I CHAP. IX. Proving the Perfonality and Deity of the Holy Ghost. Have considered the respective characters, proper Deity, and diftin&t Perfonality of the Father and the Son; and I am now to treat of the Holy Ghost. I fhall in my entrance on this work juft obferve, that the words Ghoft and Spirit, are of the fame fignification; one and the fame word in the Greek language is tranflated by them both. This, I observe, for the fake of some poor, weak, ignorant perfons, who take them to be different; and foolishly talk of an eternal created Spirit, which is a contradiction in terms, as diftinct from the Holy Ghost. The word Spirit is variously used; fometimes it fignifies the wind, as in John iii. 8. where the Holy Spirit is compared to it, becaufe of their agreement in name; and because of fome analogy between that and the divine operations of the Spirit. Sometimes by it is meant the breath, as in James i. 26 And it is easy to observe, that the Holy Spirit is called the breath of the Lord, and the breath of the Almighty". Now, as generation expreffes the Son's diftinct mode of fubfifting in the divine effence, fo fpiration may also express the Spirit's diftinct mode of fubfifting therein; and perhaps, is the true reason of his bearing this name. The foul of man is a spirit : "There "is a spirit in man ;" and that is his foul, which the Lord has formed in him; and therefore he is called the Father of Spirits. But the foul of man, even when renewed and fanctified, is never called the Holy Spirit, as fome have vainly imagined, who are no friends to the proper Deity of the bleffed Spirit'. Angels are called by the fame name; God makes his angels fpirits, and by him they are fent forth as miniftring fpirits: but of this kind of fpirits is not the Holy Ghoft. The phrase is never ufed for the whole company and multitude of holy angels, as fome have infinuated'. A fingle inftance of this ufe of it cannot be produced; no one proof of it can be given. God, as effentially confidered, is faid to be a Spirit, that is, a. fpi P. Pfalm xxxiii. 6. • Vocabulum Job xxxiii. 3. ritual quando tertiæ perfone applicatur, notat halitum. Quod inde conftat, quia alias vocatur fpiritus oris, five halitus Dei, eo vero emblemate fignificatur modus fubfiftendi Spiritus Sancti. Qui eft per proceffionem naturalem. Vitringe Epilog. Difp. de generatione Filii, 4. 29. p. 46. Vid Wittichii caufa Spiritus Sancti, p. 8, 9. • Vid. Idem, p. 118, 119, &c. & caufaSpiritus Sancti victrix, p. 156, 157, &.c. ritual Subftance; which may be faid of all the three Perfons, Father, Son, and Spirit; but the third Perfon is only called the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghoft, in diftinction from the Father and Son, whom I shall endeavour to prove to be a Perfon, a distinct Perfon, and a divine Perfon. First, I fhall endeavour to prove him to be a Perfon, which will be easily done, by obferving, 1. That perfonal fubfiftence is afcribed to him. As the Father hath life in himself, and the Son hath life in himself, so has the Holy Ghoft life in himself. He is the author of natural life: "The breath or Spirit of the Almighty, fays “Elibu, hath given me life." And he is the author of all spiritual life: it is he who implants the principle of life, and maintains and preferves it unto eternal life. All which he could not be, and do, unless he had life in himself. And if he has life in himself, he must be a Person that subsists of himself. 2. Personal characters and actions are afcribed unto him. He is represented as a Person, when he is faid to convince of fin, of righteousness, and of judgment; to comfort the hearts of God's people; witness their adoption to them; teach them all things; guide them into all truth; affift them in their prayers; make interceffion for them, according to the will of God; and feal them up unto the day of redemption. And also, when he is faid to furnish men with gifts for the work of the miniftry, and calls and appoints them thereunto. Now all these things worketh one and the felf-fame Spirit: all which he could not do; nor would he be called, as he is, the Spirit of faith, holiness, adoption, wisdom and revelation; the anointing which teacheth all things; with many other names and characters of the fame import, was he not a Perfon. 