Dr Clarke; but after the word Te, ftop'd and corrected Himself, and faid, -Nam ME probé Exercuisti. For You have work'd ME thoroughly. This was look'd upon as a very high Compliment, in His humerous way of speaking. And the

Learned Members of that Body, who had with pleasure attended to Every part of the whole Difputation, went away dif courfing to one another of the Unufual Entertainment They had had in the Schools; not a little pleased with such an Ornament to their own University and admiring particularly, That, after an Abfence of so many Years, and a long course of Business of quite Another Nature, They heard Him now handling the Subjects He undertook, in fuch a masterly Manner, as if This fort of Academical Exercife had been his Conftant Employment: and with fuch a Fluency and Purity of Expreffion, as if he had been accustomed, through this whole Time, to no other Language in Converfation but La tin.

Soon after this, Another Scene opened. He had for a confiderable time employed his Thoughts and Studies upon a Subject

of a very high Nature, which had exercifed the Pens of Many of the greatest Divines; I mean, the Doctrine of the Trinity: and was now come to a fettled Judgment about it. But, let Every Man of fenfe be Judge with how much Wisdom, and in how Chriftian a Method, He proceded to form his own Sentiments upon fo Important a Point. He knew, and All men agreed, that it was a Matter of Mere Revelation. He did not therefore, retire into his Clofet; and fet himself to invent and forge a plaufible Hypothefis, which might fit eafily upon his own Mind. He had not recourse to Abstract and Metaphyfical Reafonings, to cover or patronize any System He might have embraced before. But, as a Chriftian, He laid open the New Teftament before him, He fearched out Every Text, in which Mention was made of the Three Perfons, or of any One of them. He accurately examined the Meaning of the Words ufed about Every one of Them: and by the best Rules of Grammar and Critique, and by his Skill in Language, He endeavor'd to fix plainly What was declared about Every Perfon; and What was Not. And what He

thought

thought He had difcovered to be the Truth, He published, under the Title of The Scripture-Doctrine of the Trinity.

But

I AM far from taking upon Me to determine, in fo difficult a Question, between Him, and Thofe who made Replies to Him. The Debate foon grew very warm : and in a little time feemed to reft principally upon Him, and One particular Adverfary, very skilful in the Management of a Debate, and very Learned and wellverfed in the Writings of the Antient Fathers. The Controverfy has been long before the World: and All who can read what has been alledged on both Sides, ought to judge for Themselves. This, I hope, I may be allowed to fay, That Every Chriftian Divine, and Layman, ought to pay his Thanks to Dr Clarke, for the Method into which He brought this Difpute; and for that Collection of Texts of the New Teftament, by which it must at last be decided; on which fide foever the Truth be supposed to lie. And let Me add this one word more, That, fince Men of fuch Thought and fuch Learning, have fhewn the World, in their own Example, how widely the b3 moft

moft honeft Enquirers after Truth may differ, upon fuch Subjects: This methinks, fhould a little abate our Mutual Cenfures; and a little take off from our Pofitiveness, about the Neceffity of explaining, in this or that one determinate Sense, the Antient Paffages relating to Points of fo Sublime a Nature.

:

I PASS over the Complaint made, in Convocation, Against this Treatife concerning the Scripture-Doctrine of the Trinity because it foon ended, upon the Right Reverend, the Members of the Upper-boufe, having declared Themfelves fatisfied with the Explanations which the Author delivered in to Them, upon the Subject of the Complaint.

ONE Matter of Fact I will add, That from the Time of his publishing this Book, to the Day of his Death, He found no reason, as far as He was able to judge, to alter the Notions which He had there profeffed, concerning the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, towards Any of Thofe Schemes which feemed to Him to derogate from the Honour of the Father, on one fide; or from That of the Son, and Spirit, on the other. This I thought proper just to. mention,

mention, as what All his Friends know to be the Truth. And indeed, nothing to the Contrary can be alledged, without contradicting many Express Sentences, fcattered through All his Works which have followed, or will follow, the forementioned Treatife; evidently setting forth, or implying, the fame Doctrine.

:

FROM the Time of His taking poffeffion of St James's, his Refidence was where his Heart and his Employment were; in the Rectory-House, in the midst of his Parishioners; feldom leaving the Place at all, unless for a few Weeks, in the long Vacation, when the Town was Empty which he spent in vifiting his Friends at Norwich, and other places; and, towards the latter part of his Life, in doing his Duty as Mafter of Wigston's Hofpital at Leicester: a Post of no very great Profit, but made agreeable to Him by the handsome Manner in which the late Lord Lechmere invited Him into it; and by the Method of taking poffeffion of it, free from fome of those Circumftances which by Law attend upon most other Preferments.