I have, in the courfe of the debate, had occafion, feveral times, to take notice that Mr. Watts has used the fame evasions, with respect to fome texts of Scripture, which the Socinians have used before him; this has been thought by fome to be bearing a little too hard upon him; but as it is a matter of fact, it is doing him no injury if where I have faid, he has advanced any thing, after the Socinians, it could be proved, that none of that party ever faid things to the fame purpose with what he has faid, I would fubmit to any cenfure; but fince the case is really as I have reprefented it, I am not to anfwer for facts bearing hard on any man. have exprefs'd the doctrine of the perfonality of the Son and Spirit in ftronger terms heretofore, than in these papers.-----I thank God I have learned to retract my former fentiments and change them, when upon ftricter fearch and review they appear lefs agreeable to the divine ftand ard of faith.-----I acknowledge I was at that time (1722.) inclined to fuppofe those perfonal representations in Scripture, (efpecially fo far as relates to the bleffed Spirit) were really to be understood in a more proper and literal fenfe, than I now (1725.) find neceffary; and on that account, I did then exprefs the doctrine of three perfons, or three diftinct intelligent agents, in terms a little stronger and more unlimited, than my judgment now approves of. Preface to the fecond part of his Differtations, p. xii, xiii, xiv. enquiries into this divine fubject, in my late writings, and made humble attempts to gain clearer ideas of it, in order to vindicate the truth and glory of this facred article, yet I have never changed my belief and profeffion of any important part of it. Preface to the third Volume of his Sermons, p. ix, x. I have express'd my i felf, I own, with a little warmth, as to the treatment Mr. Watts has thought fit to beflow on fome old teftament faints, and on fome of the authors of the infpired volumes. A juft indignation forced thofe expreffions, I have ufed, from me, and I fee no need to alter them, or to be ashamed of them. I was heartily grieved, to find a ferious man caft out flirts, which are fit only to be utter'd by Deifts and Infidels. It is unaccountable, that minifter of the Gospel should adorn fome of the noble heroes of facred antiquity, with the odious epithets of rude, rafh, and bloody, only because they fpared not thofe focs, whom God commiffion'd them to deftroy; it is ftrange he should represent the sweet Pfalmift of Ifrael, as one who fhew'd a spirit contrary to that of the Gofpel, becaufe, under divine infpiration, he utter'd imprecations against rebels and traytors, who were enemies to God and religion, as well as to him; and it is very odd, that he fhould fpeak in fuch disrespectful terms of the great Apoftle John, as to infinuate, that, he, a poor jewish fisherman, might not be acquainted with the Greek learning, when he could not but know, he had been enabled to speak Greek for near fixty years. Such flouts can only be pleafing to thofe who decry and banter divine revelation, I fhould be very much troubled and afhamed, if any could prove, I had treated Mr. Watts in the way he has treated thofe, whofe remembrance ought to be precious, to all who confider, that the Scripture has embalmed their names, by declaring that they all died in the faith. iPage 96, 97, 98. 106, 107. k In the close of my book, I put some serious queftions to Mr. Watts, which I thought any Christian had the liberty to do to another; among other things, I enquired, whether he had communion with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, without knowing whether he held communion with perfons or with properties: fome have thoughtlefly hence concluded me to have queftion'd, whether he ever had communion with God; but on the contrary, I fuppofed he had, and from thence argued, that he ought to have known before, whether he held communion with three divine perfons, or with one perfon and two faculties. I now take my leave of all that Mr. Watts has as yet wrote, on the doctrine of the Trinity, not intending to concern my self any farther with what he has publish'd; neither shall I take notice of any fubalterns, who may thrust themselves into this affair; I hope, he will not occafion any more grief to fuch as wifh well to the intereft of religion; but will confider how unfafe it is to aim at reaching those heights, to which the weak pinions of imperfect reafon can never foar. 1 k Page 116. al. 111. 1 This matter is finely exprefs'd by Mr. Watts in the following hymn. How wond'rous great, how glorious bright Muft our Creator be, Who dwells amidst the dazzling light Of vaft infinity? Our foaring fpirits upwards rife Tow'rd the celeftial throne, Fain would we fee the bleffed Three, And the almighty One. Some, Some, perhaps, may wonder, I have taken no notice of a pamphlet, which fome time fince was publish'd against me; but that piece, tho' it be fill'd with impotent malice, yet it is fo extremely low, that it can only move pity, but can never raise anger in me: I fhould not have mention'd it, had not those who drew it up, affected to speak, as if Mr. Watts commiffion'd them; I am willing to believe, they have greatly wrong'd him in this; for I had rather think perfons, whom I know nothing of, have been guilty of falfhood, in this matter, than harbour a fufpicion, that Mr. Watts, a person whom I value, has left off to behave himself, with the decency of a gentleman, and with the good fpirit of a Chriftian; which would have been the cafe, if he had abetted fo fcurrilous a performance, as that is, which is wrote in his defense. I was not fo void of thought, as to imagine, that I could engage in this fubject, without having a load of reproach thrown at me; but to be affected much with the fcourges of the tongue, Our reafon ftretches all its wings, Lord, here we bend our humble fouls, And awfully adore, For the weak pinions of our mind. Can ftretch a thought no more. Thy glories infinitely rife, Above our lab'ring tongue; In vain the highest Seraph tries, In humble notes our faith adores While angels ftrain their nobler pow'rs And fweep th' immortal string. Book II. Hymn 87. when when a man is conscious of his innocence, would only fhew him to be of a little fpirit. I have no reason to expect, that while I defend the truth, I fhall be free from obloquy. It is only in the country of reft which is above, that we shall never have the ftorms of malice to blow against us, nor the keen blafts of envy and detraction to beat upon us: the happiness of that bleffed land will not confift, barely, in the noise of controverfies ceafing, but, chiefly, in there being no occafion given for controversy; because all who have wash'd their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb, will entertain no one thought, tending to leffen the personal glories of their great Savior, who redeem'd them from hell, or of the bleffed Spirit, who conducted them to the pure realms of joy and peace. Whilft we are travelling to the heavenly gates, thro' this land of trouble and distress, especially if we engage under our Redeemer's banner, we muft expect to pass thro' evil report and good report. As to my own part, I hope, thro' the help of that good mafter, whofe honor I defend, I fhall not, on the account of any ill treatment I may meet with, be afraid or afhamed to bear my teftimony to this glorious doctrine, that the Father, the Son, and the holy Spirit are three proper and real persons, tho' they are one God, blessed for evermore. January 1.1723. ABRAHAM TAYLOR. 1 |