AN ESSAY ON THE TRUE IMPORTANCE OF ANY HUMAN SCHEMES TO EXPLAIN The Sacred Doctrine of the Trinity. SHEWING, I. That no such Scheme of Explication is necessary to Salvation. -II. That it may yet be of great Use to the Christian Church. III. But all such Explications ought to be pro- posed with Modesty to the World, and never imposed on the Conscience. THE I. 1H first of these points is already argued in a discourse on the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity, proposition XV. and we only take leave here to mention those heads of argument, and to enlarge a little on the same subject. 1. " Anyparticular explication of the scriptural doctrine of the Trinity can never be necessary to salvation, because, though the doctrine itself of three personal characters which have com- munion in one godhead, be clearly revealed, yet the modus how they are one, and how they are three, is not clearly and plainly revealed." And indeed if this modus be revealed at all in scrip- ture, yet it is in so obscure a manner, that we can come at it only by laborious reasonings and a train of difficult consequences; 'whereas all necessary articles are and must be clear and plain : and if they are not contained in express words, yet they must lie open and obvious to a natural and easy inference. 2. Any particular explication of this mystery is not neces- sary to salvation, because " the most pious as well as the wisest and most learned christians have had very different sentiments on this subject, and gone into different schemes of explication ;" and that in the several ages of christianity, as well as in our present age. The very mention of the venerable names and opinions of Dr. Cudworth, Bishop Bull, Bishop Stillingfleet, Bishop Fowler, Bishop Pearson, Dr. Walks, Dr. Owen, and Mr. Howe, is sufficient to confirm this second reason. 3. " We may pay all due honours to the sacred Three, which are required in scripture, while we believe them to be re- presented as three personal agents, and as one in godhead, without any particular explication how they are one, and how they are three."
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