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. 8, 9. This is Mr. C's
' account of the matter.
It v/ill be proper to enquire what foundation
there is for this fenfe, in the hiftory. And
there we are told, that " Abram [for his name
" was not now Abraham] when he had heard
" that his brother hot was taken captive, he
11 armed, and led forth his trained, or difci-
" plined fervants, three hundred and eighteen,
<£ and purfued the victorious Ki?tgs unto Dan-,
c * where he divided his forces by night, or
" placed them in the moit advantagious form
c< for engagement : then he fmote them, and
" purfued them to Hobah, on the left fide
" Damafcus. And he [Abram] brought hack
rzV/? in his own family, but had now put
on the character of a warrior, together with
all the males of his family fit for arms, had
fucceeded in his expedition, and was met by a
prieft of that mofl high God, who had given
him the victory ; mult this pried offer and give
tithes of all to dbram f Of all what ? why,
fays Mr. C. " of all the bread and wine, that
" he had brought to refrefh Abram and his
" Company." This cannot furely be the cafe ;
for there would have been great impropriety
in Abram's having a tenth \ as he was but one
in five, fix, or more hundreds that wanted re-
freihment. And, in truth, this decimation
of Mr. C's is an abfurd thing, in his own ex-
plication ; becaufe, " the other nine parts were
" dift ributed, no doubt, fays he, among the reft
M of the people to nourifh and refrefh them."
So that, what was eat and drank by Abram's
fervants, was properly given to Abram : and
therefore, it is very abfurd to fuppofe, that
when the hiftory fays, that he gave him tithe's
of all, that this could mean, Melchizedek's
giving Abram the tenth of the bread and
wine, which he brought to refrefh him and
his company withal ; fince, the whole, or the
great ell part of this provifion would be ufed
by Abram and that part of his family, his
armed fervants, three hundred and eighteen !
It
Truth and modern- del fm at variance. 1 1
it muO then be referred to Ahram y and On
to his offering of a tenth to God, by Mdchize- M< 'chi*
dek, in thankful acknowledgment of the victory zedek,
he had given him. Indeed it mud be owned,
that Mr. C. is not fin gular in the fcnle he has
put upon the hiflory : for Mr. Pool, in his
Synopjis Criticorum y takes notice, " tome wiil
" have it that Melchizedek gave the tenths to
" Abram. Qui dam volunt Melch. dedifje deci~
" mas Abrahamo." - And he adds, " S6 feme
" of the jews. It a Hebrcei nonnulli" But
there appears no foundation for the opinion in
the hiftory. It could be no other tha< A-
bram y who gave the moit high God the tenths
of all. And we are not by any neee^nv ob-
liged to confine the all to what had b .n taken
by the Jive Kings from Abram\ Friends nd
Allies, tho* I have fuppoied this j for, if we
only allow, that the^w Kings had other fuh±
fiance with th-_m, befides fuch fpoii they had
taken from Abram 's Allies, we may apply the
all to that plunder : tho' I think it no way im-
proper to take in both. Which ev* r of thefe
ways we understand it, nothing feems more
plain, than that the tenths mufi be di -oil
which the viclory had entitled Jhnr unto,
and that constituted the eucharifiital-offering :
which acknowledgment Abram, at i not MeL
chizedefc, made to the moft high Cod,
Thus, from every light, it can be placed in,
the fenfe is obvious j and f: under' ood, Mr.
C. would have had no occafion for his obfer-
vation
12 I'ruth and modern- deifm at variance.
On vation on the author to the Hebrews j ch. vii.
Melchi-J. who fays, [referring to this bleffing of A-
zedek. brani\ that without all contradiction, the less
is bkjjed of the b e t t e r , or greater.
No, fays Mr. C. "a beggar may blefs, that
i7, &c. " who no doubt,
and " fays he, were appointed for that purpofe by
yacob. i choice, "Jofi. xxlv. 15.
they appear not to have been lo far rivetted in
their follies, but exprds repentance , /. e. fup-
pohng this the ftate of the cafe.
But, J am of opinion, [tho' for argument's
fake, I have fuppofed the worif of them,]
that thty, at this time, were not at r.il gone
into
Truth and modern -deifm at va?jance. 73-
into idolatn. The reasoning of the former On
chapter, and of this, would lead one to think Jerking
them no idolaters, Jojkua is only appre- the
hen live, that this might hereafter become the Lord.
cafe with them, upon their complete eftabliih-
ment, when in a fbto of fulneis, of uninter-
rupted peace, and tranquility., And the very
aniwer of the people will naturally lead one to
conclude, that they had not now become ido-
lattrsj for they fay, GoP forbid that ive
fl:ould forjake the Lord, toferve other gods !
