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you of a truth."* But it is the SPIRIT that dwelleth in believers." Thet SPIRIT of God dwelleth in you. The SPIRIT of truth dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Therefore he is GOD.

It is God who teacheth the saints." They shall be all taught of GOD." But it is the HOLY GHOST that teacheth them.-" Not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the HOLY GHOST teacheth." Therefore he is God.

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The apostle says, It¶ was the long-suffering of GoD, that waited in the days of Noah." But Moses says, "It** was the SPIRIT that did strive with the men of that generation." Therefore the SPIRIT is GOD.

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None but one infinitely wise can know the deep things of the counsel and purpose of God.--Off the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the LORD, or who hath been his counsellor?" But this the SPIRIT can do." Theft SPIRIT searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of GOD. The things of God know eth no man, but the SPIRIT of God." Therefore the SPIRIT is infinitely wise, and so must be God.

The apostles say, It was GOD,-the LORD GOD, the maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is; who spake by the mouth of his servant David. But Peter says, it was the Holy

1 Cor. xiv. 25. John vi. 45.

** Gen. vi. 3.

Acts iv. 21, 25.

f Ibid. iii. 16.

1 Cor. ii. 13.

John xiv. 17. ¶ Pet. ii. 20.

tt Rom. xi. 33, 34. t 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. Acts i. 16. Also compare Luke i. 68, 70, with Acts xxviii, 25.

Ghost that spake by the mouth of his servant David; therefore these divine names and works are properly attributed to the Holy Ghost, from which it is manifest that he is the true and Supreme GOD.*

And if

To conclude these arguments for the Deity of the Spirit, I must let the reader know, how plain and indisputable this truth would have appeared, if all the texts where the phrase Spirit of God, and Spirit of the Lord, occurs, had been properly translated. We have generally the word of, which denotes possession, put betwixt Spirit, and Lord or God, which possessive commonly in English signifies property, and implies subordination of one to another, if applied to different persons. one person only be supposed, then the phrase his Spirit, signifies his mind or power. These ideas seem most natural, when such expressions are applied to God as his Spirit, the Spirit of God, which, without the help of a figure, cannot so evidently prove the proper Deity of the Spirit, when such possessives are used; but must rather refer to the economical character of the Spirit in the dispensation of God, when the word Spirit is considered personally, or something distinct from God; but otherwise, the expression his Spirit, or the Spirit of God, will only point out the mind, power, or some other attribute of God. These ideas have

* Because so many have used the phrase Supreme God, as peculiarly applicable to the Father, implying, that the Son and Spirit, are subordinate gods; I have sometimes chosen this term, to shew that they have an equal title to this, and every other character which implieth Deity. If it be used inclusively, or when applied to one, not exclusive of the other two, I see no manner of danger therein, more than in the term great God,† which, if applied to one exclusively, would also infer the other two to be lesser gods.

+ Tit. ii. 13. Rev. xix. 17.

been industriously improved by the enemies to the proper Deity of the Spirit, as the strongest arguments they could find against it.

But a little attention given to the texts, rendered Spirit of God-the Spirit of the Lord--would have saved them the labor of disputing about words, and the orthodox the trouble of defending that truth from expressions which they accommodate to it by the assistance of figures very awkwardly applied, which, the cause itself needs no assistance from, and if the possessives are left out of the text, which they really ought to be. Hence such texts as the following, should read, "The* SPIRIT GOD (RUACH ELOHIM) moved upon the face of the waters. And+ Pharaoh said unto his servants, can we find such a man as this, in whom is the SPIRIT ELOHIM? Thet SPIRIT GOD hath made me. The SPIRIT JEHOVAH rests upon me. The SPIRIT, the LORD JEHOVAH, is upon me, for JEHOVAH hath anointed me to preach good tidings." In like manner we might mention above a dozen places, where such expressions are used without any possessive. It is therefore beyond contradiction, that Spirit and God are the same, where they are joined in these texts, throughout the old testament. This idea sets the Deity of the Spirit in the clearest point of view. It is a general rule in all languages, that two names or words, not distinguished by any article, preposition, or other word, commonly belong to the same thing.

The not attending to this, has been the occasion of many foolish and unworthy conceits concerning the Spirit. Hence a very learned and ingenious critic, though he cites the words in

Gen. i. 2.
§ Isa. xi. 2.

+ Ibid. xli. 38,

Job xxxiii. 4.
Ibid. lxi. 1.

Gen. ii. 2. in Hebrew characters, which is RUACH ELOHIM, and tells us, that it is so in many other places, yet makes this observation thereon, "That as Elohim is plural, it shews that he (the Spirit) proceeds from more persons than one." On this he builds the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son. A very strange foundation indeed!

As Ruach is in the singular number, and Etohim is plural, as we proved above, the one must imply the singular character of Deity, as the one infinite eternal Spirit: and Elohim, a plural, must be viewed in that relative light in which God hath revealed himself to men.

I must again put the reader in mind, that I by no means pretend to tell the modus of divine existence, or answer that curious question, which some may ask here, "How can these things be?" I find revelation joins ELOHIM, a plural, and RUACH, a singular, to point out the same divine Being; but how this plurality subsists in Deity, because not revealed, I leave to infinite intelligence; but that it is so remains a truth while these words stand in the bible, JEHOVAH ELOHIM,-RUACH ELOHIM.These THREE are ONE.

Having now proved, first, by a collection of scripture texts, that the names, attributes, perfections, and works, proper only to Deity, are ascribed to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.

And secondly, demonstrated the truth of their Deity, by comparing one text with another, from which the conclusions are both easy and strong, in favor of the point.

I shall next, as proposed, illustrate the truth of Christ's proper Deity, by considering the scope of several passages in revelation, which have a relation to that subject.

SECTION V.

IF it can be made appear from scripture, that our Lord Jesus Christ created all things,-governed the world in general, and the church in particular, both under the old and new testaments,was manifested by all the god-like appearances under the old testament to the patriarchs and prophets, and under the new to the apostles;-did all the mighty works we read of among his ancient people, the Jews, assumed the names and titles, and claimed the worship and homage due only to God; and whom not only the Jews worshipped as their God and king, but whom christians on earth, and both saints and angels in heaven, do account worthy to receive all worship, honor, glory, and praise. If these things are evident in scripture, none that credit revelation can doubt that he is the TRUE GOD.

That Jesus Christ created all things, was proved from several plain texts, in page 72, and were it necessary, many more might be added. And as we must admit it as a truth, from such abundance of divine testimonies, that all things were made by Jesus Christ, it must be undeniably true, by a very natural consequence, that he is the ruler and governor of them all. For the very notion of creature existence, implies in it a dependence upon the will and government of the Creator. And if we suppose the creature to be rational, and consequently under a law, then its existence as such denotes not

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