70 sense and truth, would represent him as uttering language without a meaning. For what meaning could be attached to the expression of baptizing in the name of an attribute. If a person took an oath of allegiance to the king, the peers, and the commons, assembled in parliament, the meaning would be obvious, but if he swore allegiance to the king, the parliament, and the king's power, the latter part of the oath would convey no idea. PROOFS OF THE PERSONALITY When the apostle implored for his Christian friends the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, he implored most important blessings; and if the Holy Spirit is a divine person, not a less important one, when he added, the communion of the Holy Ghost. But if the Holy Ghost were a mere attribute, wisdom, or power, how absurd would appear a devout prayer, that the fellowship of God's power or wisdom might be with them! §3. The actions and attributes ascribed to the Holy Spirit, furnish further proof of his personality. "f-To "The The Spirit is said to approve or be pleased. "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost."-To be displeased or vexed. They rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit."d "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God."e-To be resisted. "Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye." strive. "My Spirit shall not always strive with men."s-To hear and speak. "He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he hear, that shall he speak."-To direct. Spirit said to Philip, Go near, and join thyself to that chariot."'i To forbid. They were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia."-To guide. "He will guide you into all truth."-To inhabit as a temple. "Ye are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwelleth in you."m-To search and know. "The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God.""-To discover what he thus knows. "He shall glorify me, (Christ,) for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine, therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and show it unto you." "10 "The Comforter shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have (c) Acts xv. 28. (g) Gen, vi. 3. (1) John xvi. 13. (d) Isa. lxiii. 10. (h) John xvi. 13. (m) 1 Cor. iii. 16. (n) (e) Eph. v. 30. (2) Acts viii. 20. 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. (f) Acts vii. 51. (k) Acts xvi. 6. (0) John xvi. 14, 15. OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 71 said unto you.”—To be sent for this purpose, and when sent, to testify, comfort, and convince. "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." "When he is come he will reprove (or convince) the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment."-To inspire. "Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."-To work and distribute according to his pleasure. "All these worketh one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man according as his will.". To give life. "Quickened by the Spirit."-To be the object of attempted deception. Peter said, "Ananias, Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?"v Is it possible reasonably to suppose, that in a volume written by inspired men, to instruct the illiterate, such language should be used respecting the wisdom or the power of God? Could it, to speak merely common sense, be said of wisdom, or power, or any other attribute, that it is pleased, is displeased, is vexed, is grieved, is resisted; that it strives, hears, speaks, directs, forbids, inhabits, searches, and knows, reveals, teaches, is sent, inspires, works, distributes according to its own will, quickens, and is the object of attempted deception. If sensible men would not use language so absurd, would inspired men use it when penning a book designed to enlighten, and guide, and save the world? Would the pronoun HE be repeatedly applied, even by Christ himself, to the Spirit, if the Spirit were merely one of God's perfections? HE shall testify. I will send HIM. When HE is come, HE will reprove the world. HE, the Spirit of truth, HE will guide you into all truth. HE shall not speak of HIMSELF, but whatsoever HE shall hear shall HE speak. HE will show you things to come. HE shall glorify me. HE shall receive of mine. Dividing according as HE will. Would there be any propriety in applying expressions like these to God's power or wisdom? Would even a child make use of them? Can we then suppose that he who spake as never man spake, should speak thus unintelligibly ? `Unitarians may sneer and rant about eastern allegories and personification, but we may defy them to produce an instance from (p) John xiv. 26. (g) John xv. 26. (r) John xvi. 7, 8. (s) 2 Pet. i. 21. (t) 1 Cor. xii. 11. (u) 1 Pet. iii. 18. (v) Acts v. 3. 72 72 THE DEITY OF THE SPIRIT. the grave, sedate language of a sensible man of personification so absurd, as the above would be if it were but the language of metaphor. § 4. The plain inference from these arguments is, that the Holy Spirit is not a mere attribute, but a person.* It remains to show that he is a divine person. He is called God by Peter. "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost. Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." As lying to the Holy Ghost was lying unto God, the natural inference is, that the Holy Ghost is God. The Holy Ghost is eternal. "Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself."