SER. VII.

It, I fhall endeavour to prove from Scrip ture, that there are more Persons than One in the divine Nature.

I shall lay the main Strefs upon the Divinity of our Saviour: becaufe, if that is made good, there can be no reasonable Objection against the Divinity of the Holy Ghost; efpecially fince he is faid to fearch all Things, yea the deep Things of God, and to know the Things of God, (which no mere Creature can do,) as intimately as the Spirit of a Man knoweth his own Thoughts. 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11.

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Place, the Scripture every where afferts, that God alone is to be worfhipped; the fame Scripture declares, that our Bleffed Saviour is to be worshipped: The obvious Confequence of which is, our Saviour is God. Thus St. Stephen adores him with direct Worship: Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit: A Petition of the fame Force and Energy with that, which our Saviour offered up to the Father on the Crofs: Father, into thy Hands I commend my Spirit. And again: to Him is afcribed Glory and Praife and Dominion (after his Mediatorial Kingdom, which fome hath made

made the Foundation of his Worship, fhall SER. VII, cease) even for ever and ever. All the Subtleties, by which the Arians would evade the Force of these Texts, only prove, that a Man of plain Understanding, but of an honest Heart, is lefs liable to err; than a Philofopher of much deeper Penetration, who has an Attachment to fome favourite Scheme. For the Former, who does not lean to his own Understanding, refts in the moft obvious and natural Conftruction of the Words of Scripture. Whereas the Latter is fond of Refinements, and will invent a thousand Devices to confute (what will ever be too hard for Him) common Senfe.

The Heart, when it is biaffed to any Darling Notion, will always get the better of the Head, how good foever it be. Therefore the firft Rule fhould be even in the Search of faving Knowledge: Keep your Heart with all Diligence.

Thus the Arians own, that the Son is to be worshipped; but affert, that the Worfhip ought to terminate in the last Resort in the Father. To which I answer, that this Worship, which is paid to Chrift, but, according to their Scheme, ought to terminate in the Father, is (to ufe their own

SER. VII. Distinction, a Distinction which no where occurs in Scripture,) either fupreme or inferior Worship. If the Former, then it ought not to be paid at all to the Son, provided he is an inferior Being. For supreme Worship is a Tribute due only to the fupreme God: It would be Sacrilege to give the highest Honour to any, who is not the highest in the Scale of Beings: But if the Worship offered to Chrift is only an inferior Worship, then it is unworthy of the fupreme Object, and confequently ought not to terminate in him, who would be difho-⚫ noured thereby. Befides: How can inferior Worship terminate in Him, who has forbidden all Creature Worship? It is a flagrant Crime to serve the Creature befides the Creator, and to worship Those who by Nature are no Gods. Either then our Saviour is God by Nature; or he is not to be worshipped. St. John Rev. v. 13. tells us exprefly, that he heard in a prophetical Vifion every Creature in Heaven, and Earth, and under the Earth, faying, Bleffing, and Honour, and Glory, and Power be unto Him that fitteth upon the Throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. You fee here the fame Honour and Adoration is jointly paid to both Father

and

and Son without any Diftinction or Difpro-SER. VII. portion of Refpect, which the Father would not have fuffered, if there had been an infinite Difproportion between them; the one being the fupreme God, the other a Creature.

But farther: Whatever unfcriptural Distinctions fome may make of fupreme and fubordinate Worfhip; yet he, who at the fame Time that he dwelleth in Heaven, to make Interceffion for us, can be present upon Earth, to know the Variety of Petitions, mental as well as vocal, private as well as public, which are put up by several Millions of People in different and widely diftant Parts of the Earth in one and the fame Moment of Time, and can be able to redrefs their Grievances, must be God in the highest Senfe of the Word. For 'tis the Deity alone, that can command fuch an unbounded Profpect, and take in the whole Compass of Nature. Either then all Prayer must be directed to a Being who feeth in Secret, who hath a free and unreftrained Admittance to the hidden Refources of the Heart, who is God abfolutely Or we may be obliged to addrefs ourselves in Prayer to a Perfon, who is not intimately

SER. VII. prefent to whatever is tranfacted within the Breaft, who cannot difcern the internal and affectionate Application of the Mind to him, in fhort, too ignorant to know, too impotent to relieve our Wants. But as this is highly abfurd; it follows, that to whomfoever we are obliged to prefer our Petitions, he must be the Searcher of Hearts, confequently our Saviour is fo, and therefore God. Can a Creature, where two or three, throughout the World, are gathered together in his Name, be in the midst of them? Matth. xviii. 20. Can a Creature be a Kind of univerfal Soul to the whole Chriftian World, and if any Man love him, come together with the Father, and make bis Abode with him? John xiv. 23.

2dly, It is faid, that he, that built all Things, is God: But it is affirmed, that all Things were made by the Word, viz. our Saviour, and without him was not any Thing made, that is made, St. John i. 3. From hence we may infer, that Chrift, as Creator, is God, rejecting the fenfeless Notion of a Creature-Creator. In answer to this, the Arians mutter fomething very dark and obfcure about the Prepofitions By and Through (By or Through whom God made

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