■ 
 
 ■ 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 s 
 
 i 

 
 ii . - ■ I ■ li J l I . 1 I I II I ■ ■ * ■ e\ 
 
 
 REFLEXIONS 
 
 UPON 
 
 Mr. TOLANDs BOOK, 
 
 CALLED 
 
 Chriflianity not Myflerious : 
 
 WITH SOME 
 
 CONSIDERATIONS 
 
 About the life of 
 
 Reafon in Matters of RELIGION. 
 
 In a Letter to a Friend. 
 
 Cije JaeconU C&tttom 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for M. Wotton, at the Three. Daggtrs 
 in Fleet-fir eet. 1 70 1 .
 
 f
 
 SRIE 
 URL 
 
 ADVERTISEMENT 
 
 T THE 
 
 DEADER 
 
 THE Ftrft Edition of this PaPer m 
 mong the Occafional Papered f m 
 B« tie Convocation iwiW fi'^f 
 
 y*7 f» ** Book that istrii T -° 
 
 thought fit to reprint it, and by iff T^" 
 any relation to thofe other J>2 J ?-\ Wtthout: 
 paniedthe Erf} £dSn . thtp H* ""<""' 
 * without thinkin? thernCelf P k ""* ha ™ 
 
 *° -pleat a Seft tZtZr/^ ^^ 
 Proper to gi ve this N ™ $**» thought 
 
 tie other Edition /houU Vl ' who ha ™ 
 tiarge to buy this " * *" to * nm 
 
 8B3S32 R e fl ea 
 
 lOflS
 
 ( I ) 
 
 
 
 R E F L E X l \ - , . 
 
 UN) N 
 
 Mr. To/and s BOOK 
 
 ? 
 
 CALLED 
 
 Chriftianity not Myfierious :. 
 
 s I R, 
 
 ■"-w~-^Here having nothing new appeared in the 
 World fince my laft to you 5 which de- 
 1 fcrves any great Ammadverfion, \ would 
 -^ take this Opportunity to give you a ftiort 
 Account of a Matter now much in dilcourfe $ oc- 
 cafioned by our late Controverfies with the Soring 
 <wt : and particularly by Mr. Tolanrfs Book, about 
 Mjjieries in Religion. That Book has indeed been 
 honour'd with Refk&ions from a Great Hand, B P'^r 
 which may jufay now fuperfede my Labour in the ^.'oni 
 Matter $ but that being done only at the latter end Trb$* 
 
 B of
 
 (*) 
 
 of a Book filled with great Variety of Matter, and 
 Abundance of Learning $ and upon that account I 
 am afraid not of fueh general Ufe: I believe that 
 ftill a (hort and plain Account of that Matter by it 
 felf, may not be unprofitable. 
 
 In doing this I fhall, Ftrfi, take notice of fome 
 things in his Book, which I think dilhonourable to 
 G^d, and dangerous to Religion $ not intending 
 however to rerlecl: upon all tint is erroneous, but on- 
 iy upon thofe things that are of greateft Confequencc 
 in this Controverfie of the Myfieries of Faith. 
 
 Secondly, I (hall (hew you as clearly, and in as lit- 
 tle room as I can, what is the true Ufe of Reafbn in 
 Matters of Religion $ with particular Application to 
 the Doctrines relating to the Blefled Trinity being 
 the Matters chiefly aimed at in this Controverfie. 
 
 Mr. T d begins his Book with what he calls 
 
 Stating the Controversies where, after he has repre- 
 fented his Adverfaries Opinions, as Men ufe to do 
 thofe things they have a mind to expofe, he tells 
 us in fhorc what his own Thoughts are } We hold 
 that Reafon ts the only Foundatigu of all Certitude $ and 
 that "othing revealed, whether as to its Manner y or 
 Exiftence, is more exempted from its Difquiption, than 
 
 the ordinary P lamomena of nature That there is 
 
 nothing in the Gofpel contrary to Reafon, or above it , 
 ar.'X that no Chrijiian Do&rinc can be properly cdVd a 
 Myjiery. 
 
 But perhaps we (hall fee his Opinion more 
 cV arly in this Mater, if we confijer what he 
 iays in his J hid Chapter 5 where he diftinguimes 
 
 between
 
 between the Means cf Information, ana the urcunas 
 
 of Perfuafion. 
 
 The Means of Information, he lays, wew/J? 
 BXfjj whereby any thing comes barely to our Know- 
 ledge without neceprily commanding our Jffent. A- 
 mong thefe Means of Information he reckons Hu- 
 mane and Divine Authority. So that according to '"* 
 this, the Authority of God does no more than 
 barely bi in? Matters to his Knowledge, but does 
 not neceilanly command his Aflent. I hope the 
 Reader will not think that I mif reprefent Mr. To- 
 land, for I allure him that they are his own Words, 
 and that not recked by halves, but fully. He 
 does indeed take the liberty to contradid himfeli 
 in this Pa^e with refpect to Humane Authority, 
 where he tells us, lhat Matters of Fact, duly at- 
 tejieel by Coevous Per fans as {nown to them, and by 
 others of different Times, Nations, or Interefts, who 
 could neither be impofed upon themfelves, nor be juji- 
 ly fnfptUed of combining together to deceive others, 
 ought to be received by us as certain and undubi ta- 
 ble, as if we had fen it with our eyes And a 
 
 little after he fays , When all thefe Rules concur in 
 any Matter of FaU, I take it then for a demonftra- 
 tion, which is nothing elfe but irrefifiible Evidence 
 from proper Proofs. So that though Rcafon be the 
 only Foundation of all Certitude, and Authority be 
 not a Ground of Perfuafon, but a thing only that 
 brings matters, barely to our knowledge, yet at the 
 fame time it may be a proper Proof, be a Demonjira- 
 tion, and carry irrejiflible Evidence along with it. 
 
 But let us fee whether fo much may be laid of , 
 Divine Authority as is here faid of Humane 5 but 
 for this he refers us to Sett. II. Ch. 2. Where he 
 
 B 2 recurrs
 
 ( 4 ) 
 
 recurrs to the diftin&ion before- mentioned , and 
 tells us, That Revelation is not a netejf/tating Motive 
 of Ajfe?it, but a Means of Information 5 we fiould 
 not confound the way whereby we come to the know- 
 ledge of a thing , with the grounds wc have to be - 
 lieve it. A Man may inform me concerning a thou- 
 fand Matters I never heard of before, and of which 
 I fljould not fo much as think >ifl were not told $ yet 
 I believe nothing upon his Word, without Evidence 
 in the things themfelves. Not the bare Authority of 
 him that fpeahj , hut the clear Conception I form of 
 what he fays fa the Ground of my Perfuafion. Which 
 Words I mud leave to the confederation of the 
 Chriftian Reader, though I hope for his Reputa- 
 tion, that he does not mean quite fo wickedly as 
 he fpeaks j bat that he does think the Authority of 
 God a fufficient reafon, why he ought to believe 
 fbme things, as he acknowledges more than once 
 in this Book, though in direct Contradiction to 
 what he here lays down. 
 
 But then it's plain that this diflinclion of his, 
 which he makes the chief Foundation of his Book, 
 is perfectly falfe and frivolous ; for the reafon 
 why I believe any thing true, is certainly the' 
 Ground of my Perfualion about it 5 and therefore 
 if I believe any thing true, becaufc God has laid 
 it, God's Authority mud certainly be the Ground 
 of that Perfualion. 
 
 I would ask Mr. T. whether he believes the Uni- 
 vcrfal Deluge, the Deftru&ion of Sodom, and the 
 like } 1 do not queftion but he will fay he does. 
 But why does he believe thefe things ? perhaps 
 he'll fay, becaufe he has a clear and diilincl Idea 
 of them, fo that he fees they are poffible : But 
 
 that
 
 ( 5 ) 
 
 that only proves that they may be , and what things 
 only may be, may not be too 5 but why does he be- 
 lieve that thefe things really were ? I am fure he 
 can make no other fenfible Anfwer, but that God 
 has faid Co, and he ought to believe him. So that 
 the Authority of God is the Rcafon of his Belief, 
 and the Ground of his Perfuafion about them. 
 His own Idea's, though never Co clear and di- 
 ftincr, can at moft prove them only poilible, but 
 can never prove them true. 
 
