sort of addition is made to this article, that was made in the article concerning the Son, in the Creed of Nice. That Council added: "I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets." Thus, you perceive, that it took three centuries and a half for three articles of a Creed to be transformed into three Persons of a Trinity.

In the middle of the dark ages, the Trinitarian hypothesis received a still further development in the Athanasian Creed, which goes on to define, with the utmost precision, the relations of the three persons to each other, but still did not claim an equality for the three, (the Son and Holy Ghost are derived,) at least not such an equality as would satisfy a theologian of the present age of the world. "The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, are each uncreate, incomprehensible, eternal, almighty, God and Lord, yet there are not three Lords, Gods almighty, eternal, incomprehensible, uncreated, but one." But the most remarkable thing about this creed is the material distinction which I am now about to recite. "The Father is neither made, created, nor begotten. The Son of the Father alone, not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father and the Son, neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding." But as a salvo to this, it adds : "In this Trinity, none is afore and none is after another, none is greater nor less than another.” After the Reformation, this distinction of derivation was overlooked, and the steps by which the second and third

Persons were defined, were forgotten, the scaffolding was removed, and we have the Trinity, without any reservation of begotten or proceeding. "There are three Persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory."

I have thus traced the doctrine of the Trinity, from its germ in the prophetic and Oriental language of the Old Testament, to its full development in modern times; and I must confess, upon a review of it, that it is one of the most wonderful chapters in the history of the human mind. We see certain theocratic phrases, and the ambiguity of a Greek word, gradually prevail over the pure Monotheism of Moses and the Old Testament, and carry the world back into practical Polytheism, the introduction of more than one object of worship.

Such is the truth with regard to the doctrine of the Trinity, as any one who takes the trouble to investigate, may satisfy himself. How long it will take the Christian world to retrace its steps, and return to the faith of Christ and his Apostles, it is in vain for us to conjecture. Nor is it a question in which we are at all concerned. Our duty is the same in any case. Our allegiance is to the simple truth. That, it is our duty to profess, and maintain, and propagate, as much when we maintain it almost alone, as when we are sustained by the concurring suffrage of the world.

LECTURE XIV.

BAPTISM AND THE CHURCH.

EPHESIANS, IV. 4, 5, 6, and 11, 12.

THERE IS ONE BODY, AND ONE SPIRIT, EVEN AS YE ARE CALLED IN ONE HOPE OF YOUR CALLING; ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, ONE BAPTISM, ONE GOD AND FATHER OF ALL, WHO IS ABOVE ALL, AND THROUGH ALL, AND IN YOU ALL. AND HE GAVE SOME APOSTLES, AND SOME PROPHETS, AND SOME EVANGELISTS, AND SOME PASTORS AND TEACHERS, FOR THE PERFECTING OF THE SAINTS, FOR THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY, FOR THE EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.

I INTEND to speak to you, from these words, of the nature and constitution of the Christian church. To my mind these two quotations seem to cover the whole ground of our subject, and to meet and answer the various questions which have been raised among the different denominations of Christians as to the original organization of the church, and the external form which it ought to take in different ages and under different circumstances.

It must have struck every one, I think, as I read these texts, that while there is a unity of the whole church, there is diversity of administration in different parts of it. While all belong to one body, and a common spirit animates the whole, while all have one faith,

one baptism, while all acknowledge one God and Father of all, and one Master, Jesus Christ, different portions of the church had different officers of instruction: "And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers." The common object of all was the edification of the church. "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ." The whole church was one in some respects, but then there were different churches having different kinds and orders of teachers. Now, to my mind, these texts cover the whole ground of the modern controversy as to church organization and government. To my mind, they seem to establish the following points, that the true church of Christ, in the sight of God, consists of all those of every name, and nation, and age, and kindred, and people, of all communions and sects, who by Christ and his religion have been made like him and prepared for heaven. They are one body, because they are animated with one spirit. One soul breathes through them all, the spirit of piety and benevolence. This is the church in which I pray God that my soul may be numbered at last.

In the second place, the church, as far as man's consciousness is concerned, consists of all, who in their souls, believe in Christ; that is, believe in him as Lord, and are, to use the technical language of theologians, united to him by faith. Lordship is simply authority. The allegiance of every human soul is due immediately to God. No being can have any authority over my conscience but God. But then he may delegate that

authority to another, and that delegated authority I am bound to obey, if he sends me the proper credentials that it is his authority.

Such credentials were the miracles and the resurrection of Christ. The moment that a man reads the New Testament, and becomes convinced that Jesus was sent by God, and was commissioned to teach what he taught, then all that he said becomes obligatory on his conscience. Jesus becomes his Lord, because he has authority from God, and duly authenticated. He is a believer, and is connected with Christ by faith, even though his allegiance is involuntary; and it makes no difference whether he makes an outward profession or not, he is a subject of Christ, his own conscience judges his actions by Christ's laws, and by Christ's words at last he will be judged by God. If he keeps his allegiance, receives the spirit of Christ, and does his commandments, he will be finally accepted, for he - belongs to the true body of Christ, because he is penetrated by his spirit.

In the third place, the visible church consists of those who profess faith in Christ and allegiance to him, by participation in the ordinances of religion; and this is what is usually called the church. This corresponds neither with the church as it exists in the sight of God, nor in the convictions of men. There are those in it, whom God sees not to belong to the true church by practice, and there are those in it who do not belong to the church of Christ by faith, who are conscious to themselves that they do not believe in Christ in any

sense.