ufing it, I will give in his own words: "The word power is an ambiguous term, that fometimes fignifies a faculty or principle of operation, and fometimes denotes the force and influence of that faculty. Now the word being fo often used, and thefe two fenfes of it being fomewhat a-kin, it's hardly poffible to limit the precife bounds of each of thefe fenfes or ideas, in every place of Scripture." That an ambiguous word, that bears fenfes fo much a-kin, that it is hardly poffible to limit the precife bounds of each of these fenfes, fhould be a proper word, to conveigh clear ideas to us of the diftinction of the Son and Spirit from the Father, is very ftrange. Upon the whole, I think Mr. Watts had a great deal of reafon to defire, as he does, P his readers to pardon the neceffary impropriety or unfuitableness of fome of the terms "ufed by him, when applied to the great and bleffed God." If "all his aim has been, to gain and give as clear and diftinct ideas as he can, of the words the Scripture ufes, that he might secure himself and others from talking without ideas." I cannot but think, he has utterly mifs'd of his aim, and has unwarily promoted an end contrary to his defign. I might farther have pursued this matter, and might easily have taken notice of multitudes of other paffages, that carry in them no clear ideas; but I fhall not proceed in this tedious and difagreeable employment, my inclination is more towards looking out for things in an author that will bear commendation, than to pick out things worthy of reprehenfion. Mr. Watts is a perfon • Page 122. Pp. 226. E I honour I honour and refpect; and it is not out of prejudice to him that I take notice of these things: he has been remarkable for a clear eafy way of writing; therefore for him to talk fo obfcurely as he does, is a proof how little a man can do, when he wades beyond his depth; and that the moft perfpicuous writer will not continue like himself, when he affects to give clear notions of things, which will remain incomprehenfible, let men of the most elevated capacities do all they can, to make them plain. It is often feen, that men, who have gained a reputation in fome particular matters, cannot be content with the praise they have justly acquir'd, but muft aim at fomething out of their reach if they have fucceeded well in fome things, they are apt to think nothing is beyond their abilities; and therefore, when they find others gravell'd at any difficulties, they fancy they are the happy men that must clear them up, and often, in attempting to folve them, raise greater difficulties, than they are, which they strive to remove, and fhew they dip into things they have not duly fathom'd. Whether this is Mr. Watts's cafe or no, I fhall not determine: his hymns have defervedly met with a general reception; his poems, tho' perfons of a truly fine tafte will eafily discover many defects and unaccuracies in them, have been highly applauded, and his fermons have had an uncommon run. I hope these things have not made him imagine, he is able to folve the difficulties attending the most abftrufe myfteries of revelation: if he has entertain'd fuch a conceit, a little reflection will make him fenfible, that it is much easier to compose a work of genius and fancy, than to explain the manner, how the three glorious Perfons fubfift in one in finite effence. Would he confider calmly and impartially, what he has been doing, and how little light he has ftruck out, by his new way of talking, I am perfuaded, he would leave off friving after clear ideas of the doctrine of the Trinity, efpecially fince, in order to obtain them, he has denied the real Perfonality of the Son and Spirit; which is the thing I am next to confider. CHA P. III. That Mr. Watts has denied the proper and real Perfonality of the Son and Spirit. A MONG all the schemes framed by those who lean to their own understandings, in oppofition to the true Scripture of the Trinity, there has only one been found out, that is not attended with infuperable difficulties on the bare foot of reafon; and that is the making the Godhead to be one Perfon; but then this is fo glaring a contradiction to Scripture, that it never has been able to keep its ground long together. The first hint of this herefy was from Simon. Magus, who after he was rejected by the Apoftles, by a mixture of error and horrid Enthufiafm, gave out that he was the fupreme God, who appear'd at Samaria, as the Father, in Judea, as the Son, and in other nations, as the holy Spirit. By this monstrous affertion, he feem'd to repre a Simon