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CHAPTER VI.

WHAT IS THE SPIRIT OF MAN?

The Hebrew word ruah, agrees with the Greek word pneuma, and these are the only words that are properly translated spirit. The derivations and definitions of both words are nearly the same. Ruah is derived from ruah, "to blow," and nesme, "to breathe:" primarily signifies wind, air, breath; but it is sometimes used to signify a principle, having some relation to electricity, diffused through the atmosphere, and perhaps through universal space, which is the principle that stimulates the organs of men and plants into activity, and which is used by the animals themselves to control their volun tary motions. Thus, when an animal wishes to use a member, a current of electricity is transmitted by the will, through the nerves, to the blood in the member, and produces those contractions and dilations of the muscles of the member, which are necessary to move it in the required direction. This principle, being the principle of life in all creatures, is in the hands of God, and controlled by him; hence, "In him we live, and move, and have our being ;" and "God is the God of the spirits of all flesh." When God taketh away his spirit, and his breath, that is, God's spirit, and God's breath, then man returneth to his earth, and his thoughts perish :" Ps. 146: 4. Wherefore this spirit, in Scripture, is called neshemoth, the breath of God, as well as the breath of man.

"to

The Greek word pneuma, derived from preo, blow," has been chosen by inspiration to represent the Hebrew word ruah. It means wind, air, breath, and a

something, or principle contained in them, which mparte and sustains life.

The spirit being the universal principle of life, its secondary, metaphorical, and poetical meanings, will be as various as the various effects of life; and it will require great care to enable us to ascertain the specific meaning which the word bears in particular cases.

Some beings seem to live by the pure ruah, or spirit, without the intervention of the atmosphere;—such are called spiritual beings. Such are angels, and the incorruptible nature manifested by Jesus Christ, after he was risen from the tomb, for he ascended above the atmo sphere; and this nature is the pattern of that which Christians are to aspire after, "to seek for," and God, in conferring such a nature, necessarily confers eternal life see Rom. 2 : 7. But the resurrected Saviour, and the angels, are tangible beings. Demons are called spirits; by which we understand spiritual beings, beings that live by means of the pure or unadulterated spirit, or principle of all life. We have also, the "to Hagion Pneuma," the Holy, or Consecrated Spirit, and the seven Spirits of God. And spirit is sometimes thought to refer to God himself. John 4: 24," Pneuma ho Theos ;" ," "The God [is] Spirit." But in the preceding verse, spirit is used as opposed to outward worship; and it appears to be used in the same sense in this verse.

We might therefore understand these verses thus :The true worshippers shall worship the Father, not with outward observances, in particular places, as at Jerusa lem, in preference to Mount Gerizim; but with their minds and hearts for God is an intelligent Being, and they that worship him, must worship him with intelligence and sincerity. In Ps. 139: 7, "Whither shall I fly from thy spirit ?" It is in heaven, it is in sheol, (the grave,) and it is in the uttermost parts of the sea. It pervades all things, is the second cause of all motion, whether in the planets, the tides, the lightnings of hea ven, or in the breathing creatures that God has made. It may have been this ruah Elohim, spirit of the Elohim, that "brooded upon the face of the waters;" Gen. 1: 2. It is not necessarily implied here that the ruah was a personal being; but that God's intelligence, or this spirit, was every where Therefore, we infer, that the

nature of God is not clearly determined by any of these expressions.

This principle of life, or spirit, is not the air, nor tho breath, but is contained in the air, and breath. The breath in-spired, and the breath ex-pired, possess differ ent properties; the ex-pired breath being deprived of its spirit, which has been transfused into the blood in the langs, for the exigences of life, and is used up, and requires to be constantly replenished. Life, then, is not an abstract principle, but is an effect of this spirit, operating alike upon all organized beings. We say therefore, strictly speaking, that this spirit is not the air, but is contained in the air. Angels may live by pure spirit; men cannot. Man has no abstract essence within him, which gives to him any pre-eminence over the living souls of other animals. They all live, yea, the souls of all live in common, by breathing the breath of LIVES; because this breath contains the spirit, the sus taining principle of all lives. Man's superiority is derived from his superior organization. The neshemet chayim, the breath of lives, that animates alike all animals, is the spirit diluted with air. God caused man to breathe, the neshemet chayim, breath of lives, not the pure ruah. Gen. 6: 17, "I bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the (ruah chayim,) spirit of lives, from under heaven; and all that is in the earth (yigo) shall expire;" shall breathe out the SPIRIT OF LIVES. Gen. 7: 15, " And there went in unto Noah, into the ark, two and two of all the flesh wherein is the (ruah chayim) spirit of lives." Ver. 21, " And all flesh (yigwa), expired, that moved upon the earth, both of fowl and of cattle, and of beasts, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: ALL in whose NOSTRILS was the (neshmeth ruah chayim,) breath of the spirit of lives, of all that was in the dry land, (methu,) died. And every living substance was destroyed." Thus we see that all animals, in common with man, live by breathing the same spirit. You will per ceive that Moses uses the term all flesh, for every living creature, man included. Notwithstanding all creatures possessed, while living, the spirit of lives, they had no spirit that could live, after they had breathed out this spirit; which spirit, though the cause of life, is not a

