In the Reformed Church of England, in the beginning of the eighteenth century, Mr. Whiston, Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, adopted and maintained the Arian doctrine, or a slight modification of it. And Dr. Samuel Clarke, a man of learning and unblemished character, maintained the subordination of the Persons in the Godhead in so objectionable a form, as to lay himself open to the charge of Arianism, or semi-Arianism. The masterly works of Waterland on the Trinity were many of them called forth by the unsound views of Dr. Clarke.

Later in the century, Priestley advocated with learning and skill, though without accuracy or caution, the far more heretical doctrines of the Socinians, or rather of the pure humanitarians. Those writings of Bishop Horsley are considered as of most value, which are directed against Priestley.

It has been observed, that the various bodies of Presbyterian Christians, both in Great Britain and on the continent, have had a considerable tendency to lapse into Socinianism; with the exception of the Kirk of Scotland, which has maintained a most honourable superiority to all other Presbyterians, partly, no doubt, becauseunlike the generality of them—she strictly guards the Creeds of the Church, and other formularies of the faith.

In Germany and Switzerland the rationalism, which has so much prevailed among foreign Protestants, has been favourable to Unitarian views of the Godhead, and humanitarian doctrines concerning Christ.

HA

SECTION II.-SCRIPTURAL PROOF.

AVING thus far given a history of the doctrine contained in this Article, I proceed to the proof from Scripture.

So much of the subject may seem to belong to natural religion, that we might easily be tempted to begin with proofs from reason alone. It appears to me, however, that as a Christian Church presupposes acceptance of the Christian revelation, the proper way of treating the symbols and articles of a church is to prove them from the authentic records of that revelation. The proofs from reason belong rather to the department of Christian evidences. Yet thus much perhaps it may be necessary to premise; that the mystery of the doctrines contained in this Article should be considered as no argument against their truth. For, as, with all our

study, we can scarce attain to any clear understanding of the mode in which we exist ourselves; reason alone should teach us to look upon it as hardly likely, that, with any searching, we could find out God. The mode of His subsistence, who is infinitely above us, may probably enough be infinitely above our powers to comprehend.

According then to the division of the subject proposed above, we have to show,

FIRST, in opposition to Anthropomorphites, that God is a Spirit, without body, parts, or passions.'

SECONDLY, in opposition to Pantheists, that God is a personal living Being 'living and true, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness, Maker and Preserver of all things, visible and invisible;' 'everlasting.'

THIRDLY, in opposition to Tritheists, Arians, and every kind of Polytheists, that God is One.

FOURTHLY, in opposition to Arians, Sabellians, Macedonians, Socinians, &c., that, in the Unity of the Godhead there are three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.'

I shall consider it sufficient to establish the doctrines, contained in the first three of the foregoing propositions, by simply referring to some of the many texts of Scripture, by which they may be proved; reserving for the fourth and last any more extended arguments.

FIRST, then, God is a Spirit, without body, parts, or passions.' Joh. iv. 24. Comp. Isai. xl. 18, 25. Deut. iv. 15. Luk. xxiv. 39. Joh. i. 18; v. 37. Acts xvii. 24, 28, 29. Rom. i. 20, 21.

1 Tim. i. 17; vi. 16.

'Without passions' may be inferred from Num. xxiii. 19. Mal. iii. 6. Heb. vi. 17, 18. James i. 13, 17.

It is perhaps hardly necessary to add that, whereas God is often spoken of in terms which express bodily relations, it is that the Infinite may in some degree be made intelligible to the finite; the Almighty having been pleased to condescend to our infirmities, and to deal with us, as parents do with their children, teaching them by such figures and modes of instruction as their tender minds will bear.

SECONDLY. God is

1 'Living and true.'

Exod. iii. 6, 14, 15; vi. 2, 3. Num. Ixvii. 16. Deut. v. 26. Josh. iii. 10. 1 Sam. xvii. 26. Ps. xlii. 2;

lxxxiv. 2. Isai. xlii. 8.

Jer. x. 10.

Dan. vi. 26. Matt. xvi. 16.

Joh. xvii. 3. Acts xiv. 15. Rom. ix. 26. 2 Cor. vi. 16. 1 Thess. i. 9. 1 Tim. iv. 10; vi. 17. Heb. x. 31. Rev. iv. 8 ; x. 5, 6. 2 'Of infinite power. Gen. xvii. 1; xviii. 14. Job xlii. 2. Jer. xxxii. 17, 27. Matt. xix. 26. Eph. iii. 20. Rev. iv. 11; xix. 6. 3 'Wisdom.' Gen. xvi. 13. 1 Sam. ii. 3. 1 Kings viii. 39. Job xxvi. 6; xxviii. 10, 23, 24; xxxiv. 21. Psal. xliv. 21 ; xciv. 9; cxxxix. 4. Prov. xv. 3. Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. xv. 18. Rom. xi. 33; xvi. 27. Heb. iv. 13.

Dan. ii. 22, 28. Acts 1 Joh. i. 5. Jude 25. 4 'Goodness.' Ex. xv. II; xxxiv. 6. Lev. xi. 44. Deut. iv. 31.

1 Sam. ii. 2. Psal. lxxxvi. 15; cxviii. 1; cxlv. 8. ix. 9. Joel ii. 13. Jonah iv. 2.

Isai. vi. 3. Dan.
Luke i. 77, 78.

Mic. vii. 18.

Gen. i. ii.

Psal. xxxiii. 6; c. 3;

cxxxv. 6.

5 Maker of all things, visible and invisible.'

2 Kings xix. 15. Neh. ix. 6.

Acts xvii. 24. Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 16. Heb. iii. 4.

II; X. 6.