3. Perfonal properties, such as understanding and will, are afcribed to him. He is an intelligent agent; he knows the things of God, even the deep things of God, which do not lie within the reach of the understanding of creatures, without a divine revelation. "For the Spirit fearcheth 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 fo the things of God knoweth no "man, but the Spirit of God"." And as he is an intelligent, fo he is a willing agent as he knows all things, so he does all things according to his will and pleasure: "All these worketh one and the felf-fame Spirit, dividing "to every man severally as he will "." 4. Perfonal affections are ascribed to him; fuch as love, grief, &c. As the Father loves the elect, and has fhewn it in the choice of them to falvation; N 2 Job xxxiii. 4. น 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. and I Cor, xii. 11. and the Son loves them, and has fhewn it in the redemption of them from fin and mifery: fo the Spirit loves them, and fhews it in the fanctification of them, and in the application of all grace unto them. Hence we read of the love of the Spirit, Rom. xv. 30. The Spirit may be grieved by the fins and unbecoming conversation of the faints, Eph. iv. 30. Yea, he may be rebelled against, and vexed, as he was by the Ifraelites, Ifa. Ixiii. 10. All which could not be faid of him, was he not a Perfon. Yea, he is faid to be lied unto, Alts v. 3. to be blafphemed, and have fin, and that unpardonable, committed against him, Matt. xii. 32, 33. which could never be, was he not a Person, and a divine Perfon too. But, Secondly, I am to prove him to be a distinct Perfon, both from the Father and the Son; and this may be collected, 1. From his proceffion from them both. That he proceeds from the Father is certain, and therefore must be distinct from him: "When the Comforter " is come, whom I will fend unto you, from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he fhall teftify of me," fays Chrift. It was once a warm controverfy between the Greek and Latin churches, whether the Spirit proceedeth from the Son as well as from the Father: it feems he should, fince he is called "the Spirit of the Son "," as well as of the Father; and therefore must be distinct from him whofe Spirit he is. 2. This may be concluded from his miffion from them both. The Father is faid to fend him; "the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the "Father will fend in my name, fays Chrift, he shall teach you all things ";" and of himself he fays, "If I go not away, the Comforter will not come "unto you; but if I depart, I will fend him unto you." Now as he must be a Person, and not a mere power, attribute, or quality, or he could not be fent; fo he must be a diftinct Perfon from the Father and the Son, by whom he is fent. 3. He is faid to be another Comforter. "I will pray the Father, fays "Christ, and he shall give you another Comforter," that is, another distinct from my Father and me. The Father of Chrift is one Comforter; he is "the God of comfort, who comforteth us all in our tribulation";" and Jefus Christ is also a Comforter; Menachem, a Comforter, was one of the names of the Meffiah, and well known among the Jews. Hence old Simeon is faid to wait for the confolation of Ifrael, that is, the Messiah; whom the Jews expected * John xv. 26. John xiv. 16. y Gal. iv. 6. * John xiv. 26. • John xvi. 7. "Talmud Sanhed. fol. 9. 2. Kimchi in Zech, iii. 8. expected as a Comforter. Now the Holy Ghoft is another Comforter, distinct from them both; from the Son who prays, and from the Father, who is prayed unto. 4. The diftinct perfonality of the Spirit, may he argued from his distinct appearances; as at the baptifm of Chrift, when he defcended as a dove, and lighted upon him; and is manifeftly distinguished from the Father, who fpake by a voice from heaven: and from the Son, who was baptized in Jordan: and alfo on the day of Pentecoft, when "there appeared unto them (that is, the apostles) cloven tongues, like as of fire; and it (that is, the Holy Ghost, in "this form) fat on each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy "Ghoft'." Now this was neither the Father nor the Son, but the Holy Ghost, as diftinct from them both; for Chrift " being by the right hand of God, exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy "Ghost, shed forth this," which was then feen and heard. 