truths; and every man is obliged to receive, beleeve and embrace every truth made known to him in, and by the holy Scriptures; Because all truths contained in Scripture are of equall credit in respect of the Authority of the Revealer; but all truths are not of equall neceffity, weight and importance in respect of the Nature and Matter of the points revealed. There is a vast difference between the nature, matter, weight and importance of these two Pro.pofitions; 1.Paul left his Cloak, Books and Parchments at Troas, 2 Tim. 4.13. 2. Jefus Chrift is God and man, the only Mediatour between God and man, the only and All-fufficient Saviour of his people from their fins. The first of these Propofitions cannot be refused, because it is grounded upon clear Scripture, and he who rejects a point of the leaft concernment, which he knowes to be revealed in Scripture, doth not indeed and truth beleeve and embrace any truth at all, no not truths which are of the highest concernment, upon the right ground and true reafon, namely, because God hath revealed them to us in the holy Scriptures of truth. A Fundamentall point is of fuch high Fundamen concernment, that whofoever is ignorant tall points of it is condemned for his meere Negative defcribed. Infidelity, Infidelity; and whofoever doth refuse to beleeve it, is condemned for his Pofitive Infidelity, because he rejects a truth delivered upon the Authority of God, and a truth fo highly credible, that it is neceffary to be known, and beleeved for his own falvation. Our Faith, Piety, Hope, Charity, Salvation,are all grounded upon thefe neceffary and Fundamentall truths. Those truths or points of Doctrine are Fundamentall,without the plaine and expreffe knowledge whereof we can neither favingly beleeve in Chrift, nor rightly worship God in Chrift to the obtaining of eternall life. The Grand Mystery of three Divine and Coeffential Subfiftents in the fingle Godhead, is a Fundamentall point. I defire to make this point very plain. 4. Edification of the meek and humble. It is moft cleare and evident that it doth highly concerne Chriftians to ac knowledge I. A Deity against the Atheifts. 2. The Unity of this Deity against the Pagans. 3. A Trinity in this Unity against Turks, Jewes, Heretiques, both Ancient and Modern. We muft 1. Know. 2. Beleeve. 3. Acknow knowledge. 4. Worship. 5. Obey. 6.Trust to, and depend upon three Perfons, and one God: Our bleffed, Lord in that excellent prayer of his which is moft largely recorded, John 17. faith, That this is life eternall to know the Father the only true God, and Jefus Chrift, whom he hath fent, ver. 3. This Text hath been opened and vindicated at large in this Book already from the 44. page to the 54. and therefore I fhall make quick work now, and defire you but to compare this Text with 1 John 5. 20, We are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God, and eternall life;both texts tell us that it is eternall life for to befeeve that the Father and the Son are the only true God, and therefore this is a fundamentall point; And the Scripture (peakes exprefly that these three, The 1 Joh. the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost 5.7. openare one, one God; for the witneffe or teftimony delivered by thefe three is the witneffe of God, Joh.5.7.9. ed and vindicated at large. But it is objected by fome that the The grand words, Thefe three are one. 1 Joh. 5.7. are exception, not to be found in fome ancient Copies, and therefore it will not be fafe to build a point of fuch weight and confequence upon fuch a weake foundation. To which we answer, It is true that The anthefe words are not to be found in the fwer. Syriacke vel hiatus admitti. Si Syrum Syriack Edition, but they who speake cæterofq; moft modeftly, do acknowledge that the fequimur, Syriack Edition is not Authentick. Learned Heinfius is much offended with that Etur, vel dition, as appeares by his Annotations upaxordia on, 17ob.5.7. And if we confult the Scripqnæ im- tures, and compare this Text with the folprimise- lowing Verfes, and with fome other pla legans turbatur, ces of Scripture, which are more plaine, Mihi qui and then adde the teftimony and Interpretalem pri- tations of the ancient and Reverend Domò ufur- Яtors of the Church, concerning the words parunt in in question, we shall be able to paffe a right centiam judgement upon the point in hand.. Deous 201 1. The equality of the Number of witvidentur. neffes fuites very right, three witnesses on Heinfius earth, and three in heaven. Sacris li in locum. 2 The oppofition between the quality of the witnesses, witneffes on earth, and witnesses in heaven; and yet their sweet harmony and agreement in one teftimony; all fix beare witneffe to one and the fame truth. 3. The diversity of the very nature of those three who beare witneffe on earth, and the unity of their divine nature who bear witneffe in heaven, is very confiderable, and it is excellently expreffed in the variation of the Phrafe, Thefe three are one, ver.7. and these three agree in one;namely, in one teftimony, ver.8. Though their Nature be different, yet their Teftimony is the fame. But » εἰσι ་ Put it is objected that the Complutenfian Bib.edit Bible faith of the heavenly witneffes that Complut εἰς τὸ ἕν thefe three agree in one, ver. 7. I humbly v.7. offer this fatisfaction to pious and learned men; That we have good reafon to beleeve, that there is an imprudent addition in the Complutenfian Bible, rather then an omiffion of fo many ancient and approved Bibles; and therefore it is fit that that addition should be expunged out of that one Copy, by the concurrent teftimony of fo many Copies. Moreover it is cleer by the joynt teftimony of other Copies, that the words yo are omitted in the 7 ver. and the words 's To Evo belong to the eight verfe, and therefore there is an inexcufable omiffion, and an imprudent tranfpofition in that corrupt edition. But then it is farther objected,that these words These three are one are wanting in fome o officina ther Greek copies; for answer I proceed cbr. Planin my obfervations. * Merces fatis falla ces vendit tini Ant editione 4. If we look upon the Scripture account verpie in in other places, we shall find it exactly 1584 exagreeable to the account in this place,1job. cufa&cum 5.7. Bib. Ar. gat. In the eighth of fohn our Saviour pleads Mont.vulthat two witnesses in Law were fufficient for Joh.8.17, the proof of any point, Joh, 8.17. and in the 18. tenth verfe faith he, I am one,and my Father that sent me is another: they are two witneffes, and yet but one God; I and my Fa- Joh.10.3 ther |