certain
truths about the Deity, only because they are incomprehensible, when
everything about Him must be so of course, the result will be Atheism;
for there are mysteries in the works of nature as well as in the Word of
God.'

If it be retorted, Why then introduce terms and ideas which by your own
admission can only be imperfectly understood? Why not leave such
mysteries in the obscurity in which they are shrouded, and not condemn
those who are unable to accept without understanding them? The reply is,
'It is you and not we who are responsible for the discussion and
definition of these mysteries. The faith of the Church was at first, and
might be still, a plain, simple, easy thing, did not its adversaries
endeavour to perplex and puzzle it with philosophical niceties. Early
Christians did not trouble their heads with nice speculations about the
_modus_ of the Three in One.' 'All this discourse about _being_ and
_person_ is foreign and not pertinent, because if both these terms were
thrown out, our doctrine would stand just as before, independent of
them, and very intelligible without them. So it stood for about 150
years before _person_ was heard of in it, and it was later before
_being_ was mentioned. Therefore, if all the objection be against these,
however innocent, expressions, let the objectors drop the name and
accept the thing.' It was no wish of Waterland to argue upon such
mysteries at all. 'Perhaps,' he says, 'after all, it would be best for
both of us to be silent when we have really nothing to say, but as you
have begun, I must go on with the argument.... It is really not
reasoning but running riot with fancy and imagination about matters
infinitely surpassing human comprehension. You may go on till you
reason, in a manner, God out of His attributes, and yourself out of your
faith, and not know at last when to stop.' These are weighty and wise
words, and it would be well if they were borne in mind by disputants on
this profound mystery in every age. But while deprecating all
presumptuous prying into the secret nature of God, Waterland is
perfectly ready to meet his adversaries on that ground on which alone he
thinks the question can be discussed.

Summing up and setting in one compendious view all that the modern
Arians taught in depreciation of Christ, Waterland showed that in spite
of their indignation at being represented as teaching that Christ was a
mere creature, they yet clearly taught that He was