THE DOCTRINE- OF TD-E TRINITY. -Yet since Christ the Son of God has true godhead be- longing tohim, and is äproper object of worship ; sincehe is ex- a'Ited to bestow the promisedSpirit on men, it cannot beimproper to offer úp our'addresses to Christ Jesus our Lord, to send us his Spirit according to his promise. I will send the Comforter to youfrom the k'ather; John xv. 26. And it is manifest, that, in the day of temptation, St, Paul addressedour Lord Jesus Christ, for grace to resist it ; '2 Cor. 'xii. 8, 9. And perhaps when lie triumphed in this, that the power of Christ should rest upon him, ver. 9. he means the Spirit of Christ, in his powerful influences, to resist temptation. Now'though it be generally agreed, that there are noplain and express" precepts, or exai pies of prayers or praises, so directly addressed to the Holy Spirit, in all the New Testament, yet since the Holy Spirit is true God, since he is represented in" scripture, in a personal manner, or as á divine person, and since, in the sacred economy, he is appointed to enlighten, to sanc- tify, and to comfort us, I think we may by just inference, derive sufficient ground from scripture, upon some occasions, to offer petitions to the Holy Spirit for his sacred influences, and to give him praise when we have received them : as Fnhphten our darkness, O blessedSpirit, guide us into all truth': Sanctifyopr sinful natures, and fill us with joyand hope in believing. Blessed be the Holy Spirit of God for his divine work, that he has begun in our souls : May it be carried on and perfected unto the great r` day." Thus I have finished the second general head of discourse, and shewn that these are theglorious and divine methods, where- by such guilty and sinful creatures ss we have access to God the Father : This is the mediation of his Son Jesus Christ, whó procures peace and reconciliation for us ; and these are the inward and powerful operations of his Holy Spirit, whereby our hearts are reconciled to God, and trained up to a fitness for his heavenly presence. In that presence there is a divine fulness of and athis right -hand are pleasuresfor evermore; Ps. xvi. 13. The third general head contained in my text, is the union of all nations in this last and best of' religions,whichGod ever taught thechildren of men : Both .Jews'and Gentiles have access to the Father in this way, that is through this .one Mediator, and by one Spirit. ° From the first apostacy of Adam, till the days ofAbraham, all the forms and instituted of religion, which were given to men, were designed as a general instruction for all the nations of the earth, to shew them in what manner such guilty And sinful creatures might have access to God, and find accep-
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