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judgments of the church. Whereas on the other fide the reformed churches have made no such provifion to keep their people out of the way of temptation; but on the contrary have put the fcriptures into the vulgar tongue, and into the hands of their people, and charged it upon them as their duty to hear, read, and meditate upon them. Now

This makes the yoak ftill more heavy, by laying such a temptation in our way. For when we read and confider fuch a text as this, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. As I live, faith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways, for why will ye die, O houfe of Ifrael. How hard and galling must it be for a confidering chriftian, to be obliged to beleive and affert, that God has from eternity predeftinated to damnation the greateft part of mankind; and that he created them for no other end, but to glorify and difplay his abfolute power and fovereignty in their deftruction. I fay, how hard muft it be for a chriftian, when he reads and confiders the aforefaid text, to be obliged to beleive and affert this, if the church, he is a member of, is fo unhappy as to beleive and affert the fame and how great a temptation must a perfon be under to beleive and affert otherwife. From all which it appears, that if the laity of the reformed churches are not at liberty to examine the rule, the grounds, and reafons of their faith, and likewife at liberty to diffent from the judgment of the church, in those things wherein it plainly appears to them that the church has departed from the truth, and to publish the grounds and reafons of that diffent, then we (viz. proteftants) are in a much worse cafe, than the laity of the church of Rome, and we are put under a yoak, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear,

From

From the whole it appears, that in this performance I have not gone over the bounds of my chriftian calling; but have only been in the practice of my duty, and in the exercife of my chriftian liberty: a liberty in which I think every proteftant aught to ftand faft, in oppofition to the enchroachments of popish anti-christianism, which the proteftant churches may be in danger of relapfing into. And

Thus much I have thought proper to observe, that fo I might prepare a way to propofe to the clergy, and in particular to your lordship's confideration and protection, the following lines, by removing those objections, which otherwife might have been an impediment to it.

It is a thing too well known for the clergy, or your lordship in particular, to be ignorant of, that the first great article of primitive chriftian faith, has been the fubject of chriftian controversy, almoft ever fince christianity has had a being, and that it has ben particularly disputed about in this age; many tongues and pens having been employed, both in preaching, writing, and conference, upon this fubject. I therefore having, out of my lefs ability or fcarcity, caft my mite into this common treafury: into which others, out of their larger abilities or abundance, have caft in by handfuls, and now being to offer it to publick view, the occafion and end of which I have already obferved, I do with due humility and deference beg leave to offer and prefent it to the confideration, and as far as it hath ftrength of argument, and truth on its fide, to the protect n of the clergy, and in particular to your lordship. And,

'As in the trial of all other caufes, the fupe our ftrength of evidencies, which confifts in the numher, clearness, and credit, is that which in juftice.

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entitles either fide of the queftion to the verdict fo I defire that Juftice may take place in the prefent cafe. The evidence which I have produced, are arguments from fcripture to prove, that the Son of God, our Lord Jefus Chrift. is a Being inferiour and fubordinate to his God and Father; and that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus' Christ, is only and alone the fupreme God. Thefe evidences are in number eight; for clearness (not circumftantial dark, and doubtful, but) positive, full, exprefs, and plain; and for credit, the infalli➡ able word of God. If a fuperiour, or at least an equal ftrength of evidence, cannot be produc'd on the other fide, then I think my fide of the queftion, is by the laws of common equity, entitled to the verdict. May every one, who fhall think fit to examine this matter, have grace to do it with fincerity and impartiallity, as in juftice they ought to do, that fo they may well and truly try this caufe, and give their Judgment according to the evidence and fo help our God.

Perhaps it may be looked upon, by fome, as an inftance of intolerable prefumption and impudence in me, to offer and prefent this performance to the confideration and protection of fo learned and venerable a body. But furely this will be eafily apologized for, by every gracious mind. Becaufe as it is the duty and business of the clergy to use their beft endeavours, towards the reftoring chrif. tianity to its original native purity and fimplifity; fo it is alike their duty to encourage and protect all proper endeavours, ufed by others, towards the attaining that end. And therefore, it must be a very unjust reflection, when fuch encourage ment and protection is called for from them, to charge it with intolerable prefumption and impu dence. Truth furely has an undoubted right to the clergy's protection, and therefore moit cer

tainly the clergy of all other christians may ba called upon, without either prefumption or impudence, to give it fhelter.

May it please God to pour out abundantly of his fpirit and grace, upon all that are, or fhall be confecrated to him, in the facred ministry of his church, and particularly upon your lordship; that all of you may fill up the place and relation you are each one called to in the church of God. That you may become beautiful upon the mountains, bringing the glad tidings of peace and falvation; and may it please him to bring into being the happy day, when mercy and truth fhall meet together; when righteoufnefs and peace fhall kifs each other; when they fhall not hurt nor destroy in all God's holy mountain; when the mountain of the Lord's houfe fhall be lifted up above the top of all the hills; when the knowledge of the Lord fhall fill the earth, as the waters cover the fea; when the Lord fhall rule and reign in Zion, and unto the ends of the earth;' and when it fhall be written, eyen upon the bells of the horfes, holinefs to the Lord. And may it please the good Lord God to haften it in his time. I conclude with begging the clergy's and in particular your lordship's bleffing; and remain,

Your Lordship's dutiful,

And affectionate Servant,

THO. CHUBB,

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INTRODUCTION

TO THE

Following DISCOURSE,

Which was not in the two firft EDITIONS.

A

S the defign of the following arguments is to prove, or make good this propofition, viz. That the Son of God, our Lord Jefus Chrift, is a Being inferiour, and Subordinate to the Father, and that the Father alone is the Supreme God; fo I have thought proper, by way of introduction, to ftate the notion, and fhew in what fence I understand the feveral terms, of which the foregoing propofition is compofed. And this I am inclined to do upon three accounts. First, Becaufe if I fhould be in error, fuch error would be the better difcovered, and the more easily detected, For when we deliver our minds upon any fubject, in a way which makes it doubtful to others, what we really intend by it, this is offering an injury to ourselves; because others become unqualified to offer what is proper for our convic tion. Again, fecondly, I am inclined to it upon the account of my reader, that he might not be perplexed or mifled, by any thing which I might lay before him. Befides, this procedure is perfectly fair and equitable in it felf; and that is a third reafon for my acting in this way. To use words in a doubtful fence, that fo when we are preffèd in an argument, we may fly for fanctuary to what fence we please, and thereby guard against the force of

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