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stantinople, A. D. 381, the doctrine of the Trinity received what the learned Mosheim (himself a Trinitarian) styled its "finishing touch." Now we are strongly of opinion, that if this doctrine had been known to, or taught by, Moses and the Prophets, or Christ and his Apostles, it would not have required its "finishing touch" from the Council of Constantinople.*

Next we have the Athanasian Creed. There is no certainty concerning its origin. Waddington says it is commonly attributed to Vigilius Tapsensis, who lived at the end of the fifth century. The writer, whoever he was, forged the name of Athanasius to it in order to gain it credit and currency. In it we have the doctrine of the Trinity stated in a bolder and more decisive form than in the Nicene Creed. This will be seen by the following extract "The Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not three Gods, but one God. So likewise

* The argument here disclosed by Ecclesiastical History against the doctrine of the Trinity surely comes with great force. The attempt made to explain it away, by saying that the Deity of the Son and the Deity of the Holy Ghost were only declared in the order of time in which they were denied, seems to us very unsatisfactory. For it is admitted that the evidence for the distinct and separate Deity of the third person is less obvious and copious than that for the Deity of the second. This being the case, it should certainly have been called in question before the other, and thus we would be led to look for the assertion of the Deity of the Holy Ghost before the declaration of the Deity of the Son. But the case is just the reverse.

the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not three Lords, but one Lord. For like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say, there be three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son : neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons; one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after other; none is greater or less than another; but the whole three persons are coeternal together, and coequal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity." Now this creed was not generally received among Christians until probably four centuries after it was written. It was never established by any general Council of the Church. The doctrine of a "Trinity of persons numerically the same, or having all one and the same singular existent essence," which may be considered, we suppose, the perfected and proper form, was owned and consummated by the Lateran Council, A. D. 1215.* It is worthy of note, likewise, that it was this same Council which established the doctrine of Transubstantiation.

* Cudworth's Intellectual System, p. 604. Norton's Statement,

p. 61.

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Thus, by casting a careful glance into the history of the Church, we find that the doctrine of the Trinity had no existence amongst the Christians of the earliest times, that it crept into the Christian system from the refined speculations of Gentile philosophy, that its prevalence was secured by a rigorous and persevering exercise of worldly power, — and that it can be marked from one period to another in its progress of formation. From all of which we derive a powerful reason for declining to re

ceive it.

5. Not from the writings of Unitarians alone, but even from the writings of Trinitarians themselves, we derive an argument against it. If the doctrine of the Trinity were plainly and intelligibly revealed, we should observe no discordances or contradictions on the subject amongst those who hold it. Though Unitarians may differ on minor points, yet there is no discordance among them concerning the doctrine of the Godhead. They all agree that God is one, and that the Father is the only true God. But among Trinitarians we find wide and important differences in the matter of the Trinity. We here submit a sample of those discordances, taken from the Unitarian Miscellany : —

“The Athanasian Creed says: —‘The Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty; and yet they are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. The Father is made of none: neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone: not made nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.'

“We will now bring church against church, on a very important article of this Creed.

"The Greek Church holds that the Holy Ghost' is from the Father only, and not from the Father and the Son.'

"The New Hampshire General Association has said, that 'Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are names of office, not of essence: these three are self existent persons in one God.'

"The venerable Baxter advises us to be none of those who shall charge with heresy all who say the three persons are God understanding himself, God understood by himself, and God loving himseif.'

"What are my admiring thoughts of God?' says Doolittle on the Assembly's Catechism: 'one single essence, yet three in subsistence; of three, that one cannot be the other, yet all three are one, that are distinct, yet really are the same.'

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But Dr. South asserts, that there is one infinite, eternal mind, and three somethings that are not distinct minds.'

"Dr. Sherlock, however, refutes Dr. South, by insisting that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are as really distinct persons as Peter, James, and John; each of which is God. We must allow each person to be a God. These three infinite minds are distinguished, just as three created minds are, by self-consciousness.' — Dr. S. also says, that to say there are three divine persons, and not three distinct infinite minds, is both heresy and nonsense.'

"But Dr. Hopkins assures us, that it must be carefully observed, that when this word [person] is applied to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as three distinct persons, it does not import the same distinction as when applied to men.'

"Dr. Waterland's idea of the Trinity was that of 'three distinct persons, entirely equal to and independent upon each other, yet making up one and the same being.'

"Dr. Wallis, however, who called himself a Trinitarian, says, that 'the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are no more three distinct intelligent persons, than the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob are three Gods.' He further says, that the three persons are only three external relations of God to his creatures, as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier; while Dr. South had said, that the three persons are three postures, or internal relations of the one substance of Deity to itself."

"Here is Archbishop Secker's explanation: - 'Since there is not a plurality of Gods, and yet the Son and Spirit are each of them God no less than the Father; it plainly follows that they are, in a manner

by us inconceivable, so distinguished from him that no one of them is the other.'

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"We are told in the Athanasian Creed, that 'in this Trinity none is afore or after other'; but Mr. Spaulding tells us, that the divine principle necessarily supposes an order of divine persons, viz.: covenant maker or mover, which gives the idea of a first person; a covenant subject, or one brought into covenant, which gives the idea of a second person; and a covenant interest, which gives the idea of a third person. And here again a Trinity is implied: - first, the in. augurator, or one who anoints; second, the inaugurated, or one who is anointed; and third, the oil, which the anointer pours, and the anointed receives.'

"The following is Bishop Beverage's explanation of the Trinity: 'If I say the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost be three, and every one distinctly God, it is true; but if say they be three, and every one a distinct God, it is false. I may say the divine persons are distinct in the divine nature, but I cannot say the divine nature is divided into the divine persons. I may say, God the Father is one God, and the Son is one God, and the Holy Ghost is one God; but I cannot say the Father is one God, and the Son another God, and the Holy Ghost a third God. I may say that the Father begat another who is God, yet I cannot say he begat another God. And from the Father and the Son proceedeth another who is God, yet I cannot say, from the Father and the Son proceedeth another God.'

"Here is Bishop Gastrell's explanation: - The Father includes the whole idea of God and something more; the Son includes the whole idea of God and something more; the Holy Ghost includes the whole idea of God and something more; while all together, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, make one entire God and no more.'

“Dr. Burnet maintains 'one self-existent, and two dependent beings; but asserts that the two latter are so united to and inhabited by the former, that, by virtue of that union, divine perfections may be ascribed, and divine worship paid to them.' In opposition to the Athanasian Creed, which says that the Son is begotten and not created, and that the Holy Ghost is neither created nor begotten, but proceeding, he avers, that the Son and the Holy Ghost are created beings, and are Gods only by the indwelling of the Father's Godhead.'

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