essential properties must be of the same substance and nature with himself: that is, spiritual, invisible and essential.

Definition 3. "Essence is that which constitutes or determines the nature of a thing, and is absolutely necessary to its being. It is also defined, that, whereby a thing is distinguished from every other thing. Essence also involves in its idea, the cause and source of powers, whence the substance and its essence may be considered as concrete, contextured and co-existing, which concrete sub-. stance we call the principal of all its powers: such is light, which the Creator drew into existence by his word of efficacy, to invigorate and warm the primordial matters, and to illuminate the Creation."

Remarks. That the Deity has properties essential to his perfection, and that these properties, though one in his substance, (as Principal of all their powers,) are, notwithstanding, distinct in their influences and operations, as manifested to our senses, we think no sensible person will deny and we have good reasons for inferring, that it was the intention of the Supreme Wisdom, that man should from time to time, be more and better acquainted with his glorious nature, as consisting of those essential properties, whose influences alone had been made manifest to man, while he, as the Supreme Principal of all those properties, and their respective powers, remained unseen, but in the stupendous works of his creation.

From the Creation unto the time of Moses, it had been his pleasure to be known only by the names of God, the Lord God, the Almighty, &c. And he says, "I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but, by my name Jehovah, I was not known unto them." (Exod. vi. 3.)

The term Jehovah, is translated "self-subsisting," "the essence of the substance;" and which, as determining his nature and essential properties, he was now pleased to reveal unto Moses. We shall shortly explain what we conceive to be the essential properties of Deity, and which we believe to have been revealed unto Moses,

in the characteristic name of Jehovah, as including in it the name "I AM," (which name the Son of God applied to himself while on earth, as we read, John viii. 58,) as also, the essences of his essential properties, as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, or Jehovah, the Wisdom, Power, and Holiness of the Deity.

Definition 4. "Quality is that affection of a thing which relates to our senses, or that power which occasions a thing to affect our senses, in this, or that manner; whence, quality and faculty of the essence, or power of the substance may be looked upon as synonymous: For example, fire has an heating quality, which is a power essential to it."

Remarks. We have purposely introduced the foregoing definitions from the "First Principles of Philoso=phy," with the special view of meeting on equal grounds, the scepticism of such of our opponents, who prefer what they term reason, to Divine Revelation, and who refer to the Newtonian system of Philosophy, and the demonstrative principles of Euclid, as standards by which to determine on the reasonableness or unreasonableness, fallacy, or authenticity of the doctrines of the Scriptures. We would also meet, upon similar grounds, and in the spirit of free and generous discussion, those who assert that the mysteries of Religion are contrary to, and irreconI cilable with reason and philosophy. For ourselves, we are strenuous advocates for both reason and philosophy; yet, we are free to confess, that, surrounded as we are on every side with mysteries, things obvious to our sight and senses, but surpassing our understanding-conscious of the mysterious union of our nature-we cannot suffer ourselves to reject any doctrine authorised by the Scriptures, though we are not capable of bringing them within the compass of our limited powers of reasoning.

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We also frankly confess with our opponents, that our Heavenly Father has communicated to us his Scriptures, with the privilege of exercising our reason and judgment on the various topics of which they treat; that hence it is, that the reasoning powers of man surpasses that of all

the orders of finite being, with which we are acquainted: But we cannot forget, at the same time, that the faculty of reasoning is different in different men: that which appears to be reason in one, to another appears absurd; and we are told by an eminent Apostle, that "there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord, and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal: for to one is given by the Spirit, the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; to another, Faith by the same Spirit; to another, the working of miracles; to another, prophecy; to another, discerning of spirits; to another, divers kinds of tongues; to another, the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." (1 Cor. xii. 4, 11.)