 I would now confider a little his Grounds of Page lg# 
 Verfuafwn, or that Rule tvhcreby we judge of all 
 Truth, and which irrefijiibly convinces the Mind. 
 
 This, he tells us, is Evidence, and it confifts in Pa & e l8 > 
 the exalt Conformity of our Ideas or Thoughts with 
 their ObjeUs, or the things we thinly upon : which is 
 a good Definition of Truth, but not of Evidence. 
 If my Thoughts and Conceptions agree with the 
 Natures of things, my Conceptions are then true 
 and juft 5 but they may be Co very often, when 
 I am not, and perhaps cannot be certain that they 
 are Co. Many Perfons are in the right, who at 
 the fame time are much afraid that they are in the 
 wrong $ Co that it is one thing to think truly, and 
 another thing to have Certainty and Evidence 
 that I do Co. Befides that Men may have true 
 Idea's of what never was , nor is ever like to 
 be in the World. If a Per fori mould tell me, that 
 he had feen a Country in America, where the 
 Mountains were all Gold, and the Men all forty 
 Foot hii'h, and the Trees all half a Mile about - y 
 though I have a very clear Conception of all thefe 
 things, yet I mould believe him never the more 
 tor that. And on the other C^^ though God has 
 
 told
 
 ( 6) 
 
 tcld me that be has referred for good Men in 
 the other World , what neither eye has feen, nor 
 ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of 
 man to conceive 5 though perhaps this Author may 
 laugh at me for believing unintelligible Myfteries, 
 and without clear Idea's, yet I muft confefs I be- 
 lieve God never the lefs for that. If he hacr 
 thought fit to make the matter more clear to me, 
 my Knowledge might have been fomething more 
 imprpv'd ■> but my Faith is the fame now it would 
 have been then: and perhaps this anfwers the 
 end of the Revelation as well as that would have 
 done} which was not to make me a greater Philofo- 
 pher, but a better Man, and toincourage me to hold 
 out againft all the Temptations of this World, by ; 
 the hopes of that great, though unknown Happi- 
 nefs of the other. Thus again 5 if God mould 
 tell me that all the Stars were filled with Inhabi- 
 tants of a very different kind from any thing in this 
 Earth, and much Nobler 5 here.it would be a. hard 
 matter for me to have any clear Idea's 5 but yet 
 1 mould believe God, and be very thankful for 
 the Pvcvelation} and fuch a Revelation might be 
 of good ufe to me : it might raife my Thoughts 
 of God, who has fuch abundance of Creatures un- 
 known tome at his Service : it might make me more 
 admire him for communicating his Good nefs (b 
 largely, and give me a truer Scheme of the Sy- 
 ftem of the World, than I now have. But I muft 
 confefs I do not fee how this Author could upon 
 his Principles believe either of thefe things 5 for 
 here is nothing of his Ground of Perfuajion^ no 
 clear Idea's, no examining the manner of its exit- 
 ing 5 thefe are things he can never fee through, 
 
 and
 
 < 7 ) 
 
 and therefore they are not capable of being 1 
 meafared by' 'that Rnle w.hznhy he judgeth of all 
 Truth. 
 
 I come now to con -Icier the Two main Afiertions 
 of his Bock, of -'which iif 3 can give a -good Ac- 
 count, all the .-refti of the. Hedk muit fcf it felf 
 tall to the ground; [J 
 
 The Fir ft is, That no DoBr.hjs of the Gofpel is 
 contrary to Reafonx, 
 
 The Second iv That there isnothwg.mfflerioHs, „ 
 m tbi&fpei, or a bow Rexfon. 30 
 
 d ; 
 
 As for the Firfi of thefe: I ftiall readily grant 
 him, that there is nothing contrary to R.ealbn 5 
 that there is aoiibing in the Go%el but what , i» 
 we could fully understand the nature of it,- we 
 motddfthd asjre&ablerto the highett Keafon,} and. 
 that if there be any thing that ieerns to be other- 
 wife, it is only (o, becauie our Capacities cannot 
 reach it. 
 
 'Ba-f dfedvcvnt tatLrie our Author, wfl«)..fty ., 
 That- a\ foaditfg 'ContradiUion is to tts the . fism Fags %% 
 thing as a red om% and therefore that no.thirrg 
 which items 10 contrary to Fvehfon, can be ad- 
 tn tried an ^7 more than if it were fuppofed really 
 
 tQBbte"fO; 
 
 Hi Arxfaw; t© this-, >I grant, thiat' if tall things 
 ednfkJerrisI,:^ am fully vperfuaded that any ihf. 
 is agaiuft. lleafon, and involves a Contradiction 5 
 fuch a fefjuitig Conuadiehou is to me as a rtai .one, 
 and*, oafcghv ftp be fo ; reputed & for I . cm [judge of 
 thmgs noiiothefwifcy than as a^Qr^ybtttahae3 : tcn~ 
 fidcrM^ they' appear- to me. But. if the mi'iurc of 
 
 tlv
 
 ( 8 ) 
 
 the thing be fuch, that I difcern plainly that I cannot 
 fee thro* it 5 and that therefore the Difficulties and 
 Abfurdities that appear, may not be fb for any thing 
 I know 5 fuch Appearances as thefe ought to be no 
 Hinderance to my Belief of the things if I have 
 upon other Accounts fufficient Re3lbn to believe 
 that God has revealed it : For notwithftanding any 
 Difficulties of this kind, take the thing by it felf 
 without Revelation , and it may be true for 
 any thing I know ■-, But if God once fays it, then it 
 certainly mu(t be true 5 and no Difficulties of this 
 kind mould be any Obje&ion againft the Revelati- 
 on n but we oueht to receive the Evidence of 
 that with all indifference 5 becaufe if my Reafon 
 tells me plainly that I cannot get to the Bottom of 
 it, that the Matter is out of my Reach, it muft leave 
 it to be determind another way. 
 
 I believe, Sir, you are fatisfled that there are a 
 great many things of this kind in Religion, which 
 fcrve the Intereft of no Party : And if this Author 
 has half the Learning he pretends to, he muft have 
 found abundance of them 5 and that they have not 
 been kept up as Myfteries, but that Learned Men 
 in all Ages have done the belt they can to give Light 
 to them, and to clear the Difficulties : But that not- 
 withftanding all that has been faid about them, there 
 are great Difficulties ftill remain $ and for ought ap- 
 pears , are ftill like to do fo till we get to Heaven, 
 where we fhall not know in part, as we do in this 
 World, but JJjall know even as we are kpown. 
 
 I am fully fatisfled that I have a Freedom of 
 Will, and a Liberty of determining my felf as in 
 Reafon I judge fitteft % and of this befides other 
 good Arguments, I have the fame Evidence that I 
 
 have
 
 ( 9 ) 
 
 have that I fee or hear, the Evidence of inter- 
 nal Senfe and Feeling. And as I am perfuaded 
 of this, fo I am alfo that God fees all my Thoughts, 
 even long before I think them 5 but how to recon- 
 cile thefe two together, I mud contefs I cannot 
 tell 5 and I perceive Learned Men of all forts as 
 much at a lofi about it as my felf. That an uncer- 
 tain thing mould be certainly forefeen 5 that God 
 mould certainly forefee a thing that is not cer- 
 tainly to come to puis D or, that what muft certainly 
 cometopafs, mould (till be uncertain, and contin- 
 gent, and under the Freedom of our Wills ^ 
 Thefe, with the Author's good Leave, I muft call 
 great Myfteries. 
 
 This Author feems very well finished that there 
 are fuch things in the World as immaterial Beings $ 
 this he inters very well, becaufe he feels fome- 
 thing in himfelf that can think, which he can no 
 way conceive to be in the power of meer Mat- 
 ter, in which I think he judges very rightly : But 
 can he anfwer all the Difficulties that attend thefe 
 immaterial Beings ? and have not a great many 
 laughed at thefe things as the Myfteries of Priefts, 
 as he does at fome others that have lefs difficultv in 
 them ? Can he tell how the Soul is in the Body, 
 or how it actuates it ? Can he give any account 
 how it is more poftible for a Soul to move a Body, 
 than it is for a Body to think without a Soul ? 
 
