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Jefus ftanding on the right hand of God, but faw allo the Glory of God, viz. the Father; yet, in this full vilion, of the Father and the Son, did not immediately addrefs the Father, but the Son, on this most critical and important occafion,then surely we are authorized, at least fometimes to do the fame, and to direct our prayers immediately to the Son, and only remotely to the -Father.

15. And here I beg leave to obferve, that the Socinian practice of addreffing the Father immediately, without the mediation of his Son, and difcarding the Atonement, Interceffion, and whole Mediatorial Office of the Lord Jefus, as it is in direct oppofition to the general tenor of the Oracles of God, and the practice of the Apostles and first Chriftians,fo it appears from the plain, exprefs declarations of our Lord, that it is, at belt, loft labour. For the Lord Jefus has pofitively affirmed, that no man cometh unto the Father, but by him. Add to this, that the Apoftles and primitive Chriftians feem manifeftly to have confidered the Father as being in the Son, and the Son in the Father, in such a sense, that, when they prayed to the One Divine and Sacred Perfon, they prayed to the other alfo. When they prayed to the Father, they confidered him as in the Son, and only to be approached through the Son; and when they addreffed their prayers to the Son, they did not confider him as divided from the Father, but beheld the Father in him, and him in the Father, by an indiffoluble and eternal union. Nor did they confider Chrift in his Mediatorial Character, and as the ultimate object of their prayers and praifes, and other acts of worship, but viewed them as terminating in the Father, and ultimately redounding to his glory. See, to this purpofe, John xii. 44, 45.Phil. i. 11.-1 Pet. i. 21. And, I truft, we confider these things in the fame light. So that the Socinians, or Unitarians, (as they rather choose to call themselves) need be under no apprehenfion

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hat we are robbing God, the Father, of his nonour; for as Chrift is his (as the Apostle tells us, 1 Cor. iii. 23.) his truth, his wifdom, his. Son, his image, and neither is, nor can be, separated. from him, being (as Philo fays of the Logos) Talgos aixos ev a dixilalas-The Father's houfe in which he dwells; and as he is constituted by the Father both Lord and Christ (Acts ii. 36.) fo all the honours, which we pay to him, we pay, not only on account of his own perfonal dignity, and with a view to his own particular glory,but also in obedience to the Father's command, and with a view to his honour and glory, in whofe honour and glory they ultimately terminate. Indeed, the great danger, in this affair, seems to be the feparating the one Divine Perfon from the other, and the oppofing the one to the other, as though they had diftinct wills and different interefts.- Were we to divide the Son from the Father, and confider him as a feparate Being, and worship him as fuch,--then, indeed, we. ould worship another God. Or were we to oppofe him to the Father, and view him as having an intereft, or honour, or will of his own, diftinct rom, and unconnected with the intereft, honour, and will of his Father,in that cafe, also we hould have another object of fupreme adoration. But inafmuch as we firmly believe our Lord's declaration, I and my Father are one; inasmuch as we confider them as having but one intereft, one aonour, one will, and as being indissolubly and eternally united,-fo we believe when we honour : the Son we honour the Father, and when we onour the Father we honour the Son: For we honour the Son in obedience to the Father, and

the Son of the Father, and behold the name, ature, and authority of the Father in him and we honour the Father as the Father of this Son, view him as dwelling in the Son, and approach im through the Son.

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16. But to return. As Stephen prayed to the ord Jefus, and committed his departing spirit to

his care, as the Man Chrift, in fimilar language, had commended his into the hands of his Father; fo St. Paul affures us he befought him thrice, that the thorn in the flesh, the meffenger of Satan, fent to buffet him, might depart from him; fee 2 Cor. xii. 7-9. For that the Lord Jefus is the perfon incant here is plain, from the answer given by the Lord to this importunate and repeated prayer, and from the Apoftle's refolution upon it. And he (the fame Lord to whom I prayed) faid unto me,My grace is fufficient for thee: My ftrength (7 durauis my power) is made perfect in weakness: Moft gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Chrift & durauis te poss (the very fame word) may rest upon me.

