glory, God over all, bleffed (i. e. effentially bleffed in the pof feffion of himself) for evermore; to him be glory and dominion, for ever and ever. Thus, my dear Friendly, I have fhewn to you wherein CHRIST is the object of my faith, hope, truit, adoration, love, and joy, as he ftands in unity of effence with the FATHER, and the HOLY GHOST, the one living and true GOD; for when I view the UNITED ONE to be an incomprehenfible, glorious nature, felf-fubfifting in three divine perfons, naturally poffeffed of all divine perfections, I am at once fatisfied with divine revelation, 1 John v. 7. For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and Holy Ghoft, and that these three are one..

Friendly. I am pleafed, delighted, and established in this effential truth, by your elucidation thereof; but is not CHRIST, confidered as God-man, the proper object of faith?

Truth. Yes, for we have no revelation of CHRIST under any other confideration than as incarnate; for the first promife of him was as the feed of the woman, and all the promises that fpeak of him, declare him under this character; the adumbrations under the law point him out, as the Lamb flain from the foundation of the world; the prophecies, and predictions of him, not only declare him to be the mighty God, and everlasting Father; but also the Prince of Peace, elect, precious.

Farther, as we never had any knowledge of God, but by CHRIST, fo I believe that all the knowledge which we fhall enjoy of the glorious perfections of the Godhead, will thine with refulgent rays through the man JESUS, as he ftands for ever in perfonal union with GOD; fo that seeing him face to face, will confift in a perfect enjoyment of all the radiant perfections of the Godhead, fhining upon us in the face of JESUS, for he is the Sun of Righteoufnefs, whofe divine blifs fills all Heaven with joy! O glorious fight! O happy vifion! tranfporting view! and overcoming wonder! Amen, even fo come Lord Jefus, come quickly.

What glory fills the happy mind
Of Saints no more in clay confin'd,
But raised to realms of blifs;
They fing the fong for ever new,
And praife their GOD, as Angels do,
And dwell where JESUS is.

When shall the happy time appear,
That I fhall join among them there,
And feel thy glory thine

In all the fweets of fov'reign grace,
And fee the Godhead in thy face,
In raptures all divine?

When freed from earth, when freed from fin,
Then fhall I drink new glories in

The depths of JESU's blood,

Whose bleeding heart, I'll then adore,
And praise his name for evermore,

That brought me near my God.

LORD, fet my foul, the prifoner free,
To leave the world, and come to thee,
From all my grief and care,
To join the fong around the throne,
The joy on earth fo little known,
And fing in tranfports there.

Friendly. But was there an abfolute neceffity for the union of the human nature with the divine, to conftitute CHRIST a proper object of our faith?

Truth. Yes, It was abfolutely neceffary that the object of our faith, be GOD and Man infeparably united, though diftinctly dwelling in one perfon.

Firft, The very fame nature that finned, muft obey, and fuffer for finners in their room and ftead, the juft for the unjust, foul for foul, body for body, and life for life.

Secondly, The fame nature that tranfgreffed, may by virtue of its union with the divine nature, make an atonement; and thus two natures, human and divine, were abfolutely neceffary in one perfon, one to obey and fuffer, and the other to render that obedience and fufferings infinitely available, both to GoD From hence we infer, that all the merit, worth, and value of CHRIST's fufferings arife from the dignity of his divine nature, which diffufed a value through the whole of his obedience, every way anfwerable to law and juftice, and fecured faivation for his people.

Thirdly, The divine nature was neceffary for him, to effect the work of regeneration with life and power in the heart, nothing less than Omnipotence can quicken the foul that is dead in trefpaffes and fins; and the human nature, by its fufferings and death, was neceffary, as a channel, or paffageway, to communicate this divine grace to the foul. Now

IMMANUEL is the only perfon to be found in Heaven or earth, who hath the nature of GOD and mah, effentially dwelling in him, ftiled in scripture, Immanuel, God with us; God manifeft in the flesh. This renders him an adorable object of our faith, hope, and confidence, Eph. iii. 15, &c. Of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, therefore I would appropriate the apoftolical prayer in your behalf, that be would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be ftrengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, that Chrift may dwell in your heart by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all Saints, what is the breadth and length, and depth and heighth; and to know the love of Christ, which paffeth knowledge, that ye may be filled with all the fulness of God.

Friendly. What is faith compared to, in the word of God? Truth. To an eye, an hand, an ear, a mouth, feet, and likewife to wings; by which comparisons the HOLY GHOST illuftrates the usefulness of faith.

First, The HOLY GHOST compares faith to an EYE, Heb. xii. 2. Looking unto Jefus, therefore faith CHRIST, look unto me all ye ends of the earth. And again, they hall look upon me, whom they have pierced and mourn. Now the ufe of the eye is to dif cern the way before us; fo the eye of faith difcerns, that CHRIST by his perfon, blood, and obedience, is the way of life, to GoD and glory, the confecrated way within the vail, the new and living way, and that there is no coming unto the FATHER but by him; he was the way promised to our forefathers, pointed out to them by shadows and types, and clearly difcovered as the MessIAH by the predictions and prophecies of him, to him give all the prophet's witness, that whosoever be lieved in his name, fhould receive remiffion of fins.

