doctor's fpeech was fitted only for a tavern, or a meeting of field politicians at Chalk Farm. He panegyrizes the late minifters, and pours out the coarseft invectives upon the prefent. Let us contrast this with the addrefs. That confines itself to a mere expreffion of gratitude to his majesty for his paternal watchfulness over the Religious Constitution of thefe realms. And was this "confpicuous firmness of the king" in refifting the encroachments of an afpiring party who are avowedly hoftile to the Established Church, to be treated with indifference? Were the clergy, of all men, to be filent on this occafion, and not to thank the king for his care of the Proteftant intereft? Whether the conceffions intended to be made to the Roman Catholicks were of that alarming nature which fome imagine, or not, is beside the queftion. The conduct of the king is all that we have to do with in the prefent inftance. His concern for the conftitution, and his confcientious regard to his facred obligations, call for our admiration and for the public expreffion of our gratitude. And fhall the clergy be lefs forward than their brethren, in manifefting their acknowledgments for the firm, conftitutional, and confcientious ftand which our revered fovereign took in this momentous crifis? But Dr. Knox fays, that the addrefs ought to have been brought forward in the Town-hall; becaufe, like a man fond of difpute and oppofition, he wanted to have an amphitheatre wherein to difplay his powers. Had the addrefs been the act of the corporation and inhabitants of Tunbridge, the Town-hall would no doubt have been the moft proper place for difcuffing the addrefs. But this was the act of the clergy, affembled in a body with the bishop at their head, and who of courfe had nothing to do with the Town-hall: and though the doctor calls the addrefs political, he has not proved it to be fuch. The king objected to the sweeping conceffions to the Romanifts, on a religious account, as what affected his coronation oath, and as what might eventually prove injurious to the Eftablifhed Church. An addrefs of thanks to him therefore becomes a religious concern, and the neglecting to addrefs his majefty for the folicitude which he has thewn for the Church would argue as great a want of feeling on the part of the clergy, as there has been of good manners and good fenfe in the prefent oppofition to it on the part of the Tunbridge orator. I am &c. PRACTICAL INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. I TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN'S SIR, MAGAZINE. have been much pleased, in common no doubt with all your readers, with Mr. Pearson's valuable paper on the Pre-existence of Chrift." His remarks on the practical importance of that doctrine are deferving the most serious confideration of those who are apt to treat this article of Faith as merely fpeculative. The perufal of Mr. Pearson's Effay brought to my recollection an excellent fermon preached by the learned Dr. William Dodwell, before the University of Oxford in 1745, and published the fame year under the title of " the Practical Influence of the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity reprefented." As this fermon is very fcarce, perhaps an extract from it may be acceptable to the readers of your useful Magazine. I am, Sir, AN OLD CORRESPONDENT. "The doctrine of the Trinity is practical even in the inftance that may least be confidered, in regard to the dif charge of our duty to our neighbours. For fince all are honoured by the peculiar offices of thefe Divine Persons, all have, or ought to have, on that account, a higher regard to each other. The Patriarch Job, argues, and very frongly, the duty of kindness and beneficence to all our brethren of the human fpecies, from the confideration only of their joint relation to our common Creator: Did not He, fays he, that made me in the womb, make him, and did not One fashion us in the womb? Job. xxxi. 15. was doubtlef's a very proper motive to mutual affection; but of how rouch ftronger force is it, when we can carry on the argument thus: Did not He that redeemed me redeem others, and did not One fashion us in the New Birth? Are we not justified by the merits of the fame Saviour, and regenerated by the fame Holy Spirit? Did not Chrift die for all, and is not preventing and affifting grace offered at leaft to all? If then the grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift,. This and Practical Influence of the Doctrine of the Trinity. 31 and the Love of God, and the Communion of the Holy Spirit, be with all, fhall we defpife or difregard the meanest of our brethren, who are honoured with the fame privileges and entitled to the fame glorious hopes with ourselves? If they are not thought beneath the protection and immediate regard of each Divine Perfon in the Godhead, fhall we poor finful tranfitory mortals difefteem our own nature, and undervalue thofe for whom the Eternal Son of God fhed his blood, and whom the Eternal Spirit continually attends with the gra cious offers of his assistance? If our brother of the lowest degree be, notwithstanding, the purchase of a divine sacrifice, and the Living Temple of the Holy Ghoft, this raises him higher in our regard than any other confideration, and requires a more benevolent treatment of the meaneft object upon earth, that is fo highly exalted and interested in the scheme and ceconomy of Heaven.