subject is too vast for any individual, however extraordinary his genius may be it would require the united efforts and combined talents of the most enlarged capacities to investigate and elucidate the subject, in a manner becoming the greatness and importance of its nature.

We have societies established for almost every difficult branch in the arts and sciences. What a pity that the most difficult and interesting of all scientific knowledge should want a society for the express purpose of making more researches. into it! Is not the subject more worthy than those of the societies for manufactures, for agriculture, for the Asiatic researches, or even those of the Royal Society for the investigation of nature? Surely there should be one for the devout and pious purpose of exploring the essence, perfections, and personality of nature's God.Into this pious society, pious men of all ranks, whether clergy or laity, should be admitted. Of what use have the different orders and societies of monks been to the church of Rome? not been for the order of the Jesuits, that church would have been entirely overturned at the Reformation. And so evident was this to the present Pope, that he has endeavoured, with all in

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genuity, to revive that order once more, hoping thereby to subjugate the nations of the world to his authority. And need we mention the Fratres Poloni, who, by their writings, are the grand support and bulwark of the Socinians, even at the present day.

Every presbytery, synod, and assembly of clergymen, ought to constitute themselves respectively into societies, for the express purpose of illustrating this grand doctrine more fully ;and by their united and continued efforts upon this one point, the church would receive great light upon the subject; those who deny the doctrine would meet with arguments on every hand which they could not answer; and the cause of Christianity would be triumphant. Might they not unite in this, as well as in the Missionary cause?

IV. To all this it may be replied, The Scriptures are a sufficient guide, and they are suffi. ciently clear upon the doctrine. Without presuming to derogate or detract in the smallest degree from the value and authority of the holy oracles, we fully admit that all they teach is true, and that whatever contradicts them is dangerous, and not to be received. But it should

be remembered, the Scriptures do not pretend to teach all the divinely-purposed operations of the Supreme Being; all the phoenomena of the creation; and all the events of providence. For many things in ecclesiastical and civil history, which clearly indicate the will of God, are not found recorded in the sacred volume; nor even every particular of the life, doctrine, and miracles of our Lord. For they say, even the world itself would not contain the books that should be written on the subjects. But they record as much as is necessary for us to believe.

What a blaze of truth and natural knowledge bursts from the Newtonian system, properly understood, without one text of Scripture to support it? Were this system directly contrary to Scripture, it ought to be rejected as false; but so far is this from being the case, that it supports the Scriptures, and strengthens the cause of revelation.

What a treasure of scientific knowledge, metaphysical and moral truth is found in the writings of Locke, of Cudworth, of Reid, and of Stewart, without a single text of Scripture in proof of it.

And what a magazine of political and juridical truth is found in Grotius, Tucker, Bantum, and

Kenyon, and other writers on the law of nature and nations, agreeable to many things taught in the Scriptures, but not proved by a single text.

Who is it that does not see the force of mathematical truths, comprehending geometry in all its branches, and the noble science of astronomy,all beneficial and ornamental to man, without being proved by texts of Scripture. Indeed, the whole circle of the arts and sciences may be adduced in support of our reasoning. Now, are not all these useful and profitable? And is it not the will of God that men should study them in subordination to his glory? And do they not all, when fairly followed out, greatly support and ornament the doctrines of the sacred Scriptures?

So much is this the case, that when the Scriptures address men, they take it for granted that men may know God from the works of creation and providence. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world."

Because that which may be known of God is

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manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.' Now, if the Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament fully prove, as they clearly do, that the works of creation and provi. dence lead men to the study of the Divine Being without a written revelation, and leave them entirely without excuse if they do not; is not the inference fair and conclusive, that men may as certain the existence of the Divine Being by the light of nature? And if men be able to ascertain the existence of the Divine Essence without the light of revelation, they may ascertain at the very same time that it is necessarily existent; they may also ascertain the perfections of goodness, wisdom, and power, necessarily inhering in that Essence and the farther investigation of these divine perfections leads directly to the personality of the Divine Essence, and the personality leads directly to the Trinity. And thus we evidently perceive that the study may be safely attempted on the principles of reason and demonstration.