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pretty equal in power, pretenfions, merit, and virtue, (for thefe two laft are, with relation to parties and a court, quite different things), it hath been the opinion of the best writers upon government, that a prince ought not in any fort to be under the guidance or influence of either; because he declines, by this means, from his office of prefiding over the whole, to be the head of a party; which, befides the indignity, renders him anfwerable for all public mifmanagements, and the confequences of them and in whatever state this happens, there muft either be a weakness in the prince or ministry, or elfe the former is too much restrained by the nobles, or those who represent the people.

To conclude: A church-of-England man may, with prudence and a good confcience, approve the profeffed principles of one party more than the other, according as he thinks they beft promote the good of church and ftate; but he will never be fwayed by paffion or intereft to advance an opinion, merely because it is that of the party he moft approves; which one fingle principle he looks upon as the root of all our civil animofities. To enter into a party, as into an order of friars, with fo refigned an obedience to fuperiors, is very unfuitable both with the civil and religious liberties we fo zealoufly affert. Thus the understandings of a whole fenate are often inflaved by three or four leaders on each fide; who, inftead of intending the public weal, have their hearts wholly fet upon ways and means how to get or to keep employments. But, to speak more at large, how has this fpirit of faction mingled itself with the mafs of the people, changed their nature and manners, and the very genius of the nation? broke all the laws of charity, neighbourhood, alliance, and hospitality, deftroyed all ties of friendship, and divided families against themselves? And no wonder it-should be so, when, in order to find out the character of a person, instead of inquiring whether he be a man of virtue, honour, piety, wit, good fenfe, or learning; the modern queftion is only, Whether he be a Whig or a Tory? under which terms all good and ill qualities are included.

Now, because it is a point of difficulty to chufe an exact middle between two ill extremes, it may be worth inquiring,

inquiring, in the prefent cafe, which of thefe a wife and good man would rather feem to avoid. Taking therefore their own good and ill characters, with due abatements and allowances for partiality and paffion, I should think, that, in order to preferve the conftitution entire in church and state, whoever hath a true value for both, would be fure to avoid the extremes of Whig for the fake of the former, and the extremes of Tory on account of the latter.

I have now faid all that I could think convenient upon so nice a subject, and find I have the ambition common with other reafoners, to wifh at least that both parties may think me in the right; which would be of fome ufe to those who have any virtue left, but are blindly drawn into the extravagancies of either, upon false representations, to ferve the ambition or malice of defigning men, without any profpect of their own. But if that is not to be hoped for, my next wifh fhould be, that both might think me in the wrong; which I would understand as an ample juftification of myfelf, and a fure ground to believe, that I have proceeded at least with impartiality, and perhaps with truth.

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1 Epiftle general of ST JOHN v. 7.

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and these three are one.

HIS day being fet apart to acknowledge our belief in the eternal Trinity, I thought it

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might be proper to employ my prefent difcourfe entirely upon that fubject; and I hope to handle it in fuch a manner, that the most ignorant among you may return home better informed of your duty in this great point, than probably you are at present.

It must be confeffed, that by the weakness and indifcretion of bufy (or, at beft, of well-meaning) people, as well as by the malice of those who are enemies to all revealed religion, and are not content to poffefs their own infidelity in filence, without communicating it to the disturbance of mankind; I fay, by these means, it

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* These fermons are curious, and curious for fuch reafons as would make other works defpicable. They were written in a carelefs hurrying manner; and were the offspring of neceffity, not of choice fo that one will fee the original force of the Dean's genius more in these compofitions, that were the legitimate fons of duty, than in other pieces that were the natural fons of love. They were held in fuch low efteem in his own thoughts, that, fome years before he died, he gave away the whole collection to Dr Sheridan, with the utmost indifference: "Here," fays he, " are a bundle of "6 my old fermons. You may have them if you please. They

may be of ufe to you, they have never been of any to me.' The parcel given to Dr Sheridan confifted, as I have heard, of about thirty-five fermons. Three or four only are publifhed; and thofe I have read over with attention. Orrery.

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must be confeffed, that the doctrine of the Trinity hath fuffered very much, and made Chriftianity fuffer along with it. For thefe two things must be granted: Firft, That men of wicked lives would be very glad there were no truth in Chriftianity at all; and, fecondly, If they can pick out any one fingle article in the Chriftian religion which appears not agreeable to their own corrupted reafon, or to the arguments of those bad people who follow the trade of feducing others, they prefently conclude, that the truth of the whole gofpel muft fink along with that one article. Which is juft as wife, as if a man fhould fay, because he dislikes one law of his country, he will therefore obferve no law at all; and yet that one law may be very reasonable in itself, although he does not allow it, or does not know the reason of the lawgivers.

Thus it hath happened with the great doctrine of the Trinity; which word is indeed not in fcripture, but was a term of art invented in the earlier times, to exprefs the doctrine by a fingle word, for the fake of brevity and convenience. The doctrine then as delivered in holy fcripture, though not exactly in the fame words, is very fhort, and amounts only to this: That the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, are each of them God, and yet there is but one God. For as to the word perfon, when we fay there are three perfons; and as to thofe other explanations in the Athanafian creed, this day read to you, (whether compiled by Athanafius or no), they were taken up three hundred years after Christ, to expound this doctrine; and I will tell you upon what occafion. About that time there fprang up a herefy of people called Arians, from one Arius the leader of them. These denied our Saviour to be God, although they allowed all the reft of the gospel, (wherein they were more fincere than their followers among us). Thus the Christian world was divided into two parts, till at length, by the zeal and courage of St Athanafius, the Arians were condemned in a general council, and a creed formed upon the true faith, as St Athanafius hath fettled it. This creed is now read at certain times in our churches; which although it is useful for edification to thofe who understand it, yet fince it contains fome nice VOL. I.

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and philofophical points, which few people can comprehend, the bulk of mankind is obliged to believe no more than the fcripture-doctrine, as I have delivered it; because that creed was intended only as an answer to the Arians in their own way, who were very fubtile difputers.

But this herefy having revived in the world about an hundred years ago, and continued ever fince; not out of a zeal to truth, but to give a loose to wickedness, by throwing off all religion; feveral divines, in order to anfwer the cavils of thofe adverfaries to truth and morality, began to find out farther explanations of this doctrine of the Trinity by rules of philofophy; which have multiplied controverfies to fuch a degree, as to beget fcruples that have perplexed the minds of many foFer Chriftians, who otherwife could never have entertained them,

1 muft therefore be fo bold to affirm, that the method taken by many of thofe learned men to defend the doctrine of the Trinity, hath been founded upon a miftake.

It must be allowed, that every man is bound to follow the rules and directions of that measure of reafon which God hath given him. And indeed he cannot do otherwife, if he will be fincere, or act like a man. For infance, if I fhould be commanded by an angel from heaven to believe it is midnight at noon-day; yet I could not believe him. So if I were directly told in feripture, that three are one, and one is three, I could nct conceive or believe it, in the natural common fenfe of that expreffion; but muft fuppofe, that fomething dark or myftical was meant, which it pleafed God to conceal from me, and from all the world. Thus, in the text, There are three that bear record, &c. Am I capable of knowing and defining, what union and what diftinction there may be in the divine nature, which poffibly may be hid from the angels themfelves? Again, I fee it plainly declared in fcripture, that there is but one God; and yet I find our Saviour claiming the prerogative of God, in knowing mens thoughts; in saying, He and his Father are one; and, Before Abraham was, I am. I read, that the difciples worshipped him; that Thomas faid to him,

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