Does, this look like the anfwer of a people
conlcions, at the fame time, ,of their being
idolaters ? Or, does it not rather exprefs the
utmoft abhorrence eXpreiTed by them of ido-
latry ? 1
■
To this Mr, C. will reply, " that Jojhua fays,
11 ver. 23. Now therefore put away the fir ange
cc gods that are among you , and incline your heart
" unto the Lord God o/'Ifrael. And that hence
tc it is piuin, that the Ifraelites retained and ve-
tc nercted the idols their fathers had ferved."
p. 92.
I think that this is not plain : it. feems more
plain, that many of the idols of the Canaanites
might yet remain in the land undefiroyed j but
lince. they had had experience, ocular de-
monftration, that they were wain and idle
things, whicii had Hood the Canaanites in no
itead- but they had every where fallen before
the arms of" Jjrxei; hence it is reafonable to
conclude,
74 tfruth and modern-deifm at variance.
On conclude, that they muft have the utmofl con-
serving tempt of idols, at this feafon. Neverthelefs
the fojhua, well knowing how vain men may be-
Lord. come, efpecially in eafy, full, and profperous cir-
cumifances ; he thus exhorts them, with great
earneftnefs, to put them away, and dejlroy
them, even all thofe idols, and to confider
them, as of the fame nature and kind, with
thofe of Terah the father of Nachor and of
Abraham, who ferved other Gods, — and not
the true God. jfo/h. xxiv. 2.
It is farther evident, that this exhortation,
has reference to their after- conducJ, and not
to the character of their prefent difpofition,
from Jofhua's writing their promiies and vows
in a book, and erecting a memorial-pillar, fojh.
xxiv. 27. which was to be a witnefs unto them :
by their recollecting on what occafion it was
erected, lefi at any time they floould deny their
God. They were immediately to deftroy the
idols of the Canaanites that were in the land.
And fee to it, that in after-times, they did not
become idolaters.
It is fo far from being probable, that the
Ifraelites had at this time gone into idolatry,
or retained and venerated the idols of their fa-
thers, whilil they made war with the Ca-
naanites, that it was morally impojjiblc. The
hiftorian has never faid it was their cafe : fo
that for any thing Mr. C. has laid or can fay,
from the hiflory, the fecond fenfe he has men-
tioned of ferving the Lord, was juftly appli-
cable to Ifrael during the whole time of
jfofhua's
Truth and modern- dcifm at variance. 75
Jo/hua's campaign, and even at the time of On
his thus exhorting the people. ferving
the
His third fenfe of ferving the Lord we have Lord.
p. 92. " Sometimes, fays he, it implies, the
" executing vengeance, on thofe whom God
" has appointed to deftruction, or, at leaft,
" on thofe who were declared to be thus de-
ft fined, by the men who afTumed the cha-
> which furely was not quite lb
proper.
However, if this woman cannot be charged
with lewdnefs, Mr. C. will charge her with
treachery : and yet, from the hiftory, lhe did
no otherwife than what became a wife and vir-
tuous woman to do. Her full conviction ap-
pears, Jo/Jj. ii. 9, 10, n. I know, fays Rahab
to the men, I know that the Lord has given
you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon
us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint,
or melt becaufe of you. For we have heard-
how the Lord dried up the water of the Red-
Sea jor y oil, when you came out of Egypt ; and
what you did unto the two Kings of the Amorites
that were on the other fide Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom ye utterly deftroyed i and as foon as
we heard, our hearts did ?nclt, neither did, there
remain any 'more courage in any man, becaufe of
you : for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven
above, and in earth beneath. This looks much
like a pious confefiion.
Allowing Rahab to have feen tilings in this
light, what charge of treachery can lie againil
her ? To have done otherwife, mull have ar-
gued the utmoft ftupidity and folly, as well as
impiety! and had fhe not been perfuaded of
the truth of it, fhe would fcarce, have rifqued
her own life, and that of all her family, as ftiQ
did, by hiding the fpies. For the hazard fhe
had run of their lives, is one ground and rcafon
of
Truth and modern-dcifm at variance. 8§
of her plea, that their lives might be fpared On
together with her own. ferving
the
" The deftruBion of 'Jericho is the fubjec"r. Lord.
