SERMON IV.

ON THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY GHOST.

JOHN XVI. 13.

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.

THE words which I have just now recited seem to imply, in their natural and obvious sense, that which comes next to be proved in maintaining the Catholic faith, and therein that of our own Church, against the tenets of Unitarians. They, the Unitarians, utterly deny the existence of the Holy Ghost, as a Person in the Holy Trinity. Still do they endeavour, upon this point also, through an artifice similar to that which was noticed in the preceding discourse, to raise against our Church the prejudices of those, who hold together with

us the Unity of the Deity, by a misstatement of the question. They assert, as if it were in opposition to the Church of England, that "a Unitarians do not believe "in the Personal existence of the Holy Spirit, as a Being distinct from the

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Supreme." But neither do we, nor yet does any other Christian Church maintain such a belief. The fair statement of the point under discussion would have been, to have left out the latter part of the sentence, and to have declared merely their disbelief of the Personality of the Holy Spirit; for that is the whole of our doctrine in this matter to which their denial applies.

In discussing questions of such infinite importance, it is much to be desired that the spirit of party should be carefully restrained; that it should not induce us to hazard assertions, or at least insinuations so plain that they cannot be misunderstood, though they be utterly groundless; in the hope of bringing discredit on the

a Belsham, x. 3.

cause of the opponents. It was necessary, in my last discourse also, to direct our attention to the same sort of conduct, in regard to the question of our blessed Saviour's Godhead; where, by disclaiming the doctrine of "a subordinate Creator "and Governor of the universe," the Unitarian's advocate has manifestly charged us with maintaining it.

The same has been done, and in the same covert way of insinuation here also, with regard to the Personality of the Holy Ghost. They do not believe him to be possessed of "Personal existence." This we do believe; and thus far the question is brought fairly under discussion. But then other matter is introduced, as a conclusion to this profession of disbelief; namely, that they do not acknowledge his Personal existence, " as a Being distinct from the

Supreme." Neither do we now, nor did we ever teach this. There can be no doubt, that he who should teach or believe, that the Son and Holy Ghost are Gods separate

b Belsham's Letters to the Bishop of London.

and distinct from the Father, would teach or believe Tritheism; whereas the Church of England positively declares, as her first article, that there is but one God. But we teach the existence of three Persons in that one Godhead; though we feel that this mystery is not clearly explained to us, and are contented to acknowledge it as one of the secret things which " belong to the "Lord our God." We do not presume to assign limits to that Godhead which surpasses all our comprehension. We do not pretend to be wise above that measure which the Almighty has allotted to us. We are contented to believe, even without understanding them, those things which pass man's understanding; and to rest satisfied, in this life, with that which is revealed: believing it, as a mystery which we cannot hope to unravel; and believing just so much, as it has pleased the Lord to unfold to our mortal capacities, concerning that divine nature, which no human faculties can throughly comprehend. To attempt more than this would be presumption. To refuse so much were disobedi

ence and infidelity. How these things are so, we do not therefore in the smallest degree pretend to explain; but that they are so, has in part been shewn, and shall now be farther proved from the Scriptures themselves and that is the best of all proof.

That all Godhead, which comprehends all its attributes, resides in the Father, is not in dispute. That it resides also, and equally, in the Son, was shewn in the last discourse. That it resides in precisely the same degree in the Holy Ghost, as a separate Person in the divine Trinity, comes now to be proved from the same unquestionable authority. The first passage which shall be mentioned to that purpose is my present text; " When he the "Spirit of truth is come, he will guide "you into all truth." We have here a form of speaking which indicates Personality, if it indicates any thing. The expression is evidently intentional, and marks the purpose for which it is employed. The

• John xvi. 13.