purpose. As the Three have but one essence, so they have but one plan. And each must be infinitely unable to exercise a volition to operate contrary to this plan, or separately from it.

It is in like manner said of Christ, Mark vi. 5; "He could there do no mighty works, because of their unbelief." And in Gen. xvii. 22, the Lord Christ said to Lot, "Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing, till thou be come thither;" Christ in these instances was morally unable to do any thing contrary to the plan of the Godhead.

Each one in reality does what is done by either. Accordingly, the works which God does, are ascribed in different parts of holy writ to each one in the Godhead; though some things are more peculiarly office work for each.

Hence Christ, speaking (as the man, whom the Jews beheld) of the Divinity, who operated within him, would naturally speak of this divine person as being the Father; because nothing was done without the Father; and he is the Head of the economy of grace subsisting between the Three in the Godhead. The Father would of course be mentioned first, when the Three were mentioned. And he would often be mentioned alone, as expressing the whole of Deity. This latter must be the case, when Christ informs, The Father, who dwelleth in me, doeth the works." Other scriptures explain the passage. "In him (Christ) dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Here we learn the true sense of the Father's dwelling in Christ. The Father here, is the fulness of the Godhead; the first, second, and third in the Trinity. The second is not excluded, but included.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit is mentioned, as expressing the whole of the Godhead dwelling in Christ, while he was on earth. "I will put my

"The

Spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment unto the gentiles." The Holy Ghost was accordingly represented as given without measure to Christ. Christ was of God" anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power." Or in other words; "In him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily." The triune God dwelt in the Person of the Mediator. The words, Messiah, and Christ, signify the anointed One. This anointing was with the Holy Ghost. He accordingly descended, in bodily shape, like a dove, on the head of Jesus, when he was inducted into his High Priest's office. Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek." But are we to infer from such passages, contrary to all the positive evidence found of Christ's proper Deity, that there is no second Person in the Godhead? Why is such a deduction to be made, any more than we are to infer from Christ's saying, that the Father in him did the works, that there is no Holy Ghost? But notwithstanding that the Father did the works, yet the Holy Ghost did them. And why not the second divine person in the Trinity likewise? He was in the beginning with God, and was God; and has every name, title, and work of God ascribed to him. Must not this Person then, have been included? Notwithstanding that the meek and lowly Jesus, in the days of his flesh on earth, and as the man, whom the Jews beheld, ascribed the miracles he wrought to the Godhead under the name of the Father. The Father, in predicting these events, ascribed them to the Holy Ghost, in his being given without measure to Christ. And the Holy Ghost (in his many testimonies borne to Christ's Divinity) virtually ascribed his mighty works to the Divinity of Christ, in that he abun

dantly testifies that he is the Mighty God, the everlasting Father. It seems that each one in the sacred Trinity often ascribed the works divinely wrought to another in the Godhead beside himself; but by no means with a view to insinuate that himself did not exist, or had no agency in the operations. No doubt the whole Godhead, who dwelt in Christ bodily, co-operated in all that was done. For they are one God. Paul says of Christ, "who only hath immortality;" 1 Tim. ii. 16. But he could not mean here to exclude immortality from the Father, or the Holy Ghost. And no more did Christ's ascribing his miracles to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, exclude from the agency, which produced them, his own Divinity.

Some may imagine, that the indwelling of the Father in Christ, and the unmeasurable effusions of the Holy Ghost upon him, constitute Christ's Divinity; that he neither has, nor needs, any other Divinity, than this. But it is to be considered, that this could not constitute Christ a Divine Person. And Christ had infinite Divinity, long before these things are represented as having taken place. It was in the days of his humiliation on earth, that the Father is said to have wrought his works in him, and the Holy Ghost to have been given him. without measure. But if man will permit God to decide, Christ was in the beginning, eternal ages before this, with God, and was God! His goings forth, in the form of God, and equal with God, were of old, even from everlasting. The Father's doing the works in Christ, and the Holy Ghost's being given to him without measure, seem to be expressions, accommodated to the weakness of man; to represent the fulness of the Godhead dwelling in him. But does this prove, that Christ had no divine personality? So far from this, that it

rather indicates the affirmative. For if Christ have no divine personality, how could the fulness of the Godhead be properly said to dwell in him? God is figuratively said to dwell in the believer. But I must think, that the fulness of the Godhead dwells more than figuratively in Christ; and that this indwelling indicates, that he himself equally with the other two, is a divine Person.

Some of the evidences of Christ's real and eternal Divinity have been exhibited. In the fulness of time he took on him the form of a servant. Now God says, "Behold my servant, whom I upholdI will put my Spirit upon him." But the sense is shown to be this, " In him dwelt the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Although Christ's own Divinity at times appeared thus veiled; yet repeatedly its glorious effulgence shone through; and Christ himself did the miracles. "I will; be thou clean. I will raise this temple of my body in three days.Thy sins are forgiven thee.-Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, I will do it." And after the days of Christ's humiliation were ended, the evidences of his Divinity were abundant; as has been shown, in the ministrations of the apostles, and in the Revelation to St. John.

It has been suggested, that the whole economy of grace rests on the ground of there being different divine Persons in the Godhead. The Father holds and vindicates the honors of God. The Mediator redeems. And the Spirit sanctifies. And each must be infinite, in order to be adequate to his work. The Mediator must be "the mighty God," "the Almighty," that he may make an infinite atonement; and be "mighty to save." But though Christ must be the infinite God; yet in the scheme of grace, there must be one officially above him, who holds the honors of the Godhead; and

between whom, and man, the infinite Saviour mediates. Otherwise, the whole economy of grace appears a nullity. While the Mediator must be God and man, both that he may die, and his blood be of infinite avail; there must be one God, as well as one Mediator between God and man; and one Spirit of grace, to apply the atonement, and to sanctify and save the Church.

The Bible clearly reads thus, notwithstanding all the objections and cavils against this doctrine.

No doubt Christ's mediatorial character is a constituted character. He is not of constituted, but of real Divinity. But his office as Mediator is constituted. His administration, in his glorified humanity, is constituted. This appears in such language as the following: "Therefore let all the house of Israel assuredly know, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ." "All power is given unto me in heaven, and in earth." It is to be exercised through the glorified humanity of Jesus Christ, till the close of the last judgment. "As the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given unto the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man." Here we learn one reason why Christ's authority is said to have been given him; "because he is the Son of man. As the Son of man, Christ can have nothing but what is given him. Hence we read, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool." "Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies." "I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." "Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name, that is above every name.' "And hath made him