the ut|mo&s;t po&s;&s;ibility of things there is not any creative, or any &s;elf-motive Power: Even as from the like Premi&s;es it would be vain to conclude, that there be no other Beings &s;ub&s;i&s;tent be&s;ide tho&s;e which &s;trike our Sen&s;es, or di&s;co|ver them&s;elves by &s;en&s;ible
<PB N="21" REF="15">Effects: In like manner, it cannot be rea&s;onable out of Principles drawn from ordi|nary Experience, about the&s;e mo&s;t low and imperfect things, to collect,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Naz. <HI>Or.</HI> 37. <HI>de Sp. S.</HI></NOTE> that there can be no other kind of Unions, of Di&s;tin|ctions, of Genera|tions, of Proce&s;&s;ions, than &s;uch as our own gro&s;s Sen&s;e doth repre&s;ent to us: Rea&s;on it &s;elf more forcibly doth oblige us to think that to &s;ublimer Beings there do pertain modes of Exi|&s;tence and Action, Unions and Di&s;tinctions, Influences and Emanations of a more
<PB N="22" REF="16">high and perfect kind, &s;uch as our cour&s;e Ap|prehen&s;ion cannot adequate,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>C&ugrave;m quaeritur quid tres, magn&acirc; inopi&acirc; hu|manum laborat eloqui|um; dictum e&s;t tamen tres per&s;onae, non ut il|lud diceretur, &s;ed n&egrave; ta|ceretur.</HI> Aug. <HI>de Trin.</HI> 5.9.</NOTE> nor our rude Language ex|pre&s;s; which we, perhaps, have no Faculty &s;ubtle e|nough to conceive di&s;tinctly,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Naz. <HI>Orat.</HI> 45. (<HI>ad</HI> Evagr.)</NOTE> nor can attain any con|gruous Principles, from which to di&s;|cour&s;e &s;olidly about them; to judge of the&s;e things, if we will not a|gain&s;t the Philo&s;opher's Rule, <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>&s;hift kinds,</HI> or u&s;e improper and impertinent Arguments, we
<PB N="23" REF="16">mu&s;t <HI>compare &s;piri|tual things with &s;pi|ritual,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 2.13. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> &s;o as to draw Conclu&s;ions about Spirituals only from Princi|ples revealed by God's Spi|rit, the &s;ole Ma&s;ter of Spi|ritual Science; &s;o al&s;o as to expre&s;s them not <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>in terms devi&s;ed by humane Wi&s;dom,</HI> but in &s;uch as the Holy Spirit hath &s;ugge&s;ted; for <GAP DESC="foreign">, a man endowed merely with common Sen&s;e (or natural Rea&s;on) can|not <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>apprehend,</HI> or per|ceive tho&s;e <HI>things of God, which only the Spirit of God doth know.</HI> To improve and
<PB N="24" REF="17">pre&s;s which Con&s;ideration, farther,</P>
<P N="3">3. We may con&s;ider the weakne&s;s and &s;hortne&s;s of our Rea&s;on, even about things mo&s;t familiar, and ea&s;y to us; the little or nothing we by our utmo&s;t diligence can attain to know concerning their intrin&s;ick E&s;&s;ences, their Properties, their Cau&s;es and manners of production. What do we more commonly hear, than earne&s;t Complaints from the mo&s;t Indu&s;trious Searchers of Natural Knowledge con|cerning the great ob&s;curity of Nature, the difficulty of finding Truth, the blindne&s;s
<PB N="25" REF="17">of our Mind, and impoten|cy of our Rea&s;on? And &s;hould they be &s;ilent, yet Experience plainly would &s;peak how difficult, if not impo&s;&s;ible, it is to arrive unto any clear and &s;ure knowledge of the&s;e common Objects; &s;eeing the mo&s;t &s;e|dulous Inquiries, undertaken by the Choice&s;t Wits for above Two thou&s;and Years, have &s;carce perhaps exhibi|ted one unque&s;tionable Theo|reme in Natural Philo&s;ophy, one unexceptionable Maxim of Ethical Prudence or Po|licy; all things being &s;till expo&s;ed to doubt and di&s;|pute, as they were of old,
<PB N="26" REF="18">when fir&s;t Admiration and Curio&s;ity did prompt men to hunt after the Cau&s;es of things; the mo&s;t however that after all our care and toil we can perceive doth not exceed &s;ome faint Colours,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Greg. Naz. <HI>Or.</HI> 26.</NOTE> &s;ome &s;u|perficial Figures, &s;ome gro&s;s effects of things, while their radi|cal Properties, and their im|mediate Cau&s;es remain in|veloped, and debarred from our fight in unacce&s;&s;ible Darkne&s;s. Shall we then, who cannot pierce into the nature of a Peble, that can|not apprehend how a Mu&s;h|rome doth grow, that are
<PB N="27" REF="18">baffled in our Philo&s;ophy about a Gnat, or a Worm, debate and decide (beyond what is taught us from a|bove) concerning the pre|ci&s;e manner of Divine E&s;|&s;ence, Sub&s;i&s;tence, or Gene|ration?
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">; Chry&s;. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>I do</HI> (&s;aith St. <HI>Chry&s;o&s;tome</HI>) <HI>eat Meats, but how they are divided into Flegm, into Blood, into Juice, into Choler, I am ig|norant; the&s;e things which every day we &s;ee and ta&s;te, we do not know; and are we curious about the E&s;&s;ence of God?</HI> We are (as <HI>Ari&s;totle</HI> him|&s;elf, no Dunce, no Idiot,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Ari&s;t. <HI>Met.</HI> 2.1.</NOTE>
<PB N="28" REF="19">doth confe&s;s) but <HI>Owl-eyed,</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>in regard to things na|turally mo&s;t evident,</HI> and pal|pable; and can we be &s;uch <HI>Lynceus</HI>'s, as to &s;ee through the farthe&s;t Rece&s;&s;es of Infi|nity?
