or the work which he undertook.
To treat this subject of all subjects, the faculties both of thinking
clearly and of expressing thoughts clearly are absolutely essential.
These two qualifications Dr. Waterland possessed in a remarkable degree.
He always knew exactly what he meant, and he also knew how to convey his
meaning to his readers. His style is nervous and lucid, and he never
sacrifices clearness to the graces of diction. His very deficiencies
were all in his favour. Had he been a man of a more poetical temperament
he might have been tempted, like Platonists and neo-Platonists, to soar
into the heights of metaphysical speculations and either lose himself or
at least render it difficult for ordinary readers to follow him. But no
one can ever complain that Dr. Waterland is obscure. We may agree or
disagree with his views, but we can never be in doubt what those views
are. Had Waterland been of a warmer and more excitable temperament he
might have been tempted to indulge in vague declamation or in that
personal abusiveness which was only too common in the theological
controversies of the day. Waterland fell into neither of these snares;
he always argues, never declaims; he is a hard hitter in controversy,
but never condescends to scurrilous personalities. The very completeness
of his defence of the doctrine of the Trinity against Arian assailants
furnishes, perhaps, the reason why this part of his writings has not
been so widely and practically useful as it deserves to be. He so
effectually assailed the position of Dr. Clarke and his friends that it
has rarely been occupied by opponents of the Catholic doctrine in modern
days.

It has been thought desirable to present the great controversy in which
Drs. Clarke and Waterland were respectively the leaders in one
uninterrupted view. In doing so the order of events has been
anticipated, and it is now necessary to revert to circumstances bearing
upon the subject of this chapter which occurred long before that
controversy closed.

Dr. Clarke's 'Scripture Doctrine' was published in 1712; Dr. Waterland
did not enter into the arena until 1719; but five years before this
latter date, Dr. Clarke was threatened with other weapons besides those
of argument. In 1714, the Lower House of Convocation made an
application to the Upper House to notice the heretical opinions of Dr.
Clarke on the subject of the Trinity. They submitted to the bishops
several extracts, and also condemned