"Surely then, the gift spoken of, must not be limited to signify, the human nature only. This was not all that he gave. The human nature was the medium of the acts and sufferings of the Messiah. But he who assumed it, was the Word, who was before all, and by whom all things were made. It is true the human nature was given supernaturally; formed by Divine power, and born of the Virgin.

"But he who was in the beginning God with God, was given to appear, obey, and suffer in the nature of man for us, and for our salvation. And to him are ascribed the perfections and attributes of Deity, of which the highest angels are no more capable than the worms which creep upon the earth.”

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THE APOSTLES CREED.

"I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God; begotten of his Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made; being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate, by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us, under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, and was buried, and the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven; sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead;

whose kingdom shall have no end; and I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of Life; who proceedeth from the Father, and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together, is worshipped, and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one Catholic and Apostolic Church."

THE NICENE CREED.

This is the deliberation, and result, of the most respectable Council; perhaps, not inferior to any Council ever assembled, under the christian name, except the one convened at Jerusalem, by the Apostles, and primitive church. And let it be remembered, that this Council was convened to decide on the very question now before us. This Council was called together by Constantine, the Great; and was composed of 318 bishops, from all the Christian world, and brought with them as many presbyters, containing in the whole, about 600. They were convened, according to Mr. Milner's Church history, in the year 325, at the city of Nice, to decide on the Arian controversy, or, on the divinity of Christ, as we call it. And we think it no venture to say, the well informed part of community, will acknowledge, that according to the most judicious historians, that in general, the church had not, at this time departed from the genuine and primitive faith of the Gospel; consequently we ought to hear their result with candour and deliberation, and weigh it in the balance of reason, and bring it to the standard, for a final test with the scriptures.

The result of that Council was, that they decided, the Scriptures taken together, which referred to this point, amounted to this "That Christ was not created but was peculiarly of the Father, as begotten of him; God of God, Light of Light, the Eternal of the Eternal, and the Invisible of Him which is Invisible."

Likewise, according to some writers, the Council decided "The Father is God, but not of God; and the Son is God but of God; the Father, is Light, but not of Light; the Son is Light, but of Light."

And we think, we may presume to say, that the primitive churches, or, the churches in the three first centuries, acknowledge no Trinity, but what was composed of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Although we acknowledge that Sabellius, and Origen, in some sense taught a different doctrine and most probable, the sect which arose in Egypt, which we have already referred to, as schismatic from the primitive trinitarian doctrine, being mere trinitarians in name, but not indoctrinated as such; these taught a different doctrine, (as many professing and specious trinitarians do at the present day) yet they never gained the general approbation of the Church, but were frequently rejected by the churches in their councils.

And we may further observe, that the Nicene Creed, is so full to the point, that we would wish to confirm it. And perhaps the best comment which can be made upon it, might darken counsel with words, without adding knowledge, therefore, we shall leave it to the consideration of the reader.

Only observing, that Mr. Worcester, makes several remarks on this quotation, to this amount. "That in all these decisions, and declarations, he

finds nothig to support the idea of three per sons in one God." The grand and important ques tion, agitated for the deliberation and decision of this Council, was not, what union existed between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; but the important question pending, was what the proper dignity of the Son consisted in? We think their decision on this point, is perfectly correct. Indeed we very clearly and distinctly see, that there is directly implied two distinct persons, in ther decisions, viz. Father and Son. We desire to gain information on this weighty doctrine respecting the union of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.-Let us to turn our Lord's own words, recorded in John 15, 16, 7, which we think will be the best guide, to inform us, as to this glorious mystery.

We will now take notice of some of the articles of faith on the doctrine of the Trinity adapted to the reformed church, so called, since the days of the reformation from Popery. And having the Episcopal methodist articles before us, we shall attend to them in the first place, And here let it be remembered, that these articles were taken from the Episcopalian, or English Church; and the English Church substracted and adopted them, from the articles of the Lutheran Church.

Article First.-On the Trinity.

"There is but one living and true God, Everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom and goodness, the maker and preserver of all things, both visible and invisible; and in the

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Unity of this Godhead, there are three persons of one substance, power, and Eternity, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost."

Article Second.

"Of the Word, or Son of God, who was made very man.-The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and Eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead, and the manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof, is one Christ, very God, and very man; who truly suffered, was crucified, died, and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but for actual sins of men."

The Fourth Article on the same point of
Doctrine.

"The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty, and glory, with the Father and the Son; very and Eternal God."

Here, it is probably well to remark, that the English article on the Sonship of Christ, is a little fuller than the Episcopal Methodist article.

The English article reads thus-"The Son who is the Word of the Father, begotten of him from Everlasting." Again, says the article "took man's nature in the womb of the blessed Virgin, of her substance." These eight words, viz. "begotten of him from everlasting," and "of her substance"