The Doctrine of the Trinity in Unity may be fully sup- Both reason and Revelation may be so contemplated as Page 40 43 A remarkable passage in St. Paul's first epistle to the Co- A conjecture, exclusive of other considerations, respect- 48 On Providence, in reference to the gifts or talents respec- 3 Caimet in he sementary state of the material uni 177 verse 4 Dietericns on the universal comprehension of "the heaven and the earth" taken together . 1 5 Grotius on the same subject, &c. as also Friedlibius 1 6 Liranus on the chaotic or elementary state of the earth 7 Origen respecting the material world having been created prior to any of the six days recorded in Gen. i. 1 8 Bede on the same subject 9 Buxtorf on the cabalistic meaning of eth 10 Stockius on the noun-like signification of the same word. 11 Bishop Patrick on the universal comprehension o the same word 12 Ainsworth on the univ heaven and the ea on the word D Trinity 1 1 tively committed to the care of the Human Race; and for the abuse of which only, man is accountable SECTION III. The knowledge of the Supreme Being which Heathens possessed, having been violated and rendered abortive by their various Superstitions, furnishes no valid argument against free-agency SECTION IV. Certain proofs that the measures of divine Providence are not absolute or irrespective SECTION V. Though God is perfectly free and unshackled in his divine Government, his choice of the Elect is not indis criminate Page 57 64 86 90 SECTION VI. Though God is the author and finisher of our faith, his choice of the elect is not indiscriminate 92 SECTION VII. Election proved to be purely conditional, on the autho of the earth, in the presence of the given solar light. The former three, though supposed to be each of the same length of duration as any of the latter three, yet being considered as not produced by solar light, are unavoidably estimated (on that hypothesis,) as if differently derived from what any of the latter three were. But whence the grounds of this deviation in expounding the sacred text? In every one of the given six days, both evening and morning are represented as having taken place, accompanied with their respective vicissitudes. There is no variation in the mode of expression, as to those diurnal changes. The only difference is the numeral designation, such as one day, the second day, the third, fourth, fifth, or sixth day. To adhere, then, to a strict homogeneous mode of interpretation, we should ascribe a similar generation to each of the given six days thus similarly unfolded. Hence our system of exposition, as in the foregoing Dissertation, while attributing (without the slightest deviation) the same mode of production by solar light to each of the given six days,—has this additional testimony in its favour, that it is homogeneous, and avoids any arbitrary or unfounded deviation from the sacred text. This difference of interpretation (however) |