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Sap. 9.13.</NOTE> <HI>Hardly</HI> (&s;aith the <HI>Wi&s;|dom</HI> of <HI>Solomon</HI>) <HI>do we gue&s;s aright of things upon the earth, and with labour do we find the things that are before us, but the things that are in hea|ven, who hath &s;earched out?</HI> Yea, and the genuine <HI>Solo|mon</HI> him&s;elf,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Eccles. 7.23.</NOTE> <HI>I &s;aid I will be wi&s;e, but it was far from me; that which is far off, and ex|ceeding deep, who can find it out?</HI> What is more remote,
<PB N="29" REF="19">what more profound, than God's Nature, who then can find it out? &s;ooner with our Hands may we touch the extreme &s;urface of the Skies, &s;ooner with our Eyes may we pierce to the Cen|tre of the Earth; &s;o it is expre&s;ly told us in <HI>Job; Can&s;t thou by &s;earching find out God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 11.7.</NOTE> <HI>can&s;t thou find out the Almighty to perfection? it is as high as heaven, what can&s;t thou do; deeper than hell, what can&s;t thou know?</HI></P>
<P N="4">4. It may be con&s;idered, that we daily &s;ee and ob|&s;erve things, which did not manife&s;t Experience convince
<PB N="30" REF="20">us of their being, we &s;hould be apt to disbelieve their po&s;&s;ibility; Sen&s;e no le&s;s than Faith doth pre&s;ent us with Objects, to bare Rea|&s;on, improbable and un|conceivable; &s;o that &s;hould we attend to the Scruples injected thereby, we &s;hould hardly take things for po&s;|&s;ible, which we behold ex|i&s;tent; we &s;hould di&s;tru&s;t the greate&s;t Evidence of Sen&s;e, and by our Logick put out our Eyes. Who would be|lieve, that, did he not eve|ry day &s;ee it; who can con|ceive how, although he &s;eeth it, from a little, dry, ill-favoured, in&s;ipid Seed thrown
<PB N="31" REF="20">into the Earth, there &s;hort|ly would ri&s;e &s;o goodly a Plant, endewed with &s;o ex|act figure, &s;o fragrant &s;mell, &s;o delicate ta&s;te, &s;o lively colour; by what Engines it attracteth, by what Di&s;cre|tion it culleth out, by what Hands it mouldeth its pro|per aliment? by what Arti|fice it doth elaborate the &s;ame &s;o curiou&s;ly, and in|corporate it with it &s;elf? what vertue could we ima|gine in Nature able to di|ge&s;t an earthy Juice into the pellucid clearne&s;s of Chry|&s;tal, into the invincible firm|ne&s;s of a Diamant? Who would not be an Infidel,
<PB N="32" REF="21">did not his Sight a&s;&s;ure him of the Miracles atchieved by that blind pla&s;tick force, which without Eye or Hand doth frame &s;uch varieties of exqui&s;ite Workman&s;hip; un|imitable, and far &s;urpa&s;&s;ing the Skill of the greate&s;t Arti&s;t? That a little Star, from &s;o va&s;t a di&s;tance, in a mo|ment, &s;hould make impre&s;|&s;ion on our Eyes, repleni&s;h|ing with its Light or Image &s;o &s;pacious a Region all a|bout it, were we blind, we &s;hould hardly believe, we &s;carce could fancy: How, without knowing the Organs of Speech, or the manner of applying them, without
<PB N="33" REF="21">any care or pain employed by us, we &s;o conform our Voice, as to expre&s;s what Word, what Accent we plea&s;e; how we do this, or that we can do it, as it will confound our Thought to imagine, &s;o it would &s;tag|ger our Faith to believe, did not our Con&s;cience per|&s;uade us that we can, and do &s;peak: It is upon occa|&s;ion very commonly &s;aid, I &s;hould never have believed it, had I not &s;een it; and that men &s;peak &s;o in ear|ne&s;t, many &s;uch In&s;tances declare. Now if we can give credit to our Sen&s;e a|gain&s;t the &s;uffrage or &s;cruple
<PB N="34" REF="22">of our Rea&s;on in things not &s;o di&s;co&s;ted from our capa|city of Knowledge, &s;hall we not much more yield our Belief unto God's expre&s;s Word in things &s;o infinite|ly di&s;tant from it? If com|mon Experience can &s;ubdue our Judgments, and compel us to a belief of things in|credible, &s;hall our Rea&s;on demur at &s;ubmitting to Di|vine Authority? If the di|ctate of our Con&s;cience doth convince us, &s;hall not we much more &s;urrender to the Te&s;timony of <HI>God,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 3.20.</NOTE> who <HI>is greater than our con&s;cience, and knoweth all things?</HI> If we do believe, becau&s;e we
<PB N="35" REF="22">&s;eem to know by &s;eeing our &s;elves; we &s;hould rather be|lieve, becau&s;e we &s;urely know by hearing from God; for Sen&s;e may deceive us, and often needeth correcti|on from Rea&s;on; God can|not deceive, and Rea&s;on often is by him corrected; which leadeth me to a farther Con&s;ideration, that</P>
<P N="5">5. The Propo&s;itions clear|ly delivered unto us by God him&s;elf, are upon many ac|compts more unque&s;tiona|bly true, more credible than the Experiments of any Sen&s;e, or Principles of any Science; whence if there happen to
<PB N="36" REF="23">ari&s;e any &s;eeming Conte&s;t between the&s;e, a precedence is due to the former, in derogation to the latter; it is fit that we rather give our Eyes and our Ears, our Fancies and our Rea&s;ons the lye, than anywi&s;e, by diffi|dence to his Word, put an affront on God; (for to disbelieve him, is (as Saint <HI>John</HI> telleth us) to give him the lye.)
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Joh. 5.10.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>the folly of God</HI> (as St. <HI>Paul</HI> &s;peaketh;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 1.25.</NOTE> that is, the Points of Faith declared by God, which &s;eem mo&s;t irrational, and cro&s;s to the Decrees of Humane Wi&s;dom) is <GAP DESC="foreign">, <HI>wi&s;er than men,</HI>
<PB N="37" REF="23">that is, more a&s;&s;uredly con|&s;onant to real Truth, than our mo&s;t undoubted Theo|remes of Science, and mo&s;t current Maxims of Policy: God is the <HI>Father of all Lights,</HI> both of that which im|mediately &s;hineth from Hea|ven, and of that which glim|mereth here below; he is the Fountain of all Truth, whether Natural, or Super|natural; but his Light, and his Truth he conveyeth in|to us by manners different; &s;ome Light &s;treameth direct|ly from him, other cometh obliquely, being refracted through divers <HI>mediums,</HI> or reflected from &s;everal Ob|jects
