AN EXPOSITION

OF THE

FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN

IN A SERIES OF SERMONS.

1 JOHN 1: 5

The apostle here begins a new subject, which extends itself, and is carried on, and ends with the close of the seventh verse : after which another new period begins. He here reminds those to whom he wrote, of the message which he, and his fellow apostles had received from the Lord Jesus, and which they now were in the act and habit of delivering unto them. It was in its own nature, and also in its consequences of the utmost importance, both as it regarded the Person from whom they received it, and the doctrine contained therein. They heard and received it from Christ himself. It was in his Name, and from his command, and his own authority, they declared and delivered it. What they declared respected the purity of the divine Nature, and the incomprehensible glory and dignity of the same. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. He cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. This is an essential Truth of the everlasting gospel. The apostle James introduces it thus. "Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." chap. i 16, 17. . This Truth, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, tile apostles, who were with Christ, almost at the very commencement of his ministry, received from him. This they received as a message to be delivered. This they did to the saints. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. This he begins with here, to shew there is every thing in the revelation God hath been pleased to make of, and concerning Himself, to give full evidence of this. There is not a Truth in his most holy, and written word, but is suitable with the Dignity, Majesty, Holiness, Purity and Perfection of his Essence. Every truth and doctrine of grace, hath an immutable and all inexpressible purity in it. Every purpose and decree of God, is equal to the perfection of Godhead. He cannot will any thing contrary to his Essence and Holiness: so that all his thoughts, will, council, acts, purposes and decrees, his ends and designs towards all things visible and invisible, are all holy, just and good. In his sovereign will in Christ, towards the ,whole election of grace, He shines forth in the full blaze of light inexpressible. The Essence of God; the Persons in God, the perfection of God, may well be conceived of; as contained in this expression, God is light. The word God is sometimes expressive of the Essence, and sometimes of a Person in the Essence, who is Personally expressed in the text or context. I conceive here, it may be understood both of the Essence, and of a Person in the Essence.  As the Essence is one, and the Persons are distinguished by their relation to each otter, and their distinctive personal properties, so I should conceive here, the Essence in the first place may be thus expressed, and a Person in the Essence also. Then it must follow the divine rather is here to be understood, as appears by what follows. I will give you the whole connection of these verses. Then you may judge for yourselves.

From which it appears to me, it is the Divine Nature in the Person of the Father we are to understand here. And the Son and Spirit being equally possessed of the Divine Nature, they are the one true and living God, in the incomprehensible Godhead. So that they are coequal and coeternal. In the words of my text we have tile following particulars, and which I shall aim to set before you under the following Heads. As,

1. The reason why this message, or declaration; is here introduced.

2. The assertion contained in it concerning God. In which we have a positive and negative declaration concerning him. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

3. How Light and Darkness are made use of in Scripture, to point out prosperity and adversity. The state of sin, and the state of grace. The blessings and benefits of the one, and the tremendous evils of the other. Also heaven and hell.

4. The apostle's end and design in these words. This then is the, message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Of these as the Lord shall be pleased to assist. And that in the order as laid down ; as I conceive thereby we shall have the substance of the words laid open before us;

And

1. Tile reason why this message, or declaration is here introduced;

It appears on the very face of it, to be designed to prevent all mistakes, which might arise in the minds of any, who were under a profession of Christ, and his gospel, concerning communion with the Father, and his Son Jesus Christ. That whilst it was open and free for all who were partakers of the Spirit of the Lord, to enjoy this most high and inestimable favour, yet unregenerate professors could not he therefore says, This then is the message which we have heard of Him, the most adorable God-Man, and which we go on still to declare unto you, without adding any thing unto it, or diminishing any thing from it. That God is light, Holiness and Purity itself. Such as is Essential, incomprehensible,  and unspeakable. Let this, says he, be carried in your minds, throughout your reading this whole epistle. Let this be ever remembered in all accesses at the throne of grace, that God is light, and that in Him is no darkness at all. So that you mistake if you conceive him to be the author and cause of sin. The words, This is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, are as if he had said, This is the doctrine which he delivered to us, to give out and preach unto you that God is light. Our Lord had said of Himself, I am the light of the world. And he came from the bosom of the Father to reveal Him, so as in the light of Christ reflected on the apostles minds, they knowing the Father, from the revelation Christ had made of Him to their minds, might well say to those to whom they wrote, This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you., that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Therefore whatsoever we write to you of, and concerning Him, must be pure and perfect. If it be not so, it is not the message which we received from our Lord. Therefore we acknowledge it not. Neither in whole, nor in part. It is our will and practice to deliver unto you, that which the Lord hath delivered unto us. And this is the whole subject and substance of our message from Him, which we have heard from our Lord, and your Lord, and which in his most adorable name we deliver unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. I proceed

