But because the strength of true believers may be faid in some sense to be made perfect in the weakness of their antagonists, as a giant appears to moft advantage when confronted with a pigmy, I fhall take my next opportunity for your conviction, that the anti-trinitarian cause has its chief support in difingenuous evasion, flimfy sophistry, or wilful mifconftruction; and neither is nor can be defended from the ftrong holds of reason, or by weapons from the armory of Sacred Writ.

DIS

DISCOURSE VI.

GA L. Chap. I. part of verse 7.

There be fome that trouble you, and would pervert the Gospel of Chrift.

TH

HE Apostle, as appears from the argument he profecutes throughout this epistle, had, in the words juft read, an eye to those Jewish converts who were so zealously attached to the Mofaic ritual, the law of their fathers, that they could not endure to fee it fuperfeded by the more liberal, the more pure, the more fublime principles of the Gospel. But I fhall avail myself of the latitude my text admits; not hesitating to regard as perverters of the Gospel, those heretics of different forts, whofe unfairness, or imbecility

imbecility of allegation, conftruction, and exception on the part of infidelity, I stand engaged to make appear in the following discourse.

That pride, or prepoffeffion fhould be tenacious of any opinion however strange, or however extravagant, will be no matter of furprize to us when we recollect, that almoft every thing which we fee not by immediate intuition, or which is not capable of a strictly mathematical demonstration, may be started, and upheld for a fubject of difpute. It is poffible indeed, and it fometimes happens, that men fhall reafon injudiciously and inconclufively even in a righteous caufe; and truth may fuffer, or rather be supposed to fuffer by precipitance of paffion, or inadvertency of zeal. This before now has been the cafe with the caufe before us. A pious wish to confirm the doctrine of the Trinity by producing multifarious evidence, and heaping proof upon proof; (y) or an earnest endeavour to elucidate a point, the knowlege of which is too wonderful and excellent for

the

the attainment of human wisdom, by metaphyfical nicety, and the fagacity of abstract fpeculation; (≈) or by ftudied fimilitudes, and artificial allufions, to bring it nearer to our conceptions; all this has been hurtful to the interest of religion, and given occafion to the enemy to ridicule, if not to blafpheme. Erroneous conftructions, and misapplication of particular paffages, betray too often a want of moderation, or of skill in interpreters. But, all this while, a charge of unfkilfulness, or of prevarication, or of perverseness, or of prefumption, or of infincerity, or of intemperance, will come with a very ill grace from our adverfaries; and we are to look on the fide of infidelity for the moft vifible figns of weaknefs, and the fureft tokens of confcious distress. I am apt to believe, you will foon be convinced by a few select particulars that this is not arbitarily, or groundlessly faid.

I shall hardly be called upon to apologize for freedoms I fhall be obliged to take with authors who are no more. It will be acknowleged, with respect to every Arian &c.

M

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