Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

flesh." Whatever might be the manner of striving, the spirit is that, by which God strove or operated. Numb. xi. 17. And I will take of the spirit that is upon thee, and put it upon them;" that is, the elders. Then v. 25. "And the Lord came down in a cloud and spake unto Moses, and took of the spirit that was upon him and gave it to the seventy elders-when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied." ver. 27, of Eldad and Medad it is said "the spirit rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp." "This being told to Moses he said, "would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them." As Moses was himself endued in a supernatural or extraordinary manner, so others were made partakers of similar gifts to aid him in the work of judging the people of Israel.

In Deut. xxxiv. 9, we are told, that "Joshua was full of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him." From this we learn, that the gifts of the spirit were communicated by the laying on of hands by Moses, as they afterwards were by the apostles of our Lord.

Thus it appears from the writings of Moses, that by "the spirit of God," or the breath of God, is intended that, by which God operates or produces effects, and particularly that by which he communicates supernatural gifts and powers to enable men to execute his purpose.

The phrase "the spirit of the Lord" is used in the same manner by the subsequent writers of the Old Testament. Judges iii.

[ocr errors]

40. "The spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel." eh. vi. 3. "The spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon." ch. xi. 29. "The spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah." ch. xiii. 25. "The spirit of the Lord began to move Sampson." ch. xiv. 6. "The spirit of the Lord came mightily upon Sampson. Thus these several persons were stirred up and prepare ed for deliverers to the people of Israel; and thus all the mighty things done by them are accounted for by the sacred writer.

[ocr errors]

1 Sam. x. 6. we find Samuel the prophet saying to Saul, "The spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt prophe sy." ch. xvi. 13. "The spirit of the Lord came upon David.". v. 14. "The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul." 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. David said, "The spirit of the Lord spake by me." This last text shows what is intended in the scriptures by the spirit's speaking. God endued men with his spirit, and they "spake as the spirit gave them utterance."

It is needless to mention all the passages, in which the phrases under consideration are to be found in the remaining books of the Old Testament.

Some of the most remarkable will be introduced.

Isaiah Ixiii. 10. "But they rebelled and vexed his holy spirit.” This probably means no more nor less, than that they vexed or provoked God. Respecting Moses it is said "they provoked his spirit." Ps. cvi. 33. This does not imply that the spirit of Moses was a person distinct from himself, or that Moses and his spirit were two persons.

Ps. li. 41. 12. "Take not thy

holy spirit from me.--Uphold me with thy free spirit." David had formerly been blessed with the gifts of the spirit-he had recently sinned grievously; he had reason to fear that the tokens of divine favor would be withdrawn, and he felt the need of divine support. It was therefore very proper that he should pray in this manner.

There are some predictions in the Old Testament relating to the Messiah, in which the spirit of God is mentioned, that deserve particular attention.

Isa. xi. 1. 2. “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understand ing, the spirit of council and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."

Ch. xlii. 1. "Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delighteth: I have put my spirit upon him; he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles."

Ch. Ixi. 1. “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek, he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound."

That these passages relate to the Messiah will not be doubted. The two last are explicitly applied to him in the New Testament. The last was read by him in the synagogue and appropriated to himself. We may also observe, that the same language

is here used, that was used in the passages before quoted, which evidently referred to God's bestowing extraordinary gifts or supernatural powers.

By these passages the Old and New Testament become connected; for what was here predicted was fulfilled after the Messiah made his appearance. It was foretold that the spirit of the Lord should rest on him. This was fulfilled at his baptism and inauguration; a symbol of which was given in the form of a dove which descended and abode upon him. In giving the account Matthew says, ch. iii. 16. "the spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon him." Mark says "the spirit like a dove descending upon him." ch. i. 10. Luke says, the Holy Ghost descended. ch. iii. 22. This descent of the spirit was the token given to John, by which he was to know the Messiah. John i. 32, 33, 34. “And John bare record, saying, I saw the spirit descentling from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw and bare record, that this is the Son of God."

It was at the same time that Jesus received the anointing. Isa. Ixi. 1. In reference to this Peter at the house of Cornelius spake thus, "That word ye know which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John

preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him." Acts x. 37, 38. As he had thus received miraculous powers from the Father, he said to the Jews, "But if I cast out devils by the spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." Mat. xii. 28. The same idea is expressed Luke xi. 20, in this manner. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.

[ocr errors]

Thus far we see a perfect harmony between the Old Testament and the New as to the meaning of "the spirit of God." There is however another prophecy, which also connects the two Testaments,

Joel ii. 28, 29. "And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall phophecy; and your old

men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants, and upon the handmaids, in those days, will I pour but my spirit." This text in Joel was quoted by Peter and applied to the effusion of the spirit, on the day of Pentecost.-"This, said he, "is that which was spoken of by the prophet Joel." He then cites the passage which is now before us. There is however another circumstance truly remarkable. This very effusion of the spirit on the day of pentecost was not only a fulfilment of the prophecy in Joel, but also

of our Saviour's promise to his apostles, that he would send them the Comforter, the Holy Ghost. This promise was several times repeated in his discourse to them the evening before the crucifixion. It was renewed after his resurrection. They were commanded to tarry at Jerusalem until they should be "endued with power from on high; Luke xxiv. 49.

