Deliverance from that Deftruction which Haman had plotted against them.

When Abraham was withheld from offering his Son Isaac in Sacrifice, he called the Place Jehovah-jireh, that is, The LORD will provide to perpetuate the Memory of that preventing Mercy.

And Mofes, upon the Defeat of the Amalekites, built an Altar with this Infcription, Jehovah-niffi, that is, The LORD is my Banner ; thenge Bethel took it's Name, which fignifies the House of GOD, because of GOD's Appearance to Jacob in that Place; and that Well of Water where Hagar was fo feafonably refreshed was called Beer-labai-roi, The Well of him that liveth and looketh on me. Aaron's Rod that budded was laid up in the Tabernacle, and commanded to be kept as a Token against the Rebels for their Schifin, That they should make it known to their Children, that the Generation to come might know, even the Children that should be born, who should arife and declare the fame to their Children, that they might fet their Hope in GOD, and not forget the Works of GOD, but keep his Commandments. In like manner Samuel fet up a Stone in that Place where he difcomfited the Philistines, and called it Eben-ezer, faying, Hitherto bath the LORD helped us. Neither would David let that Place, (which like a Partition Wall, or Shield, guarded him from Saul's Army when he was purfuing him) pafs without fome Memorial of this Kind, calling it Selah-hammah-lekoth, that is, The Rock of Divifions, 1 Sam. 23. 28.

To this End likewife the Ifraelites were enjoined to wear their Phylacteries of blue Ribbands on the Borders of their Garments throughout their Generations, wherein the Law was written, that they might look on them, and remember all the Commandments of the LORD, to do them. Neither doth Chrift condemn the Ufe of thefe Signs and Memorials, but only their Abuse and hypocritical enlarging of them to Oftentation by the Scribes and Pharifees. What are Sacraments but Memorials of Christ's Death, as the weekly Sabbath is of his Refurrection?

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Yea upon this very Account the LORD is pleased to affume unto himself new Titles, as, The GOD that brought Abraham: from Ur of the Caldees; And again, The LORD that brought the Children of Ifrael out of Egypt; And again, The LORD that gathered them out of the North Countries, to mind his People by thefe and the like Defignations of fome fpecial Providences he had wrought for them in thefe Places, and in thofe Times.

So that to defpife, or not to obferve the like Memorials in their appointed Seafons, now under the Gospel, when we have greater Mercies and Manifeftations of his Love to Mankind, would demonftrate great Vanity, Pride and Self-conceitedness, and that one is very loofe, and little regards either the Methods: of Divine Providence, or the Wisdom and Piety of the Ancients in fuch Reviews: Befides, we may fee by fad Experience how Christianity it felf is wounded, and Atheifm abounds fince the Sacraments have been denied by fome, and the Festivals. by others; thefe publick Standards of our Profeffion, which have been handed down to us by the Fore-fathers of our Faith, are but few in Number; and fuch as becomes Pilgrims travelling to the New Jerufalem above, where every Day is Holy Day, Numerofitas Feftivarum Cives decet, non Exules; Many Festivals are fitter for Heaven than Earth, therefore fays a learned Divine, To celebrate thefe religious and facred Days well, is to spend the Flower of our Time happily, they are the Splendor and outward Dignity of our Religion, forcible Witnesses of ancient Truths, Provocations to the Exercises of all Piety, Shadows of our endless Felicity in Heaven, on Earth everlasting Records and Memorials, wherein they that cannot be drawn to hearken what we Teach, may only by looking on what we do, may in a manner read; whatfoever we Believe.

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But if these Confiderations cannot prevail with fome to comply with fuch innocent Ceremonies and Circumstances of Religion, yet the Myfteries which we commemorate on thefe Days, are the chief Árticles of our Belief, the Sum of Saving Knowledge, and the greatest Mercies that ever were bestowed

on Mankind, and therefore may conciliate fome Refpect with well difpofed Perfons.

Now concerning this Myftery of the Incarnation, as the judicious Author of the Ecclefiaftick Polity well obferves, There are but four things which concur to make complete the whole State of our Lord Jefus Chrift, his Deity, his Manhood, the Conjunction of both, and the Diftinction of the one from the other, being joined in one: Four principal Herefies there are, which have in those things withstood the Truth. Arians by bending themselves against the Deity of Chrift: Appolinarians maiming and mifinterpreting that which belongerit to his Humane Nature: Neftorians by renting Chrift afunder, and dividing him into two Perfons. The Followers of Eutiches by confounding in his Perfon thofe Natures which they should distinguish. Against thefe there have been four most famous General Councils The Council of Nice to define against the Arians Against Appolinarians, the Council of Conftantinople: The Council of Ephefus against the Neftorians: Againft the Eutichians the Chalcedon Council, in four, Words, Truly, Perfectly, Indivisibly, Distinctly: The firft applied to his being God, and the fecond to his being Man, the third to his being of both One, and the fourth to his ftill continuing in that One both.

