a witness in themselves," to the enmity of the carnal mind against God. So that except a man be born again, he cannot take any pleasure in God, nor can God take any pleasure in him he cannot come to him or walk with him: (Amos iii. 3.) he cannot render him unfeigned praises and thanksgivings; but must either neglect religion, or be a mere formalist. He can neither deem the service of God perfect freedom, and regard it as his privilege, honour, and happiness; nor exercise unfeigned repentance for all his sins; but in part at least, he will exalt himself, palliate his crimes, object to the severity of God, and murmur at his appointments. He cannot cordially receive the gospel, or live by faith in Christ for "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption;" nor perceive the preciousness of his person, mediation, and kingdom, the glory of his cross, his unsearchable riches, and incomprehensible love. It is impossible that he should unfeignedly give the Lord the whole glory of his salvation; or practise, from proper motives, meekness, patience, gratitude, forgiveness of injuries, and love of enemies; or count all but loss for Christ, renounce all for him, bear reproach and persecution for his sake, devote himself to his service, even unto death; and then at last receive eternal life as the free gift of God in him. Nor can he enter into the spiritual meaning of divine ordinances, (especially of baptism and the Lord's supper;) or seek the spiritual blessings of the new covenant with decided preference; or love the true worshippers of God as the excellent and honourable of the earth. Nay, an unregenerate man would not savour the company, the work, the worship, or the joy of heaven; but would be disgusted even with the songs and employments of Angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect; as persons of different descriptions must know, if they would but carefully consider the subject, and reflect on the state and thoughts of their own hearts. But the nature of God, of holiness, of happiness, and of heaven, is unchangeable i

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and therefore, either we must be changed, or we cannot be either holy or happy.

All the Scriptures above referred to imply, that regeneration is wrought by "the exceeding greatness of the mighty power of God:" but, it should be observed, that he operates on the minds of rational creatures according to their nature. The instantaneous renewal of a fallen angel to the divine image, would be as real a display of omnipotence as his first creation, and in some respects a greater: but the Lord might effect this renovation in a different manner. Having made use of truth, as the medium of his almighty energy, in overcoming the dark and obstinate enmity of his fallen nature, and in producing a willingness to be restored; he might afterwards require his concurrence in the use of means, through which that recovery should be effected. Now we are informed, that the Lord regenerates sinners by his word: (Jam. i. 18. 1 Pet. i. 23.) ministers, therefore, and parents, and many others in different ways, are bound to set before those committed to their care, the word of truth; and to treat them as reasonable creatures, addressing their understandings and consciences, their hopes, fears, and all the passions and powers of their souls; beseeching God " to give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth." And all they, who are convinced that such a renewal must take place in them, or else that they must be miserable, should be induced by the consideration that they cannot change their own hearts, (that being the work of the Holy Spirit,) to seek this needful blessing, by reading the Scriptures, retirement, meditation, self-examination, hallowing the Lord's day, hearing faithful preaching and other instruction, breaking off known sin, practising known duties, avoiding vain company and dissipation, and earnestly praying to God to "create in them a clean heart, and to renew a right spirit within them." Convictions of our inability have a similar effect upon us in all other cases; and uniformly induce us to seek help from those who are able to help us with an earnestness proportioned to the supposed importance of the interest that is at stake.

As for those who continue to treat this subject with contempt and derision; it is sufficient to observe, that, seeing they will neither believe our testimony, nor that of Christ, they will at last have no cause to complain, if they are left destitute of that gracious influence which they have so despised.-Some may however believe, that such things are, who are yet at a loss to know what they are: and them I would press in the most urgent manner, to beg of God daily and earnestly, to teach them what it is to be born again; and thus in due time their own experi ence will terminate their perplexity.-But let those who admit the doctrine beware, lest they rest in the notion, without the experience and effects of it. And finally, let all who have known the happy change also recollect continually, that they need to be renewed more and more; (Tit. ii. 5.) and should, therefore, unite with gratitude for what the Lord hath wrought, persevering in prayer for a more complete recovery unto the divine image, in all the powers, dispositions, and affections of their souls.

