represent him as existing in God, any otherwise than as other things which are future existed in him, i. e. in his purpose and counsel, after which he worketh all things. Eph. 1: 10.

His us

It seems, in this work, Servetus called the three divine persons a mere imagination, a chimera, metaphysical Gods, &c. and it is pretty certain he thought them to be such. ing such language was thought most irreverent by the reputed orthodox. It was much easier for them to make an outcry about irreverence, heresy, and blasphemy, than it was to substantiate their own notion of three distinct persons in one undivided being. Full of youthful ardor, his mind enriched with literature and science, and imbued with the love of truth, our author knew not how to withhold from things those names which he thought most suitable to express their true nature; he was above disguis ing his thoughts, and seems to have known how to give point and energy to his compo

sition.

Servetus' second work contained two books of Dialogues about the trinity, and four short chapters concerning the righteousness of the kingdom of Christ. This work is said to have contained only six sheets in 8vo. It seems to

have been principally intended to give a more correct statement of what he had before published. We have already noticed that in this work he retracted some things, as to the manner in which he had expressed himself, in his former publication. This showed true greatness of mind. Persons of little information and weak powers are seldom forward to retract what they have once asserted. It is honorable for a man to correct his mistakes, and acknowledge his defects. There have been men who have boasted that they never changed any of their religious opinions, from the time they first made a public profession of the gospel: such boasting is not much to their credit. the nature of things possible for a man to attain the full knowledge of the truth, and the most correct mode of expressing it, at once. All knowledge is attained gradually. Our first religious notions are generally a mixture of truth and error. Why do men continually search the scriptures, and study theological subjects, if not to detect their errors, to acquire fresh information, to correct their present views, and attain a more exact and comprehensive knowledge of divine things? An uninformed bigot will be very reluctant to say 'I was

It is not in

wrong;' but he whose object is the promotion of truth, not the maintaining of a particular system, will not be backward to acknowledge his mistakes. When a man changes his ideas, he in effect says, he thinks himself wiser than he was before.

The four chapters concerning the righteousness of the kingdom of Christ had the following titles. 1. Of Justification. 2. Of the kingdom of Christ. 3. The law and gospel compared. 4. Of Charity.

The last and chief work of Servetus was also written against the trinity and other false notions, and those superstitious practices which then prevailed among christians. It was enti

tled Christianismi Restitutio. It contained seven hundred and thirty-four pages Svo. This work we are told was divided into six parts, of which the following are said to be the contents.

1. Of the divine trinity, that there is not an illusion of three invisible beings in it; but the real manifestation of the substance of God, and communication of his spirit. In seven books. The two last are written by way of dialogue. 2. Of the faith of Christ, and the righteousness of his kingdom, excelling that of the law, and of charity. In three books. 3. Of regeneration

from above, and the reign of antichrist. In four books. 4. Thirty epistles to John Calvin. preacher at Geneva. 5. Sixty signs of the reign of antichrist, and his discovery just now at hand. 6. Of the mystery of the trinity, and discipline of the ancients, being an apology to Philip Melancthon and his colleagues.' The whole work is said to contain a delineation of what the writer thought of the discipline of the New Testament, along with that of the church of Rome, and the Lutherans and Calvinists in

contrast.

In this work Servetus, we are told, attempted to show that Christ is not a creature, and has not finite power; but in this representation there is probably some mistake. He might, in speaking of the generation and dignity of Christ, express himself incoherently; but it is not likely he would speak of him as the uncreated and infinite Jehovah, seeing he clearly expressed the contrary in his dying speech, asserting that he derived every thing from the Father. Or he might use the words in some peculiar sense, which the context would determine, consistent with his avowed opinion that Christ was properly a man, and derived every thing from the Father. It is clear from his dying speech, that when he called Christ true God he meant no

more than that he was elevated to a rank above all creatures, that divine powers were delegated to him, and that he was God by office, not by nature. Nothing but an examination of the work itself could enable us to give a correct statement of its contents, and fully to detect any misrepresentations which have been given of it; but the work itself is not to be obtained. It is said a part of the original manuscript was some years ago in the library of the celebrated Mr. Gaignat, which was sold by auction in April, 1769. But we are not told how it was known to be part of the original manuscript. Mr. de Hase, a Bremen divine, affirms, that he never saw any person who could say that he had seen it in print except Sandius, who affirmed, that it was in the library of the Landgrave of Hesse. Mr. D'Artigny says 'That the copies are become so rare, that there is scarcely four or five known in the world;' but he does not tell us where those four or five are to be found. As to professed manuscript copies, which may have passed through the hands of the enemies of Servetus, they may have been corrupted; consequently there can be but little dependence on them; could such a professed copy of the work at large be obtained.