IT 'S our business and design for the securing of those , who shall read this discourse , from damnable Errors : for the glory of the eternal Son of God , whose Divinity we find boldly impeach'd and blasphemously deny'd by a pestilent crew of subtle and insinuating Hereticks : for the confirmation of that Faith in Christ which we profess , and in which we hope to dye : to encounter several of those Arguments thro' God's assistance , which those enemies of Christianity assault the World with . To which end , it will be absolutely necessary to clear the sense of these words from those artificial clouds which some have endeavour'd to obscure them with , and here we find the Socinians not so much disputing about the meaning of the first assertion , without controversie great is the mystery of godliness ; as about the connexion of these words with the particulars following . For if they can prove that the Incarnation of the Son of God is no part or member of our Faith , or no mystery of our Religion , they deprive us of one of the best and plainest Texts of Scripture for the maintaining of his Divinity . Again , if they can so bafflle all mysteries in Religion , that nothing must be regarded but what can easily be comprehended by weak and corrupted reason , our holy Religion stands upon a lower ground than the wretched Systems of Pagan Divinity ; and God must stand reprov'd himself , if he speak any thing by inspired Prophets , which the meanest person cannot fully and clearly understand . In our entrance therefore on our intended discourse , we must first remove these difficulties before we speak to the particulars .

And here we cannot but take notice that the Socinians generally profess abundance of respect for the Scriptures , and seem to take a great deal of pains to assert their authority ; and it is upon the pretendedly genuine explication of that Word of God they build those Heretical Opinions , with which they disturb the Church . Socinus makes it a strange thing that any man professing Christianity should make any doubt of the authority of the books of the Old and New Testament , Vid. Socin . de author . Scrip. op. v. 1. p. 265. especially the last , since the Writers of it were men of reputation and exactly acquainted with those things they writ about ; since the Writers were very well known , since the books themselves are not corrupted or depraved , and because there are no full or clear testimonies to be found that those books deserve not that credit we commonly give them . Catech. Sect. 1. c. 2. The Racovian Catechism asserts the sufficiency of Scripture to make men wise to Salvation . Eousque sunt sufficientia ut in rebus ad salutem necessariis iis solis acquiescendum est , they are so sufficient to that great end , that we ought to depend upon them only in matters of Salvation . And for their assertion they add this among other reasons , That it was not likely in so large a book , and where so few things were absolutely necessary to Salvation , Ibid. those very few things should not be fully laid down ; or that in a book where God had ordered so many things unnecessary , he should have forgotten any thing that was absolutely necessary to Salvation : And farther they avouch the integrity of Scripture , that those holy Books are not corrupted or alter'd , and that principally because they say it 's inconsistent with God's Providence and goodness to permit those writings in which he had declared himself and manifested his Will , and shewed the way to eternal Salvation , and which as such were immediately received and approved by all good men , to permit such Writings to be any way corrupted : besides that there were so many Copies of those Books transcribed at first , in places so far distant one from another , and they were translated into so many several languages presently , that if any corruption or alteration had been attempted , Ibid. c. 1. it had been impossible they should all have conspired in the same reading : and therefore we may observe where the least change has been made , the Copies disagree . In this observation we close with them , and by their own rule the better answer their cavil with this Text.

