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living according to the rule of the Gospel of έσ Jefus Chrift; with whom glory be to God the "Father, and the Holy Spirit, &c." In Clemens of Alexandria there is a prayer and doxology to the Trinity in these words: "Be merciful unto thy children, O Master, O Father, &c; O Son and Father, both one; O Lord, grant that we may "pass the waves of this troublesome world, con"tinually praifing and giving thanks to the only "Father and Son, to the Son and Father, to the "Son our Master and Teacher, together with the

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Holy Ghoft, altogether one, in whom are all things, &c. &c." Add to this, that the doxologies in the antient Liturgies were fome of them expreffed in fuller and ftronger terms than that used in our daily fervices.

It is affirmed by Mr. Lindsey in his Apology, that the Fathers of the three first centuries were all what we now call Arians or Socinians. We might afk this Gentleman in the words of Dathan, &c, but on much better grounds, wilt thou put out the eyes of Chriftians? The affertion has hardly its fellow in the whole circle of polemical divinity. Let these venerable Fathers speak for themselves. I take this opportunity to put the reader in mind of the fame Gentleman's very difingenuous tranflation of that paffage in Juftin Martyr's dialogue with Trypho, where he tells him, that there were those who admitted Christ to be the Meffiah, tho'

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they believed him to be mere man. The whole paffage is perfectly fcrutinized, and a fhameful omiffion of Mr. Lindsey taken notice of in Mr. BINGHAM'S Vindication of the Doctrine, &c. of thè Church of England, p. 23, 24, 25. See alfo Dr. RANDOLPH's Vindicat. of the Trinity, part 3, p. 40. and Bp. BULL'S Judic. Ecclef. Cathol. cap. 7mo, where he charges the Remonftrants with mutilating and curtailing this very paffage. With what face will Mr. L. lay Socinianifm, or Arianism at the door of Justin Martyr?

The paffage quoted from this father in the former part of this note is fo ftrong and explicit, that it probably gave occafion to fome Socinians to aver, that HE was the firft who taught the doctrine of the Trinity. I faid, fome Socinians, because, as we have already noted, moft Socinians and Socinus himfelf fathers this doctrine upon the Council of Nice, with an abfurdity which is expofed at large by Bp. Bull in his Defence of that Council. This duplicity is no fmall argument of Socinian distress.

Dr. Middleton, in refentment, I presume, of that explicitness with which Justin Martyr in the place referred to, and in many other, afferts the doctrine of the Trinity, and with a view to counteract it, takes much pains to reprefent his interpretation of Scripture as frequently abfurd, and his doctrine as neither more nor lefs than refined Platonifm. But

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the unfairness, or rather the falfity of both imputations has often been fhewn. The triad of Plato, (whofe admirer, &c. this holy father, it is well known, before his converfion was,) the mundané, animative, and intelligent nature of God, although it has been mentioned by fome, improperly but honestly enough, to illuftrate the doctrine in question, with an intention to adapt it in fome degree to our apprehenfions, could not poffibly give rise to it. It is as clear as words can make it, that Justin the Martyr was a Trinitarian on principles very different from those of Justin the philofopher. Dr. M. moft uncandidly vilifies the typical and allegorical representations, which occur often in this primitive writer, and in which probably he gratified not fo much his own taste as that of those early ages.

Dr. Whitby, in his treatise entitled, An Endeavour to evince the certainty of Chriftian faith, &c, cites hiftorians of credit, who acquaint us, that when Julian's design of falfifying the predictions of our Saviour, by rebuilding the Temple of Jerusalem, was defeated by miraculous eruptions of balls of fire, &c, (as the story is told by Ammianus Marcellinus, and many others,) almost all the Jews, who were eye-witneffes of this wonderful fcene, were converted to the Chriftian Faith, and acknowleged Christ to be God. The writers referred to are Sozomen, Nazianzen, and Socrates, and the following paffage feems to be as plain and decifive as can be

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wilhed. Εκ τουτων τοσαυτη των ορωμένων κατάπληξις, ως μικρού μεν, απαντας ωσπερ εξ ενός συνθηματος, και μιας φωνης, τον χρισον ανακαλείθαι θεον, ευφημίαις τε πολλαις και ικεσίαις εξιλασκεθαι.

It seems evident enough from these words, that the Jews who were converted on this occafion, and confequently Christians in general, at that time acknowledged Jefus Chrift to be abfolutely God.

Indeed the truth of this great doctrine is in fome measure inferrible from the incredibility formerly objected to it by its adverfaries. Καταβαίνειν εις την γην τινα θεον, η Θεου ψον, τουτ' αιχισον, fays Celfus ; and Trypho fpeaks rather refentingly in the following words to fuftin; απιςον γαρ και αδυνατον σχεδόν πραγμα επιχειρείς, αποδεικυνναι, οτι θεος υπέμεινε γενησθήναι, και άνθρωπος γενέσθαι.

Agreably to this, the fame Trypho declares, that to affert Chrift to have been born of a virgin is τερατολογειν. Now I defire to afk, whether the doc. trine of a miraculous birth, and bodily appearance of an inferior Deity for any supposable purpose whatever, be not fufficiently reconcileable both with Jewish and Pagan principles, and with what we know to have been the fentiments of Julian himself? Or, whether we are not in all reason to look for the chief ground of difference between Justin and Trypho in the coequality we are afferting? This will appear yet more clearly in a fubfequent note. It is, in fhort, this equality which constituted

constituted fuperftitionis nova genus, as Christianity is called by Suetonius in the life of Nero.

Dr. Willes, in his first discourse, prefixed to Sir Rog. L'Eftrange's tranflation of Jofephus, fays that Pilate wrote to Tiberius de Chrifto Deo. But where does he find this? The Acts of Pilate, fo called, are confeffedly spurious.

CELSUS apud ORIG. 1. 4. JUSTIN's Dial. p. 292. LACTANTIUS. 1. 4. c. 12 and 22.

Page 125. (9) the Atheism.] The venom of this calumny foon spent itself; and the honourable and often-noted teftimony of Pliny in his letter to Trajan, that the Chriftians were a fimple and innocent people who worshipped Chrift as God, at once vindicates their morals, and declares their faith.

The fact was, the primitive Chriftians, like their immediate predeceffors the Apostles, were reviled, defamed, and made as the filth of the world, and the off-fcouring of all things; they were charged with the most deteftable vices; with rebellion, murder, inceft, &c; and to free them from thefe infamous reproaches, was one main bufinefs of the fathers in general, and especially of Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Tertullian.

WHITBY's Endeavour, &c. ch. 8. p. 243.

Page 126. (r) principles of polytheifm.] Hefiod makes mention of many thousand Deities,' and Varro of three hundred Jupiters; but both with a refervation of the properties and prerogatives of

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