mise to his virgin mother, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing [the immaculate humanity of the Saviour] which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God," Luke i. 35. Furthermore, when Jehovah the Word took our nature upon himself, thereby the two natures entering into a mysterious conjunction, and appearing in one complete Saviour, he is spoken of on this wise, “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten the." Again, "When he bringeth the first-begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Thus as all the glory of the invisible Godhead appeared conspicuous in the person and work of the manhood, as also in all the miracles he wrought, and in every word he spake; he is therefore said to be the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his person; which cannot allude to his Godhead simply, but to the manhood in union therewith. For, however near an image or likeness may resemble the original, yet it cannot be the original itself. Therefore in this respect the Father is greater than him; but, as touching his divinity, he thinks it no robbery to be equal with God. Furthermore, as to his being begotten; it is written in a certain Psalm, "Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee;" which passage is cited in the Acts as alluding to the Saviour's resurrection, as we read, " And we declare unto you glad tidings; how that the promise, which was

made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." He is therefore called the first-begotten from the dead. From all which it is evident that Jesus Christ, as to his incarnation, mere manhood, and resurrection from the dead, was really and verily begotten and born; consequently, in these respects he is a Son; but, in respect of his essential divinity, simply considered as such, he is the uncreated, unbegotten, undivided, and unoriginated, source of eternal power, might, majesty, and glory, the same as and with the Father and the Holy Ghost; to whom be equal and undistinguished glory by all the church, throughout all ages, and world without end. Amen.

Thus have I undisguisedly, and without reserve, briefly given you my thoughts upon this much controverted point of doctrine; and do positively affirm, that these are the things I have invariably taught, in all places whithersoever God in his providence has called me to speak in his name. Whether they are from heaven or from man, I now leave you to judge, "For he that is spiritual judgeth all things."

And now may "the grace of our Lord Jesus. Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost;" even all the unmerited blessings of the glorious and ever-adorable Trinity, Israel's one

God; "be with you, and the whole household of faith, now and for evermore. Amen."

Even so prayeth your unworthy brother in the Lord, and willing servant for Christ's sake,

WOOLWICH, December 1790.

WILLIAM VESSEY.

Ans. In this letter, reader, you have an acknowledgement of his confusion and ignorance, and of the way in which he stumbled and blundered on; and of his own blind reason being his only guide while prying into that glorious mystery, and that his notions were nothing but his own whims and fancies.

2. He informs you that he was both an eye and ear witness of the dreadful fall of that presumptuous wretch Butler, mentioned by me in the former part of my narrative.

3. And still his old heresy appears; for his notions of three persons in the Godhead are confined to personality, name, office, and operation.

4. That Jehovah frequently assumes three distinct personal forms; which are made out to be two, that of men, and of angels. In these forms he appeared unto Abraham. 'These Abraham offered sacrifices to, worshipping and adoring as Lord.' Whereas no man hath seen God at any time. Some have heard his voice, but none have seen his shape. Nor did Abraham worship the three men that appeared to him. One was our Lord, the other two were angels.

Nor did God

the Father, or God the Holy Ghost, ever assume the form of men or angels. But Vessey says, in one of these forms Abraham saw the Father of mercies, in choosing and electing, setting apart, and confirming in his dear Son, every vessel of mercy. In another human form, he saw the promised Seed, and in another form he saw the Spirit of truth. This is Mr. Vessey's description of a trinity of human and angelic forms, and Abraham's view of them. What arrogance, confusion, and presumption, are here!

5. In the beginning of the creation was Jehovah the Word made manifest as the great Creator and Upholder of all things, and also as the Redeemer and Deliverer of the elect.' Whereas at the beginning of the creation there was none of the elect to manifest himself to.

6. He contradicts the notion of the Trinity appearing in three human forms to Abraham, by asserting, that "No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the Father, he hath declared him."

7. All the three persons are comprised under the appellation of Father, the first person in order, in the Trinity.

8. By the text which expresses all the fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in Christ, he does not understand it of the fulness of every attribute or perfection of Deity dwelling in the person of Christ, but of the whole Trinity dwelling in the human nature of Christ. In short, while he la

bours to shun the error of dividing the substance, he does nothing but confound the persons, in the Godhead, throughout the whole letter.

9. You have again mention made of three distinct persons, as to personality, name, and office; and of its being. erroneous and absurd to bind together into one these three distinct personalities. What strange and awful language is this! And how has the Almighty baffled and confounded this arrogant fool, who, in the pride of the devil, is finding out to perfection the existence of his Maker!

10. We are informed that it would be erroneous and absurd to imagine, that three essences, or deities, individually sat in council to agree upon the weighty concern of our redemption. He cannot see three persons in the scriptures without three essences or deities; which three persons did sit in council about the work of creation, and redemption too. "Let us make man in our own image." And again, And again, "And the counsel of peace shall be between them both," Zech. vi. 13. Which does not exclude the Holy Ghost, who reveals the peace that the Father ordained us to, and which the Son made by the blood of his cross, and who is the Spirit of love and peace in all the

churches.

11. Quot. Quot. Therefore the unity or oneness of essence of the sacred Three, respecting their purpose of love and grace towards the elect, is clearly pointed out in the following scriptures.