at the commencement of these pages; for that the Godhead should consist of a plurality of persons, is a communication far beyond the reach of unassisted reason to discover, (and consequently, as far beyond the power of unassisted reason to invent:) our inquiry, therefore, respecting the Trinity, cannot as heretofore consist in tracing the coincidence between the conclusions suggest ed by reason, with the assertions contained in the Scriptures; but in endeavouring to ascertain how far the assertions of Scripture are reconcilable with reason. Previous to our examination of these, we shall present our readers with a most invaluable auxiliary to this purpose, contained in a little book, entitled "Devout Meditations, or a Collection of Thoughts upon Religious and Philosophical Subjects; by the Honourable Charles How, Esq.," and which we now with the highest satisfaction transcribe.*

* "A Rational Essay upon the Trinity.”

This is copied from a third edition. The following are letters affixed to its publication:

66

"To Archibald Macauley, Esq.

"KIND AND WORTHY SIR,

"How shall I sufficiently thank you for the favour and honour of your very valuable present? The book of meditations I have read, and more than once, and I shall never lay it far out of my reach; for a greater demonstration of a sound head and sincere heart I never saw. Dear Sir, I cannot but return to my favourite meditations, for, in truth, I am fond of them: I think you were a lucky man in meeting with the manuscript, and I know you are a worthy one, by bringing it to the press. The world is your debtor for it: my part of the debt I will pay as far

"In relation to the Trinity, I would have it considered whether unity of nature, or essence, and

as hearty thanks will go towards it, and I wish I could do more. But I am surprised that the author's name is suppressed, for I know no name to which that work would not do an additional credit; and why a man's modesty should rob him of his just honour, when by that honour his modesty can be no more offended, I know not. I wish you would consider this with regard to the future editions. I desire you, Sir, to insert me in the list of your friends, for such I am, and such I am obliged to be by your unexpected and merited favour.

"1752.

"I am your's &c.

"C. YOUNG."

"To Archibald Macauley, Esq., Lord Conservator.

"HONOURED SIR,

"When this work first appeared, it was proposed to have the author's name prefixed to it; and now that a second edition is become necessary, and that you, Sir, and several other men of good judgment, particularly your friend Dr. Young, so well known to the world for learning, piety, and genius, have given it as your opinions, that to be known for the author of such a work would add reputation to any name, I have desired that it may be done; and as the public now know to whom they owe this performance, it has been thought just that they should also know to whom they owe the publication of it. The manuscript came to my late dear wife as executrix to the author, her grand. father, with whom she lived from her infancy to the time of his death; and it is evident from the work itself, as well as from what has been said in the advertisement to the first edition that he intended it for his own private use. As soon as you perused it at my house, from a principle of disinterested benevolence only, you earnestly desired it might be published, and took the whole trouble of it upon yourself; so that whatever praise is due for having rendered the closet exercises of a truly good man of public utility, that is justly yours;-though I at the same time know, that the inward satisfaction that you have already felt on this account is much superior to all applause. I have, at your

plurality of persons, are not necessary to absolute perfection; at least, whether according to the best conjectures of human reason about a matter so far

desire, carefully compared the printed copy with the original manuscript in my possession, and corrected it in several places, which I hope will be of some advantage to this edition.

"I am your's, &c.

"Poland Street, May 28, 1752."

GEORGE MACAULEY."

"ADVERTISEMENT.

"The following work was only intended for the private use of the author, as appears from his first meditation, and during his lifetime nobody saw it. After his death, being in the possession of his grand-daughter, a gentleman nearly related to her by marriage read it, and being greatly pleased with it himself, obtained a copy of it, and her permission to publish it, judging that it might be of good use in an age wherein serious things are but too much neglected by all ranks of men. The author himself, who attained to the age of eighty-four years, was a gentleman of good fortune, and of a considerable family, which has been ennobled in several of its branches. He was born in Gloucestershire (though his family was of the shire of Nottingham) in the year 1661; and during the latter end of the reign of King Charles II. was much at court. About the year 1686 he took an opportunity of going abroad with a near relation, who was sent by King James II. ambassador to a foreign court. The ambassador died, and our author, by powers given him to that effect, finished the business of the embassy. He had the offer of being appointed successor to his friend in his public. character, but disliking the measures that were then carried on at court, he declined it, and returned to England, where he soon married a lady of rank and fortune, who dying in a few years left behind her an only daughter. After his lady's death he lived for the most part in the country, where he spent many of his latter years in a close retirement, consecrated to religious meditations and exercises. He was a man of good understanding, of an exemplary life, and cheerful conversation.”

beyond its reach, it does not seem highly probable that it is so. Infinite perfection undoubtedly belongs to the Deity, but whether that is consistent with unity of person and a solitary existence, is what I would now consider only in a rational manner, without any regard to revelation. We can attain to the knowledge of most of the attributes of God, even to what is equal to a demonstration, by just deductions and inferences from what we find to be in ourselves. We are sensible of some small degree of power and wisdom in ourselves, from whence we most certainly conclude, that what we find imperfectly in such creatures as we are, must be most perfect in the Deity; and that, by consequence, Almighty power and infinite wisdom are attributes belonging to him. Since we can, by this manner of reasoning, enter so far into the knowledge of the Divine nature as to find out many of its perfections, why may we not, by the same method, discover something of the nature of its felicity? We agree that the felicity of friendship is one of the greatest blessings belonging to human nature; that an intimate affection between two friends with a conformity of temper, thoughts, and inclinations, is a great happiness of human life; and yet we perceive there is an exceeding imperfection in this happiness, from the separation and division of the persons, which necessarily obstructs that entire union and perfect communication of thought and affection which is requisite to a complete felicity. From hence we may reasonably infer, that the felicity of the Deity is rendered infinitely perfect

by a plurality of persons, between whom there is an exact harmony of thoughts, of will, and of affections, who are inseparable and indivisible, from a complete union of nature and essence, in one eternal, infinite, and glorious Being.

As to the number of persons necessary to supreme felicity, there is no foundation for human reason to determine any thing concerning it, and therefore we can come by revelation only to the knowledge of the number. This alone can confirm to us the former conjectures of our reason, by discovering that a Trinity of Persons united in essence, is what composes the felicity and perfection of the Deity. We may, by our reason, farther conceive concerning the eternal generation of the Son, and the eternal procession of the Holy Ghost, that since a Trinity of Persons is the perfection of the Deity, the Father necessarily exists not only eternally, but perpetually imparting his Divine nature to the Son, and that both the Father and the Son eternally and perpetually exist, imparting the Divine nature to the Holy Ghost; so that the Son receives his divine nature by a spiritual generation, or communication, from the Father, as the Holy Ghost receives his divine nature by a spiritual procession, or communication of it, from the Father and the Son. Had the existence of the Son been only from an act of the will of the Father, and the existence of the Holy Ghost only from an act of the will of the Father and the Son, we might have supposed a time before those acts of the will took place, and, by consequence, that the generation of the Son and the procession of the Holy Ghost was in