xious manner in which he held out the bible, faying, "The truth is here, in this book." Such alfo was John the Baptift, he took good heed to teftify as he was prompted, and he fet to his feal that God is true; yet the name of the Father, and his Son's name, as defcending and afcending, he could but half read; but when he found his mind embarraffed, and his own text beyond his fkill, he fought to be a difciple in the new fchool, and fent to Chrift himself, that he fhould tell him who he was. -Verily, fuch men as thefe are the greatest among them that are born of women: notwithstanding, the little child, in the kingdom of heaven, born of the Father, is greater than they; for he can read, down and up, backward and forward, the whole divine alphabet; he can tell, what is his name, and what is his fon's name: He cries, Abba, Father: he knows the Father, by knowing in duty the Son; for he has taken the yoke of Chrift, which he took by the command of his Father, and has learned of him obedience to the Father of Spirits; and, alfo, he knows the Father by experiencing his favour; for the love of God is fhed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghoft; and, with Jefus Chrift, who is his pattern, and, as it were, his elder brother, in this way of duty and obedience, he has found reft to his foul: he is born of God: In this very truth of the gencration of the eternal Son of God, confifts the regeneration of his people.-I write unto you, little Children, fays John, becaufe have known the Father.

ye

In this illuftration, the vifion of Ifaiah,

Chap. vi, when he faw the glory of Christ, and fpake of him, muft not be omitted.

In the year that king Uzziah died, I faw alfo the Lord fitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

Here alfo is unfolded the Divine Theory. First, he saw the Lord fitting high, which word expreffes his primitive glory.-Secondly, he was lifted up-which words defcribe both his state of humiliation and exaltation; for, that he ascended, was lifted up, or exalted," what is it, but that he first defcended," or was abafed? In this view of the glory of Chrift, we contemplate three diftinct agents. One who lifts up, another who is lifted up, and a third called his train, which filled the temple.

Above it flood the Seraphim: each one had fix wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and faid, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hofts, the whole earth is full of his glory.

The Seraphim appearing with a threefold twain of wings, gives us a complete view of the creation of God. First, a face, with a wing on each fide, is defcriptive of the primitive glory of the creation, and that it confifted of two parts, that of the angels and that of men; which were, at first, fo united as to form but one face, or one glory; and this face being covered, fhews that by the fall, and the entrance of fin and death into the world, all this glory was obfcured, and the whole creation put into a ftate of confineO

ment; and as both worlds, of angels and men, were united in the great principle of the creation, they are, together, effected by the fall of man, and the fubfequent bondage.Secondly, the feet are expreffive of the fervice-ftate; and these alfo being covered, is descriptive of the humiliation and fuffering of this flate; and the two feet, each being covered with a wing, fhews that the angels together with men, partake of this fervice, and have also a sympathy in this humiliation and fuffering. And thirdly, their foaring away together, with outftretched wings, in a concert of the highest praise, gives us a view. of the freedom, elevation and felicity, of the ftate of glory, when the whole creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the chlidren of God.

The concert of high praife, reprefented here, is doubtlefs the fame that John more diftinctly heard, Rev. v. 13. And every creature heard 1 faying, bleffing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth upon the throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. The Seraphim cried, one unto another, faying, holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hofts: the whole earth is full of his glory;which, we know, will be the bleffed refult of this fcene of wonders.

Again, the thrice uttered afcription of holy, feems naturally to intend the three perfons of the adorable Trinity; as, holy is he who has lifted up, or fet his King upon his holy hill of Zion; holy is he who is lifted up, and

is fet upon his holy throne; and holy is his train, or that power, by which all his work and all his glory is accomplished. The fame alfo, according to the Theory, applies to the feveral ftates of Chrift; as holy is he who was high; holy is he who was abafed; and holy is he who is exalted.

And the pofts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the temple was filled with fmoke.

This view imports, that the Lord was coming into the world, to give the exhibiti on of his glory. And, as in the Revelation, and other places of fcripture, where the grand concert is exhibited, it is observed that one voice, as the leader or mafter of the choir, is ever distinguished; so here, at the voice of him that cried, a leading one, the posts of the door moved; which indicates the fame thing as the removing of the pillars of creation, and the confequent paffing away of the whole natural frame of the heavens and the earth, at the voice of the Archangel.

The view we have here, and which is ever given of the Seraphim, is wonderful; and leads to the idea of fomething more than created glory; and this is indeed the truth, for Chrift, in the divine conftitution, is affociat. ed with the worlds, and is himself the Begin ning of the Creation, the Lord of Hofts, and the Mafter of Affemblies.

Then faid I, Woe is me! for I am undone; becaufe I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have feen the King, the Lord of Hofts.

It may be observed here, that the effect of this vifion upon Isaiah, was very similar to that of the illumination of Agur upon him. Agur cries, Surely I am more bruitifh than any man, and have not the understanding of a man: I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy. And Ifaiah exclaims, Woe is me, for I am undone, &c. It is evident, however, that Ifaiah was much the deepest affected. Agur's illuminations were fuch as theirs who, as Job expressed it, had heard of the Lord by the hearing of the ear; and it seems that, till this time, fuch had been the knowledge of Isaiah; but now his eyes saw him, and he received impreffions, fuch as before he had never known; efpecially when one of the Seraphim flew unto him, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar; and when he felt the tremendous touch thereof upon his lips, and had experienced the glorious, humiliating, fanctifying effect.

Alfo I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom Shall I fend? and, Who will go for

us?

Here, again, we have a view of the divine principle, the eternal voluntary generation; and we obferve three perfons immediately concerned in the tranfaction; one who fends, commands, and fays, Go; another who is fent, commanded, and is bidden, Go; and a third who is fpoken to by the first, and is confulted as being interested in the concern: Whom fhall I fend? and, Who will go for us? Then faid I, Here am I; fend me.