2dly. To the assertion contained in my text concerning God. In which we have a positive and negative. 1. What God is. 2. What he is not. He is Light. There is no darkness in Him. By the one the Purity of the Divine Essence is declared. By the other the denial of all sin is made. He is light without darkness. He is Essentially, invariably, and incomprehensively, Light, Purity, Holiness, Blessedness, Truth and Goodness; such as can never be comprehended but by Himself alone. As this is what God is, and whilst it here seems as hath been before hinted, to belong Personally to the divine Father, yet it belongs equally to the Son, and Spirit; they having one and the same glorious Essence Hence it. follows what God is Essentially, He is Personally : for the Persons are one and alike in the Essence. When it is here said, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, it contains a declaration of what God is. The light is invisible. It is one of the agents of nature. It is extended over the whole creation. It is the manifester of all things. Without it we could see nothing. It penetrates to the very center of the globe. It is in every direction. It is separated from darkness. It is wholly incomprehensible by us. We know the effects of it. And that is all we possibly can know of it. God himself asks this question of Job. " Where is the way where light dwelleth ? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof, xxxviii. 19. Light is air in motion. Darkness is air motionless. We read, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light : and there was light,. And God saw the light that it was good : and God divided the light from the darkness." Gen. i. 1-4. Thus light and darkness were divided. They cannot be joined, so as to become one. Neither can the Purity and Holiness of the divine Majesty thus, with the evil expressed by the term, sin. The Psalmist addresseth the Divine art Majesty thus, "Bless the Lord, O my soul. 0 Lord my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty. Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment." Civ. 1, 2. Daniel said, might "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever : for wisdom and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons : he removeth Kings and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things : he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dweleth with the him." ii. 20-22. The apostle expresses the Divine Majesty as " the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." 1 Tim. vi. 15, I6. Another apostle speaks of Him, as the father of lights. James i. 17. As light is invisible and incomprehensible, such is the nature of God. Hence the question originated, which was expressed by one of old. "Canst thou by searching out God ? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven ; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." Job xi. 7-9. Whilst the works of the Lord, in this our world, and in the visible heavens over our heads, and by the which we are surrounded on every side are " great, sought. out of all them that have pleasure therein ;" yet these cannot be comprehended by the most acute searcher, and researcher into them ; the outward works of God will never be, fully : and God Himself in his Essence, Persons, and Perfections will never be comprehended. It is wholly impossible. We may ' know God in all his Persons in Christ, and enjoy everlasting felicity with them in oar own souls, but this is not to comprehend the Eternal Three, nor their self-existence in one glorious Godhead. As God is expressed under the term Light to express the Majesty, Holiness, Purity, and transcendently glorious Perfections of God : our text asserts; That God is light. Which is the positive part of the assertion. The negative part is this. And in Him is no darkness at all. By which is understood the darkness of sin. This is not in God. Neither can it ever tarnish the Holiness and purity of God. He is Light Essentially and immutably, and incomprehensibly so. Sin can have no place in Him. Nor call it detract from Him. Hence the propriety of the the following questions. "Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against. him ? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest unto him ? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him ? or what receiveth he of thine hand ? Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteousness may profit the son of nian." Job xxxv. 5-8. The creatures were once, all of them without sin. Holiness was their happiness and perfection, in their creation state. Yet even then, what is said by Eliphaz in the book of Job expresses, what was true of all the angels of the divine presence, with all the excellency of their nature and faculties, as well as of man, created once for all, and all men in Him, created in the image of God ; there was no immutability in them. '' Shall mortal man be more just than God ? Shall a man be more pure than his, Maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged "with folly : how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crashed before the moth ?" Job iv. 17-19. The angels of God's presence were created to continue in being and existence for ever. But they were not immutable. This is the Perfection of God. It is essential to Divine Nature to be immutable. Their wills therefore were liable to a change. This the Divine Majesty saw. Therefore in his sight they not being impeccable, He was not as their Creator, and they the work of his hands, bound to bestow this favour on them. He could not in their very creation state, with all their holiness and purity put any trust in them  he could not but charge them with comparative folly, as knowing if he left, them to their own wills, they would fall from that state in which he had placed them. What the scripture, style sin came in at this door-the mutability of creature free will. God was pleased to display his, sovereignty