the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." In this point of view, we contemplate this interesting and important subject; and not as the effect of implacable wrath, as some represent it. Christ was and is the gift of God. Thus the Holy Scriptures represent the subject to us; and surely, the greater the gift, the greater the love. "God commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."* He co-operated with the Father in this gracious design; and though He was of the same Divine nature, He condescended to take upon Him our human nature, and " was made flesh and dwelt among us," until He had, by his life and by his death, as man, completed the work that was given Him to do; after which He ascended to that glory, which He had with the Father before the world began.

Here we are led to consider the Divinity of our blessed Saviour, in which we, as a people, do most surely believe; but, as every thing relating to the Divine Being, which is not ex-pressly revealed, is far above the reach of

John iii. 16. * Rom. v, 8. + John i. 14.

human comprehension, we are desirous of avoiding all such particular disquisitions, as lead beyond the clear expression of holy writ. We can indeed say on this, as on every other occasion, that we believe all that the Scriptures have spoken and inculcated: we believe that the Evangelist was clearly speaking of Jesus Christ, and of his Divinity, or Godhead, when he said: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."* "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."+ Here we have a clear and full testimony both to the Divinity and the humanity of Christ; and we have, ever since we were a people, borne testimony to this Scripture doctrine.

We likewise believe in the Divinity of the Holy Spirit, which is frequently united in Scripture with the Father and with the Son ; and whose office, in the instruction and salvation of mankind, is set forth in divers passages

of holy writ. See Matt. xxviii. 19. John XV. 26. Acts xxviii. 25. Heb. ix. 14.

This belief in the Divinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, induced some of the teachers in the Christian Church, about three hundred years after the personal appearance of Christ, to form a doctrine to which they gave the name of Trinity; but in our writings we seldom make use of this term, thinking it best, on such a subject, to keep to scriptural expressions, and to avoid those disputes which have since perplexed the Christian world, and led into speculations beyond the power of human abilities to decide. If we consider that we ourselves are composed of an union of "spirit, and soul, and body,"* and yet cannot determine how even these are united; how much less may we expect perfect clearness on a subject so far above our finite comprehension, as that of the Divine Nature!

After expressing our sentiments on what is called the Trinity, it will be proper to explain our views of the doctrine of justification, concerning which so much diversity of sentiment

* Thess. v. 25.

prevails: some imputing it wholly to faith, and others principally, if not wholly, to works.

So far as remission of sins, and a capacity to receive salvation, are parts of justification, we attribute it to the sacrifice of Christ; "in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his. grace." But when we consider justification as a state of Divine favour and acceptance, we ascribe it, not simply either to faith or works, but to the sanctifying operation of the Spirit of Christ, from which only living faith and acceptable works proceed; and by which we may come to know, that "the Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God."*

In attributing our justification, through the grace of God in Christ Jesus, to the operation of the Holy Spirit, which sanctifies the heart, and produces the work of regeneration, we are supported by the testimony of the Apostle Paul, who says: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but of his mercy He saved us by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost."|| Again, “But ye are + Eph. i. 7.

* Rom. viii. 16.

Titus iii. 5.

washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”‡

By this view of the doctrine of justification, we conceive the apparently different sentiments of the apostles Paul and James are reconciled. Neither of them say, that faith alone, or works alone, are the cause of our being justified; but as one of them asserts the necessity of faith, and the other of works, for effecting this great object, a clear and convincing proof is afforded that both contribute to our justification; and that faith without works, and works without faith, are equally dead.

The doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, is so connected with the Christian religion, that it will be proper to say something also on this subject. In explaining our belief of this doctrine, we refer to the xvth chapter of the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians. In this chapter is clearly laid down the resurrection of a body, though not of the same body that dies: "There are celestial bodies, and there are bodies terrestrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. So also + 1 Cor. vi. 11.