the true God, and in his defcription of the Deity, did not tell the Athenians, that he was a Triune Being, to be confidered under the notion of three perfons of three underftandings and wills, in a co-ordinate triplicity of all divine attributes and perfections; but one individual personal Agent, one great Spirit, or mind, felf-exiftent, and omnipotent in wisdom and action, one Supreme Almighty Creator and Governor of the world, the God and Father of Jefus Chrift; I shall therefore, in obedience to the apoftle, and to the other infpired writers, believe in and worship the fame God, the One God, the only true God, as our Lord fays in Matthew and Mark ; through the alone mediation and interceffion of Jefus Chrift, our Redeemer and only begotten Son of God; depending upon the effectual aid and affistance of the bleffed Spirit, in hope of a glorious immortality. This is, this fhall be my religion, whatever I may feel from an antichriftian tyranny, on account of the confeffion.Tho' an outrage of uncharitable zeal should strip me of every worldly comfort, and reduce me to a want of bread. If I should become a fpectacle to men and angels by this faith, yet I will believe as Jefus Chrift and his apoftles have ordered the world to believe. No unintelligible cant, or fcholaftic jargon for me. The Holy Ghost has in fcripture expreffed it fufficiently and

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unexceptionably clear, that there is One Supreme Independent First-caufe of all things, a Spirit, that is, One Spirit, One God: I am God, and there is none like me: I am God, and there is none elfe; befide Me; with Me; none but Me. Thus does the Holy Ghoft declare; and what fignify the defpicable, heretical declarations of the doctors, in refpect of this?

Then, as a teft of Chriftianity, the fame bleffed Spirit adds, that Jefus is the true Meffiah, was fent from God to reveal his will for the falvation of man, and is the only Mediator betwixt God and man. Thus has the Holy Ghoft regulated our faith and prac tice, and I think it incumbent on me to mind what he says, and flee the invented pieties of our theologers. I did fo, and disobliged my father. I loft his favor intirely. He would take no farther notice of me, and I became as you fee a wanderer.

This difcourfe, delivered with my fire and action, amazed Mifs Harcourt fo greatly, that for fome time after I had done, she could not speak, but continued looking with great carneftnefs at me. At laft however the faid, I am glad, Sir, it has been my fate to meet with you, and muft, when there is more time, converfe with you on this fubject. My father and I have had fome doubts as to the truth of the Athanafian creed; but he told me, he did not chufe to examine the

thing, as it had the fanction of ages, and was believed by the greateft divines in all nations. If it be wrong, let the churchmen answer for it. But this does not fatisfy me; and fince I have feen one that has forfaken all rather than live a disciple of Athanafus, after a thorough examination of the fyftem; and that you have now faid fome things against it that fhew the folly of believing it, and make it a faith the most prepofterous and unreafonable, I am determined to enquire into the merit of it, and fee if christians ought to acknowledge the fupreme dominion and authority of God the Father;

that the Father is abfolutely God, the great God in the abfolute fupreme fenfe by nature; and the Son, only a God by communication of divinity from the Father, that is, bý having received from the Father, the Supreme Caufe, his being, attributes, and power over the whole creation:- or, if they ought to afcribe fupreme authority, and original independent abfolute dominion to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghoft; three diftinct fupreme Gods, and yet but one fupreme God, as the church informs. us in her famous creed, and thereby makes us fwallow a contradiction, as I have often thought, and a doctrine againft which a great number of texts can be produced. This I will examine. My reafon fhall be no longer filent in fo important a cafe. If a

Trinity

Trinity in unity of equal minds or gods is not to be proved by the infpired writings, the doctors preaching it, and by creed requiring it, will be no juftifiable plea or excufe for me, I am fenfible, in the great rifing day. I had better, in such case, leave all as you have bravely done, were my father fo orthodox and furious a bigot as to force me to be a religionist against my conscience. What I have to beg of you, Sir, (Mifs Harcourt continued) is, that you will to-morrow, oblige me with your thoughts on the texts I have marked, as produced by orthodox divines for their myfterious religion. If you make me fenfible that thofe texts do not prove the doctrine they are brought for, and of confequence, that the doctrine of the trinity as by them taught, is the work of uninfpired writers, I fhall renounce it to be fure. I will no longer mistake contradictions for mysteries. The schemes and inventions of men fhall not pafs with me for the revelations of God. (36)

(36) The texts produced by Mifs Harcourt, the next day, in a fheet of paper, fhe gave me, and my written explication of them in anfwer, the Reader will find in the Appendix to this journal, No. 3. I fatisfied her, that the letter of feripture was not full in favor of contradiction, and that where it had any appearance of being fo, reafon allowed the purest modefty to use fome freedom in interpreting, and take the texts in a lower meaning: fuch a liberty as proteftants take with the words... this is my body... when they reject the doctrine of tranfubflantiation. By this means I made a convert of her. This lady became a ftrict Chriftian Deift.

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Mr. Har

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course, and

offer to me.

74. Here Mr. Harcourt came up to us, and defired to know, (if it was a fair quef- fervation tion) what we two had been talking fo ear- on our dif neftly on; for it feemed at a diftance to be generous fomething more than ordinary. I will tell you, Sir, his daughter replied, and immediately began to relate the whole conference, and her refolution. Your refolution, (the father faid) is excellent. You have not only my confent, but I recommend it to you as the nobleft work you can employ any time on. For my part, Sir, (Mr. Harcourt continued, turning himself to me) I never liked this part of our proteftant religion, and have often wished our public prayers had been more conformable to the fimplicity of the gofpel; that we had been contented with what our Mafter and the Holy Spirit delivered, and not made human compofitions the ftandard of falvation: but fince the church in her wildom has thought it fhould be otherwife, I have fubmitted to her authority, and been filent on the doctrines the claims a right to determine; though fome of them to me appear doubtful, and others repugnant to fcripture: befide, my ftudies have been in other fields than that of controversy; mathematics and antiquities have employed my time, and I have neither tafte nor capacity for that criticism which is neceffary for the C c

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