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light;" of mercy, that she resides in the heart ;" and of time, that "he spareth no man." It is needless to observe, how much more the Eastern style of speaking and writing abounded with this figure, or how frequently it is to be met with in the Old and New Testaments. The instances of it are so numerous that I scarcely know which to select; one, however, will serve my present purpose, to shew to what extent this mode of reasoning will carry us. is a very singular expression, and I mean, by arguing upon it as you argue upon other passages, to shew how far these inferences will lead us, when carried to their full extent.

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In his Epistle to the Galatians, iii. 8, Paul makes the following assertion, " And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached, before the gospel, unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." -Upon this passage I reason thus:- the scripture must be something distinct from God. But the scripture foreseeth; as it is the property of God alone to foresee, it must follow of course, that the scripture

is God. But it is further added, that the scripture preached. As nothing could preach that was not a person, the scripture must be a person. To shew the mystical union of this person with the Father, the apostle, writing under immediate inspiration, asserts that the scripture preached unto Abraham, before the gospel ; that is, before there was a word of scripture written, which did not take place till long after Abraham's death. He must therefore have pre-existed in intimate union with the Father. And, as it is asserted, that all scripture is given by inspiration," that is, by the Holy Spirit, he must have been given or sent by the Holy Spirit, and therefore must be inferior to him. Consequently, there is one God in four persons, the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the Scriptures!!'

Now, my friends, how will you answer this? Will you tell me that this is irrational and contradictory, for that nothing could preach before it existed? That it is only a personification, a mere figure of speech, in constant use? Remember, that in such an answer, you are making a pretty

ample use of carnal reason; that is precisely what we assert of the third person of the Godhead; and that if you will not carry your reasoning quite so far, we are only consistent in going to the full length, of the argument. But I proceed to a second proof,

That personal offices are attributed to the Holy Spirit.—

1st, Of a master-" He shall teach you."

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I subjoin the three following passages :→ "Multitude of years should teach wisdom." (Job. xxxii. 7.) Speak to the earth and it shall teach thee." (Job xii. 8.) "Doth not even nature itself teach you?" (1 Cor. xi. xiv.)

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2nd, Of a leader or guide ::-" He shall lead you into all truths." I select the following passages :-" The pillar of the cloud to lead them." (Neh. ix. 19.) thou goest it shall lead thee." (Prov. vi. 22.) "O send out thy light and thy truth, let them lead me." (Psalm xliii. 3.) This is precisely similar to the Spirit of God leading us, and light and truth are equally said to be sent on a mission.

3d, Of a monitor:-" He shall bring

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all things to your remembrance." The same is stated of a Jewish offering, that it was to bring iniquity to remembrance. And the Lord's Supper was instituted to bring to remembrance our Saviour. 3. 4th, Of a witness" He shall testify concerning me." In one place in the scriptures, an altar is a witness, in ano-I ther, a pillar, in a third, a stone, and in several places, conscience beareth witness, and a song is said to testify. (Deut. xxxi. 21.)

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5th,Of an ambassador from God, de claring his will." "He maketh his angels spirits," says the Psalmist; or “he maketh the winds his messengers." As to its de-! claring the will of God, this is an argument on the opposite side, for it is hence evident that he could not be a distinct person in the Godhead, otherwise, he would have declared his own will,* and must ~ have been able to speak from himself.

We now proceed to the 5th proof of the personality of the Holy Spirit, namely, e to los crónim slogs 9

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The miraculous works, performed by the apostles, showed or declared, the will, power, influence of God to be with them.

that faculties and operations are attributed to it, plainly personal. As

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1st, Understanding: "The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God." "The things of God none knoweth but the Spirit of God."-With what propriety this passage can be urged as a proof of the personality of a third being, distinct from God, I am really at a loss to conceive. For let us read the whole passage :-" But God hath revealed them to us by his spirit: for the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." Here are the following positive assertions, that the knowledge they possessed was revealed to them by the Spirit of God himself, or by divine inspiration; that there was nothing too great to be thus made known to them; even the deep counsels of the Almighty. And then, as if for fear he should be misunderstood, the apostle explains what he meant by the Spirit of God, by saying, it

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