--But all this dignity of ourselves and our fellow-creatures depends on the Divinity of the Son and Spirit, on the true and proper fatisfaction of our Saviour, and the real infpiration of the Holy Ghoft. If Chrift was only an holy prophet or meffenger from Heaven, to reveal the will of God to men, and died only as a witness to confirm the truth of the doctrine he taught, and if grace be nothing more than an happy chain of fuch natural caufes as concur to promote reformation and amendment of life, then all the great condefcenfion and favour of the gospel, is loft, and we are left without any propitiation for our fins, or meritorious title to acceptance and reward. Every fuch fuppofition degrades us to our natural ftate, leaves us to our own ftrength to perform good works, and to our own merit to atone for our iniquities, and even an impartial heathen might be fenfible of the confequence. The truth is, the doctrine of the Trinity is fo far from being merely a matter of fpeculation, that it is the very effence of the Chriftian Religion, the foundation of the whole revelation, and connected with every part of it. All that is peculiar to this religion has relation to the Redemption of Christ, and the Sanctification of the Spirit; and whofoever is endeavouring to invalidate these articles, is overthrowing or undermining the authority of this difpenfation and reducing it to a good moral fyftem only, or treatife of ethicks. If the Word, or Logos, who became incarnate, was a created Being only, then the mystery of his incarnation fo much infifted on in Scripture, and the love expreffed to mankind thereby, fo much magnified, dwindle into an interested fervice; and a short life of fufferings, concluded indeed with a painful 82 Practical Influence of the Doctrine of the Trinity. painful death, is rewarded with divine honours, and a creature advanced thereby to the Glory of the Creator; for the command is plain and exprefs that all the Angels of God fhould worship him. And have not many faints and martyrs undergone the fame fufferings without the like glorious recompenfe? And is not the advantage to Christ himself by his incarnation and paffion greater, on this fuppofition, than to men, for whofe fakes the facred writings reprefent this scheme of mercy undertaken? Again, if the motions of the Holy Spirit, fo frequently spoken of, are only figurative expreffions, and do not neceffarily imply any real perfon, who is the author of them, or if this perfon be only à created being, then we are deprived of all hopes of Divine affiftance in our fpiritual warfare, and have nothing but our own natural abilities to contend with against the world, the flesh and the devil.-And is it not amazing then that this article could ever be reprefented as a mere abstracted speculation, when our deliverance both from the penalty and the power of fin does fo plainly depend upon it? It is on this account, that the Athanafian Creed very juftly declares, that "whofoever would be faved," that is, would be entitled to the covenanted method of falvation through Christ, "before all things it is neceffary, that he hold the Catholick Faith," after which follows the fcriptural account of the doctrine of the Trinity. Cafes of invincible ignorance, or uncovenanted mercy, are not here spoken of; but this is only a true account of the terms of Salvation according to the facred writings, wherein a true faith is made as necessary as a right practice, and this in particular in order to that end. For Arianifm, Socinianifm, and all thofe feveral herefies of what kind or title foever, which destroy the Divinity of the Son and Holy Ghoft, are indeed no other than different schemes of infidelity; fince the authority, end, and influence of the Gospel are as effectually evacuated by difowning the characters in which our Redeemer and Sanctifier are there reprefented to us, as even by contefting the evidences of its divine original. These notions plainly rob those two divine perfons of their operations and attributes, and of the honour due to them, leffen the mercy and myftery of the scheme of our Salvation, degrade our notion of ourselves and our fellow-creatures, alter the nature of feveral duties, and weaken thofe great. motives to the observance of all, which true Chriftianity propofes to us." ON ROM. vii. 24. TO THE EDITOR OF THE ORTHODOX CHURCHMAN's MAGAZINE. SIR, DE R. Doddridge in his Family Expofitor has paraphrased· that paffage of St. Paul, (Romans vii. 24.) thus, "Wretched man that I am! do I often cry out, in fuch a circumftance, with no better fupports and incitements than the law can give; whe shall rescue me miferable captive as I am from the body of this death? From this continual burden which I carry about with me, and which is cumbersome and odious as a DEAD CARCASE tied to a living body, to be dragged along with it wherever it goes."-This paraphrafe is vindicated in the following note: "It is well known that fome ancient writers mention this as a cruelty practifed by fome tyrants on miferable captives who fell into their hands.' As this learned writer has omitted to mention his authorities for this barbarous practice, perhaps the following citations in confirmation of what he has faid in elucidation of this paffage of Scripture may be acceptable to your readers: one is in Virgil, Æneid, 1. viii. Quid memorem infandas cædes? quid facta tyranni F Vol. XIII. Churchm. Mag. for July 1807. DRYDEN The |