" of a declamation, p. 97. as if upon the foot
11 of a majacre."
Yet before fnch liberties had been taken, it
fhould have been proved, that the Jews, un-
der the conduct of Jofiua, had not had fuf-
ficient proof, of its being the judicial appoint-
ment of God. and that it was fome way in-
connftent with his moral character.
That the innocent, or lefs nocent, fhould fall
with the guilty, was quite confiftent with o-
ther inftances of God's judicial proceedings
with cities, ftates, and kingdoms. -But the
permiffion or appointment is not chargeable
with any injuftice j becaufe, this is not the
la/i fate of exiftence into which men fhall
come. A retribution will open and explain
the whole pkn of providence; and reconcile
the mod knotty and difficult appearances of it s
Even fuch, which have no apparent reafon af-
figned of them, but was not the cafe of the
Canaanites dejiriiflion .
However, nothing can efcape the lafli of
Mr. C. " he rallies the folly of fending men
*' to fpy the land, when God had engaged, by
" promi/e y for their iuccefs." p. 95.
Mr. C. as an anti-revelationiil, is become a
very loofe writer ; and therefore fometimes dif-
M ficult
86 Truth and ?nodern~deifm at variance.
On ficult to be underftood : yet, if I underftand
ferving him here, he has his eve to Mofes's fending
the one man of every tribe, to fpy out the land,
Lord. Numb. xiii. For he fays afterwards, that thefe
J fpies went to Jericho ; that is, thofe who had
been foolish ly Jhit out to Jpy the land.
Mofes did it, no doubt, to fatisfy the people,
by adding the teftimony of a witnefs from every
tribe, to avouch the truth of what he had been
inftructed to tell them concerning the land of
Canaan. 4 The fpies all do agree in the fruit-
4 fulnefs of the country : ytt the majority of
4 them are intimidated, from the obfervations
4 they had made of the inhabitants. Upon
4 which the people murmur againft: Mofes y
4 and againft Aaron ; even the whole congre-
4 gation. So that hereupon God declares to
4 them by Mcfes i that they fhould wander in
4 the wWdevnefs forty years y even till the car-
4 caffes of all the grown perfons who had
4 murmured, fhould have fallen in the wil-
4 dernefs ; and not one of them mould enter
4 this promikd land, but jofiua and Caleb.
4 And thofe very men who brought the evil
4 report, actually and immediately died by the
4 plague before the Lord.' Numb. xiii. and
xiv. chap.
By what authority does Mr, C. charge with
folly the fending of the fpies ? If we may rely
on the hiftory, the only authentic memoir, it
was wifely done ; and their murmuring gave
occalion of fuch a teflimony to the promife be-
in?
tfrztth and modern-deifm at variance, Sy
ing made by God, and to the divine million of On
Mofes, that was well fuited to confirm ihctfjerying
faith in them : and reconcile that people to the
conduct under Jofiua, his fucceflbr, as became Lord,
proper for them.
Mr. C. has ov^ rooked this. He has not
confidertd, that by reafon of the Ifraelites
murmuring at the talk, affigned them, by that
Lord, who had divided the Red-Sea for them,
after the miracles wrought in Egypt , that there
is the fpace of forty years appointed for their
wandering, or their different journeyings in a
barren- defart : all which time they were to be
fed from the immediate hand of God by bread
from heaven. That to convince Ifrael, that
God had defigned them to be the executioners of
his vengeance upon the idolatrous Canaanite na-
tions, ten of the twelve fpies who brought the
evil report about the land, immediately die by
a plague. That all the murmurers at the
appointment are threatened with death ; and
fhall have their carcalTes fall in the wildernefs
within the fpace of forty years j and fo be de-
prived of any advantage from the promife of a
good land for an inheritance. That the two
fpies only, who had brought a. faithful and good
report, and who were willing to have relied on
the power of God, and to have put in execu-
tion the appointment, {hall outlive the forty
years, and have an actual pofTeffion in the good
land. Mr. C. I fay, has not obferved how the
accompli 'Jhment of thefe things gave full and
undeniable evidence of its being a divine ap-
M 2 paintment;
88 Truth and modern- deifm at variance.
On pointment : and proved, that Mofes's commif-
ferving lion was from the true God. -Had he duly
the confidered thefe things, he would not have fo
Lord, boldly ventured, in the manner he afterward
does, [a; I ihall take notice] to have charged
that generation of Jews, which did put the
decree in execution, with murder, and inhu-
man barbarity : tho' it mould happen to be
fuch a fenle of Jcrving the Lord, as is confined
to the execution of his vengeance.
