the Divine Essence is simple and indivisible, it must partake of this distinction, which is necessary and natural to itself, and if it naturally partake of this distinction, it must do so in personality, for the distinction consists of nothing but personality; and the essence naturally partaking of this distinct personality, or distinct modes of subsistence, a third person must naturally, necessarily, and essentially arise in the Divine Essence.

Or, the first and second naturally and necessarily communicating, according to the foregoing law, in one joint, active principle, the whole of the Divine Essence and perfections, together with the whole of the divine intelligence and goodness, in all their immensity, and by this communication naturally and necessarily constituting a third, they could communicate no more; for what can be more than eternity, immensity, and immutability; and they could communicate no less, except the Divine Essence were divisible, which is absolutely impossible.

And as one person could communicate neither more nor less, and as the two persons could communicate neither more nor less, and as this communication, by the two, is in one joint, absolute, active principle, and by this communication the Divine Essence and perfections, subsist distinctly in the third, from that in which they do in each and in both the first two, a final union, if we may so speak, of personality is necessarily, essentially, and naturally established in this third person; and a final or eternal close, or termination, if we may so speak, is put to all farther communication of the Divine Essence and perfections in this third: so that the third could not communicate the Divine Essence and perfections by itself, nor could it join in the very same principle with the two first; that principle being absolutely united in itself, in personality, in the third, all farther communication of the Divine Essence and perfections is for ever sealed, and shut up.' pp. 136-138.

Such is the mode of reasoning and of writing which runs, in a uniform fulness of current, through 342 pages.

On the kind of argument itself which is here attempted, we shall give our humble opinion, desiring ever to cherish the feelings of reverence and awe toward the sublime mystery of the Holy Trinity, and of the deepest humility in reference to our own powers of intellect and comprehension. It does appear to us that a probable and presumptive argument, in favour of the doctrine, may be brought from a rational consideration of the Infinite and Essential Intelligence, Activity, and Happiness of the Divine Nature. Such an opinion is not new, as we have before stated; and in the masterly hand of Howe, we see how it might be expressed with equal modesty and advantage. It would, however, require strong powers of abstraction, extreme care and accuracy in the habits of thought, a rigorous precision in the use of terms, and a pure simplicity in the details of expression and thus it might be stated in a few pages. But when we look at the deplorable

absence from the book before us, of any thing like close and correct reasoning, the intolerable verbosity, the dogmatism, the self-complacency, and the extreme puerility, evident in every page, and the parade with which the most egregious truisms and the most wretched inanities are dealt out,—we are forced to cry: Non tali auxilio!-It is impossible, to express the injury which is done to the cause of truth, by such pretences of supporting and defending it.

On the Second and Third Parts, which are entitled' Views of the Doctrine founded upon Revelation,'-and upon Tradition, we can only say, that to our conceptions, all that is good is borrowed, and all that is not borrowed is

That the reader may judge for himself, we shall cite two short passages, from what have a claim to be regarded as the more original portions of the learned Professor's labours.

1. Let us examine the first chapter of Genesis by the rules already laid down. It is said, "In the beginning (8) God" (the Divine Essence subsisting in personality,) "created the heaven and the earth." Here the Divine Being is revealed in personality, as the Creator of all things; and that personality, we have already proved, consists of three distinct modes of subsistence in the Divine Essence, and neither more nor less than three.-Ver. 2. "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and (b) the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." It is perfectly plain to the weakest capacity, that the third person in the Divine Essence is expressed, according to the meaning of already given.-Ver. 3. "And () God said, There shall be light, and light was." This is an account of the creation of light by the united counsel, wisdom, and power of the three blessed persons in the Divine Essence. In what follows, the particular part performed by each of the divine persons, is more directly pointed out in the establishment and arrangement of this newly created fluid, so necessary to all parts of creation in our system." (n) God saw the light that it was good." This is the approbation of the first person in the Divine Essence." And (b) God divided the light from the darkness." This points out the arrangement of the newly created element, by the second person in the Divine Essence."And (8) God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night." This is the ratification of the will of the first, and the execution of the second, by the third person in the Divine Essence. What harmony and consistency appear in such a view? All is natural -all is plain. And without such a view as this, the language of these verses is full of tautology: the repetition of the same word appears entirely superfluous; and there is nothing like it in ancient or modern writing, either sacred or profane. As the language of divine inspiration, we dare not presume to call it in question, nor yet to explain it in a rash or careless manner. We must, therefore, endeavour to ascertain the mind of the Holy Spirit in this language, though mysterious; and we presume, the very expressions seem to

indicate the view we have taken; for there is evidently a design in the repetition of the same word so often; and that design appears no other than to draw the attention of the reader to the mystery of the glorious Trinity: And with this view, all is plain, natural, and intelligible; and, instead of tautology, the repetition is really necessary to convey the knowledge of the three distinct persons in the Divine Essence, so as to manifest to the intelligent reader this mysterious doctrine in the creation of light.' pp. 416-418.

As we have heard our Lord speaking concerning the first person in the Divine Essence, whom he expressly mentions as standing related to him in the Divine Essence in the character of the Father, without the least ambiguity or equivocation, we are surely called upon to believe that our Lord does not intend to deceive us therefore, if we really believe that he ever spake truth on any occasion, we have equal reason to believe that he spake truth on this; and if he spake truth, it is surely our duty to believe his words in the natural interpretation which they will bear. And if so, we must believe that the Father is a divine person, distinct, though not separate, from the Son; and that both are equal in essence, and all perfections natural. and moral.' p. 450.

