brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person," Heb. i. 3. Heb. i. 3. And as God the Father is a person, so also is Christ; and so Paul calls him "And, if I forgave any thing, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ." And such Pilate understood Christ to be, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person." And, if the Holy

Ghost is nothing but a name, the blasphemer of him would not be threatened with eternal damnation. But the Holy Ghost is another distinct person; he that denies this, denies the testimony of the living God, the temple of the Holy Ghost, and he that dwelleth therein. However, we have fellowship with the Father, which no Sabellian ever had; and fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, which no liar can have; and we feel and enjoy the fellowship of the Spirit.

The testimony of heaven comes from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to the Spirit, who is the speaker to all the churches, Rev. i. 11. There is he who sits upon the throne, the Lamb in the midst of it, and the seven spirits before it; or the Holy Ghost, who is perfect God, with his sevenfold gifts; who shall abide with the saints for ever; who shall lead them into all truth. And again, when the Holy Ghost said, "Separate me Barnabas and Saul to the work whereunto I have called them;" does it not imply that the Holy Ghost is a person? Dr. Priestley himself is so sensible of this, that, in his Funeral Sermon published

on the death of Mr. Robinson, formerly of Cambridge, in applying the words to Mr. Robinson, he has put them thus, over which he was made an overseer;' instead of, "over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. I asked them, If, when Christ calls his Father another Witness, and the Holy Ghost another Comforter, whether it did not imply three distinct persons? And if you say, 'No, it implies names, offices, and characters; then I ask, What use is a name, when there is no person of that name? and what use is an office, if there be no person to execute that office? or a character, if no person to fill that character? What can a name, an office, or a character, which are but nonentities, without a person, do for us? Can a name or office, without a person or being, comfort, support, and instruct us; qualify men for the ministry, appoint them to it, support them in it, dispossess devils, and convert souls by it? I asked further, If I had a thousand pounds to leave a child of mine by will, and I leave it worded thus, 'I William Huntington leave, give, and bequeath, so and so, and to so and so, &c.' this is my will; and an attorney insists upon it that there never was any such person as William Huntington, but the name and personal pronoun is no more than an office or a character; and by the same rule make my child to be nothing but a name or office also, how is that child to fare? and who is to have the money? Can a name execute an office, or fill a character? If such con

structions as these are to be put upon words, nouns, and pronouns, it would be easy to strip every man in this world of all that was ever left him by will, or secured to him by deed. And is not this charging Him who made man's mouth, and who creates the fruit of the lip, with ignorance, and with speaking nonsense? And sure I am, that, if I had been permitted to put such constructions upon Dr. Priestly's bills of indictment which were found against the rioters at Birmingham, as he has put upon the scriptures of truth, he would never have recovered one farthing damages.

Paul never deserted his colours, even when he fought with beasts, because Paul's Christ was God, and always stood by him; but the Doctor has denied this Lord of hosts, and he has denied the Doctor, or else he would never have fled from Birmingham, nor have left his flock: it is the hireling that fleeth. Nor would the Doctor have gone to law before the unbelievers to recover his loss, if he had ever seen, known, felt, or enjoyed, Paul's Christ; but have said as Paul did, "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ." So much for the Doctor.

I asked Mr. Butler further, If he did not, in reading the scriptures, often find his mind and thoughts run against many scriptures of truth which stumbled and staggered him, which he was obliged to wrest, misconstrue, or pass over, and

catch at those which were expressive of the unity of the Godhead? and whether he could peruse the word, or meditate therein, without stumbling at the word? and whether he found the highway cast up, and the stumblingblocks so taken out of the way, as for all the scriptures to harmonize so as for no text to run counter to his sentiments; but that his thoughts were all established, his judgment informed, his mind stayed and kept in peace; his views and ideas in harmony with the scriptures, and straight paths made for his feet?

To all which Mr. Butler confessed that he could not find things so in his mind, but the reverse; though he tried to defend himself, he was confounded, his countenance fell, and he appeared covered with shame and confusion. All this can be witnessed by six persons now living.

About this time I sent Mr. Butler a letter, and I never repented but once for not keeping a copy of it; I have also asked him for a sight of it more than once, but never could obtain it; however, it was written under so much grief and soul concern, and attended with such energy, that I believe he will never forget it in this world, nor in the next: in which I appealed to his conscience, whether God has not blessed the doctrine that I preached to the conversion of many souls, which he was now labouring to seduce; and whether any blessing, or any converting work, or even reformation, had ever attended any of his reproofs, rebukes, sermons, or instructions, that ever he delivered in all the nine.

or ten years that he had been labouring and toiling at it? I asked him, moreover, whether it was likely that a man, so infallible in his principles as he thought himself to be, would meet with no success or blessing from God in his labours, while the power of God so visibly attended my labours in the word and doctrine, which, according to his judgment, could be nothing but falsehood? or if he thought that glory could redound to God by my lies? To all which he made no reply. But soon after this he had a dream, or a vision, of the Trinity, as he acknowledged to me; and down went his sandy foundation, false hopes, false doctrines, and refuges of lies, altogether; and he soon found himself in black despair, without God, and without hope in the world: he began to tear his hair from his head, and in little better than distraction came up to London to me. God at the same time gave me many inward checks and cautions to have no more to do with him: but universal charity construed that as a suggestion from another quarter. I therefore took him into my house, and kept him in frosty weather for ten weeks; and, as he was much in debt, I gave him a few guineas to pay some of his debts off: and soon after I gave him sixteen guineas more, to pay off the rest. I made him one of my pewopeners, and got his family to town; gave his wife and himself ten guineas a year to clean the chapel; and, with the materials eft of the chapel when it was built, I built him a little cottage,