Secondly, The ufe of the eye is to difcern danger, fo the foul by the eye of faith fees its mifery by fin, the fpirituality of the law, and condemnation thereby, that it was by the law deprived of all hope of falvation by its obedience thereunto, for, by the deeds of the law no flesh living can be justified in the fight of God.

Thirdly, The ufe of the eye is not only to difcern the way, but the right way from the wrong, or the danger of by-paths; fo the eye of faith, or the spiritual understanding of the foul, difcerns the danger of the wrong ways, not only of pride ho nour, ambition, fenfuality, and vain delights, but the by-paths of felf-confidence, whether it be in goodness, charity, almsgiving; or religious-felf, such as fafting, praying, reading,

hearing, and enjoying the ordinances of God's houfe. Now the tpiritual mind difcerns the danger, fees the diftruction. which will enfue by going thefe ways, and of trufting to any thing that it can do for falvation, Eph. ii. 9. For by grace are ye faved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, left any man should boast.

Fourthly, The use of the eye is to difcern the worth and value of a thing; fo the eye of faith looks unto Jefus, and difcerns fomething of the infinite worth of his perfon, as having all the glories of the divine and human nature dwelling in him, which renders him the chiefest among ten thousand, and altogether lovely; the object of its hope, truft, and stay, because he is the mighty God, as well as the Prince of Peace, therefore a fure foundation for ever and ever; and makes faith exclaim, whom have I in Heaven but thee! and there is none upon earth that I defire befides thee.

The eye of faith difcerns fomething of the worth of the word of God, the grand treasure of Heaven, the fpring of life, the door of hope, the fountain of knowledge, the volume of divine love, a revelation of the mind and will of God, making wife unto faivation by faith in JESUS CHRIST, containing therei every thing neceflary for us to know and enjoy, a lamp to lighten us, a ftaff to fupport us, bread to ftrengthen us, wine to refresh us, and life and comfort to quicken and fupport us. Now the eye of faith difcerns the worth of the word of tion, by finding that it contains every mercy, peace, grace, and glory, that it wants for time and eternity, and fays with the Pfalmift, how precious are thy thoughts unto me, O God, bow great is the fum of them: and with the Prophet Jeremiah, baa I found thy word, and I did eat it; and it was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my beart,

The eye of faith difcerns the preciousness of the SAVIOUR'S blood, as flowing from his heart as an atonement for fin, in union to the deity, by virtue of which union it hath infinite worth, and eternal value, as it opens a fure way of access to GOD, and liberty to enter in within the vail, and cry Abba, Father; it difcerns its power to procure peace with God, to cleanse the foul, to heal the wounds fin has made, to free from wrath, and to fecure redemption for ever, Heb. ix. 12. Having obtained eternal redemption for us.

The eye of faith, being fixed upon JESUS, difcerns an ineffable value in the bleffings and promifes of the word of God, as they re difplayed by infinite wifdom, in a way of infinite

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love to loft finners, containing every thing fuitable to the foul's wants and neceffities; righteousness to adorn, grace to fupply, ftrength to fupport, comforts to revive, victories to rejoice in, and triumphs beyond the grave. In fhort, the bleffings and promises of the word of God, are the springs, ftreams, and rivulets of divine love, at which the foul drinks of love better than wine, while paffing through this dry and thirsty land, lifts up its head with joy, and goes on its way rejoicing in hope of the glory of GOD, unto us are given exceeding great and precious promifes, whereby we are made partakers of the divine nature.

The eye is as a window, or cafement, to let in light and knowledge to the body; fo the eye of faith is as a window to convey the light of life, and the knowledge of divine things to the foul; hence it is, that the foul grows in grace and in the knowledge of our LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST. This is the knowledge that St. John speaks of, 1 John v. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we might know him that is true. And we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jefus Chrift. This is the true God and eternal life.

Faith is compared to an HAND, as fays the fpoufe, Cant. iii. 4. I held him and would not let him go. Says CHRIST, Ifa. xxvii. 5. Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall make peace with me. And faith the Apoftle, Heb. 6. 18. who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope fet before us. Now the ufe of the hand is to receive from the hands of him that has a right to give; fo the hand of faith receives from CHRIST, who is exalted as a Prince and Saviour, to give every bleffing of the new covenant.

Here I would beg leave to correct a general mistake among divines, which in their exhortations they are commonly guilty of, viz. in exhorting their hearers to apply the blood of CHRIST, the promises, and the comforts contained therein to their own fouls, when it is no more in their power to apply thefe bleffings to themselves, than it is in the power of a beggar to apply the bleffings to himself that he is begging for, at the door; for he muft wait the pleasure of the donor to give, and then it is the proper ufe of his hand to receive, not to apply. Now the Chriftian is a beggar, or humble fupplicant, at the throne of grace, whofe duty it is, there to wait until it is the pleasure of CHRIST to give the bleffings which the foul feeks for, who fays, John xiv. 27. Peace Ileave with you, my peace I give unto you. Then faith receives what CHRIST by