ESSAY XIII.

On the Personality and Deity of the Holy Spirit: with some Thoughts on the doctrine of the Sacred Trinity.

THE

HE Christian dispensation is distinguished by the Apostles as "the ministration of the Spirit;" (2 Cor. iii. 8.) and a careful investigation of the Scriptures must convince an impartial inquirer, that the promise of the Holy Ghost is the grand peculiarity of the New-Testament, even as that of the Messiah was of the Old. Having shown the nature and necessity of regeneration, it regularly occurs to us in this place, to give a more particular statement of the scriptural doctrine concerning the Holy Spirit. Those things which relate to the personality and Deity of the Spirit, and to the doctrine of the Trinity as connected with it, will constitute, therefore, our present sub

ject while his extraordinary and ordinary operations, influences, and gifts; the office he performs in the economy of our salvation, and the duties resulting from them, must be reserved for the subsequent Essay.

When we use the term personality in the discussion of this subject, we simply mean, that language is used in Scripture concerning the Holy Spirit, and actions, are ascribed to him, which are suited to convey the idea of a personal Agent; and such as would be extremely improper, if a mere attribute or mode of operation were intended. Yet all who deny the personality of the Holy Ghost, and pay any suitable respect to the sacred oracles in which so much is constantly ascribed to him, must hold the latter opinion. We do not however suppose, that the words person and personality can, in an adequate manner, explain to us the distinct subsistence of the Spirit; or assist our conceptions in respect of mysteries, which we profess to consider as absolutely incomprehensible.

Indeed, the words themselves, in this use of them, are not found in Scripture: but when divine truths are opposed with ingenuity, learning, and pertinacity, it becomes necessary for those who would "contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints," to vary their expressions; because their opponents will invent some plausible method of explaining away those terms which had before been made use of. That imperfection, which characterizes every thing that belongs to man, is peculiarly discernible in human language: the mysteries of the infinite God, can only be declared to us, in words primarily taken from the relations and affairs of men; and every thing that relates to infinity confounds and overwhelms our finite and narrow capacities. The most careful and able writers cannot, on such topics, wholly prevent their readers from attaching ideas to their words, which they did not mean to convey by them: so that they, whose object it is to put an absurd construction on our expressions, or to enervate by a plausible interpretation the language of Holy Scrip ture, will never find it very difficult to accomplish their

purpose, as far as the generality of mankind are concerned. If we speak of three distinct Persons in the Godhead, they may charge us with holding three distinct gods; supposing or pretending we mean, that this incomprehensible distinction is perfectly like the obvious distinction of three men from each other. On the other hand, the labour, study, and ingenuity of revolving centuries have so perplexed the subject, that we cannot at present find words explicitly to state our sentiments, and exactly to mark in what respects we differ from our opponents, unless we use such terms as they object to: at least this is my principal reason for adhering to them. If however our expressions convey to the reader's mind the doctrine of Scripture, with as much perspicuity and precision, as human language generally admits of; it is mere trifling to object to them, because they are not found in the Bible; for truths, not words, constitute the matter of revelation, and words are only the vehicle of truths to our minds. We are in fact deeply convinced that some men have got the habit or art of evading the force of scriptural terms; and of thus misleading others. into error: and is it not allowable for us to state our sentiments in other words; and then to prove that those sentiments are actually contained in Holy Scripture? or ctn we do otherwise, unless we be disposed to give our opponents every possible advantage in the argument? For it cannot well be doubted by impartial persons, but that aversion to the doctrines themselves lies at the bottom of those objections, which are made to the words in which their defenders have been used to express them.

We proceed, therefore, to consider the personality of the Holy Spirit premising, that as "these are heavenly things," (John iii. 12, 13.) we can neither explain them clearly in human language, nor illustrate them fully by earthly things, nor yet prove them by arguments from human reason. The whole rests entirely on the authority of divine revelation; we gain our knowledge of them by simply believing God's sure testimony; and we should improve them to practical purposes in humble adoration,