and from the whole tenor of divine revelation, 'that there is in the incomprehensible Godhead a plurality or trinity of subsistences or persons, though not a plurality or trinity of deities or essences. How these exist in three and yet one, and how they exist in one and yet three, is a profound mystery, and known only unto God; this being one of the secret things which alone belong unto him. And whoever attempts, through a vain curiosity, for it is nothing else, to pry into this bottomless and shoreless ocean, in order to explore the reasonableness and propriety of such a system, or the way and manner of the mysterious existence of the triune Diety, are rashly endeavouring to break through the limits that God has set around his holy mount;' and such will find, sooner or later, that the Lord will break through upon them, and destroy if not their souls, yet all the wood, hay, and stubble, of fleshly wisdom, carnal reasonings, aspiring thoughts, and vain imaginations, which they have been so busy in building up; for who ever fought against God and prospered? None. For whoever are engaged in this perilous work, or any other of the like import, are strangers to soulprosperity; and are full of jargons, contradictions, strifes, contentions, confusions, and darkness: and well they may; for who by searching can find out God, as to the nature of his being and existence? Who by searching can find out the Almighty to perfection, even respecting his common dispensations of providence and grace? "It is high as

heaven, what canst thou do? Deeper than hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea,' Job. xi. 7, 8. For my own part, I never more desiré to make an attempt of diving into this immense abyss, but to stand at a proper distance, and, with pleasing wonder and admiration, sing with an inspired apostle, "O! the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counsellor? or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed to him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

When I have had occasion to treat of this subject, in public or private, I have generally been led to enforce more the necessity of an heart-felt experience of this mystery, than a scientific knowledge thereof in the judgment; for I doubt not but you will readily agree with me, that they are the best Trinitarians, who are savingly acquainted with the Father's electing love, the Son's redeeming grace, and the heart-cheering companion of the Holy Ghost; without which a man, with all his accumulated knowledge, is no more than sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. I must confess that I am not very fond of the terms persons or subsistences, being rather ambiguous, because they seem to carry in them an idea of a

plurality of gods;' by which weak minds, through misconstruing and wrongly applying them, have been much perplexed and tried thereupon. And not only so, but it often gives room for sceptics to cavil and contend against those truths we are endeavouring to advance by such and such particular terms and phrases, which, were they omitted, or more seldom used, and the plain text more adhered to, those difficulties might perhaps be obviated in some measure. However, it appears to me that we are not condemnable in making use of any term or phrase whatever, admitting that the doctrines which they are meant to establish, and the idea by them which we mean to convey, are wholly agreeable to the divine oracles; and whenever I find a person raising contentions about words and phrases, (which, though they may not immediately occur in the scriptures, yet the sum and substance of their meaning are contained therein,) I generally take it for granted, that such manifest thereby a dissatisfaction to, and a deep-rooted enmity against, not the words merely, but the very doctrines themselves, which we mean to establis thereby. Therefore I very frequently make use of the terms above mentioned, as they appear to me to be sound and good, so far as they are restrained to the personal distinctions in the Godhead; but have ever exploded them, as respecting the oneness of the divine essence; the last of which, peradventure, may have given rise to the late reports.

As I firmly believe that the whole fulness of the Godhead is in the Father, the same in the Son, and the same in the Holy Ghost, I am led to worship them at times distinctly and separately, by praise, supplication, and thanksgiving, to each, according to the various dispensations I pass under; and am persuaded that I have felt the Lord's sensible approbation therein: this several can testify, if they pleased, both here and elsewhere, who have attended my ministry; which I never could or should have done, had I, as hath been reported, held that there is but one person in the Godhead, or at least that the divine Three are but names, as manifestations, office-characters, or nominal distinctions; for to address a mere name, office-cha_ racter, nominal distinction, or manifestation, appears to be nothing more than refined idolary, and rank nonsense." "For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." I have ever manifested a disapprobation to that, too much adopted, method of making use of earthly similes to represent, or rather to define, this unfathomable mystery of the Trinity; which conduct I deem to be unscriptural, and consequently unwarrantable, since Jehovah has given this challenge; "To whom then will you liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto me?" Isaiah xl. 18. It is true the inspired writers have been led to ransack, as it were, the whole creation for similitudes to represent the various operations of the Spirit of grace, the different dispen

sations of God in the world and in the church, as also the person and work of Jesus, and the beauty and excellency of his beloved spouse, &c. yet there is not a patriarch, prophet, or apostle, throughout the whole volume of revelation, who have attempted, by any simile, metaphor, allegory, or figure whatever, to set forth the way and man. ner of the being or existence of the triune Deity. Therefore the report that I should use the similitude of three candles, whose light terminates in one effulgence, or any other figure or metaphor whatever, is wholly groundless and false.

'I must confess, also, that I frequently adventured to deviate a little from the too much frequented path of human tradition, respecting the sonship of Christ; wherein he is generally held forth as begotten by the Father, as touching simply his deity: which idea appears to me very unscriptural, and also derogatory to the majesty and glory of his essential divinity. Therefore the doctrine of a begotten God I should ever wish to treat with contempt.'

If we trace the scriptures upon this last mentioned head, we shall soon perceive that, whereever Jesus is spoken of therein as being begotten, or respecting his being a son, they either allude to his incarnation, his manhood alone, or his resurrection from the dead. Hence he is called the only begotten of the Father, i. e. as to his manhood, which alone was begotten in so miraculous and mysterious a manner; for this was the pro