to the majority of the Dissenting Ministers in that neighbourhood; and created much dissatisfaction and uneasiness. In consequence of these divisions, several Ministers in and near Exeter deemed it expedient to draw up a statement of what had occurred, and to transmit it to some leading Dissenting Teachers in the metropolis, requesting them to confer upon it, and to give their advice as to the best course to be pursued, previous to an assembly being held upon the subject among those at Exeter. The result of these deliberations was, that at a general meeting of the Dissenting Ministers in the western parts of England, at Exeter, in September 1718, the matter was fully discussed; and, after much debate, "it was agreed to make a declaration of faith, every one "in his own words, viva voce. Several delivered "their confessions entirely in Scripture-terms, with"out declaring their sense and constructions of them. "Others, and those the most, freely declared their "sentiments in their own terms. After which it " was moved, that the general sense of the confessions "there made appeared to amount to this article ;—

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That there is but One living and true God, and "that the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost, are "that One God. This, after much struggle, was put "to the vote again, and was carried to be the col"lected sense of a great majority, and accordingly "was entered as a minute i̟."

In these local dissensions, it is not to be supposed that Dr. Waterland felt any personal interest. But

i In the Bodleian library at Oxford, there is a large collection of tracts relating to the controversies respecting Arianism at Exeter. Among them are two, which contain a clear and succinct ac

since they had excited much fermentation elsewhere, as well as at Exeter; and means had been used, by the Arian party, to give the greatest possible publicity to their proceedings; it became a matter of importance to counteract the intended mischief. Dr. Waterland, however, took no further part in the dispute, than by publishing the above-mentioned tract, called, An Answer to some Queries printed at Exon. The Dissenters had, indeed, many learned, pious, and able Divines, well qualified to guard their congregations against these innovators, and who proved themselves faithful to their charge. Dr. Edmund Calamy particularly distinguished himself by the publication of an excellent volume of Sermons concerning the Doctrine of the Trinity, preached at Salters' Hall, 1722; in the Preface to which is given a perspicuous account of the opposition made to this doctrine, and of the unhappy differences which had lately arisen among his brethren with reference to the Arian controversy. It is a work of great learning and ability, as well as of candour and moderation; and the author bears hand

count of what had passed: one entitled, A plain and faithful Narrative of the Differences among the Dissenters at Exeter, relating to the Doctrine of the ever-blessed Trinity, so far as gave concern to some London Ministers. Lond. 1719: the other, An Account of the Reasons why many Citizens of Exon have withdrawn from the Ministry of Mr. Joseph Hallet and Mr. James Peirce, being an Answer to Mr. Peirce's State of the Case. Published by order of the Committee. Lond. 1719. Written by Mr. Josiah Eveleigh. There is also another work which throws considerable light upon these disputes among the Dissenters, entitled, The Grounds of the present Differences among the London Ministers. By John Cumming, M. A. Minister of the Scots-Church in London. 1720.

some testimony to the services which Dr. W. had rendered by his labours in so important a causek.

The Queries printed at Exeter (to which Dr. W. published this Answer) were originally subjoined to a pamphlet, entitled, The Innocent vindicated, or

* Dr. Calamy's work is dedicated to the King; and he ventures to assure his Majesty, that "how much soever his subjects in the "southern part of this happy isle may in other respects differ in "their sentiments about religious matters, yet as to the great doc"trine of the TRINITY, they that are excluded the national esta"blishment do very generally agree with those that are under it, "and cannot be charged with an inclination to vary from the "common faith, without being greatly misrepresented." In his Preface, he says, "As to the Sermons here published, they were "delivered to as public an auditory as any among the Dissenters, "about the same time that Dr. Waterland was engaged upon the same argument to so good purpose, as the Lecture supported "by the generosity of the Lady Moyer, at St. Paul's; in which "Dr. Knight has since so worthily succeeded him. And though "the subject has been so much insisted on, as that it may seem exhausted, yet I am in hope that these Discourses, together "with a good number of tracts lately published, may help to pre"vent its being hereafter said, that the Dissenters did not at that "time appear against Arianism, when it so much threatened us."

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There is reason, however, to believe, that Dr. Clarke's opinions had taken deep root among several communities of Protestant Dissenters, and that to this cause may be traced some of the multifarious schisms into which they were subsequently divided. Hence, at least, appear to have arisen the several Unitarian congregations, which succeeded to the Arian, and which are now for the most part, become Socinian. In the West of England these opinions have ever since continued to have numerous abettors. The Arian Meeting-house at Exeter retained its appropriate designation long after other congregations of the kind had dispersed, and were forgotten. It has now, however, passed into other hands and the Unitarians of the present day, who still abound in that district, would probably be almost as reluctant to subscribe to Dr. Clarke's Creed, as to that of Dr. Waterland.

Arians defended, and formed an Appendix to it. They appear verbatim in Dr. W.'s tract, and are answered with perspicuity and brevity. Most of them turn upon points of metaphysical subtlety, particularly upon the assumed position that there can be no real difference between an intelligent being and a person; similar to the objections before raised by. Clarke, Whitby, and Jackson, and afterwards examined and refuted in Dr. W.'s second Defence. But many readers may find it advantageous, to refer to the compendious answers in this little tract, which, together with the Queries, comprises the substance of much larger treatises on each side of the question.

Another small tract of a similar kind was published by our author in 1722, entitled, The Scriptures and the Arians compared, in their accounts of God the Father and God the Son: by way of rejoinder to a pamphlet, entitled, The Scripture and the Athanasians compared, &c. This pamphlet, like many others of that period, has long since sunk into oblivion. But Dr. Waterland's tract has reference also to several other publications of a similar tendency. In the first part is laid before the reader "the plain account of Scripture in one co"lumn, and the true account of what the modern "Arian scheme is in the other." The statement of the Arian scheme is drawn from the writings of Whiston, Clarke, Sykes, Whitby, Emlyn, Jackson, Peirce, Morgan, and some anonymous authors. In a series of short paragraphs, each relating to some main point in the controversy, the contrast is exhibited in very striking colours; and is so wrought as to con

vey a keen satire upon the opinions against which it is directed. The second part contains short remarks upon certain preliminary propositions in the pamphlet, with strictures upon the author's frequent misrepresentations of the sense of Scripture, and upon his attempts to oppose certain metaphysical subtleties to the express declarations of holy writ. This tract, therefore, derives additional importance from its being, in substance, directed against the whole phalanx of Arians of that day; though, in the form and mode of attack, it seemed to aim more particularly at one inconsiderable writer.

At a somewhat earlier period than the publication of these two short pieces, Dr. W. had been engaged in a private correspondence with a person of the name of Staunton on the subject of the Trinity; the occasion of which correspondence appears to have been as follows.

Mr. Staunton published, anonymously, in the year 1719, a tract entitled, The sincere Thoughts of a private Christian, touching the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Doctrine of the Apostles, humbly offered in abatement of the Socinian and Trinitarian Controversies. The title-page bears the motto, An Christianus ero? An Christicola? -pretty clearly indicating the author's opinion, that divine worship is not due to Christ. This is, in truth, the main purpose of the tract; in which the author labours to prove, that the titles, Son of God, the Word, &c. are not expressive of his Divinity, and that there are no sufficient evidences in Scripture of his being the proper object of worship.