it referred not only to the dominion of the Lord over all created things, but also to a kingdom feated in himself, and to an exercise of power and fovereignty in his own eternal purpose.

This kingdom is fet out in the fcriptures by a throne; justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne, Píalm lxxxix. ver. 14: by a guard, Who is firong like unto thy faithfulness round about thee? ver. 8: by macebearers, Honor and majefty are before him, Pfalm xcvi. and by harbingers, and commiffiorers; Mercy and truth fhall go before thy face, Pfalm lxxxix. 14. He fhall fend from heaven, Whom fhall he fend? God fhall fend forth his mercy and his truth, Plaẩm lvii.

Creatures might fail; but if mercy and truth -his mercy and his truth be employed to. dispatch the bufinefs of his promifes and threatenings, and to accomplish all his pleafure, they will do it thoroughly.-The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majefty, Pfalm xciii. 1.-Majefty is his eternal robe. His kingdom began from everlafting: he reigned within himfelf from eternity: Then it was, that by one almighty act, he clothed himfelf with ma jefty, and covered himfelf with light; and was exalted and glorified in his own firength.

It has often been noticed in the fcriptures,, how remarkably the word heaven is joined with the appropriate ufe of the name Father; as though this glory of God in heaven, and this his relation to his people in Chrift, fubfifted together, and were infeparable. I will only inflance from Math, And glorify your

Father which is in heaven, v. 16. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, ver. 45. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfe&t, ver, 48.-Our Father which art in heaven, vi, 9. How much more fhall your Father which is in heaven give good things? vii. 11. But he that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, ver. 21. Him will I confefs alfo before my Father which is in heaven, x. 32. Him will I alfo deny before my Father which is in heaven, ver. 33-Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven, xvi. 17. Their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven, xviii. 10.It shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven, ver. 19.-For one is your Father which is in heaven, xxiii. 9.-Your heavenly Father will af forgive you, vi. 14.-Yet your heavenly Father feedeth them, ver. 26,-Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things, ver. 32.-Every plant which my bravenly Father bath not planted shall be rooted up, xv. 13.-So likewife Jhall my bealy Father do alfo unto you, xviii. 35. And, according to the divine theory, it appears that the eternal glory of God, even his own heaven, and his relation to a throne and dominion there, exifts in that fame tranfaction, which conftitutes his relation of Father and God, both to Jefus Chrift and to his people,

The fame obfervation may be made, refpecting the appropriate or covenant use of the name God; that it is never fo ufed but in connexion with heaven, and eternal things,

The first time that the word God was used with a relative, was in the covenant of promife to Abraham, which included the eternal intereft; and it was then ufed in the future tenfe, I will be their God; but when Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob were gone to heaven, the name was ufed relatively in the present tense, as at the burning bufh, I am the God of Abraham, &c.-The firft time that the name of God is used with a relative, in the present tenfe, is in his word to Jacob, Gen. xxxi. 14. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar: but, this was none other but the houfe of God, and the gate of heaven. And very frequently he is called the God of heaven, in order to exprefs his covenant relation to his people. And the first time this great name was used, in this manner, in relation to the people of Ifrael, was, when the Lord appeared to deliver them from their bondage in Egypt, and to fet their faces towards the land of promife; and after they had paffed the Red Sea, it is obferved, that Mofes, in this refpect, much changed his ftyle, and seldom wrote the glorious name, but with fome appropriating word; and as they drew nearer and nearer to this type of the heavenly world, his manner of writing the name of the Lord our God, and of adding its relatives, became ftill more and more remarkable.

In like manner, our Lord Jefus Chrifl, as foon as he had called his difciples, and feparated them from the world, began to teach them to fay, Our Father, &c. but it is obferved, that this peculiar ftyle, became more fa

miliar and impreffive toward the closing scene; especially in his last discourse to them at the fupper.

It is not recorded that our Lord used the word my God, but twice; once whilft hanging upon the cross; and again, addreffing Mary, when ab out to afcend into heaven, he faid, Go to my brethren, and fay unto them, I afcend unto m Father and your Father, and to my God and your God -And wherever, in the New Teftament, we have nearer views of the heavenly glory, the appropriate use of this name becomes more familiar, and its relatives more frequent; as in Rev. iii. 21. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple if 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 Frufalem, which cometh down out of beaven fron my God: and I will write upon him

my new name,

Clau de, remarking upon the preface of the Lord's Prayer, Our Father which art in heaven, fai d, that God is elevated above all things, by being made our Father. (Trite de la juftifi cation, This was a bold expreffion, but it agrees with the truth,

Section 2. THE FORM OF GOD. That Chrift was fet up from everlasting, po ffeffed a realm of Glory: wherein he exercifed a fovereignty and dominion over things hich are eternal; fhews that he had,

and

ed, i.

the divine will, a glorious, and as g defined, as that within the sphere This has the fupport

f God, 2 Cor. iv. 4. God, thought it not Ged: But made himnd took upon him the 3. H. 6, 7. Who is the Col. i. 15. Who bery, and the express Heb. i. 3. Man is faid and after the like

Splies that there is an of God. Nebuchadnezzar erloof, walking in the tha they have no hurt, and this ke the Son of God. on of Chrift in heaven,

...de action is included effentially in eccepie, the whole matter of the nek, lon la fact; in this eternal tranfa Chrit prefented himself bewith his full confent to the av laving, Lo, I come to do and alib he was received in on of the parental love, and in all the power and that kingdom; and being which is that form

emplated in the divine e date of the evertit not robbery to