Profeffion of one fingle Article, That Jefus of Nazareth was a Perfon fent from God, be fufficient to make amends for a wilful Ignorance in fuch a momentous Concern, much more answer for a ftudied contempt of this whole Chain of Mercies, for vilifying the Blood of God; for the Expence of fo many Miracles, and for the Death of fo many Martyrs for the fame Doctrine, and all other Means of Inftructi on? Or what Man of Ingenuity and Gratitude wou'd not think himself under the highest Obligation to be at all the Pains imaginable to have a right Notion of these things, in order to be duly affected with them? Again, if we confider the jealoufy God has always exprefs'd for his incommunicable Honour, the Severity of his Laws against the leaft Shadow of Idolworship; the Difperfions, Captivities, and other Judgments he fent upon his own People for their Idolatry; and the Care he took for the more effectual difperfing and fignalizing his own Name abroad, and making the God of Ifrael by degrees to be the only Object of Divine Worship. If we confider this, I fay, how can we imagine that in the laft and perfect Revelation of his Will, this jealous God wou'd put all good Men under an infuperable Temptation of be lieving a Lie of fuch a facrilegious abominable Na ture, as that of worshipping a Man for God? But then if Chrift be God of God, of the fame Subftance with the Father, begotten from all Eternity, by whom all things were made; if this Divine Perfon was made Flesh and crucify'd for our fakes, and for profeffing God to be his own proper Natural Father, as much as any Man is the Son of his Father according to the Flesh, with what Face can we imagine that our Redeemer will pass by fuch unjuft, ungrateful Returns in his ranfom'd Captives as the ungodding their Lord and Mafter? That he who was in the Form of & Servant for our fakes, but thought it no Robbery to be equal with God, will be content to be thruft down

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into the Rank of Creatures after fuch Manifeftations of his Divinity and Philanthropy? And that a Moral Life and a formal Profeffing him to be the Meffiah; that is, a Prophet, he who was to come, or a Perfon fent from God, fhall be a fufficient Plea for fuch an unfpeakable Affront to him, who is God blessed for ever, Amen? We are to believe likewife, that the Divine and Human Nature were fo united as to make Chrift but one Perfon; otherwife, as Vincentius faith, we introduce a quaternity of Perfons into Divine Worship, which was the Reason that the Ephefine Council, and our Author, were fo zealous and watchful about ftating this Perfonal Union, and in condemning the Herefy of Neftorius. Of fuch confequence was an orthodox Faith, as well as a good Life, judg'd to be by the earliest and beft Chriftians.

If it be urg'd by our Moralifts or our one Article Creed makers, that Natural Laws are of greater Obligation than Pofitive ones, because these have an intrinfick Goodness in themselves, whereas the other are good only because commanded; that the Notion of one God is knowable by the Light of Nature, that Juftice alfo and Charity, and all the other Mo ral Virtues are neceffary to the well-being of Mankind, but the Notion of Three Perfons in the Godhead is beyond the discovery and reach of Natural Reason, and a Notion the World may fubfift very well without: To this I anfwer. Firft, That the diftinction of Obligations between Moral and Pofitive Duties is to be understood with great Caution: For though the goodness of a Law be a great Motive and Inducement to Obedience, yet the formal Reason of Obligation does not arife from the Goodness of a Law, but from the Authority and Will of the Legiflator. God commands a thing which was before indifferent, therefore that thing is as much a Law as if it was never fo good in its own Nature; he for

