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the Doctrine, than fpeculative Refiners, SER. VII. who want to have explicit and determinate Ideas of Things incomprehenfible," who are for defcending into minute Particularities, the Knowledge of which, because they are Matters of useless Speculation and mere Amusement, is therefore unattainable by us? The Objections against the mysterious Doctrines of the Gospel conclude as ftrongly for Atheism, as they do against Chriftianity. A Perfon, who is an Half-Thinker, may stop at half Way: But he, who will be at any Expence of Thought, muft fee, that for the very fame Reason, for which he rejects the three Perfons, viz. because the Doctrine is incomprehenfible; he muft, if confiftent with himself, difbelieve even one divine Perfon. There is fuch a mutual Harmony and Correfpondence in the Compages of Truths, that, if one Member fuffers, all the Members fuffer with it; and if one Member be honoured, all the Members rejoice with it. That fomething has exifted from all Eternity, is a Truth, which forces itself upon the Mind, and extorts the Affent of every thinking Man, of every Chriftian, Deift, and even Atheift. And yet I do not know any Thing fo hard of Ff 2

4

Di

SER, VII: Digeftion in the Doctrine of the Trinity; as there is in the Notion of Eternity, viz that, whatever has exifted without any Beginning, must have existed no longer at this prefent Moment of Time, than it had existed Millions of Ages ago. For the present Moment of Time is in the Center or Middle between two Eternities, that which is paft, and that which is come the Moment of Time, that was prefent fome Millions of Ages ago, was then the Center or Middle; and the Moment to come, some Millions of Ages hence, will be then the Center,

Chriftianity does not require us to puzzle ourfelves or others with metaphyfical Dif quifitions; bow or in what particular Manner three are fo infeparably united as to be one; no more than natural Religion enjoins; us to embarrass our Minds with Inquiries; how Fore-Knowledge in God is reconcileable with Free-Will in Man; how our Father, which is in Heaven, can be about our Path and about our Bed; bow, if he is extended, the Confcioufness of Being in Heaven (though locally distinct and immenfely distant) can be one and the fame with the Confciousness of Being on Earth; or how, if he is unex-·

tended,

tended, he can act every where, without SER. VII being fubftantially prefent; or how any Thing can be made out of Nothing In all these Points we understand the Terms of thep Propofitions, and the Proofs of them from Reafon or Revelation, without being able to penetrate into the Minutia of them, and every curious Nicety relating to them. Men may pretend to understand whạt they hot, and be ambitious of understanding, what they cannot; grafping at Things, to which their Capacities are not fuited The Man, who, without ever confidering thefe Points as to their Modus, hould immediately declare he knows nothing of the Matter, has made as great Advances in Knowledge in a Moment; as the Perfon' who has impaired his Health, and exhaufted his Spirits in fuch unconcerning Researches. Such are several Points in natural Philofophy, as well as Theology. The only Ufe they are of, is to check our Prefumption, and to make us know (a very ufeful Part of Knowledge, but of which fome feem incapable,) that there are many Things, which we cannot know; that we had much better lay out our Time in knowing ourselves as to our moral Character; Ff 3

the

SER. VII. the only Subject perhaps, as to which the more minute, particular and full our Search is, without letting any Thing, however small, efcape our Notice; the more useful it will be: Yet this is a Subject, which we generally decline, as to any punctual and tho rough Examination. As far as our Ideas extend, our Faith, which must keep Pace with our Ideas, reaches; and no farther. Thus we believe nothing concerning the precife and particular Modus, of the divine Unity, of the Reconcileableness of ForeKnowledge with Free-Will, of Creation, &c. because we understand nothing about it. Only we think it highly unreafonable not to believe a Doctrine, as far as we understand it; because there is fomething in it which we do not understand. As well might we reject the whole Theory of Vifion, merely because we cannot conceive, our Ideas, which have no Dimensions, can reprefent Columns, Statues, Buildings, which have. We have no very adequate Notions of the Manner of Unity even as to material Beings: For each material Being, however one in fame Refpect, in another is an Infinity of Beings, as it is infinitely divifible How much more muft we be

'how ou

at

at a Lofs to afcertain the Manner of the di- SER. VII

wine Unity Anaoilik.

-Let us then confider, how far our Point

of View extends, what falls within the Reach of every well-conftituted Eye, and what is far above out of our Sight. Let us not venture upon an immenfe Ocean in a little feeble Bark, which will be carried away with every Wind, and foon overfet. We cannot perceive the internal Conftitution and real Nature of material Things, as they are in themfelves; we only perceive them, as they are relative to, and affect us. Just fo neither Reason nor Revelation were given us to attain to a Knowledge of the intimate Effence of the Deity, or, as fome affect to call it his abstract metaphyfical Substance, what real Distinctions it may admit of, and how they are confiftent with it's Unity. Revelation was defigned to let us know what the three Perfons in the Divine Nature have done for us, and what relative Duties we owe to them. So far Knowledge is useful; and where Usefulness ends, Darkness and Ignorance generally commences. There are in every Branch of Science, as well as in Divinity, the weightier Matters, which may be understood with a proper Degree