adorable persons. With the Father in love. « God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, &c.—John iii. 16. With Christ in grace-John i. 14, 17. "The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth Of his fulness have all we received grace for grace-Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." And with the Holy Ghost in comfort-John xiv. 16, 26. "He shall give you another Comforter to abide with you-But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, shall teach you all things.". That well known text, commonly called the christian doxology, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all," is full to the purpose, and is used to conclude the public worship in most, if not all, christian churches, however they may differ otherwise. It is so used even by the church of Rome.

In order to support his system, the author unites what God has most explicitly kept separate. Page 8. "This delegated power is most conspicuous in the person of the Mediator. Into his hands universal dominion is committed. Matth. xxviii. 18-" All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." From this he deduces what I have quoted above, viz. "This universal dominion committed to him, as respects the human family, consists in two great branches; namely, magistracy and ministry." Again, "though both these branches are put under the Mediator's controul, yet they are so under different regulations," &c.

Here it is to be observed, that the author confounds the administration of providence given to Christ, by the Father, whereby he rules over men, angels and devils, in consequence of the Father having given all

power in heaven and earth unto him, with that kingdom "which he purchased with his own blood;" Acts xx. 28. and which is, Eph. i. 14. called "the purchased possession," viz. the church, called a peculiar people, &c. 1 Pet. ii. 9. and in Eph. i. 23. "His body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all;" and that this evident distinction might be left without a shadow of doubt, the apostle says. Col. i. 24. "For his (viz. Christ's) body's sake, which is the church." The church, in contradis tinction from the kingdom of this world, is frequently called the kingdom of God.

That Christ's purchased kingdom was specifically distinct from the general kingdom of Providence, the administration of which was given to Christ, is evident from the whole doctrine and practice of Christ and his apostles. They absolutely declined interfering with the government of nations, or the relations among men, otherwise than by expounding and applying the moral law to the conscience. They had recourse only to spiritual armour, and engaged only in spiritual warfare. The Saviour's solemn dying testimony, however, ought to be conclusive with every sober enquiring mind. When he was brought before Pontius Pilate, by whom he was asked, "Art thou the king of the Jews?" To this the Saviour answered: My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now is my kingdom not from hence." This the apostle calls the good confession which Christ Jesus witnessed before Pontius Pilate. On this precious, but much neglected text, the learned Dr. B. Hoadly, bishop of Bangor, preached a celebrated sermon, which procured the resent

ment of his high church brethren, but having the testimony of Christ and the apostles on his side, he succeeded in an arduous controversy, occasioned by that excellent sermon, a few lines from which I will insert.

"The laws of his kingdom, therefore, as Christ left them, have nothing of this world in their view; no tendency either to the exaltation of some in worldly pomp and dignity, or to the absolute dominion over the faith and religious conduct of others of Christ's subjects. It is essential to it, that all his subjects, in what station soever they may be, are equally subjects to him; and that no one of them, any more than another, hath authority, either to make laws for Christ's subjects, or to impose a sense of their own on the established laws of his kingdom, which amounts to the same thing as making new laws."

If the laws of Christ in their principles, as well as in their extent, are perfect, with respect to the rules and orders of his own house, which all the different denominations of presbyterians profess to allow; the author's system is contrary to this profession: for nei- . ther in the fourth chapter to the Ephesians, nor in the twelfth chapter to the Romans, nor in any other portion of the New Testament that treats of the officers or orders of Christ's house, do I find kings or civil magistrates of any kind of political governments, enumerated. They, therefore, can have no legal authority in the church, much less can they have any legislative authority over it. This I take to be a fair conclusion.

I object to the use of the phrase "delegated power," as applied by the author to the Saviour, with respect to his kingdom. It is not used in scripture. A.

delegate is of the same import as a deputy. The power of deputies or delegates among men, is always subordinate, and subject to the instructions and controul of the superior, and likewise liable to be removed ; this is implied in the very term. This can by no means apply to Christ's spiritual kingdom. The apostle does not call Christ a delegate, but a son over his own house, which house are ye," viz. the church. Nor can it be, with propriety, applied to him as administering the kingdom of providence. It is properly a given kingdom committed unto him, if we are contented with the Saviour's own words. Mat. xxviii. 18. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." John v. 22. "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son of Man."

In pages 9 and 10, he says, "both these branches are put under the Mediator's controul, yet they are so under different regulations;" and in p. 15, he says, "and though all ecclesiastical power flows immediately from Christ as Mediator, yet it is radically and fontally in a three-one God. All the right and authority of Christ as Mediator, is originally derived from God, as well as civil power." I find no ground for saying, that in Christ's administration of his church in this world, it is put under him; that applies to his enemies, whom he rules with a rod of iron, and who are obliged to submit, and to the general administration of providence. After he hath put all his enemies under his feet, and the last enemy, death, the mediatory administration of the visible church on earth will be finished; but it is the present administration of which we now speak. Under it, the church is not said to be put under Christ, but united to him as branches

to the vine. His admitting only "some different considerations or regulations in the administration," but no essential difference in the source from which they flow; and his leading the whole, with respect to the present administration, up to God, fontally considered, looks very like a species of Socinianism. There are such as consider all the doctrine of the trinity to be only figurative descriptions of the various dispensations of the one true God, or modes of acting, viz. In one character he is represented as the Father; in another character as the Son, and in a third as the Holy Ghost, agreeable to the different energies that are manifested. This doctrine I have heard taught with as much ingenuity and confidence as the reverend author inculcates his theory.

Through the, weakness of our capacity, and the imperfection of language, we are under the necessity of speaking of the things pertaining to God, in words adapted to the affairs of men, which, however, must always have a very limited application, especially when they relate to the being and operations of Jehovah; and with respect to which, it is wrong to make a man an offender for the wrong or doubtful application of a word. A word also may safely be applied to the things of God for one purpose, which would be erroneous when applied for another. With respect to the doctrine of the trinity, &c. the same terms are frequently used on both sides of the Socinian controversy, but with different views.

The term delegated power, so frequently and indiscriminately applied to the Saviour by the reverend author, has been applied to Christ by some orthodox commentators, but by none that I know of for