And moreover, when it is added, that the
forty years miraculous prefervation of this vail
number of people in the wildernefs, proved to
be a flay of the execution of the fentence de-
nounced againft the Canaanites, or an oppor-
tunity given them of learning and concluding,
that the God of Jfrael was the only true God,
the adventure of fuch an opprobrious charge
will be more perilous.
Pray tell,— — what folly does hence appear
in Mofes's fending the fpies ?
Mr. C. feems in that 95th page to intend
the fame men fent out by Mo/es, and after-
wards by Jojhua : but I mail take no advan-
tage of this blunder, more than to obferve,
that it is of a piece with his other obfer-
vations.
Mr. C. will have it, that Jo/hua's manage-
ment of the fiege of Ai, and his defeat in the
jirfl attack, p. 98, 99. was a notable inflance
of the fallacy of the pretence of being under
(Qod's direction. For, fays Mr. C. " this de-
" feat
Truth and modern-deifm at variance. 89
c< feat put Jq/hua into the utmoft confufion at On
" firji, till he had recovered himfelf, and thro' ferving
" his great penetration and fagacity he had the
" found out an expedient to revive the courage Lord.
:d thus and thus have
I done ', Jolh. vii. 20. He owns great guilt,
tho' Mr. C. treats what he had done, and the
charge of crime ludicroufly. Nay, he had hid
in the earth, in the midft of his tent, the
thing he coveted, becaufe he knew it to be
accurfed, ver. 21. every token, every mark of
guilt, and capital offence does appear !
Yet, with Mr. C. Achan is innocent, and
his punimment unjuji. At the fame time,
this V/riter pretends to have all his enquiries
about Achan wholly directed by the h if lory.
But furely, no man can be a more partial and
unrighteous commentator than he.
The hiftory of the tenth chapter of Jc/hua %
like wife gives him offence, " becaufe of the
i: hailftones diicomfitting the armies of the
" five Kings of the Amoritcs" p.. 102.
But who can help it ? it is not to be won-
der'd at, that a man, who allows of no par-
N ticular
g4 Truth and modern* dcifm at variance.
On ticular' providence, fhould diflike any account
ferving of wonderful interpofals. And he thinks,
the c that the flopping of the diurnal motion of
Lord. c the earth, was quite needlefs; fince the fame
thing might have been effected by that other
- miracle, namely, the hailftones.' I readily
grant, that the fame thing might have been
effected in both cafes, by the miracle of large
hail. But pray why may there not be variety
in the miraculous, as well as in the ordinary
appearances of providence ? Does not the Deity
appear more adorable, when men are more
influenced and imprefled by fuch variety f
If miraculous interpolations had been always in
one unvaried form ; the epithet would not
have belong'd to them. Nay, in the nature
of things, it mould feem that a train of mi-
racles muff be varied, and uncommon appear-
ances.
Mr. C. that he may avoid the force of mi-
racles, afks this queition, " What ajfurance
1 ave we, that any miraculous power, was
rciied by, or among the Ijraehtes, to
countenance this commffTion ? If it fhould
be fid, that the credit of thole miracles is
fujjiciently fupported by the hiftory, in
which they c*re recorded : Anlwer, then I
fear cur arguments mufr end in a circular
dance-, the credit or the hiilories is fup-
ported by the miracles, and the credit of
the miracles is fupported by the hiftorics"
, 119, 120.
He
yratb and modern-deijm at •variance k 05
He well law, that if the miracles were ere- On
dible^ the tef.imony was full for the divinity ferbtng
of the com mi (lion : and therefore he would the
fee the/e afide. But under* f.vour, Mr. C. is Lord.
obliged upon his own rule of argument, ':o
admit as fully the truth of miracles^ as the
truth of the fact of dcftro;>ing the Canaanites :
i. e. if the Hifiory, that only authentic memoir ±
be his guide, as he fays it fliall be. And
therefore his whole argument, is a vain, idle
parade ; that is to lay, if he rejects the authen-
tic teftimony of the commiffion b.ing from
God, in order, that he may vilify and con-
demn a facl^ unjuftly, arbitrarily bereav'd of
its legal defence. Such treatment, in a court
of judicature, Mr. C. would think no language
poignant enough to reproach !