towards all the angels created by Him. He secured some of these to himself, so as to render it impossible they should ever fail from him, by appointing Christ to be their Head of union and communion with Him, and by so guiding their wills as to render them impeccable whilst it pleased Him to leave all the rest of tile then angels of his presence to the mutability of their own wills. Thus sin received its being and existence. The non-elect angels fell : not through any act of God within them, compelling or inciting their so to do ; but from their own free will as creatures : by which exercise of their wills, they rejected God's will in setting up the God-Min, to be the one Lord between God and the whole creation. This was open rebellion against the Divine Majesty. For this they became what they now are. They acted thus as left to the free exercise of their wills. And in the very first instance of the same, it was their free will act. I ground this on the following scripture. " And the angels which kept not their first estate," or principality, '' but left their own habitation." Does not this imply their own freewill ? They '' left their own habitation." This most certainly was their act. Not the Lord's. What follows upon it was the Lord's act towards them. "He hath reserved in everlasting, chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day." Jude v. 6. I might add this scripture also out of Peter. "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment. 2 Epis. Ii. 4. 4. Observe, sin was first committed in heaven, or these sinning angels could not have been cast out of it. -Their being cast oust of it, was an act of God's righteous displeasure against sin : which is a transgression of the law. The angels were created under a law. Their obedience to which would have been the perfection of their natures. They sinned against it. That was their crime. Damnation for it, was the righteous and holy expression of God's indignation and wrath against them for it. So that there is no unholiness in Him. The fall of man was brought about, and effected by the old serpent called the devil. Adam and his wife, were perfectly holy and happy by creation, and in their creation state. They being left to the mutability of their creature free wills, fell from God, on the first temptation, and corrupted themselves, and all who shall ever descend from them. And here It may be proper to ask some questions, which may he relieving too our minds. As 1st. Is not all which hath been delivered to declare God is the author of sin? To this it must be replied, some of our greatest Divines have assorted this. Yet not with the least intent to detract from the Holiness and Purity of God. In the 2nd place it must be asked, What is sin ? The answer is ; the least variation from the will of God revealed and made known. It is a mental evil. It originates in the mind. All the evils it further produces, are but the fruits and effects of the same. But say all this, How could sin originate in a pure mind ? To which the reply is this. The creatures with all their created holiness and purity, could not continue so, if left one moment to themselves. The Lord God never created one individual, either angel, or saint, let the creature be created either in heaven, or earth, to exist of itself: or, to be a center to itself: or, to derive happiness from itself: yet all creature wills, in ail intelligent rational agents are inclined to seek for all their enjoyments and happiness in themselves alone. It is from hence the origin of sin, derived its being and existence. The mind of these bright intellectual beings in heaven, being left to think of happiness to be enjoyed by them, out of God himself, and it being his declared good pleasure, they should enjoy all blessedness and good out of the fulness of the God-Man, in whom it pleased the Father all fulness should dwell-they not assenting and consenting to this, immediately sought out happiness for themselves. This occasioned the loss of their original purity and holiness : and from hence, out of this as the fountain and original, all their actual beginnings and signings began, and are and ever will be continued. They one and all sinned in an Head. Mankind all sinned in an head. Let what hath been expressed be rightly understood, it will appear, nothing in all this reflects on the glory of God's Holiness, nor does it by any means tarnish it. This truth remains immutable. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. Sin is in the creatures. Not in God. Sin is in, the nature of the creature as fallen from God. It is no part of what the Lord God hath created in it. Sin is a privation of all good ; and a positive inclination to all evil. The whole of which consists, let it be in angels or men, in self love. In the pursuit of those gratifications and desires, as make self, our chief end, and aim. It is the principle from whence all these proceed which makes us exceeding sinful. The existence of which is within us. Now God is not the author of all this. Yet God willed all this : or it could not have been. Therefore those great Divines who say, God is the author of sin, very accurately distinguish on it. They say, God willed not sin, as sin. But he willed it for his holy pleasure, and for holy purposes. When they say, God is the author of sin, they mean the fall both of angels and men, from the state in which he created them. Which they make out to be an holy act in God. So that what they say, does by no means set aside what our apostle says in the words before us, when he asserts, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. They shew there was a necessity for it. That the Holiness, purity, and excellency of what God is, as God, might appear. That the Personal union of our nature to the Son of God, was the, alone foundation of knitting the elect, both angels and men to God, as alone, could preserve them from sin, or raise them out of it, when fallen by it.

