fear to offend. The principal end of divine worship is thus to ascribe unto God the honour due unto his name. But we meet with instances in holy Scripture, where all these particular acts of supreme adoration are paid to the Holy Ghost. Thus St. Paul swears by him, and appeals to him as a witness of the sincerity of his good will towards his brethren the Jews; "I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost." Thus the Spirit is proposed as the object of our faith, hope, and obedience, equally with the Father and the Son. For when we are baptized into each of their names, what is the import of this devout dedication, but that we entirely surrender ourselves in faith and obedience to this sacred Trinity? He is implored also, together with the Father and the Son, as the fountain and author of all the blessings and graces of the gospel. The church of Christ from the beginning, has ever concluded her public and solemn worship of God with this prayer: "The grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with you all." We are commanded to dread offending him; we are assured, that whoever blasphemes his honour is accounted guilty of a crime of the deepest dye: "All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come," Matt. xii. 31, 32. Thirdly, The same infinite glory which is ascribed to God, and the same self-abasement of men and angels which is exercised under a sense of his immediate presence, are ascribed also to the holy Ghost, and exercised before his adorable presence; and therefore he must be God. Can you find any description of the glory of God more grand and striking than the vision of Isaiah, related in the sixth chapter? The prophet "saw the Lord," we are told, “sitting upon a throne, high and lifted his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; and with twain he covered his face, with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he up, and did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.-Then said I, Wo is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips." To prove that the angels were paying adoration to the Trinity in unity, I shall not insist upon the repetition of the epithet " Holy" three times; because it sufficiently appears from comparing this Scripture with the inspired declarations of the apostles. As to God the Father, none dispute that the worship might be justly addressed to him. With respect to the Son, our Lord directly avows that Isaiah spoke these things when he saw his glory. John xii. 41. That the Spirit was comprehended in this object of the adoration of heaven, is evident from hence, that the Lord of Hosts, which at this very time spoke to the Prophet, is expressly declared by St. Paul, Acts xxviii. 25. to have been the Holy Spirit himself; "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand," &c. Fourthly, The Spirit is exalted above the rank of creatures; he must therefore be God, since there is no middle state betwixt the Creator and the creature. That he is exalted above the rank of creatures is evident, because he is never spoken of, or represented, as a worshipper of God. The relation of all creatures to God and their dependence upon him, are necessary obligations, binding them to do him homage. And the more excellent their endowments are, and the higher their obligations rise, the more prompt and active will they be in ascribing to God the honour due unto him. Accordingly the Scripture frequently represents the whole creation, by a figure,-and angels and men, in a proper sense,- -as employed in ceaseless praises and adoration of God. But whence comes it, if the Spirit also is a creature, that no mention is made of him by the sacred writers as a worshipper of God? Is it not strange, indeed, that these inspired men should have forgotten that Spirit, which, if he is a creature, should have led this concert of praise, and been the principal person in it? Was it not highly needful to make mention of Him, in order to prevent error and idolatrous worship? The total silence therefore of the oracles of God in this important matter, is a strong evidence that the prophets, the apostles, and Jesus Christ, considered not the Holy Ghost as a creature, but as God, with the Father and the Son. Fifthly; lest it should be said, that the Spirit is no more than a quality in God, which cannot subsist, or be distinguished, as a person in the godhead, he has a name given to him, significant at once both of his essence and energy. The term Holy Spirit implies both that his essence is spiritual, and also that in the dispensation of grace it is his energy which produces holiness in the soul. Now as the spirit within a man, by which he observes his own thoughts, is not a quality, but something really distinct from his body and from his thoughts: so this Spirit, which knows the thoughts of God, which even "searches the deep things of God," must be a person distinct from the Father, who is thus known by him. He has also personal actions ascribed to him; "He shall not speak of himself, but what he has heard that shall he speak;" He rejoices and is grieved; He approves and condemns; He convinces the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. And when Peter was still doubtful of