PREFACE. 4áS doctrine. I llave so far laid them all aside in this book, that there is scarce any hint of any of them, and that in a very slight and transient manner. The glories of Christ, both in his divine and human nature, which are here unfolded, are not necessarily confined to any particular schemes or hypo- thesesof the Trinity. All that I pretend to maintain here is, that our blessed Saviourmust beGod, and he must be man ; God and man in two distinct na, tures, and one person, that is, one complex personal agent. Those who be- lieve this doctrine may read these treatises without danger or fear ; for f would always endeavour tosearch out divine truth, and promote the know- ledge of Christ, as for as possible, without offence to the bulk of the christian world, orany of the truly pious andreligious of every party. These three discourses were written at three distant and different times: I hope therefore my readerswill be so candid as to bear witha small repeti- tion of the same thoughts, or with reference from one discourse to another, though not expressed in so regular amanner as though I had all three con- stantly in one view. Though the order inwhich these discourses stand be not adjusted according to chronology, yet it is such an order as I thought most proper to lead my reader by degrees into these discoveries of the glory of Christ. In the first ofthese discourses I have maintainedthe " godhead of Christ in his appearances under the QldTestament." The doctrine itself is entirely agreeable to the common sentiments of all our divines, and I have confirmed itby such arguments as seem to me most effectual and convincing. I per- suade myself the generality of my readers will concur with me in these senti. ments, though I will not say I have borrowed mymethod of argument and Vindication from any butthe sacred writers. In the second and third discourses perhaps they will find some things,which though they are derived from scrip- ture, yet appear to be more uncommon, and which have not been taken no- tice of by many authors. With regard to these, I beg leave to make these few requests to those who willseriously, and with a honest heart peruse what I have here written. 1. That they would suffer themselves to believe with me that wehave not yetattained all knowledge, nor particularly apprehended all those things that may be learned from the bible concerning our Lord Jesus Christ : and that they would permit themselves also to think with me, that we are all fallible creatures, and that it is possible forus to have been mistaken in some points, at least of lesser moment, which we have been taught to believe before we were capable of searching the word of God for ourselves : for the best of men who have been our teachers know but in part, and therefore they could prophesy, or instruct others bat in port ; 1 Cor. xiii. 9. Though they have spoken the truth, yet perhaps they have not spoken all the truth which lies hid in the holy scriptures. 2. That my readers would not be startled and discomposed at any thing which may seem new and strange to them at first appearance, nor beflighted at a sentence, as though heresy were in it, because it may differ a little from the sentiments which they have hitherto received. That very samenotion in any science whatsoever, which may perhaps surprize us at first, by reading further onward may become plain and easy and certain: and I can assure them, that there is not one sentence in all these discourses but what is very, consistent with a firmbelief of the divinity of Christ, and a just and sincere concern for the most eminent and glorious truths of the gospel, as they aro professed by protestants among us against the Socinian and Arian errors. 3. That they would not rashly conclude that anychristian doctrine is lost, or any article of their faith endangered, or the proper deity of our Lord Jesus Christ dropped or neglected, if they should be led to interpret a few texts of scripture in another manner than they themselves have been formerly used to explain them : forit most be acknowledged, that some pious andzealous wri- itlt3
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