time after Sir Arthur Langford also gave a sum of £500 to the ministers of the same Meeting-house, and in this case the principal document was also mislaid, which consisted of a letter, and there was no evidence as to its specific contents. This grant was in the year 1710, and in the year 1718 Sir Arthur Langford died, and bequeathed a sum of £4000 to the trustees of the general fund, directing that £1000 of this amount should be placed to the separate account of the ministers of the Congregation; in consequence of which, the trust fund amounted to £2000, on which the interest £100 per annum was regularly paid to the minister of the Meetinghouse. The question relating to this £100 a-year he (Mr. Moore) submitted was never decided, and he was sure the court would consider his client entitled to the benefit of the act as regarded it, and that the information should be dismissed. Mr. Sergeant Warren, on the other side, contended that, in point of fact, the court had already decided the point now before the court, by the judgment which his lordship had already given, declaring that persons professing the Unitarian belief were not fit objects of, and not entitled to participate in, the general fund; and it was admitted that the trust funds created by the deed of 1710 belonging to the general fund. Mr. Moore said he admitted nothing of the kind. Sergeant Warren stated that it had been admitted, and gave it as his opinion that the question before the court was decided. Mr. Napier, Q. C. having been heard on the same side, and Mr. Holmes in reply, His lordship proceeded to give judg, ment. He said that as he understood the question, it rested upon thiswhether or not he had concluded the point at issue in the Attorney-General v. Drummond by his decree; and it was not disputeď, but that if the matter was left open, the defendant would be entitled to the benefit of the 3d section of the 6th and 7th of Victoria. He (the Chancellor) had not decided this question, and he was of opinion that the defendant was entitled to the benefit of the statute. Certainly there was, in the commencement of his decree, a general declaration, that persons professing the Unitarian belief were not entitled to participate in those funds created by the deed of 1710; but the court guardedly abstained from pronouncing any decision regarding the £100 then in dispute. ANATHEMA.-As for the use of ex communication in the Apostolic Church, it seems enough to say, that Jesus Christ himself did not pronounce an anathema against any one, but suffered himself as an anathema for the world; while the example of Paul may then only be pleaded as a guide for others, when those others are placed in the same position as that which was held by the apostle. The act of anathematising is a very unseemly one for beings to perform who are so frail, erring, and sinful as men. Nor can any one plead an immunity from such a liability to mistake, as disqualifies man for being the judge of his fellow-man. And those who by their true holiness of character approach most nearly to such immunity, will, like the great Master whom they resemble, prefer blessing instead of cursing their brethren of mankind. It is an easy, though very wrong, thing to anathematise. Persons who are in the lowest grade of culture, easily surpass in this unseemly act men that are least disqualified to judge others. Ignorant zeal may outdo the knowledge of an apostle, and the sanctity of a seraph. People's Dictionary of the Bible. TO CORRESPONDENTS. We regret we cannot find room in the present publication for an account of the Meeting of the "Irish Unitarian Christian Society." It occupies upwards of six pages. We expect to be able to publish it next month. It is requested that all communications intended for insertion in the Irish Unitarian Magazine will be forwarded not later than the 10th of the preceding month (if by post, prepaid), to 28, Rosemary-street, Belfast. THE next passage quoted is from Matt. iii. 16, 17, containing an account of what passed at the baptism of Jesus. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: and lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Now, what is the testimony of this unimpeachable and unimpeached witness? That Jesus was baptized of John, and when coming out of the water he saw the heavens opened, and the spirit of God descending in shape like a dove, and lighting upon him, and a voice from heaven testifying, This is my beloved Son. But what has this to do with three persons, a triune God, one substance, power, eternity.? It is the imagination of the interpreter which converts a dove into a person, and tells us that these three are one God, equal in power and glory, for Matthew says no such thing. Who then disputes the testimony which he gives, or seeks to add to it? Not the Unitarian. He cordially receives, and gladly welcomes it, as the highest attestation to the glorious truth, that Jesus is the beloved of the Fatherthe Son of God-of that God and Father of whom he has said, "My Father is greater than I." Respecting, then, the main point which this witness is produced to prove-"a triune God"—he is entirely silent. Nay, except there be more Gods than one, he proves directly the contrary; for Jesus is declared by a voice from heaven to be "the beloved Son of God," a separate and distinct being from that God of whom he is the Son. The last quotation is from Matt. xxviii. 