So too the eternal existence of God, in any mode, is to us a mystery; his omnipresence is a mystery; his omniscience is a mystery; his creating all things out of nothing by the word of his power, is a mystery. We find mysteries, indeed, in all his perfections and works; mysteries in natural religion, as well as in revealed; mysteries in every thing around us, as utterly beyond our powers to explain or comprehend, as that of the Trinity in the Godhead.

We believe this doctrine, because we find it in those scriptures, which we receive as given by divine inspiration. In the scriptures, the original Hebrew name, by which the Supreme Being is most commonly called, is plural: [Aleim, GODS.] In coincidence with this plural name, other plural words are used. "Let us make man in OUR own image." "Behold the man has become as ONE of us." "The knowledge of the Holy (in the original the HOLY ONES) is understanding.” "Remember now thy Creator (original CREATORS) in the days of thy youth." This remarkable use of plurals, which runs through the Hebrew scriptures, we think clearly denotes a plurality of what, as I before observed, we call persons. Yet we read, "Hear O Israel, Jehovah our God (our Aleim, GODS) is ONE Jehovah;" and of the unity of God we find in the scriptures abundant proof. To each of the Holy Ones, however, to the Father, to the Son, and to the Spirit, the scriptures ascribe divine names and titles,-divine attributes,— divine works,—and divine honours. The proofs of all this are so abundant and so memorable, that for my present purpose it is not necessary to cite even a specimen. Each of the THREE, therefore, we believe to be truly and essentially DIVINE, and all of them EQUAL in dignity and glory.

But this doctrine of the Trinity the Unitarians utterly deny: not because there is no proof of it in the scriptures; but because it is a doctrine, (as you repeatedly and emphatically pronounce in your Letter and Remarks,) "perplexing," "mysterious," and not to be "understood."

The doctrine of the Trinity, we hold to be important, fundamentally important, in relation especially to the general doctrine of redemption and salvation revealed in the gospel. In the gospel, the Son, Jesus Christ is revealed as our Re

deemer and Saviour; the Holy Spirit, as our Sanctifier and Comforter. But who is Jesus Christ, and who is the Holy Spirit? With what feelings and affections, with what expectations and hopes, with what kind and degree of reverence and confidence, is it suitable that we should regard the one and the other? What is the nature, and what the extent of the work which they severally perform for us? and what the nature, and the extent of our obligations to them? These are most interesting questions: questions not merely of a speculative nature, but of the first practical concernment, of the very highest religious importance. But by each of these questions we are directly referred to the doctrine of the Trinity; and to each of them infinitely different answers will be given, by those who believe, and those who disbelieve, this doctrine.

Who then is Jesus Christ? The apostle John in the first of his gospel, says, "IN THE BEGINNING WAS THE WORD, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD. ALL THINGS WERE MADE BY HIM, AND WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANY THING MADE THAT WAS MADE." In the close of his first Epistle, he says "THIS IS THE TRUE GOD, and eternal life. St. Paul also speaks of "OUR GREAT God and Saviour JESUS CHRIST;" calls HIM, “GOD OVER ALL BLESSED FOREVERMORE;" and says that "all things were made BY HIM and FOR HIM." Language of similar import is familiar to the sacred writers; who as before intimated, most abundantly and expressly ascribe to Jesus Christ DIVINE names, titles, attributes, works, and honours. Upon authority such as this, we believe that the Son is essentially divine,—essentially equal to the Father.-And believing this, we feel ourselves warranted and bound to regard Him with all the feelings and affections, hopes and expectations, reverence and confidence, which a Saviour of infinite perfections, of illimitable riches of grace and of glory, can inspire or claim. The scriptures, however, teach us further, that the same "WORD," -who "was in the beginning with God and was God,”—“was made FLESH and dwelt among us;" that "He took on HIM THE SEED OF ABRAHAM,”—“WAS MADE OF A WOMAN, made under the law;" that though being in THE FORM OF GOD, he thought

it not robbery to be EQUAL WITH GOD; yet he made himself of no reputation, AND TOOK UPON HIM THE FORM of a servant, AND WAS MADE IN THE LIKENESS OF MEN; and being found in fashion as a MAN, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." We therefore believe that, in the person of the Son, GoD was manifest in THE FLESH, in our own nature; that, in the person of Jesus Christ, God and man were united. And here we see a foundation for all that is said in the scriptures, importing an inequality of the Son to the Father. The Son was subordinate to the Father in office, as he was pleased to take upon him the form of a servant; and he was inferiour to the Father in respect of his human nature. Viewing Him, then, in his two natures, divine and human, we see a perfect consistency, in his being represented, as he is in the scriptures, both as God and man, as essentially equal to the Father, and yet in other respects unequal. This union, again, we acknowledge to be a mystery, which we pretend not to comprehend; but as we find it revealed in the word of God, we feel ourselves bound to believe it, as a most interesting and important truth.

