which there shall be Jesus Christ who shall IN thi & Creed, suffici Son of - they nev ey never heard of the Spirit of that, w reason in nat Scripture deserving th dance, and there were red by th existing faith, that mished fr y had not heard of the giving of it, which mentioned: as we read elsewhere, that "the Most was not yet;" not denying the existence, but plentiful effusion of it. For whatsoever the nature of the Spirit of God may be thought to be, no man can conceive the apostle should deny his existence before Christ's glorification, whose operation was so manifest at his conception. Howsoever, the apostle asked those ignorant -disciples, "Unto what then were ye baptized?" intima ting, that if they were baptized according to the rule of Christ, they could not be ignorant that there is an Holy Ghost; because the apostles were commanded to "baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It is therefore presumed that every one who professeth the name of Christ, from the first baptis mal institution, acknowledgeth that there is a Holy Ghost; -and the only question consists in this, What that Holy Ghost is, in whose name we are baptized, and in whom, caccording to our baptism, we profess in the Creed to be lieve?. from t Dame we But w of God hath su to be of spoken a P In order to the determination of which question, our first assertion is, that the Holy Ghost, described to us in the word of God, and joined with the Father and the Son in the form of baptism, is a Person. We are all baptized in the name of the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and the public confession of our faith bath relation to those three. We all confess that two of these, the Father and the Son, are Persons that which we now assert is only this, that the Holy Ghost, who is of the three the third, is also a Person as the other two. That not p 24 doub the wh as We H Sa e before ifest at those tized ere is aded to on, and at eve e first at that nd in Creed este redit the s if this 421 Spirit is r Dower, ▾ con ate Jan nat me that the Ho ostance, when they 1s. We are exhorted by the rit of God;" but grief is f which a quality is not e same "Spirit maketh hat cannot be uttered;" rceding persons, but groaning qualities. est, and as mani things, yea even eth all things, description of itual gifts, in which e volun He res any thing operative in the beings; and consequently, if they that, they can be susceptible of no h reason in nature can they be assured, by w. in Scripture can they be confident, that there deserving the name of quality distinguished from stance, and yet working real and admirable effects Spithere were no other argument but this, that we are sured by the Christian faith, that there is an Holy Ghost existing; and we cannot be assured, either by faith, that there is a quality really and essentially distin guished from all substance, it would be sufficient to deter us from that boldness, to assert the Holy Ghost, in whose name we are baptized, to be nothing else but a quality. au men, reason or But we are not left to guess at the nature of the Spirit of God; the word of God which came from that Spirit hath sufficiently delivered him as a Person. It is indeed to be observed, that in the scriptures there are some things spoken of the Holy Ghost which are proper and peculiar to a Person, as the adversaries confess others, which are not properly and primarily to be attributed to a Person, as we cannot deny: and it might seem to be equally doubtful, in relation to the scripture expressions, whether the Holy Ghost were a Person or no; and that they who deny his Personality may pretend as much scripture as they who assert it. But in this seeming indifference we must also observe a large diversity; inasmuch as the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, is not always taken in the same propriety of signification; nor do we say that the Holy Ghost, which signifieth a Person, always signifieth so much. It is therefore easily conceived how some se "the Pharisees confessed both;" of which two the resurrection was one, angels and spirits were the other; wherefore that which the Sadducees disbelieved was the exist ence of such created spiritual natures, as the angels and the souls of men are conceived to have. And as for those disciples at Ephesus, who had "not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost," if they were Gentiles, it is no wonder, because they never had that notion in their religion; if they were Jews, as they seem to be, because they were baptized with the baptism of John, it signifieth not that they never heard of the Spirit of God, but only that they had not heard of the giving of it, which the apostle mentioned: as we read elsewhere, that “the Holy Ghost was not yet;" not denying the existence, but the plentiful effusion of it. For whatsoever the nature of the Spirit of God may be thought to be, no man can conceive the apostle should deny his existence before Christ's glorification, whose operation was so manifest at his conception. Howsoever, the apostle asked those ignorant -disciples, Unto what then were ye baptized?" intimating, that if they were baptized according to the rule of Christ, they could not be ignorant that there is an Holy Ghost; because the apostles were commanded to "bap tize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." It is