I have now proved to my own, and I hope alfo to my reader's entire fatisfaction, that the Son is God, and that the Holy Ghoft is God: That the Father is God, and that there is but one God, are conceded points; and, having been admitted, I have been exempted from the neceffity of proving them. But as there is but one God, and that each of the three perfons is God, does not a Trinity in unity neceffarily follow? But Mr. Lindsey does not find this conclufion drawn in fo many words, and fo will not believe that it refults. Had Mr. Lindfey told me how many miles it measured from Richmond to Catterick, I apprehend he would charge me with great ftupidity if I could not conclude for myself how many miles it meafured from Catterick to Richmond; and yet even this obvious inference does not offer itfelf more perfpicuously to the understanding than that with which he quarrels. The premises are all fairly ftated; and are not "the ears made heavy and the hearts made fat that hear not, neither understand the voice of the Lord of Hofts, speaking from his highly exalted throne, and filling the whole Earth with his glory," even "the Holy Ghoft, who fpake by Efaias the Prophet, unto our fathers," "when he received his ambaffy from, and saw the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the Son, and spake of him?" Ifaiah vi. 1, 9. John xii. 40, 41. Acts xxviii. 25, 26. Which therefore am I to charge it to, the account of obftinacy, want of difcernment, or a composition of both, that this Gentlemen will not look upon the neceffary conclufion, which is, that the object of our religious worship is a holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity, three perfons and one God ?*

That each of the three perfons is God, feems to me a fully fufficient reason why I should prefer to each my prayer, my praife, and my thanksgiving; that the

three

three perfons are one God, is in like manner a reason why I should address my adoration to this trinal unity. That this is a ftumbling-block to the Unitarian and to the Jew, I grant; that to the Greek it is foolishnefs, I grant alfo; that it altogether furpaffes my own faculties, I as freely acknowledge; but that it is revealed by the God of truth I know, and therefore I yield my faith to what he has declared concerning his own infcrutable nature,

AND WHERE I CAN'T UNRIDDLE LEARN TO TRUST. PARNELL.

I can clearly fee that the infolence of reafon, or rather of pride under her abused name, meets in this point the object of its contempt; but "behold ye defpifers, and wonder and perifh; for I work a work in your days, a work which ye fhall in nowife believe, though a man, declare it unto you," Acts xii. 41. I do not apply these words uncharitably, I use them to fhew that God had beforehand ordained a difficulty to the conceptions of mankind, that they who withstand his testimony, because they have not been admitted of his council, are impeached of contempt, and threatened with eternal destruction. "Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord," I would perfuade men to humility, to obedience, to faith unto falvation, that they may escape the "vengeance taken upon them that obey not the gospel of Jefus Chrift." 2 Cor. v. II.

It is not my office to stand forth the panegyrift of the liturgy of the established church, and therefore I refrain from entering into a fcriptural vindication of it: if it indeed remain neceflary now, I have taken a great deal of pains to very little purpofe; for I fhould conceive that an intelligent reader of the arguments I have already cited in proof of the divinity of Jesus Christ

and

and of the Holy Ghoft, muft, without any more particular difcuffion of the point, be very well able to vindicate it himself, and to set forth the propriety of offering up his adoration to them, with the Father one, God. Were

I disposed so to do, I could draw together also the opinions of fome of the wifeft men that have ever adorned our islands; who have conceived our book of common prayer, one of the finest compofitions that has flowed from the pen of man: but even this human composition 1 fhall not maintain by human authority, though I could bring ftronger hands to fupport the fabric of our church, than thofe of either Dr. Clarke or Mr. Lindsey, which have been desperately employed in dilapidating, or, to ufe Mr. Lindsey's lefs-confused metaphor, in Smothering the fabric.

