these three persons we also find ascribed all the powers, glories, perfections, and attributes of the deity: We hear each salut ed by that incommunicable name, which is above every name, and distinctly denominated Jebovab: And we are taught, both by precept and example, to worship, in consequence, all these persons under this name. Yet, after all, we find it written, as with a sun-beam, and most carefully and emphatically delivered, as an infallible and invariable truth, that JEHOVAH is but ONE fchovab, Either, therefore, these three persons, each called Jebovab, are but ONE Jebovab; or the revelation and wisdom of God, respectig his own being, contradicts itself. But, as this is impossible, it will follow most irrefragably, that Jehovah is one Jehovah in three persons, and that the three persons have a distinct mode of subsistence in the one Jebovab, though their essence is not divided, but the same. It is absurd in this place to say, that we cannot comprehend this; because our reason is not the judge. here, but God's own revelation of himself; and this truth cannot depend, for its existence, upon our depraved and unequal faculties. God bath revealed it, and therefore it is true: is an argument which human wit cannot repel, and which it will be found the height of human imprudence to oppose. If he hath not revealed it then it falls to the ground of itself; but then also fall with it, the whole gospel of God, and the whole salvation of man. There is no alternative in the case, but humble faith, or absolute scepticism and infidelity.

Now, as the word Jehovah doth not express the trinal conjunction of these three divine persons in the divine essence; another word hath been given us, which affords us a notion of this plurality, and yet is so applied as not to mislead us from the unity. This name is the title of our present Essay. ALEHIM is plural, and intimates plurality: It is frequently used with verbs and nouns singular, and is sometimes applied to unity itself. Thus, in that important text; JEHOVAH our ALEHIM is ONE JEHOVAH. As a very learned and excellent author hath observed; "The very sense of this

HIM, who only could give just thoughts of his own being, and confirm the truths of these thoughts by wonders and signs following. See, much more to this effect in that great work of MORN AUS. Deverit. Rel. Christ. c. 25.

The Wirtemberg confession of faith, states the doctrine in the following words; Credimus et confitemur, unum solum, verum, æternum, immensum esse Deum, omnipotentem Creatorem, omnium visibilium, & indivisibilium ; et in hac una ac æterna Divinitate TRES esse PER SE SUBSISTENTES proprietates seu personas, Patrem, Filium, et Spiritum Sanctum. Syntag. Conf. Fid. P. ii. p. 142.

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passage leads us to seek for a plural interpretation; because there is no need of a revelation to teach us, that Je"bovab our Alebim is one Jebovab, which is no more than that one is one." This word, then, expressing the plurality of the divine persons, is proved to mean the conjunction of those persons by the use of the singular word Febovab with it: Or the two terms would contradict each other. For, if the word Jehovah mean one essence, and the word Alebim bear a plural interpretation; these divine persons are in some respect that divine essence conjunctively, which they are not distinctly respecting each other. In other words, there is a distinction in the unity of the divine essence; or an application of piural words to that essence would be an absurdity, with which no man will surely be hardy enough to charge the wisdom of God.

Since then there exists a plurality of persons in the divine essence, we have a full answer at once to the question; How Jehovah could be reconciled by Jehovab; how Jebovab could be an atonement for sinners to Jebovab, and how Jebovab could lead those pardoned sinners to Jebovab? Upon any other ground than that of this plurality, these doctrines, which frame the very constitution of the gospel, would be overthrown as inexplicable and absurd.

The word, in this view, necessarily implies as well as expresses a Covenant, and, because undertaken for lost sinners, à covenant of Grace. The Son in Jehovah must have undertaken this redemption, or he could not have been compelled. The Spirit, who promised all that was promised, voluntarily made these promises, or they could not have been forced from him. Deity cannot suffer any impressions of external power; because there is no power out of itself. If, therefore, the Son undertook this work, long before its folfilment; and the Spirit promised for ages before the accomplishment of his promises; it will follow, that it was because the mind, counsel, and purpose of the three persons had determined that it should be done, in the fulness of time. If the counsel and purpose of the three persons determined this; it will then follow to have been from an agreement or covenant existing among them, in the frame of which they all concurred, and in the reciprocal share. And as all the ideas or purposes of Jebovab Alebim must, from the necessity of his nature, be, everlasting and perpetual this covenant could not but be, what the Scripture calls it, a perpetual or everlasting covenant, a covenant ordered in all things and sure, a covenant of faithfulness which never can fail.

2

Sermons upon the Law and Gospel, by the Rev. Mr ROMAINE. P. 243. Acts iv. 28.

Here, then, we see the reason, the glory, the benignity of this wonderful name; revered by patriarc's and prophets, abused by antient apostates and idolaters, but full of grace and truth to every believer in Jesus.

In the former volume, we proved, that the title ALEHIM belonged to Jesus Christ, respecting is divine nature, as the SoN in the everblessed trinity: and it is our professed purpose in this Essay to shew, that this ascripcion pertains and is applied to that other person in the trinity, who is frequently called the HOLY GHOST.

It should be premised, however, that as our translators have rendered this name by the word GOD from the Old Testament, and as it is thus rendered (from the usage of the Septuagint) in the New; the indiscriminate use of the terms Alebim or God, as they occur in the two Testaments, will be allowed, if both are proved to be applied to the Holy Ghost.

THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

GEN. ii. 7. JEHOVAH ALEHIM breathed into MAN's nostrils the breath of life, or lives.

But in GEN. vii. 22. this breathing of JEHOVAH ALEHIM, is said to be the breath of the SPIRIT of life, or lives.

The SPIRIT therefore is JEHOVAH ALEHIM.

