good work of the Lord's hand-maids. Many a Mary has been fuccefsfully employed in the honorable and bleffed work of training them to duty; of teaching them the holy art of fervice and fuffering, of faith and patience; and in giving them, as it were, their first a nointing with the oil of the fanctuary.

Thus David, in relation to this part of the divine will, confidered himself the woman's fon, Pfalm lxxxvi. 16. Give thy ftrength unto thy fervant, and fave the Son of thine handmaid. Again, Pfalm cxvi. Oh, Lord, truly I am thy fervant, I am thy fervant, and the fon of thy hand-maid: And fo, king Lemuel acknowledged, that he was trained to the fear of God, and taught to know his vows by his mother. The words of king Lemuel, the prophecy that his mother taught him; What, my fon? and what, the son of my womb? and what, the fon of my vows? But when Mary had come to the fepulchre, prepared to anoint the dear body of her Lord there, and met with him rifen, and was about to embrace him, as often before she had held his blessed feet, it was refused, as it was not meet the fhould do this, whilft he had not afcended to his Father: for his fecond anointing, as it related to his glory, mult be given in the eternal embrace of his Father.

By this anointing, in the first inftance, the power of God is laid upon his elect people, to fubject them to his law; to give them repentance, and to work faith in them; and in the fecond, they are invefled with the prerogatives, empowered with the gifts, and

made partakers of the inheritance of the kingdom of God, as faith the Evangelift, But as many as received him, to them gave he pow er to become the Sons of God, even to them that believed on his name. John i. 12.-And again, But this fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fhould receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jefus was not yet glorified. John vii. 39-For the law was given by Mofes, but grace and truth came by Jefus Chrift: And the church, to which Mofes miniftered, is therefore cha racterized as a woman:-And she being with child, cried, travelling in birth, and pained to be delivered-and fhe brought forth a manchild; and the remnant of her feed are alfo characterized as being men. Rev. xii.

Facts may be fo great as to overfill and fwallow up the created mind; yet they may beinveftigated, they can be known; and thus, fays the apostle, That ye being rooted and grounded in love; may be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge. Eph. in. And when we trace up this grace to its eternal fource, it is found to exist in a matter of fact; in the view of which, with wonder and adoration, all faints may contemplate, may I be allowed to fay, comprehend, the breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the love of God; and, by which, they may measure the breadth and length of eternity; take the foundings of the greateft deep, and the highest altitudes of heaven.

God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft, is thus glorified by one act; which is the fame that glorifies his people.—In this anointing, the inaugurator is made Father. and is glorified by the riches of his gift; the inaugurated is made Lord and Christ, and is glorified by being fet upon the holy hill of Zion; and the oil, the confecrating agent, receives the facred name of Holy Ghoft, and is also glorified by being poured fo abundantly upon the Holy One, and by his power in the difpenfation of Chrift. And by the fame anointing of the glorious Head, his church is created, his body is formed; receives its name of the church, his body, &c, and is alfo glorified by being perfected therewith in the knowledge of Chrift, and filled with all the fullnefs of God.-This, all this, we may underftand and enjoy, whilft unceasingly we are conftrained to cry, O the depth! O the unfearchable riches!

6. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, and these three are one, 1 John v. 7.-This record undoubtedly relates to the divine principle: and it being confidered in this view, affords not merely a proof of the existence of a matter of record, in which three persons are acting together, and are one; but also, it affords an illuftration of the distinct parts of the divine will, and of the particular part which each perfon of the Trinity bears in the great and folemn tranfaction,

The record is borne in heaven by the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft.-The

Father beareth it by conftituting the Lord Christ, in that covenant of his, which, in effect, exhibits him as the foundation and head of all worlds: This is done by his bringing him into the world, and faying, Let all the ange's, or fervants of God worship him; particularly, this is done in the world of nature by declaring him to be the Beginning—in the world of grace, declaring him to be the angel, or fervant whom he will uphold, because his name is in him-and in the world of glory, faying, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleafed, hear ye him:-The Word beareth it in that free consent of Chrift to the divine covenant or will, which, in effect, manifesteth the commandment, eternal life or glory of the Father-This is done by his performing the covenant work, and receiving the promised reward:-And the Holy Ghoft beareth it by being the agent in confecrating Chrift to the divine altar, and in being given unto him as the Holy Spirit of promife, which, in effect, bare him through his most arduous work as a fervant, and rewardeth and glorifieth him as the Son of God—This is done by his defcending and remaining upon him, and operating under him.

Some have objected against the authority of this text, and would confider it as an interpolation in the fcriptures, as it is not found in fome copies of the New Teftament; but it is useless to make this objection, whilft the declaration is found to be in fuch perfect agreement with the whole body of the word of God, and the facts fet forth are seen to be R

true. A matter of record is plainly one of those transactions between parties, the nature of which, as we have fully illuftrated, neceffarily supposes a Trinity: and certainly the parties concerned in fuch a matter, may be one in will. It is faid of a man and his wife, that for the cause of marriage, they twain shall be one flesh; this, doubtlefs, may be underflood: Again, it is faid, that he that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit, i. e. he is one with the Lord; the meaning of this is plain: And here, it is faid, that these three are one; the fenfe of which is equally obvious. It is a known fact, that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, do bear record to the truth of Chrift; it is known, alfo, that this is the matter of the divine will, and that these three are one in this great concern. Therefore, whether the text be an interpolation or not, we know it is the truth.

And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood and thefe three agree in one. 1 John v. 8. It will be obferved, that this witneifing in earth is merely the effect, or unfolding of the divine principle, or record in heaven; and is the theory we have already contemplated, Different views are offered of the fame fubject, in order to render it more familiar.

This witneffing in earth, which compreheads the whole divine exhibition, agrees in one, i. e. the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood, which are the expreffions of the divine will, in the three flates of the creation; agree in witneffing, or proving, that the re