"The Lord [Father, Word, and Spirit] hath appeared of old [from eternity] unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I [Jehovah the Holy Ghost] drawn thee," Jer. xxxi. 3.

In this quotation, reader, you have one Lord, Father, Word, and Spirit, appearing, from eternity, to another person, called me, saying, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I [Jehovah the Holy Ghost] drawn thee." This account amounts to five persons: and what the church says of herself, and of God's drawing her in time, is applied to the Saviour, as done to him from eternity.

12. Quot. Lastly, with respect to the work performed in the hearts of the elect. The scriptures every where speak of this as wholly the work and office of Jehovah, in the person of the Holy Ghost.

Here the work of grace is ascribed wholly to the Spirit! Though it is the Father that draws us to Christ, it is Christ that cleanses and receives us; and it is the Spirit that regenerates and renews us. But Vessey says, This is wholly the work and office of Jehovah, in the person of the Holy Ghost.' By which he means that there is but one person in the Godhead, which is Jehovah the Saviour, who works in the person of the Holy Ghost; which he views as no more than a person in name. Take it which way you

will, it is absurdity and nonsense. And indeed I never read such daring presumptuous insolence in all my life before. His being permitted to continue for ten years offering such affronts to God, and insulting the Almighty in so awful a manner, is a proof, with a witness, of God's being what he has revealed himself to be; "The Lord God, slow to anger, and abundant in goodness and truth," &c. &c.

13. The above quotation is all contradicted in the next page: for although he says, 'The whole work of grace is performed by the Spirit; and the work of conviction, in every part of the scriptures, is attributed to the Holy Ghost; therefore to say that God in the person of the Father, or the Word, executeth this office, would be repugnant to the plain testimony thereof;' yet he has contradicted this, by asserting, 'that whatsoever the Father doth, even that doth the Word, and the Holy Ghost.' Nor do the scriptures attribute the work of conviction altogether to the Holy Ghost; the law is preached to convict and condemn the whole world, that they may all become guilty before God. And " every one that hath learned of the Father cometh unto me,” saith the Saviour. But bringing souls to Christ is attributed to the Spirit, by perverting this text, as he words it; 'Hence it is the office of the Holy Ghost to lead or draw sinners to Christ.' "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." This shews that Mr. Vessey sees no dif

ference between the Father sending the law home with power to revive sin and slay the sinner, and then leading the poor condemned criminal to the Saviour, and the Spirit, who sweetly leads us into all truth, and into every holy and right path, after we are born again. The Father draws us, as criminals, to his dear Son; and the Holy Ghost leads us, as sons, in the paths of truth and peace.

Quot. Furthermore, faith, which worketh by love, is wrought in the elect by the conjoint operations of the triune God, in the person of the Holy Ghost.

Here, reader, is four persons; the triune God, which is three persons in one God, operates in the person of the Holy Ghost; which must be another person, and which is another branch of his abominable heresy; that, though there are three persons in name or office, &c. yet the triune God, or trinity of names, works only in one person. The mystery and work of faith is jumbled together in the same confused way.

15. The Most High is called a system. He likewise cautions others to keep their proper distance; while, at the same time, he is attempting to describe the glorious mystery without one beam of light, truth, or consistency.

16. He tells us that he endeavoured to enforce an heart-felt experience of this great mystery upon the minds of his audience; whereas he

never had any experience of it himself: if he had, the Almighty would not have resisted him, and confounded him for his pride, as he has done, which is visible in every part of his letter.

17. He is not fond of the terms persons or subsistences; which he says are ambiguous ones, and seem to convey an idea of a plurality of gods. He still keeps barking at the mystery, Satan driving him on to it, and God confounding the fool while he is at it; for a trinity of persons subsisting in the Godhead is clearly revealed in the scriptures, and without any ambiguity at all.

18. After having confessed his Sabellianism in the former part of his letter, he here denies that ever he held any such principles; 'for to address a mere name, or office, is idolatry!' This contradicts all his confessions.

19. He rejects making use of any simile touching the mystery of the Trinity; which he deems unscriptural; though the Almighty himself makes use of the emblems of wind, water, and fire.

20. He has a stroke at the sonship of the Saviour; whereby he has accepted the challenge given to all the world; "Who shall declare his generation?" Isa. liii. 8; and has presumed to treat it with contempt.

21. Christ being called the first-begotten Son, is all applied by Mr. Vessey to his incarnation, or to his manhood, which never was begotten at all, but made. He was made flesh, made of a woman, made of the seed of David, made under the law.

And, as touching his manhood, he is without father; and, as touching his Godhead, without mother.

Thus, reader, you have seen the darkness, ignorance, confusion, and presumption, of a man who has tumbled and stumbled upon the dark mountains for ten years, without a beam of light into any one text that he has quoted. You have seen, in the first part of his letter, a confession of his heresy; and, in the latter part, an absolute denial of it. For my part, such arrogance and presumption I never read before, and wish never to read the like again. However, he is dead; and it was a kind providence that God removed him out of the world, that he might do no more mischief. But the worst of it is, his heresy did not expire with him; for many in London are leavened with it, which nothing but the grace and Spirit of God can eradicate. Another letter, from one who has been brought out of this snare of the devil, follows, and then I have done.

REVEREND SIR,

AGREEABLE to your request I proceed to give you an account of the doctrines preached by Mr. V. during my abode in Woolwich. But, had I not been convinced by the Holy Ghost under your ministry of the following things, I never could have been prevailed upon to produce a single testimony against Mr. V. as I was so zealously affected by him. The things, then, which I have before alluded to, are these; the difference betwixt