the Almighty support and stay of the univerfe. The thought therefore of the fubftantial word of God dying, being buried, rifing, and ascending, would much better become the crazy enthufiaft, than the cranium of a learned philofopher.

Theologifts, by not carefully preferving the idea of a divine prefence with the man Jefus, diftinct from his perfonality, has occafioned much cloudinefs and confufion in all their writings and fyftems; and thus the errour has been widely propagated, efpecially among those who form their creeds from the fallible interpretations men have given of the fcriptures, rather than from that facred fountain of light and knowledge. And when we add, the promptitude of systematics, to put the brand of herefy on all opinion different to church-interpretation, we need not wonder at the ftrong bias given to the intellect, or at the deplorable warpings of the judgment of mankind. And yet, it is a truth, that the faith of a genuine christian, does not ftand in the wisdom of men. A faith in church creeds, is a church-faith; but not a christian-faith. Every chriftian muft judge for himself, upon a diligent examination of

the

This

the Gospel-doctrine, elfe his faith will not be a faith in God, or in Jefus, but in men. So that no impofed articles of faith can be of the father; but are of the world. is the great fundamental of religious liberty; viz. the abfolute, the unalienable right of private judgment. And no where is chriftianity profeffed in its purity, but upon this principle. On this divine foundation men may rest, and do it too without defpifing or damning one another. On no other bafis but that of private judgment, can the religion of Jefus have any fupport; because he is the only mafter, or divine teacher of the chriftian. Matth. xxiii. 8-11. And fuch is the plainness and fimplicity of the Gofpel-doctrine, that the honeft ruftic, of loweft education, is as competent a judge of its divine meaning, in all its moral saving inftruction, as the most learned cleric.-See Job. vi. 45. vii. 17. compare Jer. xxxi. 34. All mystery is in imagination; and not in the Gospel-revelation.

When this is affirmed of mystery, it will be understood, of what is awfully obfcure, above the reach of human intelligence. Or, rather, when in the Senfe of Dean Swift,

it requires another revelation, and other faculties than thofe we have to understand what it is.

Such, he fais, is the impenetrable mystery of the trinity.-And if fo, it cannot poffibly have any place in the Gofpel, confidered as a divine revelation; for if a new revelation, and new faculties are requifite to the understanding of it, we are wholly unconcerned with the myftery. It was therefore faid, with great juftness and propriety, by the amiable and ingenious Doctor JAMES FOSTER, where mystery begins, religion ends.

Though this is demonftrably plain, and the abfurdity of mystery in a divine revelation, as a rule of faith, glaring; yet there are numberless inftances of an enthufiaftic rage and fury, in the advocates of mystery; who reckon that most venerable, of which they have least understanding. And I remember once to have met with a clergyman, to whom I expreffed my concern, that the athanafian creed, (among other things,) was not removed from the liturgy. He, fo far from reckoning it any matter of complaint, wished,

a See Johnson's dictionary on the word, myflery.

a

wifhed, they had more of thofe excellent fymbols! Like Bishop BEVERIDGE, who confeffeth, the trinity, is a mystery he cannot poffibly conceive, yet it is a truth which be could easily believe: yea, fais he, therefore it is so true, that I can easily believe it, because it is fo high, that I cannot poffibly conceive it. A prelatical defence of tranfubftantiation; and a church-door thrown wide open to all the extremes of credulity. The advantage given to popery by the trinitarian opinion, all may know, who have ever converfed with a romish priest. So that mystery, in the creeds H 2

e

a Private thoughts, p. 33.

of

e What I have faid, I know to be a truth, from my own experience; for about the year 1727, as exactly as I can remember, a popish feducer, a gentleman of genteel appearance and behaviour, made an attempt to pervert me to the catholic faith, as he was pleafed to call it.-We had two interviews, and the converfation turned on feveral of the diftinguishing tenets of that fuperftition. When we came, in the second conference, to debate on the subject of tranfubflantiation; the gentleman, after faying the most favourable things, he could be able to fay, of that firange opinion; afked me, what were my objections? I told him, I had principally two, -tranfubftantiation was a contradition to my reafon, and to the teflimony of all my fenfes. He fmiled, and faid, was there all my ftrength? I told him, if I was baffled there, he might be affured of a convert. Then, replies he, if you are inge

nuous,

of protestants, is the mill-ftone hung on the neck of protestantism. Reason and religion are thus made irreconcileable; and what God has joyned together, men thus presume to put asunder.

We will take fome notice in what manner the myftical Doctor acquits himself, in conducting his argument against the ancient opinion,

which

nuous, and fincere, I am affured of you. And I do now confidently affirm, that a fundamental doctrine which you hold, even as a proteflant, is equally contradictory to reafon and fenfe.. -Could he convince me of any fuch tenet, I again faid, he might be affured, I was no longer a protestant. With an air of the utmost confidence he opened, The doctrine of the ever blessed trinity, Sir, is altogether as repugnant to reafon and to all your fenfes, as tranfubftantiation can poffibly be No fooner did I fhew him, he had widely miffed his mark, and greatly mistaken the nature of my creed; but he affected to be beyond measure aftonished! And although he had before made me fome advantageous offers, if I would embrace popery; he now profeffed to despair of making any good impreffion on me. At parting, he was however fo courteous, as, to affure me, he would pray for me.

I should have mentioned, that he pretended not to know, there were any protestants in England fo extremely heretical, as to deny the doctrine of the trinity; and would have it, they could not be denominated believers in the revelation ; which I returned upon him as an inftance of great ignorance; fince many english protestants of eminence, advocates for the religion of Chrift, have, in their writings, abfolutely difowned the abfurdity. This is ftrictly true, as a narrative of fact; and a method of perverting protestants, which I doubt not is very common.