with themselves. They know not their state, nor fear their danger, until the Holy Spirit according to his office proceed from the Father and the Son: then he convinces them of sin, of the exceeding sinfulness of it, of the guilt thereby incurred, and of the wrath deserved. He enlightens the understanding with a clear sight of those truths, and he fastens the conviction of them upon the conscience. Then they find, that they had been blind and ignorant, rebels in their wills, and apostates in their hearts from God. He makes them feel the corruption of their nature, and the error of their ways, in which, if they had gone on, they must inevitably have perished: for they were without will, and without power to return to God. When they were made to see it right, that they ought to return, and to repent, yet it was not their choice to come to him in the way of believing. They found they could not believe, unless it was given them from above. Faith is the gift of God. And cannot be received, but by the mighty operation of God. He must put forth his divine power, or else the convinced sinner will remain utterly helpless and hopeless shut up in unbelief.

Thus the Lord teaches all his children. He makes them acquainted with their fallen state, and sensible of their guilt and of their misery. He brings them to the right knowledge of the corruption of every faculty of soul and body, which are always inclining to evil, and incapable of doing any thing truly good. A corrupt tree can bring forth nothing but evil fruit. The judgment is enlightened to see this, the conscience is awakened to feel this, and thereby the convinced sinner is made willing to be taught the way of salvation. The Holy Spirit fulfils his office by teaching him the knowledge of God.

Our blessed Saviour declares, no man knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him; and this he does by the Holy Spirit of wisdom and revelation, who is therefore given to the

children of God, that they may know him and believe in him, as their reconciled Father in Christ Jesus. This saving knowledge is hid from the worldly wise and prudent, but is revealed unto the unlearned, whom the Holy Spirit has made simple and teachable people. To them he reveals the things of God. He makes them acquainted with the

Nature of the Godhead, which is one. There is one Jehovah, and there is none other. And also with the

Personality in the Godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit. These three exist in the one Jehovah. They took those names, not to describe their manner of existing, but their manner of acting; not what they are in themselves, but how they stand related to us in the œconomy of redemption: for the Eternal Three entered into covenant before all worlds, and agreed to sustain certain covenant-offices, and assume names, or characters, descriptive of their offices. Father is the title of that divine person, who, out of his infinite grace, gave an innumerable of sinners to his Son, upon concompany dition, that he would be maifested in the flesh, and would become their surety, to work out for them a righteousness in his life, and to make an atonement for them by his death, and then he would be his father, and their father. A co-equal and co-eternal Person accepted the condition, and covenanted to be made man, and to live and die for the many sons, whom he was to bring to glory; therefore he took the name of Son, Son of God, Son of Man, &c. Another co-equal and co-eternal Person covenanted to breathe life into them, to be to them the Spirit, or breath of life, that they might be regenerate from a death in trespasses and sins, and be made the children of God, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, therefore he is called throughout the scriptures the Spirit, or the breath of life. He makes them acquainted with the covenant as he has promised. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will show them his covenant," Psalmı

xxv. 14. He will open to them the nature and uncertainty of all covenant engagements for the establishment and growth of their faith. The covenant was ordered in all things and sure; it was ORDERED by the counsel and purpose of the Eternal Three, concerning the heirs of promise, whose salvation was settled by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, his counsel, his oath. His counsel the result of his infinite wisdom, confirmed by that sacred oath which cannot possibly be broken. All his perfections stand engaged to see the sovereign decree, thus solemnly ratified, car ried into execution; for what was ordered is SURE as the throne of Jehovah, unchangeable as his nature, durable as his being. Though it be but a man's cove nant, yet when it has been signed and sealed according to law, none disannulleth or addeth thereto. None can disannul God's covenant, and he himself will notMy covenant will I not break, says he, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips," Psalm lxxxix. 34. I will not add thereto, nor diminish from it: for I have ordered it in ALL things. I have not left one

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single thing out, not the least circumstance: I have settled the whole plan by mine unerring wisdom, and I will fulfil every title of it by mine almighty power. According to my will the course of nature and grace is infallibly directed, even the most minute events. Every hair is numbered. Not a sparrow falls but by my divine decree.

How safely then may the heirs of promise depend upon a covenant God? And whenever they flee to Jesus for refuge, what strong consolation may they draw from hence, that their salvation is fixed by the immutable counsel, and inviolable oath of the blessed Trinity!

The same divine teacher, who enabled them to be. lieve those truths for the farther establishment of their faith, led them to discover the FREENESS of all cove nant mercies. They are promised as free gifts. They are bestowed to the praise of the glory of free grace.

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They are not conferred upon the worthy, but upon enemies, upon the ungodly, upon sinners as sinners. conditions are required, no prerequisites are expected. The motives, which determine God to show mercy to snners, are not taken from any good in them, or foreseen to be in them. Not for works of righteousness which they have done, or can do; but according to his mercy he saveth them. He does all to the magnifying of the honours of his own mercy. His covenant was so contrived, carried into execution by the life and death of Jesus, applied by the Holy Spirit, that according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. No flesh shall glory in his presence. Boasting is for ever excluded; because all is of grace. Wisdom to teach the sinner saving knowledge, righteousness to justify him, strength to keep him, comforts to bless him, heaven to receive him, these are the free gifts of covenant love; for by grace is he saved through faith, and that not of himself, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast. Thus would the Lord hide pride from man, and would teach him practically such scriptures as this" Not for your sakes do I this, "saith the Lord, be it known unto you, but for mine "holy name's sake," Ezek. xxxvi.

Closely connected with this divine lesson is the FULNESS of covenant mercies. Every thing needful for the salvation of the sinner is fully, as well as freely provided by the exceeding riches of grace, and is treasured up by the Father's love in the fulness of the Son. To this the Spirit bears witness in the word of truth, and seals his witness upon the believer's heart. It pleased the Father that in the Word made flesh should ALL fulness dwell, and that out of his fulness his people should receive grace for grace. This is the infinite ocean. There is not a stream, not a drop of grace to be had, but from hence. Jesus Christ, as God-man, has it all in himself, and for the same end, as the head has the senses in itself. He has it to communicate to his members, a fulness of light and life, of sense and

understanding, of love and joy, yea of every spiritual blessing. On him as the head of the body, the church, every believing member is directed to live. On him must he depend at all times; and to him must he go for all things. If he seek pardon and peace, righteousness and holiness, a supply of his wants, strength for his warfare, comforts under his miseries, if he expect life in death, and life eternal, he must make continual use of the fulness of Jesus: for in him dwelleth ALL the fulness of the Godhead bodily. It dwelleth in him, as in an overflowing fountain. The Father's love to his adopted children, the experience of it by the grace of the Spirit, are entirely in and from the salvation of Jesus Christ. Out of his fulness come every covenant mercy of the God-head, and in a rich abundant stream always flowing with some blessing or other into the believer's soul. The enjoyment of it on his part may not be always alike comfortable, but it is always alike sure on God's part. Nothing can stop it. Nothing can turn its course. Unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. The river of the water of life proceeds out of the throne of God and of the Lamb, and it will be running on till it come back into its own ocean. The water that I will give him, says Jesus, speaking of the believer, shall be in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life, and bringing with it the fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore.

No man will see any reason to set out in the way to heaven, until he be made aquainted with those truths. His judgment must be enlightened with the knowledge of them. He will never think of changing his course, until he be made sensible of his own sinful and helpless state; and when this is brought home to his conscience, and he has nothing in himself left to trust in, then he will be led to look abroad for help. The Spirit of God will teach him the doctrines of grace, the nature of the God-head, the persons in the God-head, the covenant of the divine persons, by which every grace and blessing