PART III.

HAVING in the two former parts given an account of what the scriptures say concerning the Trinity; I shall in this part, as was promised, shew how little regard is due from christians, to the subtle distinctions invented among men concerning that subject; and the difficulties that have occurred to me, in the consideration of a pretended explication of that doctrine, which has been held pretty orthodox for many years past, and generally imposed as an article of faith.

It is manifest how copious and conclusive the scriptures are on this point, and sufficiently explain themselves by comparing one text with another, as far as is necessary for us mortals to know, without the least necessity for the stretches of human wit, to devise dark and perplexed explications of this doctrine; which human inventions, are so far from being clearly taught in scripture, that many of them are directly contrary thereto.

Of all the doctrines in revelation, there is the least room here for man's invention: for the most elevated strains of genius are utterly lost in profound darkness, in attempting to wade beyond the line of revelation, there being nothing we can know of God, but what he is pleased to reveal of himself; which every christian should humbly, diligently, and devoutly learn from his own sacred

word. While the strains of philosophical criticism are busied in defining a Deity, the mere product of proud imagination; which soaring spirit in some men, that will be wise above what is written, will not allow them to submit to the plain intelligible account God hath given of himself: and what notable discoveries do they make, who thus dive into the secrets of the Most High? Why, they change the glory of the incorruptible GOD into an image of their own fancy, and the truth of God into a lie, worshipping this creature of their own brain, instead of the Creator, who is GOD over all, blessed for ever,

Most part of men have their minds fixed in certain notions, which in the early periods of their life they were taught by their tutors, or have received through the influence of a party, or out of respect to church authority, without examination; these they believe as undoubted truths; what is not agreeable thereto, they readily conclude to be false: and in every recourse to the divine word, these notions are the rules by which they explain it. Hence it is, that all parties appeal to scripture, and pretend to find their own notions there, by forcing it to speak agreeable to the opinions they hold. Thus, received opinions are the standard of the sense of scripture, which is divested of the honor of being the rule of faith. But as this is visibly owing to prejudice, in favor of things received from men, which are believed to be unquestionably orthodox: if we would be right enquirers after truth, we should come to revelation free and disengaged, read and meditate, as under the conduct of an unerring guide, the divine Spirit, without bias or partiality, without regard to human authority, parties, interest, or education, waiting upon the LORD for divine aid, who only can open

our understandings to know the truth revealed in the scripture.

With respect to religion, I choose to rest my faith upon the divine testimony only, which I am certain will never deceive: but dare not follow human explications through the maze of dark, subtle, and perplexing distinctions, in which so many of the contrivers of religious systems have bewildered themselves; and much less dare I receive doctrines devised by short-sighted mortals as articles of faith. The word of GOD we may give an implicit assent unto, being confident that the dictates of heaven are absolutely unerring: but devices of men in matters of faith, we should approve and receive no further, than upon examination we find them agreeable to the divine oracles.

If any person be inclined to think that I treat those things, which so many have received and admired, with too much freedom, (and perhaps what some will call contempt) let him consider, that it is not a matter of divine revelation which is at present under consideration; but an hypothesis entirely human, only supported upon the tottering foundation of pretended antiquity, and the multitude of its votaries. I claim no more in this case, than the privilege of every christian, which is to examine all such systems by the word of GOD, and finding any part of them contrary thereto, is at liberty to reject the same as any part of his faith.

I am far from saying that the inventors, or maintainers of this system, a part of which I am to examine, are chargeable with all the consequences that have, or may be drawn from it as

principles of their's. Therefore, allow me once for all to say, that it is not men of any denomination I find fault with, but a HUMAN EXPLICATION of the Trinity, which, though rigorously imposed as an article of faith, cannot be reconciled with the sacred records: and for this reason, I shall in the following remarks, take the liberty to call it the

HUMAN SCHEME.

There are so many parts of this human structure, so many things said to be natural, necessary, and essential to GOD, without authority from revelation, that it is nothing strange for one to be at a loss where to begin or end in the consideration of them. As the human scheme seems to repre sent the characters of the divine three in contrast, I shall follow it a little on the plan which the stretched imaginations of men have represented them in. But must first observe, that the following extract, is not taken from the sentiments of any single authors, who have wrote upon the subject, but from a system as much in repute among protestant established churches, as any I know, in which it is asserted,

"That it is peculiarly proper to the divine personality of the FATHER to be of none: that he alone of the three divine persons is the FIRST: that he hath his being and personality of himself, being neither begotten by, nor proceeding from another.

"But, that it is peculiarly proper to the divine personality of the SON to be of another, viz. the Father: that he alone is the SECOND: that he hath not his being, subsistence, and personality of himself; but as a divine person is begotten of the Father, by an act of ETERNAL GENERATION.

"And that it is peculiarly proper to the divine personality of the Holy Ghost to be of the Father and the Son.-That he alone is the THIRD.-That he hath not his being and personality of himself, but as a divine person proceeds from the Father, and the Son, by an ETERNAL PRocession.

"That it is the personal property of the Father, to beget a Son in his own nature.--That it is the personal property of the Son, to be begotten in the Father's nature. That it is the personal property of the Holy Ghost, to proceed from both the Father and the Son.

"That paternity is natural, and necessary to the subsistence of the Father as a person in Godhead; or, that he is a FATHER, as he is GOD, and that these are synonimous convertible terms.-That filiation is natural, and necessary to the subsistence of the SON, as a person in Godhead: or, that he is a SON, as he is GOD, and that those are synonimous convertible terms.-That the name Holy Ghost is natural, necessary, and peculiar to his subsistence as a person in Godhead: or, that this character is proper only to him, as he is GOD, exclusive of the other two persons in the Godhead.

"That it is the peculiar property of the Father, to communicate the whole of the divine essence to the Son, by which communication he is a Father in Godhead.-That it is the property of the Son to have the whole divine essence communicated to him, by which communication he is a Son in Godhead. That it is the property of the Holy Ghost, to have the whole divine essence communicated to him from the Father and the Son, by which communication he is a person in Godhead."