VIII. In order to fhew, that the Apostle John did not borrow his notions of the Logos from Plato, Mr. Watts infinuates, that it is not pro

Ἐκεῖνόν τε καὶ ὶ παρ αὐτοῦ υἱὸν ἐλθόντα (καὶ διδάξοντα ἡμᾶς ταῦτα, καὶ τὰ ἢ ἄλλων ἐπομθύων, καὶ ἐξομοιομθύων ἀγαθῶν ἀγγέ λων σρατόν) πνεῦμα τε τὸ προφητικὸν, σεβόμεθα καὶ προσκυνοῦμεν, λόγῳ καὶ ἀλεθείᾳ τιμῶντες, Juftin. Martyr. Apol. 1. cap. G. Ed. Ox. p. 11. Ed. Thirlby.

Ἰησοῦν Χρισὸν ὑιὸν αὐξ, ξ' ὄντως Θεοῦ μαθόντες, καὶ ο δευτέρα χώρα ἔχοντες, πνεῦμα σε προφητικὸν cν τρίτῃ, τάξὶ ὅτι μετὰ λόγο τιμώμθα αποδείξομθρο, Idem. Cap. 16. Ed. Oxon. p. 19, 20. Ed. Thirlby.

Παιδαγωγί --- πατήρ --- ὑιὲ καὶ πατὴρ, ἐν ἄμφω, κύριε και πα είχε το ειρήνῃ τῇ σῇ πολιτευομθύες, εις τας τελέιαν ἡμέραν-αἰνοῦντας, ευχαρισεῖν τῷ μόνῳ πατρὶ καὶ ὑιῷ, ὑιῷ καὶ πατρὶ, παιδαγογῷ καὶ διδασκάλων υιώ, σὺν καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύμαλ· Πάντα τῷ ἐν· ἀ τὰ πάντα· δι ̓ ἂν τὰ πάντα ἕν· δι ̓ ὃν τὸ ἀεὶ· ᾗ μέλη πάντες· δόξα, αἰῶνες· πάντα τῷ ἀγαθῷ· πάντα τῷ καλῷ· πάντα τῷ σοφ τῷ δικάιῳ τα πάντα, ᾧ ἡ δόξα, και νῦν, και εἰς τὰς ἀιῶνας, ἀμήν. Clemens Alex. Padag. Lib. III. p. 211. Ed. Oxon.

Τις ἡμᾶς χωρέσει ἀπὸ τὰ ἀγάπης τοῦ Χρισοῦ, αὐτῷ πρέπει δόξα και τιμή, σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ και ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, εις τες αιώνας αιώνων, Αμήν. Idem. Fragment. p. 1019.

Τῶν μελλόντων Σπολαύσομαι ἀγαθῶν, χάριτι και φιλανθρωπία τ κυρές ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριςοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ πατρὶ, ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύμα. τι, δόξα, τιμή, και προσκύνησις, εἰς τὰς αἰῶνας ν αἰώνων, Origen. in fine Expof. in Pfalmum x. Cod. MS. Barocc. Numb.

335

Ημεῖς οἱ κακείνων ἳ ῥημάτων τὸ μέτρον ἐπισάμενοι, και τ πίσεως ἐκ ἀγνοῦντες τὴν χάριν, ευχαρισοῦμεν τῷ παραχομένῳ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἡμῶν πατράσιν, ὃ παιδα, ἣ ὅλων σωτήρα, και κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χρεὸν, ὦ ἡ δόξα και μεγαλοσύνη, σὺν ἁγίῳ πνέυματι, ἐις της αιώνας. Julius Africanus apud Bafil : De Spiritu. S. cap. 29. Vol. II. p. 359. Ed. Par.

Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ ἄνθρωπο δι' ἡμᾶς γεγονῶς, ᾧ πάντα υπέταξεν πατὴρ, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα, και τὸ κράτα, ἅμα πατρὶ, και ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, ἐν τῇ ἁγία ἐκκλησίᾳ, και νῦν, καὶ ἀεὶ, και εἰς τὰς αἰῶνας αἰώνων, Αμήν, Hippolytus contra Noctum, cap. 18. Vol. II. p. 20. Ed. Fabricii.

Ανεισιν υἱὸς Θεοῦ και συγκληρονόμο Χριστοῦ, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξη και κράτα σὺν τῷ παναγίῳ, καὶ ἀγαθῷ ζοωποίῳ αυτό πνεύματι, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, και εἰς συμπάντας ἀιῶνας ἢ ἀιώνων. Αμήν, Idem Homil. in Theophaneiam, cap. 10. Vol. I. p. 264.

Τῷ ἡ Θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ, και υιῷ, τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησε Χρισέ, συν τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύμαι, δόξα καὶ κράτο, εἰς τὰς αιώνας τ' αιώνων, Α bable",

Ρ

bable", "that St. John, who was a poor Jewish fisherman, fhould be acquainted with the Grecian learning of the Gentiles, and imitate their phrases." I am fatisfied that the Apostle John, when he spoke of the Logos, ufed an expreffion which had been common among the Jews, and did not take it from Plato; but this is not proved by the irreverent reafon Mr. Watts gives, for if John, whilft he was a poor fisherman, was unacquainted with Greek learning, it does not follow, that he must be fo, fixty years after he was, by the Spirit, enabled to fpeak all languages, If our author, who can fcarce write a difcourfe in the Greek tongue, can get acquainted with Plato's notions, much more might the great Apoftle, fuppofing he had no affiftance from the Spirit, after the miraculous gift of speaking all languages, because it appears, that he was able to write better in Greek, than Mr. Watts çan in his mother tongue; and it is certain, he refided fixty years, in places where he must have occafion to know the Greek learning of the Gentiles, in that one prime part of his work, as a difpenfer of the Gospel, was to bring per

1

. Dionyf. Alexandrinus apud Bafilium de Spiritu fancto. cap. 29:

The two paffages from Juftin prove the worship of the Spirit with the Father and Son in general; the ten doxologies, which are to be found among the few primitive writers, that the injuries of time have left us, as they confute the impu dence of fome modern Arians, who have faid, the holy Spirit was not worshipped in the primitive Church; fo they may make Mr. Watts for the future more cautious of giving his judgment, about a matter he does not seem to have examined. The Reader who has a mind to fee more on this fubject of ancient doxologies, may confult my True Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity. p. 78-91.