He goes on inveighing againft the destruc-
tion of the Canaanites as a mod: inhuman^
fiocki?2g carnage ! but he does not attend at
all to the inhuman character and carnage of
thefe idolaters, when they fell on the rear of
Iirae/j and of whom the fpies faid, that they
cat one another. See Numb. xiii. 32. a land
that eateth up the inhabitants thereof. — Cani-
bals. — So, I chufe to underftand the words,,
And if we look over their mofl hateful cha-
racter, one can fcarce fuppoie or imagine any
thing too favage, too bafe, too vile for them
to practife.
I do not underftand this to be any part of
the falfe report which the fpies delivered j but
reckon that conufted in reprefenting the enor-
N 2 mous
g6 Truth and mcdem-deifm at variance.
On mousfze, and incredible flrength, and fere eiiejs
fervi?ig of the whole inhabitants ! Such fort of re-
the ports concerning the Highlanders, Mr. C. may
Lord, remember, did greatly intimidate the minds of
South-Britons : tho' it was no more than an
artihee of men, of either daftardly, or of poi-
Jbifd i infefted fpirits, who could meditate the
banijhment of Liberty from thefe Kingdoms!
It was much owing to the artful fpread, of their
being quite an unequal match for E?iglif:men i
that they made ib undiilurb'd a march into
the heart of England. But the report of the
yew-fpies concerning the Canaanites as being
Canibals, I think very confiftent with their
real character, or, with the truth of the cafe :
for this account, tho' deliver'd by the timid or
evil-minded fpies, is no where contradicted.
Commentators indeed underftand the phrafe, a
land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof ; to
intend, their deftroying one another by civil
wars. But this, I prefume, is an improper
fenfe, when put in the mouths of thefe fpies :
fince what they faid was to di [courage and not
to encourage : which this latter fenfe muft
greatly contradict. But the character of men-
eaters would convey a moft flocking, favage
idea of the inhabitants.
There is no analogy, where Mr. C. fays there
is one, viz. " between the Ifraelites thus ferv-
<{ ing the Lord, by executing his ve??geance upon
*' an irreclaimable, abandoned people. And
" yohn xvi. 2. The time comet h y that whofo-
11 ever
Truth and modern-deifm at variance. gy
" ever killeth you will think that he doth God On
" fervice ; tho' killing men is the fubject of ferving
"both." p. 108.
In the one cafe, they had the fnlleft tefti-
mony that could poffiblybe given, of its being
the will of God, by an apparatus of miracles.
In the other, men have no teftimony at
all ; but ftand condemned by every law both
of God, and of civil fociety that is humanized.
In the one cafe, idolatry and enormous vice is
the reafon of the appointment ; in the o-
ther, religion, human liberty, a love of truth,
and a firm attachment to it, is the reafon of
the killing. In the one, the very execu-
tioners of divine vengeance, are threatened
w r ith equal deftruBion, and an utter extirpation,
if they copy after the example and cuftoms of
thefe irreligious and wicked nations they de-
firoy. In the other cafe, they who kill,
are threatned, in the revelation, with everlaft-
ing deftruction for the doing fo : forafmuch as
the killing of another, merely becaufe of reli-
gious fentiment, fuppofeth, no eternal life abiding
in him who killeth.
Thelate rebellion, " fuppofed to have fuc-
-conftitution, they were obliged to treat
with JriendJJjip, and admit among them every
Jlrangcr, that would embrace the true religion,
or own and worfhip the one fupr erne God.
And the very cafe of the Gibeonites is fully in
evidence : for tho' they uled deception to fave
their lives, yet the great plea they offer to pre-
vail for a league with Ijrael, is, the reverence
they had of the name of the Lord God of lirael,
foJJj. ix. 9. And this league they had made with
J/rael, was all the reafon which the five Kings
had to make war upon Gibcon. Farther, —
It is very probable that great numbers of the
Canaanites, who were porTeiled of feme huma-
nity, fled to Egypt, and made up thofe cclo?iies
that fettled there under the Pastor-Kings.