<PB N="38" REF="24">upon us; the fir&s;t &s;ort mu&s;t needs be more bright, and more pure, &s;hould be more powerful and efficaci|ous upon our Minds; the latter is often blended with material Tinctures, is weak|ned by the interruptions it meeteth with, lo&s;eth of its purity and its force by the many Conduits it pa&s;&s;eth through, by the many Shades it mixeth with. Ob&s;ervati|ons of Sen&s;e do often prove fallacious, and their not ever doing &s;o, dependeth upon divers Conditions, a right temper of the Organ, a fit di&s;po&s;ition of the <HI>Medium,</HI> a ju&s;t di&s;tance of the Ob|ject;
<PB N="39" REF="24">&s;o that Conclu&s;ions de|rived from them cannot be &s;o ab&s;olutely certain, nor con&s;equently the Principles grounded on them; but Di|vine Revelation is not ob|noxious to &s;uch Conditions; as the Doctrines revealed are in them&s;elves &s;imply true, according to the highe&s;t pitch of nece&s;&s;ity; becau&s;e Su|preme Wi&s;dom doth con|ceive them, and Truth it &s;elf doth vent them; &s;o the manner of declaring them mu&s;t be competent, becau&s;e God him&s;elf doth chu&s;e, and u&s;e it; there plainly needeth no more, than yielding an attentive Ear, and skilling
<PB N="40" REF="25">the Language wherein they are expre&s;&s;ed, to &s;ecure us from Error, and uncertainty about them; &s;o that well might St. <HI>Au&s;tin</HI> &s;ay, that <HI>in other things our Conjecture is ex|erci&s;ed;</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Ad caetera exercemur per forta&s;&s;e; at c&ugrave;m de rebus fidei agitur, ibi e&s;t cert&egrave; &s;ine fort&egrave;.</HI> Aug.</NOTE> <HI>but Faith a|lone doth a&s;&s;ure our Mind.</HI></P>
<P>There have been tho&s;e, you know, who have not only advanced doubts con|cerning Propo&s;itions atte&s;ted to by cleare&s;t Sen&s;e, and in|ferr'd by &s;tronge&s;t Di&s;cour&s;e; but have by their argute Cavillations bid fair to &s;hake the foundations of all Hu|mane Science; but I never
<PB N="41" REF="25">heard of any, who believed a God to be, that did con|te&s;t the infallible truth of his Oracles; <HI>Socrates</HI> we may be &s;ure (his Excellent Scho|lar a&s;&s;uring us) who was &s;o incredulous, as to di&s;claim all Pretence to Wi&s;dom or Science, being Author of the famous Saying,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>Hoc tant&ugrave;m &s;cio;</HI> yet greatly did rely upon Divine Significations, and Te&s;timonies, &s;o deemed by him, and &s;uch as he could come at; alledging, that who followeth the Con|duct of his own Rea&s;on, in|&s;tead of God's Direction, chu&s;eth a blind and ignorant Guide, before one that be&s;t
<PB N="42" REF="26">&s;eeth, and knoweth the way: <HI>He,</HI> &s;aith the Hi|&s;torian,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>de&s;pi&s;ed all Humane Conceits in re&s;pect of God's Ad|vice.</HI></P>
<P><HI>He that formeth the eye,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">P&s;al. 94.9.</NOTE> (&s;aith the <HI>P&s;almi&s;t</HI>) <HI>&s;hall not he &s;ee; he that planted the ear, &s;hall not he hear; he that teacheth man knowledge, &s;hall not he know?</HI> He that en|dewed us with all our know|ing Faculties, and pre&s;ideth over us in the management of them, &s;hall not he &s;uper|eminently know all that we can? mu&s;t not they in rea|&s;on continue &s;ubordinate to his Direction? Should they
<PB N="43" REF="26">not always di&s;cern and judge under correction by him; with an Appeal and &s;ubmi&s;&s;i|on re&s;erved to his better Judg|ment?</P>
<P>I might adjoin, that the Object and the End (as well as the Author and the Man|ner) of Divine Revelation, doth argue it to &s;urpa&s;s all Rea&s;on, and all Sen&s;e, in certainty and credibility; for Sen&s;e and Rea&s;on con|ver&s;e wholly, or chiefly a|bout Objects material and mutable; Revelation about immaterial and immutable things; They direct us in Af|fairs concerning this Tran&s;i|tory Life, This leadeth us to|ward
<PB N="44" REF="27">Eternal Felicity; to mi&s;take about tho&s;e Objects, to mi&s;carry in tho&s;e Affairs, is in it &s;elf of little, in com|pari&s;on, of no importance; but to judge rightly about the&s;e things, to tread &s;afely in the&s;e paths, is of infinite|ly va&s;t concernment; a &s;mal|ler competency therefore of light and certainty might well &s;uffice to the purpo&s;es of Rea&s;on and Sen&s;e, but to Faith the greate&s;t degree of a&s;&s;urance is worthily due, and &s;eemeth requi&s;ite. But farther,</P>
<P N="6">6. Not only the con&s;ide|ration of this My&s;tery, but
<PB N="45" REF="27">of all the Divine Attributes, will in like manner extort from our feeble Rea&s;on the Que&s;tion of <HI>Nicodemus,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Joh. 3.9.</NOTE> <HI>How can the&s;e things be?</HI> they will all of them equally puzzle our &s;hallow Imagination, and baffle our &s;lender Un|der&s;tanding: For who can imagine, or under&s;tand, how God's Immen&s;ity doth con|&s;i&s;t with his perfect Simpli|city; or that without any parts he doth coexi&s;t to all po&s;&s;ible exten&s;ion of Matter; being all here, and wholly there, and immen&s;ely every where? Who can apprehend his Indivi&s;ible Eternity, or how all &s;ucce&s;&s;ions of Time
<PB N="46" REF="28">are ever pre&s;ent to him, and &s;ubject to his view; &s;o that he is not older now, than he was when the World be|gan, nor younger than he will be after innumerable Ages are pa&s;t; &s;o that he fore&s;eeth the mo&s;t contin|gent Events, depending up|on Cau&s;es in their nature arbitary and indeterminate? Who can fancy, how out of mere Nothing, or out of extreme Confu&s;ion and Indi&s;|po&s;edne&s;s the World could be created, and framed into &s;o goodly order, by a mere act of Will, or by the bare &s;peaking of a word? How without any di&s;traction of
<PB N="47" REF="28">thought he governeth Af|fairs, attending to the infi|nite varieties of Thoughts, Words, and Actions occur|ring here;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Confe&s;&s;. 3.11.</NOTE> and <HI>it&agrave; curans uni|ver&s;os tanquam &s;ingulos, it&agrave; &s;in|gulos tanquam &s;olos,</HI> as St. <HI>Au|&s;tin</HI> &s;peaketh? how he is tru|ly &s;aid to re&s;olve and to re|ver&s;e, to love and hate, to be plea&s;ed and grieved, all without any real change, or <HI>&s;hadow of alteration?</HI> how he &s;uffereth many things to hap|pen, which extremely di&s;|plea&s;e him, and which he can ea&s;ily hinder; and doth not effect many things, which are much de&s;ired by him, and very fea&s;ible to his Power?