 I do indeed believe it more pollible 5 but I can- 
 not anfwer the difficulties of the one, any more 
 than I can of the other. Whatfoever moves ano- 
 ther thing muft do it by contact, either immediate 
 or mediate, or elfe by willing and commanding 5 
 but neither of thefe can be apprehended in this 
 
 C cafe 3 
 
 /
 
 ( «o ) 
 
 cate? not contaft , becaufe that has place only in 
 Bodies, which have Extenfion and Parts : not by 
 willing and commanding, becaufe that fuppofes 
 fomething that understands the Command , which 
 Matter cannot do. In (hort, though it be (b evi- 
 dent to fenfe, yet it is very hard to conceive, that 
 there mould be any fuch thing as Motion in the 
 World; that either Matter mould move of it felf, 
 or that any thing elfe which is not Matter, fhould 
 be able to do it. 
 
 To conclude this Head : Let us but confider the 
 various Methods of the Providence of God, the 
 Manner whereby he upholds all Creature* in their 
 Being, or a (lifts them in their A&ions, or the Me- 
 thods he has in all Ages and Nations made ufe of 
 to govern them , and we fhall find a vaft Scene 
 of Difficulties and Objections, which the wifeft 
 Men in all Ages have not been able to anfvver 5 
 and indeed no other wife Anfwer can be given, 
 but that GocPs ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts 
 our thoughts \ that God is very Great, his Methods 
 unfearchable, and bk Ways paji finding out. 
 
 I hope this Author will not think it advifeable 
 to disbelieve either the Providence of God, or the 
 Juftice and Goodnefs of it, till all thefe difficulties 
 can be cleared } if he do, my Opinion is, that he 
 will do much more Service to God and the World 
 by endeavouring to clear them, than by writing 
 fuch Books as this I am now reflecting upon. But 
 whatever he thinks of that, I believe moft People 
 will agree with me in this, that it had been much 
 more decent for him to have given the World an 
 Eflay of his Skill, in making plain iome of thofe 
 things which have exercifed ib much the Thoughts 
 
 of
 
 y 
 
 MO 
 
 of confidering Men, before he had ventured to be 
 too dogmatical: And this is what would have con- 
 vinced the World much better than the Method he 
 has taken 5 for bold Allertions never make any 
 thing plainer than it was before. 
 
 I hope by this time I have made it pretty plain 
 that there are many things in Religion which muO: 
 be believed, if we will have any Religion at all, 
 though we can't quite get to the bottom of them, 
 or be able to give an Anfwer to all the fieming Ab- 
 furdities and Difficulties that attend them. 
 
 it our Authour here objects , That if this 
 be once admitted , it will make way for all the 
 Ahfurdities and Contradictions in the World, even 
 Trtwf.tbftantuition it felf. 
 
 But I don't fee the Confequence of this, if ^ 
 Men will but be To wife as to obferve thefe Two 
 Rules. 
 
 ivr/?,Todifnngutfh betwixt thefe things where the 
 Contradiction is evident and apparent to them, and 
 they plainly fee it cannot be anfwered , and thole 
 other fort of things I mention'd, where tho' there be 
 fomewhat they cannot tell what to make of, yet ftill 
 they may difcern that the Matter is at prefent beyond 
 their reach, that they can't fee through it, and 
 therefore fhould not conclude any thing positive- 
 ly againft it from the prefent Appearances of it 
 to them. 
 
 Secondly, That they take care not to admit any 
 thing as a Revelation from Cod, but upon good 
 grounds; that they fatisfie themfelves as well as 
 they can, of the Truth of the Revelation in gene- 
 
 C 7 ral $ 
 
 K.
 
 X 
 
 ( » ) 
 
 ral 5 and that they are not miftaken in the Inter- 
 pretation of it : of which two things when they 
 are well convinced, it is then great Wifdom, as 
 well as Piety, to over-rule all their Doubts 5 and to 
 conclude all to be true which they have fuch rea- 
 fon to think comes from God, though they are not 
 fuch Matters, of the Matter, as to be able to an* 
 fwer all that may be faid a gain ft it. 
 ■S Mr. Toland fays , That in Cafes of this kind we 
 JJjould at leafl fifpend our Belief till ive are better fa- 
 t is fed about the Matter 5 that is, in plain Engl/flj, 
 That we rauft not believe that we are tree Agents, 
 that we have any Souls, or that God governs the 
 World, till we can folve the Objections about thefe 
 Matters. But I would ask him fericutly, whether 
 he does believe the greateft part of Mankind ca- 
 pable cf ever receiving fatisfaclion in thefe Points, 
 and many other that might be named > or that 
 they will ever be able to free them from feeding 
 Contradictions ? And muft they then have no Re- 
 ligion as long as they live ? 1 hope that Provi- 
 dence has provided better for them. 
 
 But without this, he fays, they will be fitbjedt to 
 be deceivd and imposed upon. But I hope not very 
 much, if they will but obferve the Two Rules I 
 before laid down. Though in truth I never yet 
 heard of any way that could fecure Mankind 
 from all Errour 5 it feems to be the irremediable 
 Condition of our Nature to be fubjeel to fome Mi- 
 ftakes : And therefore it is a very fa lie way of ar- 
 guing, that fuch. or fuch things muft be neceifary, 
 becaufe otherwife we cannot be fecured but that 
 we (hall he miftaken in fome cafes. It is upon 
 this. Principle that the Papifls argue for their In- 
 fallibility 5 
 
 X
 
 ( M ) 
 
 fallibility } they aggravate very much the Errours 
 to which Mens Reafon has in all Aees carried 
 them : and that therefore we can never be cer- 
 tain of being freed from Errour without fubmit- 
 ting to an infallible Guide. Now, I muft confefs, 
 I have by no means any Averfion to an infallible 
 Guide, if they can but tell me where he is. But 
 if they cannot, I muft be contented to bear the 
 Infirmities of Humane Nature, and do as well as 
 I can, till God (hall think fit to (hew me a better 
 way. 
 
 Thus our Author, though in a different Me- 
 thod, lays down that there is no way to prevent 
 being miftaken, but by denying our Aflent, till 
 wc get clear Idea's^ and that that will fully do the 
 bufinefs. Now I have as little Prejudice againft 
 clear Idea's as I have agninft an infallible Judges but 
 I am afraid that in many cafes thefe are as hard 
 to be found as the other. The truth is, whoever 
 confiders the State of Mankind, will not think 
 that they were made to fee through things fo ea- 
 fily as he imagines } for there are very few of 
 thofe who have made it their bufinefs to think 
 and ftudy, that can either talk or think clearly, 
 or folve the Contradictions to which very com- 
 mon things feem to be liable : and much left can 
 an Ability to do this be expected from all Man- 
 kind 5 and yet without it, they can never make 
 ufe of his only Rule to judge of all Truth. 
 
 The Ability that God feenib to have given 
 the greateft part of Men, is, not to have full 
 and clear Conceptions of things, but to- judge of 
 the common Arguments that prove, the Truth of 
 them 5 and therefore when from any of thofe. Ar- 
 
 gumc-nts
 
 ( H ) 
 
 gumerrts we have fufficrent reafon to believe any 
 thing true, we mud then acqniefce; and not be 
 ftartled by Objections that are plainly out of our 
 reach. Not that this, or any other Method we 
 can take, will fecure Perfon^ that have no greater 
 Abilities than we have, from all Errotir : "But this 
 1 take to be the wifeft, and what Providence 
 defigned we (hould take in our Search after 
 Truth. 
 
 Secondly, I come now to confider the fecond fort 
 of "Doctrines mentioned, thofe that are (aid to be 
 above Pveafon. UwToland does indeed deny that 
 there are any fuch Do&rines, but it is not eaile 
 to apprehend what he means. He (ays thefe things 
 
 Page 66. are above Reafon which are in their ?iatnre i neon cave- 
 able, and not to be judged of by our ordinary Faculties 
 
 Pagi 74 . n7ld Idca>s ' Anci Y et he grants that we do not, and 
 cannot conceive what the Etlence of any thin* is, 
 nor what all the Properties of fome things are \ 
 io that he might more truly and properly have 
 laid, that every thing was above Reafon, than that 
 nothing was. 
 
 But that we may fee more diftinttly into this 
 Matter, I (hall fhew what Divines generally mean 
 bv a thing's being above Reafon , when they make 
 ufe of this Phrafe with relation to what we call 
 the Myjieries of Faith. 
 
