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and the presbyters that are with him, to the church of God which is at Philippi. Mercy and peace be multiplied unto you from God Almighty, and from the Lord Jesus

'Christ our Saviour.'

In the twelfth chapter or section of that epistle are these expressions. Now the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he himself, who is our everlasting High Priest, 'the Son of God, Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and ' truth, meekness and patience.'

A catholic author, supposed to have lived about the year of Christ 220, and writing against heretics, says: There is, indeed, one God, whom we can know no otherwise, but from the holy scriptures. Whatever therefore the divine 'scriptures declare, that let us embrace: what they teach, 'let us learn. And as the Father willeth we should believe, so let us believe: as he willeth the Son should be 'honoured, so let us honour him: as he willeth the Holy 'Ghost should be given, so let us accept.'

Jerom says, that Lactantius in his epistles, especially 'those to Demetrian, denies the personality of the Holy 'Ghost referring him, and his operations, as the Jews also 'erroneously do, to the Father, or the Son.'

And in another place he says, that this was the sentiment of many christians in his own time, who did not understand the scriptures.

The bishops in the council of Nice, having declared the doctrine concerning God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, add: And in the Holy Ghost:' that is: And we 'believe in the Holy Ghost.'

It follows in the same creed, as it is exhibited in the liturgy of the Church of England: The Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who ' with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, 'who spake by the prophets.' But that is not in the creed of the council of Nice, which sat in the year of our Lord 325, but it is taken from the creed of the council of Constantino

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και ὡς θελει πνεύμα άγιον δωρεισθαι, λαβωμεν. Hippolyt. contr. Noët. § ix. p. 12. ap. Fabr. T. II.

Lactantius, in epistolis suis, et maxime in epistolis ad Demetrianum, Spiritûs Sancti negat substantiam, et errore Judaico dicit eum vel ad Patrem referri, vel ad Filium, et sanctificationem utriusque personæ sub nomine ejus demonstrari. Hieron. ad Pamm. et Oc. ep. 41. al. 65. T. IV. p. 345.

8 Hoc ideo: quia multi per imperitiam scripturarum (quod et Firmianus in octavo ad Demetrianum epistolarum libro fecit) asserunt, Spiritum Sanctum sepe Patrem sæpe Filium nominari. Et cum perspicue in Trinitate credamus, tertiam personam auferentes, non substantiam ejus volunt esse, sed nomen. Id. in Galat. cap. iv. v. 6. T. IV. P. I. p. 268.

ple, which was convened in the year 381. Or, as it is more accurately expressed by Bishop Burnet at the beginning of his exposition of the eighth article of the church of England: So that the creed, here called the Nicene creed, is indeed the Constantinopolitan creed, together with the 'addition of Filioque, made by the western church.'

I might add a great deal more from the writers of the first three centuries. But this is not a place for enlargement. What has been already said, may be sufficient to render it probable, that the doctrine of the Trinity, which is now commonly received, and which is so much disliked by many, was not formed all at once, but was the work of several ages.

SECTION II.

OBJECTIONS. But it may be objected, that the Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, is oftentimes spoken of as a person, and espe cially in St. John's gospel.

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John xiv. 16, 17, " And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him. But ye know him. For he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."

-Ver. 25, 26, " These things have I spoken unto you, being present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

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John xvi. 7, "Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that I go away. For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you. But if I depart, I will send him unto you"-Ver. 12, "I have yet many things to say unto you. But ye cannot bear them now." Ver. 13, "Howbeit, when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself. But whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak. And he shall show you things to come." Ver. 14, " He shall glorify me. For he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." Ver. 15, "All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore said I, that he shall take of mine: and shall show it unto you."

In answer to which several things may be said.

1. It is not uncommon, in the language of scripture, to personalize many things, to which we do not ascribe intelligence.

The book of Proverbs, where wisdom is brought in speaking, as a person, is a well-known and remarkable instance. So likewise in the New Testament death reigns, Rom. v. 14, 17, and is an enemy, 1 Cor. xv. 26, 55-57. And sin is spoken of as a lord and master, and pays wages, and that in opposition to God, the most perfect agent. Rom. vi. 12, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof." 14, "For sin shall not have dominion over you." 17," Ye were once the servants o sin"-23," For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

And how many things are done by charity, as described by St. Paul? 1 Cor. xiii," It suffereth long, and is kind, thinketh no evil, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things," and the like.