<PB N="48" REF="29">why to equal Men he di&s;tri|buteth his Gifts &s;o unequal|ly; affording to divers abun|dant means of becoming hap|py, leaving others de&s;titute of them? What Wit of man can reconcile his Infinite Be|nignity with his mo&s;t &s;evere Decrees; or compo&s;e the &s;eeming differences between his Mercy and his Ju&s;tice? Many &s;uch Perfections and Di&s;pen&s;ations of God we mu&s;t &s;tedfa&s;tly believe, be|cau&s;e they are plainly taught in Scripture; to di&s;tru&s;t them being to renounce Chri&s;tiani|ty; to deny them being to race up the very foundations of our Religion; yet he
<PB N="49" REF="29">that &s;hall with his utmo&s;t attention of mind endeavour to conceive how they can be, or how they con&s;i&s;t toge|ther, according to our or|dinary notions of things, and the vulgar meaning of words, applied by us to the&s;e infe|rior matters, &s;hall find him|&s;elf gravelled with innume|rable &s;emblances of contra|diction, plung'd in depths in&s;crutable, involved in laby|rinths inextricable.</P>
<P>What in practice the Cro&s;s of Chri&s;t was, <HI>a &s;candal to Jews</HI> (men dull, but ob&s;ti|nate, and invincibly po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed by vain Prejudices) and <HI>folly
<PB N="50" REF="30">to Greeks</HI> (men of wit, and &s;ubtilty, but overweeningly conceited of them) that in Speculation may a great part of Di|vine Truths be,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Plut. <HI>de &s;era num. Vind.</HI></NOTE> apt to &s;tumble Fro|ward and Arrogant Men; but as there, &s;o here, <HI>ble&s;&s;ed are they who are not &s;candalized;</HI> whom no fond Scruple, or haugh|ty Conceit can pervert from readily embracing all nece&s;|&s;ary Verities; &s;uch are tho&s;e we pointed at; which if without extreme folly and impiety we cannot reject, or be diffident of, although
<PB N="51" REF="30">&s;urmounting our Conceit, and dazling our Rea&s;on; then upon the &s;ame accompt, with like facility, we mu&s;t &s;ubmit our Faith to the Doctrines concerning the B. Trinity, &s;tanding upon the &s;ame Authority.</P>
<P N="7">7. La&s;tly, We may con|&s;ider and meditate upon the total In|comprehen&s;ibility of God in all things belonging to him;
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Chry&s;. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> in his Nature, his Attributes, his Decrees, his Works and Ways; which all are full of depth, my&s;tery, and won|der. God <HI>inhabiteth,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Tim. 6.16.</NOTE> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="52" REF="31"><HI>a light inacce&s;&s;ible</HI> to the dim and weak &s;ight of mortal Eyes;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 33.20.</NOTE> which <HI>no man hath &s;een, or can &s;ee: No man</HI> (as he told his Servant <HI>Mo&s;es</HI>) <HI>can &s;ee his face</HI> (the very ex|teriour appearance of him) <HI>and live:</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 4.24.</NOTE> He is <HI>a con&s;uming fire,</HI> that will &s;corch, and de|vour &s;uch as by ra&s;h In|quiries approach too near him;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Exod. 24.17. <HI>Scrutator maje&s;tatis opprimetur &agrave; gloria.</HI> Aug.</NOTE> <HI>the &s;ight</HI> ('tis &s;aid) <HI>of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire in the &s;ight of the children of I&s;rael.</HI> Even tho&s;e &s;piritual Eagles, the quick and &s;trong|&s;ighted Seraphims, are obliged to <HI>cover their faces,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">I&s;a. 6.2.</NOTE> as not
<PB N="53" REF="31">daring to look upon, not able to &s;u&s;tain the fulgour of his immediate pre&s;ence; the fla&s;hes of Glory and Maje&s;ty i&s;&s;uing from his Throne: And the mo&s;t Il|luminate Secretaries of Hea|ven, unto whom Secrets were di&s;clo&s;ed,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 1.12.</NOTE> into which <HI>Angels them&s;elves were ambitious to pry,</HI> were &s;ometimes non-plu&s;t in contemplation of God's At|tributes and Actions; being in their a&s;toni&s;hment forced to cry out, <GAP DESC="foreign">.
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 11.33.</NOTE> <HI>O the depth of the riches of the wi&s;dom and knowledge of God!</HI> Even his Methods of exte|rior Providence are in&s;cru|tably my&s;terious; <HI>his judge|ments
<PB N="54" REF="32">are</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">; Greg. Naz. <HI>Or.</HI> 26.</NOTE> like inexhau&s;tible Mines, to the bot|tom whereof we cannot anywi&s;e dig by our inquiry; <HI>his paths are</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 Cor. 9.15.</NOTE> &s;o ob&s;cure as not to be traced by any foot&s;teps of our Di&s;|cour&s;e; <HI>his gifts are</HI> <GAP DESC="foreign">, not to be interpreted, or expre&s;&s;ed by our Language: And if all concerning God be thus incom|prehen&s;ible,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Theoph. <HI>ad Autol.</HI></NOTE> why &s;hould any thing &s;eem incredible? why out of &s;o many unconceiva|ble My&s;teries do
<PB N="55" REF="32">we chu&s;e &s;ome, reprobate others? wherefore do we &s;tretch our Judgment be|yond its limits unto things &s;o infinitely exceeding it? why do we &s;uffer our Rea|&s;on to be pragmatical, un|ju&s;tly invading the Office not belonging thereto;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col. 2.18.</NOTE> <HI>in|truding into things which it hath not &s;een,</HI> nor can com|prehend; tho&s;e <HI>&s;ecret things,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Deut. 29.29.</NOTE> <HI>which belong to the Lord our God,</HI> and the comprehen&s;ion whereof he hath re&s;erved un|to him&s;elf?</P>
<P>The&s;e Con&s;iderations may &s;uffice in &s;ome manner to
<PB N="56" REF="33">&s;hew, that St. <HI>Chry|&s;o&s;tome</HI> had rea&s;on to exclaim &s;o much again&s;t <HI>the madne&s;s,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Chry&s;. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> as he &s;tyleth it, of tho&s;e, who do <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Cogitemus &s;i vale|mus, &s;i non valemus credamus.</HI> Aug. <HI>Serm.</HI> 5. <HI>de Temp.</HI></NOTE> <HI>are bu&s;i|ly curious in &s;pecu|lation about the E&s;|&s;ence of God;</HI> da|ring, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">; Athan. <HI>T.</HI> 1. 625.</NOTE> <HI>to &s;ubject Divine My|&s;teries to their own Ratiocinations;</HI> that Saint <HI>Ba&s;il</HI>'s Advice was whol&s;ome, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="57" REF="33"><HI>not to be meddle&s;ome about things, about which Ho|ly Scripture is &s;ilent:</HI> That
