ET power to become the Sons of GOD, should then "add that the word was made flesh? As if he came "to us before he was born, and was firft in the world "and then was made flesh. And though any one "fhould, by fome art, fail clear of this rock, how "can he avoid ftriking against another, viz. that the "Word, i. e. as they interpret it, the eternal Son "of GOD, and even God himself, JEHOVAH, was "made flefh? What can be conceived more harsh, "what more impoffible, than that God was made flefh? Who is not feized with horror and trembling at the thought? 66 They fay, indeed, that the words may bear this "conftruction: yet, by an eafy explication, we af"fert that the phrafe, the word was made flesh, means only that it took flesh in the womb of the Virgin. "A curious interpretation indeed! But from whence "do they derive it? What parallel paffage can 66 66 they alledge from Scripture that will bear this in terpretation, without explaining the divine Ora"cles unfkilfully and foolishly? To this let it be "added, it is not lefs abfurd to fay that GoD af"fumed flefh, than that he was made flesh; as they "themselves fhew, when they tell us, that the man"ner how this was done cannot be at all explained "or conceived. 66 By this plea indeed SATAN may defend the "plaineft errors. For, by a forced application "of a text or two, he ftill defends, in Popery, the change of the Bread of the Eucharift into the Body of CHRIST, (notwithstanding it is moft abfurd, and the falfehood of it is clearly discovered "both by reafon and fenfe,) against the weight of "the most convincing reafons and moft folid argu"ments, from which it is moft clear it undergoes no change, whilft he fays, that we ought fimply to believe it, and that it is a mystery which furpaffes "human conception. This is the reason that num"bers, although they actually see and feel the piece "of bread to be still bread, yet, feduced by a blind "error, perfuade themfelves that it is no longer "bread but the body of CHRIST. 66 66 "We fee the cafe to be the fame as to the senti ments we are to entertain concerning GoD and "CHRIST. For notwithstanding it evidently appears impoffible that the indivifible and unchangeable effence of GoD, either with respect to its Personality, as they call it, or substance, "fhould affume flesh, so as, by this taking of flesh, "to become what they ftile one Hypoftafis: much "more that it fhould happen to the Son only, and "not to the Father and the Holy Spirit, which :ཝཱ three, they contend, conftitute the one fimple "Effence "Effence of GOD; though nothing can be ima "gined more abfurd (and all nature exclaims against it) than that three are one and one three; from which notion innumerable and fhocking abfur"dities neceffarily arise, to the entire subversion of "the divine and facred Oracles; yet I cannot ac"count for it, the generality of Chriftians are so "bewitched or fo ftupid, as not only firmly to be"lieve all these things but to think that their salvation depends on this faith: and men, impofing upon and deceiving themselves, are fully con"vinced that they do not see what they do fee, and "see what they do not fee: and, as we have said "concerning the euchariftical bread in Popery, if any one endeavour to expose this great error by "the strongest arguments and the cleareft teftimo"nies of Scripture, they cry out, it is a myftery, "which he ought not to examine but adore. "But as the monftrous and fophiftical notion of "the Eucharist has been, by the help of God fo 66 plainly exposed that even children, with reason, laugh at and explode it, and it is now evident "that what was reckoned the most divine mystery "of the Chriftian Religion is the groffeft idolatry, fo we hope that the fhocking fictions concerning "our GoD and his CHRIST, which at prefent are fup"pofed to be facred and worthy of the deepest "reverence, "reverence, and to conftitute the principal myfte "ries of our religion, will (although the world in "the mean time rage and practife the cruelties of fire and fword) with God's permiffion, be fo laid open and treated with such scorn, that every one " will be afhamed to embrace them or even bestow 66 any attention on them*." It will serve to diverfify this work and to afford inftruction, if I take this opportunity to throw in the following anecdote and quotation. "We have a well-authenticated account of a very remarkable effect produced by the cafual reading of this prologue of St. JOHN's Gospel. "It concerns no lefs a perfon than the famous "FRANCISCUS JUNIUS, joint-tranflator of the "Bible into Latin with TREMELLIUS, and author "of other learned works, who flourished towards "the clofe of the fifteenth century. This worthy perfon, it seems, notwithstanding the careful edu"cation of a pious father, had fallen in his youth "into fome unhappy fceptical notions about religion. His efcape from them he himfelf thus defcribes, in the Hiftory of his own Life. σε My father, who was frequently reading the "New Teftament, and had long obferved, with SOCINI Opera, tom. i. p. 77. col. 2. p. 84. col. 1. ་ "grief, the progress I had made in infidelity, had 66 put that book into my way, in that library of his, "in order to attract my attention, if it might please "GOD to blefs his defign, though without giving "me the leaft intimation of it. unwittingly open this New providentially laid before me. Here therefore I At the very firft view, as I was deeply engaged in other thoughts, "that grand chapter of the Evangelift and Apoftle prefents itself to me, In the beginning was the "word, &c. I read part of the chapter, and was "fo affected in reading it, that I became inftantly "ftruck with the divinity of the argument and the ઃઃ Thou majesty and authority of the composition, as in"finitely furpaffing the highest flights of human "eloquence. My body fhuddered; my mind was "all in amazement; and I was fo agitated the "whole day that I fcarce knew who I was. "didst remember me, O LORD my God, according to thy boundless mercy, and didft bring back "the loft fheep to thy flock! From that day that "GOD wrought fo mightyly in me by the power of his fpirit, I began to have lefs relifh for all other "ftudies and purfuits, and bent myself with greater " ardour and attention to every thing which had a "relation to GOD." "The good effect which the accidental perufal of this portion of holy Scripture produced in this "learned |