and fatisfies the defires of every living thing, and from the tefti of God, who is feated in the fame throne with God the Father; and the holy inhabitants of Heav-mony of fcripture, that the good en will afcribe equal bleffing and honor and glory and power unto the Lamb, for ever and ever, as unto him that fitteth on the throne. But nothing can exprefs, not even the word of God itself, to our apprehenfions, the fulness of his excellency and glory. Let praise then fit filent on our tongues....... We may now accompany the Pfalmift in his words on this fubject addreffed to God, in the 8th Pfalm: "Out of the mouth of "babes and fucklings haft thouor"dained ftrength because of thine "enemies, that thou mighteft ftill "the enemy and the avenger:" or, as they are quoted by Chrift in the xxi. Chap. of Matthew, "Out of the mouth of babes and "fucklings thou haft perfected ·❝praifé." Thus I have endeavored to prove the moral perfection or goodness of God, from that faculty common to men by which we difcern the difference between right and wrong in moral conduct from the nature of the actions, conscience approves, as promoting; and of thofe actions, which confcience disapproves, as injuring the common interests of fociety; combined with the confideration, that God has connected delight with the practice of the former, and remorfe with the practice of the latter, by a law which gives a foretaste of its own fanctions-from the abfurdity of the fuppofition that God, if a malevolent being, would give a faculty to creatures to difcern his own moral deformity, and fo to lay them under obligation to hate him-from the laws, by which God governs the natural world, nefs of God is proved by his tures and things in the natural and in the moral world; the hearts of all are in his hand, and he turneth them as the rivers of water are turned. Many devices are in the heart of man, but the counfel of the Lord that shall ftand. The fin, the misery, the infirmities and imperfections of creatures, are effential in his plan of declaring the character of God; they are effential to his own manifeftation in the flesh; and to the exiftence of fuch a character as EMMANUEL GOD WITH US. This glorious character is the power of God and the wisdom of God; he is the ONLY BEGOTTEN of the Father full of grace and truth. In him the wrath of God is re vealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; he has perfectly declar cial obfervers efteem defects or blanks in the creation-in the fin and utter and eternal deftruction of Lucifer fon of the morning, with his host of rebel angels, who, at first, were probaby the nobleft creatures of God, and the fovereign difcrimination between them and thofe who kept their firft eftate-in the fall of man, the loweft order of rational creatures, to the depth of mifery and wretchedness, and his recovery, by Chrift, to the fublimeft heights of creature happiness and glory, even to fit down with him in his throne, as he is fet down with the Father in his throne-in the riches of divine grace manifested in the origin, developement, and completion of the plan of recovery in general, and particularly in the events of God's common providence-in the objects of Di-ed by his work as MEDIATOR the vine mercy, whether individuals or nations—in the discipline which God has chofen to train up his people for the heavenly inheritance and in the inftruments which he has employed in falvations, from time to time, wrought out for his people, and particularly in the great falvation of the gofpel. love of God and the righteousness of God. In him mercy and truth have met together, righteousness and peace have kiffed each other. And through him will the beauty and glory of the ONLY LIVING GOD be feen and enjoyed forever by the holy inhabitants of heaven. Thus he is the brightness of God's glory and the exprefs image of his perfon. The existence of fin and mifery then is as important as the existence, manifeftation and eternal duration of fuch a character. Again, I will close with the following remarks. God is in himself invisible to creatures, except in his operations and acts; indeed, the character of no agent whatever can be difcerned by creatures, in- No event whatever, confidered tuitively; they are known by as the fruit of divine agency, their operations and acts only. fhuns the feverest scrutiny of reaNo man hath feen God at any fon. The general good requires time; the only begotten Son, that fome creatures fhould be vefwho is in the bofom of the Fa-fels of mercy prepared unto glory, ther, he hath declared him; and and others veffels of wrath fitted he hath declared him by his to deftruction; and the foverworks of creation, providence and eignty of God, in fo difpofing, is redemption. All events, without a holy, wife and good fovereignty. diftinction, are the fruit of his Whatever objections then we find agency; he operates in all crea- in our hearts to fuch a disposal | muft origniate from fin, and not from reafon. As we have nothing to object then on the ground of reafon it becomes us to be humble for the perverfe oppofition we experience to the fovereignty of God in our depraved hearts, and to bow to the dominion of God only wife; faying with Mofes: “ He is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are judgment, a God of truth, and | 'without iniquity: juft and right 'is he." I In this feeble attempt to trace the perfection of God's work, have chiefly attended to fuch parts of it as inconfideration or perverfenefs are apt to pronounce blemishes. If I have in any good measure fucceeded in vindicating thefe from fo foul an afperfion, and jultified the ways of God, I fhall have attained an important object in view, and especially if I have shown with fatisfactory evidence, that they are an important medium of proof of the truth of this propofition, That there is none good but one, that is God: for this is a truth, of all others the moft important, as it lies at the foundation of the happiness of God's kingdom, and of his own eternal praife. OMICRON. BY On the comfort of the Holy Ghaft. Y the comfort of the Holy Ghoft, we may underfand all that fpiritual fupport, refreshment and joy, which the people of God experience in confequence and by virtue of their union to Chrift by faith. The term comfort which is nearly fynonymous with confolation, prefuppofes affiction, or diftrefs; but implies that fome agreeable object, or truth is prefented to the mind which gives relief and fupport. Thus it is ufed in the following | expreffions in facred writ.Therefore brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and diftrefs, by your faith."