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which prevailed in the country | these two years past, have put it out of the power of many pious persons to contribute as they could have wished, towards the salvation of the Heathen; but now that a kind Providence has restored plenty to our land, it is hoped that those who have tasted that the Lord is gracious, and who know, in their own experience, the value of the gospel, will gladly contribute, according to their ability, to help forward the work of the Lord. So shall the blesssing of many who were ready to perish come upon them; and "our God shall supply all their need, according to his riches in glory, by Christ Jesus."

And above all, brethren, you are most earnestly solicited to aid us by your fervent and persevering prayers. "Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence; and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth." And may the happy time soon arrive, when, from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the name of Jesus shall be glorious; "when men shall be blessed in him, and all nations shall call him blessed. Amen. Let the whole earth be filled with his glory."

ANECDOTES.

T is much to be regretted that

Calvin are so little read in the present day. Every person who is acquainted with the writings of our most eminent reformers, both in England and

Scotland, such as Hooker, Cranmer, Knox, &c. knows that no man was held in higher estimation by those distinguished characters than John Calvin, and no human compositions were more read and admired by them than his. Nor was it only by persons of the above description that Calvin's writings were esteemed. The depth and ingenuity of his thoughts, the strength and accuracy of his reasoning, and the purity and elegance of his diction, have led many who had no relish for the gospel to peruse his works.

The celebrated infidel, Lord Bolingbroke, was a remarkable instance of this; and the following anecdote, in proof of it, may be depended on. One day, a Clergyman of his Lordship's acquaintance (Mr. Ch, who died Vicar of Battersea) happened to call for him, when he was reading in Calvin's Institutes.— "You have found me," said his Lordship, "reading John Calvin. He was indeed a man of great parts, profound sense, and vast learning. He handles the doctrines of grace in a very masterly manner." "Doctrines of grace!" replied the Clergyman, "the doctrines of grace have set all mankind together by the ears." "I am surprised to hear you say so," answered Lord Bolingbroke, "you who profess to believe and to preach Christianity. Those doctrines are certainly the doctrines of the Bible; and, if I believed the Bible, I must believe them. And

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think the greatest miracle in the world is, the substance of Christianity, and its continued preservation as a religion, when the preaching of it is committed to

the care of such unchristian gentlemen as you."

OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS MADAME

DE GENLIS.

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ADAME de Genlis, in a late ingenious performance, makes the following just and striking remarks: Examine impious men closely, and you will invariably find that they have no true knowledge of religion; that they have forsaken it without having studied it; that they oppose it without understanding it; and that they form their judgment of it exclusively on the pitiful sophisms and the superficial and lying productions of its detractors. You will see that the true cause of their disgust with religion, is the severity of its morals, and the convenient pliancy of modern philosophy.

"Examine thoroughly the lives and conduct of the impious; you may find among them some natural virtues; but if they have strong passions, you will never find them moral men; and in the best of them, you will always discover a baseless system of ethics, full of Contradictions, inconsistencies,

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PRAISE TO THE REDEEMER.

JESUS how bright thy beauties are ;
Thy lovely person how divine!
Who with our Lord shall we compare,
What glorious form can equal thine?
With gentle smiles sweet mercy spreads
Her kindest beams in his dear face;
His love our highest thoughts exceeds,
And claims our most exalted praise.
Let men and Angels both unite,
To speak the gories of our king,
With fear, and love, and vast delight
His lofty praise with rapture sing.
But what is men's or Angel's praise,
To our great King's immortal name;
The various glories he displays,
Shall better speak his power and fame.
Yet he approves our humble songs,
And bows his gracious car to hear;
Almighty Lord, our joyful tongues,
Shall sound thy praise with holy fear.
We'll tell the world thy wondrous

grace,

How Jesus dwelt in mortal clay; And died to save our sinful race, And wipe our vile reproach away.

Donations to the Missionary Society of Connecticut.

August 13th. A Friend of Missions,

An unknown Widow,

16th. A Friend of Missions,

25th. Eliza W. Huntington, Agent for Female Society, Litchfield, for purchase of the Holy Bible,

$558

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Thoughts on the Doctrine of the
Trinity.

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versary, and supports the "God of this world." But notwithstanding the artful and spurious objections against the doctrine of the Trinity, if it be a doctrine of revelation, it is to be avowed as such, and cordially received by the friends of Jesus.

The object of the following remarks is not, directly to prove that the existence of one God in three distinct persons is a truth of revelation; but rather to answer some questions that are proposed by way of objection to the doctrine.

The questions proposed to be considered are the following:

HE doctrine of a Trinity of persons in the Godhead, tho' acknowledged by the fathers, and believed by most Protestant divines for ages, is a disputed doctrine, and, in the present day, discarded by some who are set for the defence of the gospel. Many specious obMany specious objections are raised against it, and much said to stagger the faith and disturb the minds of some who are, yet, honest and sincere friends of Christ, and those truths contained in his gospel. Not only weak minded Christians are wounded by those observations that are raised against this fundamental doctrine of Christianity, but injury is done in another view. Weapons are put into the hands of the enemies of the cross, and the cause of infidelity is strengthened. If professors of religion-if the teachers of Christianity raise objections against the most im-lition, constituting one being portant doctrines of that gospel possessed of perception and vothey are set to defend, it lition? strengthens the cause of the ad-{ VOL. V. No. 4.

