1 "redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of our fins." Was the Paffover an example to the Hebrews? Did it die for its own religion? No; its blood was accepted for the saving of the people of God, when the unbelieving were deftroyed; and therefore Chrift's blood, as the great antitype before referred to, is accepted for the fame end: otherwise he can be no Paffover. Indeed, fo false is it that Chrift's facrifice was figurative, that there never was any true and proper facrifice, but his only. The "blood of bulls, and of goats, and of lambs," which were offered daily under the Law, and had the appearance of real facrifices, could not accomplish what it aimed at: it could not purge the confcience from a fenfe of guilt: and to fhew that it had not done fo, thofe facrifices were offered repeatedly, day by day, and year by year: but Chrift offered himself " once for all," and by that offering, "perfected for ever them that are fanctified." With the merits of this facrifice, he now appears, as our High Prieft, in the prefence of God for us, as the High Priest of the Jews went into the most holy place of the temple, once a year, with the blood of the yearly facrifice. We are far from denying, that Chrift was an example to us in his death, as well as in his life but he was not only an example, as the Socinian falfely afferts: he was an "Interceffor, a Mediator, a temple, a Priest, : a facrifice, a rapfom, a price of redemption, a propitiation, 66 an atonement, a lamb flain for the fins of the world*:" he was, in fhort, all that the Law exhibited: and instead of being a facrifice only in figure, all the facrifices that had been before him, from the beginning of the world, were the figures, of which he himself, once for all, in the end of the world, was the fubftance and reality. If you wish to fee the whole doctrine of atonement confirmed and explained in a fingle text, confider what the Apostle hath faid, Heb. x. 26, 27. "If we fin wilfully, after that we have "received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more facrifice for fins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation, which fhall devour the adverfaries." This teaches us, that a fire from heaven is due to finners, and muft fall upon thofe finners themselves, unless a facrifice, expofing itself in their ftead, fhall turn away the indignation that *Heb. vii. 25. Ibid. ix. 15. 28. 1 Cor. vi. 20. 1 John ii. 2. John ii. 21. Heb. iv. 14. Ibid. ix: 26. Matt. xx, awaits them. Chrift is this facrifice, accepted of God as our substitute: but, if we depart from our profeffion, defpifing the advantage of this fubftitution, then we can find no other facrifice, but muft receive the divine wrath in our own perfons. When God shall be revealed, as once on Mount Sinai, and that fiery indignation, which is looked for, fhall be falling upon the adverfaries of the Gofpel, then we fhall fee the neceffity of this facrifice for fin and, if the fophiftry of any seducer shall have tempted us to rely on fome other method of falvation, we fhall curfe the hour, in which we listened to him. : You are not CHAP. X. CONCLUSION. to wonder, my brethren, either at the abfurdity, or wickedness, of these attempts which are made upon your faith the Scripture hath told us, the time should come, when they will not endure found doctrine," but bé poffeffed with an itch of novelty: and, as numbers give credit to any false perfuafion, it is natural for them to wifh, that you may endure found doctrine as little as they do. With this view, they take all poffible pains for the propagation of their false opinions; which Dr. Priestley, in falfe English, calls the "fpread of truth*.” These opinions, as you have seen, are very flattering to human pride and it is an old faying, that flatterers are easily believed. No deep reasoning is requifite, when the treachery of your own hearts affift them in their work; the success of which is farther promoted by the cheapness of their publications, which puts them into the hands of the loweft readers. Their books fly about the world, at a penny a-piece; like the feeds of thistles, which, being little and light, are carried about by the winds, and will take root in any foil, (the worse the better) till they overrun the face of the earth; and this they call the "fpread of truth." O let not the husbandman go to fleep, while the enemy is thus diligent, and fuccefsful! You may judge, therefore, that your fituation is dangerous; and when you are convinced of this, it is hoped, you will be on your guard. And now I have endeavoured, * See the Preface to his Sermon on "The Importance and Extent of free Enquiry into Matters of Religion." as my duty requires, to fhew you what the enemies of your faith have to fay, in one of their pieces, you may be able to judge of the reft for yourfelves. So, for the prefent, I fhall conclude with that advice of St. John-" Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the fpirits, whether they are of God: becaufe many falfe "prophets are gone out into the world." I John iv. F. THE CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF A TRINITY Proved by above an Hundred fhort and clear ARGUMENTS, expreffed in the TERMS With a few REFLECTIONS, Occafionally interfperfed, upon fome of the ARIAN WRITERS, particularly Dr. S. CLARKE: To which is added, A LETTER to the COMMON PEOPLE, in Answer to fome POPULAR ARGUMENTS against THE TRINITY. BY WILLIAM JONES, M. A. F. R. S. RECTOR OF PASTON, IN NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, AND MINISTER OF NAYLAND, IN SUFFOLK. PREFA CE ΤΟ THE THIRD EDITION. MY Y Bookfeller having folicited me to re-publish this little Treatife, I have corrected the typographical errors of the last edition, and enlarged fome paffages of the work itself. THE attempt of a late Bishop of Clogher to propagate Arianifm in the Church of Ireland, induced me to keep the doctrine of the Trinity in my thoughts for fome years; and I had a particular attention to it as often as the Scriptures, either of the Old or New Teftament, were before me. This little book was the fruit of 'my ftudy; of which I have seen some good effects already, and ought not to defpair of feeing more before I die. MANY other obfervations have occurred to me fince the first publication, which I should willingly have added. But fome readers might have been difcouraged, if I had presented them with a book of too large a fize: and the merits of the caufe lie in a fmall compafs. THE re-publication of this work, though merely accidental, is not unfeasonable at this time, when we are |