casions inverted; e. g. in St. Paul's often quoted benediction to the Corinthians; The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you: and in the following passage of the same Apostle; there are diversities of gifts, but the fame Spirit ; and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord; and there are diverfities of operations, but it is the fame God which worketh all in all.* And, in other places, the fame inversion is observable with regard to the first and second persons; Ye know, says the Apostle, that no whoremonger, nor unclean peron, &c. bath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Now our Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF, fays the same Apostle, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, comfort your hearts, &c. No man, says our Lord, knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father fave the Son, and be to whom the Son will reveal him. To this we may add the introduction of St. Paul's epistle to the Galatians; Paul, an Apostle, not of men, neither by man,

*

1 Cor. xii. 4. † Ephef. v. 5.

‡ Matt. xi. 27.

but

but by Jefus Christ, and God the Father, who hath raised him from the dead, &c. From these instances we may at least draw this inference, that the general priority of order above mentioned imports no diftinction, or preeminence of effence.

The root, ground, or fountain of essence may be acknowledged to be in the Father, without the least prejudice to the Trinitarian doctrine, which supposes an ETERNAL Communication to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. The terms root and fountain, &c. are customary indeed, but by no means strictly proper, or precisely descriptive. They are familiar, not to our ideas, but to our ears. When we speak of, or contemplate the Divine nature, absolutely, and without reference to particular dispensations, God the Father is generally the first in our conception, as far as he can be the object of conception, but not to the exclusion of the Divine nature either of the

Son or Holy Ghost. In these dispensations, in the heavenly economy, we have a manifest and obvious reason for addressing our prayers and petitions, public and private, for the most part, to the first Person of the Holy Trinity. In short, the terms Father and Son, under which it has pleased infinite wisdom, by way of analogy, to represent this mysterious relation to our minds; these terms imply nothing more than nominal preeminence and fubordination: if the Anti-trinitarian should insist that they do imply more, and ask what we mean by eternal generation, or proceffion, we will answer him the moment we are told what he means by eternal effence itself. (g)

Again. The Father is commonly represented to us under the character of the maker, the governor, preferver, and judge of the world; the Son under that of our redeemer, advocate, and saviour; the Holy Ghost under that of our guide, comforter, and fanctifier; and yet these characters, we shall fee, with the names, properties, and attributes of the Deity, are frequently reciprocated. Thus, in the following places among others, the office of Redeemer is ascribed in

express

:

expess terms to the first person; or, if you please, to God absolutely confidered. God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.* My Joul shall rejoice which thou hast redeemed.† So likewife in numberless passages the Father is styled Saviour. To instance only a few. There is no God elfe befide me, a just God, and a Saviour. ‡ Paul, an apostle, &c. by the commandment of God our Saviour, § &c. We trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men. To the only wife God our Saviour be glory and majesty now and ever ||. And again; the work of sanctification is indifcriminately said to be the work of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Thus our bodies are sometimes called the temple of God, and sometimes of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle declares, that it is God which worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. The same Apostle prays, that the very God of peace may fanctify the Thessalonians; and make his Hebrew converts perfect in every good work to do his will, working in them that which is well-pleasing in his fight; and, not to multiply examples, St. Jude addresses his general Epistle to those that are fanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Chrift. To which we may add, that the Father hath sometimes other titles and characters given him which belong more peculiarly to the Holy Spirit, and is called the God of confolation, and the God of all comfort; as, according to one Apostle, all fcripture is given by inspiration of God; while we are assured by another, that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.*

Again. We find all the great properties and characters of the first Person frequently attributed to the second. In a passage in Ifaiah he is even called the (b) everlasting Father.† And (to lay no stress upon prophetic phraseology) is not the first person the supreme God,

a self-exiftent, independent Being, the creator, the governor, and preserver of the world?

+ The Father of the everlasting age. Bp. Lowth.

So