aving thing. Every living thing died, and the spirit was expired, breathed out into the universal pabulum of all lives, which is in the hands of God. Ir the spirit was a LIVING THING," it died als. for every living thing died, and every living substance was destroyed. Isa. 31: 3, "Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit." It is no where intimated that any part of man or beast is a ghost. The Saxon word, ghost, is from gust of wind. Its parallel is not found in the original Scriptures, and it ought not to be found in the translation. The spirit of man, then, is not a living entity; and although no creature can live without it, it is not alive itself. It is not organized for the development of life, and therefore is not mortal nor immortal, and the expression, "deathless spirit," as applied to man, is a compound of Paganism, tradition and nonsense.

But spirit has numerous secondary meanings, such as intelligence, courage, the mind, the temper, the disposi tion, &c.; and we have the spirit of fear, of love, of bondage; and sixty other spirits.

THE SPIRIT MEANS THE WIND AND AIR.

The primary meaning of spirit is wind, or air. Eso 15: 10," Thou didst blow with thy ruah, wind, the sea covered them." Ps. 147: 18, "He causeth his ruah to blow, and the waters flow." Job 41: 16, "One is so near to another, that no ruah, air, can pass between them." Pro. 11: 29, "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the ruah, wind." Pro. 25: 23, "The north ruah,wind, driveth away rain." Isa. 41: 16, "The ruah shall carry them away, and the whirl-ruah shall scatter them." Verse 29, "Their molten images are ruah and confusion." Gen. 3: 8, "And they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim walking in the garden in the ruak (breeze) of the day." See also, Prov. 30: 4; Ecc. 1:6; 5: 16; Jer. 5: 13; Hos. 12: 1; Exo. 14:21; Isa. 7:2; Jer. 14:6; Jonah 1:4; and many others. How absurd would it be to call the ruah a ghost in any of these places. Ruah is translated wind in hundreds of texts. So of the correspond ag word pneumu. John 3: 8, "The (pneu ma,) wind loweth where it listeth." The learned doubt

the correctness of the common translatic of Heb. 1: 7, and Ps. 104: 4, "Who maketh the pneumata, winds, nis messengers, and the flames of fire his ministers."

SPIRIT MEANS BREATH.

Job 37: 10, "By the ruah, breath, of God frost is given." Ps. 33: 6, "By the word of the Lord were the (shomayim,) atmospheres made, and all the hosts of them by the ruah, breath, of his mouth." Isa. 11: 4, "With the ruah, breath, of his lips shall he slay the wick ed." Jas. 2: 26, " For as the body without the pneuma, breath, is dead; so faith without works is dead also." Here the text reads spirit, the margin, breath. The ar gument of James is, that it requires spirit cr breath, with the body, to constitute a living being. And his argument would be fallacious if the spirit could live without the body; for then works without faith would be living !! Rev. 11: 11, "After three days and a half, the pneuma zoes, breath of life, or spirit of life, from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet." Rev. 13:

15," And he had power to give pneuma, breath, or spirit, (which would give life,) unto the image of the beast." Now, by what Bible authority is it said that ruah and pneuma ever mean a ghost? But more yet. Job 26: 4, "To whom hast thou uttered words, and whose ruah, breath, came from thee?" Ecc. 3: 19, "Yea, they (both man and beast,) have all one ruah, spirit, or breath." Verse 21, "Who knoweth (any difference be tween) the ruah, breath, or spirit of man, that is breath. ed upward; and the ruah, breath, or spirit of a beast, that is breathed downwards to the earth?" Perhaps Solomon meant, who can explain the manner in which the ruah acts upon the organization so as to produce life.

No upright and intelligent writer contradicts himself; and yet some have supposed that Solomon does so in Ecc. 12: 5, 7, Man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets.... Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, and the ruah, breath, or spirit, shall return to God who gave it;" (as it was before it was given). What was the ruah when God gave it? Not a living entity, but the breath, or spirit, by which