So Mr. Whiẞon, who clearly declares his own opinion. Who likewife fuppofeth, that the fame was for fome while received by Dr. Clarke. But he seems not to have had any certain evidence of it. For, as he acknowledges, Dr. Clarke never publicly declared his approbation of it.

p. 197.

Nevertheless, it may not be disagreeable to see here what Dr. Clarke himfelf fays in his Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity, Part i. ch. iii. numb. 998. “Matt. iv. 1. Then was Jefus led up of the Spirit into the Wilderness. From this, and many other of the following texts, it seems, that the Logos, the Divine Nature of Chrift, did fo far nevon EXUTOV, diminish itself, as St. Paul expreffes it, Philip. ii. 7. that, during the time of his incarnation, he was all along under the conduct of the Holy Spirit."

And Part ii. fect. xxviii. p. 301. "The Holy Spirit is defcribed in the New Teftament, as the immediate author and worker of all miracles, even of those done by our Lord himself: and as the conductor of Chrift in all the actions of his life, during his ftate of humiliation here on earth."

Before I finish this preface, I must make some citations from Dr. Robert Clayton, late Lord Bishop of Clogher, who, in the third part of his Vindication of the Hiftories of the Old and New Teftament, has expreffed himself after this manner. Letter v. p. 80. 81, or p. 443. "He who had glory with the Father, before the world was, emptied himself, or di

vested himself of that glory, in order to redeem mankind, and defcended from heaven, and took upor him the form of a fervant, and was made man. That is, He, who was a glorified pre-existent spirit in the prefence of God, fubmitted to defcend from heaven, and to have himfelf conveyed by the wonderful power of Almighty God, into the womb of a Virgin. Where, being clothed with flesh, and ripening by degrees to manhood, he was at length brought forth into the world, in the fame apparent ftate and condition with other human infants."

Again, Letter vii. p. 132. 133. or 482. 483. "And accordingly this exalted fpirit was, by the wonderful power of God, as before related, conveyed into the womb of the virgin Mary, and was made man; that is, was made as much fo, as his mother could make him, without being impregnated by man. And now being deprived of the immediate prefence of God the Father, and being shut up in darkness, and the fhadow of death, he was after nine months brought forth into life, in the form of a feeble infant, with all the weakness, and frailties, and infirmities of human nature about him. And as he grew up into life, and his reafon improved, this only served to make the terrible change and alteration of his condition fo much the more perceptible, and the recollection of it fo much the more grievous and inufferable. The dreadfulness of which ftate is hardly conceivable to us, because that we never were sensible

of

of any thing better than our prefent existence. But for any being, which had ever enjoyed the happiness of heaven, and had been in poffeffion of glory with the Father, to be deprived thereof, and to be fent to dwell here in this world, encompaffed within the narrow limits of this earthly tabernacle, and the heavy organs made of flesh and blood, it must, literally fpeaking, be to fuch a being, an hell upon earth.” So fays that celebrated writer.

To the Letter are now added two Poftfcripts. Concerning which nothing needs to be faid here. They who look into them, will see what they are.

One thing the author would fay. He hopes, the whole is written in the way of reafon and argument, with meeknefs and candour, without acrimony and abuse though not without a juft concern for such things as appear to him to be of importance.

Feb. 12, 1759:

Whether the LoGoS fupplied the Place of an human Soul in the Perfon of JESUS CHRIST?

To PAPINIA N.

YOU have, it seems, heard of the correspondence between Eugenius and Phileleutherus, and particularly of an incidental question concerning, the Arian hypothefis. You have been informed likewife, that I am well acquainted with this correfpondence. And, as it has excited your curiofity, you demand of me an account of it, and alfo my own opinion upon the point in debate.

If

If it were proper for me to deny you any thing, I fhould entirely excufe myself, and be perfectly filent : being apprehensive, that touching upon a fubject of fo much nicenefs and difficulty, may occafion fome trouble to yourself as well as to me. But you are determined not to accept of any excufes.

I must then, without farther preamble, declare to" you, that I cannot but take the fame fide of the queftion with Phileleutherus: though once, for fome while, I was much inclined to the other.

However, whilst I was favourable to the fuppofition, that the Logos was the foul of our Saviour, I was embarraffed with a very confiderable difficulty. For the Scriptures do plainly represent our bleffed Saviour exalted to power and glory, as a reward of his fufferings here on earth. But I was at a lofs to conceive, how that high being, the first, and only immediately derived being, by whom God made the world [1], fhould

[1] Dr. Clarke, Scripture-Doctrine, &c. P. r. num. 535. p. 86. "The third interpretation is, that the Word is a perfon deriving from the Father (with whom he exifted before the world was) both his being itself, and incomprehenfible power and knowledge, and other divine attributes and authority, in a manner not revealed, and which human wisdom ought not to prefume to explain."

With this firft and

Ib. Part. 2. p. 242. § ii. fupreme caufe, and Father of all things, there has

exifled,