<NOTE N="&dagger;" PLACE="foot">Zeno Ve|ronen&s;.</NOTE> another Ancient Writer did &s;ay no le&s;s truly, than pret|tily, that in the&s;e matters <HI>curio&s;itas reum facit, non pe|ritum;</HI> we may ea&s;ilier in|cur blame, than attain skill by nice inquiry into them; that many of the Fathers do with great wi&s;dom di&s;|like and di&s;&s;uade the &s;earch|ing <GAP DESC="foreign">, the manner of things being true, or po&s;&s;i|ble, as a &s;u&s;picious Mark,
<NOTE PLACE="marg"><GAP DESC="foreign">. Expo&s;. &s;id. apud <HI>Ju&s;t. M.</HI></NOTE> or a dan|gerous Motive of Infidelity; that St. <HI>Paul</HI>'s Rules, <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<PB N="58" REF="34"><HI>to be wi&s;e &s;o as withall to be &s;ober,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 12.3.</NOTE> and mode&s;t; and <GAP DESC="foreign">,
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Cor. 4.6.</NOTE> <HI>not to conceit any thing without warrant of Scrip|ture;</HI> are in this Ca&s;e mo&s;t e&s;pecially to be heeded; that, according to St. <HI>Pe|ter</HI>'s Admonition, we &s;hould <HI>as new-born babes</HI> (unprepo&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed, with any Notions or Fancies of our own) <HI>long for,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 Pet. 2.2. <GAP DESC="foreign">.</NOTE> <HI>and greedily &s;uck in the &s;incere milk of the word;</HI> not diluting it with ba&s;er Li|quors of Humane device; that where God doth in|terpo&s;e his definitive Sen|tence, our Rea&s;on hath no|thing to do but to at|tend
<PB N="59" REF="34">and &s;ubmit; no right to vote, no licence to debate the matter; its Duty is to li&s;ten and ap|prove whatever God &s;peak|eth, to read and &s;ub&s;cribe to whatever he writeth; at lea&s;t in any ca&s;e it &s;hould be mute, or ready to fol|low <HI>Job,</HI> &s;aying, <HI>Behold,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Job 40.4.</NOTE> <HI>I am vile, what &s;hall I an&s;wer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth:</HI> In fine, The Te&s;timony of God, with a &s;ufficient clearne&s;s repre&s;ented to the Capa|city of an hone&s;t and do|cile Mind (void of all partial re&s;pects, and clear
<PB N="60" REF="35">from all &s;orts of preju|dice; loving Truth, and forward to entertain it; abhorring to wre&s;t or wrack things, to u&s;e any fraud or violence upon any Principle, or ground of Truth) the Te&s;timony of God, I &s;ay, &s;o reveal|ed, whatever exception our &s;hallow Rea&s;on can thru&s;t in, &s;hould ab&s;olutely con|vince our Judgment, and con&s;train our Faith: If the Holy Scripture teacheth us plainly, and frequently doth inculcate upon us (that which al&s;o the uniform cour&s;e of Nature, and the
<PB N="61" REF="35">peaceable government of the World doth al&s;o &s;peak) that there is but One True God; if it as manife&s;tly doth a&s;cribe to the Three Per&s;ons of the Ble&s;&s;ed Trini|ty the &s;ame Augu&s;t Names, the &s;ame Peculiar Chara|cters, the &s;ame Divine At|tributes (e&s;&s;ential to the Deity) the &s;ame &s;uperla|tively admirable Operati|ons of Creation and Pro|vidence; if it al&s;o doth pre&s;cribe to them the &s;ame Supreme Honours, Services, Prai&s;es and Acknowledg|ments to be paid unto them all; this may be
<PB N="62" REF="36">abundantly enough to &s;a|tisfy our Minds, to &s;top our Mouths, to &s;mother all Doubt and Di&s;pute a|bout this High and Holy My&s;tery: It was exceed|ing Goodne&s;s in God, that he would conde&s;cend &s;o far to in&s;truct us; to di&s;clo&s;e &s;o noble a Truth unto us, to enrich our Minds with that <GAP DESC="foreign">, that <HI>mo&s;t excellent knowledge of him&s;elf;</HI> and it would be no &s;mall Ingratitude and Unworthine&s;s in us any-wi&s;e to &s;u&s;pect his Word, or pervert his meaning; any-wi&s;e to &s;ub|ject
<PB N="63" REF="36">his Venerable Ora|cles to our rude Canva&s;es and Cavils: In fine, The proper employment of our Mind about the&s;e My&s;te|ries, is not to &s;earch and &s;peculate about them, to di&s;cour&s;e flippantly and boldly about them; but with a pious Credulity to embrace them, with all humble Re&s;pect to adore them.</P>
<P>I have thus endeavour|ed in &s;ome mea&s;ure to defend the Outworks of the Orthodox Doctrine concerning the Ble&s;&s;ed Tri|nity;
<PB N="64" REF="37">it was be&s;ide my intent to in&s;i&s;t &s;o long thereon, but the Matter did <GAP DESC="foreign">, was &s;o attra|ctive, that I could not wave &s;hewing my Re&s;pect thereto.</P>
<P>I proceed now to that which I principally de|&s;igned, the propo&s;ing brief|ly &s;ome practical Con&s;ide|rations, apt to excite us to the exerci&s;ing our Un|der&s;tanding and Affections upon tho&s;e wonderful Di&s;|pen&s;ations of Grace and Mercy, vouch&s;afed to us by the Holy Trinity, ei|ther
<PB N="65" REF="37">conjunctly, or (as they <GAP DESC="foreign"> are ex|pre&s;&s;ed) &s;eparately.</P>
<P>We fir&s;t &s;hould care|fully &s;tudy, and duly be affected with that graci|ous Con&s;ent, and (as it were) Confederacy of the Glorious Three in de&s;ign|ing and pro&s;ecuting our good; their unanimous a|greement in uttering tho&s;e three mighty words of fa|vour to Mankind, <HI>Facia|mus, Redimamus, Salvemus,</HI> Let us make Man out of nothing, let us recover him from Sin and Perdi|tion,
<PB N="66" REF="38">let us crown him with Joy and Salvation; we &s;hould, with grateful Re&s;entments, ob&s;erve them con&s;piring to employ their Wi&s;dom in contriving fit Means and Methods to exert their Power in effe|ctual accompli&s;hment of what was requi&s;ite to the promoting of our Wel|fare, the re&s;cue of us from all Mi&s;ery, the advancing us to the highe&s;t degree of Dignity, and in&s;tating us in the mo&s;t perfect Condition of Happine&s;s of which our Nature is ca|pable; in pro&s;ecution of
<PB N="67" REF="38">that gracious De&s;ign, which their joint Goodne&s;s had projected for us. More di|&s;tinctly,</P>
