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he values his orthodoxy he be not led unawares to overvalue it, by drawing false conclusions from it, and conceiting himself to be already perfect. If he knows and believes in the true God, he doth well: but let not that which is an honour to him be any encouragement to dishonour God; the knowledge of whom will only serve to encrease our condemnation, if we live in any lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles who knew him not. And though it be the faith of a Christian, and not his morality, that distinguishes him from the rest of mankind; yet that faith must appear in the conduct of his life; even as love to a friend is best witnessed by a readiness to do him service. It is true, the service is not the love, nor of equal value with it; yet the love that refuses the service will be accounted as nothing. The mystery of faith is an invaluable treasure; but the vessel that contains it must be clean and undefiled; it must be held in a pure conscience; as the manna, that glorious symbol of the word of faith preached to us by the Gospel, was confined to the Tabernacle, and preserved in a vessel of gold. A mind that is conformed to this world, and given up to its pleasures, though it repeat the Creed without questioning a single article of

it, will be abhorred in the sight of God, as a vessel unfit for the master's use; and unworthy, because unprepared, to stand in the most holy place. It is the great excellence of faith, that it can produce such a transformation in the life and manners, as no other principle has any power to do: and many are possessed of this truth without applying it to their own advantage. It is to be feared, that a consciousness of this damps their zeal, and creates that poor, pitiful, cowardly indifference, so much in vogue; which if it had not by accident found the name of charity, would have been ashamed to shew its face in a christian country. They are cold and backward to promote any religious conversation; they will not appear to be in earnest about their faith in the Eyes of the world, lest they should be forced to abridge somewhat from the gaiety of their lives, and to live as they speak. But let them remember, that without holiness no man shall see the Lord: no dross or impurity of this world will be suffered to continue in his sight. And in this, he is no hard master, reaping where he hath not sown, and requiring the fruit of good works without giving us strength and ability to bring them forth. He has provided for us the precious blood of the Lantb,

2

Lamb, and offered to us the assistance of his Holy Spirit, that we may be enabled to serve that living God in whom we believe. If we are purged by him, we shall be clean: if he washes us, we shall be whiter than snow: and when the kingdom of God shall come, and his glory shall appear, we shall be prepared to behold his face in righteousness.

This and no other is my sincerest wish and prayer for every Christian, who shall give himself the trouble to peruse these papers; in which I pretend to no merit but that of a transcriber which I shall always esteem to be honour enough, where the word of God is my original. And if they should be any way instrumental to promote so good an end, he will not have read, nor shall I have written in vain.

VOL, I.

L

A LET

A

LETTER

TO THE

COMMON PEOPLE,

IN ANSWER TO SOME

Popular Arguments against the Trinity.

BEING AN

APPENDIX

TO THE

THIRD EDITION

OF THE

CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY.

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