That. Christ God-Man, was the only foundation, for union and communion with God. That all the blessings of supercreation grace, were to be manifested in the alone and glorious Person of the Man, The Fellow of the Lord of Hosts. In whom, and by whom, and as in union with Him, the Elect angels were preserved from sinning, and whose wills are now rendered so impeccable, as that they cannot, sin to eternity And the elect of mankind, are so secured in Christ, and by Christ, and their sins are all so completely atoned for by Christ, and they so completely justified thereby, as that. the. holiness of God, shines forth in its fullest manifestative effulgency and glory. Thus the Truth of' our text remains invincible. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. God did not will sin, as sin. Yet without his will it: cannot have existence. Nor can it. be whilst it hath existence, but in a rational subject. It is only now to be found, in fallen angels, and fallen men. And all proves no creature, can for a single moment, stand before the Holy Lord God, in a state of purity and perfection, on their creation bottom. Neither the Elect angels now in heaven, nor any of the election of grace, belonging to Adams posterity, could ever have been beheld by God with immutable pleasure and delight.; if he had not chosen them in Christ, and beheld them in Him with delight. And it is only as we are brought by the Lord the Spirit, into the true knowledge of this, from the word of Truth, we renounce all our vain hopes; and glory in the Lord. Here it seems very necessary to introduce the following passage. "But. of' him, are ye, in Christ Jesus, "who of God is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption : That, according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." I Cor. i. 30, :31.