 Firft; A thing may be faid to be above Reafon, 
 when we do in the main apprehend well what is 
 meant by it, but cannot fo far fee through it, as 
 to be able to give an Anfwer to thofe Contra- 
 dictions and 'Difficulties to which it feems liable, 
 
 in
 
 ( '5 ) 
 
 in this fenfe thofc things are above Reafon which 
 I mention'd under the laft Head. Thus I appre- 
 hend, in the main, well enough what is meant by 
 a Soul, and by the Soul's moving the Body 5 tho' 
 I do not, and very likely cannot apprehend the 
 Matter Co fully as to be able to folve the feeming 
 lmpoilibility that there is for any thing immate- 
 rial to move Matter •-> or indeed for Matter to he 
 moved at all. 
 
 Secondly, A thing may be (aid to be above jRe<*- ^ 
 /2w, when we do not, and perhaps cannot appre- 
 hend what it is f> but this may be twofold, 
 
 1. When a thing is io far above us, that we do ^ 
 not at all conceive" what is meant by it 5 have no 
 Notion of the Matter 5 know nothing of it 5 but 
 when we (peak of it, mean only a Word, without 
 any conceived fenfe under it : and 'tis again ft 
 the Words taken in this fenfc, that the chief Ar- 
 guments of the Author are directed, if they have 
 any force at all : But in this he is not like to 
 have me for his Advcrfary. A Religion that con- 
 fitted of fuch Points as thefc, would not be a rea- 
 ionable Service 5 and God would get no Honour* 
 nor Men any Advantage by fuch Revelations : tho' 
 indeed fuch could not be called Revelations, where 
 Men are taught nothing, and have nothing difco- 
 vcred to them, but know juft as much alter, as 
 they did before. If any Dromes have advanced 
 fnch a Notion as this, I leave them tc* Mr. T—-d'$ 
 Indignation, to be treated with as much Scorn as 
 he pleafes 5 though I believe he will hardly find 
 
 any
 
 ( x6 ) 
 
 any in the Church of England that talk in fuch a 
 manner. 
 
 2. A Do&rine may be faid to be above Reafon, 
 when we can from the Revelation apprehend it 
 only in part $ know fo much of it, as may an- 
 fwer wife ends of the Revelation 5 but for other 
 parts of it, they may be quite out of our reach, and 
 above our Apprehenfion, fo that we cannot form 
 any diftind and clear Idea's of the whole Dodrine. 
 And fuch Points as thefe are chiefly what we call 
 Myfteries in Religion, about which Word I (hall 
 enter into no Conteft with our Author 5 nor be fe- 
 licitous in what fenfe it has been ufed in Heathen 
 Authors 5 nor need we be much concern'd how it 
 is generally taken even in Scripture it felf$ for it 
 is now a very common Engliffj word : its fignifica- 
 tion is indeed borrowed from thofe Myfteries he 
 mentions in the Pagan Worfhip of old, which were 
 ufed to be kept private ; but it is now made ufe 
 of to fignifie any thing that is in a great meafure 
 a Secret to us 5 and particularly in Divinity it is 
 ufed to fignifie fuch Doctrines as we can appre- 
 hend but in part and im perfectly while we are 
 in this World 5 and if there be fuch things as 
 thefe, there is no reafon to quarrel at the Word, but 
 if there be not, our bufinefs is not to throw away a 
 Word, but to clear the Natures of things. 
 
 But to explain this Matter a little more fully: 
 As for thofe parts of Chriftian Doctrines that are 
 above our Apprehenfion, and of which we can 
 have no Notion , God does not exped that we 
 mould believe them in the fame manner that we 
 
 do
 
 ( 17 ) 
 do other parts which we do apprehend > for that 
 would indeed be impohjble : But he expects that 
 we (hould believe him explicitly fo far as our lin- 
 derftanding will go, and we can apprehend what his 
 meaning is -, but for other things that are out of our 
 reach, it is fufficient that we believe in general, 
 that that, and every thing elfe which God (ays, 
 muft certainly be true 5 in all which it will be a 
 hard matter to (hew any thing that is fhocking to 
 Reafon : for I am fure it is very reafonable to 
 fuppofe, that fome things may be above our Ap- 
 prehensions, and as reafonable to fuppofe, that 
 whatever God fays muft be true. 
 
 But it may be it will be faid , that the Difficulty 
 is why, or for what Reafon God fhould tell the 
 World any thing of this kind, which feems not 
 proper to ferve any good End or Purpofe : for 
 though we had a thoufand fuch Revelations as 
 thefe, (if they may be called RevelationsJ we 
 fhould know no more than we did before 3 things 
 of this kind are not proper to inftrucl, but to 
 amufe, and perplex, and confound the World. 
 
 
 As to this I anfvver «, That there are many things y^ 
 which our Capacities can't fully reach, and therefore 
 we can't have a full and a clear Notion of them, and 
 yet it may be of great ufe to us to know and ap- 
 prehend as much of thefe things as we can^ and 
 this we lay is the Reafon why God thought fit to 
 tell the World of fuch things : not that they might 
 fully apprehend them, but apprehend fo much as 
 may anfwer the wife Ends for which God revealed 
 them, fo much as may be of ufe to them , and 
 which it's likely could not have been revealed 
 
 D without
 
 ( 18 ) 
 
 without faying fomething too which they could 
 not apprehend. And this is a diftin&ion not in- 
 vented to ferve a Turn, or the Intereft of any 
 Party, but is plain from fome of the chiefeft, and 
 moft unconteftable Grounds of Religion. 
 
 To take the firft Principle of all Religion, the 
 Being of God, I don't know what God is , but 
 yet I don't mean a raeer Word , when I fay that 
 I believe there is a God : I don't know what his 
 Being is, but yet I know enough of him to be 
 the Foundation of Religious Worihip $ which is 
 the great end for which I am concerned to believe 
 that there is fuch Being. I know that He is infi- 
 nitely Good, and Juft, and Powerful, and Wife 5 
 that he made, and does ftill govern the World, 
 and much more of that kind : which things lie 
 level to the meaneft Capacities 5 though the Na<- 
 ture of God, and many thoufand Queftions that 
 may be asked, lie quite out of the reach of the 
 higheft. 
 
 Thus again 5 The Scriptures tell us that God is 
 a Spirit, which words are very far from being 
 vain ufelefs words, though we cannot have a full 
 conception what a Spirit is 5 becaufe thus much at 
 leaft we may apprehend from them, that God, be- 
 caufe he is a Spirit, is not like any of thofe things 
 that we fee in this World 5 that he is a Living, 
 a&ive Being, but without any bodily Shape 5 and 
 this, with fbme other things of the like Nature, 
 is all we believe explicitly about it. As for what 
 more is implied in the word Spirit, which we 
 cannot apprehend, that we believe only in gene- 
 ral, that it does fignifie fomething further, though 
 we at prefent can't tell what. But in this , as in 
 
 the
 
 ( '9 ) 
 
 the former Cafe, what we do apprehend is fuffi- 
 cient for our Inlhu&ion, to remove from our No- 
 tion of God, the Imperfections of Material Beings 5 
 to teach us to worfhip Him in a a proper manner 5 
 not to frame any Image or Likenefs of Him, be- 
 caufe He is not like any thing we fee here, but 
 to ivoi'fhzp him in fpirit, and in truth. 
 
 Thus as to the Immenfity or Omniprefence of 
 God, the thing feems to be plainly revealed in 
 Scripture, and we may have fome general and. 
 confufed Notion of it 5 but if we come to exa- 
 mine it more particularly, and ask our felves how 
 God is prefent every where } or what we do di- 
 ftin&ly and particularly mean, when we profefs 
 our Belief of this Attribute of God, we (hall find 
 our felves very much at a lofs ? It is a hard Matter 
 to conceive a thing to be every where, without 
 conceiving it extended 5 and if io, then it will be 
 as hard to conceive it without Parts, if not actu- 
 ally divifible, as in Bodies, yet however affignable 
 to the feveral Parts of the Univerfe through which 
 it is extended : And then one part of God rauft 
 be in one part of the World, and another in ano- 
 ther 5 with a thoufand more Abfurdities. And 
 yet to avoid this , it is as hard to conceive that 
 the whole Effence of God fhould be every where, 
 in fo many Millions of diftincT: feparate Places* and 
 not be feparate from it felf. 
 