therefore presumed that everyone who professeth the name of Christ, from the first baptismal institution, acknowledgeth that there is a Holy Ghost; and the only question consists in this, What that Holy Ghost is, in whose name we are baptized, and in whom, caccording to our baptism, we profess in the Creed to believe?. In order to the determination of which question, our first assertion is, that the Holy Ghost, described to us in the word of God, and joined with the Father and the Son in the form of baptism, is a Person. We are all baptized in the name of the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; and the public confession of our faith hath relation to those three. We all confess that two of these, the Father and the Son, are Persons; that which we now assert is only this, that the Holy Ghost, who is of the three the third, is also a Person as the other two. That blessed Spirit is not only an energy or operation, not a quality or power, but a spiritual and intellectual subsist ence. If we conceive it is an operation only, then must it only be actuated and not act; and when it is not actu ated, it must not be at all. If we say that it is a quality, and not a substance; we say that it is that which we cannot prove to have any being. It seemeth to me strangely unreasonable, that men should be so earnest in endeavouring to prove that the Holy Ghost which sanctifieth them is no substance, when they cannot be assured that there is any thing operative in the world beside substantial beings; and consequently, if they be not sanctified by that, they can be susceptible of no holiness. By what reason in nature can they be assured, by what revelation in Scripture can they be confident, that there is a reality deserving the name of quality distinguished from all substance, and yet working real and admirable effects? If there were no other argument but this, that we are assured by the Christian faith, that there is an Holy Ghost existing; and we cannot be assured, either by reason or faith, that there is a quality really and essentially distinguished from all substance, it would be sufficient to deter ns from that boldness, to assert the Holy Ghost, in whose name we are baptized, to be nothing else but a quality. But we are not left to guess at the nature of the Spirit of God; the word of God which came from that Spirit hath sufficiently delivered him as a Person. It is indeed to be observed, that in the scriptures there are some things spoken of the Holy Ghost which are proper and peculiar to a Person, as the adversaries confess others, which are not properly and primarily to be attributed to a Person, as we cannot deny and it might seem to be equally doubtful, in relation to the scripture expressions, whether the Holy Ghost were a Person or no; and that they who deny his Personality may pretend as much scripture as they who assert it. But in this seeming indifference we must also observe a large diversity; inasmuch as the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of God, is not always taken in the same propriety of signification; nor do we say that the Holy Ghost, which signifieth a Person, always signifieth so much. It is therefore easily conceived how some things may be attributed to the Spirit in the scriptures which are not proper to a Person, and yet the Spirit be a Person, because sometimes the Spirit is taken for that which is not a Person, as we acknowledge. Whereas, if ever any thing be attributed to the Holy Ghost as to a Person, which cannot be otherwise understood of the Spirit of God than as of a Person, then may we infallibly conclude that the Holy Ghost is a Person. This therefore we shall endeavour fully and clearly to demonstrate;*first, that the scriptures declare unto us the Holy Ghost as a Person, by such attributes and expressions as cannot be understood to be spoken of the Spirit of God any other way than as of a Person; secondly, that whatsoever attributes or expressions are used in the scriptures of the Holy Ghost, and are objected as repugnant to the nature of a Person, either are not so repugnant as is objected; or if they be, they belong unto the Spirit, as it signifieth not a Person. First then, the Holy Ghost, or good Spirit of God, is clearly and formally opposed to those evil spirits, which are and must be acknowledged persons, of a spiritual and intellectual subsistence; as, "The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him," 1 Sam. xvi. 14. Now what those evil spirits from the Lord were, is apparent from the sad example of Ahab, concerning whom we read, "There came out a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will entice him: and the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets and the Lord said, Thou shalt entice him, and thou shalt also prevail; go out, and do even so," 2 Chr. xviii. 20. From whence it is evident, that the evil spirits from God were certain persons, even bad angels, to whom the one good Spirit as a Person is opposed, departing from him to whom the other cometh. Again; the new testament doth describe the Holy Ghost by such personal dispositions, and with such operations, as are as evident marks and signs of a Person as which are attributed to the Father or the Son, who are unquestionable Persons; and whatsoever terms are spoken of the Spirit by way of quality, are spoken as well of those any |