-" God-who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them who are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. " The comfort experienced by Chriftians, in all their tribulation, is from the Holy Ghost as the author, or efficient caufe; and is therefore called, Acts ix. 31. "The comfort of the Holy Ghoft." Agreeably to this, Chrift, when he promised to his difciples to fend them the Holy Spirit, denominated him the Comforter. "I will pray the Father, and he fhall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth.” It is true the scriptures reprefent God the Father as the author and giver of all comfort; and the Son alfo, as being anointed "to bind up the broken hearted, and comfort all that mourn." But notwithstanding thefe reprefentations, and in perfect confistency with them, the Holy Spirit, in the economy of redemption, is "the Comforter"-the author of all comfort to the children of God. The Father comforts; but it is by his Spirit, even the | Comforter. Chrift alfo comforts and binds up the broken hearted; but it is by the efficiency of the Holy Spirit.-The Spirit of God is the great agent, in the new creation and every thing which pertains to it. He is the author of regeneration to the elect-of fandlification to the regenerateof comfort to the fanctified-and of all the gifts for edification which in the divine wisdom and fovereignty are bestowed upon the church. He applies the redemption purchased by Chrift, to all those who are given him by the Father. As he formed a natural body for Christ, so he forms for him alfo, a myftical body, and preferves and fupports it, and all its members; and fupplies them with whatever is neceffary to their being built up in holiness and comfort, through faith unto falvation. And as he is no less the author of comfort to Christians, than of fanctification, and all spiritual gifts; fo he may be properly ftyled "the Comforter," and the comfort which he gives may be called " the comfort of the Holy Ghost." Confidering the Holy Ghoft, therefore, as the author of all Chriftian comfort, we may inquire relative to the fources from whence it is derived, and the way and means by which it is communicated. The great fources of Chriftian comfort are the divine perfections; or the things of God and his kingdom. And the chief inftrument or mean by which the Spirit of God brings these fources into the view of the mind, for comfort, is, the fcriptures, or word of God. In this, as in every other refpect, God has magnified his word above all his name. As the Holy Spirit fandlifies the people of God by his truth, fo he comforts them by the fame means, the truth, or word of God. Accordingly the apostle fays "whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we thro patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope." The fcriptures therefore, are a mean of comfort: But they are fo, only in the hand, or by the "miniftration of the Spirit." They contain a revelation of the things of God and his kingdom: And by attention to the reading of them, and to the word preached, fome fpeculative knowledge of thefe things may be obtained; yet that fpiritual knowledge and view of them by which they become fources of true comfort is given only by the efficiency of the Holy Spirit-the Comforter. There fore Chrift faid when he promised the Comforter, to his people, "But the Comforter who is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my name, he shall teach you all things-He will guide you into all truth-For he fhall not fpeak of himself; but whatsoever he fhall hear, that shall he fpeak, and he will show you things to come." By not speaking of himfelf, but speaking whatever he fhall hear, is meant that he fhall not teach any thing contrary to what Chrift taught-nor bring or apply any thing to the minds of Chriftians for confolation, which is not according to the fcriptures, or written word of Chrift. The words might have partial reference to a further revelation to be given by the Spirit to enlarge the canon of fcripture, which was not then completed. But fo far as they respected the office of the Comforter to Chrif tians in general, or in after ages, they are to be understood as above. It is added" He shall glorify me, for he fhall receive of mine, and fhall bow it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine. Therefore faid I, he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you." The things which are Chrifl's, and which are the Father's alfo, as here mentioned, are the things which are contained in the fcriptures, relating to the perfon, offices, and work of Christ; and whatever refpects the plan, defigns, and government of God. ་ Now it is the office of the Comforter to show or reveal thefe things to the people of God. In difcharge of this office, he gives to them a clear and fpiritual view of truth, or a fenfe of the reality and glory of the things revealed in the fcriptures. Without this divine teaching and influence of the Spirit, the word, though clearly exhibiting the most important truths, would remain a dead letter-incapable of giving any spiritual confolation or Chrif tian comfort to the foul. To this purpose are the words of the apostle 1. Cor. ii. chap. "As it is written, eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit For the Spirit search eth all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, fave the fpirit of a man which is in him? Even fo, the things, of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the fpirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are Spiritually difcerned." - The things of Chrift and of God, are in the word fet before the minds of natural men, but they do not "receive" or "know them." They do not perceive their true nature and glory. So far as they at any time feel a conviction of the truth they are exercised with pain. Truth will always be painful to a corrupt heart. But in the fanctified there VOL. III. No. 2. is a foundation laid to derive peace and comfort from divine truth. It is to thofe in whom the Holy Spirit hath begun this foundation, that he communicates comfort by the inftrumentality of the fcriptures. To do this to the best advantage, he places them in those circumftances of trial which are needful to give them an experimental knowledge of their own nothingnefs and abfolute dependence, and in these fituations brings to their remembrance, and impreffes upon their minds, in their reality and importance, the things of God and his kingdom, as contained in his word. Many and various are the for rows, afflictions and difcouragements of God's children, on account of their own great deficiencies and declenfions and in view of their numerous enemies within and without-the great oppofition they fee to the kingdom of Chrift, and the triumphing of its enemies. There is no affliction, or difcouragement which they can be under, but there are also, in the word of God, many declarations relative to the divine character and government, and many precious promifes, exactly anfwering to their fituation. These the Spirit of God applies for their support and comfort, so that they can adopt the words of the apof tle with application to themselves, "as forrowful, yet always rejoicing." Are they in circumftances of poverty and want, or afflicted with pain, fickness, loffes or bereavements? They learn their de pendence and the vanity of this world-They look to God thro' his word, and eye the divine hand in all their circumstances-They truft in God as their portion, and rejoice that he reigns. They have meat to eat which the world G |