"Father *." When it is said, "A virgin shall con❝ceive, and bear a son," it is said also, "they shall "call his name Emmanuel, that is, GOD WITH US +." He is the Lord, before whose face John the Baptist was sent : the LORD GOD foretold by Isaiah, who was to "feed his flock like a shepherd §." Of Jesus Christ it is affirmed by St. John, "This is "THE TRUE GOD, and eternal life |." St. Paul mentions "the appearance of the GREAT "GOD and our Saviour," or, "our GREAT GOD and "Saviour, Jesus Christ ¶," for it is he who shall appear to judge the world. Isaiah styles him, "Wonderful, Counsellor, the MIGHTY GOD ** ;” St. Paul again, "GoD over all, blessed for ever"more tt." In the Old Testament, Christ is frequently called JEHOVAH ‡‡, a name which can belong to no one but God. In the Revelation he is introduced as saying of himself," I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty §§.” * John i. 1. 14. ↑ Luke i. 76. | 1 John v. 20. ** Isa. ix. 6. By St. Paul he is styled + Matt. i. 23. Isa. xl. 10, 11. T Tit. ii. 18.; 1 Pet. i. 7. ++ Rom. ix. 5. # Jer. xxiii. 6. Zech. xii. 10. cited John xix. 37. Rev. i. 7. Isa. xl. 10. Rev. i. 8. "I cannot forbear recording it," says Dr. Doddridge, "that this text has done more than any other in the Bible "towards preventing me from going into that scheme, which "would make our Lord Jesus Christ no more than a deified "creature." A denial of the PRE-EXISTENCE must have seemed strange doctrine to HIM. Dr. Kippis, who was his pupil, when he comes to Dr. Doddridge's life, in the Biographia, will tell us, perhaps, what he thought of it. "the Lord of Glory ;" and by St. John, "King of "kings, and Lord of lords." And thus much for his titles. 66 As to his attributes, he is declared to be eternal, " without beginning of days, or end of life *;" unchangeable, remaining the same, when the heavens, and the earth, and all that is therein, shall be changed and pass away; "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for evert; knowing all things; knowing what is in man §; searching "the hearts and reins; present every where in "the midst of his people wherever assembled ¶," to hear the prayers put up at the same time from the different quarters and ends of the earth; which cannot be the case of saints or angels. 66 Of the actions ascribed to Christ, it may suffice to name four only. According to the Scriptures, he created the world by his power **: he governs it by his providence; how else can he superintend the concerns of his church? He redeemed it by his mercy and he will judge it at the last day. Surely no being less than Divine can be equal to works like these. When he shall appear on his throne, as the Judge of all the earth, who is the man that will refuse to worship him ††? * Heb. vii. 3. John xvi. 30. ; xxi. 17. | Rev. ii. 23. ** John i. 3. ; Heb. i. 10. + Heb. xiii. 8. ¶ Matt. xxviii. 20. ++ I do not see my Saviour only in " a few detached passages" of either Testament. I see him conducting the economy of the divine dispensations, through both, from the creation to the consummation of all things, as the the and Ο λογος τε Θεό. Dr. Allix and Mr. Taylor had both demon The Holy Spirit is described in Scripture as the immediate author and worker of miracles; the inspirer of the prophets and apostles; the searcher of all hearts, and the comforter of good Christians in difficulties. To lie to him is the same thing as to lie to God. Blasphemy against him is unpardonable. To resist him is the same thing as to resist God. He is in God, and knows the mind of God as perfectly as a man knows his own mind; and that in respect of all things, even the deep things of God. The bodies of men are his temple, and, by being HIS temple, are the temple of GOD. He is joined with God the Father, not only in the solemn form of Baptism, as we have seen above, but in religious oaths, and invocations for grace and peace; in the same authoritative mission and vocation of persons into the ministry: "The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul*." Must he not then be a PERSON? In a word, he is LORD, or JEHOVAH, and GOD, and LORD OF HOSTS t. To these testimonies for the Divinity of the Son and Holy Spirit I shall add only one observation more, namely, that in a great number of instances, the very same things are said, in different places of Scripture, of all the three divine Persons, and strated this point. It is only to be wished, the latter had drawn the conclusion drawn by the former-the just and proper conclusion-that the Person spoken of must indeed be VERY GOD. *Acts xiii. 2. + See the conclusion of Mr. Jones's Catholic Doctrine, &c. See also Dr. Ridley. The the very same actions ascribed to them. whole Trinity is said to be eternal, holy, true, living, and every where present; to have made man ; to instruct and illuminate him; to lead us, to speak to us, and to be with us; to give authority to the church; to sanctify the elect; to perform every divine and spiritual operation; and to raise the dead. Therefore, these three were, are, and will be, one God, from everlasting to everlasting †. Having now considered the doctrine of the Trinity as implied in the words of the text, and confirmed by the declarations of the Scriptures at large, I am to show, in the Third and last place, the interest we all have in the doctrine thus established; or, in other words, we have endeavoured to show what the three divine Persons are in themselves, and what relation they bear to each other, let us now inquire what they are, and what relation they bear to us, and what are the duties on our side, resulting from that relation; the benefits conferred by them, and the return, in love, honour, and gratitude, due from us. : * See the conclusion of Mr. Jones's Catholic Doctrine, &c. + Such being the fact, all disputation concerning the manner of the Distinction, the manner of the Union, the manner of the Generation, and the manner of the Procession, is needless and fruitless needless, because if we have divine authority for the fact, it sufficeth; that is all we are concerned to know; fruitlessly, because it is a disputation without ideas: after a long, tedious, intricate, and perplexed controversy, we find ourselves -just where we were-totally in the dark. Such has been the case respecting this and other questions. God is pleased to reveal the fact; man insists upon apprehending the mode; in his present state he cannot apprehend it; he therefore denies the fact, and commences unbeliever. Many apprehend the doctrine of the Trinity to be what is called a SPECULATIVE doctrine only, that is to say, a doctrine, concerning which men may. think, and conjecture, and reason, and dispute, for their amusement, but of no effect or importance in a religious life. This is a considerable mistake in judgment; and to prove that it is so, let us only ask one question, What is the doctrine of most importance to man in his religious concerns? Undoubtedly it is that of his redemption from sin and sorrow, from death and hell to righteousness and joy, immortality and glory. But of such redemption what account do the Scriptures give us? By whom was the gracious scheme originally concerted, and afterwards carried into execution? Was it not by the three Persons of the ever blessed, and adorable Trinity? It was not an after-thought, a new design, formed upon the transgression and fall of our first parents. That event was foreseen, and provision made accordingly. For upon the very best authority we are informed, that Christ was "the "Lamb slain from the foundation of the world *;" that is (for it cannot be otherwise understood,) slain in effect, in the divine purpose, and counsel. It is likewise said, that "grace was given us in "Christ Jesus" before the world began t." The words intimate, that previous to the creation of the world, something had passed in our favour above; that the plan of our future redemption was then laid; that some agreement, some cove *Rev. xiii. 8. † 2 Tim. i. 9; Tit. i. 2. |