Jupiter omnipotens, regum rex ipfe Deumque. Progenitor genitrixque Deûm; Deus unus et omnis.

Methinks this fentiment becomes the heathen theologift, or poet, much better than the Christian Divine.

Far from meaning to rank a late very eminent writer, Dr. I. Watts, in the number of notorious heretics, or in the leaft to detract from the excellence of his character, I think myself bound in duty to my fubject to take notice here of the fingularity of his fentiments. "His idea of the Di"vinity of Chrift was, that the Godhead, the Deity

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itself, perfonally distinguished as the Father, was "united to the man Christ Jefus, in confequence of "which union, or indwelling of the Godhead, he be

came properly God. He conceived this union "to have fubfifted before the Saviour's appearance “in the flesh, and that the human foul of Chrift ex

ifted with the Father from before the foundation of "the world; on which ground he maintains the "real descent of Chrift from heaven to earth, &c."

In thefe fentiments there is not fo much as a reference to the Holy Ghoft. But we are not to confider them as final. We fhall find the Dr. to have had more enlarged notions refpecting the doctrine of the Trinity.

It seems these were likewife Dr. DODDERIDGE's fentiments.

In his SOLEMN ADDRESS TO THE GREAT AND EVER-BLESSED GOD, on a review of what he bad written in the Trinitarian Controversy, he puts the following questions with all that bumble reverence, (his own words,) and that boly awe WHICH becomes a creature in the prefence of his God.

"Haft thou not, O Lord God Almighty, hast "thou not tranfacted thy divine and important af"fairs among men by thy Son Jesus Christ, and by "thy holy Spirit? And haft thou not ordained "that men fhould tranfact their highest and most

momentous concerns with thee, by thy Son, and "and by thy Spirit? Haft thou not, by the mouth "of thy Son Jefus, required all that profefs his

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religion to be washed with water in the name of "the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft? Is "it not my duty, then to enquire, who or what

are these facred names, and what they fignify?

"Haft thou not afcribed divine names, and "titles, and characters to thy Son and thy holy

Spirit in thy word, as well as affumed them to "thyfelf? And haft thou not appointed to them "fuch glorious offices as cannot be executed with"out fomething of divinity or true Godhead in "them? And yet art not thou, and thou alone the "true God? How shall a poor weak creature be "able to adjust and reconcile these clashing ideas, " and to understand this mystery? Or must I be"lieve and act blindfold, without understanding?

"Holy Father, (he proceeds,) thou knoweft, "how firmly I believe with all my foul, whatfo"ever thou haft plainly written and revealed in "thy word. I believe Thee to be the only true "God, the fupreme of beings, felf-fufficient for "thine own existence, and for all thy infinite af"fairs and tranfactions among creatures. I believe "thy only Son Jesus Christ to be all-fufficient for "the glorious work of mediation between God " and man, to which thou haft appointed him. I "believe he is a man, in whom dwells all the ful"nefs of the Godhead bodily. I believe he is one "with God; he is God manifefted in the flesh; "and that the man Jefus is fo clofely and infepa

rably united with the true and eternal Godhead, "as to become one perfon, even as the foul and cc body make one man.

"I believe alfo thy bleffed Spirit hath almighty

power and influence to do all thy will, to inftruct "men effectually in divine truths, &c. I yield up "myself joyfully and thankfully to this method of "thy falvation, as it is revealed in thy gospel. But "I acknowlege my darkness ftill. I want to have "this wonderful doctrine of the all-fufficience of "thy Son and Spirit for these divine works made "a little plainer.

"Hadft thou informed me, gracious Father, in દ any place of thy word, that this divine doctrine is not to be understood by men, and yet they "C were

"were required to believe it, I would have fub"dued all my curiofity to faith, &c. But I can"not find thou haft any where forbid me to under"stand it, or to make thefe enquiries. My con"fcience is the best natural light thou haft put "within me, and fince thou haft given me the "Scriptures, my own confcience bids me fearch the

Scriptures to find out truth, &c. I have, therefore, been long fearching into this divine doc"trine, that I may pay thee due honour with un"derstanding. Surely I ought to know the God "whom I worship, whether he be one pure and "fimple being, or whether thou art a threefold deity, confifting of the Father, the Son, and "the Holy Spirit.

"Dear and bleffed God, hadit thou been pleased, "in any one plain Scripture, to have informed me “which of the different opinions about the Holy "Trinity, among the contending parties of Chrif "tians, had been true, thou knoweft with how “much zeal, fatisfaction, and joy, my unbiassed "heart would have opened itself to receive and

embrace the difcovery. Hadft thou told me "plainly in any single text, that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three real diftinct perfons in

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thy divine nature, I had never fuffered myself to "be bewildered in fo many doubts, nor embar"raffed with fo many ftrong fears of affenting to "the mere inventions of men, instead of divine ❝ doctrine

"doctrine; but I fhould have humbly and immediately accepted thy words, fo far as it was pof"fible for me to understand them, as the only rule "of my faith. Or hadft thou been pleased so to "exprefs and include this propofition in the several "fcattered parts of thy book, from whence my "reafon and confcience might with ease find out, "and with certainty infer this doctrine, I should "have joyfully employed all my reasoning powers, "with their utmost skill and activity, to have found ❝out this inference, and ingrafted it into my foul.

"Thou haft called the poor and the ignorant, "the mean and foolish things of this world, to the "knowlege of thyfelf and thy Son, and taught "them to receive and partake of the Salvation "which thou haft provided. But how can fuch. "weak creatures ever take in fo ftrange, fo diffi"cult, and fo abstruse a doctrine as this; in the explication and defence whereof, multitudes of

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men, even men of learning and piety, have lost "themselves in infinite fubtilties of difpute, and "endless mazes of darknefs? And can this ftrange " and perplexing notion of three real perfons going "to make up one true God, be fo neceffary and "fo important a part of that Chriftian doctrine, "which, in the old Teftament and the new, is "represented as fo plain and fo easy, even to the “meanest understandings?

"O thou fearcher of hearts who knoweft all

" things,