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But what must an Arian have to say, at that great Day, if it appears that He has been uttering Blafphemies against the Son of God, and reviling his Redeemer (the generality of fober Christians looking on, all the while, with Horror; fhock'd at the Impiety; and openly declaring and protesting against it) and for no other Reasons, in the laft Refult, but because He thought Generation implied Division, and necessary Generation implied outward Co-action; and He could not understand whether the Unity fhould be called Specifick or Individual; nor bow there came to be three Perfons; nor why One might not have been as good as Three; nor why the Father should be faid to beget the Son, rather than vice verfa; and the like? Is this kind of reafoning fuitable to, or becoming Chriftians, who have their Bible to look into; which alone can give any Satisfaction in these Matters? To go upon our own Fancies and Conjectures, in a Thing of this Kind, is only betraying too little Reverence for the tremendous and unfearchable Nature of God, and too high an Opinion of our own Selves. You have a farther Pretence, built upon your mistaken Notion of individual, which I need not take notice of; having already almost furfeited the Reader with it.

QUERY

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QUERY XXXI.

Whether any thing less than clear and evident Demonstration, on the fide of Arianifm, ought to move a wife and good Man, against So great Appearances of Truth, on the fide of Orthodoxy, from Scripture, Reafon, and Antiquity: And whether we may not wait long before we find fuch Demonstration?

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N your Answer to this, I am rebuked, firft, for giving the Name of Orthodoxy, to a Scholaftick Notion: And fecondly, for calling your Doctrine Arianifm. As to the first, I ftand fo far corrected, as to beg the privilege of ufing the word, Orthodoxy, for the Received Doctrine. You are pleased to call it a Scholaftick Notion. How far it is Scholaftick, I do not certainly know; But fure I am that it is Primitive and Catholick: And I do not know that the School-men were Hereticks in this Article. If They were; So far, you may depend upon it, our Notion is not Scholaftick. As to your Doctrine being justly call'd Arianifm, I hope, without Offence, I may fay, I have made it plain to a Demonstration (excepting only that, in fome Particulars, you fall below Arianifm) and I fhould advise you hereafter, for your own fake, to dispute fo clear a Point no farther. But let us go on. You add : If it be impoffible, by the Rule of Scripture

and

and Reason, and the Senfe of the most antient Writers, and Councils of the Church, that the Scholaftick Notion fhould be true; and if there be no Medium betwixt (the Scholaftick Notion) and the Notion of Dr. Clarke (that is Arianifm) then it will be demonftrated that (Arianifm) is the true Doctrine of Jesus Chrift and his Apoftles, as revealed in Scripture, and the true Senfe of Scripture interpreted by right Reafon, and as understood by the best and most antient Chriftian Writers. This is your Demonftration; only I have thrown in a word or two, by way of Parenthefis, to make it the clearer to the Reader. The fumm of it is this; if the Scholaftick Notion (by which you mean Sabellianism) be not true; and if there be no Medium between Sabellianifm and Arianifm; then Arianism is the true Doctrine, &c. That is, if fuppofing be proving, and if begging the Question be the fame thing with determining it; then fomething will be demonftrated, which is not demonftrated. You do well to refer us to your Appendix for proof, and to fhift it off as far as poffible. Demonstrations are good Things, but fometimes very hard to come at; as you'l find in the prefent inftance. You may take as much time longer, as you think proper, to confider of it. Give me a Demonftration, juftly fo called; a chain of clear Reasoning, beginning. from fome plain and undoubted Axiom, and regularly defcending by neceffary Deductions,

or

or close Connexion of Ideas, till you come at your Conclufion. Till you can do this, it will be but labour loft, to endeavor to fhake the Received Doctrine of the ever bleffed Trinity. For, unless you can give us fomething really Solid and Substantial, in an Article of fo great Importance, the Reasons which we have, on our fide of the Question, are fo many, fo plain, and fo forcible, that they must, and will, and ought to sway the Minds of modeft, reasonable, and confcientious Men; while the Church ftands, or the World lafts. Any Man that duly confiders what we have to plead from Holy Scripture, and what from the concurring Judgment and Practice of the Primitive and Catholick Church; and reflects farther upon the natural Tenderness which every pious and grateful Mind must have for the Honour of his Bleffed Lord and Saviour, the Dread and Horror of Blafphemy, and how fhocking a Thing it must appear to begin now to abridge Him of that Refpect, Service, and fupreme Adoration, which has been fo long, and fo univerfally paid Him, and by the bleffed Saints and Martyrs now crown'd in Heaven; I fay, any Man that duly confiders this, will eafily perceive how impoffible it is for Arianifm ever to prevail generally, except it be upon one or other of thefe Suppofitions: Either that the Age becomes fo very Ignorant or Corrupt, that They know not, or care not, what They do; or that fome new Light fpring

up,

up on the fide of Arianism, fome hidden reserve of Extraordinary Evidences, such as, in 1400 Years Time, the Wit of Man has not been able to difcover. As to the latter, neither your felf, nor yet the learned Doctor has been pleased to favour us with any such Discovery: As to the former, I have too good an opinion of you to fufpect, that you can either hope, or wifh for it. You will have a mind to try what you can do: And fo give me leave to represent to you a fhort Summary of what we are to expect of you.

1. You are to prove, either that the Son is not Creator; or that there are two Creators, and one of Them a Creature.

2. You are to fhow, either that the Son is not to be worship'd at all; or that there are two Objects of Worship, and one of Them a Creature.

3. You are to prove, either that the Son is not God; or that there are two Gods, and one of Them a Creature.

4. You are to fhow, that your Hypothesis is high enough to take in all the high Titles and Attributes afcribed to the Son in Holy Scripture; And, at the fame time low enough to account for his increasing in Wisdom, not knowing the Day of Judgment, His being exceeding forrowful, troubled, crying out in his Agonies, and the like. You are to make all to meet in the one Aóy, or Word; or elfe to mend your Scheme by borrowing from ours.

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