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A DISCOURSE CONCERNING THE HOLY SPIRIT

BOOK 1 - CHAPTER 3

DIVINE NATURE AND PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PROVED AND VINDICATED.

Ends of our consideration of the dispensation of the Spirit -Principles premised thereunto - The nature of God the foundation of all religion - Divine revelation gives the rule and measure of religious worship - God hath revealed himself as three in one -Distinct actings and operations ascribed unto these distinct person; therefore the Holy Spirit a divine distinct person - Double opposition to the Holy Spirit - By some his personality granted and his deity denied - His personality denied by the Socinians -Proved against them - The open vanity of their pretenses - Matthew 28:19, pleaded - Appearance of the Spirit under the shape of a dove explained and improved - His appearance as fire opened - His personal subsistence proved - Personal properties assigned unto him - Understanding - Argument from hence pleaded and vindicated - A will - John 3:8, James 3:4, cleared - Exceptions removed - Power - Other personal ascriptions to him, with testimonies of them, vindicated and explained.

WE shall now proceed to the matter itself designed unto consideration, - namely, the dispensation of the Spirit of God unto the church; and I shall endeavor to fix what I have to offer upon its proper principles, and from them to educe the whole doctrine concerning it. And this must be so done as to manifest the interest of our faith, obedience, and holy worship, in the whole and each part of it; for these are the immediate ends of all divine revelations, according to that holy maxim of our blessed Savior, "If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them." To this end the ensuing principles are to be observed: -

First, The nature and being of God is the foundation of all true religion and holy religious worship in the world. The great end for which we were made, for which we were brought forth by the power of God into this world, is to worship him and to give glory unto him; for he "made all things for himself," or his own glory, Proverbs 16:4, to be rendered unto him according to the abilities and capacities that he hath furnished them withal, Revelation 4:11. And that which makes this worship indispensably necessary unto us, and from whence it is holy or religious, is the nature and being of God himself. There are, indeed, many parts or acts of religious worship which immediately respect (as their reason and motive) what God is unto us, or what he hath done and doth for us; but the principal and adequate reason of all divine worship, and that which makes it such, is what God is in himself. Because he is, - that is, an infinitely glorious, good, wise, holy, powerful, righteous, self-subsisting, selfsufficient, all-sufficient Being, the fountain, cause, and author of life and being to all things, and of all that is good in every kind, the first cause, last end, and absolutely sovereign Lord of all, the rest and all-satisfactory reward of all other beings, - therefore is he by us to be adored and worshipped with divine and religious worship. Hence are we in our hearts, minds, and souls, to admire, adore, and love him; his praises are we to celebrate; him [are we] to trust and fear, and so to resign ourselves and all our concernments unto his will and disposal; to regard him with all the acts of our minds and persons, answerably to the holy properties and excellencies of his nature. This it is to glorify him as God; for seeing "of him, and through him, and to him are all things," to him must be "glory for ever," Romans 11:36. "Believing that God thus is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him," is the ground of all coming unto God in his worship, Hebrews 11:6. And herein lies the sin of men, that the "invisible things of God being manifest unto them, even his eternal power and Godhead," yet "they glorify him not as God," Romans 1:19- 21. This is to honor, worship, fear God for himself; that is, on the account of what he is himself. Where the divine nature is, there is the true, proper, formal object of religious worship; and where that is not, it is idolatry to ascribe it to or exercise it towards any. And this God instructs us in, in all those places where he proclaims his name and describes his eternal excellencies, and that either absolutely or in comparison with other things. All is, that we may know him to be such a one as is to be worshipped and glorified for himself, or his own sake.

Secondly, The revelation that God is pleased to make of himself unto us gives the rule and measure of all religious worship and obedience. His being, absolutely considered, as comprehending in it all infinite, divine perfections, is the formal reason of our worship; but this worship is to be directed, guided, regulated, by the revelation he makes of that being and of those excellencies unto us. This is the end of divine revelation, - namely, to direct us in paying that homage which is due unto the divine nature. I speak not now only of positive institutions, which are the free effects of the will of God, depending originally and solely on revelation, and which, therefore, have been various and actually changed; but this is that which I intend: - Look, what way soever God manifesteth his being and properties unto us, by his works or his word, our worship consisteth in a due application of our souls unto him according to that manifestation of himself.