Samaritanus magus ille---- a multis quafi Deus glorificatus eft, & docuit, femetipfum effe qui inter Judaeos quafi filius apparuerit, in Samaria autem quafi pater defcenderit, in reliquis vero gentibus quafi fpiritus fanctus adventaverit, effe autem fe fublimiffimam virtutem, hoc eft, eum qui fit fuper omnia pater; E 2 fent sent the Godhead, as one Perfon having three names. There were fome perfons in the time of Juftin Martyr, who faid, the Son was not a diftinct perfon from the Father. He in one place, bafter he had been confuting the Jews, who faid, the Father was the Perfon that spoke to Mofes in the bufh, whom he affirms to be the Son, adds, that they who say the Son is the Father, know neither Father nor Son. And in another place he mentions fome, who pretended, that the Son was a power fent from the Father, which was called an angel, because it was fent by the Father; a man, because it appear'd in what shape he pleas'd; and the Word, because by it he made & fuftineri vocari fe quodcunque eum vocant homines. Irenaeus, Lib. I. Cap. 23. p. 99. Ed. Benedict. Agreeable to this, we have a fragment of Simon preferved by Jerom, who in his commentary on that paflage in Matth. xxiv. 5. Many fhall come in my name, faying, I am Chrift, has the following words, Quorum unus eft Simon Samaritanus, quem in Actibus Apoftolorum legimus, qui fe magnam dicebat effe Dei virtutem, haec quoque inter caetera in fuis voluminibus fcripta dimittens, egofum fermo Dei, ego fum fpeciofus, ego paracletus, ego omnipotens, ego omnia Dei. اد 5 Οἱ δὲ τὸν υἱὸν πατέρα φάσκοντες εἶναι, ἐλέγχονται μήτε τ πα τέρα ἐπιτάρθροι, μήθ' ὅτι ἐτὶν υἱὸς τῷ πατρὶ τῶν ὅλων γινώσκοντες. ὃς καὶ λόγο, πρωτότοκΘ ὢν τὸ θεῖ, καὶ θεὸς ὑπάρχει. Apol. I. Sect. 83. p. 122. Ed. Ox. p. 94. Ed. Thirlby. Juftin • Γινώσκω τινὰς φάσκειν, τὴν δύναμιν τὴν παρὰ τῷ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων φανεῖσαν τῷ Μωσεῖ, ἢ τῷ ̓Αβραάμ, ἢ τῷ Ἰακώβ, "Αγγελον και λεῖσθαι, ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους προόδῳ, ἐπειδὴ δι' αυτῆς τὰ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀγγέλλεται· Δόξαν δὲ, ἐπειδὴ ἐν ἀχωρήτου πότε φαντασία φαίνεται· "Ανδρα δὲ ποτέ, και άνθρωπον καλεῖσθαι, ἐπειδὴ ἐν μορφαῖς τοιάυταις σκηματιζόμενΘ φαίνεται αἷσπερ βούλεται ὁ πατὴρ Καὶ λόγον καλοῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὰς παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ὁμι λίας φέρει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις· άτμητον καὶ ἀχώρισον τοῦ πατρὸς τάυ την τὴν δύναμιν ὑπάρχειν.. ὁ πατὴρ ὅταν βέληται, λέγουσι, δύναμιν ἀυτοῦ προπεδον ποιεῖ, καὶ ὅταν βέληται, πάλιν ἀνατέλλει εἰς ἑαυτόν. Juftin Dial. cum Tryphone, p. 371, 372. Edit. Jebb. P. 412. Ed. Thirlby. known known his mind and will to men, and that it was not feparable or diftinguishable from the Father. So that according to the fancy of the perfons Juftin fpoke of, the Son might have been called a cognofcitive power, or an intelligent volitive power, or a divine power of knowing and contriving all things, had they been fo happy as to have ufed words, that have clear ideas annex'd to them. In oppofition to these perfons, Juftin d afferted, that what they called this power, was God, but diftinct from the Father, and begotten by him, but not by divifion of his effence. And he proved that there are two in number who are divine, from those words in Genefis e "The Lord rained fire from the Lord." These persons whom Juftin touched upon, must be but inconfiderable, fince we hear no more of them. But in the third century, the notion of the Deity being but one perfon, made fome figure in Africa, being propagated there by Praxeas, after he had been for fome time, diffeminating his herefy, in Afia, and at Rome: He allow'd only a nominal diftinction between Father, Son, and holy Spirit; and fo made the Father, in effect, to be born of a Virgin, and fo fuffer death f. The fame notion was ad • xix. 24. natum, ipfum fubornaverit ut ipfe a primor ipfum dicit Ibid. p. 374, 375. Jebb. 413. Thirlby. f Varie Diabolus æmulatus eft veritatem: patrem defcendiffe in virginem, ipfum ex ea paffum, denique ipfum effe Jefum Chriftum. dio mendax eft, & fi quem hominem de fuo Praxean: nam ipfe primus ex Afia hoc genus perverfitatis intulit Romanae humo; & alias inquietus: infuper de jactatione martyrii inflatus, ob folum & fimplex & breve carceris taedium. Itaque poft tempus Pater natus eft, & Pater paffus; unicum Deum non alias putat credendum, quant fi ipsum eundemque, & Patrem & Filium, & Spiritum fanctum, dicat. Tertullian, contra Praxeam cap. i. 2, 0118 dum |