Diff. Part II. p. 17. ··

fons off from fuch learning to the faith of Jefus Chrift. No doubt this poor Jewish fisherman knew a väft deal more of the Greek learning, than Mr. Watts for as he liv'd to be near a hundred years old, he may be supposed to have had more health and more leisure than he; but as I do not believe the Apostle John borrow'd any of his notions from Plato, I shall infift no more on this matter; it being only my defign, to vindicate an inspired author from a rude, but I hope, an unguarded, and not an ill defigned reflection:

IX. We are told by Mr. Watts, that if a man explains the Trinity, according to the ancient Athanafians, with Bishop Pearfon, Bishop Bull, and Mr. How, he is cenfured, perhaps, as a downright Tritheift" I know it has been the method of heretics, to charge the defenders of the catholick faith with Tritheifm; and when they have been beat from that, to lay the contrary charge of Sabellianifm against them, but this has been despised by all men of cool fense. There is one thing in this paffage of our author, very strange; that is, the ranging the ancient Athanafians, Bishop Pearson, and Bishop Bull, under the fame clafs with Mr. How, when it is well known; they fay nothing like Mr. How's scheme of three minds: as to the Atha nafians, I fhall refer the reader to the learned Bifhop P Stillingfleet, who has effectually vindica ted them from the charge of holding three Gods,

Differt. Part II. Pref. p. viii..

P See Bishop Stillingfleet's vindication of the Trinity, p. 76-113. See alfo Dr. Wall's hiftory of infant Baptism, Vol. II. P. 135165. Ed. 3. And Dr. Knight's true Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity continued, p. 239.252.

the neceffary confequence of three minds; his reafonings Mr. Watts should have answer'd, and not till then, have infinuated, after Curcellaeus, Sherlock, le Clerc, Peirce and Jackson, the stale pretence, that the old Athanafians were Tritheifts: As to Bishop Pearfon, and Bifhop Bull, they could hardly be expected to declare againft the fancy of three minds, it being started by Dr. Sherlock and Mr. How, after their pieces were published; but they declare, 9 in the most strong terms, for the unity of the divine Effence; fo that from their being ranked by Mr. Watts with Mr. How, I fhould be ready to think, he had never read them, only I find in fome parts of his books he quotes from them.

r

X. Our author, on all occafions, manifefts the greatest tenderness towards the Arians; "he freedeclares, that he believes the name of Ari an has been often of late given, to such as have by no means deferved it, and are no abetters of the old principles of Arius." For which affertion he only gives this doughty reafon, f "that it is evident the modern disbelievers of the divinity of Chrift, or most of them at least, have re

There can be but one divine effence, and fo but one God There are Gods many, 1 Cor. viii. 5. -but if Chrift be none of thofe many Gods, and yet be God, there can be no other but that one, viz. the eternal God, Pearfon on the Creed, p. 126. The divine nature, as it is abfolutely immaterial, is alfo indivifible, p. 135. The Son and Holy Ghoft have been believed to be but one God with the Father, because both from the Father, who is one, and fo the union of them, p. 40. Caufabatur impia & irrequieta hominum (fc. Arianorum) factio, rò pogolov nunc Sabellianifino patrocinari, nunc contraria plane ratione, partitionem divinæ effentiæ ftatuere. Bull. Def. Nic. p. 25. Filium Dei ejufdem prorfus cum Patre fuo naturae divinae, & incommunicabilis; proinde verum Deum effe, Catholicorum Doctorum fuiffe conftantem fententiam affirmamus, P: 35.

Differt. Part I. p. 2.

3

.P.3, 4.

fined

fined the ancient doctrines of Arius; and thereby perhaps render'd their fentiments more defenfible, at least in their own opinion." Which I take to be only a jingle of words. I wish this charitable gentleman had fhewed, wherein the modern disbelievers of Chrift's divinity differ from the ancient Arians, except in words. He thinks that fome of them read their bibles carefully, that they honour and adore that glorious perfon, whom they believe to be the brightnefs of the Father's glory, that they truft in him and love him above all things, befide God the Father, tho' perhaps fome culpable prejudice may cleave to their minds, whereby they are prevented from receiving that light and evidence of his divine nature, which fhines clearly in the word of God, and he cannot but hope, that such humble and fincere enquirers will not mifs any of the neceffary articles of faith." It is owned by him, that these persons have miffed of the true Deity of Chrift, fo that he cannot reckon that a neceflary article of faith. To me also it seems very odd, that any should be called fincere and humble enquirers, who have culpable prejudices cleaving to their minds. Nothing is plainer, than that the modern Arians are afraid of keeping only to Scripture, they have fome culpable prejudices cleaving to their minds, arifing from a few maxims in reafon, which they hold faft, and to which they are for making Scripture itself bow.

XI. Tho' Mr. Watts can fhew fo much charity to the enemies of Chrift's Godhead, yet he has not manifefted much efteem for fome of his brethren, when he gives a very frightful account