Adrian; and if this were lawful with circumcision, which was a Rite necessarily to cease, how much more is it lawful to retain Ceremonies which were not necessarily to be abolished, although practised by the Church of Rome-in fact, the question is not so much as to the kind, as to the number of Ceremonies in which we follow the Church of Rome, because the Presbyterians and our Dissenting Brethren have also followed the Church of Rome, unless that imitation can be proved to be an ornament to them, but a blemish to the Church of England. We may, therefore, conclude that our Dissenting Brethren are wrong in supposing that we cannot separate too far from the Church of Rome, and in measuring Religion (as in fact they do) by dislike of that Church; because if not, the Arians of the Church of Poland were fully justified in rejecting the Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity; for they acted under a persuasion that the canker of corruption had extended into the very bones and marrow of the Church of Rome, and that she held not a sound belief even concerning God Himself; and that the very belief of the Trinity was a part of anti-christian corruption, it being brought to pass, by the wonderful Providence of God, that the Bishop of the See of Rome should be famous for his triple crown. We may, therefore, conclude that the Church of England is unjustly chargeable with too favourable an inclination to the Church of Rome, merely because she retains whatever of good order or solemnity was found in that Church.* * I have taken the liberty to subjoin the following extract from Dean Swift's "Tale of a Tub." It may be necessary to inform the reader who has not perused the Tale, that its facetious Author, by Peter, Martin, and John, intended Popery, the Church of England, and the Dissenters; that by the coats given to them by their Father, he means the doctrines and discipline of Christianity; the Will of their Father alluded to, is the New Testament. In the course of the Story the Dean makes it appear, that the Eldest (Peter) had made very considerable additions to his own coat, and those of his two brothers, viz. shoulder-knots, gold lace, silver fringe, ribbands, silver-tagged points, and embroidery, by which he refers to the pageantry, pompous vestments, and other unnecessary ceremonies and ornaments of the Romish Church, and that after assuming a primogenitural pre-eminence over his two brothers, and in consequence arrogated to himself many blasphemous and impious titles, a rupture took place between them, since Martin and Jack were no longer able to submit to and endure the rough usage and tyrannical treatment which they received from him, which rupture implies the Reformation. The Tale proceeds with relating how these two brothers having separated from Peter, in consequence of an examination of their Father's will, which vehemently decried the gaudy trappings on their coats, resolved to reform their vestures into the primitive state prescribed by it; that Martin highly acquitted himself in the performance of this task, which he executed with laudable moderation; that he did nothing, however trifling, without previous consultation of, and sanction from his Father's will, to the true meaning of which he closely and scrupulously adhered, stripping off every decoration forbidden therein, but retaining those simple and decent ornaments, which served either for the purpose of neatness, or to hide or strengthen any flaw in the body of the coat occasioned by the continual tampering of the workmen upon it, or which could not be pulled off without damaging the substance of the cloth; and we are informed that, as he proceeded with the work of Reformation, (which his brother Jack made a work of destruction,) be carefully picked up the stitches with much caution, and diligently gleaned out all the loose threads, as he went on, which proved to be a work of time. But we are told, and to this it is that I par. ticularly request the reader's attention, as bearing upon the argument of the present chapter, thathis brother Jack entered upon the matter with other thoughts and quite a different spirit. For the memory of Lord Peter's injuries produced a degree of hatred and spite, which had a INFERENCES FROM THE PRECEDING ARGUMENTS. Because it has been proved that the Church of England has a lawful right to decree the observance of all Rites and Ceremonies, which are plain and unexceptionable in their nature, and significative of the end for which they were adopted, (although the Church of Rome, or any other Church, may observe the same Ceremonies,) therefore, it is the duty of every one to comply with those Rites and Ceremonies. much greater share of inciting him, than any regard for his Father's commands, since these appeared at best only secondary and subservient to the other. However for this medley of humour, he made a shift to find a very plausible name, honouring it with the title of 'Zeal.'