as laid in the expression before-mentioned. Almost all the errors and heresies wherewith for three or four centuries of years it was perplexed, were principally against the person of Christ himself, and consequently the nature and being of the holy and blessed Trinity. But being disappointed in his design herein, through the watchful care of the Lord Christ over his promise; in the following ages, Satan turned his craft and violence against sundry parts of the superstructure; and by the assistance of the Papacy cast them into confusion, nothing, as it were, remaining firm, stable, and in order, but only this one confession, which in a particular manner the Lord Christ hath taken upon himself to

secure.

In these latter ages of the world, the power and care of Jesus Christ reviving towards his church in the reformation of it, even the ruined heaps of its building have been again reduced into some tolerable order and beauty. The old enemy of its peace and welfare falling hereby under a disappointment, and finding his travail and labour for many generations in a great part frustrate, he is returned again to his old work of attacking the foundation itself; as he is unweary and restless, and can be quiet neither conqueror nor conquered; nor will be so, until he is bound and cast into the lake that burneth with fire. For no sooner had the reformation of religion firmed itself in some of the European provinces, but immediately, in a proportion of distance not unanswerable unto what fell out from the first foundation of the church, sundry persons by the instigation of Satan attempted the disturbance and ruin of it, by the very same errors and heresies about the Trinity, the person of Christ, and his offices, the person of the Holy Ghost and his grace, wherewith its first trouble and ruin was endeavoured. And hereof we have of late an instance given among ourselves;

and that so notoriously known, through a mixture of imprudence and impudence in the managers of it, that a very brief reflection upon it will suffice unto our present design.

It was always supposed, and known to some, that there are sundry persons in this nation, who having been themselves seduced into Socinianism, did make - it their business under various pretences to draw others into a compliance with them in the same way and persuasion. Neither hath this for sundry years been so secretly carried, but that the design of it hath variously discovered itself by overt acts of conferences, disputations, and publishing of books; which last way of late hath been sedulously pursued. Unto these three is now a visible accession made, by that sort of people whom men will call Quakers, from their deportment at the first erection of their way, long since deserted by them; until by some new revolutions of opinions, they cast themselves under a more proper denomination. That there is a conjunction issued between both these sorts of men, in an opposition to the holy Trinity, with the person and grace of Christ, the pamphlets of late published by the one and the other do sufficiently evince. For however they may seem in sundry things as yet to look divers ways, yet, like Sampson's foxes, they are knit together by the tail of consent in these fire-brand opinions, and jointly endeavour to consume the standing corn of the church of God. And their joint management of their business of late, hath been as though it were their design, to give as great a vogue and report to their opinions, as by any ways they are able. Hence besides their attempts to be proclaiming their opinions under various pretences, in all assemblies whereunto they may intrude themselves, as they know without trouble, they are exceeding sedulous in scattering and giving away, yea imposing gratis, and

as to some ingratiis, their small books which they publish, upon all sorts of persons promiscuously, as they have advantage so to do. By this means their opinions being of late become the talk and discourse of the common sort of Christians, and the exercise of many, amongst whom are not a few, that on sundry accounts, which I shall not mention, may possibly be exposed unto disadvantage and prejudice thereby, it hath been thought meet by some, that the sacred truths which these men oppose, should be plainly and briefly asserted and confirmed from the Scripture; that those of the meanest sort of professors, who are sincere and upright, exercising themselves to keep a good conscience in matters of faith and obedience to God, may have somewhat in a readiness, both to guide them in their farther inquiry into the truth, as also to confirm their faith in what they have already received, when at any time it is shaken or opposed by the cunning sleights of men that lie in wait to deceive.' And this compriseth the design of the ensuing disIt may possibly be judged needless by some, as it was in its first proposal by him by whom it is written, and that because this matter at present is by an especial providence cast on other hands, who both have, and doubtless, as occasion shall require, will well acquit themselves in the defence of the truths opposed. Not to give any other account of the reasons of this small undertaking, it may suffice, that 'in publico discrimine omnis homo miles est.' Every man's concernment lying in a common danger, it is free for every one to manage it as he thinks best, and is able, so it be without prejudice to the whole, or the particular concerns of others. If a city be on fire, whose bucket that brings water to quench it ought to be refused? The attempt to cast fire into the city of God, by the opinions mentioned, is open and plain, and a timely

course.

stop being to be put unto it, the more hands are orderly employed in its quenching, the more speedy and secure is the effect like to be.

Now, because the assertors of the opinions mentioned do seem to set out themselves to be some great ones, above the ordinary rate of men, as having found out, and being able publicly to maintain such things, as never would have entered into the minds of others to have thought on, or conceived; and also that they seem with many to be thought worthy of their consideration because they now are new, and such as they have not been acquainted withal, I shall in this prefatory entrance, briefly manifest that those who have amongst us undertaken the management of these opinions, have brought nothing new unto them, but either a little contemptible sophistry and caption of words on the one hand, or futilous, affected, unintelligible expressions on the other; the opinions themselves being no other, but such as the church of God having been opposed by, and troubled with, from the beginning, hath prevailed against, and triumphed over, in all generations. And were it not that confidence is the only relief which engaged impotency adheres unto, and expects supplies from, I should greatly admire that those amongst us who have undertaken an enforcement of these old exploded errors, whose weakness doth so openly discover and proclaim itself in all their endeavours, should judge themselves competent to give a new spirit of life to the dead carcase of these rotten heresies, which the faith of the saints in all ages hath triumphed over; and which truth and learning have, under the care and watchfulness of Christ, so often baffled out of the world.

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The Jews in the time of our Saviour's converse on the earth, being fallen greatly from the faith and worship of their forefathers, and ready to sink into their

last and utmost apostacy from God, seem amongst many other truths, to have much lost that of the doctrine of the holy Trinity, and of the person of the Messiah. It was indeed suited in the dispensation of God, unto the work that the Lord Jesus had to fulfil in the world, that before his passion and resurrection, the knowledge of his divine nature as unto his individual · person, should be concealed from the most of men. For this cause, although he was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God, yet he made himself of no reputation, by taking on him the form of a servant, and made in the likeness of men, that being found in the fashion of a man, he might be obedient unto death;' Phil. ii. 7—9. whereby his divine glory was veiled for a season, until he was declared to be the Son of God with power, according unto the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead;' Rom. i. 4. and then was glorified with that glory which he had with the Father before the world was;' John xviii. 3. And as this dispensation was needful unto the accomplishment of the whole work which as our mediator he had undertaken, so in particular, he who was in himself the Lord of hosts, a sanctuary to them that feared him, became hereby, 'a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem ;' Isa. viii. 13, 14. See Luke ii. 34. Rom. ix. 33. 1 Pet. ii. 8. Isa. xxviii. 26. But yet notwithstanding, as occasions required, suitably unto his own holy ends and designs, he forbare not to give plain and open testimony to his own divine nature and eternal pre-existence unto his incarnation. And this was it, which of all other things most provoked the carnal Jews with whom he had to do; for having, as was said, lost the doctrine of the Trinity and person of the Messiah in a great measure, whenever he asserted his Deity,