from the texts below, it will appear, that the terms Holy Ghost, or Holy Spirit, Power of God, Divine Presence, &c. are Identical, and referrible to God alone *. It is easy to discern from the warmth with which Christ declared the dreadful consequences of blaspheming the Spirit or Power by which he acted (and from the distinctions which he makes, Matt. xii, 31, 32), that he considered it, in effect, as the blaspheming of God himself. And the relation of the Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, in the Acts, among many other Instances, demonstrates that the Apostles held this very Doctrine †.

We shall endeavour to confirm the Truth of the foregoing Positions, by a series of Evidence from the Old and New Testament, in which, we think, it will be clearly discerned, what slender foundation we have, to distinguish the operations of the Holy Spirit from the opera

* See Notes + and*, page 58 and 83.

+ Acts v:- Where (it is almost unnecessary to observe) in the 3d and 4th verses, God and the Holy Ghost are very naturally and expressly made the same. The awful catastrophe of Ananias and Sapphira (convicted by St. Peter of having tempted, by their falshood," the Spirit of the Lord"), strongly marks the high Displeasure of the Deity against those who wilfully sin, in defiance of the upright suggestions of the Conscience.

tions of God himself*; and again, how inconsistent it is to consider that, as a Person, which is described below to be a Power communicable by an Apostle, but flowing Primarily from the Deity, as from its Source, and modified according to His divine Will.

Have ye, says St. Paul, received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? and they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost: i. e. given.

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.-Acts xix, 2, 6t.

*

Thus we find this divine effusion, this Gift of

We do, and may very properly, distinguish the Power

of God from his Wisdom and Omniscience; His Justice from His Goodness or Mercy, &c. But in whatever manner these, or any other of his Attributes may be exemplified (as in the instance of Ananias and Sapphira), they are, in reality, still inseparable from his own Person or Substance, even in Idea, -And so indeed the Apostle hath shewn us.

+ See John xx, 22; and observe the remarkable action of our Saviour, which shews plainly what is there signified by the Holy Ghost: viz. not a Person, but an holy inspira

GOD*, was suffered to be imparted by the Apostles to their Converts or Disciples; which surely shews, beyond any reasonable doubt, that by the holy Spirit, is here meant the Operative Power of God, and not a Person. For it should be noticed, that it was the Holy Spirit Itself which is thus said to be Imparted ;-not a Power from a Divine being distinct from God or the Father:-But from whom these Spiritual excellencies were truly derived, will appear in the next Paragraph.

Now, there are, says the Apostle, diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the Same God who worketh all in all.-1 Cor. xii, 4, 6, 11; compare Philipp. ii, 13.

St. Paul, who here tells us that, it is the Same God who worketh all in all, or wh, by the fulness of His Operations, effecteth all things, has likewise assured us that there is but One God, and that this One God is the Father (1 Cor. viii, 6); Christ himself expressly confirms this (John xvii, 1, 3). It follows that

* John vii, 39; Acts v, 32; viii, 19, 20; xi, 16, 17; xv, 8; Rom. i, 11; 1 Thess. iv, 8; 2 Tim. i, 6, 7; Titus iii, 4-7; Heb. vi, 4.

there can be no different source of these spiritual Gifts. Taking this important Intelligence along with us, the passages quoted will throw a strong light on the subject immediately before us; as they discover that the holy Spirit of the Scriptures, must, most frequently, signify, either the effluxes of Divine Virtue, or the inspirations of the Almighty*, so graciously infused by Him into the Prophets of old, and still more illustriously and fully communicated to Christ especially, and afterwards to his Apostles†—A miraculous Power proceding from the Deity, centering in him alone, and as inherent in Him as any other of his glorious Attributes.

That David considered the holy Spirit in this very light, is sufficiently clear from the following instances. In his fervent Prayer to God (Psalm li, 11), he thus expresses himself. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not Thy holy Spirit from me. Where it is plain, from the last words, that the royal prophet con

* Yet many years didst Thou forbear them (the rebellious and obdurate Israelites) and testifiedst against them, by thy Spirit (Inspiration) in thy Prophets.-See Neh. ix, 29,

30.

+ See Luke i, 68, 70; iv, 18, 21; 1 Cor. xii, 28; Ephes. i, 3.

ceived this Divine Assistance to depend entirely on the Will of the Almighty himself; and, consequently, did not believe it to be under the direction or control of any different Person or Being Again (in Psalm cxxxix, 7, 8), God and His Spirit, are considered as the very same Divine Person: Whither shall I go from thy Spirit; or whither shall I flee from thy Presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, Thou art there also, &c. It is in this sense that we find ourselves obliged to understand what is said of the holy Spirit (with very few exceptions) throughout the Bible.

In Luke i, 68, 70, to which we have just referred below, the Lord God of Israel is said to have spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets; and if the holy Spirit had been there said to have spoken by the Prophets, the Jews, or the first Jewish Christians (who certainly were best acquainted with their own Idiom, and who never conceived any real difference between the Spirit of God, and God Himself), would have understood the phrase to signify exactly the

same.

Thus St. Paul says (Acts xxviii, 25—27), Well spake the holy Ghost by Esaias, &c., on