be fellow heirs, and of the fame body and partakers of his promife in Chrift by the gospel.

OTHERS, by this wifdom of God in a myflery, understand the incarnation of the Son of God, and our reconciliation to the divine favor, by the blood of his crofs. This view of the paffage is fupported by the verfes immediately following: Which, mystery, none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

ALTHOUGH neither of thefe fignifications are altogether rejected, yet this wisdom of God may be confidered in a fenfe more extenfive, and as comprehending the whole counfel of God; all thofe treafures of wisdom and knowledge which were firft committed to the apoftles as ftewards in the fpiritual family, and through them to the minifters of reconciliation in different ages. The gofpel with its doctrines is emphatically called the wifdom of God, as it affords to all rational worlds the moft aftonishing difplay of Jehovah's prudence and knowledge: There he appears bringing the greatest good out of the greatest evil; perfect order out of the darkeft confufion, and overruling the fin of man to iffue in a more abundant revenue of glory to himself and happinefs to his redeemed. It is called the wifdom of God IN A MYSTERY, because the truths therein revealed are beyond the comprehenfion of the

The reafon of mortals

moft enlarged mind. could never have discovered these truths unless revealed, and even after they are revealed, it is infufficient fully to comprehend them. However unmeaning, or uninterefting thefe doctrines may appear to fome who are either too ignorant to understand, or too obftinate to acknowledge their excellence, yet by these are made known to principalities and powers the manifold wifdom of God; thefe exalted fpirits have been long and ardently searching into the mysteries of Godliness, but have been unable to explore them: the line of their created intelle&t is too fhort to fathom this profound although nearly fix thousand years have elapfed fince thefe higher orders of being commenced their research into the wonders of redemption, yet upon each new contemplation they are constrained to exclaim with greater transports of admiration and joy, O the depth of the riches both of the wifdom and knowledge of God; how unfearchable are his judgments, and

his ways paft finding out; For who hath known the mind of the Lord, or who hath been his counfellor For of him, and through him, and to him are all things; to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

THE meaning of this paffage appears evidently to be the following; that, in the everlasting gofpel, there are doctrines profoundly myfterious, utterly beyond our comprehenfion; yet thefe doctrines, however myfterious, ought to be

openly and boldly proclaimed by the ministers of Jefus.

WITHOUT purfuing any formal divifion of this fubject, I fhall aim at enumerating fome parts of this wisdom of God, which it is our duty, as ambaffadors of Chrift, to announce, although they may be truly myfterious and incomprehenfible.

ture.

1. THE exiftence of Three Perfons in the fame undivided Effence conftitutes a part of this wifdom or counfel revealed in the gofpel. The being of a God is evident from the light of naThere is perhaps not a nation under heaven, however rude and idolatrous, without fome impreffions of a Livine Being, and fome form of worship expreffing their dependence, upon him. Reafon, even unenlightened by revelation, fuggefts that there muft be fome "firft caufe" which produced all other caufes; fome uncreated, eternal BEING which gave existence to all other beings; yet reafon afcends no higher; although the may infer that there must be a God, it is peculiar to revelation to teach the manner of his existence; that in Jehovah there are three perfons, all diftin&t from each other, and yet ef fentially and indivifibly one; each fuftaining his peculiar office both in creation and redemption, and yet each concurring and operating with the others. There are three that bare record in hea

ven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, and these three are one.

THIS part of the wisdom of God is, without controverfy, an unfearchable mystery; that there fhould be three perfons exifting in one Jehovah ; each fubfifting diftinct from the other, and yet one in effence, and perfection, and glory; fo really one that in holding fellowship with either, we hold fellowship with the other two ; in afcribing worship to one, we offer worship to all; and in defpifing either we pour contempt upon all; and yet these adorable perfons are fo perfectly diftinct that they affume different names, and fuftain different offices: this doctrine although infinitely myfterious must be taught'; it is like the foundation of all other revealed doctrines and intimately concerns us as men and as chriftians. Redemption may be compared to a theatreon which we behold each divine person affuming a diftinct, particular office and acting a diftin&t, particular part. The Father is introduced as propofing the recovery of man; devising a fcheme by which the glories of the Godhead might be fecured, and our nature promoted to greater dignity and joy than if fin had not entered; he then folemnly ordains his own Son as Mediator, imputes to him the tranfgreffions of his people, confecrates him Lord of the new creation and promifes him many fons and daughters as a reward for his humiliation: we find the

Son, co-equal, co-eternal with the Father, cordially acquiefcing in the plan propofed, offering to affume the nature of man although degraded by fin, paying down the price demanded, and thus obtaining eternal redemption for his people. The Holy-Ghoft, the third perfon in the ever-bleffed Jehovah, undertakes to finish the fcheme of our falvation, to take poffeffion of the elect foul in the midft of its abominations, to renew and fanctify it throughout, and render it a fit inhabitant of the heavenly fanctuary. Such is the doctrine of revelation refpecting the Trinity of perfons in the God head; and to conceal this truth would be to throw a vail over the glories of redemption; to deny the effential existence of either, or their immediate agency in our falvation would be like knocking a pillar from beneath a building, the whole fabric must totter and fall.

2. THE unlimited dominion which Jehovah exercises over all his creatures; that abfolute, independent, adorable fovereignty with which he difpofes of them and their actions for the advancement of his own glory is also a part of this wifdom revealed in the gofpel. The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom ruleth over all. Every being whether rational or irrational; whether visible or invifible from the loftieft angel in heaven to the leaft atom which floats in the air, or the leaft infect which moves upon the earth is open to his view, up