of adoration, or doxologes, so different, must have differed in their opinions respecting the object of worship. I is an inference which we must make.

say this I will here just mention one or two other passages, which are not ascriptions of glory, but shew the opinions entertained by the apostles. "Now God himself, even our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way unto you.-1 Thes. iii. 11. "Now, our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope, through grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good work."-2 Thes. ii. 16. Paul commences his second address to the Thessalonians in these words: Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians, in God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ." And to Timothy begins thus, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God, our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Tim.

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I will put it to any candid Trinitarian, whether, with his opinion, he could have

written thus on the subject! Let him put himself in the situation of the apostle, and seriously consider whether he could, consistently with his opinions, make such omissions; whether, he should not justly think himself guilty of great neglect in thus concealing, as it were, a truth essential to the salvation of mankind; whe- . ther, he would not be guilty of insulting the great Jehovah, in thus neglecting the adoration due to one of the persons in his godhead!

Then were not the apostles guilty of this neglect? Was it not their duty, as honest men and consistent characters, not only to worship this person themselves, not only not to omit any opportunity of teaching the personality and deity of the Holy Spirit, but to take every occasion of explicity proclaiming so important a truth, of which mankind were, before, totally ignorant? Nay, is not our Saviour himself exposed to the same charge? For, neither he, nor any one of his apostles, ever, once, inform their disciples, that they are to worship the Holy Spirit as a distinct person in the godhead, but, at the

best, leave it to be inferred from some dubious expressions! From this charge of neglect and inconsistency, we vindicate our master and his apostles. And I must think, we take the only ground, upon which they can be vindicated.

I add a 5th general argument; that, if the Holy Spirit be a distinct person in the godhead, then he was the parent of Jesus Christ. This is distinctly stated in Luke i. 35. I am sure you cannot, with any consistency, say, "O, this is not to be taken literally; the Holy Ghost does not, in this place, mean the third person in the Trinity, though in every other passage it does; but only the spirit or power of God the Father!" I say you will not, for consistency's sake, make this assertion. must allow it to be literal. Only see then, how this harmonizes with your creed, that "the Son is of the Father alone; and the Holy Ghost of the Father and the Son." Here is, in the first place, a direct contradiction, that "the Son is of the Father alone, when it is expressly said he is of the Holy Ghost! In the 2nd place, here are evidently two Sons. The second

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person in the Trinity is the Son of the Father, and, at the same time, the Son of the Holy Ghost. And the third person in the Trinity is the Son of the Father and of the Son, for he proceeded from both. And, in the third place, here are three Fathers; for the first person in the Trinity is Father to the Son and Holy Ghost ; the second person in the Trinity is Father to the Holy Ghost, who proceeded from him; and the third person in the Trinity is Father to the Son!! Such are the consequences of believing the Holy Spirit to be a third person in the godhead.

I have selected these as general arguments for the impersonality of the Holy Spirit; I now proceed to some particulars in the scriptures, which are totally inconsistent with the opinion of its being a third person in the godhead.

1st. It is expressly said to be the spirit of God." The spirit of God:" not God the Holy Ghost. "The spirit of God dwelleth in you."-1 Cor. iii. 16. " I think also that I have the spirit of God," 1 Cor. vii. 40. Grieve not the holy spirit of God."-Eph. iv. 30. "I will put

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my spirit upon him."-Matt. xii. 8. If, by this expression, the writers meant à person distinct from the Father, they must naturally have said so; because their hear ers would doubtless understand the words in their usual acceptation. But so far from even having said so, they state, that by the spirit of God, they meant the same thing, in reference to God, as the spirit of man in relation to man.*

2nd. It is termed the power of God in Luke i. 35. The Holy Ghost is expressly called the power of the Highest. In the book of Acts, viii. 18, 19. we read, And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands, the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying, Give me this power, that on whómsoever I lay hands, he may receive the

Acts v. 34. "Then Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled thy heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God."

Athanasius, speaking of this matter, says: "So that he who lied to the Holy Spirit, lied unto God, who dwells in men by his Spirit. For where the spirit of God is, there is God. As it is said: 'Hereby know we that God dwelleth in us, because he has given us of his spirit!"

Lardner Log. 1 post. p. 100.