BRETHREN, before I proceed, fuffer me to ask you, if you have carefully confidered the paffages, which have been laid before you? Have you read them over with attention? Have you endeavoured to read them with impartiality? Have you prayed to almighty God, that he would not suffer you to be carried away by groundless prejudices-that he would open your eyes to his truth?

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Brethren, it is no trifling matter. It is a very rious question, whether we be to worship one divine perfon, or three divine perfons-one God, or three Gods. Have you, then, really perused the above contraft with that serious attention, which the subject calls for? I do not pretend to have produced every prayer, or devout wish, or doxology to be met with in the New Teftament. But I believe there are but few, which are neither copied, nor referred to. One fhould hope you will not think it too much trouble to turn to those places in your bible, to which you are referred, and to those alfo, of which the words are given, that you may be fatisfied one has quoted them fairly, and also selected such as are proper fpecimens of the whole.-Suppofing that you have done this, and are fatisfied; permit me to inquire, if you do not think, that there is a very striking difference between the scripture plan of worship, and the church of England plan? Do you not think that the lord Jefus

Though the church of England only is expressly mentioned here, and in other places in this address;

yet

Jefus and his apostles prayed very differently from the members of our established church? Jefus and his apostles prayed to the FATHER, and to no other. He who is guided by the English liturgy, prays to God the Father, God the fon, and God the holy ghoft, to "the holy, bleffed, and glorious trinity." The former worshipped one being: the latter worshipped three perfons or beings t. The former, therefore, and

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yet the fame obfervations which are made to fhew that it is the duty of unitarians to leave that church, are generally applicable to trinitarian churches among the diffenters.

+ When trinitarians affert that the Father is God, the fon God, and the holy ghoft God, they must mean that the terms father, fon, and holy ghoft, are three different names of the fame being, or that they are expreffive of three distinct beings. If they mean that they are only different names of the fame being, it is difficult to fee in what refpect they differ from unitarians, except in ufing a language, which is very liable to be misunderstood. But if they mean that the terms Father, fon, and holy ghoft, are expreffive of three diftinct beings, each of whom is God, is it not undeniable that they affert the exiftence of THREE GODS? It' is to no purpose for them to fay, that they mean that there are three perfons in the godhead; for ftill the queftion returns, What do you mean by the word perfon? Do you mean that there are three names belonging to the godhead? Or do you ufe the word perfon, as it is commonly used, to fignify a diftin&t being, or intelligent agent?

thofe who follow their example, we may call "unitarians," the latter we may be allowed to term "trinitarians." Does it not alfo appear, as if the trinitarians paid religious adoration to a mortal man? For could GOD redeem us by his blood*? Could the eternal, unchangeable Jehovah, be born, be circumcifed, be baptized, be tempted, be in an agony and bloody fweat, be crucified and fuffer? Could the immortal ONE die and be buried+? And yet the Being, whom in the litany you address, is a Being of whom this is fpoken. But furely no fuch being is worshipped in the holy fcriptures. The only being there adored, is the King eternal, immortal invifible. Had our heavenly Father defigned that we should worship a God the fan, and a god the holy ghost, would he not have informed us of it in the bible? Had he defigned.

that

* Neither Acts xx. 28. nor 1 John iii. 16. countenance an idea fo fhocking, for there is the greatest reafon to believe that Luke wrote it, "Feed the church of the lord," i. e. of the lord Jefus; as it is thus quoted by the most antient chriftian writers. John probably wrote, Herein we perceive love, in that he, &c. (meaning Jefus.)

The trinitarians, who addrefs Jefus Chrift in the language of the litany,-By the mystery of thy holy. incarnation, &c. muft addrefs him as man, or as God. If as God, then they affert that God was born, bled, died, &c. If as man, then they coolly and deliberately pray to a mere mortal.

that we should worship a trinity of Gods, would the fcriptures have been filent about it? That we must worship the Father is plainly declared. But we have neither precept, nor example, for going farther. On the contrary, Jefus declares, that we must worship the Lord our GOD, and ferve him only*; and whom he meant by the lord, appears plainly from his directing his difciples to pray, faying, “OUR FATHER, who art in heaven." May we not conclude then, that the worship of two other perfons, is a merely human invention, and fupported by merely human authority? But it is followed by the church of England. Upon this ground, Texhort you to leave the church of England--no longer to join in her religious fervices-no longer to countenance her unfcriptural practices.

Worship the GOD of Jefus and his apostles--worship the GOD of the bible-worship that GOD according to the dictates of your confciences-Permit me to urge it upon you by the following confiderations:

FIRST CONSIDERATION. We ought to obey GOD rather than man. Suppofe that almighty GoD appeared to you, and faid, "Thou fhalt have no other GODS but ME, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous GOD." Suppofe that a mortal man appeared next, and directed you to pray not only to GOD the Father, but to a God the fon, and a God the holy ghost; fhould

Matt. iv. 10.

fhould you hefitate which to obey? But what dif ference is it, whether the Almighty appear in person to you, or whether he inform you of his will by his holy meffengers and prophets? What difference is it, whether one man or ten thousand men, ftand up in oppofition to him? The path of duty is equally plain in both cafes. You cannot hesitate whom to obey: you cannot hesitate whose instructions to receive. Shall they be your guides, who direct and require you to pray to the Father, the fon, and the holy ghoft, or he who hath told us, that true worshippers must worship the FATHER?

It matters not on what grounds men propofe their rules, or convert their fentiments into a law; whether they plead the honour of their redeemer; whether they infer their directions from the character he fuftains; or whether they plead the practice of christians for several hundred years. If it appear to us that they prescribe what God hath not required, all that they can set before us, is to be confidered as only their opinion, their deductions, their will; not GOD's word and will. Let them be ever fo pious. and learned, their injunctions are still only human : and the question returns, fhall we hear men rather than GOD?

It matters not by how many, or how devoutly, certain invocations, prayers, and doxologies, are used: the great question is, are they countenanced by the new Teftament? You fee they are not. How then

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