to point out the essential relation which the doctrine of the Divine Personality of the Holy Spirit holds, to the entire revelation of God, and the reality and growth of Christian experience. We argue that, a denial of the personal dignity of the Spirit, renders the Word of God incomplete. For instance:

Without a full and unequivocal recognition of the doctrine in question, there is a want of harmony and coherence in those numberless passages which teach the doctrine of the Trinity in the Godhead. Take Isa. xlviii. 16. "And now the Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me." Who is the speaker here? The Lord Jesus, who, in verse 12, says, "Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel my called; I am the first, I also am the last." Eph. ii. 18. "For through Him (Christ) we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access by one Spirit unto the Father." Yet further. Matt. iii. 16, 17. "And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. xxviii. 19. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy

Ghost." Now, can the doctrine of three distinct persons in the Godhead, be more clearly and unequivocally taught, than it is in these passages? And yet, if the DIVINE PERSONALITY of the Spirit be denied, these, and kindred texts, must be rendered totally obscure and nugatory. The Christian reader will require no extended argumentation to convince his understanding that, a regard to the perfection and analogy of truth, demands a full belief in the doctrine which in this chapter we have sought to establish. We must either deny the doctrine of the Trinity, to be a part of divine revelation, and consequently, render perfectly unintelligible the numerous passages which declare and confirm it, or, we must admit the Holy Spirit to be a distinct person in the Godhead, to whom belongs equal honour and dignity with the Father and the Son.

Again,-Viewed as a Spirit of revelation, his claims to divine dignity must be conceded; for if his Deity be denied, the entire revelation of God falls to the ground. For we read that "prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." We must then either deny the Divine inspiration of the Word of God, or, admit that the Holy Spirit is God. All that we know of God, truly and perfectly, we know by the revela

tion of the Holy Spirit. He is the great Revealer of the glory, perfections, love and grace of Jehovah. And, until the mind of man has been brought under his gracious influence, it is ignorant of God and of itself. All is dark, yea, darkness itself, until the divine light of the Spirit breaks through the gloom, and chases that darkness away.

In venturing upon this remark, let it not be supposed that we undervalue the contributions brought to the confirmation of the truth of revealed religion, by what is termed Natural Theology. We are never reluctant to acknowledge our indebtedness to this source of evidence. We cannot forget that, the God of revelation is the God of nature. That, in exploring this vast territory, we trespass upon the domain of no foreign potentate, we invade no hostile kingdom, we tread no forbidden ground. The spiritual miud, fond of soaring through nature in quest of new proofs of God's existence, and fresh emblems of his wisdom, power and goodness, exults in the thought that, it is his Father's domain he treads. He feels that God, his God, is there. And the sweet consciousness of his all-pervading presence, and the impress of his great perfections which everywhere meets overwhelms his renewed soul with wonder, love and praise. O the delight of looking abroad upon nature, under a sense of pardoning, filial

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eye,

love in the soul, enabled to exclaim, "this God is my God." Let it not therefore be supposed that, nature and revelation are at war with each other. A spiritual mind may discover a close and beautiful relation and harmony between the two. The study of God in his external operations, is by no means discouraged in his Word. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth forth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." Referring to the rejection of this source of evidence by the heathen, the Apostle argues, "The invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse."

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But, if Natural Theology has its advantages, it also has its limitations. It must never be regarded as taking the place of God's Word. It may just impart light enough to the mind as to leave its atheism "without excuse," but it cannot impart light enough to convince the soul of its sinfulness -its guilt-its exposure to the wrath of a holy God, and its need of such a Saviour as Jesus is. All this, is the work of the Eternal and blessed Spirit. And, if my reader is resting his hope of heaven upon what he has learned of God and of

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himself, in the light of nature only,—a stranger to the teaching and operations of the Holy Ghost upon his mind, he is awfully deceiving himself. Natural religion can never renew, sanctify, and save the soul. A man may be deeply schooled in it as a science; he may investigate it thoroughly— defend it ably and successfully, and even, from the feeble light it emits, grope his dark way to the great edifice of revelation—but, beyond this, it cannot conduct him: it cannot open the door, and admit him to the fulness of the Gospel therein contained. It may go far to convince him that the Word of God is true, but it cannot " open the book and loose the seals thereof," and disclose to the mind its rich and exhaustless treasures. 0 no! Another and a diviner light must shine upon his soul; another and a more powerful hand must break the seals. That light, that hand, is God, the Holy Ghost. He only can make the soul acquainted with this solemn truth—"The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked." He only can explore this dark chamber of imagery, and bring to light the hidden evil that is there. He only can lay the soul low in the dust before God at the discovery, and draw out the heart in the humiliating confession-"Behold, I am vile!" He only can take of the precious blood of a precious Saviour, and the glorious righteousness of the