The Revd.Dr.HÉNRY GODOLPHIN

Dean of St. Paul's, London, and

Provost of Eton College ;
The Revu. Dr. WILLIAM STANLEY

Dean of St. Asaph, the Read.Dr. John
YOUNGER Dean of Sarum, and the
Rezd Dr. FRANCIS HARE Dean of
Worcester, the Residentiarys of
St. Paul'sy London.
GENTLEMEN,

Y Design in this public Address
is to return You my humblest

Thanks for so remarkable an Ínstance of Your Favor, as I want Words to express.; Your conferring upon me, in the most generous and obliging Manner, one of the principal Parochial Benefices in the Kingdom ; in which as I have Opportunity of doing a large Share of our Great Master's Work, and thereby earning Everlasting

Wages

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Wages (which is the most valuable Confideration) so I reap the Advantage of a plentiful Income, which affords ine even a Temporal Reward for the Labors of my present Station.

I am truly sensible of this Your undeserved Kindness to me; and shall endevor, by God's Alistance, in some Measure to answer Your pious Intentions therein, by a fincere Discharge of my Duty to the best of my Power.

May that God, who gives Men Ability, and inclines their Hearts to promote his Glory, amply recompence all Your good Deeds; particularly that for which I shall ever stand deeply indebted to You. May he shower down upon You the Blessings of this Life, and crown You at length with endless Glory.

REVEREND SIRS, Tour most Obliged, moft Grateful, and most Obedient Servant,

Tho. Bennet.

I am,

Cripplegate, London,

O&. 23. 1717.

THE

PREFACE.

W

HEN the Reverend Dr. Clarke published his Scripture Doctrine of the Trinity ; as I could not

but perceive and lament the natural Tendency of such a Book (especially considering what Credit the Author had gained by his former excellent Writings, and consequently how powerfully the Authority of his Name would recommend even the most dangerous Notions) so I could not but observe the Course of that Controversy, which arose upon that unhappy Occasion.

Every body knows, that many Writers, of different Spirits and Abilitys, attaqued the Doctor in different Manners, as their Inclinations or Judaments led them. But notwithstanding this Variety of Opposition, 1 heartily wish I could not say, that what to me seemed in such a Case the most desirable, or rather absolutely necessary, was totally neglected. For tho much commendable Zoal was spent against the Book in general, and diverse Parcels

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of it were particularly question'd and taken to pieces : yet none of the Doctor's Adversarys attempted a Confutation of his whole Scheme, and a thorough Examination of every Branch of his Doctrin.

Wherefore, since I could not hear, that any one Person intended to prevent me, by ingaging in so seasonable an Undertaking; and since the controverly about the Holy Trinity, which has lately been revived, is of greater Consequence, than those other Matters which lay before me : 1 judged it reaSom able to postpone what I should otherwise bave

proceeded in, and determin’d to write a full Reply to that celebrated Treatise of my Learned Friend.

Accordingly, as my Affairs would permit me, I got thro' the Work, and brought up with me every Chapter of it in January , when I left. Colchester, and fixed my self in London. And I should immediatly have published it, had not my Removal involved me in so much new Business, that I found it impossible for many Months, not only to profecute my Studys, but even to review what I had actually written. And tho' at length 1 made Shift to draw up a short Argument against the Nonjurors Separation (which the most pressing Neceflity extorted from me) and then hoped to have work'd off this Book without farther Delay : jet fresh Interruptions aroje, from which I could not disent angle my self till about May last, when I resumed my Papers; and then they should bave seen the Lighi, had not the Controversy about the Bisbop of Bangor's Sermon preached before the King, which ingrossed the Thoughts of all People, obliged me to juspend

the