476 ay ESSAY ON TILE nacre NE OF THE TRINITY. God, and the appointed Mediator to bring 'hint to God ; there- fore he honours and adores him, and depends on him under that character, without any notion whether his sonship belong to his human 'or divine nature. He believes him also to be the son of man, but perhaps he may not ever have heard whether he had an earthly Father or no, or that he was:the son of a pure virgin. Nowwhat is there in all this ignorance that forbids him to be a truehristian and a sound believer? But i would pursue this argument a little, under some more parallel instances. The learned worldwell knows what corporeal notions the famous ancient father Tertullian had of the soul of roan ; what immaterial and refined opinions Des Cartes and his followers have entertainedconcerning the presence or place of spirits; and What were the contrary sentiments of Dr. "Henry More and his admirers. Now may not a Tertullianist take proper care for the salvation of his soul, though he thinks the nature of it 'be corpo- real ! May not the soul of a Cartesian find the right way to hea- ven, though he believes his soul has no relation to place, and edists no where, or in no certain place ? May he not worship God with acceptance in spirit and in truth, though he conceive God himself, as an infinitely wise and powerful mind void of all extension, and who bath no relation to place ? And though he suppose his omnipresence to be nothing else but his universal knowledge and power and agency, through all times and places? And may not a Morist with the same acceptance worship the same God, though he 'believes himto be infinitely extended 'and 'pene- irating all bodies and all possible spaces ? What is there in these philosophical particularities, that forbids a man to be truly pious, while he believes his soul to have an immortal being after this life, and while he supposes God to have all the requisite pro- perties end powers for a Creator and Governor, and Judge Of the world. You will say, some of these persons hold gross inconsisten- cies, and believe impossibles, while they suppose " a corporeal soul to be immortal ; or a God infinitely extended through length, breadth and depth, who is a pure Spirit :" and there- fore such a soul cannot be immortal, and such a God cannot know, or .govern, or judge. I answer, It may possibly be so : These may be great inconsistencies ; and yet a man may sincerely believe them both, who does not see the inconsistency of them. And if we must be condemned to hell for believing inconsisten- cies, then woe be to every son and daughter of Adam. What scan is there in the world free from all error ? And yet every error which he holds, is perhaps inconsistent with some truth which he believes : It is hard to write anathema upon a man's forehead, because of some inconsistence in his opinions, while he
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