THOMAS TROUGHEARDAY. Μη ὑπερφρονειν παρ ̓ ὁ δεν φρονείν, αλλα φρονειν εις το OXFORD, Printed at the CLARENDON PRESS. Sold by Dan. Prince, in Oxford; and John Rivington, 1. e. 21. SIR, T O what I have faid in the following Letters, which were first published fome Years ago in Hooker's Weekly Mifcellany, and which you now advise me to reprint in the present Form, give me leave to premife by Way of Preface, that the chief and fundamental Article of the Christian Religion, upon which the Gospel Difpenfation is founded, viz. God's fending his Son to take our Nature upon him in Order to redeem and fanctify it by his Blood; this Article, I say, is deny'd by our modern Hereticks, as it was by fome in the primitive Church; for there were very early in the Church, as well as at this Day, such as oppos'd it, and thereby put quite another Face upon Christianity. They did, and fome do now, interpret away that most glorious Manifestation God ever made of himself to Mankind. They shut their Eyes against those Mysteries, which are most clearly and exprefly reveal'd to them in the Gospel, and have render'd the Church of Chrift little more than a School of Philofophy. Nor is it Matter of Wonder, that they do fo, if we confider, that Arians and Socinians, instead of allowing the Scripture to be the Rule to form their Opinions by, have made their Opinions the Rule of interpreting Scripture, and that in Doctrines of the greateft Weight and Importance, even in Matters of Faith, and on which their eternal Salvation depends. And indeed this we must expect; for St. Paul tells us, that Herefies shall be, and we may fuppofe that God permits them, that the Church may be still in a State militant here upon Earth. But it is our Duty to oppofe and confute them. And our Arians and Socinians fhould confider; that if Chrift be a Creature, how can God command all Christians to worship and adore him? as it is plain from Scripture he did, and the very Angels too. So that if Chrift be God, then these Hereticks are to pay him Homage due to his Divinity. God can no more ftrip himself of his Sovereignty, than of his Being. He can as foon take a mere Creature to his Throne, as make over to one his peculiar Title to Adoration and Worship. God, we are told by the Prophet Ifaiah, Chap. 42. 8. faid, I am the the Lord, that is my Name; and my Glory will I not give to another; as if he had faid, My Name is Jehovah, which denotes me to be the only true God: And I will affert my Honour and not fuffer falfe Gods or Creatures to ufurp that Honour or Glory, which is due to myself alone; for fo the Hebrew Word Cabod and Aa in the Septuagint do properly fignify. Now it is certain, that our Saviour himfelf told the Jews, John 5. 25. that all Men Should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father: and, that He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father, which hath sent him. So that our Saviour must be the Jehovah, the Lord, equal to his Father as touching his Godhead. Befides we are affured, that the Apostles worshipped him at his Ascension, Luke 24. 52. As did alfo St. Stephen at his Death, and St. Paul at his Converfion. If therefore Chrift was not God as well as Man, they were guilty of Idolatry. And what can clash more directly with all Laws natural and divine, than Idolatry does? If this spiritual Adultery be innocent, what can be criminal? and if God can command so facrilegious an Action, what can he forbid? In fhort, God commanded all the Angels to worship Chrift, Heb. 1.6. He therefore must be God, as well as Man, as I |