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mother, the Episcopal church of England, the honor of the reformation, and the dread of popery, painted and dressed up for a Jezebel, by men of her own household: who have shipwrecked their consciences by subscribing articles they never believed, and are growing fat upon the provision allotted by the providence of God, only to support the church in her journey through this world to the kingdom of heaven. A sight that would raise the indignation of a Mahometan! and almost move a Papist himself to pity and pray for us!

But I would hope there are some few among the favorers of Arianism who are not gone quite so far out of the way, and would be ashamed of such low and base artifices, as can only serve to expose and discredit their cause with any man of common learning and honesty. To these I address myself: and now the scripture is before us, let me ask them a plain question or two. Is not the word essence or substance of the same signification with the word nature? and have not the fathers of the church thus expounded it? and is not this phrase-of the same natureas conclusive for the divinity of Christ, as that other of the same substance? why then should that expression of the Nicene creed be thought so offensive, when there is another in scripture so near of kin to it, that the Arians

must be sensible they could gain nothing by the exchange? For the divine nature we all agree, can be but one; three divine natures, of course making three different Gods. But. the scripture compared as above, has asserted Christ to be of this divine nature. And if people were once persuaded of that, all farther disputes about the word consubstantial would be at an end. But peace and unity for Christ's sake, is a blessing of which God has deprived this church for the punishment of its sins and as we do not seem to be in any posture of repentance, it is to be feared he will never restore it to us again in this world; but suffer us to go on from bad to worse, till the measure is filled up.

XLV.

It is a rule, laid down by St. Paul, that GOD swears by HIMSELF, for this reason, because he can swear by NO GREATER. Heb. vi. 13.

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But Christ has sworn by himself:

Isa. xlv. 23. I have sworn by MYSELF-that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Which words being compared with Rom. xiv. 10, 11. are proved to be the words of

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Christ. We shall stand before the judgmentseat of Christ: for it is written, as I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess unto God.

Christ, therefore, has sworn by HIMSELF: so that if the apostle's rule be applied, he must for this reason be GOD, and there can be NO GREATER.

XLVI.

Eph. iv. 8. When HE (Christ)ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

Yet the scripture here referred to, expressly affirms the person who ascended, &c. to be the Lord God.

Psalm lxviii. 17, 18. The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. THOU hast ascended on high, THOU hast led captivity captive, &c.

XLVII.

Heb. ix. 20. This is the blood of the TESTAMENT which GOD hath enjoined unto you.

Ibid. v. 16. Where a TESTAMENT is, there must also of necessity be the DEATH of the TESTATOR.

God is a testator: but, argues the apostle, every testator must die, before the last will or testament enjoined by him, can be of force. Therefore, if you keep close to the terms, the natural conclusion is, that GOD being a testator, should die, to make way for the execution of his testament. But it being impossible that the divine nature of God should be capaple of death; it follows, that the person who was capable of death. and did die as a man, was also God the testator. And it is to express the strict and perfect union of the two natures in the single person of Christ, that what is true only of one, is predicated of both. Of this, two more examples shall be added in the articles that immediately follow.

XLVIII.

Rev. v. 9. Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to GOD by THY BLOOD.

A distinction is here observed between the two natures of Christ: and the act of redeeming us by the shedding of his blood is ascribed to the lamb, the Messiah's humanity. But in another place it is imputed to his divinityFeed the church of GOD which he hath pur chased with HIS OWN BLOOD :a not that God, strictly speaking, has any blood of his own to shed; but that he who shed his blood for us, as man, was God as well as man: or, in other words, that God and man were united in the same person; something being predicated of God, which cannot possibly be true without such an union. So again

XLIX.

Zech. xii. 4. In that day saith THE LORD-v. 10.-they shall look on ME whom they have PIERCED.

But according to the evangelist St. John, this scripture saith,

John xix. 47. They shall look on HIM (Christ) whom they have PIERCED.

a Acts xx. 28.

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