Deity of the Son of God, that plurality must consist of a Trinity: because a third person is spoken of in Scripture as possessing all the characteristics of Deity, in common with the first and the second; and that person is the Holy Ghost.

Of this privilege, however, I shall avail myself only to a certain extent, as I am anxious my Sermon should, in some measure, assume the character of a complete discourse on the great and cardinal Doctrine of the TRINITY.

What I have to say on the subject shall be arranged under consecutive heads: and my first proposition is this:

I. THE MORAL CHARACTER AND UNITY OF GOD, NOT DISCOVERABLE FROM THE WORKS OF CREATION.

The first great principle which lies at the foundation of all religion, whether true or false, is this: a belief in the existence of God; and the next to it in point of importance is, the persuasion that God is a moral governor of the world. The Apostle St. Paul had both these in view, when he said-" He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."*

Man, immediately on the admission of these two principles, feels it no less his interest, than his duty, to inquire:-What is the moral character of this God? And what are the requirements of his government? For on the character of the governor must depend the nature of his government, and on the nature of his government must depend the happiness or misery of his subjects. And he further inquires :-What are the available sources of information on these points?

Heb. xi. 6.

In reply to this latter inquiry we state, on the authority of Scripture, that some knowledge of the Divine Being may be derived from the works of creation. This is the testimony of the Royal Psalmist :-"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge." The heavens and the firmament, and the succession of day and night, set forth the glory of the Creator, and show knowledge respecting him. And in order to ascertain what kind of knowledge, we have only to refer to the testimony of St. Paul, on the same subject:-"For the invisible things of him (God,) from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made;"-And then, to prevent any mistake as to what things, the Apostle adds,-" Even his eternal power and Godhead." +

It is evident from these two passages, that the works of creation not only declare the existence of God, but make known some of his essential attributes. They exhibit to the gaze and admiration of all intelligent creatures, and especially of man-the glory-the eternal power-and the Godhead of the Great Creator. These are some of his characteristic properties.

But we must inquire to what class of properties these belong; for the attributes of all intelligent beings-the infinite, as well as the finite-range themselves under two heads or distinctions,-the natural and the moral. The natural properties of any being, though ascertained one by one, do not necessarily, and in every instance of action, determine his moral character. They may be exercised for good or for evil, according to the will and disposition. of him in whom they reside: or, if this position be considered untenable, we will express it differently, and say,

There are circumstances which make it impossible for man, in every instance, to ascertain, from an examination of the effect, what may have been the precise character of the cause; or determine, by a survey of the work itself, the disposition and moral qualities of the Agent which produced it.

Existence, life, power, and knowledge, are the natural properties of the good and the evil alike; they belong to beings that are morally evil, as well as to those that are morally good: to devils as well as to angels,-to the spirits of wicked men, whether in the body or out of it, as well as to the spirits of just men made perfect.

These properties belong to the Divine Being, in a sense which we call infinite, and were exercised in the production of the visible creation; consequently, that creation presents distinct marks and irrefragable proofs of their existence in the Creator, to this day. But as they fall under the class, natural attributes, they cannot be expected to furnish any satisfactory evidence of the moral character of him in whom they reside.

The Second Sermon* of the series in reply to these Lectures, contains the following passage on this subject:"All minds are known by their works-the human quite as distinctly as the Divine: and if on the material structures of the universe, the moral attributes of his (God's) nature may be discerned;"—implying that such is the fact; whereas reason and common sense, after a patient investigation of the subject, declare that such is not the fact at present, whatever it may have been originally. The point is easily decided.

I would take you either to St. Paul's Cathedral in London, or to the still more distinguished monument of architecture, the venerable Minster in the City of York. I

*Mr. Martineau's Sermon. P. 5.

would request that you would go through, and examine each in its various parts and exquisite beauties. You will perceive unquestionable marks of genius, contrivance, knowledge, skill, and power, at every turn, and in every department; and you will, at length, no doubt, feel, as I felt myself when I visited these noble and sacred edifices, overwhelmed with the grandeur and magnificence of the whole. And when you have completed the survey, I would beg to put to you this plain question :-Can you inform me, from what you have just seen and examined, what was the precise moral character of the architects and builders of these stupendous structures? Were the men that planned them, and the men that built them, just or unjust? humane or cruel? sober men or drunkards? men given to virtue, or men addicted to vice? such as always spake the truth, or such as sometimes uttered falsehoods? What would be your reply? I anticipate it. 'We cannot tell. We discover evident and numerous traces of the natural properties of these men, but there is no proof left of their moral qualities. The general impression is in their favour; but for all that, they may have been any thing but good men.'

Turn now from the works of man, and look around on the works of God-on all external nature. View the heavens above, and its innumerable hosts of burning lights: examine the earth beneath, with its infinite variety of animal and vegetable productions; and then tell me what traces do you discover of the moral character of the Great Architect of the universe? You You every where trace indelible marks of his infinite wisdom, power, and Godhead; and the stupendousness of the whole overwhelms you with a sense of his glory. But the moment you attempt to ascertain the character of his moral attributes, you meet with insuperable difficulties at every

step; and these difficulties eventually force you to give up the investigation as utterly hopeless.

We are not now competent to judge how far "the material structures of the universe" originally reflected the moral image of the Creator; but it does not appear, from the history of the creation, that any part of the visible universe was intended to exhibit that image, except man. He alone was made to bear the impress of the Divine character, for he alone was "created in the image of God." And though God pronounced every day's work to be good, we are well aware that a thing may be naturally good without being morally so. And that the Creator regarded every thing as "good,” in the former sense, for the first five days, is apparent from hence, that morality can only exist in connexion with reason and intelligence. And as man was the only creature endowed with these gifts, in this lower world, and he was not made until the sixth day, there was not any one thing of the first five days' works capable of being morally good. The material earth and sky, and all the living creatures, both on land and in the sea, were alike and equally destitute of reason; and, consequently, incapable of moral action, or of giving forth a reflection of the moral character of the Creator.

To talk, therefore, of "discerning the moral attributes of God on the material structures of the universe," is not only idle, but unreasonable. And as MAN is no longer what he was when he came forth from the hands of his Maker, every attempt to ascertain the moral features of the divine character in a mirror so darkened by sin, and damaged by corruption, must prove unsuccessful. Reason may go and revel in the fields, travel through the forests, sail the ocean, take her pastime with leviathan in the great deep, borrow the wings of an eagle, and soar aloft