For they tell us that some Copies read this Text not as we do , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , God was manifest in the flesh , but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was manifest in the flesh , without any mention of God at all . Erasmus was the first in this observation , Grotius follows him and tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God is wanting in the vulgar Latin , Grot. in loc. the Syriac and Arabic translations , and that St. Ambrose takes no notice of it , and that Hincmare Bishop of Rhemes says it was foisted into the Text by the Nestorians . Curcellaeus tells us the same , and of an old Greek Copy mentioned by Morinus , wherein part of the word was written by a later hand . This Critical observation the Socinians with one consent lay hold on , by that means endeavouring to avoid so plain a Text for the Divinity of the Son of God . So Volkelius tells us plainly that our Text is one of those Scriptures , Volkel de ●●●d ●elig . Edit Am l. 5. p. 462. c. ●1 . quas ad errorem suum stabiliendum detorquent adversarii , which those who believe Christ to be God wrest to the maintenance of their own error , for the name of God is not in all the Greek Copies , as may be seen by the vulgar Latin and Syriac Versions , but all the following particulars are to be referr'd to the Mystery of Godliness mentioned before , which mystery of Godliness was manifested in the flesh : and this Grotius before cited on the place , takes to be very good sence . Crellius on this place observes the same thing , yet owns Quod Graeci constanter pro ö legunt Θεὸς , that the Greeks , whose the Original is , read the name of God unanimously in the Text , tho' some Versions want it . He tells us a story of Macedonius the Patriarch of the Pneumatomachoi , or those Hereticks who deny'd the divinity or personality of the Holy Ghost , or of some other of that name of which more hereafter , that he attempted the depraving of this passage , and that there is no question but he inserted the controverted word into the Text afterwards . He refers us to an abridgment of the case of Nestorius and Eutyches , Crellius i● loc. Bibliot . fr. Pol. inter opera Cr. v. 2. p. 18 , 19. written by Liberatus a Deacon of Carthage , who tells us that Macedonius Bishop of Constantinople was deprived by the Emperour Anastasius as a falsifier of Scripture , and particularly for inserting the word God in this place of S. Paul : He tells us indeed that , In eo consentiunt omnes malam manum huic loco fuisse adhibitam , fraudemque à Macedonio attentatam . All agree in this that some foul play was offered to the Text , and that Macedonius was concern'd in the cheat ; but for this we must take his word , for he gives us no other authority : and all this is repeated in the Racovian Catechism , Catech. Raco . p. 55. Sect. 4. c. 1. and the short note of Andreas Wiscoveatius upon the question about the sence of our Apostle . Schlicktingius another of the same Tribe , and a great hearer of Crellius , yet here contradicts his companion and tells us boldly and roundly , Schlicktingius in locum . oper. t. 2. p. 150. Contin . Ir. Ir. p. 106. par. 58. that several Greek Copies read it otherwise than we do , i. e. they omit the word God , but proves it only by the forecited translations : and to name no more , Zwicker in the defence of his Irenicum Irenicor . against Comenius , calls this Text locus dubiae lectionis , a place read several ways . Now the inference these Hereticks make from this Criticism is , That this Text is indeed no proof of any thing : for since we know not how it was written at first , by reason of the difference among the Copies now extant , it 's not to be admitted as a proof ; so Crellius , Crell . ubi supra . Cum nemo ambigat tentatum esse aliquid circa hunc locum , varientque hodie lectiones , nil ex illo solidi , ad aliquod in Religione Dogma stabiliendum duci posse certum est , Since none doubt there has been somewhat attempted about this Text , and that the Copies at this time differ one from another , no solid argument can be drawn from thence , for the confirming any Tenet in Religion . With him agrees the Racovian Catechism in express terms : but here we may answer them , according to their own position before mentioned , That since the original Greek Copies , in which Language the new Testament was written by the inspired authors , do all agree in reading this Text as we do in our Bibles , we need not trouble our selves about the disagreement of two or three Translations , since , having to do with men highly pretending to reason , we may rationally conclude God's goodness and providence would take more care to secure the Originals than those Translations , and that he really did preserve the Originals unperverted on purpose to prevent the ill effects those imperfect translations might otherwise have had : for who but a proselyte of Rome or a Socinian would run to an uncertain stream , when he might with the same ease drink at the fountain head where every thing is pure and clean ?

