SECTION II.

THE Second Section of Mr. Jones's work is entitled," THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY "GHOST.".

I perceive, by Mr. Jones's arguments, that the persons whose doctrine he opposes, confess the personality of the Holy Spirit, but deny his Divinity. This appears to me to be very strange. For myself, I confess that if it could be proved from the Scriptures, that the term Holy Spirit, so frequently mentioned there, means a Being, or person distinct from the Father and the Son, I should feel no difficulty in acknowledging his Divine character; for without controversy the same operations are frequently ascribed to this Spirit as those effected by the Father and the Son.

I searched the Scriptures many years, for a proof of this personality, and that too with an earnest desire to discover it; but without success. My researches, though aided by orthodox Commentators, have led me to believe that the notion is erroneous.

As it may prevent the necessity of repetition, I will, before I enter on an examination of Mr. Jones's arguments, briefly state a few of those passages of Scripture which have led me to entertain the opinion I have confessed.

In the first place, I must be permitted, whether in quoting texts of Scripture, or in argument, to use the Scriptural words Holy Spirit instead of Holy Ghost, as it is translated eighty-six times in our version, whilst the proper term Spirit is given only seven times. The deviation is the more remarkable, because it is not uniformly carried through the translation. This Saxon word Ghost conveys, to vulgar minds, somewhat more of a personal idea than that of Spirit; and as sound frequently supersedes sense, I am persuaded that it has weight with the unreflecting part of the world.

At the last interview which the Apostles had with our Lord, before his decease, the promise of the Holy Spirit was given. The beloved Disciple narrates the occurrences of that melancholy evening in the most beautiful and affecting manner. Our Lord, having shown his Apostles that it was necessary he should depart from them, among many other consolatory and affectionate expressions, said, "I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter (Пaganλnτos) that " he may abide with you for ever." (John 14. 16.) The word Paraclete has other significations

besides that of Comforter, and I humbly conceive it might, in this place, have been more correctly rendered Monitor or Guide. At the 18th v. our Lord saith, "I will not leave you comfortless (oppaves) I will come to you." This could not be understood as coming personally, but by his Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. The meaning evidently is, "I will not leave you as orphans, "without a Guide or Instructor, I will come to

you." It cannot be imagined that it ever entered into the minds of the Apostles, that a Person was to come down from Heaven, as our Lord had done, and that this Divine Person was to accompany them in their labours;-the whole narrative plainly shows that it was to be purely a spiritual energy operating upon their minds and affections, and even enabling them to work miracles in proof of the Divine authority by which they were commissioned. These operations of the Holy Spirit are expressed, both in the Scriptures and in the Liturgy of the Established Church, by the word Inspiration.

The question, then, is brought into a narrow compass, viz., Who is the Author and Giver of this spiritual monitor and guide?-Is this inspiration the gift of the Almighty Father, through his everblessed Son, or is there a third Person in the Godhead, who confers it on those who are worthy? I have searched the Scriptures for a declaration of this third. Person, but could never find a hint

of any other Giver of the Spirit besides the Father and the Son.

When our Lord forewarned his Apostles of the opposition they must experience, and that they would be delivered up to councils, &c., he desires them to "take no thought beforehand, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit." (Mark 13. 11.) In the parallel place (Luke 12. 12) it stands thus:-"For the Holy Spirit shall teach

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you in that same hour what ye ought to say." If these texts be taken without a reference to any other passage they seem to favour the idea of personality: but in Luke 21. 14, 15, it stands, "Settle it therefore in your hearts, not to medi"tate beforehand, what ye shall answer; for I "will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay,

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nor resist." In Matt. 10. 20, it is given thus: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." These passages, taken in connection, appear to me, plainly to show that the Holy Spirit is the gift of our Lord Jesus, by the power which he derived from his Heavenly Father. Immediately before our Lord's ascension, as recorded by St. Luke (24. 49), he said to the Apostles, " Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye

with power from on high." Accordingly, when they were assembled on the day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and were enabled to speak in divers tongues. Upon this occasion, St. Peter spake thus to the multitude (Acts 2. 32, 33), "This Jesus hath God raised up, "whereof we are all witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having "received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this which ye 66 now see and hear."

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At the 18th ch. 20th v. of St. Matthew's Gospel, we read our Lord's words, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I " in the midst of them." And at the 14th ch. 23rd v. of St. John, "If a man love me, he will

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keep my words: and my Father will love him, "and We will come unto him, and make our "abode with him." Here is no intimation of a third Person, as the Dispenser of Spiritual gifts. When the promise of the Holy Spirit was given to the Apostles, our Lord added" that he may abide "with you for ever." Now, the last words spoken by our Lord before his ascension, as recorded by St. Matthew (28. 20) were-" Lo, I am with

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alway, even unto the end of the world." Not to multiply texts, I will only add the following from St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (4. 6)— "God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."