2 Kings 19: 15: "And Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said, O Lord God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubim, thou are the God, even thou ALONE, of all the kingdoms of the earth."

Ps. 86: 10: "For thou art great and doest wondrous things, thou art God ALONE."

Isa. 27: 16, 20: "O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, thou art the God, even thou ALOne, of all the kingdoms of the earth." "Now therefore, O Lord our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou ONLY.'

Neh. 9: 6: “Thou, even thou art Lord ALONE.”

(3.) There is none else.

Deut. 4: 39: "Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is NONE ELSE.

Isah, 44: 8: "Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."

Deut. 4: 35: The Lord he is God, there is NONE ELSE besides

him."

Isa. 45: 5, 6, 14, 22: "I am the Lord, and there is NONE ELSE." "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me: I am the Lord, and there is NONE ELSE." 66 Surely God is in thee, and there is NONE ELSE; there is no God." "I am the Lord, and there is NONE ELSE. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is NONE ELSE."

Isa. 46: 9:"Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is NONE ELSE."

(4.) There is none beside him.

2 Sam. 7: 22: "Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God BESIDES thee."

2 Sam. 22: 32: "For who is God save the Lord? and who is is a rock, save our God?"

2 Kings 5: 15: "Behold now I know that there is no God in all the earth, BUT in Israel."

Hosea 13: 4: "Yet I am the Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know No God BUT me: for there is no Savior BESIDES me."

(5.) None with him.

Deut. 32: 39: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no God WITH me."

(6.) None before him.

Ex. 20: 3: "Thou shalt have No other gods BEFORE me."

Isa. 43: 10: "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servants whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: BEFORE ME THERE WAS NO GOD

Ex. 8: 10: "That thou mayest know that there is none LIKE unto the Lord our God."

Ps. 35: 10: "All my bones shall say, Lord, who is LIKE unto thee?"

Micah 7: 18: "Who is a God LIKE unto thee?"

1 Kings 8: 23: "And he said, Lord God of Israel, there is no God LIKE thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath."

Ex. 9: 14: "For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none LIKE me in all the earth.'

Deut. 33: 26: "There is none LIKE unto the God of Jeshurun."

2 Sam. 7: 22: "Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none LIKE thee."

66

1 Chron. 17: 20: “O Lord there is none LIKE thee."

Ps. 86: 8: "Among the gods there is none LIKE unto thee."

Isa. 46: 9: "Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none LIKE me.

Jer. 10: 6, 7, 10: "Forasmuch as there is none LIKE unto thee, O Lord; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none LIKE unto thee." "But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation."

Isa. 40: 18: "To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?"

Isa. 46: 5: To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?"

30. These things cannot possibly be true if there is more than

one separate, independent existence, possessing the attribute of God.

31. Natural and revealed theology agree in revealing but one God.

32. They agree in rejecting the idea of more than one.

33. Natural religion reveals this with the highest evidence that the nature of the case admits.

34. The Bible reveals it in the most full and unqualified manner conceivable.

LECTURE XVII.

TRINITY OR TRI-UNITY OF GOD.

FIRST. State the doctrine.

SECOND. The point now under consideration.

THIRD. The sources of evidence.

FOURTH. The amount of evidence to be expected, if the doctrine be true.

FIFTH. Adduce the proof.
SIXTH. Answer objections.

FIRST. State the doctrine.

1. That there is one only living and true God.

2. That he subsists in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

3. That there are three divine, distinct, though not separate moral agents, in the Godhead.

4. That they exist in one essence, or substratum of being.

SECOND. The point now under consideration.

1. Not the unity of God, or that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are one. The divine unity has been already established. But:

2. The point of inquiry before us respects the distinct ality and divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

THIRD. The sources of evidence.

person

1. We are not to expect to gather clear evidence of the doctrine of the Trinity or Tri-Unity of God, from the works of creation, as the perfect moral and essential unity of the Father, Son, and

Holy Spirit, would preclude all possibility of discrepancy of views or operations in the creation or government of the universe. Every thing, therefore, in the creation and government of the material universe, may be expected to indicate only the existence of one God, without distinct notices of a Trinity of persons.