 But notwithstanding thefe Difficulties, yet fuch a 
 general and confufed Notion as we may have of this 
 Matter, is of very great ufe to us } and we have 
 reafon to be thankful to God for the difcovery of 
 (b much : for there is nothing like to have a greater 
 
 D 2 Influence
 
 ^ 
 
 ( »o) 
 
 Influence on our Lives, than to conceive that God 
 is always and every where prefent with us. 
 
 Having from thefe Inftances (hewed ( I think 
 plainly ) that there are fome things in Religion 
 above Reafon 5 that is, fuch things that we can ap- 
 prehend but very imperfectly, and in part : I 
 would now fpeak a word or two with relation to 
 the Myftery of the BlefTed Trinity 5 in which I (hall 
 be very (hort^ becaufe this Author does not in his 
 Book exprefly deny the Trinity, though we have 
 reafon to fear that his Book was chiefly defign d 
 againft it. But as it was fufficient for him to over- 
 throw that Doctrine without profeffing to do it, 
 by (hewing that there could be no fuch thing in 
 Religion as Myfieries, fuch as all fuppofe to be in 
 that Doctrine : fo on the other fide, it is fufficient 
 for me to defend it, as far as it is concerned in that 
 Imputation 5 to (hew that there are fuch things, 
 and which muft be confefs'd Eilential Points of 
 Religion. This, I think, I have done, and it is 
 all that I pretend to do in this Paper 5 fuppofing 
 that upon other accounts there is good reafon 
 to believe that Doctrine , and only proving now 
 that it ought not to be rejected, becaufe it is a 
 Myftery. 
 
 But however , before I proceed^ I would ob- 
 ierve about it thefe Three things. 
 
 Firfi, That though there be in the Doctrine of 
 the Blefled Trinity many things above our Appre- 
 heniion, yet there are too, many things which we 
 may conceive well enough, at leaft fo far as to ap- 
 prehend
 
 ( w ) 
 
 prehend what the meaning of God was in the 
 Revelation, 
 
 Secondly, That God requires us explicitly to be- 
 lieve no more of this Do&rine than where we can 
 explicitly underftand his Meaning -, It would indeed 
 be a great fhock to Reafon, or rather is an Impof- 
 fibility, to believe explicitly we don't know what : 
 But (as I obferved before) there is neither, in gi- 
 ving an exprefs Aflent fo far as we apprehend, 
 and in fuppofing that what is beyond our Appre* 
 henfion muft be true, becaufe God has faid it. 
 
 Thirdly, I would obferve, that what we do ap- 
 prehend in this Do&rine is fufficient to anfwer 
 thofe wife and good Ends we may fuppofe God 
 had in revealing it to the World. 
 
 Thefe Three things well confidered will free the 
 Do&rine of the Irinity from all thofe Objections 
 which our Author makes againft Myfteries 5 and 
 plainly (hews us, that notwithstanding any thing, 
 in it which is above our Reafon, yet take the 
 whole together, we may ailign good Caufes, why 
 God mould reveal it, and why it mould be our 
 Duty to believe it. 
 
 This Difcourfe is already grown larger than I at 
 firft defignd it , and therefore I (hall not infill: 
 particularly upon each of thefe Points. 
 
 But as to the f>rjl of them 5 I think it clear 
 enough, that the main Scheme of the Doclrine of 
 the Trinity is not above the Apprehenilon of com- 
 mon People , 1 do not mean , that they will be 
 able to give a nice Philofophieal Definition or Ac- 
 count
 
 ( ■>■■>■ ) 
 
 count of it i, for that common People can hardly 
 do in any thing, and even Learned Men but in 
 very few things. There are many Matters that al- 
 moft the meaneft Capacities apprehend at the firft 
 Propofal -■) fuch as Time and Place, Truth and Falf- 
 hood, Body and Spirit, and the like, of which yet 
 they can give no Definition, nor any tolerable 
 Account : And yet they know as well in the main, 
 what is meant when thofe things are (poke of, as 
 the greateft Philofopher 5 and the Knowledge they 
 have of them perhaps ferves their turn as well as 
 if they had nicely ftudied the Nature of them. 
 When therefore I fay that the main Scheme of the 
 Doctrine of the Trinity may be fufficiently appre- 
 hended by common People, I mean only a popular 
 common Apprehenfion, fuch as they have of the 
 Nature of God, and of almofi: all the Principles' of 
 Religion, and indeed of almoft all the things they 
 converfe with 5 which Knowledge yet is fufficient 
 in its kind, to anfwer all the wife Ends of God in 
 giving it. Thus in particular, he that can appre- 
 hend that there is a God, or that the Father 
 of all is God , may apprehend that the Son , or 
 Word is God, and the fame of the Holy Spirit 5 He 
 may apprehend in the main well enough what 
 we mean when we fay, that thefe have each of 
 them the fame Divine Nature 5 and though they 
 are truly and properly diftintt from each other, 
 fo that the Father is not the Son, &c. yet that 
 they are not fo far diftinft as Three Created Be- 
 ings, and fo are not Three Gods, but One God. 
 Reafbn will indeed be apt to ask how can this be, 
 but that fuppofes that it has at leaft a general Ap- 
 prehenfion of the thing, otherwife it could not fee 
 
 the
 
 In) 
 
 the Difficulties, or ask Queftions about it. In the 
 fame manner we may apprehend that the Father 
 has the Divine Nature originally, that the Son has 
 it communicated to him from the Father from all 
 Eternity , that the Son or Word of God was plea- 
 fed in due time to take our Nature , and for our 
 fake was made Fleft: That in that Humane Nature 
 which he ailumed, he was pleafed to offer himfelf 
 a Sacrifice for the Sins of the World, and now fits 
 at the right hand of God to wake inter cefflon for 
 
 It is not my Bufinefs now to (hew the Truth of 
 thefe things from Scripture, or to anfwer the Diffi- 
 culties that may be raifed againft them, but only to 
 fhew that they are Doctrines we do in a great mea- 
 fure apprehend. And this methinks the Enemies of it 
 mould not deny } for they pretend to apprehend it 
 well enough themfelves, and bring many Arguments 
 and Objections againft it ; which fiirely they would 
 not pretend to do, if they did not think at lead 
 that they apprehended our Meaning. 
 
 There are indeed many things that we would 
 be glad to fee refolved in thefe and feveral other 
 Points of Religion, but God has not thought fit 
 to give us any means to do it, and perhaps our 
 Souls are not capable of a more clear Difcovery 
 of them in this World $ we muft therefore be 
 contented with fuch a degree of Knowledge as. 
 God is pleafed to allow us $ and expect it as one 
 part of that Happinefs which is refer ved for us in 
 another State, that we (hall then find all thofe 
 hard things cleared which (b puzzled us here. 
 And this I remember one of the Ancient Fathers 
 makes a confidcrable part of the Happinefs of the 
 
 next 
 
 .?
 
 ( 14 ) 
 
 Atbenag. next Life, That we (hall then hpow the Unity of 
 
 p 1 u the Father, and the Communication of the Father to 
 
 the Son $ what the Holy Ghoji is, and what Union 
 
 and DijlinSion there is between the Holy Ghoji, the 
 
 Son, and the Father. 
 
