lives of christians." The "mighty effusion of his miraculous gifts," proclaim the divinity of the Holy Ghost. And what he taught concerning Christ," angels desired to look into;" long to know; these also testify of his divine dignity of personal character.

We find from the passages of Scripture cited, that the Holy Spirit, proceedeth from the Father; this to us is abundant evidence, that the Holy Ghost, or Spirit, possesses real divinity, inherently, in himself. Again, this appears clear when we inquire after the rationality, or personality of the Holy Ghost, and which is discovered in the text, "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." These appear to be distinct acts of rationality, distinct personal acts. If they are to be esteemed rational and personal acts, it must prove two things, viz. The Holy Ghost possesses divinity and rationality. If uncreated rationality belongs to the Holy Ghost, divinity must also; and we believe no one has presumed or pretended that the Holy Ghost is a created being. And if rational, personal acts, are performed by the Holy Ghost, it must prove to us to a demonstration, that the Holy Ghost is something essentially different, and to be distinguished, from the powers of gravitation, attraction, light, energy, or active force.

Again," he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." All these acts which our Lord promised the Holy Ghost should perform, are certainly acts of a rational and personal character, and of divine and infinite importance, to be spo

ken, and shown, to apostate men, to rational finite and distinct personal beings, whom he is to "guide into all truth." Again, our Lord says, "he shall glorify me;" this act which the Holy Ghost was to perform, must be a distinct act of rationality, neither do we see how it can be performed without rationality and personality. Nor could any creature do all this. It must be a person unmade and eternal.

The objector, may ask, if we understand these passages, in a plain and literal sense, whether there may not things transpire in the mind of the Father, or Son, which are unknown to the Divine Spirit? We apprehend not; and we can see nothing in the above assertion of our Lord, "for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear," ," which will authorise us to draw any such inference. When our Lord was literally upon earth, he did what he see the Father do, and when the Holy Spirit spoke and testified, he did not speak of himself, but whatsoever, was in union with the counsel, act, and will of the conjoint persons of the Godhead; the High and Holy One. "It is universally allowed, that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, dwell in all believers. And the internal agency of the Holy Ghost, is generally admitted." "The Father showeth, and doth, and the Son seeth and doth, and the Holy Spirit acts by the same unity of power." The Son saith, "though ye believe not me, believe the works; that ye may know and believe, that the Father is in me and I in him"-by the same unerring test, by the works of the Holy Ghost, we know, that the divinity is in him, and he in the Godhead, by unity of power, nature, will, testimony, counsel,

and act.

"Believe me for the sake of the works."

"The Son can do nothing of himself." The Holy Ghost," shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear." All" this, is not their imperfection, but their glory, resulting from their eternal, intimate, indissoluble unity with the Father," the unity of the Godhead, seeing the "three are One;" and to be equally honored. The Holy Spirit was "sent by Christ from the Father, as well as sent by the Father in his name." "The Spirit's coming, and being sent by our Lord, &c. to testify of him, are personal characters, and plainly distinguish him from Father and Son:" And declares his relation to the Godhead; " and his title, as the Spirit of truth, together with his proceeding from the Father," as the Son, our Mediator, did, but a divine person.' can agree to none,

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A question arises, most naturally in the minds of many inquiring men, whether if divinity and rationality, are of the Holy Ghost, personality must not, also, belong to him? Although we have blended these things as received opinions and beliefs, we leave the reader to make his distinctions, and to judge for himself. By conversing with many, we have found some, who we believe, are firm in primitive trinitarianism, who here stumble, and dare not affirm, or admit, that the Holy Ghost is, a person. One of the causes may be, that the personality of the Holy Ghost, may, and, no doubt does, essentially differ from human personality. Therefore, should we attempt to measure the personality of the Holy Ghost by our own personality, or the attributes of God, by our limited faculties, we are sure to fall into the grossest of errors. The most we ought to say, probably is, as to our own personality

every rational soul or spirit, constitutes a separate identity, or distinct person, this fact our senses testify to, and our reason approves. And

we are sensible our souls do act upon our bodies and it is a belief equally consonant to reason, that the divine spirit may act upon our souls; and some how, and perhaps in the similitude, as our bodies are shrines for our souls, we become temples of the Holy Ghost. The nature of the Holy Ghost's spiritual operations, or union with our souls, or the Holy Spirit's union of nature, &c. with the Godhead, is to us undefinable, and our best endeavours are insufficient to sound its depths, or measure its altitude; still this does not enervate the fact, "that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, have some kind of union, and some kind of distinction; because both this union and this distinction are plainly pointed out in scripture."

The opposers of the doctrine of the Trinity may, and have stated, that if we give up the personality of the Holy Ghost, the doctrine of the Trinity must fall of course. We answer, by no means; nay, we proceed further; whether we call Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, person or persons, and have imperfect views of the distinctions to be used in the divine relation, it does not affect the main question at all. The great and important question in the christian religion is, whether there is not a real Father, and Son, and a Holy Spirit comprehended in the Godhead. As Trinitarians, we think there is, let them be called by what other terms they may: and that these three are one God, joined together in mysterious union, not "by office or investiture, but

in the intimate unity of the divine essence ;" and equal in honour and worship, and who cannot be known, or believed on separately, according to the revelation contained in the gospel, but in and through the divine unity.

The passage of the Saviour, "I and the Father are one," has called forth some remarks from the Rev. Mr. Wesley, which apply with equal force, in our opinion, to the Holy Spirit. "Are one""not by consent of will only, but by unity of power, and consequently of nature." The word "are" confutes Sabellius, proving the plurality of persons; "one"-This word confutes Arius, proving the unity of nature in God."

Should it be asked, how far these are united in one, or how far the three subsistences are to be distinguished from each other? we are ready to answer, how they exist, we enquire not; we cannot tell, for it is not told us. That there is a real distinction between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is evident, and abundantly clear, from the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament; the limitations, extent, and intimacy, whether of the union or distinctions of the Godhead, is not a subject of our narrow understandings, any farther than the gospels have afforded us information. On the weak pinions of human reason we cannot lift ourselves to a knowledge of infinite being; Through "the work of faith, which is the seal of heaven impressed upon our human understanding," we may, under the agency of the Holy Spirit, raise. ourselves, through this method which God has appointed, into a sphere of greater knowledge. As through this medium, he pleases to reveal himself, so far as is necessary for us. And yet it is

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