17 1 It fray alfo be remarked, that Chrifi and his Apóftles conftantly urged the Authority of the Old Teftament iti Support of their Miflion and Doarines : And, that the Bereans are particularly extolled for their diligent In- veftigation of 'the Scriptures (Which then Were Mofes and the Prophets), as the proper Teft of the Gofpel preached to them. But if the Doétritte of a Trinity had been underftood not to have been revealed in thofe Scriptures ; the Maintenance of fuch a Notión muff have appeared to them as very extraordinary and very unaccountable. The direct Propagation of fo grand d Tenet relative to the Nature and Exiftence of GODi if that Tenet had been of new or of late Deduétioni would certainly have met with particular Notice and Oppofition from the Scribes, Priefts, Pharifees, or fome other JewifhLiterati. But we do not find the leaft Objec- - tion made to the Gofpel upon this Account in the Apof- tle's Days, nor for fome Time afterwards fromwhence there is the ftrongeft Reafon to conclude (were we even deftitute ofmore pofitive Evidence), that this Doe.; trine was of public Notoriety and generally entertained by the Jews, antecedent to th:. Marlifeftation of the Mef- flab. The fame Argument will alto hold againft the In troduaion of fo remarkable a Dogma in any particular Age of the World. For, if it had not been underftood by the Church of GOD from the Beginning, it rnuft have been a Novelty whenever it was revealed afterwards; and if a Novelty, then (to fay the leaft) a mere idle Spe- culation; becaufe if Men had been faved without the Knowledge of fo grand a Truth in any former Pe- riod, there can be no Reafon given, why they fhould not be equally faved without it in any fubfequent one. But as there can be noLife eternal without the properKnow- ledge of GOD and of JEsus CHRIST whom be bathPent: So this Knowledge is only attainable by divine Revelati- on, throughwhich we are led to the Beliefof theTrinity. As the DoE nine of the Trinity then is of the utmoft. Confequence to the whole of Chriftianity, and as the chief Scope of the fubfequent Drays is infeparably cot- C netted
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