 But that imperfect Knowledge which we have 
 of them here is not vain and ufelefs to us, but 
 is the great Foundation of our Faith as Chrifti- 
 ans, and is a Dire&ion to us in fome of the great- 
 eft Christian Duties. Thefe things were not re- 
 vealed to entertain our Curiofity, or to be Mat- 
 ters only of Speculation , but are fome of the 
 chief parts of the Doctrine of the Redemption of 
 the World by Jefus Chrift : And this we may 
 fuppofe was the chief Reafon why the World 
 was not acquainted with them before, becaufe 
 there was not that neceffity of it before this 
 great Myflery of our Redemption was to be re- 
 vealed : And therefore as God was known to the 
 Jews chiefly by thefe Titles, God that made the 
 World , the God of their Fathers, the God that 
 brought them out of the Land of JEgypt , Co now 
 to us Chriftians He is chiefly known by his Ti- 
 tle of the Father of our Lord Jefus Chriji. And 
 the folemn way that we are initiated into our Re- 
 ligion is in the Name of the Father, and the Son, 
 and the Holy Ghoji : Thefe are now known to us by 
 the Parts they have in the Redemption of the 
 World } The Father, eminently in giving his Only 
 Son, The6W, in being madeFlefh, and taking our 
 Nature upon him, and in that offering himfelf a Sa- 
 crifice for the Sins of the World , The Holy Ghoft, 
 in the Sanftification of our Nature?, and difpofing 
 of the other Gifts of the Spirit, which he divides 
 
 to
 
 ( n ) 
 
 U every man as he pleafes. We have from Co much 
 as we know of the Doctrine of the Trinity, an 
 Account of the Perfon of our Mediator, of the 
 Dignity of his Nature, of his having the Name 
 and the Attributes of Gcd fo often ailign'd to him 
 in Scripture , of our being baptiz'd in his Name, 
 and of our being his Servants , of the Divine 
 Worfhip that is given him, particularly of our 
 Love , Trull: , Confidence and Dependence upon 
 him : We have from hence a great Idea of the 
 Love of God to Mankind, and of the very great 
 Condefcenfion of our Saviour, which are both lb 
 much infilled on, and magnified all over the Scri- 
 ptures, and made the Arguments of the great 
 Thankfulnefs and Love that we ought to return to 
 God the Father, and our Blefled Saviour. The 
 whole Genius and Spirit of the Gofpel almoft 
 runs upon thefe Confiderations, which are noble 
 and lively according to our Scheme $ but there is 
 fcarce any thing more flat and infipid than what 
 the Socimans fay about thefe greateft Points of the 
 Chriftian Religion. In fhorr, if we will take the 
 Chriftian Religion only for a Scheme of better 
 Morality than the World had before , the Socini* 
 an Hj/pot he/is may ferve well enough } but if we 
 will take it as it lies in the Scriptures, and as the 
 Body of Chriftians have always owned it, for a 
 Method of reconciling the World to God by the 
 Death of his Son, and by the San&ification of 
 their Souls by the Holy Spirit, with all the other 
 Doctrines and Duties that are there confequent 
 upon it, there can no tolerable Account be gi- 
 ven of it without the Doctrine of the Blefled 
 Trinity, 
 
 E But
 
 ( z6 ) 
 
 But it may be our Author will (ay, that if we 
 apprehend fa much of the Doctrine of the Trinity 
 as is ufeful and convenient for us to know, that then 
 it is not a Myftery *-> for if we coniult his Second 
 Chapter , Sect. III. we (hall find that he fays to the 
 fame efFecl: more than once or twice. So that I 
 hope, notwithstanding all he has faid, yet he ftill 
 believes this Doctrine, and other Points of the 
 Chriftian Religion, which are commonly counted' 
 Mylterious. And it's poffible we may now come 
 to agree 5 for if he will but grant me 'fuch Points 
 as thefe , where we apprehend but in part, but 
 however fo much as may be of good life and 
 Service to us ■> 1 will , on the other fide, gratifie 
 him, (if that will do it) by rejecting all Doctrines^ 
 of which we can apprehend nothing , and of 
 which we can make no ufe. 
 
 But then I miift defire him and the Reader to 
 conlider thefe Two things. 
 
 Firft, That when our Divines fpeak of Myfte- 
 ries, they mean only fuch things as I have been 
 defcribing} which are revealed, or which we can 
 apprehend only in part, but however fo much as 
 may ferve thofe wife Ends God had in revealing 
 it. So that the Author has, quite miftaken the 
 State of the Queftion. 
 
 Secondly, It would be well if he would confi- 
 
 der, how little he has confuhed his Reputation 
 
 with wife and good Men, in writing fuch a bold 
 
 confident Book , and Co often libelling the whole 
 
 Chriftian Church, when he did not underftand the 
 
 Matter he wrote about. 
 
 I
 
 ( *7 ) 
 
 I fhould now have difmifs'd Mr. T----d, and 
 this Difpute of Mjjieries? or things above Keafon, 
 together, but that there is one tiikfc more in the cb«p z. 
 Chapter I quoted before , which deferves our Ob- ' 
 fervation , and that is this, That there is no more 
 Myftery, in any thing than there is in every thing 5 
 that he knows as much of Spirits as he does of Bo- 
 dies, as much of God as he does of the meaueji of 
 his Creatures^ becaufc, fays he, we are equally ig- 
 norant of the Efience of every thing, or Body as 
 well as Spirit. And as for the Properties of a Spi- 
 rit, we know them as well as we do thofe of a Bo- 
 dy ; fo that our Knowledge is as great of the one 
 as the other $ and one is no more out of our reach 
 than the other is. 
 
 Now I believe he is the fir ft Perfon that ever 
 talked fo boldly about God as he does in this 
 Chapter 3 that God mould be comprehended as 
 eafily as the meaneft of his Creatures, is very 
 Change Language. But how does he prove this > 
 why he underftands the Properties of a Spirit as 
 well as thofe of a Body : well 5 fuppofe that at 
 prefent : But I believe hell fay, that all which he 
 underftands of the Properties of a Spirit is from 
 reflecting upon the Operations of his own Soul 5 And 
 is he fure that the Operations and Attributes of God 
 are like thofe of his Soul ? Does he comprehend 
 God's Way of thinking, and apprehending, and 
 judging, and willing as Well as he does his own? Does 
 he comprehend how God fees all things paft, prefent 
 and to come at one View ? how he fees future Con- 
 tingencies ? There may be as much difference, for 
 anything he knows, in the manner cf God's think- 
 ing and ours, as there is in the meafure of our Know- 
 
 E 2 ledge 5
 
 
 ( *8 ) 
 
 ledge % and the fame may be faid of all his other 
 Attributes and Operations 5 But however, fince he 
 can judge of God only from Refle&ion upon the 
 Operations of his own Soul, by fuppoling fome- 
 thing in God, not like, but in fome degree corre- 
 fpondent to thefe Perfections and Operations he finds 
 there, he muft certainly comprehend the Actions of 
 his own Mind much better than he does thofe of God. 
 
 But how is he fure that he underftands the Pro- 
 perties of Finite Spirits as well as he does thofe of 
 Bodies > He is not indeed the firft Perfon that has 
 faid it ^ but it feems to contradict the common Ex- 
 perience of Mankind, who find themfelves much 
 more at a lofs in conceiving the one than they do 
 in the other 5 and indeed this feems not agreea- 
 ble to the prcfent State of things : For we live 
 and converfe here with a World of Material Be- 
 ings. Thefe are Things which we have daily life 
 of upon all Occafions 5 and every Senfe we 
 have, lets us in to the Knowledge of them : But 
 we have very little Means to come to the Know- 
 ledge of Spirits. 
 
 All that this Author pretends to, is by refleding 
 upon the Operations of his own Mind 5 but that 
 can at molt, inform him only with the A&ions 
 of Spirits : But he is (till as much at a lofs as ever 
 to apprehend what fort of Subftance a Spirit is, 
 or what are the Properties of it as inch a Subftance. 
 He knows very well the Properties of Bodies, as to 
 be extended, folid, divijible,fmooth, rough, foft,hard, 
 and the like 5 but he does not know any one Pro- 
 perty of a Spirit confider'd as a Subrtance. Con- 
 sider indeed a Spirit as a Living and an Active Being, 
 *nd we feel, and inwardly perceive its Operations, 
 
 fuch
 
 ( 2? ) 
 
 fuchas thinking, willing, and the like: But thefe 
 are only A&ions, and thofe fuppofe fomething that 
 ads } and here it is that we are at a lofs, to know 
 what fort of Being that is which thus thinks and 
 acts, and what are the fubftantial Properties of it 5 
 whether it be extended or not ? what Relation it 
 has to Place ? whetherit be any where or no where? 
 if it be in a Place, how it's there? whether two 
 Spit-its can be in the fame Place ? There may 
 be a Thoufand Properties of Spiritual Subftances 
 which may dittinguimone from the other; of which 
 at prefent, we neither do nor can know any thing. 
 Thinking and Willing are but A£tions, or, at molt, 
 but fecondary Properties of a Spirit, belonging to 
 it as a living and an active Being } but the(e muft be 
 conceived diftinft from thofe that belong to it as 
 it is a Spiritual Snbftanee only. 
 