<P N="1">1. We &s;hould &s;et our Mind on God the Father before the Foundation of the World from all Eter|nity, plea&s;ing to foreca&s;t with him&s;elf the Creation of us, and communica|tion of his own Image to us; endowing us with mo&s;t excellent Faculties of Body and Soul; &s;ubject|ing the vi&s;ible World to our u&s;e and governance; placing us in a &s;tate of
<PB N="68" REF="39">great accommodation and delight; permitting us to fall, that he might rai&s;e us to a higher and better Condition; re&s;olving to &s;end his own dear Son from his Bo&s;ome to pro|cure and purcha&s;e the Re|demption of Mankind; preparing and di&s;po&s;ing the World for the recep|tion of &s;o great a Mer|cy, by a general te&s;tifi|cation of his Patience and Beneficence (<HI>giving &s;howers,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 14.17.</NOTE> <HI>and fruitful &s;ea&s;ons,</HI> and <HI>filling the hearts of men with food and gladne&s;s</HI>) but more e&s;pecially by Pro|phetical
<PB N="69" REF="39">Promi&s;es, Predi|ctions, and Prefigurations; al&s;o &s;uffering the genera|lity of Mankind &s;o <HI>to pro|ceed in its ways,</HI> as might render it &s;en&s;ible of its Error and Unhappine&s;s, of the need and benefit of a Deliverance;
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Gal. 4.4.</NOTE> then <HI>in the fulne&s;s of time,</HI> when <HI>the creature did earne&s;tly grown,</HI>
<NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 8.22.</NOTE> <HI>and long for its re|covery from vanity and &s;la|very,</HI> actually &s;ending his only Son, and cloathing him with Humane Fle&s;h, that conver&s;ing with us, he might di&s;cover to us his gracious Intentions to|ward
<PB N="70" REF="40">us, might confirm the truth thereof by Mi|raculous Works, might in|&s;truct us by his Heavenly Doctrine and Holy Life in our Duty, and the Terms of our Salvation; then freely delivering him over unto Death, and ac|cepting his Pa&s;&s;ion as a Sacrifice expiating our Sins, and meriting his Favour to|ward us: Then rai&s;ing him as <HI>the fir&s;t fruits</HI> from the Dead, &s;etting him at his Right Hand, inve&s;ting him with Authority to govern and &s;ave tho&s;e, who &s;in|cerely would believe in
<PB N="71" REF="40">him, and faithfully obey him; al&s;o &s;ending and be|&s;towing his Holy Spirit to dwell in them, to con|duct, confirm, and com|fort them in the ways of Truth and Righteou&s;ne&s;s: The&s;e with manifold o|ther intercurrent Pa&s;&s;ages of gracious Providence, a&s;cribed to God the Fa|ther, we &s;hould &s;eriou&s;ly mind, and &s;o re&s;ent, as to be ravi&s;hed with ad|miration of his Mercy; to be enflamed with love of his Goodne&s;s; to be po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with gratitude to|ward him; to become tho|roughly
<PB N="72" REF="41">devoted to his Service.</P>
<P N="2">2. We &s;hould likewi&s;e mind the Ble&s;&s;ed Son of God concurring with his Father in all his purpo&s;es of love and mercy to|ward us; in <HI>making all things,</HI> and <HI>&s;u&s;taining them by the word of his power;</HI> but e&s;pecially in his (to|ward the freeing us from the de&s;perate Mi&s;eries, Cor|ruptions, and Slaveries, in|to which we were plunged) a&s;&s;uming Humane Nature, leading therein a trouble|&s;ome and toil&s;ome Life,
<PB N="73" REF="41">for our benefit and in&s;tru|ction; undergoing a bitter and &s;hameful Death, for the atonement of our Sins, and reconciliation of us to Divine Favour; purcha&s;ing great and precious Pro|mi&s;es, procuring high and glorious Privileges for us; a&s;cending into Heaven to prepare us Man&s;ions of Bli&s;s; interceding for us with God, and pouring from above manifold Ble&s;|&s;ings upon us; the a&s;to|ni&s;hing Miracles of Good|ne&s;s, of Wi&s;dom, of Con|de&s;cen&s;ion and Patience di&s;|played, in the management
<PB N="74" REF="42">of which Undertakings for us, what Heart can well conceive, what Tongue can utter? What amazement &s;hould it produce in us to con&s;ider the brighte&s;t efflux of Divine Glory eclip&s;ing and &s;hrowding it &s;elf under &s;o dark a cloud of Mortal Frailty; the mo&s;t High &s;tooping into the qua|lity of &s;o mean a Crea|ture; the Fir&s;t-born, and Heir Apparent of Heaven de&s;cending from his Throne of Eternal Maje&s;ty, and vo|luntarily degrading him&s;elf into the <HI>form of a &s;ervant,</HI> clad in Rags, worn with
<PB N="75" REF="42">labour and travel; expo|&s;ed to contempt and di&s;|grace? To reflect upon the great Creator, and So|vereign Lord of all the World, who reared the Heavens, and founded the Earth, who po&s;&s;e&s;&s;eth and upholdeth all things, need|ing him&s;elf a Shelter, pinch|ed with Want, taking Alms from his Slaves, and pay|ing Tribute to his Sub|jects; to contemplate the Son of God willingly &s;ty|ling him&s;elf the Son of Man, really &s;ubjecting him|&s;elf to the Duties, the Ne|ce&s;&s;ities, the Infirmities of
<PB N="76" REF="43">Humane Nature; &s;uffering the Cour&s;e&s;t Hard&s;hips, and Extreame&s;t Di&s;a&s;ters thereof; all this upon free&s;t Choice, with full Content|ment, and perfect Submi&s;|&s;ion to &s;o mean and &s;o di&s;|ta&s;tful a Condition.</P>
<P>We may ob&s;erve with how admirable Goodne&s;s he did vouch&s;afe to con|ver&s;e with a froward Gene|ration of Men, to in&s;truct a &s;tupid and indocile &s;ort of People, with all &s;orts of Beneficence to oblige an Incredulous, In&s;en&s;ible, and Ingrateful Crew; with how
<PB N="77" REF="43">invincible a Meekne&s;s and Patience he <HI>endured the con|tradiction of &s;inners;</HI> the Scornful Reproaches, the Wrongful Calumnies, the Spiteful and Cruel U&s;ages of the Envious and Malici|ous World; being to the highe&s;t extremity de&s;pi&s;ed, hated, maligned, and abu|&s;ed by tho&s;e, whom he had mo&s;t highly honoured, mo&s;t affectionately loved, and conferred the greate&s;t Fa|vours upon. We may with a&s;toni&s;hment contemplate that &s;trange Conte&s;t be|tween Divine Patience, and Humane Wickedne&s;s, &s;tri|ving
<PB N="78" REF="44">which of them &s;hould excel; when we do peru&s;e and weigh tho&s;e Enigmati|cal Pa&s;&s;ages, God accu&s;ed by Man of Bla&s;phemy, the Eternal Wi&s;dom a&s;per&s;ed with Folly, Truth it &s;elf impleaded of Impo&s;ture, E&s;&s;ential Love made guilty of Mi&s;chief, and Supream Goodne&s;s &s;tyled a Malefa|ctor; Infinite Power beat down, and trampled upon by Impotent Malice; the Judge of all the World, the Fountain of all Authority and Right Arraigned, Con|demned, and Executed for Inju&s;tice; the <HI>de&s;ire of all na|tions</HI>
