he to the difciple, Behold thy mother. And from that hour that difciple took her to his own home. John xix.-Might not this tender inftance of the use of these terms make an impreffion upon the mind of this difciple, which led him fo remarkably to the fame ufe of them, as we shall prefently notice? A multitude of inftances of the fame manner might be pointed out, but thofe above may eftablifh the juftnefs of the remark, that Jefus Christ commonly used thefe relative terms in the voluntary fenfe, and that this was one of the peculiarities of his expreffion. Hence the Apostle lays down this fentiment, that if we be not chaftifed, and brought up before God, as in a way of obedience to parental government, then are we baftards and not fons. 2. A doctrine, in the common acceptation of the word, is a rule; it is fomething the nature of which may be opened, conceived of, and improved; and fo capable of being applied to fome cafe as a rule. If then, the divine union of Father and Son, as many have fuppofed, be a myftery, or a thing which, in its nature, is incapable of being opened and explained-a relation peculiar to the Divine Being, and, therefore, not in the leaft affording a rule or inftruction in any of the relations of creatures; with what propriety is it confidered or called a doctrine?-How much this difficulty has been felt by many minds the molt ferious and humbly devoted to the truth of God, is well known. But our Lord brought forward this divine lation as a doctrine; he dwelt upon it—it was the text of his fermons-the burthen of almost all his difcourfes; and he discovered the greatest earneftness, not merely that the truth might be believed, but also that it might be understood.-It is evident that this matter is laid down in the New Teftament as the great rule of the gospel. The manner of St. John, particularly, throughout his Evangelift and Epiftles, appears ftudied to make this impreffion.-Let the following paffages be obferved: Jefus cried and faid, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that fent me.-And he that feeth me, feeth him that fent me. I am come a light into the world, that whofoever believeth on me fhould not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I came not to judge the world, but to fave the world. He that rejetteth and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him.—The word that I have fpoken, the fame fhall judge him in the laft day." For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which fent me, he gave me a commandment, what I fhould fay, and what I fhould fpeak. And I know that his commandment is life everlafting." John xii.-By the union of Chrift with the Father exprefled here; his being fo one with the Father, that he that believeth on him believeth on the Father, and he that feeth him feeth the Father; the truth of his Father's will being in him, is plainly intended, viz. that he was acting wholly by his commandinent, and was immediately fpeaking his words; which will, com mandment, or words of the Father, given to us by Christ, is our prefent rule, and an authority which, in the last day, will judge the world, and decide the eternal state of all men. In this paffage an explanation is directly offered of this divine union and oneness, the fame, in other words, with that noticed in chap. viii.-For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which fent me, he gave me a commandment, what I fhould fay, and what I Jhould Speak. It is not eafy to conceive of words being put together to communicate more precifely the idea of the union by parental authority and filial duty, than what lies before us in the whole paffage. - If ye had known me, ye fhould have known my Father alfo; and from henceforth ye know him, and have feen him.-Philip faith unto him, Lord, fhew us the Father, and it fufficeth us. Jefus faith unto him, Have I been fo long time with you, and yet haft thou not known me, Philip? He that hath feen me hath feen the Father; and how fayeft thou then, fhew us the Father? Believeft thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?-The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doth the works. John xiv.-Here again is an apparent explanation of the union of Chrift and the Father, the fame for fubftance with thofe already noticed.-Shew us the Father, fays Philip: He is anfwered: He that hath feen me hath feen the Father." The words that I fpeak unto you, I speak not of my. felf, but the Father that dwelleth in me, lie 66 doth the works;" both in word and deed, he expreffed the will of the Father, and was thus his exprefs image. Had it not been afferted, long and obftinately afferted by many, that no true explanation is offered, or can be offered, of the divine union of Father and Son, I should have thought that it could not be denied, that our Lord meant to explain the fenfe in which the Father was in him, in his reply to Philip, as being all comprised in the two ideas of his words, to which he was obedient, and the works of his power, which were expreffions of his glory; which explanation is fimply the truth of his generation, or of his being the Son of God, in the voluntary fenfe. "Abide in me, and I in you."-As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the Same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.-If any man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is with ered; and men gather them, and caft them into the fire, and they are burned.-If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall afk what ye will and it fhall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, fo fhall ye be my difciples. As the Father hath loved me, fo have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye Thall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. John xv.-It may be remarked of this paffage, that the word to a bide, fo often used here to express the union of believers with Chrift, is the fame in the original which is used in the place last quoted, to exprefs his union with the Father, and tranflated to dwell, the Father that dwelleth in me. And not only is the fame word used, but the comparison and whole defcription represents the union to be in its nature the fame.-The Father's abiding or dwelling in Chrift is explained of his Father's words, &c. in like manner their abiding or dwelling in him, and he in them, is explained of his words; "Ye "abide in me, and my words abide in you."As the Father hath loved me, fo have I lov"ed you."-If ye keep my commandments, ye fhall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. Is this very obfcure? But these are among the paffages which have been fet down as pointing to an inexplicable doctrine. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jefus Chrift whom thou haft fent. John xvii.—Our Lord had faid, that his Father's "commandment "is life everlafting;" and had often explained this to be the truth intended by his dwelling in him. This, emphatically he called his doctrine." My doctrine is not mine, but "his that fent me. If any man will do his will he fhall know of the doctrine, whether "it be of God, or whether I fpeak of myself." John vii.-That the Father had committed his word to him, the fame which he fpake. and which he said, John xii. fhould judge the |