19; but as the baptismal formula is familiar to all, I shall not quote it. Like the former, it says not one word about three persons, or a three-one God. It simply states, that baptism is to be performed in the name of the Father, as first in glory, majesty, and greatness, who so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son for our salvation; and in the name of the Son, our Saviour, "the author and finisher of our faith," whom he has made to be both Lord and Christ; "whom he has given to be head G G over all things to the church;" "for the head of every man is Christ, and the head of Christ is God;" and of the Holy Ghost, "the Comforter, whom Christ promised his disciples that the Father, on his prayer, would send, after he had ascended into heaven, and by whom they should be endowed with power from on high." But what does this say about "three persons, a triune God, God the Son, in all respects equal to the Father." Matthew says no such thing; but the Trinitarian can easily fabricate for him a spurious testimony, or father upon him his own interpretation of Scripture, as of equal authority with the language of the Evangelist. Besides, the context proves distinctly that Jesus is not God. He says expressly, "All power is given unto me in Heaven and on earth." Now, God can have no power or perfection given unto him, for in himself they all necessarily centre; but Christ declares, all the power he exercises, both in heaven and earth, is a given, derived power, proceeding from some higher source. And he also declares, that with the same unlimited power, commission, authority, with which the Father had sent him, he commissioned his disciples, "As the Father hath sent me, so send I you." These are the clearest and best proofs of a Trinity, which men of so much learning and ability were able to collect from the word of God; and the understanding of a child would easily perceive they prove no such thing, and it is also somewhat suspicious that they should commence their proofs with a forgery. In speaking or writing of the tripartite God of the Trinitarian, it is impossible to avoid falling into contradiction and absurdity. You must not say there are three Gods, and yet you are obliged to speak of them "as three, each of whom is God,"-each acting towards the others as a separate, distinct God; each distinguished from the others by "his personal properties," "his relations to the others," and to the human race. A person is that which does personal acts;" but that which acts is a being, and if intelligent, is a person; yet, though we may say there are three persons, we must not say there are three beings, for this would be three infinite minds-three Gods. From these absurdities, the most learned, talented, and cautiously-guarded Trinitarian writers are not exempted. Dr. South, who, in point of learning, talent, and acuteness of mind, was inferior to no man of his day, on his reply to Dr. Sherlock, whom he charges with the heresy of three Gods, falls into this mistake. "My reason," says he, "for what I affirm, that three distinct, infinite minds or spirits, are three distinct Gods, is this: that God and infinite mind, or spirit, are terms equivalent and convertible." Apply this to his own belief: the Father is God, the Son is God, &c. Here, on his own showing, which, I confess, is to me satisfactory, God, and infinite mind being convertible terms, there are and must be three Gods. Again, quoting from his opponent, who says, "That it is the constant language of the fathers, that the Son is the substantial word and wisdom of the Father, and that this can be nothing else but to say that he is an intelligent being, or infinite mind." "And he is so," adds Dr. South, "I confess;" which confession he afterwards endeavours to quibble away. Now, here again it is admitted that the " Son is an intelligent being, or infinite mind," distinct from the Father and the Holy Ghost, and consequently we have three beings one being; three infinite minds one infinite mind, three Gods, one God! Can absurdity and contradiction go farther than this? Into similar contradictions the Westminster divines have fallen; thus, Conf. chap. ii. they say "the Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding;" "the Son is eternally begotten"-"the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding." The