Now who does not fee, that the Lord to whom he prayed, and who answered him and said, My grace is fufficient for thee, my power is perfected for perfectly difplayed) in weakness, in Christ, whole power refted upon the Apoftle, and was glorioully manifefted, both in fupporting him under all his infirmities, afflictions, and perfecutions, and in rendering these things which appeared to be for the hindrance of the Gospel, fubfervient to its greater progrefs?

17. And, indeed, nothing can be clearer, than that throughout all his Epiftles, St. Paul confidered Chrift as a perfon in whom all fulness dwells, and, therefore, looked up to Him, as well as to the Father, in and through Him, both for fuccefs in his labours, and for grace to be conall the Churches ferred upon himself, and upon to whom he miniftered. Hence it is, that he begins almost all his Epiftles with fuch expreffions as the following:- -Grace to and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jefus Chrift, Rom. i. 7.-1 Cor. i. 3.—-2 Cor. i. 2.—and concludes them with, The grace of our Lord Jesus Chrift be with you all, Rom. xvi. 24.--Phil. iv. 23.- 2 Theff. iii. 18. or, The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with you, 1 Cor. xvi. 23.or, The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with your fpirit,

you,

Gal. vi.

Gal. vi. 18.-or, The Lord Jefus Chrift be with thy fpirit: All which expreffions are proper prayers, and certainly imply that the Lord Jefus is more than a mere man, yea, than a creature--otherwife, whatever grace he might have himself, he could have none to spare for others.

18. Add to this, that in the Epiftles to the Theffalonians, we find this fame Apoftle addref fing two fel, folemn, and formal prayers to the Lord Jefus, together with the Father. Now God himfelf, (fays he, 1 Epift. iii. 11-18.) even our Father, and OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, direct our way unto you, and the Lord (viz. Chrift) make you to encreafe and abound in love one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you; to the end that he (Chrift) may eflablish your hearts unblameable in holinefs before God, even our Father. And, in the fecond Epiftle, Ch. ii. 16, 17. we read, Now OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlafting .confolation and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.Doubtless, Dr. Pricftley had overlooked these paffages, when he carefully fearched the New Teftament, and found, upon the most accurate examination, that the Socinians in Poland, had no authority WHATEVER in the Scriptures, nor, indeed, in the practice of the primitive Church, till after the Council of Nice, for praying to the Lord Jefus."

19. Or, perhaps, as he thinks St. Paul to be an inconclufive reafoner, he may not confider his Epiftles to be a part of what he calls the Scriptures. And inafmuch as it is plain he worshipped the Lord Jefus, and the Doctor is fure it is Idolatry to worship him, though an Apofle, he could be no Member of the true, primitive Church. So that his example is fet afide, together with his doctrine, and there is no authority in either that can justify fo vile a practice, as that of worshipping Chrift. As to the other Apoftles, as the Doctor "often avowed himself not to be a believer

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in their infpiration as writers," I prefume he can hardly think their writings to be facred Scripture any more than St. Paul's. So that with him the Scriptures mult lie in a little compafs, the whole New Teftament, at least, being discarded. And as to the Old, it would feem, from what he says of the Books of Mofes (the foundation of all the reft) that he has not a much higher opinion of it. For he tells us, "he thinks himself at liberty to confider the history which Mofes has given us of the creation and fall of Man, as the best he could collect from tradition," and adds, " in my opinion, alfo, there are many marks of its being a lame account; and far from folving the difficulty which it feems intended to anfwer, namely,-the introduction of death and calamity into the world." The authority, therefore, of neither Teftament, can be very great with the Doctor, to justify any doctrine or practice whatever, which does not suit his pre-conceived notions.

20. But to return. It deferves to be enquired by those who deny the Divinity of Chrift, how a mere man, or mere creature, could use the foltowing and fuch like expreffions; and whether fuch expreffions do not fully authorize prayer to be put up to him?--Come unto me, ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reft.— If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink: he that believeth on me, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water. If thou kneweft the gift of God, and who it is that faith to thee, Give me to drink: thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water: Whofoever drinketh of this water, fhall thirft again; but whofoever drinketh of the water that I fhall give him, fhall never thirst: but the water that I fhall give him, fhall be in him a well of water fpringing up to everlasting life. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life in the midft of the Paradife of God. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of Life. To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white ftone,

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