<PB N="79" REF="44">rejected by his own Country and Kindred; the Joy of Paradi&s;e (who&s;e light|&s;ome Countenance doth cheer Heaven it &s;elf) al|mo&s;t overwhelmed with Grief, uttering lamentable Groans, tortured with grie|vous Agonies; the very Heart of God bleeding, and the &s;ole Author of Life expiring.</P>
<P>We may farther &s;tudy Je&s;us with a hearty Compa&s;|&s;ion, and Tears gu&s;hing from his inmo&s;t Bowels, pitying not the&s;e his own Sufferings, but for the Ven|geance
<PB N="80" REF="45">for them due and decreed unto his Per&s;ecu|tors; we &s;hould mark him excu&s;ing their Fault, and praying for their Pardon; dying willingly for their good, when he dyed vio|lently by their Hand; pa&s;|&s;ionately de&s;iring their Sal|vation, when they malici|ou&s;ly procured his De&s;tru|ction.</P>
<P>We &s;hould mind all the Actions of the Son of God, our Saviour, with the mo&s;t wi&s;e Grounds, endearing Circum&s;tances, and precious Fruits of them; his Birth,
<PB N="81" REF="45">Life, Death, Re&s;urrection, A&s;cen&s;ion; Interce&s;&s;ion, as containing In&s;tances of the greate&s;t Charity and Humi|lity po&s;&s;ible &s;hewed unto us, as Arguments of the greate&s;t Love and Grati|tude due from us: Mind them we &s;hould mo&s;t &s;e|riou&s;ly &s;o as to be heartily affected with them; &s;o as to e&s;teem worthily the tran&s;|cendent Honour done us by God a&s;&s;uming our Na|ture, and exalting us to a conjunction with the Divine Nature; &s;o as to be deeply &s;en&s;ible of our Obligation to &s;o immen&s;e a Charity, that
<PB N="82" REF="46">could do and &s;uffer &s;o much for us, without any de&s;ert of ours, yea notwith&s;tand|ing our exceedingly bad De|&s;erts, our Rebellions and Enmities again&s;t him; &s;o as to dete&s;t the heinou&s;ne&s;s of our Sins, that needed &s;o mighty an Expiation, that cau&s;ed &s;o horrid a Tragedy; &s;o as not to neglect &s;o great Salvation &s;o frankly offered, &s;o dearly purcha&s;ed for us; not to fru&s;trate the De&s;igns of &s;o unconceivable Love and Goodne&s;s; &s;o as to obey readily &s;o Gracious a Ma&s;ter, to follow carefully &s;o Admirable an Example;
<PB N="83" REF="46">&s;o as in imitation of him, and for his &s;ake to be meek, and humble in heart, and in deed; &s;eeing he did &s;o infi|nitely conde&s;cend and aba&s;e him&s;elf for us; to be pa|tient and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive to his Will, who &s;tooped &s;o low, and &s;uffered &s;o much for us; &s;o as to bear a general af|fection to Mankind, ground|ed like his, not upon any particular Intere&s;ts, nor li|mited by any partial Re|&s;pects; but extended freely, in real de&s;ire and intention, toward all; liberally to im|part the good things we po&s;|&s;e&s;s, and patiently to brook
<PB N="84" REF="47">the Cro&s;&s;es we meet with, and heartily to forgive the Of|fences done to us; for that he freely did part with the greate&s;t Glories of Eternity, with the highe&s;t Dignities, and the riche&s;t Trea&s;ures of Heaven for our &s;ake; when we were <HI>enemies in our minds by wicked works, dead in tre&s;|pa&s;&s;es and &s;ins,</HI> guilty of num|berle&s;s grievous Offences a|gain&s;t him, by his Blood re|deeming us from Wrath, re|conciling us to the Mercy and Favour of God.</P>
<P N="3">3. We &s;hould al&s;o me|ditate upon the Ble&s;&s;ed Spi|rit
<PB N="85" REF="47">of God, with equal Good|ne&s;s con&s;piring, and co-ope|rating with all the Purpo&s;es, to all the Effects of Grace, which conduce to our Ever|la&s;ting Happine&s;s; more e&s;|pecially as the Repairer of our decayed Frames, the Enlivener of our dead Souls, the Infu&s;er of &s;piritual Light into our dark Minds, the Kindler of &s;piritual Warmth into our cold Hearts; the Rai&s;er of &s;piritual Appetite to Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and the Reli&s;h of Goodne&s;s in our &s;tupid Sen&s;es; the Imparter of &s;piritual Strength and Vi|gour to our feeble Powers;
<PB N="86" REF="48">the Author of all Liberty, loo&s;ing us from Captivity under the Tyranny of Sa|tan, from Va&s;allage unto our own Carnal Lu&s;ts and Pa&s;&s;ions; from &s;ubjection to a hard and imperious Law, from bondage to the Ter|rors of a guilty Con&s;cience: As him, that enableth us to perform the Duties, and ac|compli&s;h the Conditions re|quired of us in order to our Salvation; that qualifieth us to be the Sons of God by his effectual Grace, and a&s;|&s;ureth us that we are &s;o by his comfortable Te&s;ti|mony; as our &s;ure Guide
<PB N="87" REF="48">in the ways of Truth and Vertue; our faithful Coun|&s;ellour in all Doubts and Darkne&s;&s;es; our mighty Support and Succour in all Needs, in all Di&s;tre&s;&s;es; our ready Guard again&s;t all A&s;&s;aults and Tempta|tions; our &s;weet Comfor|ter in all Sadne&s;&s;es and Afflictions: Who doth in|&s;inuate good Thoughts, doth kindle holy De&s;ires, doth cheri&s;h pious Re&s;o|lutions, doth further hone&s;t Endeavours in us: Who only doth enflame our Hearts with Devotion to|ward God; doth encou|rage,
<PB N="88" REF="49">doth enable us to approach unto him; doth prompt us with fit matter of reque&s;t, and becometh Advocate for the good Succe&s;s of our Prayers.</P>
<P>We &s;hould mind him as the Root of all good Fruits growing in us, or &s;prout|ing from us; the Producer of all good Habits formed in us, the A&s;&s;i&s;ter of all good Works performed by us; the Spring of all true Content, that we enjoy; unto whom our embra|cing the Faith, our conti|nuing in Hope, our work|ing
<PB N="89" REF="49">in Charity; the puri|fication of our Hearts, the mortification of our Lu&s;ts, the &s;anctification of our Lives, the Salvation of our Souls are principally due, are mo&s;t ju&s;tly a&s;cribed: As the Author and Pre|&s;erver of &s;o ine&s;timable Be|nefits unto us, let us mind him; and withal, let us con&s;ider him as conde&s;|cending to be a Loving Friend and con&s;tant Gue&s;t unto &s;o mean and un|worthy Creatures; vouch|&s;afing to attend over us, to conver&s;e with us, to dwell in us; rendring our
<PB N="90" REF="50">Souls holy Temples of his Divinity, Royal Thrones of his Maje&s;ty, bright Orbs of his heavenly Light, plea&s;ant Paradi&s;es of his bli&s;ful Pre&s;ence; our Souls, which naturally are pro|fane Receptacles of Wick|ed, and impure Affecti|ons; dark Cells of fal&s;e and fond Imaginations, clo&s;e Pri&s;ons of black and &s;ad Thoughts: As graci|ou&s;ly <HI>&s;triving with us;</HI> &s;triving to open and en|ter into our Hearts, barr'd again&s;t him by vain Con|ceits, and vicious Inclina|tions; &s;triving to reclaim
