Neither is it only what concerns sjnritual desertions, whose nature, causes, and remedies, are professedly and at large handled by all the casuistical divines, even of the Roman church, but the whole work of the Spirit of God upon the hearts of men, with all the effects produced in them with respect unto sin and grace, that some men, by their odious and scurrilous expressions, endeavour to expose to contempt and scorn, S. P.,^ pp. 839-342. Whatever trouble befalls the minds of men upon the account of a sense of the guilt of sin; whatever darkness and disconsolation they may undergo through the displeasure of God, and his withdrawing of the wonted influences of his grace, love, and favour towards them ; whatever peace, comfort, or joy, they may be made partakers of, by a sense of the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, — it is all ascribed, in most opprobrious language, unto melancholy reeks and vapours, whereof a certain and mechanical account may be given by them who understand the anatomy of the brain. To such a height of profane atheism is the daring pride and ignorance of some in our days ar- ri^-ed!
There remaineth yet one general adjunct of the dispensation and work of the Holy Ghost, which gives a farther description ol the manner of it, which I have left unto a single consideration. This is that which is mentioned, Heb. ii. 4, "God bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles," xa/ HvsvfjuaTog' Ayfou
' These initials refer to Samuel Parker, in -whose " Defence and Continuation of the Ecclesiastical Polity," 1671, the sentiments to "which Owen objects will be found. For an account of Parker, see vol. xiii., p. 344 of Owen's works. — Ed.
122 WAY AND MANNER OF THE DIVINE [BOOK I.
Ij^i^KSl^otc,, " and gifts," say we, " of tlie Holy Ghost." But fj,sf>iff/xoi are "distributions" or " partitions;" and hence advantage is taken by some to argue against his very being. So Crellius contends that the Holy Gliost here is taken passively, or that the expression Uvi-o/xarog ' Ayiov is genitivus materice. Wherefore, he supjDoses that it followeth that the Holy Ghost himself may be divided into parts, so that one may have one part and parcel of him, and another may have another j)art. How inconsistent this is with the truth of his being and per- sonality is apparent. But yet neither can he give any tolerable ac- count of the division and partition of that power of God which he calls the " Holy Ghost," unless he will make the Holy Spirit to be a quality in us and not in the divine nature, as Justin Martyr affirms Plato to have done, and so to be divided.^ And the interpretation he useth of the words is wrested, perverse, and foolish; for the con- texture of them requires that the Holy Ghost be here taken actively, as the author of the distribution mentioned. He gives out of his gifts and powers unto men in many parts, not all to one, not all at once, not all in one way ; but some to one, some to another, some at one time, some at another, and that in great variety. The apostle, therefore, in this place declares that the Holy Spirit gave out various gifts unto the first preachers of the gospel, for the confirmation of their doctrine, according to the promise of our Saviour, John xv. 26, 27. Of these he mentions in particular, first, 27ifisTa, "signs;" that is, miraculous works, wrought to signify the presence of God by his power with them that wrought them, so giving out his approba- tion of the doctrine which they taught. Secondly, Tipara, " pro- digies" or " wonders," works beyond the power of nature or energy of natural causes, wrought to fill men with wonder and admiration, manifesting to %7bv, and surprising men with a sense of the presence of God. Thirdly, AwdfiBtg, " mighty works" of several sorts, such as opening of the eyes of the blind, raising the dead, and the like. These being mentioned, there is added in general /jt^spicr/Mol UvBu,warog 'Aylov, that is, t^'■^^i5^ n^nn nijrin, « gifts of the Holy Ghost;" for these and other like things did the Holy Ghost work and effect to the end
^ T«wra, oif/,ai, ffaipus rrapa, tZv •!rpo(pnTav •jnp) Tou ay'iov •Jtitvf/.a.^o? [iifjt,aS7iKus TlXuruv US TO Tn; aptTrt; ovof/ca f^iTa^iuuv (paivi'Toci. 'Ofioius yap olrTip ol hpai •ptpofriTa.i to £v xtti TO UVTO '^rviu/u.cc 11$ iVTOc <^vivf^a.Ta, iJt,ip'iZ,iff6a.i (pafftv, ovToj xai ccvTo; f/.ia,M xai t'/iv ccu-tiv ovof^d^av dpiTni, TtxuTttt lis Tiffffapa; dptras fiipi^i(r^ai Xiyii. Justiu. Martyr. aCl (jrffiC.
Cohoi'tat., [cap. xxxii.]
Aliter statuit Cyprianus seu quisquis fuit author lib. de Spir. Sane, inter opera Oypriani. " Hie est Spiritus Sanctus quem Magi in J5gypto tertii signi ostensione con- vioti, cum sua defccisse prisestigia faterentui-, Dei digitum appellabant, et antiqms philosopliis ejus intimarunt praesentiam defuisse. Et licet de Patre et Filio aliqua sen- sissent Flatonici, Spiritus tamen tumidus et humani appetitor favoris santificationem mentis divinse mereii non potuit, et ubi ad profunditatcm sacramentorum devcntum est, omnis eonim caligavit subtilitas, nee potuit infidelitassanctitudinipropinquare." — Cypr. de Spir. Sane.
CHAP, v.] DISPENSATION OF THE HOLY SPIillT. 123
mentioned. And these distributions are from him as the signs and wonders were, — that is, effects of his power: only there is added an intimation hoiu they are all wrought by him ; which is, by giving them a power for their operation, variously dividing them amongst those on whom they were bestowed, and that, as it is added, nara rriv abrou ^sXrjgiv, " according unto his own will." And this place is so directly and fully expounded, 1 Cor. xii. 7-11, that there is no room of excep- tion left unto the most obstinate ; and that place having been opened before, in the entrance of this discourse, I shall not here call it over again. These fispi<s/Moi, therefore, are his gifts; which, as parts and parcels of his work, he giveth out in great variety.^ To the same purpose are his operations described, Isa. xi, 2, 3, " The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." He is first called " The Spirit of the Lord," to express his being and nature; and then he is termed " The Spirit of wisdom and of counsel," etc., — that is, he who is the author of wisdom and counsel, and the rest of the graces mentioned, who divides and distributes them according to his own will. That variety of gifts and graces wherewith believers are endowed and adorned are these tJAftaiJboi, or " distributions," of the Holy Spirit. Hence, the principal respect that we have unto him immediately, in our worship of him under the New Testament, is as he is the author of these various gifts and graces. So John, saluting the churches of Asia, prayeth for grace for them from God the Father, and from " the seven Spirits which are before his throne," Rev. i. 4 ; that is, from the Holy Spirit of God considered in his care of the church and his yielding supplies unto it, as the author of that perfection of gifts and graces which are, and are to be, bestowed upon it. So doth the number of "seven" denote. And, therefore, whereas our Lord Jesus Christ, as the foundation of his church, was anointed with all the gifts and graces of the Spirit in their perfection, it is said that upon that one stone should be " seven eyes," Zech. iii. 9, — all the gifts of the seven Spirits of God, or of that Holy Spirit which is the author of them all.