PROPOSITION XXII. 205 schemes of explaining the Trinity,, till you see most abundant and convincing evidence ; and take care that you do not mingle any of theseexplications with the plain scriptural doctrine, so as to make them necessary articles of your faith. Hereby you will obtain great advantage in a day of temptation, as will ap- pear thus : You may observe it has been the usual and subtile practice of our adversaries to cavil at ourfaith of the Trinity byperplex- ing some part of our learned explications and schemes with knotty objections and arguments : And many times they have found themselves so successful herein, that they have sorely shaken the taith of many a christian, merely because he had mingled his opinions and his faith together, and joined the scrip- tural doctrine of the 'Trinity together with some learned hypo- thesis to explain it, in the same article of his faith. Whereas a man that well distinguishes between the plain scriptural doc- trine itself, and the particular explications of it, holds his faith in thedivine doctrine firm and unmoved, while several human forms of explication are attacked, and perhaps destroyed. Such a christian may triumph in a day of temptation, and may defend his creed, by keeping close to what the scripture has most evi- dentlyrevealed, while he sees others that have built a high super- structure of notions about this doctrine, make shipwreck of their opinions, and their faith together. IV. 1 would add this also, that one effectual method to establish the heart in this divine and important truth is, " to take a due survey what a sacred influence it has into all the parts of our holy religion :" And when we feel the dailywant of the blessed Trinity, we shall not easily part with the doctrine. Let us keepa humble sense of the deplorable state of sin and ruin, into which the fall of man has brought us, and then we máy see what need there is of the presence of a God in all the parts of our recovery and salvation. We may then see what need we have of so divine and all-sufficient a Reconciler as Jesus the Son of God, to bring us into his favour ; and what need of the almighty operations of the blessed Spirit to create us anew, and to restore us to his image. And since true and proper divinity or godhead is ascribed to those two glorious persons who are em- ployed in this work, our hopes hereby have a surer refuge, and our faith a more immediate and divine foundation. It is quite con- trary to our duty and our interest, to change such a Saviour, and such a Sanctifier, for any meaner beings which men may be tempted to put into these sacred offices, since the great and bles- sed God, subsisting in three persons, is pleased to undertake them, in various forms of condescension. To conclude, let us with humble faith read and believe this glorious doctrine of the christian Trinity, so far as it is declared
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