Father then, is underived—a property which belongs to neither of the other two persons; and they have properties "begotten, proceeding," which belong not to the Father. Now, these are either perfections or imperfections. It must either be a perfection or an imperfection to be "a father"-" of none" "unbegotten," &c. If perfections, neither the Son nor the Holy Ghost can claim these, and then they are not equal, nor the samenot God; for all perfections centre in God. If imperfections, then three imperfect beings cannot make one perfect being-one God. "The Son is of the Father begotten." It is either a perfection or imperfection "to be begotten"-"born"-"God and man"-have "two distinct natures," &c. These belong neither to the Father nor the Holy Ghost-and then, either they must be perfect, and the Son imperfect, or the Son perfect, and the other two imperfect-not God -not equal. This is equally true of the Holy Ghost "proceeding from the Father and the Son.' Here, again, you have three separate, distinct beings, each possessing personal properties which belong not to the others, and yet they are equal-the same; that is, three beings are one being-three Gods one God-or the Son is begotten of himself— and the Holy Ghost proceeds from himself! It was these absurd and unscriptural opinions which gave rise to the nonsensical declaration of Bishop Beveridge-"The Father is God and something more; the Son is God and something more; the Holy Ghost is God and something more; and yet all three are one God and nothing more." Besides, we find from the Confession of Faith, these three persons entering into covenant with each other, and each performing his separate and distinct "office" in the "economy" of man's redemption. The Father "appoints," "anoints," "upholds," "calls to be mediator," "sends," &c. &c. "his only-begotten Son" to be the "prophet," "priest," "king," "head," "Saviour," &c. &c. of his church, which neither of the other two persons do, or can perform. The Son ful fills the offices to which he is appointed, &c. &c. "by the Father's decree of election," "being made under the law, which he did perfectly fulfil, enduring most grievous torments immediately in his soul, and most painful sufferings in his body-was crucified, dead, buried," &c. &c.; and thus they, "who are chosen in Christ unto everlasting glory," are redeemed by him; "neither are any other redeemed by Christ, effectually called, justified, adopted, and saved, but the elect only." See Conf. chaps. iii.—vii; viii.-xiv. &c. The Holy Ghost unites them to Christ, applies his redemption, effectually calls, &c. &c. and this constitutes the offices in the covenant of grace for man's salvation, which he is to perform. Now, you cannot have a covenant except between different parties-beings possessed, too, of intelligence. Here, again, you have three very different beings, possessed of very different qualities-one, at least, of whom can suffer and die, though the other two cannot; each of them acting distinctly different parts in man's redemption-each God. The Trinitarian covenant of grace proves, then, there must be three Gods. Again, there is one who chooses, appoints, anoints, &c. &c. offices which can only be performed by an intelligent being; there is another thus qualified who executes the objects for which he is thus chosen— appointed; and he, too, must be an intelligent being, for none other could do the work assigned; and still a third is necessary, whose wisdom is manifested in applying, and making effectual what has been done by the other two. Here, again, you have three beings one being-each God-and the three Gods but one-or the equal absurdity of a being begetting himself, choosing, appointing, sending himself! I beseech the Trinitarian to ask his own conscience can such absurdities proceed from a God infinitely wise? No, no: they are the foolish inventions of men who have marred what God has made; and, carried away by the pride of human reason, prefer the contradictory jargon of a vain philosophy to the sober teachings of the Word of God. The fact is, the doctrine of a Trinity, in whatever form it is professed, or attempted to be explained, when examined by the test of reason, must end in contradiction and obscurity; and when brought to the standard of divine revelation, its language is unknown to the Bible. Nothing but a most woeful perversion of the Word of God can afford any terms suited to the purpose of the Trinitarian, and this of itself should be sufficient evidence that the doctrine is untrue. If there be anything which we would expect clearly revealed in the Word of God, it would be the God whose word it is—who must know how to place himself in a manner the most clear and distinct before the understandings of the beings he has formed, and from whom he claims supreme love, homage, and obedience. But to say, that, with all the |