our senses, ought to be worshipped for thee; for thou alone hast self-existence, and never changest from what thou art. Hence is thy name Jehovah, denoting that thou art always the same, and thy years shall not fail. These, and many other necessary and saving truths, thy word hath taught me, the knowledge of which, I acknowledge to be thy special favour, to me entirely unworthy. For here I learn, that thou art the one, the true God, without body, parts, or passions: and that no part of thy substance is capable of change or corruption, compounded or made. This makes it evident, that no bodily eye can discern thee, and that no mortal can see thee in thy proper essence: hence it is also plain, that from the same cause, which enables angels to behold thee now, we also after this life shall be enabled to behold thee. But even those glorious and intellectual spirits cannot see thee in all points as thou art; for thy mysterious unity of essence, in trinity of persons, as it hath nothing like itself, so it is fully comprehended by nothing but itself.

MEDITATION XXIII

The Holy Trinity.

THOU my God art but one with regard to thy nature, but the persons to whom this nature is communicated are several: and thus in different respects thou art capable and incapable of becoming the object of number and measure and weight. We do not acknowledge any beginning of that goodness whereof thy essence consists, but believe all things whatsoever to be from and by and in this; and that there is no other thing good, except so far as it participates of, and receives its goodness from thee.

O Lord omnipotent, thou great Three-One whose Almighty power possesses, governs and fills all things; yet so as that the greatest hath not more, nor the least less, but so as to be all in all, and all to be in thee; as it is written, Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I climb up to heaven thou art there; if I go down to hell, thou art there also; if I take the wings of the morning, and remain in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there also shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. Thus art thou present with every thing, and every thing with thee: not by any local extension, but by thy virtue and power, and communication of thyself.

Now since thy nature is simply and inseparably one, we must not so conceive of the Trinity, as if the persons in it could be really separated from one

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another. This is indeed distinguished into three, and each person hath a different name and title; but still no name belongs to any one of them, which does not at the same time refer to the rest, according to the different properties and mutual relations of each to other. The Father includes the notion of a Son; the Son that of a Father; The Holy Spirit, Father and Son both. And all those titles used to express the power, and essence, and perfections; and whatever is included in the name of God, belongs to every person equally. There is not, therefore, any thing which may be truly af firmed of the Father as God, but may with equal truth be affirmed of the Son, or Holy Ghost, as God. We say that the Father is God by nature, so we say likewise that the Son and the Holy Ghost are; and yet they are not three Gods by nature, but Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, one and the self-same God.

So that our understanding embraces but one undivided essence, though for our more distinct conception of this essence, we distinguish the several subsistences in it, by calling them different persons. But still, that this plurality of persons does not infer

plurality of beings, is manifest from hence, that the name of each person has a necessary respect to the other two. If I mention the Father, I include the Son; if the Son, I include the Father; if the Spirit, I must unavoidably be understood, to refer to some whose spirit this is, and so imply Father and Son both. This is the true faith; this is the result of sound doctrine, such as Almighty God hath taught in his Word, and by its ministry educated me in the belief and full persuasion of.

In this faith, which I do not only profess with all possible sincerity, but thankfully acknowledge to be thy gracious gift for the benefit and salvation of my soul, I call upon my God. And good reason have I to be thankful for this gift, since the believing soul lives by faith, and by hope embraces that at present, which it shall one day see in thee. To thee therefore I come, with a mind thus enlightened, happily brought out of the dark night of ignorance, to the knowledge of thy divine truth; and delivered from the seducing charms of a treacherous and calamitous world, to taste the sweets of that love, which places all its hopes and joys in thee even thee, O blessed and glorious Trinity in unity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; my God, my Lord, my Comforter; Love, mercy, and communion of grace.

Ŏ thou that begettest! O thou that art begotten! O thou that begettest us again to a new life! Source of light, light of light, distributer of light; the spring, the stream, the watering, the one of whom, the one by whom, the one in whom are all things! For in all three is but one essence, one power, one goodness, one blessedness, from and by and in whom, whatever else is blessed, receives its blessedness; my soul would place its trust in thee.

MEDITATION XXIV.

God the True Life.

O God, the true life of and by and in whom all things live, the common source of all good, our faith in thee excites, our hope exalts, our love unites us. Thou commandest us to seek thee, and art ready to be found; thou biddest us knock, and openest when we do so. To turn from thee, is to fall into ruin and death. To turn to thee, is to rise to life and glory. To abide in thee, is to stand fast and secure from danger. No man loses thee, who does not suffer himself to be deceived: no man seeks thee, who does not submit to instruction and reproof; no man finds thee, who does not seek after thee with a clean heart and purified affections. To know thee is life; to serve thee is freedom; to enjoy thee is a kingdom; to praise thee is the joy and happiness of the soul. I praise and bless and adore thee, with heart and voice and every faculty; I worship thee, I glorify thee, I give thanks to thee for thy great glory, for thy great goodness, for thy innumerable and inestimable mercies, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.

I humbly beseech thee, O blessed Trinity, to come to me, to abide with me, to reign in me, to make this heart of mine a holy temple, a fit habitation for thy majesty. I entreat the Father by the Son, the Son by the Father, the Holy Ghost by the Father and the Son, that all those vicious dispositions may be removed far from me, which might give offence to those eyes which cannot behold iniquity;