the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the leading feature of the new. "I will pray the Father," said the Saviour, on the eve of his departure from the world, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." As we are taught to believe that this Comforter is a divine person in the eternal Trinity, and communicates to our souls spiritual life and light; that he sanctifies, supports, and keeps us even to the end, it must be highly important to inquire what is the doctrine of scripture upon this point, and how far the liturgy of the church adopts it. And this appears to be the more necessary, since there are many among us, who, if they are not actually in the state of those disciples of John the Baptist, "who had not so much as heard whether there were any Holy Ghost," yet are totally ignorant of his character and office, nay, who even deny their necessity, and feel themselves independent of his assist

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ance. It will appear that the views of such persons are quite at variance with the prayers of their church, and that they expose themselves to great spiritual danger.

While we are pursuing this inquiry, may we have grace not only to receive the doctrine of the personality and divinity of the Holy Spirit, but to experience his sacred influences on our hearts, convincing, renewing, and sanctifying us, to the glory of God, and the salvation of our souls! Let us then consider,

I. THE CHARACTER AND OFFICES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AS REVEALED IN SCRIPTURE, AND INTRODUCED BY THE CHURCH INTO HER SERVICES.

There are numerous passages of scripture in which the Holy Spirit is spoken of as if he were merely a power, a virtue, or an influence. But in all these instances it is evident that the language is figurative, and refers not to the Holy

Ghost personally, but to his operations. Even were his personality denied, such passages must still be figurative; for a power, or a virtue, cannot in any literal sense be poured out. Similar language is applied to the Saviour, whose personality never was questioned. When it is declared, that we* "are to walk in him, to be rooted and built up in him;" that "Jesus Christ is in us;" "that Christ is formed in us!" "that we are to put on Christ," must not such language be figuratively understood? And is it a bolder metaphor to speak of the Holy Spirit, as "poured out," "shed forth," falling" upon men, anointing and baptizing them?" That this is a right interpretation of such language is clear, when we turn to the scripture witnesses which prove the personality and divinity of the Holy Ghost; where expressions are used which are inapplicable to a virtue or an influence, and can be applied only to a

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* Col. ii. 6, 7. 2 Cor. xiii. 5. iii. 27.

Gal. iv. 19;

divine person. It would exceed the limits of a discourse to quote a sufficient number of passages to illustrate this subject properly. It may safely be asserted, as a general proposition, that we read of the Holy Spirit as speaking, acting, willing, hearing, commanding, forbidding, approving, bearing witness, receiving and executing a commission. We are told that he is blasphemed and spoken against, lied unto, tempted, grieved, and resisted. If these expressions can by any conceivable metaphor be applied to an influence or a virtue, then the Holy Spirit may not be a person.

But one or two passages, in which the divinity of the Holy Ghost is distinctly asserted, must be noticed. In Acts v. 3, 4, Peter asks Ananias, why Satan had filled his heart" to lie to the HOLY GHOST?" and then he immediately adds, "Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God;" therefore the Holy Ghost and God are the same being! In

the Epistles to the Corinthians,* St. Paul makes the same interchange of expression: in one, asserting that our bodies are "the temples of the Holy Ghost;" and in the other," that they are temples of the living God." In 1 Cor. ii. 9, 11, "it is declared that "the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God;" and "that the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God." If we add to these, the two well-known and incontrovertible passages, the apostolic benediction, and the divinely appointed form of baptism adopted by the church, we have a body of evidence for this great truth which the powers of darkness cannot overthrow. "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship or communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all!" And " Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

* Compare 1 Cor. iii. 16, with 2 Cor. vi. 16.