nesses in your own cause, and are ye so extremely delicate, that you will not admit of a person that is intirely neuter? As I have no reason, therefore, to fufpect that this witness will be guided by any thing but truth, it is but just and fit that he should be heard.

Mr. Whiston. I defire, Mr. Mustapha, that you would give the court an account of the reasons that hindered you and many thousands more from embracing the Chriftian religion, when you were folicited to it by certain miffionaries in the east.

Mr. Muftapha. My Lord, upon my happening to be acquainted with fome Christian miffionaries at Pequin in China, they not only expreffed the tenderest affection for my perfon, but seemed to be under the utmost concern for the good of my foul; giving me the strongest affurances of immortal joys, upon my receiving the true and orthodox faith: But declared, that whilft I continued ignorant of certain important doctrines, it would be impoffible for me to be faved. And that, out of the particular regard they had for me, they would let me into the mystery of mysteries at once, which, as near as I can remember, was as follows, viz. That the great God of heaven had a Son, who was the fame God as himself, and yet diftinct from himself; and that there was a God, the Holy Ghoft, who proceeded from the Father and the Son, who was diftinct from the Father and the Son, and yet was the fame God

as

as the Father and the Son: So that this Holy Ghoft was both Father and Son, and yet was neither Father nor Son: And that the Father was both Son and Holy Ghoft, and yet was neither Son nor Holy Ghoft: And that the Son was both Father and Holy Ghoft, and yet was neither Father nor Holy Ghoft. This they pronounce to be the most amazing and ftupendous object for the right and meritorious exercife of our Faith: In fhort, that the most myfterious of mysteries was, that every one of them, by Hypoftatic Union, fhould be Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; and yet, by ecclefiaftic determination, there should be but one Father, and one Son, and one Holy Ghoft. They told me alfo, that about feventeen hundred and forty years ago, that God was extremely angry; and that he had made himself a man; and that he had fent himself into this world; and that he died to appease himself; and that about three days after he had been dead, that he rofe again, and went back to heaven, and fat upon his own right hand, where he still continues inceffantly foliciting himself. This they aflured me, was the faith of a Chriftian; and that whofoever did not believe thus of the Trinity, (as they call it) must perifh everlaftingly. This, my lord, was the myftery of mysteries, which was proposed to me, by thofe worthy miffionaries, as neceffary to my falvation; which is fo nonfenfical, blafphemous, and abfurd, that I am not able to repeat it, without the VOL. III. utmost

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utmoft horror and deteftation: And I do most folemnly aver, that the monstrous notions, which. thefe execrable hypocrites have endeavoured to propagate of the great God of heaven, have given all other fects fo just and so strong a prejudice. against christianity, that, whilft this doctrine is: maintained, it will be impoffible for it to make any confiderable progrefs: for I will take upon me. to affirm, that of all the facred impoftors who have. ever taken advantage of the weakness of mankind, none have ever yet had the impudence to promulge fuch abfurd and monftrous notions of the deity.

Mr. Whifton. Having given your lordship a fufficient proof, of part of the infinite mifchiefs which this monstrous doctrine is attended with; I fhall proceed to fhew you, that it is not only contrary. to the tenor of the fcriptures in general, but that it is diametrically contrary to the fenfe of every one of the facred penmen in particular; and produce their own irrefragable teftimony in support of what I affert.

Judge. What witness would you call in next?

Mr.Whiston. Call in Peter the apostle. Judge. What question would you ask him? Mr. Whiston. I defire he may be asked, What he thinks of the doctrine of the Trinity? Judge. You hear the question, Mr. Peter.

Peter

Peter the apostle, I do, my Lord; but as I never heard the word before this moment, I protest I cannot guess what it means.

Judge. Mr. Whifton, you have put the queftion in too general a manner: you should have opened it a little, and explained the point in difpute.

Mr. Wbifton. I must beg to be excused, my Lord; for it is not my bufinefs to explain my adverfary's doctrine: befides, I am not really able to do it.

Judge. Dr. Trap, you must explain your Trinity: the witness here does not know what to make of it.

Dr. Trap. The Trinity, Sir, is the fublimeft mystery in the chriftian difpenfation, the touchftone of an orthodox faith, and one of the greateft effentials toward the obtaining of everlasting life. It is a doctrine collected out of the facred scriptures, by our holy mother the church, which has appointed us to tell the people, that there is one God the Father, and one God the Son, and one God the Holy Ghost; but that these three are not three Gods, but one God': that the Son is neither made nor created, but begotten; and that the Holy Ghost is neither made, nor begotten, but proceeds. Or thus, Sir, the Father is the fupreme God, and Jefus Chrift is the fupreme God, but not the fame fupreme God that the Father is; and the Holy C 2 Ghoft

Ghoft is the fupreme God, but not the fame fupreme God that the Father is, or that Jefus Chrift is; and that notwithstanding they are not the fame fupreme God, yet they are not the fupreme Gods. And in this Trinity none is afore or after the other; but the Son is begotten by an eternal generation; and, though eternally generating, has been generated from all eternity. Likewife the Holy Ghoft is by eternal proceffion, eternally proceeding, yet almighty from all eternity. This is trinity in unity, and unity in trinity; three in one, and one in three; not three, but one; nor one, but three. The first is first, the second is from the first, and the third is from the second and the firft. The firft is not before the fecond, nor the fecond before the third: But the first is first; the fecond is firft; and the third is firft; neither confounding nor dividing, one and three, or three and one. Now this is the catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he shall perish everlaftingly. This is all, Sir; which, to be fure, you know as well as we, tho' you did not reduce it to a regular system, and make it one of the articles of your Credenda; which, for very wife ends, the church has prudently done fince. In fhort, Sir, you have nothing to do but to tell the court, that you are of the fame opinion with the church; and at the fame time you will establish your own character, and our authority.

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Peter.