Fifthly, Hence it follows unavoidably that this Spirit of whom i we treat is in himself a distinct, living, poiu erf id, intelligent, divine person; for none other can' be the author of those internal and ex- '
1 " In hac divini magisterii schola, Pater est qui docet et instruit ; Filiiis qui arcana Dei noljis revelat et apcrit ; Spiritus Sanctus qui nos rcplet et imbuit. A Patre po- tentiani, a Filio sapicntiam, a Spiritu Sancto accipimus innocentiam. Pater eligit, Filiua diligit, Spiritus Sanctus coujungit et unit." — Cypr. de Baptismo Christi.
68 DIVINE NATURE AND PERSONALITY OF THE [BOOK I.
ternal divine acts and operations which are ascribed unto him. But here I must stay a little, and confirm that foundation which we build upon ; for we are in the investigation of those things which that one and self-same SjDirit distributeth according to his own will. And it is indispensably necessary unto our present design that we inquire who and what that one and self-same Spirit is, seeing on him and his will all these things do depend. And we do know, likewise, that if men prevail in the opposition they make unto his person, it is to no great purpose to concern ourselves in his operations ; for the foundation of any fabric being taken away, the superstructure will be of no use nor abide.
The opposition that is made in the world against the Spirit of God doctrinally may be reduced unto two heads; for some there are who grant his personality, or that he is a distinct self-subsisting person, but they deny his deity, deny him to be a participant of the divine nature, or will not allow him to be God. A created finite spirit they say he is, but the chiefest of all spirits that were created, and the head of all the good angels. Such a spirit they say there is, and that he is called the " Spirit of God," or the " Holy Ghost," vipon the account of the work wherein he is employed. This way went the Macedonian heretics of old, and they are now followed by the Mo- hammedans; and some of late among ourselves have attempted to revive the same frenzy. But we shall not need to trouble ourselves about this notion. The folly of it is so evident that it is almost by all utterly deserted; for such things are affirmed of the Holy Ghost in the Scripture as that to assert his personality and deny his deity is the utmost madness that any one can fall into in spiritual things. Wherefore, the Socinians, the present great enemies of the doctrine of the holy Trinity, and who would be thought to go soberly about the work of destroying the church of God, do utterly reject this plea and pretence. But that which they advance in the room of it is of no less pernicious nature and consequence : for, granting the things assigned to him to be the effects of divine poiuer, they deny his |)er- sonality, and assert that what is called by the name of the " Spirit of God," or the " Holy Spirit," is nothing but a quality in the divine nature, or the power that God puts forth for such and such purposes; which yet is no new invention of theirs.^ I do not design here pro- fessedly to contend with them about all the concernments of this difference; for there is nothing of importance in all their pretences or exceptions, but it will in one place or other occur unto considera-
■ " ' Hebc autem omnia operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, dividens singulis prout vult ; ' unde dicentes operatricem, et ut ita dicam, distributricem naturam Spiritus Sancti, non abducamur ab his qui dicunt, operationem et non substantiam Dei esse Spiritum Sanctum. Et ex aliis quoque plurimis locis subsistens natura demonstratur Spiritus Sancti." — Didym. de Spir. Sane. lib. ii.
CHAP. III.] HOLY SPIRIT PROVED AND VINDICATED. 69
tion in our progi^ess. I shall only at present confirm the divine per- sonality of the Holy Ghost with one argument ; which I will not say is such as no man can return the show of an answer unto, — for what is it that the serpentine wits of men will not pretend an answer unto, or an exception against, if their lusts and prejudices require them so to do? — but I will boldly say it is such as that the gates of hell shall never prevail against it in the hearts of true believers, the strengthen- ing of whose faith is all that in it I do aim at. And if it do not unto all unprejudiced persons evince the truth and reality of the divine personality of the Holy Ghost, it must certainly convince all men that nothing which is taught or delivered in the Scripture can possibly be understood.
One consideration, which hath in part been before proposed, I shall premise, to free the subject of our argument from ambiguity; and this is, that this word or name " Spirit" is used sometimes to denote the Spirit of God^ himself, and sometimes his gifts and graces, the effects of his operations on the souls of men. And this our adver- saries in this cause are forced to confess, and thereon in all their writings disting-uish between the Holy Spirit and his effects. This alone being supposed, I say, it is impossible to prove the Father to be a person, or the Son to be so (both which are acknowledged), any other way than we may and do prove the Holy Ghost to be so; for he to whom all personal properties, attributes, adjuncts, acts, and operations, are ascribed, and unto whom they do belong, and to ivhom nothing is or can be ti'idy and properly ascribed but what may and doth belong unto a person, is a person, and him are we taught to believe so to be. So know we the Father to be a person, as also the Son; for our knowledge of things is more by their projDerties and operations than by their essential forms. Especially is this so with respect to the nature, being, and existence of God, which are in themselves absolutely incomprehensible. Now, T shall not confirm the assumption of this argument with reference unto the Holy Ghost from this or that particular testimony, nor from the assignation of any single personal property unto him, but from the constant, uniform tenor of the Scripture in ascribing all these properties unto him. And we may add hereunto, that things are so ordered, in the wisdom of God, that there is no personal property that may be found in an infinite divine nature but it is in one place or other ascribed unto him.