Dr. Winder, in his hijlory of know-
ledge, I think, has made it very probable,
" that thefe invaders of Egypt, were Canaa-
" nites, who fled from before jq/Jjua about
" the middle of his conquefts. They had en-
if couragement
Truth and modern- deifm at variance. 99
" couragemcnt from the weak fate the Egyp- On
Age 14. line 20. dele fmce. p. 19. 1. 1. dele comma.
p. 29. 1. 21. for plains, r. complains, p. 66. 1. 7. r.
fotf from. p. 74. 1. 8. dele comma after &W. p. 92. 1. ult.
for when, r. with. p. 93. 1. 1. dele zvben. p. 96. 1. penult,
for a period, put a colon, p. 98. 1. 7. r. //;«f /'»
io3
Letter to a Friend,
Containing felcdt remarks upon the
Rev. Dr. Ifaac Watts\ treatife,
entitled, the glory of Chriji^ as
God-man. iC^Y.SoS-
To Mr. -
Dear Sir,
T your requeft, I have read over
and remarked upon Dr. Watts 1 *
Glory of Chrift, &c. and now pre-
fent you and the public with my
obfervations.
Pref. p. 6. He defcribes " our Saviour
fC as a complex perfon, God and man united,
" fo as to make up one complex agent, one
" intellectual compound being, God joined
£C with man, fo as to become one common
" principle of action and paffion. jfokn xiv.
" 10. the God, and the man are one." — —
Could the Doctor defend this, his fcheme
might ftand well enough. But it appears to
be abfolutely impoffible from the nature of
the pure, uncompound, immutable, infinite
Spirit, that he mould be fo united : and the
O 2 difference
J 04 A Letter to a Friend.
difference between created, and increated, muft
eternally remain between the God, and the
man. One intellectual being cannot become a
compound of intellectuals : or God, and man
can never fo unite as to become one intellectual
compound being. God is eternally impaffible,
as unchangeable -, and cannot therefore undergo
any union with another being, that would
make him one common principle of aBion and
pajjion.
Ibid. " The child Jefus, on this account,
is called, the mighty God. Efay ix. 6. And
God's own blood, is mention'd, A5ls xx. 28.
And the intimate and prefent union allows
him to fay, John x. 38. and ver. 30. I a?n
in the father, and the father in me, &c,"
The union cannot be perfonal, as is here
fuppofed, but moral. It is of the fame nature
and kind with that which fubfifts between his
difciples, and him, and his father. But if it
implied one common principle of aBion and paf-
fon, the perfect nature of God mult be
changed. If not changed, then the Saviour
could undergo no real fuffciing, nor be capable
of any real reward. For fays the Doctor, p. 92.
" the Godhead is incapable of any rewards,
" nor can a God be rewarded at all."- — The
God and the man could have no fuch union,
becaufe the will of the Saviour, was fubject to
the will of afuperior. This will gives him law,
on which account he calls him his holy and
righteous Father. And the God rewarded the
obedience
A Letter to a Friend. 105
obedience of the man. The union then
could not imply one com??ion principle of action
and paffion.
Page 48. " The Godhead is generally al-
" lowed to be one and the fame in all the
" three perfons."
The Doctor does not allow it in his ufeful and
important queftions, &c. for, p. 162. he has laid,
that we are not exprefly, plainly, and par-
ticularly informed, whether the Spirit be a
really diftinct principle or power of God;
or has a proper diftinct perfonality of him-
felf : fo neither are we required to worjhip
him, in any text of the Bible that I can
find."
Here, the perfonality of the fpirit is not
found at all. And yet the Godhead of the
three Perfons is now afTerted ! But if the
Godhead of the Spirit is one and the fame
with the Godhead of the Father, worfoip is
due. Yet, it can be one and the fame, in
none but one and the fame. i. e. If Godhead
means abfolute, infinite perfection. And this
fenfe of Godhead can belong to none but the
Father. See p. 48. " The Father always
" maintains the character of the invifible
" God."
Bat the Son never once claims this cha-
racter ; hence the Godhead, or what is im-
plied in the character of the invifible God, can-
not be one and the fame, in the Father and
in the Son. The Godhead dwelling bodily
in
io6 A Letter to a Friend.
in the Son, left them as different as an habi-
tation and an inhabitant are. And becaufe the
Godhead is faid to dwell bodily in the Son,
but never is faid fo to dwell in the Spirit ; the
Godhead is not one and the fame in all the
three Perfons. Nay, there are not three Per-
fonalities with which it can be fo much as re-
Jide?2t 3 in the above fenfe of the Doctor.
Page 62. " There is an infinite diftance
" between the great God, and a mere crea-
" ture, even the mofr, excellent creature, and