I wish you were in possession of the excellent Jones on the “Catholic Doctrine of the Trinity.” Yours, J. C. LETTER X. “The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies.” “Love the truth and peace.” To— What a mercy for us that all divine teaching is the gracious work of God the Holy Spirit; and when we view, in his own light, what _He_ is, as _He_ has condescended to set himself forth in his own word, we are amazed at his condescension. _He_ is called the Eternal Spirit; _He_ is Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent; _He_ is a person—and what is a person but a living, thinking, acting, intelligent agent? And what we have professed at church, when, perhaps, we did not understand what we said, is a most noble and glorious testimony—“I believe in God, the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; and who, with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spake by the prophets”—this gracious, divine, and glorious person has engaged to lead all his people into all _necessary_ truth, and _He_ will be faithful to his covenant promises; nor do I esteem it a small mercy to be established in the glorious doctrine of the Trinity, as it is set forth in God’s Word, after my mind had been so perplexed with errors and temptations. But now another very keen temptation beset me, respecting the doctrine of eternal _election_, and its attendant _reprobation_. This was painted to me, in the most horrible terms, as the most cruel and unjust act, such as could never be attributed to a merciful God. Erroneous books, preachers, professors, carnal reason, and the devil, all combined to oppose it. A very plain reason that _the doctrine is of God_—or else such would never oppose it; if the doctrine was of the world, the world would love its own—but, because it is of God, therefore they hate it. Thousands of tongues and pens have been raised up against it, but these two mountains of brass still stand as firm as ever. The manner in which the wicked would, though varnished with seeming piety, represent the doctrine, is thus:—that to hold the doctrine of election is saying, that the elect will be saved, do whatever they may—and the reprobate will be damned, let them do all the good they can. This is the manner in which they _carnally_ state the matter; and, as they are but carnal, and the carnal mind is enmity with God, what can we expect from such thorns and thistles, surely _not_ the figs and grapes of truth? Others admit that election may be true, but then we are elected upon condition of our good behaviour; and others profess to believe that election is certainly a truth, but then all others may be saved, if they will, as they have a good chance for it, being in a salveable state (and so they wrap it up). Amidst this _pro_ and _con._ my mind was not a little distressed, till