abideth a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

"And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

"But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.

"And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.

"And here men that die receive tithes ; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.

"And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.

"For he was yet in the loins of his father when Melchisedec met him. "If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedec, and not be called after the order of Aaron?

"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.

"For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.

"For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda; of which tribe Moses spake nothing concerning priesthood.

"And it is yet far more evident for that after the similitude of Melchisedec there ariseth another priest,

"Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.

"For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

"For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.

“And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest;

(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec :)

K

"By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.

“And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death :

"But this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood.

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. "For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ;

“Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's; for this he did once, when he offered up himself.

“For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity ; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore."-Hebrews, c. vii.

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens ;

“A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

“For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices: wherefore it is of necessity that this man have somewhat also to offer.

"For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law.”—Hebrews, c. viii., v. 1-4. This explanation respecting the first High Priest is further amplified by St. Paul, and the reader is referred particularly to the verses following those last quoted, which, it will be shown in subsequent pages, clearly prove that this Melchisedec, King of Salem, King of Peace, and High Priest, and Jesus Christ, and God, are all one and the same undivided person, under many names and positions, performing his wonderful work in becoming a man to die, &c. As it is written, I will work a work in those days which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you, because in believing is salvation. Devils believe, and tremble. But it requires more faith than the natural man is possessed of for believing that God became a man to die, a Son in flesh, a Priest to administer according to the order of Melchisedec. Abraham, said Christ, rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. This is the law of faith, no

one can administer this baptism but him who hath ascended into the heavens, nor is it in any other way obtained.

"All things are delivered to me of my Father; and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him."-Luke, c. x., v. 22.

This every person will know at the destruction of the world, as we are assured by St. Luke,-"Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."-St. Luke, c. xvii., v. 30.

THE HOLY TRINITY IN

UNITY.

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."-1st Timothy, c. iii., v. 16.

"For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach.-1st Timothy, c. iv., v. 10, 11.

66

The Saviour of man is the living God manifest in flesh; and this is commanded to be taught. Christ himself taught this, and threatened, If ye believe not that I am he ye shall die in your sins.” This was a great mystery before Christ revealed himself (as presently shown); and to understand it, it will be best perhaps to endeavour to show the impossibility of Christ being any other than the living God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Let us follow this important question, so essential to the salvation of man, argumentatively, to satisfactory results. Let us inquire, Was Jesus Christ a begotten son of the Father, in the natural sense, before the worlds began—in the same sense as a child born into this world? The whole Bible contradicts this. It would lower the dignity of the Creator to a level with the creature, having carnal desires according to the laws of generation. Furthermore, to assert that Christ was a son in this sense, would naturally raise the question of a mother, or probably of a sister; or whether Christ himself became a parent (he having a parent) during the eternal ages he existed before the world began. The mind that dares pursue such thoughts, so derogatory to the Creator, must feel that their very grossness should set such a question at rest for ever. Melchisedec, the King of Righteousness, was without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of

days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, &c.; consequently Jesus Christ could not have been the third person by means of descent from parentage. Again, a son by descent must without controversy have had a beginning, which idea would at once annihilate the doctrine of the Trinity. It is impossible that the Father, from everlasting, without beginning or descent, and the Son, having both, can be considered as co-equal and co-eternal. Still further, it is impossible for the Holy Ghost to be co-equal and cc-eternal with the Father, if he proceeded from the Father Eternal and the Son begotten of the Father; and he, having a beginning, might also have an ending, being under the power of the senior Godhead-the First Person. And again, if Christ came by descent, Melchisedec, the King of Righteousness, and Priest of the most high God, having no descent, would be greater than the Son of God; who, moreover, is described as co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. And yet, if the Son be indeed co-equal with the Father, how is it possible for the Son to be the Mediator also? The co-equality and unity of the Trinity is destroyed-unless we can suppose that the Father is also a Mediator! Furthermore, man has disobeyed and offended the Almighty Father, and undoubtedly the same disobedience must have given equal offence to the Son if the persons of the Godhead be co-equal; how then can the Son be said to have died to make reconciliation between man and the Father only? for if the Son has been transgressed against equally as the Father, he must have required from the Father a reconciliation of a nature similar to that the Son himself effected. Otherwise co-equality cannot be supposed; for if we admit a superior power in the Father, and a holier and more merciful Godhead in the Son, the co-equality and the unity of the Trinity cannot exist. If the Father be God, the Son God, and the Holy Ghost God likewise, though not three but one God, how can we receive the doctrine of the mediatorial sacrifice, the glory of which holy and godlike deed must rise superior to the glory of the First Person, who is from everlasting?

Supposing that two persons, as one God, did exist before the Incarnation, would it be more improbable or impossible for the Father to descend into flesh than the Son? There is sufficient proof of the Redeemer being the living God before the Incarnation, but not as a Son. There was but one Almighty and Everlasting God before the Incarnation, and by the power of his Holy Spirit overshadowing the Virgin Mary he became flesh in the

seed of Abraham-and did not Christ thus become the Son of God, the Holy Spirit being the divine will and power of the Father, to whom Christ so often prayed? Inasmuch as Adam was made the son and offspring of God, his generation were so also, and they were protected and preserved pure from the seed of the serpent that the Creator himself might descend into the flesh of a pure generation-thus Christ was the Son of God, even as Adam; and neither before the Incarnation nor after the Resurrection is Christ any other than the name whereby man may approach the Godhead, the perfect holiness of God being otherwise unapproachable. The mediatorship is thus made apparent: Holiness descended into flesh, became a man, and is therefore "the way," &c. This is the cause of his describing or rather professing himself to be the Son of Man, although no man was his father.

Before the Incarnation the Almighty God was not a father, save that of his people; and we no where read of him as such. The phrase "Sons of God" is copiously written, which is applied to the generation of Adam, the seed of Abraham, and the line of David, in which descent Christ appeared on earth. And we no where read that the Lord Jesus was the Son of God before the Incarnation; truly he is so called previously, but only in the promises which foretold his coming. This subject will be further considered in the following pages.

The Trinity, properly understood, is one being, having spirit and substance undivided. It is believed by many that God is a spirit without a body; and that he has substance is denied. We are told there are three persons of the Trinity, and that the Holy Ghost is one of those persons, who was neither made, created, nor begotten, but who proceeded from the two other persons, one of whom has neither body, parts, nor passions-who can understand this definition of nothing? The creed of St. Athanasius cannot be introduced into these pages, whoever may have written it; but here is a specimen,-" Perfect God, and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting-One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of the manhood into God." This should be reversed. Manhood was not taken into God, nor can a perfect God be a reasonable soul; such an one must have been omniscient, and in the works and labours of Jesus Christ no man can detect human reason; his wisdom was omniscient. And to declare that Christ subsisted "not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh," is to contradict St. Paul.