It would afford us pleasure to say any thing in mitigation of the censure which our duty compels us to express upon this volume. But we have looked in vain for any points of merit on which commendation might rest, or which might justify the language of encouragement to future and more hopeful efforts. What can we think of the knowledge or accuracy of an Author, who, in displaying his familiarity with celebrated names, brings in the distinguished writer on legislative economy, Mr. Bentham, to figure under the disguise of Bantum; (Pref. p. xvi.), or of his judgement, who can expect his readers to believe that Abraham taught Algebra in Egypt;' (p. 375.) or of his sobriety of intellect, who gravely proposes the establishment of a Society for 'the express purpose of illustrating the doctrine of the Trinity?''We have,' says Professor Kidd, Societies established for ' almost every difficult branch in the arts and sciences. What a pity that the most difficult and interesting of all scientific 'knowledge, should want a Society for the express purpose of 'making more researches into it!" Pref. p. xiv.

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Art. IV. Travels in the Ionian Isles, Albania, Thessaly, Macedonia, &c. during the Years 1812 and 1813. By Henry Holland, M.D. F.R.S. &c. &c. 4to. pp. 550. Price 31. 3s. Longman and Co. 1815.

FEW

of our many vagrant contemporaries have had so large a portion of time allowed them for seeing the foreign varieties of Man and Nature, as the Author of this volume. His first considerable adventure, as far as we recollect any formal notice finding its way to the public, was seven or eight years since, as an associate of Sir G. Mackenzie's voyage to Iceland.

It should seem that his state of peregrination has, with a small interval, been prolonged from that time to this. The preface to this work is dated at Rome, more than two years back; during the greater part of which last period, he is understood to have been in attendance on a distinguished personage, sometimes visiting the most remarkable places of the Mediterranean and the Archipelago, and sometimes residing in the north of Italy.

If a man were to grow up from his childhood under the acknowledged appointment to be, during many years of his life, a wanderer and sojourner in various distant lands, which appointment, nevertheless, should leave it wholly as a matter of judgement and choice what one foreign tract he should visit first, and in what order of succession he should proceed to the others, the determination of this priority and succession would be a concern of much interest, deliberation, and perhaps perplexity. How many considerations, relative to the effect on the destined traveller's mind, both absolutely, and with regard to the impressions to be made by the subsequent scenes, might enter into the questions, for instance, whether he should visit Iceland first, or in what other part of the adjusted succession it should be placed; or whether that region of austere sublimity, and human simplicity and comparative innocence, should be reserved for the last stage of his observant and contemplative wanderings, to make on his imagination, his taste, and the general mental cast and disposition, a final impression of solemnity and moral simplicity, to crown, or to harmonise, or to modify, or in part to obliterate, the effects produced upon him by the preceding diversity of scenes. In some small degree, at least, it may be presumed, the appropriate effects of each given scene on a susceptible and cultivated mind, might be anticipated, together with some probable calculation of the manner in which these effects would combine, or would modify one another, accordingly as they were brought on the mind in one sequence or in another. Some one general plan might therefore be adopted in preference to every other adjustment in the order of the places in the intended course.

The present Traveller may probably have owed the direction of his career, from its outset downwards, very little to any such calculations. But we should like much to hear him say whether he is pleased that such a place as Iceland happened to be the first foreign scene of his erratic survey,-whether he would not rather have still had it to look forward to,-and what he may, in his subsequent adventures, have perceived to have been the effect, as toward other scenes, of his mind having been pre-occupied by that most impressive one, probably, of all that he has yet beheld.

But the effect has not, at any rate, been to render him an in

sensible or unobservant spectator of any of the very numerous varieties that have come within his view. And should he (no improbable event, we suppose) come forward with narrative descriptions of what the world has exhibited to him in his still later traverses of it, we can have no apprehension of his being found to have lost any thing of the vigilance of his attention, or much of his interest for whatever is remarkable or important in the human economy, or beautiful, or strange, or magnificent, in Nature; an interest we do not say partaking strongly of the poetical or enthusiastic,-but which, though of a calmer tone, is sustained in the writer by so advantageous a combination of taste, intelligence, and knowledge, that it draws the reader on with vivacity in some parts, and without sense of weariness in all, notwithstanding he may think that in some few places somewhat less minuteness of detail might have sufficed.

Previously to the regular and fully detailed itinerary, we have a few brief passing notices of the Author's visit to the stations of the English army in Portugal, where he greatly admired the economy of the military hospitals; of his touching at Sardinia, the inhabitants and the government of which all the changes, and whatever may be acknowledged as improvements, in the rest of Europe, have left in a state of utter barbarism; and of an excursion or two he made in Sicily, where he ascended the summit of Etna; of which, says he,

'While refraining from all description, I cannot omit to notice the impression I derived from the singular contrast between the smiling and luxuriant surface of the lower region of Etna, and of the picture I still had in my mind of the broken, wild, and desolate aspect of the volcanic country of Iceland. Nor can I refrain from mentioning the monument which the English have left of their residence in Sicily, in a small house built for the accommodation of travellers, just below the upper cone of Ætna, at the height of nearly 9000 feet above the level of the sea. The building in itself is not magnificent, but in its situation and design it is worthy of a great cultivated people; and the name of the Casa Inglesa may long be matter of national pride to future travellers in this country.'

The Ionian Isles occupy about fifty pages; and though they are of no great importance, a description which so well combines the natural aspects and phenomena and the moral condition, with classical recollections, is read with considerable interest. Zante, the antient Zacynthus, was the first at which our Author landed. Its inhabitants are reckoned at 40,000, of whom nearly half reside in the city of the same name, though the circumference of the island is nearly sixty miles, and its scenery such that Dr. H. says, it is probable that there are few spots in the world possessing a more entire and finished beauty than the little 'island of Zante.' Excepting those of Nature, the island has