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CHAP. I..

Of the eternal designs of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost towards the elect; with some account of their distinct and respective outgoings of love towards them in Christ Jesus from everlasting.

TH

HE great and incomprehensible God is efsentially and ineffably holy, happy, blefsed, and glorious. His nature is a fountain of infinite perfection. He is life itself-eternity itselflove itself blefsednefs itself. He is the "blefsed and only potentate, the king of Kings, and lord of Lords, who only "hath immortality". His happiness arises from the knowledge which he hath of his own efsential nature, person, and perfections. Nothing can be added unto him: for, "Of him, and through "him, and to him are all things: to "whom be glory for ever. Amenb.

a ""

From the in-being, society, and mutual converse, held between the eternal Three in the one Jehovah, flows that life of joy and blifs, which belongs to God alone. The efsential union between the persons in the eternal Godhead is incommunicable; and the communion, a 1 Tim. vi. 15, 16. b Rom. xi. 36.

which they had from everlasting with each other, is incomprehensible. Yet, we may venture to say, their communion consists in the eternal life of the three persons among themselves;-in the common interest and propriety which they have in each other-in reciprocal affection, communication, and enjoyment-in an equal knowledge of each other-in an alternate communication of each other's mind in mutual love and delight, and in their pofsefsion of one common and equal glory and blefsednefs. "The Father loveth the Son." "The Sou loveth the Fatherd." And exprefs mention is made of the love of the Spirit by the apostle Paul. Our Lord says, "When he, the Spirit of truth, is

come, he will guide you into all truth, "for he shall not speak of himself; but "whatsoever he shall hear, that shall "he speak; and he will shew you things 66 to come. He shall glorify me: for he "shall receive of mine and shall shew it "unto you; all things that the Father "hath are mine: therefore said I, that "he shall take of mine, and shall shew "it unto you." The name exprefsive of the incommunicable nature the Lord God claims as peculiarly his own. "That "men may know that thou, whose name

c John iii. 35.
e Rom. xv. 30.

d John xiv. 31. f John xvi. 13, 14, 15.

"alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high "over all the earths." And he saith, "I am the LORD, (or JEHOVAH) that "is my name". JEHOVAH is the incommunicable name exprefsive of the divine efsence. It signifies the efsence existing or subsisting. JEHOVAH is the being necefsarily existing of and from himself with all actual perfection originally in his efsence. This incomprehensible and incommunicable name is given to the Eternal Three as subsisting in the infinite efsence by the seraphim in Isaiah. "Holy, holy, holy, "is the Lord of Hosts." This name is attributed to each of the divine persons. -To the Father*.-To the Son'. See Isaiah's vision, which is concerning Christ, as appears from John". This incommunicable name also is given him by the Psalmist, by whom his eternity and immutability are at the same time most positively afserted". Moreover, this same incommunicable name is given to the eternal Spirit. It is well known, the word LORD, in the Old Testament, when printed in our Bibles in large ca pitals, signifies JEHOVAH. "It would

i Isaiah vi. 3.

m Ch. xii. 41.

8 Psalm lxxxiii. 11. Isaiah xlii. Isaiah xlii. 5, 6. 1 Isaiah vi. 5. Psalm cii. 25, 26, 27. compared with Heb. i.

10, 11, 12.

o Jer. xxxi. 33. compared with Heb. x. 15, 16, 17.

1

be almost endlefs to quote all the passages of scripture, wherein the name JEHOVAH is applied to CHRIST: let those therefore, who own the scriptures as the rule of faith, and yet doubt his ESSENTIAL DIVINITY, only compare, in the original scriptures, the following texts in the margin, and, I think, they cannot mifs of a scriptural demonstration, that JESUS is JEHOVAH." So speaks the truly excellent Mr. Parkhurst in his Hebrew and English Lexicon. As each of the divine persons is incomprehensibly LORD and GOD, so they have an equal propriety to and in this ineffable name JEHOVAH. The union, in-being, and communion, which subsist betwixt the efsential and undivided Trinity, are far beyond, and will everlastingly exceed all created understanding. The eternal Three, who are by efsential union one in efsence, enjoy their life, blessedness, glory, and immortality from the knowledge which they have of that infinite Godhead in which they exist; and in the mutual love, solace, and delight,

Isaiah vi. 1-5. with John xii. 41. Isaiah xlv. 24, 25. and Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. with Acts xiii. 39. 1 Cor. i. 30, 31. vi. 11. Isaiah xl. 3. with Matt. iii. 1-3. Mark i. 3. Luke iii. 3, 4. John i. 23. Mal. iii. 1. with Mark i. 2, 3. Isaiah xliv. 6. with Rev. i. 17, 18. Joel ii, 32. or iii. 15, 16. with Rom, x, 13.

which they have in each other. Though the divine Trinity have a distinct mode of subsisting in the self-existing efsence, yet they are not three, but one God: 66 The Lord our God is one Lord"." They are three in person, one in Godhead. "There are three that bear re"cord in Heaven, the Father, the Word, "and the Holy Ghost, and these three "are one." The will of the eternal Three is one. It is the distinct acts of the divine will in each of the divine persons as displayed in the works of creation, providence, and grace, which give evidence of their joint concurrence and distinct operations in the economy thereof. The efsential life, the infinite blefsedness, and glory of Godhead cannot be communicated to creatures. JEHOVAH is the fountain and spring of his own efsential and everlasting blessednefs. It is in himself without increase or decrease. He lives his own life, works his own will, and fills all worlds, creatures, and things with his immensity. He is all in all, and he filleth all in all. It pleased him to will the discovery of his majesty, and to manifest his goodnefs and glory by the revelation of his nature, personalities, and perfections; so that creatures migh partake of a derived and communicated goodnefs and happi

P Deut. vi. 4.

9 1 John v. 7.

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