-Brimful, therefore, of this miraculous compound, reflecting with indignation upon Peter's tyranny, and farther provoked by the despondency of Martin, prefaced his resolutions to this purpose:-'What,' said he, 'a rogue that locked up his drink, turned away our wives, cheated us of our fortunes, palmed bis crusts upon us for mutton, and at last kicked us out of doors, must we be in his fashions?' Having thus kindled and inflamed himself as high as possible, and by consequence in a delicate temper for beginning a Reformation, he set about the work immediately, and in three minutes made more despatch than Martin had done in as many hours...... Thus it happened, that stripping down a parcel of gold lace a little too hastily, he rent the main body of his coat from top to bottom; and whereas his talent was not of the happiest in taking up a stitch, he knew no better way than to darn it again with packthread and a skewer. But the matter was yet infinitely worse, (I record it with tears,) when he proceeded to the embroidery; for being clumsy by nature, and of temper impatient; withal, beholding millions of stitches that required the nicest hand and sedatest constitution to extricate, in a great rage he took off the whole piece, cloth and all, and flung it into the kennel, and furiously thus continuing his career: 'Ah, good brother Martin,' said he, do as I do, for the love of God; strip, tear, pull, rend, flay off all, that we appear as unlike the rogue Peter, as it is possible; I would not for an hundred pounds carry the least mark about me, that might give occasion to the neighbours of suspecting I was related to such a rascal.' But Martin, who at this time happened to be extremely phlegmatic and sedate, begged his brother of all love not to damage his coat by any means, for he never would get such another; desired him to consider that it was not their business to form their actions by any reflection upon Peter, but by observing the rules prescribed in "their Father's will. That he should remember, Peter was still their brother, whatever faults or injuries he had committed; and therefore they should by all means avoid such a thought as that of taking measures for good and evil, from no other rule than that of opposition to him. That it was true, the testament of their good Father was very exact in what related to the wearing of their coats; yet was it no less penal and strict in prescribing agreement, and friendship, and affection between them, and, therefore, if straining a point were at all dispensable, it would certainly be so, rather to the advance of Unity, than increase of Contradiction,......in short, Martin's patience put Jack in a rage; but that which most afflicted him was, to observe his brother's coat so well reduced into the state of innocence, while his own was either wholly rent to his shirt, or those places which had escaped his cruel clutches, were still in Peter's livery. He would have been extremely glad to see his coat in the condition of Martin's, but infinitely gladder to find that of Martin's in the same predicament with his. However, since neither of these was likely to come to pass, he thought fit to lend the whole business another turn, and to dress up necessity into a virtue. Therefore, after as many of the Fox's arguments as he could muster up, for bringing Martin to reason, as he called it, or as he meant it, unto his own ragged, bob-tailed condition, and observing he said all to little purpose; what, alas! was left for the forlorn Jack to do, but after a million of scurrilities against his brother, to run mad with spleen, and spite, and contradiction. To be short, here began a mortal breach between these two: Jack went immediately to new lodgings, and in a few days," &c. (See Swift's "Tale of a Tub," Section vi.)—I have inserted this extract merely because I considered it not wholly irrelevant to the subject discussed in the preceding Chapter; but not, however, with the remotest intention of drawing any comparison between our Dissenting Brethren of the present day, (to whom I give full credit for conscientious motives in their opposition to Church Rites and Ceremonies)- and the character described by Dean Swift under the appellation of "Jack," CHAP. VI. CONTROVERTED DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND. "In the first place, be you yourself rightly persuaded and settled in the true Religion, professed by the Church of England; which doubtless is as sound and orthodox in the Doctrine thereof, as any Christian Church in the world." Lord Bacon's Advice to Sir George Villiers. OBJ.-"Fifthly, I dissent from the Church of England, because I believe that she inculcates Doctrines which are not Scriptural. For, first, as A UNITARIAN, I cannot subscribe to the Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, because I believe that there is but one Person in the Godhead, viz. the Father; I am firmly persuaded that the Scriptures represent Jesus Christ as a mere man, and as having had no existence previously to His birth by the Virgin Mary, I, therefore, cannot consider Him a proper object for Divine Worship; I also can find no authority in Scripture for the Deity and Personality of the Holy Spirit. I moreover contend (in contradiction to the Church of England) that the nature of Adam was not corrupted by the Fall, and, therefore, that there is no degree of moral incapacity in the present race of men. I can see no warrant in the Scriptures for supposing that the Holy Spirit exercises any influence upon the human mind. I cannot admit that an Atonement has been made for the sins of men in the death of Christ. I believe that the Soul does not take its flight for happiness or misery (as the Church of England supposes) immediately after it has left the body, but that it sleeps until the day of Judgment. Finally, I am persuaded that the torments of Hell are not eternal. In all these notions I am opposed to the Church of England, because she is opposed to the Scriptures and to human reuson." Q. 75.