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24 and 25. Now the reason of this is first in a way of Providence, as especially in the work of creation: "In the beginning, God created the "Heaven and the Earth. And the Spirit of "God moved upon the face of the waters," Gen, i. 1, 2. Here God the Father is mentioned in a particular manner; the Beginning or God the Son, called, "The Beginning of the Creation of God,” Rev. iii. 14, is mentioned also, as the instrument or fellow-workman of the Father; God the Spirit is also spoken of, as giving life to the whole.

Now here in the first outset of the Bible, if any thing is to be gathered of a Trinity, (and surely a Trinity of Persons in the Godhead may be gathered) it is this; that though the Father is first as a creating cause, it being said, " God created,” yet there is no priority of persons, that superior dignity should be attached thereto; seeing the Son stands first in the order of the chapter. Why then is God the Father mentioned in a peculiar way? Because he is as it were the spokesman and president of the whole, in whose handiworks the others both cooperate and agree. If it be asked whether it be right to pray to every person of the Deity, and to pay them divine honors, I answer yes, verily : for we may continually pray thus to the Son: Lord 'Jesus apply the mcrits of thy blood, by the energy

of thy Spirit, to our souls,' or we may add with holy Stephen in the very agonies of death, "Lord "Jesus receive my Spirit," Acts vii. 59. Or

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thus to the Holy Spirit. O ever blessed, divine and Holy Spirit, gracious comforter, descend and < fill our souls: help us to plead the merits of Christ's • death and passion with the Father, give us a sweet sense of thy cheering presence, that we may love

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⚫ thyself and all holiness, and under thy guidance and power press forward for eternal joy.' Now these two divine persons may be most properly addressed in ejaculatory prayer, or the secret lifting up of the heart in short and fervent petitions; as also the Father may be thus addressed; Holy Father receive 6 us for Christ's sake, and send down renewed visita

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tions of thy Spirit, that we live to thy glory, and

may be preserved from giving up our hearts to sin ' against thee.'

Now of ejaculatory prayer it may be observed, that it comprehends the very essence of true devotion in the sight of God. To suppose a few short petitions put up morning and evening, or even if noon day be added, or even if like the royal psalmist seven times a day, to suppose these to be all the worship God receives from his creatures, we must say if we think aright, Lord how little reverence do we pay thee!-Time, place, circumstance, and situation of life, the calls of business, the lawful pursuits of lawful concerns, and the various duties of public, social, private and domestic life, though not carried on to undue lengths, do in the present state of society, demand that attention from all, which is incompatible with frequent returns of pri

vate devotion, and in many situations of life, where the business of the day is of a sedentary nature, requiring close application, or of an active nature, requiring manual labor, or carried on at a distance from home, such stated devotions is next to impossible. But who can say that his thoughts may not rise to Heaven? Yea here, may the hearts of a christian rise seventy times a day from amidst his occupation, and by faith in Christ rejoice in God with exceeding joy. Nay, ejaculatory prayer hath this advantage, that it is often more fervent and more suited to the actual wants of the soul, either as wishing for more love to God, more faith in Christ, more dependance on the Spirit, or more strength to conquer inherent corruption.

Consequently such short addresses, flowing secretly and irresistibly from the heart, do generally shew more faith, love, hope, gratitude, obedience, and joy in the Holy Ghost, in the person so continually lifting up his heart unto God.

But in stated prayer, either in private and closet devotion, by the head of a family, before the household, or in more public acts of worship, perhaps the term God or Jehovah is more preferable, as expressing the undivided Trinity, without confusion or intermixing of persons: if 'so be that all be asked, "In the name of the Lord Jesus, and by "the Spirit of our God," 1 Cor. vi. 11. Now of all the names which we can pitch upon by which to address God, perhaps none doth 'so clearly ex

press the incommunicable and inexpressible glory of God, or more clearly set forth the essence and nature of the Trinity, than the name Jehovah. A name which the Jews, out of a superstitious regard to the tenor of the third commandment, most scrupulously refrained from uttering. And as far as relates to the division or dignity of persons expressed in that name, I quote from a celebrated author on the subject." These Cabalists (says he) also as❝serted, that the doctrine, (i. 2. of the Trinity) was "to be found in the very construction of the name « JEHOVAH. They observed, that, though the "name contains four letters, (whence it is called · τετραγραμματόν), there are but three different letters in its composition. Thus according to them,

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Jod, signifies the Father, the maker of all ❝ things; ↑ Vau, a conjunction copulative, denotes "the blessed Spirit, proceeding from the Father

and the Son conjointly; and He, implies the "Son of God. They have also a saying, that God "made all things in the letter He; alluding to

his creation of all things by the Word or Son

And lastly, that the is doubled in this name, to "demonstrate the two natures of the Messiah,? Serle's Horæ Solitaria, Vol. I. pages 476, 477, 3d. edition.

Now the reason why God the Father is to be addressed particularly in prayer: is,

2d. In a way of grace. God the Father, as

hath been observed before, sustaineth the honor of the whole offended Godhead. He is that consuming fire which burneth up his adversaries, and will rid himself eventually of all his enemies. The knowledge we have of God the Father is, that he is a jealous God, jealous for his honor with an exceeding jealousy and "with him is terrible ma'jesty," Job xxxvii. 22.

What we know of the other persons of the Godhead, is only in their office-relations for the good of man. Christ eternally loved his seed, and resolved to rescue them from a fore-known fall. The Spirit became his helper in this work, in unison with the tenor and conditions of a mutual covenant. But still the Father must maintain his justice, till the merits of Christ's death are by the Spirit applied to the soul. Thus all men come into this world, under the curse of a broken law: and though the elect are delivered virtually by Christ's death from the curse, even before they were born, being from all eternity put into Christ, by the fore-knowledge and purpose of the Father; yet are they not actually delivered therefrom in their own persons, till the renewing power of the Holy Spirit is put forth upon them, leading them to embrace the blood and righteousness of Christ, and to take comfort in what he hath done and suffered for them. Now when the soul is brought into this happy state, its addresses are to God the Father, whose justice required satisfaction for all its sins.

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