With thefe Sermons on our Solemn Holy Days, we have published one upon the Glorious Trinity in great Simplicity of Speech, very plainly and very fuccinctly, for none can fpeak. well and much on fo great a Mystery, which requires pure and calm Spirits, profound, and yet fober Judgments, not to reach beyond what is written for our Instruction. Concerning this Mystery of the Glorious Trinity, many Niceties and needlefs Questions have been started by vain Men; as firft, That the latter Part of the Text is not in fome Copics: But this Argument fays little or nothing, when the Text is found in the first Editions, cited likewife by the ancient Fathers, and the Doctrine clearly confirmed in other Scriptures; But if our

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Cofpel be bid, it is bid to them that are toft, in whom the God of this World (the Prince of Darkness) hath blinded the Eyes of them the believe not left the Light of the glorious Gofpel of Christ, who is the Image of God, should fhine unto them.

Again, they ask how thefe, Three are One, when fomething like this, That one may be three, and yet these three but one We may fee in created Beings, and in our felves, every indi-, of Soul, Body and Spirit, according to the Prayer of the Apostle, That God would preferve. our whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift, 1 Theff. 5. 23.& be along sa iyo vif But indeed this is a, Queftion more Curious than Edifying, and not poffible for Mortals fully to refolve.

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Canft thou by fearching find out God? Canft thou find out the Almighty unto Perfection? It is as high as Heaven, that canst thou do? deeper than Hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the Earth, and broader than the Sea.

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How many fubtile Wits, fearching curioufly into this great Mystery, have not only made it more myfterious with Words weak Examples of Man's Invention, but likewife have fallen into damnable Errors, and Shipwracked their Faith and eternal Happiness. To whom will you liken God? or what Likeness will you compare unto him, faith the LORD. And again, To whom will you liken me? Or fhall I be equal, faith the Holy One? Who is fufficient for thefe things? O the depth, the depth, the depth, a Drop to the Ocean, a Grain to the Earth, an Atom to the Universe, fo little or nothing is our Knowledge to comprehend the great Depth, which therefore we must not difpute with Boldness, nor gaze into with Curiofity, but learn with Sobriety, believe with Piety, and adore with Humility; never to fpeak. of God but with that profound Reverence, as if we were fpeaking to God in our folemn Devotions and Worship.

This fhows likewife the Folly of thofe idle and impertinent Questions, What God fhould be doing, or what were his

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Delights before he made the World; as if the Creation of Men and Angels, the Knowledge and Contemplation of this Univerfe were fo abfolutely Neceffary and Effential to his Being and Pleasure, when the Almighty is All-fufficient in himself, in his Son, and Holy Spirit. Behold the Nations are as a Drop of a Bucket, and are counted as the small Duft of the Ballance; Behold he take th up the Ifle as a very little thing. All Nations before him are as nothing, and they are counted to him as less than nothing and has nothin MYcg A. So gundam ono Vanity.

Dic ubi tunc effet, cum præter eum nihil effet, T erona Tung, ubi nunc in fe, quoniam fibi fufficit ipfe untree ot pribrocon daw en vours en gndler. IT Say where was God before He made this glorious Ball, Then in Himself as now, for He is All in All.

O fweet Harmony, glorious Society, and incomparable Unity, where all Three are One in Love, and One in Glory One in Nature, and One in all Perfection; eternally Happy, and effentially Bleffed in the mutual Relations and reciprocal Endearments of one another.

See how this Doctrine tranfports our Thoughts and enters tains us at once with Delight and Amazement; I cannot mind Three, but fuddenly am confined to One, and as fuddenly when I mind One, I am furrounded with the Light of Three; a Light fo clear, fo comfortable to illuminated Minds, as it is written, Faith is the Evidence of things not feen, that all the Blafphemies of wicked Men are not able to extinguish it. To this Purpose Athanafius, and the ancient Orthodox Fathers of the Church ufed the Word &μosnov, to how the Confubftantiality of the Father, and the Word, and the Holy Ghost, in Oppofition both to Arius and Sabellius, the one afferting thef Three to be σ10, of different and feparate Natures; the other afferting them to be porosion, one fingular numerical Nature

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