But this doctrine also the Unitarians deny. They deny the true divinity of the Son, Jesus Christ; and hold him to be a mere creature; some of them, a creature of more than angelick dignity; others, no more than a mere man. The Saviour's divinity, however, as must appear from the brief statement now made, is denied, not because there is no proof of it in the scriptures, understood in their most obvious and harmonious sense; but because, like the doctrine of the Trinity of which it is a branch, and with which it must stand or fall, it involves mysteries which the human understanding cannot explain or comprehend, and which, therefore, according to the leading canon of Unitarian criticism, before cited, are not to be received as truth.*

Upon the words of our Saviour, John vi, 62. “What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before." Dr. Priestley, remarks, "Though not satisfied with any interpretation that has been given of this extraordinary passage, yet rather than believe our Saviour to have existed in any other state before the creation of the world, or to have left some state of great dignity and happiuess when he came hither, he would have recourse to the old and exploded Socinjan idea of Christ's actual ascent into heaven, or of his imagining that he had been

99

He

Jesus Christ is revealed as our Redeemer and Saviour. But what is the nature, and what the extent of his work, in these interesting characters? According to the scriptures, He is the Lamb of God that TAKETH AWAY THE SIN of the world." His "flesh was given for the LIFE of the world;”— his "blood was shed for many FOR THE REMISSION OF SINS." He was OFFERED TO BEAR THE SINS OF MANY." He "was made a CURSE FOR US, and BORE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE. He was delivered FOR OUR OFFENCES, and raised again FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.” "In him we have REDEMPTION THROUGH HIS BLOOD, the FORGIVENESS OF SINS according to the RICHES OF HIS GRACE." "gave himself for us, AN OFFERING AND A SACRIFICE TO GOD." "He appeared to put away sin BY THE SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF;"-and he is THE PROPITIATION, the expiatory sacrifice, FOR OUR SINS, and not for ours only, but also FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD." "Not by the blood of goats and calves, but by HIS OWN BLOOD, he entered in once into the holy place, having OBTAINED ETERNAL REDEMPTION FOR Us;" wherefore "HE IS ABLE TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST that came unto God BY HIM, seeing he ever liveth TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM." This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.. NEITHER IS THERE SALVATION IN ANY OTHER; for THERE IS NONE OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN WHEREBY WE MUST BE SAVED." In these, Sir, and the passages to the same effect with which the scriptures abound, we, see the foundation of all our hopes for eternity. This foundation is Jesus Christ-JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED. Upon this divine testimony, so explicit and so abundant, we believe that the death of Jesus Christ was a vicarious atonement, a propitiatory sacrifice for sin: and that

99

carried up thither in a vision; which like that of St. Paul, he had not been able to distinguish from a reality; nay, he would not build an article of faith, of such magnitude on the correctness of John's recollection and representation of our Lord's language; and so strange and incredible does the hypothesis of a pre-existent state appear, that sooner than admit it, he would suppose the whole verse to be an interpolation, or that THE OLD APOSTLE DICTATED ONE THING AND HIS AMANUENSIS WROTE ANOTHER." Letters to Dr. Price, as quoted by Dr. Magee.

in him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and solely on account of the merits of his blood.

Connected with this doctrine of atonement, and founded upon it, is the doctrine of justification by faith. The whole is presented in one concise view, in the third of Romans. “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God. Therefore BY THE DEEDS OF THE LAW, THERE SHALL NO FLESH BE JUSTIFIED in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all THEM THAT BELIEVE; for there is no difference: for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God: being justified FREELY' OF HIS GRACE, THROUGH IS IN CHRIST JESUS, WHOM

THE REDEMPTION THAT

GOD HATH SET FORTH TO BE A PROPITIATION THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BLOOD, to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; THAT HE MIGHT BE JUST, AND THE JUSTIFIER OF HIM WHICH BELIEYETH IN JESUS.

But all this is.denied by Unitarians. I do not mean that they utterly discard and would obliterate the sacred passages here cited, and all others of similar import; but, comformably to the rule and the practice of the Polish Unitarians, as before quoted from Mosheim, they modify, curtail, and file down” these passages, or the momentous doctrine contained in them, in such a manner, by the transforming power of art and argument, as to answer the extent of their limited faculties." The doctrine of a propitiatory sacrifice by Christ's death, of redemption through his blood, of the forgiveness of sins and justification on account of his vicarious merits they reject, as unreasonable in itself, inconsistent with the goodness of God, and derogatory to the character of man. -"Christ being a man," says Dr. Priestley, who suffered and died in the best of causes, there is nothing so very differ

* Theol. Rep. vol. i, p. 39.