Since you have mounted the scorner’s chair, and set your tongue against
the heavens, by denying the glorious doctrine of the Godhead, divinity,
personality, and of course the offices and operations of God the eternal
Spirit, I consider it my duty to address you. I once considered you
sound in the faith—but alas, how have you fallen, and fallen for the mean
the beggarly purpose of a morsel of bread, and your conscience knows it.
I should not perhaps have troubled you with this letter, but you are so
very busy in making converts to this your opinion—not contented with
going to hell yourself, you are determined to drag others with you. I
make no apology for this abrupt address, but assure you, that if you die
in these awful sentiments of denying the Godhead, divinity and distinct
personality of the Holy Spirit, your end will be awful indeed; to treat
his sacred person with such awful contempt is shocking, and to teach
others so to do adds to your crime.
That there is a Holy Spirit you pretend not to deny—but “What is it?” say
you and your deluded followers; “O nothing but a _mere breath_, _a
point_, _a mere emanation_, that’s all!” Pray Sir, where did you get
this information from? not from the Bible that is plain; where then but
from other fools like yourself, and now imposing these ridiculous notions
upon your hearers as if you had been the original author of them;
whereas, yourself can hardly tell what an emanation means. May the Lord
restore you to truth, or open the eyes of your hearers to see your
errors, and your base design in propagating them. But from the
Scriptures of truth I am about to prove that the adorable Spirit is
something more than a mere breath or an emanation; and that the
ever-blessed Spirit is a person God blessed for evermore—and be it at
your peril to contradict it. _Deny_ it you may—_reason_ about it you
may—but overthrow it you never shall. Thousands of hearts, tongues and
pens have been employed in this black work before you was born, who are
gone to the judgment seat of God to answer for this crime; and without
you relinquish your notions, without humbling grace, and the pardon of
this sin, so will you.
To the law and testimony, without one word of reason from me, let the
word speak, and we shall find something more than emanation.
The adorable Spirit is described as a person; and every one knows that a
person is a _living_, _thinking_, _intelligent_ being, endowed with
_will_ and _understanding_; and such is the Holy Spirit.
He communicates natural and spiritual life to mankind, he must therefore
possess it himself.
He wills what he pleases, which would be ridiculous to suppose of an
emanation.
He divideth to every man severally as _He_ will.
He knoweth all things, yea, the deep things of God—this can never be said
of a mere point of light.
Personal actions are ascribed to him in not less than twenty particulars
in the new Testament—
He shall convince the world of sin; then he must be a person if he be
capable of convincing another of his mistakes, as all the following
actions prove this point.
He teacheth all things; a human teacher is a person, so surely is a
divine one.
He is a comforter—sheds abroad the love of God—takes of the thing, of
Christ—shews them unto us—applies the promises—declares our pardon is the
earnest and seal of a promised heaven—he is one of the Three that bears
witness in heaven—testifies of Christ—bears witness to the Saints—acts as
a spirit of grace and supplication—helps the saints in prayer—makes
intercession in them—gives gifts to his people—calls, qualifies, orders,
commands, and directs his ministers—dwells in the saints and will raise
their bodies in the last day.
Now if all these are not personal actions, I leave every sensible person
to judge; surely none but persons destitute of reason can deny such
infallible testimony; besides, love, grief, being rebelled against,
vexed, provoked, lied unto, blasphemed, sinned against with an
unpardonable sin, which can never apply to a mere breath, a quality, an
attribute, or an emanation. I judge how you, sir, and in general all
that have been and now are in the ditch. Apply these glorious
scriptures—that they belong to the Father, say some; no, they belong to
Christ, says another; whereas, it is plain that the blessed Spirit is
distinct from both. The Redeemer declares, “The Lord God and his
_Spirit_ hath sent me.” He is called the Spirit of his Son—he is to be
sent from the Father. His work which is set forth in the above-mentioned
texts is distinct from the work of the Father and the Son. His glorious
appearance at the baptism of Christ proves the same fact; so his name
mentioned at the baptism of believers. He is called Jehovah Lord and
God; the incommunicable perfections of God are in him, and all the
glorious works peculiar to God are said to be done by him. Eternity—he
is the eternal Spirit—he is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent—he
brought creation into order—gave life to all—formed the starry
heavens—made man—directs the affairs of providence—endited the
Bible—formed the sacred body of Christ—and at last raised it from the
dead; he is also worshipped with the Father and the Son, and so must be
distinct from both; he is not the godhead of the Son, because he is
distinct from the Son, hence he is called the Spirit of his Son.
A few more proofs of the dignity, Godhead, and personality of the Holy
Spirit out of a vast abundance I shall here introduce. My design in this
little tract is the glory of the blessed Spirit—the establishing and
confirming those who are taught of God—to put a sword into the hands of
the young Christian to recover backsliders, and to shame those who have
apostatized from their profession of this truth. Oh for a blessing upon
this humble attempt! but this is dependant upon God the Holy Ghost.
I am not writing a body of divinity. I have not abilities for that; but
only stating those truths which are dear to my heart, and producing a few
out of the many Scriptures, to prove the Godhead of the Saviour and the
ever-blessed Holy Spirit. A few must suffice here.
John iii. 6.—“That which is born of the Spirit.”