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under a false character, or we know not what, (John iv. 22.) when we offer up prayers to a Being, confifting of three co-equal perfons, contrary to the light of reafon and fcripture; and I am afraid this religious practice too nearly approaches to the crime of fome degree of idolatry, as no fuch being exists in the univerfe.

ATHANASIAN. Surely you must labour under fome very great mistake, when you make such confident declarations regarding forms of worship, that have been deduced from fcripture by fo many learned men ; and have been defended in so many excellent books, written by perfons of almost every denomination of chriftians, as well as of the church of England. Have you, my friend, carefully examined every part of fcripture relating to religious worfhip? Have not the authors of these APPEALS concealed fome confiderable evidence, in order to gain their caufe? Though my memory, at prefent, does not furnish me with any particular paffages, where the second, third, and fourth petitions of the litany are found in express terms; yet I am perfuaded that thefe forms of worfhip are warranted by fcripture, as our church, which profeffes the highest regard for fcripture, and is founded upon it, has fo long recommended and enforced the whole litany-worship: and you must allow that the church of England has been blessed with many excellent members, remarkable for their piety, as well as learning; and, confequently, I cannot

think of departing from their religious fentiments, without the clearest and ftrongest evidence, drawn from the word of God.

UNITARIAN. We of this nation ought to bless God for the inestimable advantages of the free use of the holy fcriptures in the vulgar tongue. In the name of God, let every declaration of Chrift and his apostles, relating to religious worship, be examined and confidered with the greatest care; and let this important cause be determined by divine and not human authority. I can fincerely tell you a plain matter of fact, that after having very accurately compared the new Teftament, with the collection of texts relating to religious worship in both thefe APPEALS, I could not find one paffage omitted; fo that the authors of them cannot be charged with concealing any part of the evidence, in order to gain their cause, according to the too common practice of party writers.

My good friend, do but admit, as your protestant profeffion, and your feeming regard for scripture requires, that the authority of Chrift and his apoftles is of greater weight than the decrees of even wife and learned men, and you will foon be convinced that the athanafian, or trinitarian worship is falfe and unfcriptural. I will endeavour to point out to you a plain method of gaining intire fatisfaction upon this important fubject.-It came to pass that as he (viz. Chrift) was praying in a certain place, one of his dif ciples faid unto him, Lord teach us to pray, as John

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alf taught his difciples. (Luke xi. 1.) Now, the grand question is, what anfwer our lord made to this reafonable inquiry? For furely it is the duty of every christian to pay a very folemn regard to the determination of Chrift himfelf.-And he (viz. Chrift) faid unto them, when ye pray, fay, Our Father, who art in heaven; &c. (v. 2.) This is exactly agreeable to the precept he gave in his fermon on the mount; after this manner pray ye: Our Father, who art in heaven, &c. (Mark vi. 9.) It appears then, that our Lord has piainly commanded all his disciples to worship the one God and Father of all, without any mention of himself, or of the holy spirit of God, as objects of worship.

ATHANASIAN. Your producing the lord's prayer is, I think, unneceffary, as all chriftians are uniformly agreed in it; and this prayer frequently occurs in every part of our public fervice.

UNITARIAN. But it is proper to begin with à point univerfally agreed upon, in order to proceed in a regular manner, to the examination of those points wherein we differ. Though the lord's prayer is fo familiar to you, by frequent ufe, yet it is very poffible that you, and thoufands of others, might not have attended to the confequences, naturally arifing from this divine and comprehenfive prayer.

In the next place, I recommend to your ferious confideration, part of a difcourfe our lord delivered to his difciples, juft before he was going to fuffer à

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painful and scandalous death.—In that day ye shall afk me nothing: Verily, verily, I fay unto you, whatsoever ye fhall afk the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye afked nothing in my name. At that day ye fhall ask in my name. (John xv. 23, 24, 26). Be pleased to take particular notice, that our lord hath, in these declarations, plainly set forth the true christian form of worship, which is no other than to worship the one God and Father of all, in the name, and as the disciples, of Jefus Christ.

But here I must earneftly defire you to confider, what foundation there is for the worship of Jesus Chrift, or the holy spirit of God, or three perfons in one God. 'Tis impoffible for the art of man to find it out, in these plain declarations of our lord, when he was professedly speaking of the duty of his difciples, with regard to the true object of religious worship.

ATHANASIAN. I freely grant you that the churchworship does not appear in this difcourfe of Chrift. But does he not promise his difciples to fend the holy fpirit to guide them into all truth? From whence it is not improbable that fome particulars were to be revealed to them after the descent of the holy spirit, which our lord did not think proper to communicate to them in perfon; so that if the church-worthip be rightly deduced from the declarations of the infpired apofties, it will yet ftand upon a fcripture-founda

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UNITARIAN

UNITARIAN. Let us, for the prefent, confine our argument to our lord's last difcourfe to his difciples. If the true character of God be, a Being confifting of three co-equal perfons, and it be our duty to worship him under this character, is it poffible to imagine, that our Lord fhould take no notice of fuch an effential part of our religious fervice? As no fuch worship can be deduced from this, or any other difcourfe of our lord, it must certainly be given up, as falfe and unscriptural, unless the apoftles, after the defcent of the holy fpirit, have made it our exprefs duty, by clear precepts and example.

But the matter of fact is demonftrated, even to the eye-fight, that the apoftles offered up their ufual and ftated devotions to God only, through Jesus Christ. They lift up their voice to God, faying, Lord, thou art God,―grant that—wonders may be done by the name of thy holy fervant Jefus. (Acts iv. 24, 30.) Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory, through our lord Jefus Chrift. (1 Cor. xv. 57.) The precepts relating to worship, in the epiftles, are to this effect-Whatfoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the lord Jefus, giving thanks to God, and the Father by him. (Coloff. iii. 17.) In the review of all the forms of worthip in the new Teftament, will appear demonftrative evidence that the worship of Chrift, and the holy fpirit, is no where warranted by the practice or precepts of the apoftles: and fo grofs and abfurd is the

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