* the too curious Enquiry into which, tends lit⚫tle to Godliness, and lefs to Peace?

For this he quotes, W. P's Key, p. 15. who in answer to this Charge, The Quakers deny the Trinity, fays, Nothing lefs: They believe in the Holy Three or Trinity of Father, Word, and Spirit, according to Scripture. And that these Three are truly and properly one: Of one • Nature as well as Will. But they are very tender of quitting Scripture Terms and Phrafes for Schoolmen's, fuch as diftinct and separate • Perfons and Subfiftencies, &c. are; from whence People are apt to entertain grofs Ideas < and Notions of the Father Son and Holy Ghoft.

And they judge, that a curious Inquiry into ⚫ thofe high and divine Relations, and other Speculative Subjects, though never fo great Truths in themselves, tend little to Godliness, and lefs to Peace, which fhould be the chief Aim of true Chriftians, And therefore they cannot gratify that Curiosity in themselves or others: Speculative Truths being in their Judgment to be fparingly and tenderly declared, and never to be made the Measure and Condition of Chri• ftian Communion. For befides that Chrift Jefus hath taught them other things, the fad Confequence in all times, of fuperfining upon Scripture Texts, do fufficiently caution and forbid < them. Men are too apt to let their Heads outrun their Hearts, and their Nation exceed their Obedience, and their Paffion fupport their Conceits; inftead of a daily Cross, a conftant Watch, and an holy Practice. The despised Quakers defire this may be their Care, and the • Text their Creed in this, as in all other Points, preferring Self-denial to Opinion, and Charity

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to Knowledge, according to that great Chri• ftian Doctrine, 1 Cor. xiii.

By which it appears, that W. P. was of the fame Opinion with the Emperor Conftantine beforementioned, That a fruitless Contention about nice, obfcure and intricate Matters is dangerous; and but vain, and a Toy, in respect of Peace and Charity. But this our Author is contradictory not only to them, but to the Experience of the Chriftian World, when he reprefents, The Doctrine of a Diftinition of Perfons in the Godhead, as the great Foundation of Godliness and Peace. Did not the different Apprehenfions of the Words, Nature, Subftance, Hypoftafis and Perfon, caufe great Feuds and long Contention between the Eaftern and Western Chriftians? And have not the fame continued even to our own Times to be the Subject of Altercation and Debate? All which the keeping clofe to Scripture Terms might have prevented. We may therefore with the greatest Safety lay afide all unfcriptural Terms and Phrafes of the Schoolmen, for as much as the holy Scriptures without the ufe of them, do evidently declare that God was manifeft in the Flesh, and do inftruct us in the right Knowledge of all the other chief Points of our Religion, aud the whole Gospel Difpenfation, and Mystery of our Redemption, and of the Nature and Spirituality of that Baptifm of Christ by the which all are baptized into one Body; of the unfpeakable Mercy of God in fending his Son to die for us Sinners; of the meritorious Obedience of Chrift in giving himself a Sacrifice and Propitiation for the Sins of the whole World, and of the gracious Affiftances of the Holy Spirit, enabling us to perform the Terms required of us for our partaking of this Salvation purchafed for us. And thus, through JESUS CHRIST,

bis Merits and Mediation, by one Spirit, renewing and fanctifying us, we have accefs with Confidence unto the Father, Ephef. ii. 18.

So that we have, without this Doctrine of a Diftinction of Perfons in the Godhead, a moft plain Revelation both of the Love of God to us, and the great Evil of Sin, for which fuch an Atonement was made, and of the abfolute Neceffity of Holiness to our Happiness, and of the Af fiftance of the Holy Spirit to make us holy. And confequently we have the greatest and most powerful Motives and Engagements to the Love of God and Hatred of Sin, and to the Study of Holinefs and Goodness, and never to refift and grieve the holy Spirit, but ever to obey its holy Motions; and then we may most surely and fafely rely on the Merits and Mediation of Jefus Chrift for our Salvation, though we never fubscribe to Articles of Faith invented by Men in other Terms than the Spirit of God infpired the Penmen of the holy Scriptures to exprefs; without which we may fufficiently apprehend the Death and Sufferings of our Lord in the Flesh, and the exceeding Value and Merit thereof, and all the neceffary Doctrines of the Gofpel.

WE fhall clofe this Section with an excellent Paffage of Dr. Taylor.

(p) 'He that goes about to fpeak of the mysterious Trinity, and does it by Words and Names ⚫ of Man's Invention, and by the Diftinctions of the Schools, if he only talk of Effences and Exiftencies, Hypoftafes and Perfonalities, Diftinctions

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" without

(p) Sermon on Fobu vii. 17.

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without Difference, Priority in Coequalities, and Unity in Pluralities, he may amufe himself, and build Tabernacles in his Head, and talk fomething, but he knows not what: But the good Man that feels the Power of the Father, and he to whom the Son is become Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption: He • in whofe Heart the Love of the Spirit of God is fpread; this Man, though he understands ⚫ nothing of what is unintelligible, yet he alone understands the Myfterioufnefs of the Holy Trinity."

SECT. IX.

Of the Body of Chrift.

OUR Opponent's first Query in this Section is,

Is not he only properly Chrift, that was manifeft in the Body of Flefh, and was before the Body was, and was never feen with any carnal Eye; for we can never call the bodily Garment Chrift, but that which appeared and • dwelt in that Body?

THE Author's he cites for this are W. Penn and Ifaac Penington, who thus answer for themfelves.

THE former, in his Preface to Dr. Philips's Vindicia Veritatis, firft reciting what he had faid, viz. That the Body or outward Perfon that di⚫ed could not properly be faid to be the Son of • God, but rather the Body or outward Perfon of • the

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⚫ the Son of God; taking and making the Terms Body and outward Perfon to be Synonymons or the fame Thing,' adds, which Distinction I was only led to make, because T. Jenner against whom I writ had laid down his Propofition too near the Doctrine of L. Muggleton, who afferts • God himself to have died as well as his Body, which the Scripture tells us God had prepared • of the Seed of Abraham for his beloved Son to to do his Will in; as the Scope of the Place and Context, and particularly the Confeffion • made to me by Jefus Chrift as the Son of God, Page 149. of the Apology, doth exprefs, as well as import.

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THE Latter, in one of the Places cited, (viz. Questions to Profeffors, p. 33.) fays, Now the Scriptures do exprefly diftinguish between Chrift and the Garment which he wore, between him that came and the Body in which he came, between the Subftanee which was vailed, ⚫ and the Vail which vailed it; Lo I come a Body, hast thou prepared me. There is plainly he, and the Body in which he came. There was the

⚫ outward Veffel and the inward Life. This we

certainly know, and can never call the Bodily • Garment Chrift, but that which appeared and ⚫ dwelt in the Body. Now if ye indeed know the • Chrift of God, tell us plainly what that is which appeared in the Body? Whether that was not the Chrift before it took up the Body, after it took up the Body and for ever?

• AND then their confining Chrift to that Body, plainly manifefteth that they want the Knowledge of him in Spirit. For Chrift is the Son of the Father, he is the infinite eternal Being, one with the Father, and with the Spirit,

and