"O God the Father, of heaven "-not

' heaven,' surely, per essentiam,' but '

per œconomiam; "O Thou, (in) Jehovah, who, as one of the Aleim, hast assumed the character of Father, and hast thus undertaken to sustain the Pondus Deitatis, have mercy," &c. The second invocation, "O God the Son, Redeemer of the world," &c. seems to bear a shadow of reference to that 'paternity' and 'filiation,' of which certain theologians affect the discovery. It is however a shadow only; for the real import of the church's language does neither require such reference, nor even admit of it. Here the particular share of office is specified. The epithet Sox points at once to the incarnation, which the writers, above alluded to, acknowledge to be the grand object of the Divine Economy.' Wherefore the meaning here must be, "O Thou (in) Je"hovah, who, as one of the Aleim, hast actually (in consequence of previous concert) become SON "for the redemption of the world, have mercy," &c. The third invocation, "O God the Holy

66

Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son,” &c. must, notwithstanding the insertion of the word 'proceeding,' to be consistent with the meaning of the other two, bear the same interpretation. This term 'proceeding,' in the creed ascribed to Athanasius, seems, I must acknowledge, to refer toes'sence.' Its language is, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but PROCEEDING.' And certainly to the adoption of the term, if taken in the scriptural and active sense- The Spirit of truth, which pro

ccedeth,

πνευμα

'ceedeth,' EXTOрEVETA, that is, cometh out from the • Father',' &c. I can have no objection. For bear ing thus the idea of volition, or of some voluntary egress, not applicable to, nor admissible in essence, the term is clearly official. Aware in some respect of this, and quibbling with the word Evμ-spirit,' the advocates of the doctrine of Generation in the • Son,' have applied to the Holy Ghost a word also of passive signification; this is the word SPIRA'TION; and as to the propriety of its application, I leave those writers who do apply the term, to settle that point; acknowledging that I am utterly incapable of discovering it. In In my estimation, and in the scriptural sense of the term thing is as it ought to be.

PROCEEDING,' every

O Thou, (in) Jehovah,

who, as one of the Aleim, dost voluntarily proceed, (that is, dost come forth) to sanctify, by thy essential ' and inherent holiness, and, in thy assumed charac'ter of the Spirit, to inspire and direct the redeem'ed of Christ-have mercy,' &c.

The fourth, and, as we may call it, consolidating invocation, has in it no one obstacle whatever to the œconomical plan-" O holy, blessed, and glori"ous TRINITY, three persons-ALEIM, and one God JEHOVAH-have mercy, &c.

Ff2

The

I St John xv. 26. The addition Filioque,' and the Son, has never been received in the Eastern church; but, in consequence of its having been long received by the Western church, I mean not to dispute the propriety of it.

The application of the same key of interpretation to all the Collects' is equally convenient for opening up to us the proper meaning of them ; and some of them, it will be found on trial, do necessarily require its application. I shall instance only in one, the collect appointed to be used on the first Sunday after Easter. "Almighty Father, who "hast given thine only Son to die for our sins," &c. Surely no one will interpret this language, as meant of the eternal Son of the eternal Father-the usual language of the espousers of the Son's subordination. He only, the Almighty Father, by economy, gave the Son, by the same economy, to die, &c. Wherefore since the Divine Economy must be, in this instance, resorted to, why not in every other instance, where the language of the Collect is equally susceptible of it, and rendered so clearly intelligible by it?

The Eucharistical part of our liturgy is that, however, on which I might wholly rest the defence of this plan of interpretation. It has been said, I know, (but said without a shadow of foundation)

that the prayers at the altar are to be addres'sed to the person of the Father only. To protract the present discussion by any systematic refutation of this opinion, would be absurd; I procced therefore to direct your attention to the exhortation in the Communion Office. Here we are distinctly called upon, "to give most humble and hearty "thanks to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy

"Ghost;"

"Ghost;" not as being Jehovah,' but as being "Alcim'" for the redemption of the world by the "death and passion of our Saviour Christ, both "God (Alue) and man," &c. I will ask whether this very clause of the Eucharistic exhortation can be properly understood, without the aid of the Divine ECONOMY? Nay, to shew that the whole efficacy of the sacramental institution of the Lord's Supper depends to us upon the ECONOMY,' that Jehovah being ALEIM'- we call this bounden duty and service, Our sacrifice of praise ⚫ and thanksgiving'.'

is, on

If it shall be objected against my plan of interpretation, that there is a rubrical direction to omit, on Trinity Sunday, the words 'Holy Father,' in the Preface It is meet and right,' &c.: Yet it should be remembered, that this is the only objection; and, to shew that it militates not to any great extent against myo pinion, I need but produce the antecedent declaration, that we should at all times' (as well as on the particular festival of Trinity Sunday) ' give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Almighty and ever'lasting God-evermore praising thee, and saying, Holy, Holy, Holy-Aleim, Jehovah, Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of THY glory. Let it be

also

I See the conclusion of the Consecration Prayer, in the Scotch Communion Office, and first prayer in the Post Communion of the English Office.

2 See Isaiah vi. 3. in the original.

also remarked, that the proper preface for Trinity Sunday is decidedly hostile to the doctrine of generation, of subordination, or of difference, be that difference what it may, among the persons of the Holy Trinity: For that which we believe of the glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without FERENCE or INEQUALITY.'

any DIF

When all these things are duly weighed, I cannot but conclude, that the plan of interpretation afforded by a uniform appeal to the Divine Economy,' would prove highly beneficial to us, in either using, or perusing the book of Common Prayer, as well as in perusing the book of God; since it would keep the Holy Spirit ever in our minds, even when not conjoined, by name, with the other two, (as in most of the Collects he is not) and would thu have the effect of silencing the clamours of the Socinian tribe on this head; a matter, which the current notions of a Fons Deitatis, of a Prærogativa Patris,' and the like, have not yet, in the common acceptation, been able to effect.

6

It is in this, that Mr Whiston, and the fraternity to which he belongs, have so mightily triumphed, that none of the scriptural doxologies' name the Holy Ghost; and that in the early ages of christianity,

I

I Let the reader consult St Matt. xxviii. 19. 2 Cor. xiii. 14. and these, without the aid of 1 St John v. 7. afford at least a legal confutation of Mr Whiston's cause of triumph; for, by the "mouth" of these "two passages, the contrary is " established."

99