 And this, I fuppofe, is the Reafon that almofl: every 
 body eafily frames a Notion of Bodies from 
 the Properties of them which they fee and know.. 
 But all the World feems to beat a lofs about Spirits 5 
 and can go no farther in their Conceptions than 
 fome of the Actions of them :, but what fort of Sub- 
 ject or Thing it is which thus acts, they have no 
 Notion. 
 
 I would, before I proceed, make one Obfervation 
 from what has been (aid about this Matter 3 and that 
 is, of the great Difference that there is in the Diffi- 
 culties that ate obferved in the Doctrine of the 
 Trinity and thofe in Tranfubflantiation. As for Tran- 
 fitbftantiation^ befides that it is againft fome of the 
 plsineft Principles both of Reafon and Religion, 
 it is downright contradictory to fome of the molt 
 Effential Properties of Bodies. There is nothing 
 
 more
 
 ( 1° ) 
 
 more evident to us, than that a Body muft be* ex- 
 tended, ciivilible, -be circumfcribed by Place, and 
 the like. And it's plain that a Humane Body, if 
 fei be perfeft, muft have it's proper Joynts and 
 Limbs, fuch as Head, Legs, Arms, and the like $ 
 ana thefe not confounded together ,. but each in 
 its proper Place, and Order : .And it's plain from 
 Scripture, that our Saviours was fuch a Body as 
 this is, being in all things made like unto us , fin 
 only excepted. Now it's poffible there may be ma- 
 ny Reaions, fome not known to us, why what is 
 received in the- BlerJed Sacrament may be called 
 the Body of Chr/ft : Either becaufe it folemnly re- 
 prefents .it, or becaufe with the outward Elements, 
 to thofe that faithfully receive it, may be convey'd 
 the Bledfmgs procured .by his Body and Blood 5 or 
 becaufe thofe Elements. may be (as fome have talk- 
 ed) in: a fupernatural Manner united to the Word 
 or Divinity of Chritr, and fo in fome fenfe be his 
 Body i which though there do not appear the leaft 
 ground for, yet however it does not feem impoffible 5 
 or there may be other ways, unknown to us, why it 
 may be fo called-. But (till if we know any thing of 
 a. Body, it cannot be that Body which we have been 
 fpeaking of, which was made like vnto Ours. It 
 cannot be that Body which the Rowifi Church 
 has determind it to be, that Body which was born 
 of; the Virgin, which converted with his Difciples, 
 and which fuffercd upon the Crofs : For that Body 
 had Head, and Breaft, and Legs, and Arms, and 
 other Parts of a Humane Body, all in due Order ; 
 but it's plain that what is received in the Sacra- 
 rrtent tnk not. That twenty fuch Bodies mav be 
 no'- bigger than a little Bit of Bread, if we- know 
 
 any
 
 ( v ) 
 
 any thing of a Body, or the Progenies of it, 
 Chrift could not take his own Body into m own 
 Hands, and put it whole, Head, and Bread, and 
 Legs, and Arms, into his own Mouth: Thefeare 
 things that (hock all the- "Principles of - Senfe- and. 
 Pveafon together; and are utterly inconvlfrent with 
 the molt EfiTentral Properties of Bo-' & in genera!, 
 and of a Humane Body in particular. 
 
 But now if we cpndder the Docdrine of the 
 Bleiled Trinity, and' ■■ thofe Properties which this 
 Author fays, we know of Spirits, there dop not 
 aMhti any Inconilftency or Contradiction -■between 
 them. 'The Properties he- reckons up, which' we 
 know of Spirits, are Tkhikjvg, Willh?g, Hoping, Lo~ Page 85, 
 vhig. Ifuowi/rg, ■{niignthig, and the like 5 now let 
 him turn thctb as many ways' as he pteafes,- and 
 he will 'not be' able to find any thing' in ; any of 
 thern, 01 all of' them together, which eontradich 
 the Doftrine of the Trinity. But it will be (aid 
 that this contrddi&s the Unit v of God $' bur what 
 the Unity of Cod is, we cannot learn from thofe 
 Properties f wh- ; ch he fays we'-knofy cf .'its, and 
 confeqnently mufr.be very- much at a lots about it, 
 or to kno '•' .vhether this be indeed' inconfiftent with 
 it or not.: In abort, to determine, welkin this Con- 
 troverfie, we miuflr know of 
 
 God,* "or of thofe Ffflsitial P, -Tb^for'e mr 
 
 tione J. And therefore I think it is apparently our 
 Duty in things of this high Nature, which are Co 
 much out of our reach, to take ihings as God fhall 
 reveal th..m 5 and if wc: ri but fr ood 'Argu- 
 ments' for the Truth of the F, .n to 
 enquire no farther. 
 
 
 Having
 
 / 
 
 tp ) 
 
 Having thus confider'd the chief things in Mr. 
 Toland's Book, with which all the reft of it mull: 
 (land or fall 5 I now proceed to what I propofcd 
 in the fecond place, to (hew what is the Z)fe of Rea- 
 fon in Matters of Religion, 
 
 But having done this more largely than I ex- 
 pected in the foregoing Part, as far as it is con- 
 cerned in the prefcnt Controverfie of the Myfieries 
 of Faith , and my defign being only to clear that 
 Matter, I (hall now be very fhort. 
 
 1. The fir ft Rule that I would lay down is this, 
 That no Man ought to believe any thing, unlefs he 
 has in fome way or other a fufficient Reafon for fo 
 doing, and indeed if a Man knows what he does, 
 and vyill but confider the Matter, he cannot believe 
 any thing without fome Reafon or other that proves 
 it a Matter credible and worthy of Belief , and, 
 on the other fide, he cannot but believe where the 
 Matter appears plain and clear to him : Indeed in 
 both thefe cafes a Man may, as the greateft part of 
 the World do, very well deceive himfelf 5 on the 
 one fide, by taking things for granted without 
 confidering, and fo believing without Reafon 5 and 
 on the other fide, by being prejudiced againft a 
 thing, and not differing his Mind to weigh thofe 
 Reafons which would otherwife convince him. 
 
 2. As we ought not to believe without Reafon, fo 
 we (hould confider, that every thing is not capable 
 of the fame fort of Proof 5 and that it is fufficient 
 for us if a thing be but proved in its proper 
 way. Senfible Matters may be proved by Senfe, 
 other Matters capable of it by Demonftration 5 but 
 
 yet
 
 ( M > 
 
 yet we may have good Reafon to believe what 
 can be proved neither of thefe ways. In Matters 
 of Fa& it is a fufficient Reafon of Belief, if the 
 thing be well attefted by credible Men j and 
 in Matters of Revelation we ought to acquiefce in 
 the Authority of God. 
 
 3. When any Perfons pretend to bring Reve- 
 lations from God, we (hould not immediately fvval- 
 low down what they fay without considering 5 for 
 that would expofe us to be deceived by all the 
 Pretenders in the World : But we (hould try the 
 Spirits, confider what Proofs they have of their Di- 
 vine Million. And among other Proofs we ought 
 to confider the Matter they deliver : li what they 
 deliver be contrary to the Principles of Natural 
 Religion, or apparently abfurd and contradi&ious, i 
 we may then conclude, that it cannot come from % 
 God, who cannot contradict himfelf, or the Eter- | 
 nal Rules of Reafon. But if the main of the Mat- 
 ter appear worthy of God, and they bring other 
 fufficient Evidences of their Divine Million, fuch 
 as Miracles, and the like j we ought then to re~ 
 ceive what they fay, though there be fame things 
 in what they deliver, by reafon of the Sublimity 
 of the Matter, in a great meafare above our Com- 
 preheniion, and fuch therefore as we cannot free 
 from all the Difficulties that may be objected 
 againft them t> becaufe we may very well be pro- 
 per Judges of thole Arguments that prove their 
 Divine Million, but are not fuch proper Judges of 
 the Natures of feveral things^ and therefore {hould 
 have a care left we do by our own Judgmentabout 
 them, make too bold with the Authority of God. 
 