<PB N="91" REF="50">us from the Sins and Er|rors, into which we are wont heedle&s;ly or wilful|ly to precipitate our &s;elves; &s;triving to make us what in all duty and wi&s;dom we &s;hould be, capable of Divine Favour, and fit for Everla&s;ting Happine&s;s: As enduring patiently ma|nifold Di&s;plea&s;ures and Di&s;|re&s;pects from us; our rude Oppo&s;itions again&s;t him, our frequent neglects of his kind Admonitions; our many perver&s;e Humours, wanton Freaks, wilful Mi&s;carriages, and unworthy Dealings to|ward him.</P>
<PB N="92" REF="51">
<P> We &s;hould thus mind the Ble&s;&s;ed Spirit of God, and be &s;utably affected to|ward him; &s;o as to be duly &s;en&s;ible and thankful for tho&s;e unexpre&s;&s;ible Gifts and Ble&s;&s;ings indulged to us by him; &s;o as to render all Love and Reverence, all Prai&s;e and Glory, all Obedience and Service to him; e&s;pecially &s;o as to admit him cheerfully into our Hearts, yea invite him thither by our earne&s;t Prayers; to make fit pre|parations for his Recep|tion and Intertainment (by
<PB N="93" REF="51">clean&s;ing our Hearts from all loath&s;ome Impurities) to make him welcome, and treat him kindly, with all civil re&s;pect, with all humble ob&s;ervance; not <HI>grieving</HI> and vexing him by our di&s;ta&s;tful Cro&s;ne&s;s or Peevi&s;hne&s;s; not tempt|ing him by our fond Pre|&s;umption; or ba&s;e Trea|chery; not extingui&s;hing his heavenly Light, and holy Fire by our foul Lu&s;ts, our damp Stupidi|ties, our cold Neglects; our Neglects to foment and nouri&s;h them by the food of devout Medita|tions
<PB N="94" REF="52">and zealous De&s;ires: So let us mind him, as to admit gladly his gentle Illap&s;es, to delight in his mo&s;t plea&s;ant Society, to hearken to his faithful Sug|ge&s;tions; to comply with all his kindly Motions; to behave our &s;elves mo|de&s;tly, con&s;i&s;tently, and of|ficiou&s;ly toward him.</P>
<P>Thus &s;hould we employ our Mind, all the Facul|ties of our Soul, our Un|der&s;tanding, our Will, our Affections upon the Ble&s;|&s;ed Trinity, the Supream of all things above; the
<PB N="95" REF="52">Founder of that Cele&s;tial Society, into which as Chri|&s;tians we are in&s;erted; the Sovereign of that heavenly Kingdom, to which we are Subjects; the Fountain of all the Good and Hap|pine&s;s we can hope for in that Superior State: To the performance of which Duty there be Arguments and Inducements innume|rable; 'tis the mo&s;t pro|per and connatural Object of our Mind, that for which it is fitte&s;t, and for which it was de&s;igned; the be&s;t Intelligible, and infinitely mo&s;t Amiable of all things:
<PB N="96" REF="53">'Tis the mo&s;t worthy, and noble Object, the contem|plation of which, and af|fection whereto, will mo&s;t elevate, mo&s;t enrich, mo&s;t adorn, mo&s;t enlarge the Capacities, and mo&s;t &s;ati&s;|fy the Appetites of our Souls: 'Tis the mo&s;t &s;weet and plea&s;ant Object, where|in all Light, all Beauty, all Perfection do &s;hine; the &s;ight and love of which do con&s;titute Paradi&s;e, and beatify Heaven it &s;elf: 'Tis the mo&s;t u&s;eful and bene|ficial Object of our Mind, which will be&s;t in&s;truct us in what it concerneth us to
<PB N="97" REF="53">know, will mo&s;t incite us to tho&s;e Duties which we are obliged to perform; will be mo&s;t efficacious to the begetting in us tho&s;e Di&s;po&s;itions, which are in|di&s;pen&s;ably requi&s;ite for the attainment, and for the en|joyment of that Everla&s;ting Bli&s;s; unto which that one Ble&s;&s;ed Unity, and Glorious Trinity in its infinite Mercy bring us all: To whom be all Glory, Honour, and Prai&s;e for ever. <HI>Amen.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="publisher's advertisement">
<PB REF="54">
<HEAD>Catalogue of &s;ome Books Printed for <HI>B. Aylmer.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THE Works of the Learned <HI>I&s;aac Barraw,</HI> D.D. late Ma&s;ter of <HI>Trinity</HI> Colledge in <HI>Cambridge.</HI> Publi&s;hed by the Reverend Dr. <HI>Tillot&s;on,</HI> late Arch|bi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury.</HI> The Third Volume. Con|taining Forty five Sermons, upon &s;everal Occa&s;ions, compleating his <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Works.</P>
<P>A Brief Expo&s;ition on the Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments. To which is added the Doctrine of the Sacraments. By <HI>I&s;aac Barrow,</HI> D. D And late Ma&s;ter of <HI>Trinity</HI> College, <HI>Cambridge.</HI> This on the Creed never before Pub|li&s;hed: Being very different from the Volume of Sermons on it. In 8vo.</P>
<P>Practical Di&s;cour&s;es upon the Con&s;ideration of our Latter End, and the Danger and Mi&s;chief of Delaying Repentance. By Dr. <HI>I&s;aac Barrow.</HI> In 8vo. Price 18 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<DIV2 TYPE="part">
<HEAD>The&s;e following writ by <HI>Dr.</HI> A&s;&s;heton.</HEAD>
<P>A Conference with an Anabapti&s;t. Being a De|fence of Infant-Bapti&s;m. In 8vo. Price 12 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<P>A Theological Di&s;cour&s;e of La&s;t Wills and Te|&s;taments. In 8vo. Price 12 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<P>A Di&s;cour&s;e concerning a Death-Bed Repentance. Price 6 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<P>A Sea&s;onable Vindication of the <HI>B. Trinity.</HI> Be|ing an An&s;wer to this Que&s;tion, <HI>Why do you believe the Doctrine of the Trinity?</HI> Collected from the Works of the Mo&s;t Reverend, Dr. <HI>John Tillot&s;on,</HI> Late Lord Archbi&s;hop of <HI>Canterbury.</HI> And the Right Reverend, Dr. <HI>Edward Stilling&s;teet,</HI> now Lord Bi&s;hop of <HI>Wor|ce&s;ter.</HI> Price 12 <HI>d.</HI></P>
<P>Several &s;mall Books, <HI>viz.</HI> A Method of Daily De|votion: Again&s;t Debauchery, Profanene&s;s, Bla&s;phe|my, Cur&s;ing and Swearing, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> By Dr. <HI>A&s;&s;heton.</HI> Price 2 <HI>d.</HI> each, and &s;omething cheaper to them that give away Numbers.</P>
<PB REF="54">
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
