Blood could not have been a fufficient Attonement for the Sins of Mankind, unless it had receiv'd an infinite Value from the Union of the Divine Nature to the Human in his Perfon. And hence the Church of God is faid to be purchased with his own Blood, Acts 20, 28. because it was purchased with the Blood of that Perfon, who is God as well as Man. But if any Perfon, after what I have faid, does still doubt of the Equality of the Son with the Father; let him seriously confider the Form in Baptifm, Matt. 28. 19. whereby we are admitted into the Religion of, and profefs to worship Father, Son and Holy Ghoft. Is it confiftent with common Sense to fuppofe, that Chrift, who came to put an End to the Idolatry and Superftition of the Heathen World, and to establish the Worship of the one true God every where, fhould order us to be baptiz'd into the Name, i. e. into the Belief and Worship of the one true God, and two Creatures of an inferior Nature; as the Son and the Holy Ghost must be, if they are not the one God, or equally Partakers of the Divine Nature with the Father?

But I am afraid, Sir, I have carried my Reflections too far and am grown tedious. If every thing I have faid, be duly confidered,

it will take off that Noise and Clamour, which the Enemies of the Christian Faith usually make against the Damnatory Sentences, as they are commonly called, in the Beginning and End of the Athanafian Creed. For he that obftinately perfifts in the Denial of the Holy Trinity, and the neceffary Doctrines of the Incarnation, &c. in Effect denies the whole Oeconomy of the Gofpel; and therefore without Repentance and revoking his wicked Errors can expect no Salvation by it. If this, Sir, gives you any Pleasure and Satisfaction in reading it, and contributes any Thing to the Confirmation of your Faith, I have my End in writing it; and need, I hope, make no other Apology for fending it to you, than that I hereby take an Opportunity of fhewing my own Zeal for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints, and moreover of thanking you for all Favours, and affuring you that I am with the greatest Deference,

SIR,

Your most obliged,

And most obedient Servant, &c.

SIR,

E

VER fince I was admitted into the Priesthood, I determin'd with myfelf, by God's Grace, as at my Ordination in a moft folemn Manner I had promised to do, that I would teach nothing, as required of Neceffity to Eternal Salvation, but what may be concluded from, and proved by the Holy Scriptures, which contain fufficiently all Doctrine required of Neceffity for Eternal Salvation through Faith in Jesus Christ. I likewife, as I then promifed, refolved with myfelf to be ready at all Times, according to the best of my Capacity, with all Diligence to banish and drive away all erroneous strange Doctrine contrary to God's Word, to maintain the Truth, inftruct the ignorant, and confirm the wavering or doubtful: And here I will borrow an Expreffion from a late Weekly Mifcellany, Number CCCLIX. and humbly hope with the worthy Author of it, that that

omnipotent Saviour, who died for me, will give me Refolution to persevere in his Service, and an ample Reward for my beft, though weak Endeavours, to promote his Religion. In fome measure to fulfil my Engagements, and to fhew the Sincerity of my Resolution, when I found the principal and diftinguishing Doctrines of Chriftianity, which regard the Divinity of our Saviour and the Holy Trinity, ridiculed and burlesqued in this Neighbourhood by fome, and look'd upon by not a few, either as Points of Speculation only, or as Matters of no Moment, whether we believe them or not, I drew up a Letter in Vindication of the Athanafian Creed, and our Saviour's Equality with the Father as touching his Godhead; which Letter being fhew'd to fome Friends, I was prevail'd upon to let it be fent to the Author of the Weekly Miscellany, wherein it was publish'd some time ago.

I shall ever esteem these the principal and diftinguishing Doctrines of Christianity, and the Belief of them abfolutely necessary to Salvation in this Country, where the Light of the Gospel shines with fo great a Luftre, and no Man needs want fufficient and proper Means of Instruction, if he will but attend to, or apply for them. These Doctrines I endeavour'd

to

to prove by Texts of Scripture, fet in a plain, eafy and natural Light, without any forced Conftruction: I fet them in fuch a Light as, I thought, would convince every unprejudiced and confiderate Reader; but to my great Surprize a certain Gentleman, who lives in my Neighbourhood, did lately declare in public Company and before my Face, that he was fo far from being convinc'd by it, that on the contrary he was by my Letter made more doubtful of those Doctrines, than he was before. Surely this must be owing to want of Attention and due Confideration, and not to want of Capacity, to any Prejudice, or corrupt Mind in him. I cannot in Charity attribute it to the latter, and therefore muft afcribe it to the former. I never heard that he was given to Scepticism or Infidelity, or that his Mind was poifon'd by reading the Independent Whig, and fuch like Books; which are here induftriously spread about to weaken Men's Faith and corrupt their Manners. I must therefore, Sir, defire you to lend him my Letter again, and let him read it over more attentively. His chief Objection was to that Part of it, wherein I fay, that the Father is prior to, or before the Son in Order. He does not observe, that I there fay, it is fo, not in respect of their effential