But if we examine the matter more strictly , the whole pretence of different Copies is false or impertinent . Vid. Gothofr . in Poli Synop. Gothofredus in a particular discourse on this Text could find no difference in the original Books , and all Grotius and Schlicktingius , and Curcellaeus and Crellius have said , amounts but to one among 1000. and that one very questionable too : The Syriac translation indeed does want the word in our Polyglot Bibles , but the Arabic version has it God appear'd in the flesh : 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor do I find any various readings there . The vulgar Latin has not the word indeed : but when Grotius , and from him the rest tell us that St. Ambrose read it not , they shew more craft than sincerity ; that Father reads the text without God in it , but he interprets it as we do , that the mystery here spoken of was Christus in carne , Christ appearing in the flesh . Ambros . com . in Epist. 1. ad Tim. Edit. Par. 1549. p. 2056. Tamdiu aspectu humilis visus est per carnem , quamdiu devicta morte resurgeret à mortuis & videretur majestas ejus qui natus ut homo non erat totus homo : He appear'd humble in his flesh so long till having conquer'd death , he rose again , and that his Majesty might be seen , who tho' he was born as a man , was not meerly a man , i. e. he was God as well as man . Not to take any notice that St. Ambrose really was not the author of those Commentaries on St. Paul's Epistles printed commonly among his works , but Hilary the Deacon a stout adversary of Arianisme in the fourth Century . As for Crellius his story of Macedonius , it 's loose and impertinent . Macedonius indeed who was thrust into the chair of Constantinople by the Arrians upon the death of Alexander in the year 342. was Heretick enough , and consequently like enough to attempt an ill thing . But that Macedonius mentioned by the Deacon Liberatus , was thrust out of his See by the Emperour Anastasius for his not complying with Hereticks in the year 515. when it was too late to attempt an innovation in Scripture , and who beside could have no design in so doing , since he held no peculiar opinions about our Saviour , to which such a corruption could be subservient . Brev. c. 19. Concil t. 5. p 762. Liberatus indeed tells such a story in his abridgment , but it 's so impertinent , that even Crellius himself concludes he was mistaken in it , and we may go farther and pronounce it wholly false , since a Manuscript Copy of the new Testament presented to Charles the first of blessed memory , by Cyrill then Patriarch of Constantinople , reads , as we do at this day : and that Copy being about 1300 years old , was written long before the latter Macedonius was born : so that there was no need of running himself into danger by inserting that word into St. Paul's Text which was there before ; the Socinians , tho' daring enough to impose upon the world , could not but see the absurdity of their own pretence : therefore they try to weaken the force of this Text by another artifice .

For so they tell us , that allowing the word God in the Text , it 's not to be understood of Jesus Christ , but of God the Father ; and in this they have Grotius , tho' at a distance , their Leader too , who gives us this general interpretation of the Verse : We are not here concern'd about any ordinary truth , but about that part of it , which no man of himself was able to make out , which has an extraordinary faculty to generate true piety in our hearts , vid. Grot. in locum . a part of truth in comparison of which all the Precepts and Principles of the Mosaic Law and of Philosophy are idle and of no effect , and this mysterious truth amounts to this , That the Gospel was published not by Angels , but by poor , infirm and inconsiderable men , as our Lord and his Apostles seem'd to the World ; so the great mystery was manifest in the flesh : this Gospel was justified in the spirit , i. e. it was approv'd to the World by many Miracles , these being wrought by the influence of the spirit : it was seen of Angels , and that with the greatest admiration , for Angels came to the knowledge of the Gospel by the means of Men ; it was preacht to the Gentiles , not only to the Jews , who before were God's peculiar people , but to the Gentiles who were meer strangers to the true God ; it was believ'd on in the World , a great part of Mankind entertaining it , and it was receiv'd up in glory , i e. it was exalted very gloriously , because it introduced a far greater degree of Holiness into the World than any former Opinions did . So much pains did that learned man take to obscure a plain Text of Scripture , and his gloss upon it was but impertinent and absurd at last . He 's mighty willing to let the Verse pass without that emphatical word in it , but his fancy about the Gospel's being manifest in the flesh , and seen of Angels , being justified in the Spirit and receiv'd up into glory , are so poor and dilute , as became not a man of learning and sense to obtrude upon the world : therefore his Socinian followers , tho' they touch upon this gloss of his ; yet they quit the Gospel , which he insists upon , and take God the Father in its room . So Volkelius asserts , Deum Patrem in carne manifestatum fuisse intelligendum esse , that by the Text we are to understand that God the Father was manifest in the flesh , and pursues that assertion with this Paraphrase of the whole , That God by Christ and his Apostles , who suffer'd many things on that account , did more clearly then ever discover himself and his will unknown to all precedent Ages . In the mean time tho' he reveal'd these things by inconsiderable men , he took care by that divine power he shew'd in them , to evidence his own justice and truth , and to have his will approv'd : that at that time and not sooner , this will of his was known and understood by the very Angels , and the extraordinary wisdom of God which shines in it , lay open before them ; that this same will of God was preach'd to foreign Nations unacquainted with him before , and destitute of divine revelation ; vid. Volkelium ubi supra cum reliquis . that the World in all parts gave credit to it , and that it was openly receiv'd by Men with a great deal of Honour . So far Volkelius , with whom agree Crellius , tho' dilating more largely upon the place . Zwicker , and the Racovian Catechism . Schlicktingius , goes along with Grotius , and will by no means admit of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or God , and in plain terms tells us , Schlicktingius in loc. Deum manifestatum esse in carne dicere , nugari est ; it 's meer fooling to say , God was manifest in the flesh , and that Godliness and God manifest in the world were very different things . But this we shall have occasion to animadvert upon afterwards .

