others are acquainted with several languages, none of us but are or would be expert in the affairs of this world, and understand the mysteries of our several trades and callings. What! and shall He alone, by whom we know other things, be himself unknown to us? What is, if this be not, a just cause wherefore God should infatuate and deprive us of all our knowledge of other things; seeing we labor more to know them, than Him from whom we receive our knowledge? Ignorance of God is itself one of the greatest sins that we can be guilty of, and which God is most angry for (Hos. iv. 4). And there God imputes the destruction of his people to the want of knowledge (verse 6). Nay, and it is that sin, too, that makes way for all the rest; for what is the reason that many so frequently blaspheme God's name, slight his service, transgress his laws, and incense his wrath against them, but merely because they do not know Him-how great, how terrible a God he is! For did they but thus rightly know Him, they could not but regard the thoughts of doing any thing that is offensive to Him; and therefore the true knowledge of God would be the best security and the most sovereign antidote in the world against the infection of sin and the prevalency of temptations over us. Neither would it only preserve us from sin, but put us upon our duty and service, and direct us also in the performance of it; insomuch that the hardest duty will be easy to one that knows God, the easiest will be hard to one that knows Him not. Hard did I say?—yea, and impossible too; for, although a man may know God and yet not serve Him, it is impossible that any man should serve God unless he knows Him; knowledge itself being the first duty that we owe to God, and the foundation of all the rest." Ibid.

"A right knowledge of God and a practice conformable to it, and both in order to a more complete and blissful enenjoyment, are not speculative or indifferent matters, but matters properly practical and of infinite concernment. If

religious practice depends in any measure upon a previous knowledge of God, as undoubtedly it does, then certainly, for the like reason, the perfection of that practice depends upon the perfection of such knowledge. A general and confuse notion of God may produce as general and confuse rules of demeanor towards Him; while a more particular and explicit apprehension of the Deity will of course produce a more particular and explicit service." Doctrine of the Trinity sufficiently Practical. Works of Dr. Waterland, vol. v. p. 26.

"A right apprehension of God is necessary to instruct us what services are pleasing to God. For, to be sure, nothing can be pleasing to Him but what is agrecable to the perfections of his nature, which are the originals, from which the eternal laws of religion are transcribed: unless, therefore, we know what his perfections are, how is it possible we should know what services are agreeable to them? If you would serve a prince gratefully and acceptably, you must inform yourself before hand what his nature and disposition is; that so you may accommodate yourself thereunto, and compose your actions and behavior accordingly, &c. &c. ... And thus if you would serve the great King of the world, in such ways as are pleasing and acceptable to Him, you must study his nature, and endeavor to inform yourselves which way his infinite perfections do incline Him; that so you may know how to comport yourselves towards Him, and to render Him such services as are agreeable to his nature." Scott's Christian Life. Right Apprehensions of God, vol. ii. p. 160.

"Whilst therefore we are ignorant of God's nature, or possessed with wrong and false apprehensions of it, we must necessarily wander in the dark, and neither know what to do, nor how to behave ourselves towards Him. For, how can we imagine what will please or displease a dark and unknown nature, whose bent and inclinations we are utterly unacquainted with? but if we are under false apprehensions of his nature, they must necessarily mislead us in our behavior

towards Him, and put us upon false ways of serving and pleasing Him." Ibid, p. 161.

"If we truly understand what God is, we cannot but apprehend what worship is suitable to Him, by that eternal congruity and proportion that there is between things and things; which is as obvious to men's minds as sounds and colors to their cars and eyes. If God be a being endowed with such and such perfections, every man's mind will tell him, that, between such an object and such actions and affections, there is a natural congruity; and therefore so and so He ought to be treated and addressed to; with such and such actions and affections to be served and worshiped. So that if we apprehend God truly as He is, circled with all his natural glories and perfections, our apprehensions will produce in us such affections, and our affections such deportment and behavior towards Him, as are suitable to the perfections of his nature; and we shall please Him with such services as will both please and become Him; with admiring thoughts, and dutiful wills, and godlike affections; with an ingenuous fear, an humble confidence, and an obedient love; with cheerful praises and profound adorations; with sober, wise, and rational devotions; such as will wing and employ our best affections and most noble faculties; for it is such a worship only as can suit such perfections, and please such a nature as God's." Ibid, p. 163.

"A right apprehension of God is also necessary to inspire us with the best principle of serving Him. For it is certain, that, there is no principle in human nature that will so effectually engage us to the service of God, or render our service so acceptable to Him, as that of love; which will tune our wills into such a harmony with God's, that we shall no longer choose and refuse according to our particular likings and dislikings; but what is most pleasing or displeasing to Him will be so to us; and our wills being thus united and subjected to his, our obedience will extend to all his commands, and admit no other bounds but his will and pleasure." Ibid.

"But to the inspiring our souls with this principle, there is nothing more necessary than right apprehensions of God; who in Himself is doubtless the most amiable of beings, as having all those perfections in infinite degrees, that can beget or deserve a rational affection. So that we cannot think Him to be any way otherwise than He is, without thinking Him less lovely, and detracting more or less from the infinite beauty of his nature: for, since He cannot be more lovely than He is in Himself, every false apprehension of Him must needs represent Him less lovely. But, since of all his perfections, that of his goodness is the most powerful, motive and engagement of love, there is nothing more necessary to kindle our love to Him, than right apprehensions thereof. For being infinitely good as He is in his own nature, it is impossible we should conceive Him to be better than He is; and therefore every false notion we entertain of his goodness, must necessarily detract from it: and so much as we detract from his goodness, so much we detract from the principal reason and motive of our loving Him." Ibid, p. 165.

"Correct views of the Divine Nature constitute the only foundation of proper obedience to the Divine Will. Hence, misconception with regard to the object of worship, must attach its consequences to our character and conduct. Until well instructed on the subject of the Divine perfections, we must continue incapable of judging with respect to the claims they possess on our homage and confidence; while false views can only produce false impressions, and lead to mistaken effort. Men must know God, before they can glorify Him as God and it is in this connection between knowledge and sanctity that we find the profound import of the Redeemer's emphatic saying, This is life eternal, to know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent." Vaughan's Corruptions of Christianity, p. 343.

CHAPTER I.

TRINITY.

TRIPERSONALITY-TRITHEISM.

"THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS."-Matt. xxiv. 8.

WHEN We reflect upon the purity of the Christian religion, and the impurity of the human heart, we must be led to see the great opposition between the two. As, from the first establishment of Christianity, it might be expected that its power would be displayed in transforming corrupt human nature into the image and likeness of its own truth and love, so might it equally be expected, that the power of corrupt human nature would be displayed in endeavoring to transform Christianity into the image and likeness of itself. Where religion prevailed, the former would occur; where human nature prevailed, the latter would occur.

However faithful, therefore, the church might be in preaching the truth in love; nay, the more faithful it might be in this respect, the more would it be opposed to fallen human nature, the more would fallen human nature be opposed to it; and, in its conflict with Christianity, endeavor to gain the mastery over it. Here, therefore, we are led to see the origin of heresy.

Now since, at first, Christianity generally spread more from being taught by others than from being read and studied in the Bible, as at the present day; if we would trace up the earlier heresies in the Christian church, we must ascertain