THE

PREFACE.

THE difciples of our Lord Jesus Christ,

having made that great confeffion of him, in diftinction and oppofition unto them who accounted him only as a prophet, thou art Chrift the Son of the living God,' Matth. xvi. 14, 15, 16. he doth on the occafion thereof, give out unto them the great character of the church's stability and continuance, Upon this rock I will 'build my church, and the gates of hell * fhall not prevail against it,' ver. 18. is himself the rock upon which his church is built; as God is called the Rock of his people, on the account of his eternal power and immutability, Deut. xxxii. 4, 18, 31. Pfal. xviii. 2, 46. and himfelf the spiritual Rock, which gave out fupplies of mercy and affiftance to the people in the wilder, nefs, 1 Cor. x. 4.

B

He

The

The relation of the profeffing church unto this Rock, confifls in the faith of this confeffion, that he is Chrift the Son of the living God.' This our Lord Jefus Chrift hath promised to fecure against all attempts; yet fo as plainly to declare, that there should be great and fevere oppofition made thereunto. For whereas the prevalency of the gates of hell in an enmity unto this confeffion is denied, a great and vigorous attempt to prevail therein is no lefs certainly foretold; neither hath it otherwife fallen out. In all ages, from the first folemn foundation of the church of the New Teftament, it hath one way or other been fiercely attempted by the gates of hell. For fome time after the refurrection of Chrift from the dead, the principal endeavours of Satan, and men acting under him, or acted by him, were pointed against the very foundation of the church, as laid in the expreffion before-mentioned. most all the errors and herefies, wherewith for three or four centuries of years it was perplexed, were principally against the perfon of Chrift himself, and confequently the nature and being of the holy and bleffed Trinity. But being disappointed in his defign herein, through the watchful care of the Lord Chrift over his promife; in the

Al

following

following ages Satan turned his craft and violence against fundry parts of the fuperftructure, and by the affiftance of the Papacy caft them into confufion; nothing as it were remaining firm, ftable, and in or der, but only this one confeffion, which in a particular manner the Lord Chrift hath taken upon himself to fecure.

In these latter ages of the world, the power and care of Jefus Chrift reviving towards his church in the reformation of it, even the ruined heaps of its building have been again reduced into fome tolerable order and beauty. The old enemy of its peace and welfare falling hereby under a disappointment, and finding his travail and labour for many generations in a great part fruftrate, he is returned again to his old work of attacking the foundation itself; as he is unweary and reftlefs, and can be quiet neither conqueror nor conquered; nor will be fo, until he is bound and caft

into the lake that burneth with fire." For no fooner had the reformation of religion formed itself in fome of the European provinces, but immediately, in a proportion of distance not unanfwerable unto what fell out from the firft foundation of the church, fundry perfons by the inftiga tion of Satan attempted the disturbance B 2

and

and ruin of it, by the very fame errors and herefies about the Trinity, the perfon of Christ and his offices, the perfon of the Holy Ghoft and his grace, wherewith its first trouble and ruin was endeavoured. And hereof we have of late an inftance given among ourselves, and that fo notoriously known, through a mixture of im prudence and impudence in the managers of it, that a very brief reflection upon it will fuffice unto our prefent defign.

It was always fuppofed, and known to fome, that there are fundry persons in this nation, who having been themselves feduced into Socinianifm, did make it their business, under various pretences, to draw others into a compliance with them in the fame way and perfuafion. Neither hath this for fundry years been fo fecretly carried, but that the defign of it hath vari ously discovered itself by overt acts of conferences, difputations, and publishing of books; which laft way of late hath been fedulously purfued. Unto these three is now a vifible acceffion made, by that fort of people whom men will call Quakers, from their deportment at the firft erection of their way, long fince deferted by them, until by fome new revolutions of opinions, they caft themselves under a more proper denomination

denomination. That there is a conjunction iffued between both thefe forts of men, in an oppofition to the Holy Trinity, with the perfon and grace of Christ, the pamphlets of late published by the one and the other do fufficiently evince. For however they may feem in fundry things as yet to look divers ways, yet like Samfon's foxes, they are knit together by the tail of confent in thefe fire-brand opinions, and jointly endeavour to confume the ftanding corn of the church of God. And their joint management of their business of late hath been, as though it were their defign to give as great vogue and report to their opinions, as by any ways they are able. Hence befides their attempts to be proclaiming their opinions under various pretences, in all affemblies whereunto they may intrude themselves, as they know without trouble, they are exceedingly fedulous in fcattering and giving away, yea, impofing gratis and as to fome ingratiis, their fmall books, which they publifh, upon all forts of perfons promifcuoufly; as they have advantage fo to do. By this means their opinions. being of late become the talk and difcourfe of the common fort of Chriftians, and the exercife of many; amongst whom are not a few

B 3