the gracious scheme of redemption. And just so far as the people of God understood the predictions of their prophets, respecting the Messiah, they too must have known and believed the plurality of Persons in the Deity.

But we find this, like many other great and important doctrines, more clearly revealed, by Christ and the Apostles, than it had been before, by the Prophets. Christ said a great deal about the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. He commended his apostles and their successors in the ministry, to baptize visible believers, in the name of this sacred Trinity. He promised to send the Holy Ghost, to comfort his disciples, and to convince and convert sinners, And he neglected no proper opportunity of teaching his hearers, that He his Father, and the Holy Spirit, were three equally. divine Persons, united in one God. After his death, his apostles strenuously maintained and propagated the same doctrine. The apostle John wrote his gospel with a principal view, to maintain the divinity and equality of each person in the Trinity. And in his second Epistle he expressly says, "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." The apostle Paul begins and ends all his Epistles, in the very spirit and language of the Trinity. It may suffice to mention one instance, in the close of his second epistle to the Corinthians. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen." These few passages of Scripture plainly show, that God has revealed himself to his people, in every age of the church, as existing in three Persons.

III. This leads us to inquire why we ought to address and worship the one true God, according to this personal distinction in the divine nature.

1. Here the first reason which occurs is, because we ought, in our religious devotions, to acknowledge every thing in God, which belongs to his essential glory. Much of his essential glory consists in his existing a Trinity in Unity; which is a mode of existence infinitely superior to that of any other beings in the universe. Though there is a wide difference in the powers and capacities; as well as moral characters, of intelligent creatures, yet we know of no difference in their mode of existence. Among the vast variety of created natures, no individual has ever been known, who existed in a plurality of persons. This mode of existence is peculiar to the one only living and true God, and constitutes one of the essential perfections of his nature. We ought, therefore, to acknowledge this as well as any other divine attribute, in our addresses to the Deity. It is the great design of religious worship, to give unto God all the honour and glory, which are due unto his name. There is precisely the same reason why we should address our Maker, as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one God in three Persons; as why we should address him, as the first, the greatest, the wisest, and the best of Beings.

2. We ought to address and worship God, according to the personal distinction in the divine nature, because we are deeply indebted to each person in the Godhead, for the office he sustains and the part he performs, in the great work of redemption.

The Father is by nature God, and by office, the Creator, Lawgiver, Governor, and Judge of the world. It is the Father in his official character, who formed the gospel scheme of salvation; who appointed Christ to be the Redeemer, and the Holy Ghost the sanctifier, of mankind; who created all things according to his eternal purpose in Christ Jesus; who gave the pro

hibition to Adam, and the law to Israel, who governed the world from Adam to Christ; and who will judge the world at the last day. Though any or all these works, may be ascribed to the Son and Spirit; yet they cannot be properly ascribed to either, in the same sense in which they are to be ascribed to the Father. Neither the Son, nor the Spirit, ever work officially with the Father; nor the Father officially with the Son, or Spirit. It is the peculiar and exclusive office of the Father, to foreordain all things, to create all things, to govern all things, and to give law and judgment to the whole intelligent creation.

The Son is by nature God, and by office, the Redeemer, Mediator, or Savior of the world. In this office, he has acted, and still acts, in subordination to the Father. According to his eternal appointment, he became personally united with human nature, took upon him the form of a servant, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, to make complete atonement for all mankind: and he now lives to intercede for the elect, and to overrule all things for their benefit.

The Holy Ghost is by nature God, and by office, the Sanctifier and Comforter of the heirs of salvation. In this office, he acts in subordination to the Son, as well as to the Father, and applies the atonement of Christ to those who were ordained to eternal life. He awakens their consciences, renews their hearts, and carries on a work of grace within them until he has made them meet for the kingdom of glory.

Thus each Person in the Godhead has laid us under distinct and peculiar obligations to himself, for what he has done to promote our salvation. We are indebted to the Father for bringing us into existence, and sending his Son to die for us. We are indebted to

the Son for his condescension and grace, in redeeming us to God by his blood. And we are indebted to the Holy Ghost for all he has done to form us vessels of mercy. This is a good reason why we should acknowledge and worship God as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and exercise those affections, which are correspondent to the obligations we are under to each of these divine Persons. Though we cannot form a clear and comprehensive idea of their Unity; yet we can form a clear and destinct idea of their Personality and Agency, which is all we need to know, in order to give each the glory which is due to his name.

3. We ought to address and worship the true God, according to the personal distinction in the divine nature, because this is necessarily implied in holding communion with him. It is owing to God's existing a Trinity in Unity, that he can hold the most perfect and blessed communion with himself. And it is owing to the same personal distinction, in the divine nature, that christians can hold communion with each and all the Persons in the Godhead. The inspired writers represent true believers as holding communion sometimes with the Father, sometimes with the Son, and sometimes with the Holy Ghost. Christ prayed, that all his followers might enjoy the same union and communion with him, which he enjoyed with the Father. The apostle John says, "Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." The apostle Paul tells christians, that "God is faithful, by whom they were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ." And again he says, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all." Christians may hold communion with the love of the Father in sending his Son; with the love of the Son in

suffering on the cross; and with the love of the Holy Ghost, in sanctifying their hearts. But they cannot hold communion with the Holy Ghost in sending the Son, for he did not send him; nor with the Father in suffering on the cross, for he never did suffer on the cross. This shows, that when Christians hold communion with God, they hold communion with each person in the Godhead distinctly. Their communion with the Father is not their communion with the Son, and their communion with the Son is not their communion with the Father, and their communion with the Spirit is not their communion with either Father or Son. They hold distinct communion with each Person in the sacred Trinity. It is, therefore, the belief and love of this doctrine, which lays the foundation for that holy and intimate communion with God, which will be the source of their highest enjoyment, both in time and eternity.

4. We are not only allowed, but constrained, to address and worship the true God, according to the personal distinction in the divine nature, because there is no other way, in which we can find access to the throne of divine grace. This important idea is plainly contained in the text. "For through him, that is, Christ, we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Our Savior expresses the same sentiment in stronger terms. "Jesus saith, I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." The Apostle represents believers as enjoying pardon, peace, and access to God, through Christ alone. "Therefore, being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. By whom we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God." As it was Christ who made atonement for sin, so it is only