cafions inverted; e. g. in St. Paul's often quoted benediction to the Corinthians; The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you and in the following paffage of the fame Apostle; there are diverfities of gifts, but the fame Spirit; and there are differences of administrations, but the fame Lord; and there are diverfities of operations, but it is the fame God which worketh all in all.* And, in other places, the fame inverfion is obfervable with regard to the first and fecond perfons; Ye know, fays the Apostle, that no whoremonger, nor unclean per on, &c. hath any inberitance in the kingdom of Chrift and of God.† Now our Lord Jefus Chrift HIMSELF, fays the fame Apoftle, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, comfort your hearts, &c. No man, fays our Lord, knoweth the Son but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father fave the Son, and be to whom the Son will reveal him. To this we may add the introduction of St. Paul's epiftle to the Galatians; Paul, an Apoftle, not of men, neither by man, + 1 Cor. xii. 4. + Ephef. v. 5. Matt. xi. 27. but but by Jefus Chrift, and God the Father, who hath raifed him from the dead, &c. From these instances we may at least draw this inference, that the general priority of order above mentioned imports no diftinction, or preeminence of effence. The root, ground, or fountain of effence may be acknowledged to be in the Father, without the leaft prejudice to the Trinitarian doctrine, which supposes an ETERNAL COMmunication to the Son and to the Holy Ghost. The terms root and fountain, &c. are customary indeed, but by no means ftrictly proper, or precisely defcriptive. They are familiar, not to our ideas, but to our ears. When we speak of, or contemplate the Divine nature, absolutely, and without reference to particular difpenfations, God the Father is generally the first in our conception, as far as he can be the object of conception, but not to the exclufion of the Divine nature either of the Son or Holy Ghost. In these difpenfations, in the heavenly economy, we have a manifest and obvious reafon for addreffing our prayers prayers and petitions, public and private, for the most part, to the first Person of the Holy Trinity. In fhort, the terms Father and Son, under which it has pleased infinite wisdom, by way of analogy, to represent this myfterious relation to our minds; these terms imply nothing more than nominal preeminence and fubordination: if the Anti-trinitarian should infift that they do imply more, and ask what we mean by eternal generation, or proceffion, we will anfwer him the moment we are told what he means by eternal effence itself. (g) Again. The Father is commonly reprefented to us under the character of the maker, the governor, preferver, and judge of the world; the Son under that of our redeemer, advocate, and faviour; the Holy Ghost under that of our guide, comforter, and fanctifier; and yet these characters, we fhall fee, with the names, properties, and attributes of the Deity, are frequently reciprocated. Thus, in the following places among others, the office of Redeemer is afcribed in exprefs expess terms to the first perfon; or, if you please, to God abfolutely confidered. God will redeem my foul from the power of the grave. I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death.* My foul fhall rejoice which thou haft redeemed.† So likewife in numberlefs paffages the Father is styled Saviour. To inftance only a few. There is no God elfe befide me, a just God, and a Saviour. ‡ Paul, an apostle, &c. by the commandment of God our Saviour, § &c. We truft in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men. To the only wife God our Saviour be glory and majesty now and ever ||. And again; the work of fanctification is indifcriminately faid to be the work of Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. Thus our bodies are fometimes called the temple of God, and sometimes of the Holy Ghost. The Apostle declares, that it is God which worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. The fame Apoftle prays, that the very God of peace may fanctify the Theffalonians; and *Hofea xiii. 14. § 1 Tim. i. 1. + Pfalm lxxi. 23. Ifa. xlv. 21. make make his Hebrew converts perfect in every good work to do his will, working in them that which is well-pleafing in his fight; and, not to multiply examples, St. Jude addreffes his general Epistle to those that are fanctified by God the Father, and preferved in Jefus Chrift. To which we may add, that the Father hath fometimes other titles and characters given him which belong more peculiarly to the Holy Spirit, and is called the God of confolation, and the God of all comfort; as, according to one Apostle, all fcripture is given by inspiration of God; while we are affured by another, that holy men of God fpake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft.* Again. We find all the great properties and characters of the first Perfon frequently attributed to the second. In a paffage in Isaiah he is even called the (b) everlafting Father. And (to lay no ftress upon prophetic phraseology) is not the first perfon the fupreme God, a felf-exiftent, independent Being, the creator, the governor, and preferver of the world? * 2 Tim. iii. 16. 2 Pet. i. 21. The Father of the everlasting age. Bp. Lowth. So |