fication of the Spirit unto obedience, and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christd." Whichever of these truths any man confide in as of exclusive importance, we would say to him, as our Lord said to the self-deceiving Pharisees, " These ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."]
d 1 Pet. i. 2.
1 John v. 7. There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these three are onea.
NEVER was there any record so well attested, so worthy of acceptation, so necessary to be believed, as that which God has given of his Son. Upon the receiving or rejecting of it depends the eternal wel- fare of all mankind. The riches of wisdom, and love, and mercy that are contained in it, surpass all the comprehension of men or angels. With respect to the truth of it, every species of testimony that could be given to it by friends or enemies, by angels from heaven, by men on earth, yea, even by devils them- selves, has been given in the most abundant degree. But it has been confirmed by other testimony still, even by the Three Persons in the adorable Trinity.
From the words before us, we shall be led to shew,
I. Who they are that are here said to " bear record" —
Much has been written, and well written, to dis- prove the authenticity of this text. Certainly, if the genuineness of this text be admitted, and the sense be given to it which those who adduce it as establishing
a Any one who should preach on this subject can use his own dis- cretion about the mode of introducing it. If he be perfectly assured that the words are an interpolation, he can state his views of that matter, and adopt the text, in order to shew, that, though the words themselves are not authentic, the truths contained in them are truly scriptural, and important : or he can take ver. 9. for his text.