Of the firft Greek Editions, in which the Text of the The paffage of St. John prov'd to be genuine from the Greek Manufcripts with fome particular confidera- tions upon the Manufcripts of Laurentius Valla, 'Of_the_obelus plac'd in the middle of the 7th Verfe, There are three in Heaven, &c. of the Manu- A Defence of the Manufcripts of Robert Stephens against certain Manufcripts produced from the Li- Particular reflexions upon the genuineness or forgery of СНАР. Х. Of the Verfion of the New Teftament in modern Greek by Maximus a Monk of Callipolis, in which is the Of the ancient Greek Manuscript found at Dublin, which has the paffage that makes the fubject of this The 7th Verfe of the vth Chap. of St. John's firft Epifile, There are three, c. prov'd to be genuine beyond all Exception, from the ancient Latin Bibles, the Quotations of the Fathers, the Teftimony of the Greek Church, and laftly from an old Greek MS. of the New Teftament in the Library at Dublin. ****************** ****** PART I. In which it is most evidently fhewn, that the Latin Church has always own'd this Text to be authentick. CHAP. I. That to maintain the genuineness of this Text is of great importance to the doctrine of the Trinity. HE firft ground of all religion in general is to believe that there is a God; and the great foundation of the Chriftian Religion in particular, is to believe three divine Perfons in one only and the fame divinity. The fole light of natural reafon may fuffice to every one, who is carefully attentive to confult it, for the fimple belief of a God, an eternal and almighty Being, from whom B every T every thing that exifts has deriv'd its original; but the brightest and pureft lights of natural reafon, could never attain to the belief of one God in three Perfons; faith alone can foar fo high, and that only by the affiftance of divine Revelation. This Revelation is contain'd in the Holy Scripture, but is moft plainly disclosed in the Books of the New Teftament. The great truth of one God in three Perfons, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, which lay hid to all human understanding, and in the first ages of the Church was difcern'd by faith amidst the fhadows of an obscure Revelation, has happily feen that obfcurity difappear at the approach of the Gofpel day: faith is no longer at a lofs to acknowledge that to be there, which it finds fpread thro' every part; fince with God the Father is in all places found the Son of God, his only Son, his own Son, Creator of the world; and with this eternal Son, the Holy Ghoft, proceeding from the Father and the Son, the Author and principle of the faith of the elect, the adorable fource of all fpiritual gifts, and fanctifier of fouls. These three divine Perfons are seen together in feveral Texts of Holy Scripture, in which their diftinction is fo clearly exprefs'd, that faith difcerns 'em with the eye that reads 'em. The command which Jefus Chrift gave the Apoftles to baptize in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, has render'd the Trinity of perfons in one Godhead in a manner vifible in Baptifm the distinction of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, each with the effential characters of true God, prefents it felf at one fingle view in the xiith chapter of the firft Epiftle to the Corinthians, from the 4th verfe to the 11th inclufively; and the Prayer of St. Paul for the fame Corinthians at the clofe of his fecond Epiftle has united these three adorable Perfons, as forming all three together the fruitful fource of all benediction; The grace of our Lord Jesus Jefus Chrift, the love of God, (i. e. God the Father,) and the fellowship of the Holy Ghoft be with you all. Laftly, the Apostle St. John in the 7th y. of the vth chap. of his first general Epiftle prefents at once the fame Trinity of divine Perfons, and in a manner fo exprefs, that 'tis impoffible not to be fenfible of it: There are three, fays he, which bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft; and these three are one. Herefy has form'd no oppofition against the genuineness of the three other paffages, I have juft mention'd; it has been contented to elude their force and conviction, as well as it could: but for the latter, which is that of St. John, it can't refolve with it felf to own it for the genuine Text of the Apostle. For fifteen hundred years a forc'd filence has been kept as to this matter; but the farther ages have been advanc'd, and the more remote they are grown from those first times, when the Churches had that Scripture in the holy Apostle's own hand writing, the antitrinitarian herefy has become proportionably bold to deny, that this facred Text was really St. John's. This happen'd not 'till after the year one thousand five hundred and eighteen, or twenty; as I have obferv'd in my Differtation upon this celebrated Text. It has found, and yet finds, among the Orthodox, zealous defenders of its genuineness; and their zeal is so far from being without knowledge, that on the contrary it proceeds from the exact enquiry they have made into this particular fubject. If among the real Chriftians, who fincerely believe the mystery of the Trinity, fome perfons are found, who dazzled with the falfe light of the objections brought by the Heterodox, continue in a manner undetermin'd whether this Text be genuine or no; I will venture to say, that 'tis only for want of giving themselves the trouble to weigh maturely the B 2 reafons |