2. The only source from which we can expect proof, is that of direct revelation, oral or inspired.

FOURTH. The amount of evidence to be expected, if the doctrine is true.

1. We are not to expect that the quo modo, or mode of the divine existence will be, by revelation, made intelligible to, or brought so within the comprehension of our minds, that we shall be able fully to understand it. All that we can know of infinite is, that it exists; but whether an infinite mind subsists in one or many persons in one substratum of being, we cannot know but by a divine revelation. And by revelation we can only know the fact, without a possibility of comprehending the quo modo.

2. We are not to expect such a formal and metaphysical statement of the doctrine as has been common in polemic theology; for this is not the manner in which revelation is given upon any subject.

3. We may reasonably expect evidence, direct, inferential, incidental, full, and conclusive, or otherwise, as the knowledge and belief of it is more or less essential to salvation.

4. If it be a fundamental doctrine, or a doctrine the belief of which is essential to salvation, it is reasonable to expect traditionary notices of it, where there are traditionary notices in heathen nations of other fundamental truths of revelation.

5. We may expect to find the traditionary notices such as we have of other important truths, such as images, medals, oral or written statements, more or less obscure, in proportion as other fundamental truths are known and preserved among men.

6. If the doctrine of the Trinity in the God-head be a fundamental doctrine, we may expect its announcement at the commencement of revelation, to be more or less full, in proportion as other fundamental doctrines are there revealed.

7. We might expect the revelation of this truth in its fuller and fuller development, to keep pace with the fuller revelation of other fundamental doctrines.

8. We might suppose, that before revelation closed, it would be revealed with such fulness, as to satisfy an honest mind, that was disposed to rest in the naked testimony of God.

9. But we should expect this and every other fundamental doctrine, to be so left by revelation as not to preclude all cavil, evasion, or gainsaying. This might be expected, from the nature of probation, moral agency, and the existence and design of moral government.

10. It would not be unreasonable to expect some intimation of the doctrine in the name of God.

11. It would not be unreasonable to suppose, that their common or collective name, should be plural, and when action is ascribed to them, that the verb should be singular.

12. Beside this, it would not be unreasonable to expect each person to have a singular name, or appellation peculiar to himself, as Father, Son or Word, and Holy Ghost.

13. We should expect the unity of God as opposed to Dualism, Tritheism, and Polytheism, to be fully and strongly revealed.

14. We might reasonably expect also, a full revelation of the distinct personality of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,; but in such a way as not to contradict the essential unity of God.

15. If the doctrine of the Trinity be a doctrine of revelation, we may expect the absolute Deity of the three persons to be fully revealed.

16. We might expect that the common or collective name, or names of the God-head, would be given to each and either of the three persons indiscriminately.

17. We might expect that divine attributes should be ascribed to each and all of them.

18. We might expect the works of God to be ascribed to either and each of them indiscriminately; for if they subsist in one substratum of being; what one does, they all do by him.

19. It might be expected that what one of the persons did or does, would be represented either as his act, or as the act of the whole God-head.

20. We might expect a perfect moral unity, to be plainly asserted or implied in revelation.

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21. We might expect that each person, would be represented as filling a distinct office, as exercising peculiar functions, and as sustaining peculiar relations to the universe.

22. We might expect that they would speak of each other as distinct persons.

23. It might be expected they would speak of themselves altogether as one.

24. That they would all claim and receive divine honors.

25. We might expect that when any official act or relation demanded it, they would claim superiority, or acknowledge inferiority and dependence, as their official relations and functions might require.

26. If the official work or relations of either person to creatures, were such as might obscure the evidences of his divinity, we might expect a correspondingly full revelation of the divinity of that particular person. See Christ.

27. So if for these or for other reasons, the distinct personality of either required special proof, we might expect to find it in revelation. It is not pretended that the proof would not be sufficient, if in all the above named particulars it was not complete. Yet