Having as well as I could, set forth what is contained in the solemn assertion in my text, respecting God, of whom John says, That He is light, and in him is no darkness at all; I proceed

3dly. To show how the terms, Light, and Darkness, are made use of in scripture, to point out prosperity and adversity. The state of sin, and the state of grace. The blessings of the one, and the tremendous evils of the other. Also heaven, and Hell.

Light is a very marvelous and delightful substance. Its motion is said to be extremely quick. It is said to move about ten millions of miles in a minute. It renders other bodies visible and agreeable. Hence "Solomon says, "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." Eccl. xi. 7. The lord God, after he had formed the Heavens, and the substance of the earth, he formed light. It may be it was, in a kind of luminous cloud, moving round. the earth, or having the earth moving round it, he divided it from the darkness. As it was in the first creation, so it is in the new and spiritual creation. God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Without. it. there could be no discovery of any one object: So the apostle speaking of the new creation says, "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ " 2 Cor. iv.6. God is light. He is essentially pure, and glorious. His nature is a fountain of all essential blessedness and glory. He is the fountain of all being and well-being to his creatures, both visible and invisible. He is in the Light : that is, he invariably and incommunicably possesses his excellencies, and from the full knowledge he has of the same, his blessedness is continually maintained. Christ is the Light. He, is as God-Man, the fountain of nature, grace, and glory. He is the fountain of all light and knowledge, and Truth, natural, spiritual, and eternal. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Col. ii. 3. Light is with us, the sensation and perception and apprehension of the. same. As it respects light. and darkness, as emblematical of prosperity and adversity, the Lord himself speaks thus. " I form the light, and create darkness I make peace, and create evil : I the Lord do all these things.'' Isa xlv. 7. So the state of sin, and time state of grace, is expressed by darkness, and light. As also by death, and life. "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord : walk as children of light." Eph. v. 8. So will respect to the state of un-regeneracy, and a translation out of it into the state of grace, the apostle says, " Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son." Col. i. 13. The apostle Peter, speaking of the state the saints are in by regeneration and conversion to the Lord, expresseth himself thus. " But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people ; that ye should shew forth the praises of him, who hath called yon out of darkness into his marvellous light.." I Epis. ii. 9. Our apostle says, " We know that we have passed from death unto life." iii. 14. This is expressing the state of sin, as death ; and the state of grace, as life. The passage from the one to the other, is by regeneration. And also by a translation "into the kingdom of God's dear Son." Which consists " in righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Sin is a work of darkness. And the renewed people of God are thus addressed. "The night is far spent, the day is at hand : let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." Rom. xiii. 12. Afflictions are expressed by the term darkness, as prosperity, either spiritual, or temporal by that. of light. The state to which the body is reduced by death; as it lies in the grave is expressed to be " a land of darkness, as darkness itself, and of the shadow of death, without. any order, and where the light is as darkness." Job. x. 22. So is Hell expressed by the same term. "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Matt. xxv. 30. So Heaven, glory, and a blessed immortality, is expressed also by its opposite term. It is styled, " the inheritance of the saints in light." Col. i. 12. Heaven is the inheritance of the saints in light. The state of blessedness, glory, and immortality, is expressed by white robes : by mortality being swallowed up of life : by their being " before the throne of God, and serving him day and night, in his temple." Rev. vii. 15. The state of the church in the spiritual reign of Christ, is thus expressed, " The sun shall be no more thy light by day ; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : but the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory." Isa.ix. 19. The state of the church of Christ, in the new heavens and new earth is thus expressed. " And I saw no temple therein ; for the Lord God Almighty and the lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. "Rev. xxi. 22, 23 And when the Lord addresses his church to shine out of obscurity, He says, Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising'.'' Isa. Lx. 1-3. The passages which have been quoted, are sufficient to prove, that all good is expressed by Light, and all evil of every sort, by Darkness. All the Divine Essence and Majesty is declared by John thus. God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. There is nothing but sin in fallen angels, and fallen man. Yet it, is not. In them as creatures of God's forming, but as fallen from that state in which he created and placed them. Their wills are the whole seat of their sin and sinfulness. And all their actual sin and sinfulness proceeds from the activity of their wills, As God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, so his word, truths, doctrines, ordinances, are all pure and holy. Every part, of the revelation he hath made of Himself, in his most holy word, is worthy of Him. It, is all light., purity, and perfection. It. is as pure as the light. His saints as they are brought out of darkness darkness into his marvellous light, they walk in the light.. They are as an apostle declares, the children of light and of the day, they are not of the night, nor of darkness. Hence the -same apostle exhorts them, to walk as children of light. Their renewed wills are the seat of all habitual grace. The spiritual activity of their minds is the fruit of this. Their object and subject on whom, and on which their spiritual minds are exercised is God in all his Persons, as revealed, and shining forth in everlasting Love, in the exceeding riches of grace, salvation, glory, and Life eternal in the God-Man, from whom it is reflected on them. And all they have the inward knowledge of, and all they enjoy in real communion with the Divine Majesty in the Person of the Father, everlastingly proves, and demonstrates this immutable verity, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. That he is of purer eves than to behold evil. That He is the fountain of Essential Purity. That. "there is none holy as the Lord : for there is none beside Him, neither is there any rock of salvation but Him, and the Lord our God. All the holiness of all the saints and angels in heaven, is communicated unto them. It is not of, and from themselves. It is bestowed upon them, and continue in them, and their wills are rendered impeccable in holiness, and they cannot will to sin, no not for evermore. Yet all this is of free favour. It is not essential and natural to their nature. But. God is Essentially Holiness itself. It is the very perfection of his Godhead. He can no more cease to be Holy than he can his being what He is. God is light, and there is no darkness in Him. I come

4thly. To the apostle's end and design in these words. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto You, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

Most assuredly one end and design was, to keep up and retain in their minds unto whom he wrote, a reverence of the divine Majesty. That they might consider, as light cannot mix with darkness, so they could not converse with God, but as they had a suitable frame, and proper apprehensions of Him, as the Holy, Blessed, Glorious Lord their God. This glorious and fearful name, The Lord our God, was to be before them in their accesses unto Him: which would be the means of possessing their minds, hearts, wills, affections, and memory, with such proper conceptions of his Majesty, as would help and assist them in their worshipping Him, and in their walking before Him, and in their holding communion with Him. Another end of the apostle might be, to give all, who should come in succeeding ages and generations, and be brought to believe and profess the truths of the everlasting Gospel, to know that the Holiness of God shines in, and throughout every part, truth, doctrine, and ordinance of the same. Again it might be, to anticipate to their minds, that this was a part and branch of that truth he was about to pursue, in filling up his present subject. He therefore prepares their minds for the further and fuller reception of the subject. As this is contained in the next two succeeding verses, which will each be separately opened and explained, as the Lord may be pleased to assist, and impart light, and shed his Spirit, as the Spirit of grace, in his gifts, graces, and anointing, I shall say nothing more at this time. May it please the Holy Ghost, to shed his sacred influences on what hath been delivered in the present sermon, so far as will be for your profit, and His praise and glory. This I must entirely leave with his Majesty. It being with Him alone, to bless, or to withhold a blessing. I will therefore close with the following Doxology. " Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God ; be honour and glory for ever and ever." Amen. I Tim. i. 17.