became the greatest miracle ever wrought in our world; the resurrection of the sinner from the death of sin becomes the greatest miracle to every individual soul made partaker of this unspeakable gift. Hence from this source flow all those ascension gifts which Christ is exalted as a Prince and a Saviour to bestow upon his church. And in the daily manifestation of the same, we have what the Lord himself before his departure so graciously promised, and so blessedly performs, namely, the making known to us the visits of the whole persons in the GODHEAD: for so Jesus spake. "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him. Jude (the faithful Jude) saith unto him, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, if a man love me he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John xiv. 20-23.) Hence here are the whole Three graciously revealing themselves in a way the world knoweth not, and receiveth not; but which are, more or less, in the daily enjoyment of the redeemed and regenerated people of God.

It were well if the faithful ones of the Lord, and especially they who minister in holy things, would daily wait before they enter upon sacred services, for this endued power from on high. Depend upon it we know nothing, in a life-giving, spiritual way, of the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, until we know of those resurrection and ascension gifts the Lord of life and glory was purposely exalted to give to his people and hence the earnest prayer of Paul to be let into deeper views of these things, as the whole

sum and substance of vital godliness: "that I may know him (said Paul) and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings." Bear with me while I say we know nothing as we ought to know, either of the one or of the other, until the Lord hath given us spiritual apprehensions of the glorious truths themselves, and our personal interest in them. It is by the knowledge of Christ's person alone we can form suitable conviction of the infinite value of the salvation he hath accomplished; and it is only by a like conviction of having felt the power of his resurrection, and the consciousness of fellowship, that is, a partnership and interest in his sufferings, as if we ourselves had suffered them, that we can take confidence of being saved thereby. The Lord the Spirit give us this day this spiritual apprehension, that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God! Vouchsafe, Almighty Lord of thy church! thus to bless our this day's meeting, and let the spiritual minds of all thy people present receive of the out-pouring of thy saving grace. Oh! that this may be a pentecost-day to many a precious soul, not only amidst our little assembly, but amidst the thousands assembled elsewhere to commemorate this marvellous event; that

by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, we may be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." Amen.

THE

DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY TRINITY;

AND THE SURE EFFECTS OF A

SPIRITUAL SIGHT OF CHRIST,

THE VISIBLE JEHOVAH.

BEING THE SUBSTANCE OF A SERMON PREACHED IN THE CHURCH

OF CHARLES, ON THE LORD'S DAY MORNING,

TRINITY SUNDAY, MAY 21, 1826.

"For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."-1 John v. 7.

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him."-John i. 18.

PREFACE.

THE sermon here presented to the cottager, is a continuation of the former, and may well be connected together. That the Scriptures of eternal truth have made a revelation of the unity of the divine essence, in a trinity of persons, is too evident a truth to be denied; although as a mystery, it is not capable of being explained. Indeed it is not proposed to the church as a subject brought within the grasp of human faculties; neither is it held forth for our explaining, but for our faith; and as it lays at the bottom of all the revelations of the divine will, the spiritual and scriptural apprehension of its sublime truth is of the first moment to the welfare of the church to know. And for our happiness it is blessed to observe, that as the Holy Three in one have graciously made themselves known to the souls of the Lord's people, by the personal acts of each; so can the Lord's people, when taught of God, distinguish the one from the other, and define those works of grace whereby the everlasting love of God the Father is discoverable from those of God the Son, in his personal manifestation of himself to his body the church; and no less from the specific and personal acts of God the Holy Ghost, in proof of his eternal power and Godhead and all from one and the same Almighty Jehovah. Let us, before we enter upon the perusal, unitedly seek grace from God that "we may know the things which are freely given to us of God." Vouchsafe, O Lord, to bless us at this time from on high, with an unction of thy Spirit! Grant to us such visions of God, that like the prophet, in the manifestation of Christ, as he saw, we may have a spiritual apprehension of "the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge: that in knowing Him we may know the Father, and in seeing Him we may see the Father; and have our souls continually excited in the goings forth in acts of praise, adoration, and love, towards the glorious objects of our everlasting welfare. Such, Lord, may it be our daily blessedness, that we may be made happy, and an enlargedness of soul be our portion, while all redounds to the divine glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Amen.

SERMON XXI.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY TRINITY; AND THE SURE EFFECTS OF A SPIRITUAL SIGHT OF CHRIST,

THE VISIBLE JEHOVAH.

ISAIAH VI. 3-5.

And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. · Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

WHAT a sublimity is contained in those words, which ascribe holiness, in the abstract, to the Lord of hosts! and what expressions of humiliation follow in the words of the prophet! And from both, what an arrest do they make on the mind, when brought under the unction of the Holy One to ponder the marvellous contents! How empty and unsatisfying do all the dead and dying things of time and sense appear, and like the toyish pursuits of children, on which manhood looks down with indifference, when objects of such brightness and glory cross the imagination!

I know not whether it hath ever struck you, but so it is, the adoration of Jehovah in his trinity of persons, for what he is in himself, and in his own inconceivable majesty (independent and above all that he hath done, is doing, and will to all eternity do for his church and people) this is the highest note of praise, either here or hereafter. And without all doubt the glorified in heaven do this, in the most exalted degree. It is very blessed to bless Him, because he hath first blessed us; and it is very