I. In what doth personality consist-doth it not involve the

idea of perception and volition?

II. If personality involve the idea of perception and volition, how is a person distinguished from a being.

III. Is it not a contradiction to say there are three persons possessed of perception and vo

I. In what doth personality

men do not admit of any distinction. Every distinct person is viewed as a distinct being.James, Peter and John are persons, each distinct, as to person

consist doth it not involve the idea of perception and volition? It is readily granted that the idea that first presents itself when a person is spoken of is that it is a rational intelligence-ality, from the other. Their a being possessed of percep- being is also as distinct as their tion and volition. To such an personality. They are three one only can personal proper persons, and three distinct beties and characters be applied.ings. The human mind, indeed, The word person cannot, with is not capable of abstracting, or any propriety, be applied to any making a distinction between but one that has a rational mind person and being, as applied to -one capable of distinguishing men. This is readily conceded, good from evil, and of choosing although the doctrine of the and refusing. The most impor- Trinity is owned as lying at the tant creatures, of the inanimate foundation of the Christian kind, are not persons, however scheme. useful to mankind. Nor can the word, in strictness of propriety, be applied to any of the irrational animals. The Psalm-lition, constituting one being possessed of perception and volition?

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ist, it is true, compares the sun to a "Bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoicing as a strong man to run a race.' But this is, evidently, to be taken in a figurative sense; and so are all personal properties when applied either to mere animals, or to inanimate things. Nothing short of a rational mind, capable of wishing and exercising choice, can constitute a per

son.

Without entering into any metaphysical disquisitions, it may be said, in the plain language of common sense, that personality consisteth in a rational mind, capable of choosing and refusing, and that in view of moral good and evil; and, therefore, that perception and volition are, necessarily, involved in it.

II. If personality involve the idea of perception and volition, how is a person distinguished from a being?

The words person and being when applied to finite rational existencies, such as angels or

III. Is it not a contradiction to say there are three persons possessed of perception and vo

In attending to this question it seems necessary to answer two others. One is whether the proposition be contrary to reason? The other is, whether it be, in fact, a contradiction in terms?

1. Is the proposition contrary to reason?

A doctrine or proposition may be contrary to the method of reasoning used by those in opposition to it, and not contrary to reason itself. A doctrine may, also, be above the comprehension of reason, and yet, in no measure, contrary to it. We are to make a distinction between a doctrine contrary to reason, and one above its comprehension. "We may conclude says one writer, a doctrine is contrary to reason when it contradicts some of the first principles which the mind of man cannot but assent to without any proof. Such are the following:

it thence follow that to say there
are three divine persons con-
stituting one divine being is a
contradiction in terms. To as-
sert, because our ideas of a dis-
tinct finite person are that he is
a distinct being, and because
we are not able to separate per-
sonality from being, when appli-
ed to creatures, that therefore
every distinct divine person is a
distinct divine being, would be
false reasoning. And so, be-
cause we are not able to ab-
stract separate personality from
separate being, when applied to
creatures, to assert, that there-
fore the proposition, "there are
three divine persons possessed
of perception and volition con-
stituting one divine being pos

the whole is greater than a part—
it is impossible a thing should be
and not be at the same time-two
are more than one." If a doc-
trine contradict such plain, self-
evident propositions it is con-
trary to reason. But this can-
not be said of the doctrine of the
Trinity. The most we can say
of that is, that it is above the
comprehension of a finite mind.
Should we say that three per-
sons are one person, or that the
one divine being is three divine
beings, it would do violence to
common sense, and contradict
the first principles of reason.—
But the proposition is that three
persons constitute one divine
being, which is not contrary to
reason, however mysterious and
incomprehensible to a finite un-sessed of perception and voli-
derstanding.

2. Is the proposition a contradiction in terms?

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tion,” is a contradiction in terms,
would be false reasoning; it
would be drawing inferences
without any premises—it would
be to assert, that since we do
not fully understand and com-
prehend a proposition it cannot
be true-and this method of rea-
soning would exclude from hu-
man belief many of the truths
of revelation: Yea, it would ex-
clude from the minds of many,
a belief of some propositions
which are capable of demonstra-
tion.

To say that the one divine being, possessed of perception and volition, is three divine beings, possessed of perception and volition, would be a contradiction in terms. Or should we say that one divine person is three divine persons it would be self contradiction. But tho' it is conceded that we cannot abstract personality from being, it doth not thence follow that every distinct divine person is a If we consider the subject distinct being; nor that as many fairly, and in the exercise of distinct divine persons as there Christian candor, the proposiare, so many distinct divine be- tion we are examining will not ings there are. Nor does it fol- appear either a violation of realow because we cannot conceive son or a contradiction in terms. of distinct personality without, What tho' it contain a mystery; at the same time, conceiving of yet that, it is conceived, is no obdistinct being, when applied to jection against it. Many things creatures, that therefore they which we cannot comprehend, cannot be conceived of separate- or fully understand, we arc ly, or that they cannot be sep-bound to believe. Who can acarated in the divine mind, and count for the divine existence, in the divine being. Nor does from eternity, underived and

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