Thirdly, God hath revealed or manifested himself as three in one, and, therefore, as such is to be worshipped and glorified by us; - that is, as three distinct persons, subsisting in the same infinitely holy, one, undivided essence. This principle might be, and, had not that labor been obviated, ought to have been, here at large confirmed; it being that which the whole ensuing discourse doth presuppose and lean upon. And, in truth, I fear that the failing of some men’s profession begins with their relinquishment of this foundation. It is now evident unto all that here hath been the fatal miscarriage of those poor deluded souls amongst us whom they call Quakers; and it is altogether in vain to deal with them about other particulars, whilst they are carried away with infidelity from this foundation. Convince any of them of the doctrine of the Trinity, and all the rest of their imaginations vanish into smoke. And I wish it were so with them only. There are others, and those not a few, who either reject the doctrine of it as false, or despise it as unintelligible, or neglect it as useless, or of no great importance. I know this ulcer lies hid in the minds of many, and cannot but expect when it will break out, and cover the whole body with its defilements whereof they are members But these things are left to the care of Jesus Christ. The reason why I shall not in this place insist professedly on the confirmation and vindication of this fundamental truth is, because I have done it elsewhere, as having more than once publicly cast my mite into this sanctuary of the Lord; for which and the like services, wherein I stand indebted unto the gospel, I have met with that reward which I did always expect. For the present I shall only say, that on this supposition, that God hath revealed himself as three in one, he is in all our worship of him so to be considered. And, therefore, in our initiation into the profession and practice of the worship of God, according to the gospel, we are in our baptism engaged to it, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," Matthew 28:19. This is the foundation of our doing all the things that Christ commands us, as verse 20. Unto this service we are solemnly dedicated, namely, of God, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; as they are each of them equally participant of the same divine nature.

Fourthly, These persons are so distinct in their peculiar subsistence that distinct actings and operations are ascribed unto them. And these actings are of two sorts: -

1. Ad intra, which are those internal acts in one person whereof another person is the object. And these acts ad invicem, or intra, are natural and necessary, inseparable from the being and existence of God. So the Father knows the Son and loveth him, and the Son seeth, knoweth, and loveth the Father. In these mutual actings, one person is the object of the knowledge and love of the other: John 3:35, "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." John 5:20, "The Father loveth the Son." Matthew 11:27, "No man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son." John 6:46, "None hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father." This mutual knowledge and love of Father and Son is expressed at large, Proverbs 8:22-31; which place I have opened and vindicated elsewhere. And they are absolute, infinite, natural, and necessary unto the being and blessedness of God. So the Spirit is the mutual love of the Father and the Son, knowing them as he is known, and "searching the deep things of God." And in these mutual, internal, eternal actings of themselves, consists much of the infinite blessedness of the holy God. Again,

2. There are distinct actings of the several persons ad extra; which are voluntary, or effects of will and choice, and not natural or necessary. And these are of two sorts: -

(1.) Such as respect one another; for there are external acts of one person towards another: but then the person that is the object of these actings is not considered absolutely as a divine person, but with respect unto some peculiar dispensation and condescension. So the Father gives, sends, commands the Son, as he had condescended to take our nature upon him, and to be the mediator between God and man. So the Father and the Son do send the Spirit, as he condescends in an especial manner to the office of being the sanctifier and comforter of the church. Now, these are free and voluntary acts, depending upon the sovereign will, counsel, and pleasure of God, and might not have been, without the least diminution of his eternal blessedness.

(2.) There are especial acts, ad extra, towards the creatures. This the whole Scripture testifieth unto, so that it is altogether needless to confirm it with particular instances. None who have learned the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, but can tell you what works are ascribed peculiarly to the Father, what to the Son, and what to the Holy Ghost. Besides, this will be manifested afterward in all the distinct actings of the Spirit; which is sufficient for our purpose.