Jer. xxiii. 23, 24. Am I the ALEHIM at band, saith JEHOVAH, and not the ALEHIM afar off?-Can any bide himself in secret places, that I shall not see bim? saith JEHOVAH: Do not I fill beaven and earth? saith JEHOVAH.

The same question is asked almost in totidem verbis, concerning the SPIRIT. Psalm cxxxix. i-12. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy faces? And an answer is given, in the course of the psalm,

* The name Alehim was very early sbused by the heathen, and applied to the powers of nature, to the heavenly bodies, and afterwards to stocks and to stones. They retained the sound, when they had lost the sense: And because it conveyed the notion of a plurality of persons in the Godhead, it was perverted by them to signify a plurality of Gods.

†This word is often used for person or persons, and their immediate presence. It occurs very remarkably in Deut. iv. 37. where Moses, speaking to Israel, says, that Jehovah brought them out by his faces, or persons: Or, in other language, that three persons in fehovah concurred in their temporal deliverance, typifying thereby the spiritual recovery of all his people. That God should bring

to this effect; "Thou Jebovab Alebim, art every where ;" evidently implying the co-equal omnipresence of the Spirit. The question, otherwise, is absurd, and the answer impertinent; which no man will dare to assert, who believes the Bible to be a divine revelation.

The SPIRIT then, is ALEHIM and JEHOVAH.

Acts x. 19, 20. The Spirit said to Peter-go-I have sent ibem.

But, in verse 33, it is said, that they were present before God, to bear all things that were commanded him of God. The Spirit therefore, in one text, is called God in the other,

By comparing John i. 13. with James i. 18. and Gal. iv. 6. we find that true believers are called the children of GoD, and hence have a right to cry, ABBA, FATHER.

But they are also said, necessarily and indispensably to be born of the SPIRIT, in John iii. 5, 8.

Consequently, the SPIRIT must be God: Or, God's chil dren have two spiritual births, of two different spiritual beings, which is equally preposterous and unscriptural.

Luke i. 68, 70. Acts iii. 18, 21. Acts iii. 18, 21. The Lord God of Israel spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. See also Heb. i. 1.

2. Pet. i. 21. But, boly men of God spake as they were moved by the HOLY GHOST

The HOLY GHOST, therefore, is God, and the Lord God of Israel.-A multitude of other scriptures may be found to confirm the major and minor part of this argument.

God's people are sodidano, taught of GOD. 1 Thess. iv. 9. Hence they are called by JEHOVAH himself n my disciples, i. c. those whom I have taught. Is. viii. 16.* The whole verse confirms this point, and is literally thus: Impress (or establish) the testimony; seal the law in my disciples. And again, Is. xlviii. 61. I am Jehovab thy Alebim, who teacheth thee to profit.

Israel out in his own sight, according to our translation, is a very poor sense, if any sense at all. Christ is called the Messenger or Angel of God's Faces, because through him his people renew their lost communion with the divine Persons in Jehovah.

* This gracious passage promises the gift of the SPIRIT and his inward testimony to all his people. Its purport may be more clearly expressed by a paraphrase, than by a literal version."Mark and fix indelibly as on a rock the experimental testimony "of my grace: Seal my Spirit, who is the living Law, in the "hearts of my disciples." To this promise there seems a plain reference made by the apostle in 2 Cor. i. 22. and Eph. i. 13, See hereafter under the word Law.

But the apostle says, that the wisdom in the gospel is not that which man's wisdom teacheth, but that which the HOLY GHOST teacheth. 1 COR. ii. 13. That the ANOINTING [i. e. the SPIRIT, by whom believers are anointed] teacbeth them all things. 1 JOHN ii. 27. Christ also says, the SPIRIT of truth-will guide you into all truth-shall shew you things to come-shall take of the things of mine and shew them unto you. JOHN xvi. 13. &c. So NEH. ix. 20. Thou gavest thy good. SPIRIT to instruct them, or to make them understand; intimating plainly, that without his instruction, they could know. nothing aright.

This combination of evidence proves, that this instructing good SPIRIT is and can be no other than JEHOVAH and ALEHIM, or LORD and Gov.

JUSTIFICATION of a sinner is and must be an act of Deity alone. All the perfect creatures, in the universe of being, have no more righteousness than what their faculties are fitted to obtain and exert; and consequently the whole of that righteousness is due from them to their Creator, and so due, that they can have none to spare for any other creature. But, admitting for a moment, that they had this exuberant stock; what becomes of their power to apply it; and where do we read the promise of any such bounty from them? Now, as all creatures must fail in this sort of capacity; it is expressly said, it is GOD that justifieth: And again, that He [GOD]justifieth the ungodly; and that this God is ONE GOD, who shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. ROM. ii. 30. iv. 5. viii. 33.

But divine truth assures us, that the SPIRIT also justifieth. 1 COR. vi. 11. Ye are justified-by the Spirit of our God. The SPIRIT, therefore, is GOD; and (because he is not the whole Godhead) a person, necessarily, in the one God Je

HOVAH.

PETER said to Ananias, Why bath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the HOLY GHOST-thou hast not lied unto men, but unto GOD. ACTS v. 3, 4. This Scripture contains a syllogism within itself. "Thou hast not lied unto men but unto GoD:" because thou hast lied to the HOLY GHOST, who is God.. They, who take this Scripture in any other way, only puzzle themselves to make the apostle speak nonsense. Dr. Clarke, Crellius, and others, have attempted to torture this text to confess a contradiction of itself; namely; that Ananias, in lying to the HOLY GHOST, did NOT lie to God; but only to his messenger, and emanation, a virtue, a power, a quiddity.-An absurdity not more unphilosophical, than un

It has been justly observed, that the antithesis in this text of man and the Spirit is, by itself, sufficient to denote, that the Spirit is God.