* None is eternal but God. The Holy Ghost is omniscient. "The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of a man that is in him? Even so the things of God, knoweth no one, but the Spirit of God."y Could this assertion be made of any created being? Of what creature could it be affirmed, that he surveys the treasures of the infinite Mind, knows the inmost secrets of his Creator's breast, and searcheth even the deep things of God? Respecting God it is said, "His thoughts are very deep." "His understanding is infinite." "There is no searching of his understanding." He is "the only wise God." passages refute such a supposition as that the most exalted creature can search the depths of his Creator's wisdom. Could an archangel explore that wisdom, God would no longer be the ONLY WISE. His creature would be as wise as himself. He then who searches the deep things of God, must himself be God; as the spirit of man is an essential part of man. These § 5. The part which the Holy Spirit acts in the economy of redemption further proves his divinity. If not God he must be an angel. But what are angels? are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? The Holy Spirit's work is represented as of a far higher nature. "Believers are born of the Spirit." Are saved On this expression it may be proper to observe, that it is used here on this awfully mysterious subject for want of a more suitable one. We do not mean, by the use of it, to assert such entire distinctness as subsists between two men or two angels, but such a distinction between the Spirit, and the Father, and the Son, as is sufficient, notwithstanding their union, to sanction assertions respecting one of them which cannot be made of another. Thus, for instance, in the economy of redemption, the Father sent; the Son came. The Son took human nature; the Father and the Spirit did not. (w) Acts v. 3, 4. (a) Ps. cxlvii. 5. (x) Heb. ix. 14. (y) 1 Cor. ii. 10. (2) Ps. xcii. 5. THE DEITY OF THE SPIRIT. "by the renewing of the Holy Ghost."e 73 "Are sanctified by the Spirit of God."f “Abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."g "Have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost." "Are led by the Spirit, and shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." These things cannot be the effects of an angel's agency, for elsewhere it is declared, that believers are born of God, and that every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from the Father of mercies. He therefore who is the distributer of these best gifts, must himself be God. These blessings are too great to be communicated by any being who is not divine. Could the highest archangel be represented as the author of them? Could it without the utmost impiety be said, that believers are born of Gabriel, are sanctified by Gabriel, abound in hope and love by Gabriel, are led by Gabriel, and shall of Gabriel reap life everlasting? Would not such assertions shock every pious feeling? Would it not be felt that such language exalted the creature to the Creator's place? Yet, unless the Spirit were one with God, it would be as improper to apply such expressions in reference to him as to an archangel. § 6. Finally, his divinity is proved from his being united with the Father and the Son in the baptismal form, and in the blessing implored for Christians. To unite a mere attribute with God in those solemn forms would be absurd; but impious to unite a creature, and pay him the same religious homage as his Creator. § 7. Besides the numerous passages that have been brought forward in proof of the deity of the Son and Spirit, the Scriptures abound with others, which admit of no reasonable interpretation if that doctrine be rejected. Of this description are the following: " And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness." After the fall of man the LORD GOD said, "Behold the man is become as one of us to know good and evil."m Similar language is used on other occasions. The Lord said, "Let US go down."" In the vision of the divine glory which Isaiah saw, Jehovah is described as saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for The language of the Most High on these occasions is US." (g) Rom. xv. 13. (h) Rom. v. 5. () Gen. i. 26. (m) Gen. iii. 22. (0) Isa. vi. 8. 74 NUMEROUS BLESSINGS THE EFFECT correct and just, if the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one God; but if the doctrine of the Unitarians were true, the language would be unreasonable. § 8. The Christian is represented as unspeakably indebted to the Holy Spirit, whose benevolent agency is to him the source of unutterable good. When the subject is mentioned in a general way, the Holy Spirit's influence is described as of the utmost importance. When the sacred writers descend to particulars, and enumerate distinctly the various blessings bestowed by the Holy Spirit, they mention numerous most precious mercies. The whole renewal of man is ascribed to his influence. "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." : The different parts of the new creation are traced to his agency.-He enlightens the mind. "Thou gavest thy good Spirit to instruct them."r "We have received the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God."-Repentance is ascribed to divine influence. "I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son." To divine influence is faith also ascribed. "By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, the gift of God."-Hope and love are described as the product of the Spirit's power. "That ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost given unto us.' "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son in your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."w-The Spirit is further represented as the Author of holiness in its most extensive sense, including the mortification of sin and exercise of Christian graces and duties. If ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the 66 (p) Luke xi. 13. John vii. 37-39. (r) Neh. ix. 20. ויי is (g) John iii. 5-8; i. 12, 13. 2 Cor. v. 17. (s) Zech. xii. 10. (u) Rom. xv. 13. (v) Rom. v. 5. 2 Tim. i. 7. (w) Gal. iv. 6. (t) Eph. ii. 8. Rom. viii. 15, 16. |