 1 As
 
 ( 34 ) 
 
 4- As we muft make ufe of our Reafon in dis- 
 covering the Truth of any Revelation, fo we rnuft 
 alfo in finding out the true fenfe of it. Every Aft 
 of Religion does indeed prefuppofe Reafon, and a 
 reafonable Creature ought to do nothing but ac- 
 cording to the Principles of that. But then Rea- 
 fon it felf dictates that in interpreting any Reve- 
 lation, fuppofing that we are before convinced of 
 the Truth of it , we mould very impartially take 
 what God fhall fay, as it lies before us 5 and not 
 make bold to rack and force it to fome precon- 
 ceived Opinions of our own , becaufe we tkink 
 them reafonable. For this is to come to God's Re- 
 velations not to be informed by them, and to learn 
 from them what we ought to believe or pra&ife 5 
 but rather this is to teach God to fpeak what we 
 think he ought to fay $ and this is not to make our 
 felves wifer by the Revelation, but rather to bring 
 our own Opinions along with us, and endeavour 
 to fix them upon God. We fiiould therefore come 
 to the Holy Scriptures with great Sincerity, and 
 great Humility, and take things juft as God delivers 
 them, otherwife it is great Odds but we deceive 
 our (elves inftead of learning. 
 
 We mould therefore, generally fpeaking, take the 
 Words in their moft plain fenfe 5 but if the Words 
 taken literally do, as fometimes they may, involve 
 a plain Abfurdtty, or contradict any other part of 
 God's Word, it is then very Natural to fee if the 
 ufe of that Phrafe will admit a Metaphorical Senfe, 
 which will not be hard to dhcover either from the 
 common Ufe of the Words, or from the Context. 
 But we muft have a care that we don't force a fenfe 
 upon Words fuch as no unprejudie'd Man would 
 
 give,
 
 in) 
 
 give, only to avoid Difficulties in Matters above 
 our Comprehenfion , as the Socinians plainly have 
 done in interpreting the firfi Chapter of St. John, 
 and feveral other Texts relating to the Divinity of 
 Chrift. He that gives a Senfe to Words in one of the 
 Chief Articles of Faith, fuch as no Chriftian thought 
 of for above 1500 Years, and fuch as none would 
 think of that did not fet himfelf to invent, does 
 but too plainly (hew that his Defign is to guide the 
 Word of God, and not to be guided by it. 
 
 In a word, if we would truly underftand the 
 Scriptures, we fhould fincerely pray to God to in- 
 lighten our Underftandings by his Holy Spirit 5 
 and when we have done we fhould as fincerely 
 fubmit them to be guided by it 5 we {hould have 
 a care not to attribute to God's Word any thing 
 that's plainly abfurd y but fince we underftand 
 things fo imperfe&ly , we fhould be willing that 
 God fhould diftate to us in what is above our 
 Reach , and though we ought to call no Man Ma- 
 for upon earth, or to pin our Faith upon the Au^ 
 thority of any Man or number of Men 3 yet a mo- 
 deft Chriftian (hould have a great regard to what 
 the Chriftian Church in all Ages has looked upon 
 is ope, of the Chief Articles of Faith, and which 
 whofoever. has denied, has been upon that denied 
 the Communion of the Church, as a Corrupter of 
 the Faith. 
 
 I have now done, Sir, with what I propofed 5 
 give me leave, before I conclude, to take notice of 
 one or two things., which could not fo eafily be 
 brought into the Body or this Difcourfe. Our. 
 Author makes a great deal of ftir about the Heathen 
 
 F 2 Myflcries^
 
 (16) 
 
 Myfteries , which were induftrioufly concealed from 
 the People, to keep up a Reverence and Venera- 
 tion for them, and for the Priefts themfelves, who 
 had the Honour to be let into fuch Secrets 5 inti- 
 mating, that the fame Defigns were full carrying 
 on among us by amufing the People with the No- 
 tion of Myfteries in the Chriftian Religion. Now 
 he knows very well that we have no fuch Myfte- 
 ries as thole he mentions $ that there is nothing in 
 our Religion that we endeavour to keep from the 
 Knowledge of our People : He knows very well 
 that our People are not only allowed but frequent- 
 ly exhorted to read the Word of God, and that 
 they are required to believe nothing but what they 
 find there : And as for thole things that are in- 
 deed Myfteries in our Religion , they are fo only 
 from the Imperfection of our Underftanding 5 and 
 our People know as much of them as God de- 
 tign'd either we or they fhould know in this 
 World 3 and we do not pretend to be let into 
 the full Secret of them till we come to Heaven, 
 where we and our People (hall be fully inlighten- 
 ed together, as we both know but in part here. 
 
 I would fain hope that our Author meant well, 
 and defign'd the Honour of the Chriftian Religion, 
 m endeavouring to free it from Myfteries , as 
 what he thought a Diihonour to it $ But we have 
 not now the making of the Chriftian Religion, 
 but muft take it as God has been plea fed to make 
 it to our hands, which he has done according to the 
 Methods of Infinite Wifdom, though the Principles 
 of it have of old, as well as in this Age, been cen- 
 fured of Folly, by thofe who are wife in their own 
 
 conceits*
 
 ( %7 1 
 conceits^ and guide themfelves by the Wifdorn of 
 the World. But beiides, there is this great dan- 
 ger in endeavouring to force things into fuch a. 
 Scheme as our Reafon may be pleafed with , 
 that when we have done this , and look back 
 again, we fhould find that the Religion of the 
 Scriptures, and of the Chriftian Church of all Ages 
 is not that fine Scheme we faulted , and Co may 
 be tempted to throw off all together. By this means 
 the Chriftian Religion maybe effe&ualiy undermi- 
 ned by thofe very Methods w r hich are made u(e 
 of under pretence of Honour and Concern for it 5 
 as I have heard it has been the practice of fome 
 in a great Publicly Body, when they have no mind 
 a Matter mould pafi-, to be the firft that (hew their 
 Zeal for it, and by that get the forming and ma- 
 naging of it into their own hands, and then they 
 may eafily make it fuch as (hall never pafs 5 which 
 they could not have been able to hinder by any 
 open Opposition. I would not charge this upon 
 any body with relation to the Chriftian Religion ^ 
 if any have been guilty of it, I pray God to con- 
 vert and forgive them 5 though in plain truth it's 
 a hard matter to imagine what elfe fhould be 
 meant by foinduftrioufly reprefenting Chriftian Mi- 
 nifters to have been Knaves^ and the People Fools 
 for above thefe 1 500 Years } that the People vet 
 never underftood their Religion in the chiefeft 
 Points of it, and that the Minifters have induftri- 
 ouily made it their buiinefs to corrupt it. {f rhis 
 fhould once be believed in the World, it would be 
 as hard a Matter to keep up the Honor of the Chri- 
 ftian Religion, as it would be to keep up the Ho- 
 nour of the Ring' of England when you had ta- 
 ken
 
 ( J8 ) 
 
 ken away all his Subjects from him but thofe of one 
 poor Market-Town. 
 
 There are no Myfteries that I know of owned in 
 our Church, which bring any particular Gain to 
 the Minifters of it , any more than the Contrary 
 to them would have done , had it pleas'd God 
 to make it their Duty to preach them to the 
 World, as he has now made it their Duty to preach 
 thefe. Thefe are indeed things now eftablifhed, and 
 fo muft be owned by thofe that will Minifter in 
 Holy things 5 but there was no Intereft but that 
 of Truth why thefe mould be eftablifhed rather 
 than any thing elfe : And thofe who have deli* 
 vered down thefe Doctrines to us, as they could pre- 
 tend to no Intereft, but that of faving their own and 
 other Peoples Souls 5 foif they had been to invent 
 and chufe for themfelves , it is very, likely they- 
 would have cholen the more plaufible fide of 
 thefe Queftions. In a Word, as thefe are Do- 
 ctrines which we have from the Holy Scriptures and 
 the firft Chriftians, fo they are fuch as were 
 very zealouily afierted by our firft Reformers r 
 who loft their Lives in that good Service of 
 Reforming the Church from the Errors of Po- 
 pery. And tho J I fhould be very forry ever to 
 fee Men perfecuted again, for owning the Chri- 
 iiian Religion j yet , if it fhould pleafe God 
 ever to bring it to that, I queftion not but there 
 are a great many now living would give furfU 
 dent Teftimony, that it was not Intereft but Con- 
 science which made them preach up thefe Doctrines 
 befeyr 
 
 F I N I £
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000 206 769