the import of the heavenly vision which he had seen, "The Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee," Acts x. 19. But all these must pass for expressions without any signification, unless they are allowed to mark out the distinct personality of the Holy Ghost. Thus it appears from this summary view of the scripture evidence, that the Holy Ghost is possesssed of the essential attributes of God; that he performs the works proper to God; that he receives the honour due unto God alone; that he stands exalted above the rank of creatures. Shall it then be said, after all this proof, that he is not by nature God with the Father and the Son? By no means. These Scripture evidences, considered each apart, forcibly display the glory and Godhead of the Holy Ghost; and, united together, admit of no reply, but such cavils as pride and infidelity are never at a loss to make against the plainest truths. They are fully sufficient to confirm our faith in the article of the glory and Godhead of the Holy Ghost. And as to those who will contradict and blaspheme, on account of the difficulties which occur in explaining this subject, it must be observed, that all the peculiar doctrines of revelation, as well as this, become to such, matter of dispute first, and then are rejected because incomprehensible; till at length God's blessed system of truth, which none of the wise men of this world knew, is reduced to nothing more than those maxims of morality which the philosophers of old delivered without the help of revelation; and which the Deists now oppose to it, as a sufficient guide to duty and happiness. But whether this be rationally to interpret Scripture, or covertly to renounce all subjection to the book of God, judge ye?* CHAPTER XVI. THE OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. It is not enough that our judgment should be fully informed concerning the personal glory and divinity of the Holy Ghost: a Christian must also know to what great purposes that infinite, almighty, eternal Spirit, exercises his office in the Church of Christ, and in what way his influences are exerted. For unless we have a clear and distinct knowledge of this, we can never ascribe to the Holy Ghost the glory of his own work in our souls on the one hand: nor, on the other, be secured from dangerous delusion, and from mistaking some creature of a brainsick imagination for the work of the Spirit of God. Both these evils will be happily prevented by keeping close to our infallible guide the Scripture; which is not more full in declaring the divinity of the Holy Ghost, than in determining precisely, the nature and the effects of his inestimable influence. To him, we are taught, is entrusted the arduous work of managing the cause of God and Christ against a sinful world, and of making it triumphant over all opposition, in that measure which seems best to unerring wisdom. By * See Prayer the 7th. the secret yet mighty energy of the Holy Ghost, the foundation of Christian religion is laid in the soul of the believer; by him maintained, and at length completed. The foundation of Christian religion, as the term imports, is a knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and a sincere love to his person. Till this knowledge and this love possess your soul, though you may do many things which are commanded by God, and seem by profession a Christian, you still want the root of all acceptable obedience in your heart; according to that express declaration from Christ, "If any man serve me, him will my Father honour," John xii. 26, which intimates that he will honour no one beside. But if you consider the account given in Scripture of the condition the world was in when the name of Jesus was first preached in it, or of the natural blindness of man in all ages to the truths of God, you will acknowledge that wherever the glory of Jesus is worthily apprehended and effectually imprinted, it must be owing to the interposition of the Holy Ghost, and his influence on the mind. That true and worthy conceptions of the Redeemer, that lively and lasting impressions of his excellency were owing to the Holy Ghost, when men were first called Christians, no one can doubt. At that time to entertain becoming thoughts, and to feel suitable impressions of the Redeemer's glory, was directly contrary to the united force of inveterate prejudice, corrupt education, and every view of worldly interest. For the illustration of this point, suppose yourself an inhabitant either of Jerusalem or of Rome, at the time when Christ was first preached; when Pharisaism or Sadducism reigned throughout the one, and the most impure idolatry, propagated from age to age, triumphed in the other; suppose, that in this situation you had heard an apostle of the Lord call aloud upon you, commanding you in the name of God to confess the sinfulness of your sin, and to flee for refuge from deserved wrath to Jesus Christ; that this apostle instead of concealing the meanness and weakness in which Jesus Christ lived, the shame and pain in which he died, told you that on his cross he made atonement for sin, bought you with the price of his blood, that you might live in subjection to him as your Sovereign Lord; that he possessed irre |