صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

vanced to be truth) to make out clearly and fully, if he is able. But as I am fatisfied, this is above his power, I cannot but think, he ought to beg pardon of the Church of Chrift, for many mistakes he has run into.

1. For pretending to give a fcheme of the Trinity, which has clear and bright ideas annexed to it, and yet giving us a fcheme full of thick darkness, and mere confufion, and for his numerous felf-contradictions:

2. For introducing great numbers of hard and unintelligible terms, which can only perplex and confound his readers:

3. For obtruding upon us the Socinian scheme, in a new dress, and yet not knowing he does fo: 4. For making Chrift to be, as to his Divinity, only a property of God, and for denying his true humanity, by making him to have a foul vaftly above what is human:

5. For representing Neftorianifm as an innocent notion, and yet not proving it to be fo: 6. For hinting, that the human foul of Christ, a creature, might be employed in the works of creation and providence:

7. For making the holy Spirit to be a power, or property, and yet not a mere attribute of God:

8. For faying the holy Spirit has not the pronoun I attributed to him, in the new Teftament:

9. For representing the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son, and the proceffion of the Spirit, to be a popish and scholastic hypothesis:

b Mr. Watts has acknowledg'd, that as to this matter, he had forgot himself. (See his Sermons, Vol. iii. p. 426.) and this is the only mistake he has retracted, tho' he has again been on the fubject.

[blocks in formation]

10. For making it a matter of indifference whether doxologies are to be addreffed to the Spirit, or no:

11. For giving a falfe and partial account of antiquity, in making the Spirit to be addreffed to, by way of doxology, only two, or three times, in the primitive writings:

12. For abufing the Apoftle John, as a poor Jewish fisherman, who could not know the Greek learning, when he had spoke Greek above fixty years.

Thefe are things for which Mr. Watts ought openly to beg pardon; and were he to do fo, it would make but small amends, for the grief and trouble he has occafion'd, to those who have at heart the welfare of Chriftianity.

It is high time now to draw towards a clofe. I would therefore earnestly defire Mr. Watts, to lay his hand upon his heart, and feriously to confider what he has been doing: he bears the cha racter of a perfon of great devotion; have his devotions, all the past years of his life, been directed to wrong objects? Has he had communion with Father, Son, and Spirit, without knowing, whether he held communion with perfons, or properties? Can he think it becoming one, who has a long time difpenfed the Gospel, to shift his notions of the prime doctrine of revelation, two or three times, in the compass of two or three years, without giving any reasons for his fo frequently veering about? Can he, in his confcience, believe that the jargon of words he has made ufe of, can convey clear and bright ideas? Can he reckon it fafe to give a scope to a working fancy, in things of fuch a high nature? Can he think he rightly employs his time, in only puzzling and confounding plain truths,

and

and raising a duft before the eyes of weak readers? Can he think, with comfort, of appearing before Chrift, when he makes him to be neither perfect God, nor intirely man? And can he expect the confolations of the holy Spirit, when he, in effect, reduces him to nothing? These things, I hope, he will seriously revolve in his mind, and will not think the product of a fertil invention, too dear a facrifice to be offer'd up to the honour of the Gospel.

If I find my weak endeavours are made by God fuccessful, for the establishment of Chriftians in their most holy religion, I shall have the end anfwer'd, which I propofed in drawing up this work. I think, I can truly fay, my aim in it is right, however I may have failed in the management of it: I defign'd it as a mark and token of my high value for the true Scripture and catholic doctrine of the Trinity, in the faith of which I hope to live and to die.

Now to the Father, the Son, and the holy Spi

rit, three perfons, but one infinitely glorious God, be afcribed all honour and glory, might, majefty, power and dominion, henceforth, and for evermore. Amen.

FINIS.

[blocks in formation]

That there are many things in reafon and Scripture, which are incomprehenfible; that the doctrine of the Trinity is peculiarly fo; and that it is a fruitlefs attempt, for Mr. Watts to endeavour to give us clear ideas of it. p.6

CHAP. II.

That fuppofing we could attain to clear ideas. of the Trinity, yet Mr. Watts has not anfwer'd his defign of affording us fuch.

CHAP. III.

P. 20

That Mr. Watts has denied the proper and real perfonality of the Son and the Spirit. p. 27

CHA P. IV.

The proper and real perfonality of the Son and the Spirit proved from Scripture. P. 40 Sect. i. The Scripture proofs of three real divine perfons.

43 Sect.

Sect. ii. The Scripture proofs of the Son's real perfonality. Sect. iii. The Scripture proofs of the true and real perfonality of the holy Spirit.

CHAP. V.

Page 57

P. 64

[blocks in formation]
« السابقةمتابعة »