On the day of his ascension he said to them, "John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." Acts i. 5. "Ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come upon you," ver. 8. Accordingly, "when the day of pentecost was fully come, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance, "Acts ii. 1-4. In his sermon on that occasion, Peter brought to view the crucifixion of Christ, and then said, "This Jesus hath God raised up whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Fa. ther the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear," Acts ii. 32, 33. "Shed forth" what? Not a person, but those miraculous gifts which had been promised under the idea of the comforter, moniter, or advocate.

Thus we see the Old Testament and the New, connected and harmonizing as to the meaning of the phrase "the spirit of God." If such were the meaning of this, and equivalent phrases, as used by Moses and

other writers of the Old Testament, and such the meaning of the phrases in the passages referring to Christ and his apostles, and all that took place on the day of penticost; must it not require such evidence as the Bible does not contain, to convince a judicious and unpreju

diced mind, that the spirit of God is a distinct person from the Father? Who that is without prejudice would so much as dream, that by the "breath_of God" is intended a person? Yet it is certain, that by the breath of God and the spirit of God are intended the same thing.

ILLUSTRATIONS OF PASSAGES IN THE NEW TES

21

TAMENT, &c.

Continued from page 174.

Matthew iii. 7. "Many of the Pharisees and Sadducees came to his baptism."

THERE is so frequent reference in the New Testament to these two great sects among the Jews, that the peculiarities of sentiment and of character in each should be well understood, to discern the propriety, and to feel the force of many allusions to, and of many direct expressions concerning them. We will endeavour to convey as clear, and as full a general knowledge of them, as we can within the limits which must be assigned to this article.

The name Pharisee was derived from a Hebrew word, which signified separated, or set apart. The origin of the sect, and the time of its commencement, are alike obscure; but it was probably formed between two and three hundred years before the christian sera, and gradually grew out of the pride and the hypocrisy of the expounders of the traditionary law. The Pharisees were distinguished, 1, by their frequent washings,

which they made a religious duty; and the omission of which they accounted a capital crime. If a pharisee could obtain only water enough to wash his hands, he would die with thirst, rather than drink it. 2. They made prayers in public places, at the corners of the streets, to attract the esteem and veneration of the people. 3. They thought themselves to be defiled, if they touched, or conversed with sinners. 4. They fasted often; but particularly on Mondays and Thursdays, because Moses, they say, went up into the mount on Thurs- · day, and returned on Monday. 5. They were scrupulously exact in payment of their tythes, and even exceeded the requisitions of the law. 6. In the observance of the Sabbath they were so rigorous, as to forbid any one, on that day to eat ears of corn, or even to heal the sick. They wore broader phylacteries, (pieces of parchment, on which were written passages from Exodus and Deuteronomy, which were bound to their foreheads and arms;) and larger fringes to their garments, than the rest

7.

[ocr errors]

of the Jews. 8. They believed, that when Moses was with God in the mount, he received with the written law, another which was traditionary, containing the sense and explication of the other; that Moses repeated this law, first to Aaron and to his sons; and again at his death to Joshua, who delivered it to the elders; and they to the prophets, and the prophets to the wise men of the great synagogue. These traditions, than which nothing could be more trifling in some cases, and more absurd in others, they preferred, to their written law. 9. They believed in predestination, which however they endeavoured to reconcile with the freedom of human actions; and received the doctrines of the existence of angels, and of separate human spirits; of the resurrection, and a future state of rewards and punishments. But they were crafty and insinuating; insolent and implacable; disdaining and trampling upon all but their own party; insupportable in their pride, and insatiable in their avarice. Our Lord accused them of perversions of the Mosaic law, which they made "of none effect by their traditions;" of pride, avarice, cruelty, and hypocrisy. Some, without doubt, of so large a number, were exceptions from these censures. Such, we may believe, were Nicodemus, and Gamalial. But dreadfully corrupt and abandoned must the sect have become, to have occasioned such language as was uttered against them, by our meek, and gentle, and benevolent Redeemer.

We learn from Josephus, how great was the popularity and the power of this sect, about eighty years before the appearance of our Lord. "When king Alexander Janneus lay upon his death bed, and his wife Alexandra was much affected by the condition in which she and her children would be left, on account of the hatred which she knew that the pharisees bore to her husband and family, he advised her by all means to caress them, as the only means of securing the affection of the mass of the nation; for there were no such friends where they loved, and no such enemies where they hated; and whether they spake true or false, good or evil of any one, they would be alike believed by the common people. He therefore enjoined it upon her, after his death, to commit his body to their disposal; at the same time to assure them, that she would ever submit herself to their authority and direction. She obeyed him; and not only was his funeral more sumptuous than that of any of his predecessors, but she was firmly established in the supreme government of the nation."

The Sadducees derive their name from Sadoc, the founder of their sect. He was a disciple and the successor of Antigonus Sochæus, who had formed a seet, distinguished by the professed purity and disinterestedness of their worship. "Be not like slaves." said he to his pupils; "nor obey your master only for the sake of a reward. But serve him without a hope of reaping the fruits of your la

« FöregåendeFortsätt »