Winchelsea and Nottingham, Daniel Finch, earl of THE ANSWER OF THE Earl of Nottingham TO Mr. Whiston's Letter to Him, Concerning the Eternity of the Son of God, AND Of the Holy Ghoft. Deut. XXIX. 29. The Secret Things belong unto the Lord our God, but those Things which are reveal'd, belong to us, and to our Children for ever. 1 Tim. VI. v. 20, 21. Keep that which is committed to thy Trust, avoiding prophane and vain Babblings, and Oppositions of Science falfly so call'd; which some profeffing, have erred concerning the Truth. The EIGHTH EDITION. LONDON: Printed for EDWARD VALENTINE, at the Queen's- Price One Shilling. I Think I ought to give you some Account, When I receiv'd your Letter concerning the Eternity of the Son of God, and of the Holy Spirit, dated July 10. 1719. together with your Letter of Thanks to the Bishop of London, dated Jan. 17. 171. annext to it: Tho I thought I was not, at my Years, to learn my Catechism; yet my Curiofity led me to read them, knowing your Reputation for Learning: And I own my great Surprize, to find So many Teftimonies, and fome Texts, cited by you against the Doctrine of the Trinity, by which you had been drawn from that Opinion and Faith, which you once profess'd; and which now, with the Boldness and Authority of an Apoftle, (like St. Paul himself in another Cafe) Behold, I say unto you, is "a fatal Gal. v. 2. Mistake: So I refolu'd to look into your Quotations, the Bishop and confider your Texts; and I own also, that I was of London much more furpriz'd, to find your Quotations liable p. 18. to fuch Objections, as you will fee in the ensuing Letter, which I writ foon after yours came to my Hand, with an Expectation of seeing you, when you came into this Country, as you us'd to do every Year; and to prepare my self, as well as I was able, for your Affaults, and not to enter into an open Paper-War, knowing my own Ignorance and Weakness; and that I had not fufficiently prov'd A 2 Letter to 1 prov'd the Armour, which was necessary for an Encounter with so great a Champion, as had defy'd the Armies of the Living God. But fince you have been in Rutland, both last Year and this, and not afforded me your Company here, as formerly you were wont, and that your Letter to me is referr'd to, in a late Tract by your self, as a full Evidence of the Truth of your Doctrine; and that many may take your peremptory Affertions upon Trust, from so eminent a Man as your self; and since I have had Leisure to examine your Quotations, and do find that you have perverted the Scriptures, and abus'd your Authors by an untrue and unfair Representation of the Paffages you cite out of them; I have now ventur'd to send to the Press my Animadversions, and what has occurr'd to me upon this Subject; that I might not, by my Silence, be thought your Profelyte: And because it is not enough Rom.x.10. to believe with the Heart, but with the Mouth Confeffion is made unto Salvation; and not confeffing the Lord Jesus before Men, is next to the denying him. I do not doubt, but your Zeal will prompt you to a Reply; and therefore allow me to tell you the Method; in which it will be most fair in its self, and fatiffactory to me and others, who shall read it. ९ P. 38. 1. To ftate your own Doctrine, and to shew that it is confiftent with common Sense, and with the other Doctrines of our Holy Religion; which, I hope, we agree in; Some of which I have mention'd in my Letter: For, like the Men of Capua, who would not deftroy their Magiftrates, though they extremely diflik'd them, because they could not find better to put into their Places; you should not, in an Age, when many ridicule all reveal'd Religion, reproach that, which is establish'd among us, as being against "the Light " of Nature and common Senfe till you have freed freed your own Scheme from that Objection, and evidently shewn that it is rational and true. 2. To justify the Construction, which you have put upon the Texts, cited by you out of the Scriptures. 3. Not to load me with a Multitude of new Quotations. For that is to lead me into a Labyrinth, where a Man so little vers'd in the Fathers, as I am, will want a Clue of Thread to bring him out of it; and you cannot expect that I should believe they are true, or that I will take the Pains to examine them; for I may justly conclude them to be false, till you have prov'd those in your Letter, which I have look'd into, to be truly and fairly stated. And fince "Those are the Original Principal Texts and Teftimonies, P.24, & " which concern this important Subject;" 'tis in 37. vain to heap up others, which are less Authoritative and Cogent. Now whether your Quotations be true and fair, is a Matter of Fact, which can scarce bear a Dispute, or may be easily decided: And tho if they were true and fair, which I am sure they are not, it would not follow, that I ought to yield to them, because there may be others, and you your self have mention'd Several, which are plainer, clearer, and stronger Assertions of the Divinity of the Son of God and Holy Ghost, than Those which you have produced against it: Yet, if these be not true and fair, it will follow, that you ought to renounce that Opinion and Doctrine, into which you have been so mifled. But, notwithstanding this Advantage which I have, I dare join Iffue with you upon this Point of the Truth and Fairness of your Quotations. Lastly, As you have a Right to examine my Quotations, and the Constructions of the Texts cited by me, (as I have done yours ;) so I shall be well pleas'd to See your Obfervations; being very sure that I have not wilfully A 3 |