from Scripture. Let us cease, then, to perplex and harass ourselves with a question which only tends to draw the attention from those considerations that are absolutely essential to the rise and progress of religion in the soul. The doctrines of grace, the doctrines of salvation by Jesus Christ our Lord, do not depend on nice theoretical speculations. But they do depend, they essentially depend, on an humbled, docile, penitent, and believing heart. There must be a sense of our depravity; there must be faith; there must be penitence; there must be a restoration of the lost image of God; and lastly, the sanctified effect of a righteous, godly, sober life, must follow this restoration." These truths our Church faithfully inculcates, and unceasingly enforces. Let us listen to her voice, and we shall be

made wise unto salvation.

CHAPTER V.

ON THE TRINITY.

THOSE Who deny the doctrine of the Trinity, profess to do it upon an alleged zeal for the unity of God; and by the name which they assume, desire evidently to be considered as the only persons who maintain this great truth. But those who hold the doctrine of the Trinity, do, in the strongest sense, concur in the doctrine of the unity of God. They maintain, as a fundamental truth which is to regulate and modify their belief in a trinity of persons, that there

b See Dean Milner's Sermons, vol. i. p. 142-149, for some valuable reflections on this subject.

is one only eternal and infinite God. And, though they pretend not to explain or comprehend the consistency of this plurality of persons with this unity of nature, they nevertheless, in the most unequivocal manner, admit and affirm it.

But though God is one, yet he has revealed himself under three different characters and titles. The precise nature of the distinction here implied is not described in Scripture; nor, perhaps, is it conceivable by fallen man. The word "person" has been agreed upon as serving to express this distinction. And this term is perhaps, as eligible as any other, whilst it is understood not to convey any real idea of the nature of this distinction, but merely to affirm that it exists, and is not confined to a distinction of mere titles or attributes.

As to the argument drawn against the doctrine of the Trinity from its mysteriousness, it may be replied, that any revelation respecting the Divine nature, if in any degree minute, might have been anticipated to involve some points far beyond our comprehension. For with what are we familiar, which is beyond the range of our senses? When we attempt to speak even of the operations of our own mind, we are involved in inexplicable difficulties. We cannot form the slightest conception of the manner in which spiritual beings exist at all, much less the manner in which they can communicate their ideas and feelings without material organs. As it regards the Divine nature, it is no more probable that we should comprehend it, than that an animal of the very lowest order should comprehend and delineate the faculties of man. Such indeed is the obscurity in which the Divine nature is necessarily involved, that it matters little what terms are employed by us to describe it. Change the terms, yet the obscurity remains. Human language is too indigent to convey,

human conceptions too weak to receive, adequate impressions on such a subject. But it still remains true, that though the doctrine of the Trinity is mysterious and above our reason, it is not contrary to our reason. And this is a most important distinction. We do not affirm that there are more Gods than one, or that God is one and three in the same sense. We do not say that any principle or nature is one, and at the same time three natures or principles. This would be contrary to reason. But this we say, and we say it on the ground of reason, and without fear of contradicting any known principles of reasoning, that there is one Eternal and incomprehensible Being; that he has represented himself to us in the Scriptures under three distinct persons of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; that each three distinct persons exercise and claim severally all the prerogatives, attributes, and honours of Divinity; and that these, nevertheless, constitute but one Divine Being, concentering in himself all this fulness of the Godhead bodily. We confess with the Apostle, that great is this mystery of Godliness." "Who by searching can find out God? Such knowledge is too wonderful for us; it is high, we cannot attain unto it." If this be an objection, it is one which applies to the simplest ideas we can form of God. Can we explain how it is that he subsists from everlasting to everlasting, without beginning or end? Can we comprehend the infinitude of space? Can we explain the laws of that union which subsists between soul and body? We are confounded even by an atom. There will be difficulties upon every hypothesis that can be adopted. And we allege that there are far greater difficulties in the scheme of those who reject the Divinity of the Son of God, than in any other. If he be not God, what, we may ask, is he? Clearly not an angel? Scripture ascribes to him none but Divine attributes.

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Some, to

get clear of the difficulty, speak of him as an attribute of God. But then what becomes of the passages describing his personality, and even distinguishing him from the Father? To show the absurdity of this idea, it is only necessary to substitute for the name given him in Scripture, the name of attribute. Others, in the hope of escaping these difficulties, have reduced the Saviour to the rank of a man. But what difficulties have these not to encounter? What violence of criticism, what forced interpretations, what perversion of doubtful passages and denial of plain ones, have they not been compelled to employ? If, indeed, all difficulty could be escaped by any particular theory, then (although its very clearness would be suspicious) it might be worthy of attention. But, hitherto, all objections to the orthodox doctrine, if they have shifted or eluded the difficulty, have never removed it. The recesses of the Divine nature constitute a depth that we have no eye to measure, and no line to fathom: and he who rashly presumes upon his own powers to do it, sinks from one abyss of error and confusion to another." It is on the ground of Scripture alone that we can hope to find firm footing. Let us reverently apply ourselves to the study of that, and we shall not fail to see in every page of it, that he who redeemed us by his blood, is he who made the worlds, even God over all, blessed for ever. A few references of Scripture are here subjoined, in order to show that the Scriptures ascribe to him all the attributes of Deity. Let no man by words of enticing wisdom rob you of the hope which the divinity of the Saviour bestows; for as in him all the fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells, and as the Father has

a See an excellent sermon of Veron on Matthew xxviii. 19,-from which some of the foregoing remarks have been abridged,-Horsley's Tracts, Jones on the Trinity, Professor Stuart's and Wood's Letters, and Dr. Miller's Letters.

given to him the government of his mediatorial kingdom, and required all to honour the Son even as they honour the Father, (John v. 23,) they who reject his Divine character, and stumble at that stone of offence, are in danger of falling to rise no more. "He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

Unitarians and Socinians are so divided among themselves, and from each other, and assume, perpetually, such Protean shapes, that it is impossible to give an accurate outline of their belief. They seem to agree in nothing but the determination to disbelieve, and it is easier to state what they do not believe than to make out fairly what they do believe. In the first place, they deny the divinity of Jesus Christ: most of them do this without any qualification, or reserve; but there are some, who, when pressed upon this point in public, disavow any such denial, and charge Trinitarians with unfairness in making the accusation. But press them again into a definition of what they mean by the divinity of the Saviour, and they explain it as being the divinity of his mission. He is our Saviour in the same sense that General Washington was the saviour of his country, and by a metonymical figure, the divinity of his mission is transferred to himself. Such has been the reasoning of several among them who are esteemed by their own body as champions of their cause. But who does not see the disingenuousness of such a subterfuge? Their books are full of the most unequivocal declarations, that Jesus Christ is not a divine personage. Dr. Priestly declares, that the Apostles had no other ideas. of Christ than that "he was a man like themselves." Mr. Belsham, the great oracle of Unitarians, says, "the Unitarian doctrine is, that Jesus of Nazareth was a man constituted in all respects like other men, subject to the same infirmities, the same ignorance, prejudices, and frailties;