SERM. than, when Men difpute concerning this IV. Article of our Faith, the Trinity in Unity, to make Use of hard Names instead of Arguments, and to load one another with fuch odious Imputations, as no one would willingly have laid upon himself; and from hence have proceeded the greatest Divifions and Animofities that ever pestered the Church.

AND thus having fhewed, from what Source and Fountain the different Explications of this Article of our Creed have proceeded, I come,

V. To lay down fuch Rules as are neceffary to be obferved in our Disquifitions, concerning this myfterious Article of our Faith.

FOR, though it is to no Purpose to ftrive, by the Dint of Reason, to explain this Mystery, and the Church, in the Nicene and Athanafian Creeds, which are only Explications and Comments on the Apoftles Creed, rather tells us what we ought not to believe, than teaches us what we ought to affirm in this Matter; and though thofe, who have endeavoured and gone about it, have waxed vain in their Imaginations, and mifcarried egregiously in their Purfuits after that Knowledge which tranfcends their

limited Capacities; yet, fince God has SERM. been pleased to reveal this ftupendious IV. Truth to us, it is our Duty, when we meditate thereon, to confider,

1. WHAT the Holy Scripture fays concerning it.

2. To determine nothing concerning those Points in which the Holy Scriptures are filent.

3. WHERE the Sacred Text is obfcure, to incline rather to that Interpretation of it which is agreeable to Reason, the Analogy of Faith, and the Tenor of the Law and Gospel.

4. WHERE Revelation is deficient, to fit down and be content to be ignorant.

5. UTTERLY to reject all fuch Explications as are not agreeable to the Sacred Text, how rational foever they may appear to be.

I SHALL not expatiate upon thefe Rules, but leave them with you, as useful Directions to guide your Thoughts and Enquiries, whenever you meditate on the great Mystery of the Trinity in Unity. And now, having fet down my Thoughts on this fo much controverted Article of our Faith, with as much Plainnefs as I could, which will, I hope, afford fome Satis

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SERM. Satisfaction to timerous and doubting, but IV. well-meaning People; I come

VI. and Laftly, To raise fome useful Inferences from what has been said. And,

1. HENCE we may obferve, that the Christian Religion obliges us to believe nothing that is not conformable to the Dictates of right Reafon. Its Myfteries are, indeed, above Reafon, but not contrary, or contradictory to it; and 'tis highly rational to hearken to the Voice of Revelation in fuch Points, as, Reafon itself tells us, are beyond its Reach. 'Tis obferved in the Works of Nature, that God never uses extraordinary Means, and puts himself to the Expence of a Miracle, but in fuch Cafes where the ordinary Means are infufficient to perform the Effect: And 'tis as obfervable concerning the Articles of our Faith, that where a Point may be deduced from common Topics, or the Principles of Natural Religion, there we ought not to infift upon a Revelation to attest it. For the chief Design of Revelation is to discover to us fuch Truths, as human Reafon could never have reached, and to difplay such Motives to embrace these Truths, as are not with equal Force and Certainty to be drawn from rational Principles ; and, if fo, then

2. HENCE

2. HENCE We may observe, how much SERM. those Persons are to blame, who set up Faith IV. in Oppofition to Reason. Their whole Bufinefs is to declaim against Reason, to amplify its Frailty, to increase its Errors, and to expofe its Inability to direct us in the right Way, that hereby they may perfuade us to give up our Reafon to our Faith; that is, to whatsoever they fhall please to impose upon us; little confidering, that he, who vilifies Reafon, doth what in him. lies to undermine that Foundation upon which Faith itself is built. For we cannot believe any Affertion, on any other Account than this, that, on the Authority and Evidence it brings with it, we judge it reasonable to be believed. Faith and Reason therefore are not oppofite to, but mutually help and affift each other; and that Faith, which is not built upon a reafonable Foundation, is, indeed, Prefumption and Confidence, but very improperly called Faith. And therefore,

3. FROM hence we may obferve a wide Difference between the Belief of this Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, and of that of Transubstantiation. "Tis the common Evafion of the Papifts, when they are preffed with the Abfurdities which naturally follow from the Doctrine of Tranfubftanti

SERM. ation, to affert, that we may as easily beIV. lieve this, as the Doctrine of the Trinity. They will confefs that this Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation, or Turning the Bread and Wine into the very Body and Blood of Christ, can never be reconciled to Reafon; but then, fay they, we muft fubmit our Reason to our Faith, and our Senses to Revelation: And that it is as reasonable that we should do fo in this Article of Tranfubftantiation, as in any of the other myfterious Points of our Religion; and they inftance particularly in this Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity; not confidering, that there is a wide Difference between these two; and our Affent to these two Articles, viz. the Trinity in Unity, and Tranfubftantiation, is required from different Motives; the one being properly the Object of Senfe, the Knowledge of the other not attainable, but by Divine Revelation, which takes Place in fuch Matters, as cannot be determined from the Principles of Reafon, or Verdict of our Senfes. And therefore we ought not to expect that God fhould make Ufe of any extraordinary Way (as Divine Revelation certainly is) to difcover to us thofe Truths, which may eafily be known by the Use of our Reason and Senfes. How foolish would it be for a Man