of divine ordinances (especially of baptism and the Lord's supper); or seek the spiritual blessings of the new covenant with decided preference; or love the true worshippers of God as the excellent and honourable of the earth. Nay, an unregenerate man would not savour the company, the work, the worship, or the joy of heaven; but would be disgusted even with the songs and employments of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect; as persons of different descriptions may know, by 66 a witness in themselves," if they will but carefully consider the subject. But the nature of God, of holiness, of happiness, and of heaven, is unchangeable; and, therefore, either we must be changed, or we cannot be either holy or happy.

All the scriptures referred to imply, that regeneration is wrought by "the exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God;" but it should be observed, that he operates on the minds of rational creatures, according to their nature. The renewal of a fallen angel to the divine image, would be as real a display of omnipotence as his first creation, and in some respects a greater; but the Lord might effect this change in a different manner. Having made use of truth (as the medium of his almighty energy) to overcome the dark and obstinate enmity of his fallen nature, and to produce a willingness to be restored; he might afterwards require his concurrence in the use of means, through which that recovery should be effected. Now we are informed, that the Lord regenerates sinners by his word (James i. 18; 1 Pet. i. 23); ministers, therefore, and parents, and many others, in different ways, are bound to set before those committed to their care, the word of truth, and to treat them as reasonable creatures, addressing their understandings and consciences, their hopes, fears, and all the passions and powers of their souls; beseeching God" to give them repentance to the acknow

ledging of the truth." And they who are convinced that such a change must take place in them, or else that they must be miserable, should be induced, by the consideration that they cannot change their own hearts (that being the work of the Holy Spirit), to seek this needful blessing by reading the scriptures, retirement, meditation, self-examination, hallowing the Lord's day, hearing faithful preaching, and other instruction, breaking off known sin, practising known duties, avoiding vain company and dissipation, and earnestly praying to God to "create in them a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within them." For convictions of our inability have a similar effect upon us in other cases, and lead us to seek help from them that are able to help us. To those who continue to treat this subject with contempt and derision, we can only say, that as such persons will neither believe our testimony, nor that of Christ, they will at last have no cause to complain if they are left destitute of that which they have so despised. Some may believe that such things are, who are yet at a loss to know what they are: To them I would say, "beg of God daily and earnestly to teach you what it is to be born again;" and in time your own experience will terminate your perplexity. But let those who admit the doctrine, beware lest they rest in the notion, without the experience and effects of it. And, finally, let those who have known the happy change, know also, that they need to be changed more and more; and should therefore unite, with gratitude for what the Lord hath wrought, persevering prayer for a more complete renewal into the divine image, in all the powers, dispositions, and affections of their souls.

N 2

ESSAY XIH.

ON THE PERSONALITY AND DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, WITH SOME THOUGHTS ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRED TRINITY.

CHRISTIANITY is styled by the apostle "the ministration of the Spirit" (2 Cor. iii. 8); and a careful investigation of the scriptures may suffice to convince any impartial inquirer, that the promise of the Holy Ghost is the grand peculiarity of the New Testament; even as that of the Messiah was of the old dispensation. Having considered regeneration, or a man's being "born of the Spirit," or "born of God," it regularly occurs to us in this place to give a more particular statement of the scripture doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. What relates to his personality and deity, and to the doctrine of the Trinity as connected with it, will constitute the subject of the present Essay: and the extraordinary and ordinary operations, influences, and gifts of the Spirit; the office he performs in the economy of our salvation; and the duties resulting from them, must be reserved for the next Essay.

When we use the term personality in the discus.. sion of this subject, we only mean that language is used in scripture concerning the Holy Spirit, and actions are ascribed to him, which lead us to think of him as a distinct agent, and such as would be extremely improper, if a mere attribute or mode of operation were intended. Yet all must entertain this sentiment who deny the personality of the Holy Ghost, and yet pay any suitable respect to the sacred oracles, in which so much is constantly ascribed to him. But we do not suppose that the words person and personality can, in an ade

quate manner, explain to us the distinct subsistence of the Spirit, or assist our conceptions in respect of mysteries, which we profess to consider as absolutely incomprehensible. These words, indeed, in this use of them, are not found in scripture: but when divine truths are opposed with ingenuity, learning, and pertinacity, it becomes necessary for those "who would contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints," to vary their expressions; because their opponents will invent some plausible method of explaining away those terms which had before been made use of. That imperfection which characterizes every thing that belongs to man, is peculiarly discernible in human language: the mysteries of the infinite God can only be declared to us in words primarily taken from the relations and affairs of men; and every thing that relates to infinity confounds and overwhelms our finite and narrow capacities. The most careful and able writers cannot, on such topics, wholly prevent their readers from attaching ideas to their words, which they meant not to convey by them. so that they whose object it is to put an absurd construction on our expressions, or to enervate, by a plausible interpretation, the language of holy scripture, will never find it very difficult to accomplish their purpose, as far as the generality of mankind are concerned. If we speak of three distinct persons in the Godhead, they may charge us with holding three distinct gods; supposing, or pretending we mean, that this incomprehensible distinction is perfectly like the obvious distinction of three men from each other. On the other hand, the labour, study, and ingenuity of revolving centuries have so perplexed the subject, that we cannot at present find words explicitly to define our meaning, and exactly to mark the difference of our sentiments from those of our opponents, unless we use such exceptionable terms: at least this is my

principal reason for adhering to them. But if our expressions convey to the reader's mind the doctrine of scripture with as much perspicuity and precision as human language generally admits of, it is mere trifling to object to them because they are not found in the Bible: for truths not words constitute the matter of revelation; and words are only the vehicle of truths to our minds. If some men have got the habit or art of evading the force of scriptural terms, and thus mislead others into error, it is not only allowable, but needful, for us to state our sentiments in other words, and then to prove that those sentiments are actually contained in holy scripture; unless we be disposed to give our opponents every advantage in the argument. For it cannot well be doubted by impartial persons, but that aversion to the doctrines themselves lies at the bottom of those objections that are made to the words in which their defenders have been used to express them.

We proceed, therefore, to consider the personality of the Holy Spirit; premising, that as " these are heavenly things" (John iii. 12, 13), we can neither explain them clearly in human language, nor illustrate them fully by any earthly things, nor yet prove them by arguments from human reason; for the whole rests entirely on the authority of divine revelation. We gain our knowledge of them by simply believing God's sure testimony; and we should improve them to practical purposes in humble adoration, and not treat them as subjects of disputatious speculation or presumptuous curiosity. And may he, "who hath promised to give his Holy Spirit to those who ask for him," guide us by his divine teaching into the sanctifying knowledge of the truth, in this and every subject that we investigate.

We may, I presume, be allowed to say, that if such language be uniformly used in the scriptures