-How do you defend the Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity as professed in the Church of England? The Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity is the Doctrine of the Gospel, as it was strictly speaking of the Jewish Church also; and the objections urged against it proceed entirely upon false principles. It shall be shown that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are copious and conclusive upon the subject, which I will endeavour to prove by citing those passages in which, first, Jesus Christ is represented as God, that is, of the same divine nature with the Father that sent Him; secondly, in which the Holy Ghost is represented as God, incomprehensibly united with the Father and Son; and thirdly, in which the Persons of God are declared to be three in number, distinguished by the personal names of the Father, the Son, (or Word,) and the Holy Spirit, and by their different Offices, and yet strictly and really united in their nature, essence, or substance; that is, a Triune God, not one and three in the same sense, but one in nature, and three in person. I will prove then, first, that Jesus Christ is represented in the Old and New Testaments as God, that is, of the same divine nature with the Father that sent Him; and first of all, 1-need not observe that our Socinian friends are mistaken in their "firm persuasion that Christ had no existence previously to His Birth by the Virgin Mary;" because He says of Himself, "Before Abraham was, I am,' *aud St. John declares that He came from above;"† moreover, it is recorded of Him, that "He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor,"‡ and, therefore, He must have been rich before He was poor; but as He was born poor, and in a stable, and continued poor during His stay on earth, consequently, He must have existed previously to His Birth by the Virgin Mary; and, therefore, John the Baptist expressly declares of Him, (although our Saviour was born after John,) "He that cometh after me was before me:"§ in fact, it is evident that He existed even prior to the creation of the world, because "all things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that • John viii, 58. + John iii. 21. 2 Cor. viii. 9, John i. 15. was made;"* and He Himself says, "Glorify me with that glory which I had with Thee before the world began."+ This preexistence was as God, as shall be made to appear from numerous passages both of the Old and New Testaments; the former, speaking of Him as a Person of the Godhead, before His Incarnation, and the latter being the History of Him after His Incarnation, when He appeared as "the first-born of many brethren,"-" Behold a Virgin shall conceive," writes the Prophet Isaiah, "and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel,"§ which (as St. Matthew affirms) "being interpreted, is God with us; the same Prophet declares, that "unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the Government shall be upon His shoulders; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God." The Prophet Jeremiah affirms, "This is the name whereby He shall be called the Lord, (or according to the Hebrew, Jehovah,) our Righteousness:"** and the Prophet Zechariah calls our Saviour the Lord, (Heb. Jehovah,) who was to be pierced-"In that day, saith the Lord, (Jehovah) they shall look on me whom they have pierced;"+* for it is evident that He meant our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hung upon the cross, or else St. John would not have been so bold as to consider this prophecy as fulfilled in our Saviour, to whom he applies it "They shall look on Him (Christ) whom they have pierced." To leave the Old Testament for the New, it will be my endeavour to establish the Deity of our blessed Saviour from the words of His own Apostles and Disciples, for which purpose I shall examine them in the order in which they are set down in our authorized Version. St. Matthew, whose Gospel is placed first, informs us, that He was "called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us;"SS that immediately after His Incarnation, the Wise Men of the East "fell down and worshipped Him;"||||| that He Himself (i. e. Jesus Christ) forbade the Devil's tempting Him, solely upon the ground of His Divinity, "It is written," says He, "thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God,"¶¶ and that His Apostles worshipped Him as a Divine Being, for He records the case of St. Peter, who prayed to Him, saying, "Lord, save me," and who, together with the other Disciples, that were in the ship, came, and worshipped Him."*+ In St. Mark, the next of the Evangelists, we read, that one of His Disciples (if he may be so termed) prayed to Him, saying, "Lord, help thou mine unbelief."IS St. Luke, whose Gospel is placed after that written by St. Mark, records of the Angel Gabriel that he declared to Zechariah respecting John the Baptist, that "many of the Children of Israel shall he (i. e. John) turn to the Lord their God, and he (i. e. John) shall go before Him;" that is, before the Lord their God, even Isa. vii. 14. 1 Luke i. 16. 17. || Matt. i. 23, ‡‡ John xix. 37. Matt. xiv 30. 33. |