66 5. He is represented as a diftinct Perfon in the form of baptifm; which is performed in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost "." Now was he a mere power, quality, or attribute, and not a diftinct divine Perfon, he would never be put upon an equal foot with the Father and the Son. He is mentioned as diftinct from the Father and the Word, in the record which the Three are faid to bear in heaven'; if he is not a diftinct Perfon from them, there cannot be Three that bear record, reis än paplugõrles,. three Teftifiers, as they are faid to be. But I proceed,. Thirdly, To prove the Holy Ghost to be a divine Person; or in other words, to be truly and properly God. The Deity of the Holy Ghost was denied by the Macedonians of old, and by the Socinians of late'; and generally by all: fuch who oppose the proper divinity of the Son. That the Holy Ghost is truly and properly God may be concluded, 1. From the divine names which are given unto him. He is called Jehovah, which is incommunicable to any creature, and peculiar to the Most High. He whom the Ifraelites tempted in the wilderness, vexed and rebelled against, was JehovahTM; and yet it is certain, that this was the Holy Ghoft"; and therefore he must be Jehovah; and if fo, then he must be the Moft High God. It was Jebovak, the Lord God of Ifrael, that spake by the mouth of his holy • Luke ii. 25. 11 John v. 7. f A&s ii. 3. 4. 8 Acts ii. 33. Matt xxviii. 19.. * Vide Aug. de Hæref. c. 52. & Danæum in ibid. They are called Anupatopaxos, oppofers of, or fighters against the Spirit, by Epiphanius, Hæref. 74. Catechif. Racov. c. 1. p. 35. & c. 6. p. 214. Vide Calov. Socinism. Proflig. Artic. 3« "Controv. 1, & 2. p. 219, 222. Stegman. Photinianism. Difp. 6. p. 65, 66. Exod. xvii. 7. .Ifa. lxiii. 10. Heb. iii. 7-10.. holy prophets, which have been fince the world began °. Now it is evident that it was the Holy Ghoft, which spake not only by the mouth of David, but by the mouth of all the prophets: For "holy men of God fpake as they "were moved by the Holy Ghoft:" it follows then, that he must be Jehovah, the Lord God of Ifrael. The Lord, the Adonai, who faid to Ifaiab: "Whom "shall I fend, and who will go for us?" And he who bid him say, "Go "and tell this people, &c." is by the apostle Paul, said to be the Holy Ghost'. The Greek word Kugos, which anfwers to Jehovah and Adonai, is used of the Holy Ghost in the New Teftament: he is that Spirit which is the Lord' he is called the Lord the Spirit": and is that Lord who is defired to direct the hearts of the faints into the love of God and patient waiting for Christ"; where he is manifeftly distinguished from God the Father, into whofe love, and from the Lord Jefus Christ, into a patient waiting for whom, he is entreated to direct the faints. Yea, he is called God in fcripture; when Ananias is faid to lie to the Holy Ghoft, he is faid to lie not unto men, but unto God. If lying to the Holy Ghoft is lying to God, it follows, that the Holy 'Ghost must be God". The faints are called the temple of God; the reason is, because the Spirit of God dwells in them; and because their bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghoft, they are exhorted to glorify God in their bodies. Now if the Holy Ghoft is not God, nor defigned as fuch in those paffages, there is no force nor ftrength in the apostle's reasoning. Moreover, when the apostle is speaking of the diverfities of gifts, administrations and operations, he fays, it is the fame Spirit, the fame Lord, the fame God, which worketh all in all where it is plain he is only speaking of the Holy Ghost, to whom he gives thofe divine names, of Spirit, Lord, and God. 2. The proper Deity of the Spirit may be collected from the divine perfections which he is poffeffed of; fuch as eternity, omniprefence, omniscience, and omnipotence. Eternity is afcribed to him; he is called the eternal Spirit". He was concerned in the creation of all things, and therefore must be before any creature exifted, before the world began, and fo from eternity. As God never was without his Son, fo he never was without his Spirit. As for those scriptures which say the Holy Ghoft was not yet, and that there were some who had • Luke i. 68, 70. • Acts xxviii. 25, 26. P. Acts i. 16 4 2 Pet. i. 21. ■ Ifa. vi. 8, 9. † Ὁ δὲ Κύριος τὸ πνεῦμα ἐσιν, 2 Cor. iii. 17. * A&s v. 3, 4. - Ἀπὸ Κυρίω πνέυματος, ver. 18. Si enim qui Domino mentitur, mentitur Spiritui Sancto; & qui Spiritui Sancto mentitur, mentitur Deo nulli dubium eft, confortium Spiritus Sancti effe cum Deo. Didymus de Spiritu Sancto, 1. 1. inter Hieronymi opera, tom. 9. p. 178. col. 4. 21 Cor. iii. 16. and vi. 19, 20. Heb. ix. 14. Some copies read it, the Holy Spirit. Vide Grotium 1 Cor. xii. 4-6. in loc. |
