created and made. The apostle John tells us, that In the beginning, was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. In which we have an express teftimony of the diftinct perfonality, eternity, and deity of God the Son. The beginning, is the fame as Mofes in the firft chapter of Genefis fpeaks of, and which our Lord calls the beginning of the creation which God created. Mark All before the creation was boundless

xiii. 19.

eternity.

None was before the world but JEHOVAH. To be before the foundation of the world, before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and the world' was formed, is brought in by Mofes in the 90th Pfalm, as a proof of God's eternity. No angel, nor any creature was before the world. For all things in heaven and earth were created in the space of fix days. But the effential word, the wifdom and confubftantial Son of the Father, was before the world, was prefent at the making of it, and had his almighty power manifested in it, and by it. John declares, in the words before cited, his perfonality, his eternity, and his divinity, and proves it further by adding, all things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. John i. verfes 1, 2, 3. Paul, in the firft chapter of his epiftle to the Coloffians, verse the 16th, tells us that Chrift is the Creator. For by bim were all things created that are in beaven, and that are in earth, vifible and invifible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principa

lities, or powers; all things were created by him, by his own almighty power, and for his own glory. And then he gives us an everlafting proof of his eternal deity, and he is before all things; there is his eternity. And by him all things confift; therein his omnipotent power is difplayed: it being owing to omnipotence, that the whole creation is upheld and fuftained. And the work of garnishing the heavens with stars, is exprefsly afcribed to the Holy Spirit. See Job xxvi. verse 13. By his fpirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked ferpent. And Elihu afcribes his creation and life unto him. Job xxxiii. verfe 4. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the almighty hath given me life. And the renewing the earth at every returning fpring, which is a work of omnipotency, is attributed unto him in the 104th Pfalm. Thou fendeft forth thy Spirit, they are created: and thou rene west the face of the earth. And his omniscience and omniprefence are declared in the 139th Pfalm, verfes 7, 8, 9. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy prefence? If I afcend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there: if I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the fea: even there fall thy hand lead me, and thy rightband ball bold me. Now these Scriptures affert and prove that the eternal three are jointly concerned in the creation of all things.

1

I go on to produce fuch others as speak of their

joint concern in the works of Providence. I fhall give an inftance of it in that remarkable affair of bringing the children of Ifrael out of Egypt, and leading and conducting them through the wilderness, which is spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, in the 63d chapter of his prophecy. I will mention the loving kindnefes of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed upon us, and the great goodness towards the house of Ifrael; which he hath beflowed upon them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his loving kindnesses. For he faid, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: fo he was their Saviour. In all their affliction he was affiled; and the angel of his prefence faved them: in bis love and in his pity he (faved them or) redeemed them, and carried them all the days of old: but they rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit. Now here is an exprefs mention of the eternal three, as being jointly concerned in this affair of vidence. Here is JEHOVAH their Saviour, who in all their afflictions fympathized with them. Here is the angel of his prefence, fent by him to conduct them to the place which he had appointed for them, of whom JEHOVAH fpeaking to Mofes, faith, My name is in him; that is, his perfections; for the whole fulness of the Godhead dwelleth in Chrift Jefus fubftantially. And here is the Holy Spirit whom they rebelled against and vexed: fo that in this act of providence we fee all the trinity engaged and concerned.

pro

The almighty power of the spirit, and his concern in the government of the world, are declared in the 40th of Ifaiah, Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor bath taught him? With whom took he counsel, or who inftructed him, and taught him the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed him the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are but as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the fmall duft of the balance; behold he taketh up the ifles as a very little thing. The affairs before referred to concerning Nebuchadnezzar, fhew that each of the eternal three is jointly concerned in providential events. Our Lord in the 5th of John's gofpel, faith, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work: fpeaking and referring to the work of Providence. So that from his own true and faithful word, it appears that he is equally concerned in upholding, governing, and difpofing of all things, with the Father and the Spirit. We have a remarkable inftance of it refpecting the deftruction of Sodom. When that awful providence was executed it is faid, The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah, brimftone and fire, from the Lord out of heaven. Gen. xix. verse 24. Now here are two spoken of, and to whom can this be ascribed, but to Chrift the fecond perfon? who appeared to Abraham and told him of the deftruction of the places; whom Abraham fupplicates and addresses as the very true and effential JEHOVAH.. See Genefis xviii. verfe 22, &c. The angels had no concern in this affair, for whenever it is fpoken of

1

in Scripture, it is afcribed unto God. See Jerem. 1. verfe 40. Amos iv. verse 11. And we know who hath faid that, the Father judgeth no bath committed all judgment to the Son.

verse 22.

4

man, but John v.

I proceed to obferve and prove from fcripture teftimonies, that the three in JEHOVAH, have likewife a joint and equal concern in grace, in all the acts of it towards us, in us, and upon us. It is the great promife contained in the Old Teftament, that God the Father would fend a Saviour, a great one, who fhould fave his people from their fins. The perfon promifed is the Ifaiah, Unto us a Child is given, who is the mighty God. According, and agreeable to words in Hofea, I will have of Judah, and will fave them by the Lord their God. In the 48th chapter, verfe 12, of Ifaiah, we have JEHOVAH the Saviour speaking of himself as the

I AM.

Son of God. So faith born, unto us a Son is

Ifaiah ix. verfe 6. which are the Lord's mercy upon the boufe

whofe right hand voice they hear

The firft and the laft, whofe hand laid the foundation of the earth, and hath fpanned the heavens, whofe and obey; and he fpeaks of his being fent by the Father and the Spirit, as the Saviour and Deliverer of his people. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this, I have not spoken in fecret; from the beginning, from the time that it was, there am I, and now the Lord God and his Spirit bath fent me, verfe 16. Again in the 61ft chapter, verfe 1, we have an account