This gentleman, after he had depreciated all human authority as a ground of faith, we have already feen making use of it, and nothing else, in fupport of his doctrines. But he has attacked human authority in another sense of the words alfo; and, to the great confternation of every Briton, who shall meet it in his way, has emphatically and conclufively pronounced it A MONSTER, Apol. p. 163. But the terrified reader of his book may calm his breaft when he comes to know that this fame monfter is nothing worse than "a legal establishment of the church of England." An establishment, the neceffity of which, I am forry to fay, grows every day more and more obvious; and to whofe good purposes, Mr. Lindfey's own conduct bears an incontrovertible teftimony. A farther vindication of this alfo exceeds the limits of my defign; but methinks a gentleman, who has experienced fuch lenity from our establishment, fhould at least acknowledge, from the tolerated altar of his new fynagogue, that the church of England is not a very fierce monster.

As

As the limits are, however, of my own appoint ment, I will take the liberty of tranfgreffing them a little here. The articles of religion, when firft prescribed, were chiefly intended as a barrier to divide our new reformation from Popery, which it had just escaped, many of the particular tenets of which are formally abjured in them. Though accefs to the fcriptures were now permitted to all men, it was thought neceffary to affift the weak, in forming their conclufions upon the whole, and to fum up in brief thofe doctrines which lie diffused in the facred writings. Moderation appears also to have been a principal object in forming them; for as abhorrence muft naturally fucceed the detection of the felf-interested frauds of the church of Rome, it seems a reasonable apprehension, that every tenet which it had held, would fall into contempt, if not confpicuoufly held forth, as retained by the leaders of reformation; hence the Trinity is formally avowed, in which we continued our agreement. I am far from maintain ing that the body of the people should be obliged to fubfcribe to any articles of faith; but it appears to me ab folutely neceffary that certain articles of faith fhould be fubfcribed by the paftors in our church, otherwise we must cease to be a church; and, instead of a general amity amongst men, the gospel will be converted into a fource of universal discord, and bring indeed, not peace, but a fword; we fhall, inftead of a church of England, have as many churches as parish minifters; every parish, zealous to maintain the doctrines of its polemic paftor, will war upon its neighbour, and think they do God fervice by reducing thofe, who diffent from them, to opinions which they have been instructed to esteem neceffary to be entertained. Subscription to these doctrines, as a fecurity for the maintenance of the imposed faith, will be required, and that which is now established in peace, will be, if relinquifhed, again exacted by the

very confequences of having relinquished it; for, how» · ever exceptionable those articles which are now subfcribed may be thought, I greatly doubt whether they who complain would agree together in forming a set that would be less liable to objection; and that subfcription would again be required and fubmitted to, as the purchase of tranquillity, I do not entertain the finalleft doubt. Articles, fumming up in few words the efTential doctrines diffufed in the fcriptures, ought to be prescribed to those who are authorized to teach; and thefe alone fhould they be permitted to promulgate, whatever they might privately think. It is true the confcientious man who does not acquiefce in their truth, and therefore cannot subscribe to them, is excluded from the office of a teacher, and withheld: but from what? from an opportunity of propagating opinions contrary to those which the wisest men have conceived deducible from fcripture, for by fuch I conceive thefe articles to be formed. It is to be hoped that many a weak man has a tender confcience; by this then he is restrained from uttering his trifling fuggeftions; while he who has lefs fcrupulously acquiefced in what he doubted, has, by his fubfcription, given fecurity to mankind that he will not propagate pernicious or filly tenets. I do not wish to confine the private fentiments of the heart, but I do to restrain the liberty of teaching and imparting fuch notions as a weak man may inftill into a credulous or unthinking congregation. Anabaptifm itself pretended to the fanction of fcripture, and may again, to the utter fubverfion of all religion and virtue. The church of Catterick may fet up against that of Northallerton, and who shall decide which is right, if there be no prefcript? The more extenfive diocefan churches may dif agree, and when the church of Carlisle shall make inroads into the neighbouring churches of Durham and Chefter, who fhall reftrain the arm that declares itself raifed

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