116 WAY AND MANNER OF THE DIVINE [BOOK I.
dvoai, tlie same thing doubly expressed; and, therefore, mention is ■ made only of the " Holy Ghost/' John i. 33. But the Holy Ghost Avas, in his dispensation, to purify and cleanse them as fire doth gold and silver. And on the same account is he compared to water, Ezek. xxxvi. 25, " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean;" which is expounded, verse 26, by "A new spirit will I put within you;" which God calls his Spirit, verse 27. So our Saviour calls him " rivers of water," John vii. 38, 39 : see Isa. xliv. 3. And it is with regard unto his purifying, cleansing, and sanctifying our natures that he is thus called. With respect, therefore, in an especial manner, hereunto is he said to be poured out. So our apostle expressly declares. Tit. iii. 4-6. Again, it respects his com- forting and refreshing them on whom he is poured. Hence is he said to be poured down from above as rain that descends on the earth : Isa. xliv. 3, " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground," — that is, " I will pour my Spirit on thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring; and they shall spring up as among the gi^ass, as willows by the water courses," verse 4; see chap. xxxv. 6, 7. He comes upon the dry, parched, barren ground of the hearts of men, with his refreshing, fructifying virtue and blessing, causing them to .spring and bring forth fruits in holi- ness and righteousness to God, Heb. vi. 7. And in respect unto his communication of his Spirit is the Lord Christ said to " come down like rain upon the mown grass, as showers that water the earth,"' Ps. Ixxii. 6. The good Lord give us always of these waters and re- freshing showers!
And these are the ways, in general, whereby the dispensation of the Spirit from God, for what end or purpose soever it be, is ex- pressed.
IL We come nextly to consider what is ascribed unto the Spirit I himself in a way of comjiliance with these acts of God whereby I he is given and administered. Now, these are such things or ac- tions as manifest him to be a voluntary agent, and that not only as to what he acts or doth in men, but also as to the manner of his coming forth from God, and his application of himself unto his work. And these we must consider as they are declared unto us in the Scripture. I The first and most general expression hereof is, that he proceedeth \ from the Father; and being the Spirit of the Son, he proceedeth from him also in like manner: John xv. 26, " The Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." There is a twofold in'Tropsueig or " procession" of the Holy Ghost. The one is (pucrr/,?! or vTroffrarixT], "natural" or "personal." This expresseth his eternal relation to the persons of the Father and the Son. He is of
CHAP, v.] DISPENSATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 11 7
them by an eternal emanation or procession} The manner hereof unto lis, in this Ufe, is incomprehensible; therefore it is rejected by some, who will believe no more than they can put their hands into the sides of And yet are they forced, in things under their eyes, to admit of many things which they cannot perfectly comprehend ! But we live by faith, and not by sight.^ This is enough unto us, that we admit nothing in this great mystery but what is revealed. And no- thing is revealed imto us that is inconsistent with the being and sub- sistence of God ; for this procession or emanation includes no separa- tion or division in or of the divine nature, but only expresseth a distinction in subsistence, by a property peculiar to the Holy Spirit. But this is not that which at present I intend. The consideration of it belongeth unto the doctrine of the Trinity in general, and hath been handled elsev/here. Secondly, There is an v/crropsuffig or " pro- cession" of the Spirit, which is oizovo/MTiy} or " dispensatory." This is the egress of the Spirit in his application of himself unto his work. A volimtary act it is of his will, and not a necessary property of his person. And he is said thus to proceed from the Father, because he goeth forth or proceedeth in the pursuit of the counsels and purposes of the Father, and, as sent by him, to put them into execution, or to make them effectual. And in like manner he proceedeth from the Son, sent by him for the application of his grace unto the souls of his elect, John xv. 26. It is true, this proves his eternal relation to the Father and the Son, as he proceeds from them, or receives his peculiar personal subsistence from them, for that is the ground of this order of operation; but it is his own personal voluntary acting that is intended in the expression. And this is the general notation of the original of the Spirit's acting in all that he doth: — He pro- ceedeth or Cometh forth from the Father. Had it been only said that he was given and sent, it could not have been known that there Avas any thiug of his own will in what he did, whereas he is said to "divide unto every man as he will;" but in that h/.'ropthsrai, he