"things, I appeal to thee concerning the fincerity "of my enquiries into these discoveries of thy "word.

"I humbly call thee to witnefs, O my God, "what a holy jealousy I ever wear about my heart, "left I fhould do the flighteft difhonour to thy

fupreme Majefty in any of my enquiries or de"terminations. Thou feeft what a religious fear, "and what a tender folicitude I maintain on my "foul, left I fhould think or fpeak any thing to di"minish the grandeurs and honours of thy Son

Jefus, my dear Mediator, &c. Thou knowest "how much I am afraid of speaking one word "which may be conftrued into a neglect of thy "bleffed Spirit, from whom I hope I am daily "receiving happy influences of light and ftrength. "Guard all the motions of my mind, O Almighty "God, against every thing that borders upon these

dangers. Forbid my thoughts to indulge, and "forbid my pen to write one word, that fhould "fink thofe grand ideas which belong to thyfelf, "or thy Son, or thy Holy Spirit. Forbid it, O my "God, that ever I fhould be fo unhappy as to unglorify my Father, my Saviour, or my Sanctifier, "in any of my fentiments or expreffions concerning them.

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"Bleffed and faithful God, haft thou not pro"mised that the meek thou wilt guide in judgment, "the meek thou wilt teach thy way? Hath not

thy Son, our Saviour, affured us, that our hea"venly Father will give his holy Spirit to them "who afk him? And is he not appointed to guide "us into all truth? Have I not fought the gracious guidance of thy good Spirit continually? Am I "not truly fenfible of my own darkness and weaknefs, my dangerous prejudices on every side, and my utter infufficiency for my own conduct? Wilt "thou leave fuch a poor creature bewildered among a thousand perplexities, which are raised by the various opinions and contrivances of men "to explain thy divine truth?

"Help me, heavenly Father, for I am quite "tired and weary of these human explainings fo "various and uncertain. When wilt thou explain "it to me thyfelf, O my God, by the fecret and "certain dictates of thy Spirit, according to the "intimations of thy word?"

Now, for truth's fake, I defire to ask any intelligent, impartial, and candid reader, whether we have not in thefe paffages ftrong indications of a wavering, though pious mind? Whether fuch language as this does not rather tend to encourage fpecious fcepticism, than found faith? Whether it is not chargeable with inconfiftency between reverence and remonftrance, between declarations of acquiescence and expoftulations of discontent? Whether, according to Dr. W's ideas, all ecclefiaftical authority is not as fuch altogether odious, or contemp

tible;

tible; and whether, for what appears to the contrary from these periods, Chriftianity might not flourish without the existence of Church, paftor, or teacher? Whether we have not in this illuftrious Diffenter an extraordinary inftance of the compatibility of radical and invincible prejudice with an boneft and good heart, and a folid understanding? Whether Dr. W. had any thing like fufficient grounds for his fufpicion that the orthodox received doctrines are refolvible into mere "explainings, "inventions, or contrivances of men?" Whether he does not appear to be unreasonably, though fincerely anxious to understand all myfteries, while at the fame time he could not but know, that the capital doctrines of the Gospel are delivered as myfterious, and that Christians are supposed and required to walk by faith, and not by fight? Whether he does not moft erroneously convert a particular promise into a general one; not recollecting that, though, for obvious and very important purposes, our heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them that afk bim, yet that Spirit was by no means " ap

pointed" to guide every individual Chriftian into all fpiritual truth? Whether, had we been told "plainly;" in fo many words, " in any fingle text, "that the Father, Son, and holy Spirit are three "real and distinct perfons in the divine nature," it had been poffible for D. W. to have misunderstood it; or whether he, or any body else, could have

been

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been "bewildered in any doubts," with refpect to this doctrine? Whether fuch a " discovery" of it would not have been received every where with "unbiaffed hearts," and with univerfal "zeal, fa"faction and joy," a few infances perhaps of obduracy, &c, excepted? Whether, had it been "fo expreffed and included in the feveral scattered "parts" of Scripture, that the Doctor's "reafon "and confcience could with eafe have found it out, " and with certainty inferred it," there would have been the leaft occafion for the "fkill and activity. of his rational powers?" Whether, after all, the doctrine in queftion be not expreffed, or included in the facred pages fufficiently to warrant any man's firm affent to it; efpecially when we take into the account the whole weight of that evidence by which we prove its correfpondency with the fenfe of antiquity, and the belief of the primitive Church? Whether the wifeft and the weakest are not equally incapable of "taking in fo difficult, and fo abftrufe a doctrine" as that of the Trinity Whether the Chriftian doctrine concerning things spiritual and myfterious is really "reprefented," either in the Old Teftament or the New, as " plain

and eafy even to the meaneft understanding ?" Whether, granting that "multitudes even of men "of learning and piety have loft themfelves in in"finite fubtilties of difpute, &c, in the explica"tion and defence" of the doctrine before us, all

this should not be principally attributed to antitrinitarian artifice, and to a gradual departure from that fimplicity in which it was originally taught and received in the world? Whether, if this " perplex"ing notion of three real perfons going to make

up one true God" be a part of Christian doctrine, it is not prima facie the most " neceffary and the most important?" Finally, whether the doctrine of the Trinity, as held in the Church, has not at least as much countenance from Scripture, and even from reason, as Dr. W's notion of the indwelling of the Deity in the Man Chrift Jefus; and whether this is not in effect acknowleged by himself?"

As to the notion itself, it is, I truft, to all intents and purposes refuted in the foregoing pages; and I fhall content myself with expreffing my astonishment at the force of prejudice in one who fo ftrongly recommends, or more properly inculcates an" indifference for every thing but truth," and cenfures fo feverely all domeftic, national, or party attachments. For with all his gentlenefs, benevolence, charity, and love of truth, Dr. W. appears to me to have been biaffed by more than ordinary prepoffeffions. He who has expreffed himself in the manner we have feen; he who has occafionally declared, that he allowed the greateft diftinction pof"fible between the facred three in the divine nature, "which does not arife to three diftinct conscious

See Improvement of the Mind. p. 285.

" minds