I might quote here many other texts. Judg. xxiv. 26, 27," And Joshua took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak-And Joshua said unto all the people: Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us: for it has heard all the words of the Lord, which he spake unto us. It shall therefore be a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God."

John xii. 48, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, has one that judgeth him. The word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him at the last day."

Let me recite here the words of a pious and learned English writer. To conclude this point, the sum of our 'Saviour's preaching consists in inculcating this one great and fundamental truth of Christianity: that " we are no'thing, and God is all in all." It is his word that enlightens our minds, his Spirit directs our wills, his providence orders our affairs, his grace guides us here, and his mercy 'must bring us to heaven hereafter.'

Why is God's spirit a person more than his providence, or his grace, or mercy? We know, that by these last this writer does not intend persons, though he ascribes to them the guidance of us, or other actions. In the Jewish language, and among the Jewish people, spirit would no more signify a person, than grace or mercy. Nor were they more likely to ascribe distinct personality to the spirit, then we to the grace, or mercy, or providence of God."

2. There is not in the Acts of the Apostles, or in any other book of the New Testament, any account of the appearance and manifestation of a great agent, or person, after our Sa

h Directions for profitable reading the Holy Scriptures. By William Lowth, p. 100.

viour's ascension: therefore no such thing was promised or intended by our Saviour, nor expected by the apostles, who could not but know his meaning.

3. In other texts of scripture, and particularly in St. John's gospel, by the Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, is meant a gift, or a plentiful effusion of spiritual gifts. I intend John iii. 34, vii. 39, xx. 22, which were alleged not long ago.

4. Our Saviour himself has explained what he meant by "the Comforter."

So it is one of those texts, upon which this objection is founded. John xiv. 26, " But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost," or, more literally, the Comforter, the Holy Ghost. Ο δε παρακλητος, το πνεύμα το άγιον. But by the Holy Ghost, in other places of this gospel, as well as in many other texts of the New Testament, is not meant, as we have plainly seen, a powerful agent, but the Divine Influence, or the effusion of spiritual gifts. This therefore is what our Lord intended by the Comforter. And this sense is confirmed by the book of the Acts, wherein is recorded the fulfilment of our Saviour's promise.

5. Our blessed Lord, in speaking of this matter, has made use of a variety of expressions: by attending to which we may clearly discern his true meaning in what he says of the Comforter.

Matt. xxviii. 20, "And lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." In John xiv. 16, lately quoted, he says: "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." One and the same thing is intended in both places.

In the texts of St. John's gospel, upon which this objection is built, our Saviour speaks of the teachings of the spirit, whereby the disciples would be enlightened, and fed into a clear discernment of his scheme of religion. But in John xvi. 25, are these expressions: "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs. The time cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs, [or parables:] but I shall show you plainly of the Father." Here our Lord speaks of those teachings as his own.

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In Matt. x. 20, it is said: "For it is not ye that speak, but the spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.' the like purpose in Mark xiii. 11, and Luke xii. 12. But in Luke xxi. 15, our Lord expresseth himself in this man"For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay, nor resist." Mark xvi. 19, 20, "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the

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right hand of God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them," or the Lord cooperating, 78 Kupie ovveрyevтos, and confirming the word with signs following. Here the miracles of the apostles, after his ascension, are ascribed to our Lord himself, or his powerful presence and influence.

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Acts ix. 17, 18, " And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house: and putting his hands upon him, said: "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes, as it had been scales. And he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized."

Acts ix. 32-34, " And it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints, which dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Eneas, which had kept his bed eight years, and was sick of the palsy. And Peter said unto him: Eneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole. Arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately."

I might refer also to Acts iii. 6, iv. 10-12. But I forbear.

However, I shall add a few other texts from the epistles, which I think are to the present purpose, and may deserve to be considered.

Rom. xii. 3, " For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you -to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith."

Ver. 6," Having then gifts, differing according to the grace that is given to us."

Eph. iii. 6, 7, "That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs -and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me, by the effectual working of his power."

Eph. iv. 7, "But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ."-Ver. 11, 12, And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ."

1 Pet. iv. 10, 11, "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him