The sandy foundation shaken, or, Those so generally believed and applauded doctrines ... refuted from the authority of Scripture testimonies, and right reason / by W.P. ...

Conclusion by way of Caution.

THus Reader have I lead thee through those three so generally applauded Doctrines, whose confutation, I hope, though thou hast run, thou hast read; and now I call the Righteous God of Heaven to bear me Record, that I have herein sought nothing be∣low the defence of his Unity, Mercy, and Purity against the rude and impetuous assaults of Tradition, Press and Pulpit, from whence I daily hear, what rationally induceth me to believe a conspiracy is hold by Counter-plots, to obstruct the exaltation of Truth, and to betray Evangelical Doctrines, to Idle Traditions: But God will re∣buke the Winds, and destruction shall attend the Enemies of his Anointed.— Mistake me not, we never have disowned a Father, Word, and Spirit, which are ONE, but mens Inventions; for, 1. Their Trinity has not so much as a Foundation in the Scriptures. 2. That its Original was three hundred years after Christianity was in the World. 3. It having cost much blood, in the Council of Sirmium,* 1.1 Anno 355. it was Decreed, That thenceforth the con∣troversie should not once be remembred, because the Scriptures of God made no mention thereof. Why then should it be mentioned now with a Maranatha, on all that will not bow to this abstruse Opinion. 4. And it doubtless hath occasioned Idolatry, witness the Popish Images of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 5. It scandalizeth Turks, Jews, and Infidels, and palpably obstructs their reception of the Christian Doctrine. — Nor is there more to be said on the be∣half of the other two; for I can boldly challenge any person to give me one Scripture Phrase which does approach the Doctrine of Satisfaction, (much less the Name) considering to what degree it's stretched; not that we do deny, but really confess that Jesus Christ, in Life, Doctrine, and Death, fulfilled his Fathers Will, and of∣fered up a most satisfactory Sacrifice, but not to pay God, or help him (as otherwise being unable) to save men, and for a Justifica∣tion:

by an Imputative Righteousness, whilst not real, it's meerly an imagination, not a reality, and therefore rejected; otherwise con∣fest and known to be justifying before God, because there is no a∣biding in Christ's Love, without keeping his Commandments. I therefore caution thee in love, of whatsoever Tribe or Family of Re∣ligion thou mayest be, not longer to deceive thy self by the over∣fond imbraces of humane apprehensions, for Divine Mysteries; but rather be informed that God hath bestowed a measure of his Grace on thee and me, to shew us what is good, that we may obey and do it; which if thou diligently wilt observe, thou shalt be led out of all unrighteousness, and in thy obedience shalt thou receive power to become a Son of God; in which happy estate God only can be known by men, and they know themselves to be justified before him, whom experimentally to know, by Jesus Christ, is life Eternal.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Socrat. Schol. an. 355. Conc. Sirm. cap. 25. p. 275.