GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. 47
and capacity in these things, we are not to be " ashamed of the gos- pel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth."
Of this repugnancy unto the mystery of the wisdom and grace of God in Christ, and the foundation of its whole economy, in the dis- tinct operations of the persons of the holy Trinity therein, there are two parts or branches : —
1. That which would reduce the whole of it unto the pi'ivate reason of men, and their own weak, imperfect management thereof. This is the entire design of the Socinians. Hence, —
(1.) The doctrine of the Trinity itself is denied, impugned, yea, derided by them ; and that solely on this account. They plead that it is incomprehensible by reason; for there is in that doctrine a de- claration of things absolutely infinite and eternal, which cannot be exemplified in, nor accommodated unto, things finite and temporal. This is the substance of all their pleas against the doctrine of the holy Trinity, that which gives a seeming life and sprightly vigour to their objections against it; wherein yet, under the pretence of the use and exercise of reason, they fall, and resolve all their reasonings into the most absurd and irrational principles that ever the minds of men were besotted withal. For unless you will grant them that what is above their reason, is, therefore, contradictory unto true reason; that what is infinite and eternal is perfectly comprehensible, and in all its concerns and respects to be accounted for; that what cannot be in things finite and of a separate existence, cannot be in things infinite, whose being and existence can be but one; with other such iiTational, yea, brutish imaginations ; all the arguments of these pre- tended men of reason against the Trinity become like chaff that every breath of wind will blow away. Hereon they must, as they do, deny the distinct operations of any persons in the Godhead in the dispensation of the mystery of grace ; for if there are no such distinct persons, there can be no such distinct operations. Now, as upon a denial of these things no one article of faith can be rightly understood, nor any one duty of obedience be performed unto God in an acceptable manner; so, in particular, we grant that the doctrine of justification by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ can- not stand.
(2.) On the same ground the incarnation of the Son of God is re- jected as aroVwi/ dro'T-Jirarov, — the most absurd conception that ever be- fell the minds of men. Now it is to no purpose to dispute with men so persuaded, about justification; yea, we will freely acknowledge that all things we believe about it are ypauidug im-j&oi, — no better than old wives' tales, — if the incarnation of the Son of God be so also. For I can as well understand how he Avho is a mere man, however
48 ox JUSTIFICATION.
exalted, dignified, and glorified, can exercise a spiritual rule in and over the hearts, consciences, and thoughts of all the men in the world, being intimately knowing of and present unto them all equally at all times (which is another of their fopperies), as how the righteousness and obedience of one should be esteemed the righteousness of all that believe, if that one be no more than a man, if he be not acknow- ledged to be the Son of God incarnate.
Whilst the minds of men are prepossessed with such prejudices, nay, unless they firmly assent unto the truth in these foundations of it, it is impossible to convince them of the truth and necessity of that justification of a sinner which is revealed in the gospel. Allow the Lord Christ to be no other person but what they believe him to be, and I will grant there can be no other way of justification than what they declare ; though I cannot believe that ever any sinner will be justified thereby. These are the issues of an obstinate refusal to give way unto the introduction of the mystery of God and his grace into the way of salvation and our relation unto him.
And he who would desire an instance of the fertility of men's in- ventions in forging and coining objections against heavenly mysteries, in the justification of the sovereignty of their own reason, as unto what belongs to our relation unto God, need go no farther than the writings of these men against the Trinity and incarnation of the eternal Word. For this is their fundamental rule, in things divine and doctrines of religion, — That not tuhat the Scripture saith is therefore to be accounted true, although it seems repugnant unto any reason- ings of ours, or is above tvhat tue can comprehend ; but what seems repugnant unto our reason, let the words of the Scripture be what they will, that lue must conclude that the Scripture doth not say so, though it seem never so expressly so to do. " Itaque non quia utrum- que Scriptura dicat, propterea hsec inter se non pugnare concludendum est; sed potius quia hsec inter se pugnant, ideo alterutrum a Scriptura non dici statuendum est," saith Schlichting^ ad Meisn. De£ Socin. p. 102 ; — " Wherefore, because the Scripture affirms both these" (that is, the efficacy of God's grace and the freedom of our wills), " we cannot conclude from thence that they are not repugnant; but because these things are repugnant unto one another, we must determine that one of them is not spoken in the Scripture : " — no, it seems, let it say what it will. This is the handsomest way they can take in advancing their own reason above the Scripture ; which yet savours of intolerable pre- sumption. So Socinus^ himself, speaking of the satisfaction of Christ, saith, m plain terms: " Ego quid em etiamsi non semel sed ssepius id