As for this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , or the great mystery mention'd in the Text , Suidas interprets 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , holy rites of a secret nature , Vid. Suid. in Lex . v. 1. Vid. Vossii Etym. ling. latinae & Dieterici Lex . nov . testam . or not commonly known , that they were so call'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , because those that heard them stopt their mouths , that they might not divulge or explain them to any . Vossius and Dieterichus from Casaubon and Hornius chuse rather to derive it from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to hide or to conceal , from hence comes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a concealment or a place to hide one in : so that whencesoever it s deriv'd , they agree it signifies somewhat of a secret nature not easily to be found out , In Ecclesia ea vox generatim accipitur pro re Sacrâ naturae lumine incomprehensibili , says Vossius , as us'd by Ecclesiastical Writers , it 's generally taken for holy things incomprehensible by the light of nature , tho' sometimes it has a more restrain'd signification relating to Symbolical rites ; and so the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper are frequently call'd mysteries : but in the Text where we are told the mystery of Godliness is great , and that assertion prov'd by the following particulars , we learn that the whole affair of the Incarnation of the blessed Jesus with its consequences , by which the Redemption of Mankind from the slavery of sin and death was effected , is a deep and profound mystery , or secret , not to be comprehended by any humane understanding , and yet so necessarily to be believ'd , that no man can rightly assume the name of Christian , or pretend to give a due credit to the doctrine of the Gospel , without embracing and fully believing it .

But here we lie open again to the insults of our Socinian adversaries , for they seem very unwilling to allow any such things at present as mysteries in Religion : for tho' they do believe there were in former ages , as particularly before our Saviour's time , many things tending to humane salvation , which yet to humane understandings were inscrutable and never to be found out ; yet these things are now reveal'd , and consequently comprehensible enough by sound reason , and certainly to be fathomed by discourse and sense . Thus Schlicktingius in his disputation against the Doctrine of the Trinity , oppos'd to Meisner , a Lutheran Divine , Schlicktin . in Meisner . de Trin. &c. p. 70. Mysteria Divina non idcirco mysteria dicuntur quod etiam revelata omnem nostrum intellectum captumque transcendunt , sed quod non nisi ex revelatione cognosci possint : Divine Mysteries are not therefore call'd mysteries , because they transcend our understanding after they are reveal'd ; but because they cannot be known without divine Revelation . For what need is there of a Revelation , if they are no more intelligible afterwards than they were before ? wherefore Humane reason may determine concerning divine Mysteries when they are once reveal'd , nay it ought to do so : for how should it give any credit to them unless it had first passed a judgment upon them ? And so soon as ever our reason has pass'd a true and uncorrupt judgment upon them , it always finds those mysteries to be very true . Thus He. Elsewhere he asserts , that our ignorance of divine mysteries proceeds not from the corruption of our nature through the fall of Man , but from the extraordinary sublime nature of those Mysteries ; Disput. pro Socino . p. 101. 1 Cor. 15.51 . De verâ Relig. l. 1. p. 344. and therefore after they are once reveal'd to us , whether by God's word or by his Spirit , Tantas habemus vires , ut eas animo comprehendere valeamus , we have so much strength of mind that we are able to comprehend them . The same Doctrine he preaches in his Commentary on that of the Apostle , Behold I shew you a mystery ; and Crellius speaks to the same effect . But this reasoning is not such as should make us much admire our own faculties with respect to the mysteries of Religion : It 's true indeed our reason may serve us so far as to convince us such or such a truth is reveal'd , our eye sees it in that Book which we call the word of God , our ear hears it ; therefore by discourse we conclude that that Truth stands so reveal'd there , and our reason enables us to judge whether the revelation be authentick and fit for us to depend on or no. But according to their acknowledgment , wretched man involv'd in sin , could with all his wit and sense discover no remedy for his misery , the more he discours'd with himself , the more plainly he 'd find , that He who had offended a Being wise , knowing , and powerful to punish , could rationally expect nothing but punishment from one so offended : Mercy could take little place in Man's thoughts in the case ; he could see reasons enough why he should be punish'd for his sin , but no reason why he should be pardon'd , since he had sinn'd : God now had decreed a remedy for him , but God's decree was secret and indiscoverable . As man could not naturally feed himself with any reasonable hopes that such a remedy should be : neither could he contrive how that remedy should be effected , or by what means he an offender should escape the stroke of Justice ; since Mercy as well as justice must