6

Preserver of all things.' Deut. xxxii. 39, &c. ii. 6. 1 Chron. xxix. 11, 12. Job xii. 9.

6, 7; xcv. 3, 4, 5, 7.

v. 24; xviii. 6—9. Rom. xi. 36.

Rev. iv.

I Sam.

Psal. xxii. 28; lxxv. 12, 13, 15; 22. Jer.

Isai. xiv. 27; xl. 11,
Dan. v. 23. Matt. vi. 25-30; x. 29, 30.

7 'Everlasting.' Gen. xxi. 33. Deut. xxxiii. 27. Psal. ix. 7; xc. 2, 4; cii. 12, 26, 27. Isai. xliv. 6; lvii. 15. 19. Rom. i. 20; xvi. 26. 1 Tim. i. 17. Rev. i. 8; v.

Lam. v. 14; x. 6. THIRDLY. We have to show, in opposition to Tritheists, Arians, and every kind of Polytheists, that God is One.' 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord' (Deut. vi. 4). The Lord, He is God, there is none else beside Him' (Deut. iv. 35). Thus saith the Lord. . . Beside Me there is no God' (Is. xliv. 6; comp. ver. 8). There is one God, and there is none other but He (Mark xii. 32). The only true God' (Joh. xvii. 3). We know that there is none other God but One' (1 Cor. viii. 4). God is One' (Gal. iii. 20). There is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus' (1 Tim. ii. 5). Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well' (Jam. ii. 19). Denying the only Lord God' (Jude 4). The only wise God, our Saviour' (Jude 25).

See also Ex. xx. 3. xxxvii. 16; xlii. 8.

2 Sam. xxii. 32. Psal. lxxxvi. 10. Isai. Mark xii. 29. J Cor. viii. 6. Eph. iv. 6. FOURTHLY. We have to show, in opposition to Sabellians, Arians, Macedonians, Socinians, &c., that 'In the Unity of the

Godhead there be three Persons, of one substance, power, and eternity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.'

As regards this doctrine of the Trinity in Unity, we must not expect to find the same express declarations in Scripture, that we find, for instance, of the facts, that God is a Spirit,' 'God is a righteous God,' or the like. But it by no means therefore follows, that the one is less true than the other. It appears to have been far from the design of the Author of Holy Scripture, to set down every article of Christian truth in the form of a distinct enunciation. Scripture is not a system of catechetical instruction, designed to lead us, step by step, to the knowledge of religious verities, and to place everything so clearly before us, that, if we will, we cannot mistake it. On the contrary, it is plainly intended, that, if we do not fear the Lord, we shall not be able to penetrate His secret, and that, unless our hearts are set to do His will, we shall not be able to know of His doctrine. If there were no other reason than this, we might see why many things in Scripture require to be sought out.

But again, God has appointed various instruments for instruction in His Church; all, of course, in subordination to the teaching of His Holy Spirit. He has bestowed upon us, first, reason; secondly, Scripture; thirdly, the ministry of His word and Sacraments. If Scripture were a regular course of catechetical teaching, so plain that it could not be mistaken; the prophetic or didactic office of the Church and the ministry would be altogether superseded. Again, it is evidently desirable, that our reason, enlightened by God's Spirit, should be exercised to the understanding of His word; and one great blessing derived from this appointment is, that so, whilst the ignorant may find enough to guide them safe, the most profound and acutest intellect may find abundance to employ its meditations, and exercise its thoughts. Else, what was suited for the one, might pall upon the taste of the other.

Believing then, that we are not only permitted, but called upon, in humble dependence on the Divine guidance, to use our reason, dispassionately but reverently, in order to understand what God has delivered to us; I shall endeavour to class together the various facts, which Scripture has recorded concerning the nature of God, so far as they bear on this part of our subject, and then, by the common process of induction, shall hope to arrive at a just conclusion from a general view of them all.

Now these different facts of Scripture may be classed under four heads.

I. Scripture teaches, that there is One God.

II. There is nevertheless clear intimation of some kind of plurality in the Godhead, even in the old Testament; but in the new Testament there is a clear declaration that

The Father is God,-the Son is God,—the Holy Ghost is

God.

III. This fact of the plurality is not in express terms a contradiction of the Unity; such as would be the case, if in one passage it were said, 'There is one God,' and in another passage, 'There are three Gods;' for it appears from Scripture, that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are but one and the same God.

IV. Still, though Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are but one God; there is plain evidence from Scripture, that the Father is not the Son, nor is either of them the Holy Ghost; but that they are clearly distinguished from one another, and distinguished too as Personal Agents, not merely as modes, operations, or attributes.

If I find these four propositions clearly established in Scripture; I do not know what more can be required to prove the doctrine of this Article, that 'in the Unity of the Godhead there be three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost ;' and that these three Persons are of one substance, power, and eternity.'

I. In the first place, then, Scripture teaches us, that there is but one God. This has been already shown in the THIRD principal division of the subject. It is revealed as the fundamental truth of all religion. Whatever contradicts this truth is evident falsehood. Therefore Tritheism, which speaks of the Father, Son, and Spirit as three Gods, is false. Therefore Arianism, which speaks of the Father as the supreme God, and of the Son as another, inferior, subordinate God, is false. Therefore every kind of Polytheism is false: for there is one God, and there is none other but He.' Mark xii. 32.

II. But next, plain as is this doctrine of the Unity of the Godhead, there are (1) in the old Testament decided intimations of a plurality in the Godhead, and (2) in the new Testament express declarations, that

The Father is God,-the Son is God,-and the Holy Ghost is God.

(1) In the old Testament there are decided intimations of a plurality in the Godhead.

The Jews indeed were placed in the midst of idolaters, them