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denieth the Father and the Son: whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father," 1 John ii. 22, 23. None, therefore, but persons can bear record but the persons in the Holy Trinity do bear record; and the record that they bear is to the sonship of Christ; and their distinct record stands in the holy scriptures. The Father's record, twice written, is this-" Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased," Luke iii. 22. Again, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, hear ye him," Matt. xvii. 5. The Lord's testimony of himself stands upon record thus "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest? because I said, I am the Son of God. If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not," John x. 36, 37. this blasphemy, as the wicked Jews called it, was Christ condemned; and this he never denied, but sealed it with his blood. The record of the Holy Ghost is to the same truth. 66 Paul, a servant, separated unto the gospel of God, which he promised afore by his

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prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead," Rom. i. 1—4. This is the witness which is recorded by the Spirit, that Christ is the Son of God not in name, for there is no power in an empty name; but he is the Son of God with power, the Omnipotent, "the First and the Last, the Almighty," Rev. xi. 8. And this is declared, or manifested, by his own resurrection from the deadDestroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up :" this is the testimony borne and recorded "by the Spirit of Holiness." Now, that the threefold record, borne by the Father, Son, and Spirit, is to the sonship of Christ, appears plain from the apostle John's conclusion-" There are three that bear record in heaven, and three that bear witness on earth. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.

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He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son," 1 John v. 7-10. Thus God's witness, that he hath testified, and which stands upon record, is called the testification and record that God gave of his Son. The natural inferences are these: 1. That none but those who believe in the only begotten Son of God have the witness of the Spirit in themselves. 2. That all those who tell us that Christ is only a name, or a mere creature, are infidels; they believe not the record that God gave of his Son. And, 3. The infamy charged upon such is, that they make God a liar, than which nothing can be worse; and such liars are all our Arians and Socinians, and therefore their witness is nothing worth.

Thus the Holy Three bear record, which a trinity of names cannot do; for, as I before observed, if a fictitious name appear in a court of law they can do nothing with it, being but an empty name and it must be some per

son or other that must have written that; but the Holy Trinity want none to write for them (unless it be in condescension to our weakness), for they can all write for themselves. Thus saith God the Father. "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and will be their God, and they shall be my people," Jer. xxxi. 33: And God the Son promises to write the following inscription upon all conquerors: "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name, Rev. iii. 12. And the Holy Ghost's hand-writing is recorded thus: "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables

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of stone, but in the fleshly tables of the heart," 2 Cor. iii. 3. The law that God puts into the hidden parts is shedding abroad his everlasting love in our hearts (love being the fulfilling of the law) by the Holy Ghost given unto us. Writing his law in the mind is persuading us by his Spirit, and working in us the law of faith; "The Lord shall persuade Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem." What Habakkuk was ordered to write plain upon tables, that he who runs might read, God writes on the fleshly tables of our hearts, by justifying us and giving us faith and life; and in this the. vision speaks in our conscience-"The just man shall live by his faith."

Christ writes upon us the name of his God; that is, he gives us an experience of that glorious covenant-name which God proclaimed before Moses-" The Lord, the Lord God, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth; pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin." Pardon comes by the blood of Christ; grace, goodness, and mercy, all come together when God

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