This Apostle, who, from the very circumstance of his living in the age of the Apostles; of being conversant with the peculiar language or idiom of the age, and above all, of acknowledged learning and great talent, is certainly good authority; and as he has distinctly enumerated the gifts, administrations and operations of a Spirit, a Lord, and a God, we presume that he had sufficient grounds for this distinction.* But the Son of God, who is still higher authority, commands his disciples to go into all the world, and to preach the gospel to every creature; to teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

If there had not been some specific reason for these distinctions, would the Saviour have thus distinguished them? It is said, the Scriptures no where authorize the Doctrine of the Trinity: it has been easier said than proved; and we appeal to our rational opponents themselves, if from the fore-recited passages, there is not the most obvious reference to three distinct manifestations of

*See also his Testimony of Christ's being God. (Acts, xx. 28. Rom. ix. 5. Hebr. i. 8.)

the essential properties of Deity, under the name of Spirit, Lord, God?the first and second of which is centered in the last, who is all in all. On this subject, however, we shall have occasion to say more in the progress of this Essay; and shall now return to that of our Theory.

II. Of the distinction of Properties or Principles. Properties are of two kinds, essential and natural. The first kind of properties are essential to being, which cannot exist without them, as by Axiom I. And, according to their essences and proportions, determine the nature and order of being.

Wisdom, Power and Holiness are of the highest order of essential properties. Hence, illimitable Wisdom, Power and Holiness are necessary to establish the highest possible and most Holy order of Being.

The essential properties of the highest order of being are necessarily co-existent and co-eternal, in order to the perfection of that being. And as God has manifested, in the stupendous works of the Universe, illimitable Wisdom, Power and Holiness, he is therefore the highest possible order of Being; a First Principle, and the Supreine source, cause, or origin of all things. (See Def. 1.)

And as substance is the support of qualities or powers, whose essence determines the nature of the substance; the substance of God, being illimitably Wise, Powerful and Holy, is consequently essentially divine. Hence, also, all the properties and qualities of Deity are essentially and unalterably Divine. (See Def. 2.)

AXIOM II. Property or Principle having been proved essential to being; and illimitable Wisdom, Power and Holiness, the essential properties, "internal relations," or integrant essences of Deity; the essential properties of Deity are necessarily co-existent, co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal, in and with his substance and essence.

Remarks. The essential properties of God, consisting of illimitable Wisdom, Power and Holiness; are manifestly divisible, but inseparable, existing and subsisting in one eternal uncreate substance and union; and by this

inseparable union, constituting the Omniscience, Omnipotence and Omnipresence of his Being; and the perfection of his nature as God. Consequently, the co-relalation of these properties cannot be impaired, without impairing the perfection of his Being: for, deprive Wisdom of Power, or Power of Holiness, the result will be imperfection. But as Deity is the highest possible, and most perfect order of Being, his essential properties, internal relations, or integrant essences, must be co-relative, coexistent, co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal in and with him.

We have seen, (Def. 2,) that substance is that which subsists of itself, independently of any other created being: wherefore, as God is, in all his properties and qualities, a Supreme, eternal, uncreate, self-subsisting Spirit, or Jehovah, these properties must be in Him; and according to their distinguishing qualities and essences, eternal, uncreate and illimitable: for, as the Wisdom of God is illimitable, so also is his Power and Holiness.

And as quality and faculty of the essence, or power of the substance, are synonymous," the substance of Deity, (which is essentially God,) supporting the essential properties of his Being, in his Divine substance, it unavoidably follows, that these essential properties of Deity, though distinguished by their qualities, as the Wisdom, Power and Holiness of God, must be essentially Divine, constituting, not three Gods, but the three divine properties of the one only true God, and which are distinguished in the present, or Christian Dispensation, as Father, Son and Holy Ghost, or as Spirit, Lord and God, which we conceive to be included in the comprehensive name of Jehovah, and as synonymes of the one only true God.

Light is justly considered to be a "continuous substance," and its essence is blended and contextured in such manner, with its supporting substance, that although a ray of this light is decomposed by the prism, and presents seven prismatic colours, which plainly indicates its division into seven, apparently distinct parts; still, it is demonstrably and undeniably evident, that this division is without sepa