bad

bad the eating of a Tree in the midst of the Garden, which without that Prohibition had been indifferent : But Adam, and in him all his Pofterity, was condemn'd for the Breach of a Law purely Pofitive: God forbad the gathering of Sticks on the Sabbathday, therefore the Man that gather'd 'em was put to Death for it. When God therefore fays that be will have Mercy and not Sacrifice, it is not to be underftood as if God wou'd have any of his Laws broken; but as our Saviour explains it, Thefe ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. I ask then, what are Natural Laws? Why, what we conclude merely from the Light of Nature that God has commanded or forbidden, either to be believ'd or done. What then are Pofitive Laws? Why, what we know to be the Will of God by his exprefs Word only. In both Cafes then we fee, that 'tis the Will of God and not the Goodness of the Thing, or the Manner of the Discovery which induces the Obligation. Befides, it is of eternal Reason that we thou'd worship the Deity according to his Nature when known: If then there are Three Perfons in the God head, Confubftantial, Coequal and Coeternal, then are we as much oblig'd from the Reason of the thing when reveal'd, to pay divine Honours to thefe Three divine Perfons, as we were by Nature oblig'd to worship one God before we knew of thefe Modes of Subfiftence in the Godhead. And, laftly, a right Faith is neceffary in order to a right Practice; for we find it to be true in Fact, that Herefies are inconfiftent with the Practice of true Christian Morality. Thus then I think I have prov'd, That Herefies must be; that their Being is no Objedion against the goodness of any Church or the Truth of the Chriftian Faith: And in the next place, That Matters of Faith are as necessary to Salvation as Matters of Practice. I have fhew'd likewife, that the Rule of Faith depofited with the Mother Churches by

the

the Apoftles or their Companions, that the Writings of Apoftolick Bishops and Catholick Doctors in conformity to this Rule, and the feveral fucceeding explanatory Enlargements on the Creed, eftablifh'd by General Councils in oppofition to rifing Herefies, are the best Canon for the Interpretation of Holy Scripture. And in doing this I have perfu'd the main Defign of my Author, and herein have been doing fome Service, I hope, to the Primitive Proteftant Church of England, against all Heretical In

novations.

As to the Verfion, I have little to fay, but only that I have made it my endeavour to be true and just to my Author, and to exprefs his Senfe with all the Brevity and Fulnefs, Strength and Perfpicuity I am mafter of. I have taken the Liberty likewife (as fome others before me have done) to throw fometimes two Chapters into one, when they feem'd to break in too fast and interrupt the Thread and Coherence of the Argument. I confulted the feveral Editions of Filefachus, Cofterius, Baluzius, and that of Cambridge, and where they differ (which is not much and in Matters of little Moment) I follow that reading which in my Judgment feems the trueft. As for the Notes, they are fuch as I judg'd most useful and inftructive to a common Reader; fuch as might give him a fight of the Wiles and Artifices of the old Innovators, with the Nature of their Doctrines, the dreadful Notion the Orthodox always had of He refy and Schifm, and the prudent Meafures they took to provide against them; fuch as may give an im partial Reader a juft and rational Averfion to that Church that makes her boasts of Antiquity, and ufurps the Name of Catholick, and yet has thrown off the Catholick Principles, debauch'd their Doctrines, adulterated and maim'd their Writings, added to their Faith, and appeals to Vincentius, in fpight of all his Declarations against Innovation, and his main Rule

2

of

of trying every Doctrine by the Canon of Scripture as understood by the Ancient, Catholick, Univerfal Church. In a word, the defign of the Notes is to fet the Primitive Religion in a true Light, and to let every honest Man see what Church bids fairest for Antiquity.

To conclude then, I find in Tertullian a certain Seat, who from thefe words-Seek and ye shall find, thought themselves oblig'd to reft fatisfy'd with nothing, but to feek on for ever, and for every thing in fpight of the cleareft Revelation about it. To this Sea of Seekers the Father addreffes, and tells 'em, that they had strangely mistaken the Defign and Meaning of those words; for they were spoken in the Infancy of the Gospel, when all Men doubted as yet whether he were the Chrift or no; that they were intended as a Reproof to the Jews, who knew where Chrift was to be fought: They have Mofes and the Prophets (fays he) and they fpeak of Chrift; and accordingly commands 'em elfewhere in exprefs words to fearch the Scriptures, for in them ye have eternal Life, for they speak of me. This then (fays Tertullian) is the meaning of the Command, Seek and ye shall find. But fuppofing it to be spoken to all Mankind, yet we muft interpret the words according to common Senfe and Reason. We are to seek till we find and then to give over feeking, as the Woman in the Gospel fought diligently for her piece of Silver till he found it, and then the gave over Sweeping and feeking, and rejoyc'd with her Friends that the had found the Piece which was loft. There is then a certain pofitive Rule of Faith taught by Chrift, which all Nations are bound to believe, and therefore to feek, that when they have found they may believe. For which Reafon you are to feek till you have found, and when you have found you must believe; and nothing more is wanting but to keep this Faith found and inviolate. And if any one doubts

what