rehearsed the special and personal office of the holy Three in One, calls it, Sacratissimus confessus Trinitatis; that is, 'the most sacred sitting of the Trinity.' I admire the expression, for surely it is correct. And it is the most blessed, and precious, and soul-satisfying sitting and discourse, on this momentous truth the imagination can conceive. And it may be added, that when the regenerated child of God is at any time reading it, under the unction of the Spirit, he can and will set his seal to the things there spoken that God is true. He learns therefrom and believes of the common interest the Father with the Son hath in all things. And he is led to behold the Person of Christ as glorified in his view, and to receive the things of Christ, thus shewed him by the Holy Ghost.

I beg indulgence from the regenerated church of God in Christ, for whom this little gift of salutation at the opening of the new year is intended, and to whom with the warmest affection it is sent; to allow me to bring forward from scripture, a few of the more prominent and leading points on this doctrine, from whence, under divine teaching, we shall learn, how essential must be "the goings forth of Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons, in acts of personal communion with his people, both for the happiness of the life that now is, and of that which is to come." And if the Lord the Spirit shall graciously guide the pen of him that writes, and the heart of those that read; the goings forth of the Lord to the souls in grace will be followed with the lively actings of faith in both; and Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," will in all things be glorified in Jesus Christ!"

And here the first and greatest of every other, and which is never to be lost sight of by the regenerated church of God, is the divine glory. The very purpose for which Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons went forth in acts of creation, could be no other than his own

glory. Here, as to one centre, every line is directed. To this, as in one current all the streams of revelation meet. This is, and must be, the first cause, and final end of all things. And the song which John heard issuing from the multitude round the throne, was in one full chorus to the same. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power; for thou hast made all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created," Rev. iv. 11.

And the second is like unto it, namely, that in the accomplishment of this great purpose, Jehovah's glory, all the revelations which he hath been pleased to make of himself, have been, now are, and everlastingly will be, in the person of his dear Son. For thus it is written, "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. Hence we have authority to conclude, that the Son of God in our nature, that is, God manifest in the flesh, is the only visible Jehovah; and "in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily," Coloss. ii. 9. And as he is the only visible Jehovah in person, so is he declared to be the only medium of all communication, in all the departments of nature, providence, grace, and glory. For thus stands the words in the charter of grace, "that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth, even in him," Ephes. i. 10. This mighty him, therefore, is the glorious Holy One, and medium of all manifestation, and of all communion for ever. And I detain the regenerated church of God one moment to observe the grace, yea, the inexpressible riches of grace, shewn the church, in this plan of Jehovah's "making known the mystery of his will." Had God been pleased to have made a thousand worlds, and in those worlds manifested ten thousand acts of grace daily to his people;

the whole would have been nothing compared to the manifestation of himself in the person of his dear Son. And for this plain reason, all God's works are but the works of God, but here is God himself! John xiv. 7-11.

I pass on to a third particular in those leading points of the doctrines of grace, namely, the relation in which the church stands to God in Christ, being " chosen in him before the foundation of the world," Eph. i. 4. Here indeed, as far as concerns the church, the goings forth of Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons, are eminently sweet and blessed; inasmuch as all acts of personal communion which Jehovah hath with his church in Christ, arise out of this union which the church hath with God in Christ; and is at the bottom of all blessedness to the people of God, both "in the life that now is, and in that which is to come." For the Son of God, taking our nature into union with his divine nature, opened the way for what the Holy Ghost by John calls," fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ," John i. 3. And in confirmation of this glorious truth of our most holy faith, we have the united testimony of all the Persons in the Godhead. For example; God the Father thus proclaims his fellowship with his dear Son in our nature, when by the prophet he calls him, "the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts!" Zech. xiii. 7. And God the Holy Ghost by Paul, testifieth to the church having interest in the same when he saith, "God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord," 1 Cor. i. 9. And God the Son most blessedly gives his sanction to the same, yea, and adds to it this precious assurance; that the love each glorious Person in the Godhead hath to the church in Christ, is not only manifested by this fellowship into which the church is brought by her union with Christ; but also, that it is the good will and pleasure of Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons, that this fellowship

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shall be made known, lived upon, and enjoyed, by the Lord's people, when brought into a state of regeneration. "At that day (saith the Lord Jesus) ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you," John xiv. 20. And let it not for a moment be overlooked, or forgotten, that this choice of the church in Christ, is for the express purpose of union and communion, with God himself in his Trinity of Persons, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ. For thus it is written, "Jehovah hath chosen Jacob for himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure," Ps. cxxxv. 4." But know, that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself," Ps. iv. 3. "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself," Eph. i. 5. Observe, in all these and the like scriptures, the manner of expression "to himself!" Not to kingdoms, or empires; not to worldly wisdom, or knowledge; not simply to ordinances, or means of grace; no, nor even to the happiness and blessedness of heaven; for heaven itself with all the holiness and happiness of eternity, are but the fruits and effects of this choice of the church in Christ by Jehovah, for this is the cause. "This people (saith the Lord) have I formed for myself." Here is the ground-work of all that follows, this is the cause. Then it follows," they shall shew forth my praise," here is the effect. Oh! how truly blessed the relationship into which we are brought to Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons, from our being called to the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ! And what inconceivable blessedness in those expressions of our Lord, when speaking of this union in his prayer to his Father, he saith, "That they all may be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they all may be one in us," John xvii. 21. Observe, one in us! Not only one with Christ, and one in Christ, but hereby brought into union with the Father: one with us! And that the Holy Ghost is equally included in this oneness is

evident, from what is said 1 Cor. vi. 17," he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit-your body being the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you," 1 Cor. vi. 19. Hence the union is with Jehovah in his Trinity of Persons in Christ. And as it was observed in the foregoing paragraph concerning the Son of God in our nature, that all revelations are in him, and communications by him; this mighty Him! so here, all union and communion, into which the church is brought from her oneness with Christ, is with this Us! this mighty US!

One word more on these leading points of the doctrines of grace, and which should never be lost sight of by the regenerated church of God, namely, that the choice of the church by Jehovah is all personal; that is to say, it is the persons of the Lord's people, not their attainments; it is you, not any thing of your's. Every individual member of Christ's mystical body is such, from being chosen, and personally chosen in him. God the Father himself is said, in his own person to have chosen them. The Holy Ghost by Paul thus states the doctrine. For speaking of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he saith, "Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named," Eph. iii. 15. And the Son of God under the spirit of prophecy saith in one of the Psalms to the same amount, "In thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them," Ps. cxxxix. 15. Oh! what an overwhelming view of divine love is here opened to the church of the living God, when once by regeneration, and the teaching of the Holy Ghost, the child of God is led to see, and know, whose he is, and to whom he belongs! And this choice of God makes it everlastingly secure, being found wholly in God, and wholly from God, in his sovereign will and pleasure. Hence amidst all other circumstances, this bears up with a "nevertheless, the founda

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VOL. VII.