have some ground or reason to move upon : the means then as well as the decree was hitherto mysterious . Well , Almighty God in his wonderful commiseration of humane weakness was pleas'd to promise somewhat comfortable to our first parents , in the strength of which promise they were enabled to live , tho' under the weight of those calamities sin had laid them open to : God afterwards besides these extraordinary promises of the same nature made to the Patriarchs , inspired several holy Men , who spake as influenced by him , and they foretold man's redemption by a Messias , one that should be Anointed to that purpose . Here then the mystery was reveal'd , and what man before could not rationally have hoped for , he was now assured of by God himself . But did not the whole matter continue a Mystery still ? Nay , was not the Mystery now more inscrutable than before ? Could Man give a reason , or comprehend the matter in his Soul , why an exceedingly provoked God should express such love or pity for those who had provoked him ? If they could have done so , they might have done it as well before , and consequently have concluded , that tho' they had incensed God , yet his wrath would certainly be atoned , and therefore there was no need of a Revelation : or after this Revelation , could Man tell certainly what the meaning of this Messiah was ? They saw him sometimes described by the Prophets under all the glorious characters of a mighty King , nay , equall'd with God himself in his titles and in his name . Sometimes they saw him character'd as very mean and contemptible , as riding on an Ass instead of a triumphant Chariot , as one who had no form nor comliness in him , no beauty for which he should be desired , nay , despised and rejected of men , a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief . Could common reason so easily discover what manner of person he should be in whom these particulars so seemingly contradictory should meet ? If so , what made the Jews , who had enjoyed a greater portion of divine light than the rest of the World , what made them stumble so extreamly at the person of the Messias when he appear'd , or think it so impossible to reconcile Prophecies so seemingly contradictory to one another ? were the Jews the only persons utterly deserted by reason , or grown brutes on the suddain ? What shall we say to the existence of a God , one supream Being who manages all things ? That there is a God , tho' the Socinians deny it , Nature , and the various works of the Creation teach us ; for reason will perswade us that the Apostle speaks plain enough to that purpose , when he makes it a reason why the Heathens should be inexcusable , because that which may be known of God is manifest in them , for God has shewed it unto them , for the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen , Rom. 1.19.20 . being understood by the things that are made , even his eternal power and Godhead : This same existence of a God is reveal'd to us in Scripture , but in the mean time we must own that by Scripture we really know no more of God than Nature and the works of Nature had discover'd before : for that which may be known of God was visible in them as the forecited Text informs us ; nay , had not Nature imprest upon our Souls some Idaeas of the divinity , had not we been able to read his eternal power and Godhead in them , all the revelations in Scripture would have appear'd very impertinent and unsatisfactory , since all the discourse in it concerning God might easily have been interpreted into a religious fiction , contriv'd meerly to get reputation to that Book of which God was the pretended Author . But after Nature and revelation have done so much , are we able to comprehend the nature of the Almighty ? is not every thing that bears the character of infinity dark and mysterious still ? we know God is , we know that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him , but can we tell by what methods his prudence manages the universe ? can we tell how he is infinitely wise , just , good , merciful , true , &c. or tho' we know God is so , can we tell what it is to be so ? No , we know the positive part , but for us to go farther would argue us Gods and not men : But does the revelation of a certain truth that was mysterious , change its nature ? is not that which was a mystery before , a mystery still ? The Christian Religion or the Principles on which it was built were once mysterious , a Socinian will assert , they were so before Christ's coming into the world : but , if we may give any credit to our Apostle who wrote after the Ascension of our Saviour into Heaven , the mystery of Godliness is great still , and it will continue so as long as Heaven and Earth endure ? But here for our better procedure in countermining the Socinian Heresies , it will be necessary briefly to discuss that question how far humane reason is to take place in matters of Divinity : For Smalcius tells us positively , Smale . Hom. 8. in c. 1. Joan. p. 89. Nullam esse religionis particulam , quae cum ratione non conveniat : & quae cum ratione non convenit opinio eam etiam in Theologiâ nullum locum habere posse . That there is no little point of Religion which does not agree with reason ; and whatsoever opinion does not agree with reason can have no place in Theological matters . Now for the better clearing this matter , I shall lay down these Propositions .