sacred volume which in the least degree supports the notion that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, are separate Deities. So blasphemous and absurd an opinion has probably never been entertained, even for a moment, by any serious reader of the Bible; for it is abhorrent from the whole scope and meaning of the book. The sacred writers ascribe to the Father, the Son, and the Spirit respectively, the names and attributes of the only true Godthe immutable Jehovah; and at the same time, the doctrine that "there is no other God but he," is not only clearly declared, but is presumed and understood in every page and almost in every verse, of the sacred volume.

What then is the conclusion to which a comprehensive view of Scriptural truth inevitably leads? It is that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are essentially and eternally ONE.

The distinction to which the Scriptures bear testimony as subsisting in the Deity, is so far from undermining the doctrine of his oneness, that it imparts to that doctrine a fresh energy and a peculiar glory. Certain it is, that where the unity of God is admitted, and this distinction is nevertheless denied, as among the Mahometans and modern Jews, religion loses much of its practical influence and vital power. Yet while the Christian rejoices in the distinct characters and offices of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, so graciously revealed to us for our instruction and

bowed down with so deep a reverence or filled with so pure a delight, as when he contemplates the Almighty, as an ineffable glory— an incommunicable name- -an infinite and incomprehensible UNITY.

We must now apply these remarks to the argument before us. Were that union and distinction in the divine nature, which is so plainly declared in Scripture, contrary to reason that is, naturally impossible-we should be driven to the conclusion, that the Bible is so far from being the book of God, that it can be ascribed only to ignorant and erring man. But God is an infinite and unsearchable Being, and the least degree of reflection may suffice to satisfy us that there is nothing which reason can disprove in the doctrine of Scripture, that in a certain respect he is THREE, and in another respect, ONE.

Yet that doctrine is beyond reason-far out of the reach of our intellectual powers; and this is the very ground on which we hail it as another internal evidence of the divine origin. of the Holy Scripture. While it bears upon us with a native strength and harmony which plainly indicate its truth, and while, when rightly understood, it is found to be full of unutterable blessings for our fallen race, it relates to the unfathomable secrets of the divine nature, and could not possibly have been discovered by the unassisted discern. ment of man. To whom then can we ascribe the revelation of this doctrine, but to the Supreme Being himself?

It is not, however, to the fact of its revelation only, but also to the manner in which it is revealed, that we may safely make our appeal. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are presented to us in the Scriptures as severally God, and as the distinct objects of our faith; and at the same time we are perpetually reminded by the sacred writers that God is ONE. Yet these writers offer no apology whatsoever for this apparent diversity of statement; nor do they make the slightest attempt to explain the mode in which these truths consist. The most mysterious of all doctrines is revealed in their writings with a perfect simplicity; and on the apparent presumption, that no doubts could be entertained, and no casuistry exercised, on the subject.

How different would have been the case, had the Scriptures been written by some of those theological speculators, who have since handled the same subject, in their own wisdom and strength. What scholastic refinements, what apologies for apparent difficulties, what nice distinctions, what extraordinary terms, would have been imposed on their readers!

In the Bible all is simple, powerful, and practical. While enough is hidden to humble us under a sense of our own ignorance, enough is revealed to direct our faith and to regulate our conduct; and the very mode in which the light shines upon us, affords a substantial evidence that it is the light of heaven.

Thus various and satisfactory are the evidences which the Bible, considered alone, contains of its divine authority. Of the particular points which have now been offered to the attention of the reader, and which, after all, are only a selection of evidences, each may fairly be deemed conclusive independently of the others.

Let the inquirer after truth reflect on the general excellence of Scripture; on the moral and spiritual energy which pervades the book; on the concentrated wisdom of a multitude of its particular texts, on the vigour and usefulness of its larger parts, and on the harmony of the mighty whole; more especially, let him compare the types of the Old Testament with the great Antitype of the gospel; and let him observe the figurative application even of real characters and historical facts recorded in Scripture-all teeming with lessons of Christian doctrine and spiritual religion.

Or let him direct his attention to the agreement between many of the prophecies of Scripture, and the history contained in the same book, and particularly between the predictions respecting Christ, and the narratives of the four evangelists; and let him observe that while the prophecy and the history are precisely matched, the prophecy could not possibly have occasioned the history, or the history the prophecy.

Or let him examine the revelation made in Scripture, of the natural and moral attributes of God our Father; his spirituality, eternity,

omnipotence, wisdom, omniscience, and omnipresence; his holiness, justice, equity, longsuffering, goodness, and love-a revelation which throws into the shade all the speculations of philosophers respecting the nature of the Deity, and which irresistibly recommends itself, as of divine origin, to every candid and serious mind.

Or let him compare the attributes of God with his moral law as it is unfolded in the Bible; let him dwell on the harmony which subsists between them; let him mark the perfection of that law, and the peculiarity of some of its features; and especially let him observe the standard which it proclaims, and the motives which it calls into action.

Or let him observe the exact correspondence of the moral law in its full development, with the example of our Lord Jesus Christ; let him examine the proofs afforded by the gospels themselves that this example was real; and then let him meditate on the strength and beauty of its several parts, and on the originality and divine excellence of the whole.

Or let him contemplate the Saviour of mankind in that more extensive view which comprehends his whole nature, character, and history-his eternal preexistence, his creative power, his incarnation, his miracles, his atoning death, his resurrection, his ascension, his reign of glory, and his predicted return on. the day of judgment. More especially let him reflect on that wondrous combination in