things are not only the distinguishing badges of your religious profession, but, as I take it, they are much more essential to Christian improvement, and human salvation, than mere uniformity of opinion on any speculative points what

ever.

On the important question now before us, as there is nothing capable of throwing any light but the scriptures, it is my business to point your attention to that light, and to beseech you all to open your eyes upon whatever that blessed light plainly presents to your view; and to receive, not in the spirit of fear, but with all readiness of mind, and all thankfulness of heart, the gracious discoveries it makes.

In turning this blessed light upon the question before us, it is proper to state distinctly what the question is. I take it for granted, that all Christians agree, at least in terms, that there is but one living and true God-considered in the sense of an underived, supreme, eternal, and absolutely perfect spirit-the origin and source of all other beings-the "Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all."

The question then before us is-do the scriptures teach us to regard our Lord Jesus Christ as being this one living and eternal God? Or, to put it on a broader basis, do the scriptures teach us to look up to the Father alone as the supreme God?-or, to the Father, and the

Son, and the Holy Ghost, in three distinct persons, as constituting that one supreme God?

This last is the absolute decision of the Westminster divines, adopted by the Church of Scotland, when they affirm that "there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and that these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory." It is also the absolute decision of the so called Athanasian creed, adopted in common by the Churches of England and of Rome, which affirms the "Catholic faith to be this, that we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity;"-that the "Godhead of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one; the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal-the Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost eternal; and yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal ;"—that "in this trinity none is afore or after other, none is greater or less than another;"-with many similar declarations.

Now when such decisions as these are given us on such a subject, even by the most venerated human authorities, and given too, as they are in both these instances, in the words of fallible men, and not in the language of scripture, it is unquestionably our bounden duty, before we adopt them as articles of faith, to see and be assured that they rest upon some solid scriptural foundation. If this doctrine were expressly

taught in holy scripture, we should reckon it our duty to bow to it with the profoundest reverence-however mysterious it might appear in our eyes. At the same time, having the holy scriptures before us, we should equally reckon it our duty to take especial care that we do not receive the inventions of men for the truths of God. If you come to the inquiry before us with the humble and unprejudiced determination to rest your faith only on the foundation of scripture, I do not despair of convincing you that the doctrine stated forms no part of the divine revelation.

And now, may the word of the living God, and the Spirit of the living God, be our guides, and equally prevent me from delivering, and you from receiving, any thing that is contrary to the truth of the Gospel!

For the sake of distinctness in conducting this inquiry, I mean to pursue the following arrangement, which I hope will be satisfactory to your minds, and will, I think, bring under review all that may be deemed necessary on the subject. In the first place, I mean to collect such scripture testimonies as clearly appear to represent the Father as the one supreme God. In the second place, I mean to collect such scripture testimonies as clearly appear to represent the Son of God, and the Spirit of God, as subordinate to the Father Almighty. And, in the third place,

M

I shall endeavour, by scripture authority, to reply to all the arguments attempted to be drawn from scripture, that appear of any weight in support of an opposite doctrine.

And here, brethren, I desire once again, that, throughout this inquiry, you may regard me as nothing more than the voice of one crying in the wilderness, and calling your attention to the word of God; and as the testimonies I am about to collect under the several heads shall be delivered to you in the unmixed, unadulterated language of scripture, I trust you will receive them with that reverence, with that implicit faith, which we owe to every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

I commence by turning your attention at once to that portion of our blessed Saviour's intercessory prayer to the Father on behalf of his disciples, which I have prefixed to this discourse :

"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes

to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee as thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." All scripture should be heard with the utmost reverence, as given by inspiration of God; but that which has fallen immediately from the lips of our

divine Saviour, seems entitled to peculiar veneration. Is it possible for human ingenuity to pervert the language in which he has here expressed himself? Let his words be taken in the natural, legitimate sense; and you cannot but perceive and feel that he has here, in the plainest terms, declared the Father to be "the only true God;" and to be so, as distinguished from himself. And this declaration of our Lord, delivered thus in the most solemn manner, in the duty of prayer, appears to my mind to put a greater importance on this view of the subject, than perhaps any other passage in the whole compass of scripture. Because in these words he not only teaches distinctly who the supreme God is, but seems, in some measure, to rest upon a knowledge and belief of this truth, the inestimable gift of eternal life: "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Is any one here capable of conceiving the blasphemy, that he, "in whose lips there was no guile," did not in these words plainly teach the absolute truth? Sure this gracious instructor will not be thought by any here capable of misleading his disciples? But, whatever would go to establish the Athanasian doctrine, that any others are perfectly, and in all things, equal to the Father, would, at the same time seem directly to impugn the truth of this solemn declaration