sum, and glory of his moral character, and of himself. Blasphemy against this perfection, we should I think irresistibly conclude to be more heinous than against any other attribute. But according to this scheme, blasphemy against the power of God, a natural attribute, is so much more heinous than that which is directed against all the other divine attributes, nay, than that which is directed against God himself, and his whole character, including this very attribute of power, toge ther with all others, as to be absolutely unpardonable; while all other blasphemy can and will be forgiven. This, to say the least, is incredible.

If the Holy Ghost be a divine person, it would seem probable that, if any sin is incapable of being forgiven, blasphemy against the Holy Ghost would be that sin. The Holy Ghost is God employed in his most benevolent and wonderful work, that of restoring holiness to the soul of man; in his most glorious character, that of the sanctifier; in a work, demanding the supreme gratitude of mankind; in a character, demanding their supreme reverence and love.

3. That the Holy Ghost is not an attribute, is evident from Acts v. 3. 'But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart, to lie unto the Holy Ghost?'

A lie is a wilful deception, and can be told only to intelligent beings; because such beings only can perceive the meaning of the declaration with which the liar intends to deceive; or, in other words, because such beings only can receive the lie at his mouth. A child perfectly knows that he cannot lie to a tree or an ox, because they must be unconscious of what he says. But an attribute is as unconscious as a tree, or an ox; and although God perceives all things, yet his power perceives nothing. A lie therefore cannot, in the physical sense of possibility, be told to the power of God.

4. All the attributes and actions of a person are ascribed to the Holy Spirit.

These are so numerous, and the varieties in which they are mentioned are so numerous also, that I shall only specify them in the most summary manner.

The Spirit of God is said to strive. My Spirit shall not always strive with man,' Gen. vi. 3.

To be sent forth. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, and they are created,' Psalm civ. 30. God hath sent forth his Spirit

of his Son,' Gal. iv. 6. The Comforter, whom I will send unto you from the Father,' John xv. 26.

To move. The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,' Gen. i. 2.

To know. The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the Spirit of a man which is within him? Even so the things of God knoweth no one, but the Spirit of God, 1 Cor ii. 10, 11.

Here let me ask, whether any man can conceive, that knowledge, one essential attribute of God, can with any meaning be said to be an attribute of power, which is another? Or whether power can, in any words that have meaning, be said to know any thing?

He shall not speak that shall he speak, Peter,' Acts x. 19. Let him that hath

The Spirit of God is said to speak. of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, John xvi. 13. Then the Spirit said to • The Spirit said to Philip,' Acts viii. 20. an ear hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches,' Rev. ii. 7. The Spirit and the bride say come,' Rev. xxii. 17.

To guide. He will guide you into all the truth,' John xvi. 13. To lead. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God,' Rom. viii. 14.

To help. The Spirit helpeth our infirmities,' Rom. viii. 26. To testify. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God,' Rom. viii. 16. But when the Comforter is come, even the Spirit of truth, he shall testify of me,' John xv. 26.

To reveal. As it is now revealed unto his holy prophets and apostles by the Spirit,' Eph. iii 5. But the Comforter shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you,' John xiv. 26.

To search. The Spirit searcheth all things,' 1 Cor. ii. 10. To have a mind, or pleasure. He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit,' Rom. viii. 27. To prophecy. He shall show you things to come,' John xvi. 13. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith,' 1 Tim. iv. 1.

To intercede. The spirit maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered,' Rom. viii. 26.

To give gifts. For to one is given by his Spirit the word

of wisdom; to another, the word of knowledge; to another, faith; to another, the gifts of healing; to another, the working of miracles,' &c. 1 Cor. xii. 8-10.

To work in the soul of man. All these worketh one and the same Spirit, dividing to every man as he will,' 1 Cor. xii. 11.

To work miracles. Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God,' Rom. xv. 19.

To sanctify. Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God,' 1 Cor. vi. 11.

To quicken, or give life. It is the Spirit that quickeneth, John vi. 63. Put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit,' This is spoken of Christ, 1 Pet. iii. 18.

To be pleased. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us,' Acts xv. 28.

To be vexed. They rebelled and vexed his Holy Spirit,' Is. Ixiii. 10.

To be provoked, to be resisted, and to be grieved.

That all these things should be said of an attribute, particularly of the attribute of power, will I believe be acknowledged to be incredible. That they should be dictated by God himself, and be the common language in which this attribute, or any attribute, is described in his word, is I think impossible. The language of the Scriptures is in all other cases, except those in which it involves the deity of the Son and the Spirit, the language of common sense, the plain, artless language of nature. Why should it not be so here? Why should these two cases be, uniformly and solely, exceptions to that law by which all the remaining language of Scripture is governed? Why should the scriptural writers, whenever these subjects come before them, and then only, desert their native style, that which alone they use on all other occasions, and adopt one totally new and singular? Why should this be done by any writer? Such a case it is presumed cannot be found in the world, except in these two instances. Why should it be found in so many of these writers? Why should it be found in every scriptural writer.? Why, above all, should it be found in the language of Christ himself? Still more: whence could these writers be induced to depart from their customary style whenever they had occasion to speak of these two subjects, and adopt such language as renders their real meaning ob

scure, and not only obscure, but unintelligible; and not only unintelligible, but so utterly lost in the strangeness of their phraseology, that almost all their readers, and among them the great body of the wisest and best, have totally mistaken the real meaning, and derived from this very phraseology a meaning infinitely different? Can this be supposed to have been accomplished by the immediate providence of God himself, when disclosing his will to mankind concerning subjects of infinite importance? Yet the Unitarians must suppose all this, or give up their scheme.

But, it is replied, "The language of the Scriptures is bighly figurative; and among the figures used, bold personifications hold a distinguished place. Among these we find the attributes of God personified. For example, in the Proverbs of Solomon, particularly in the eighth chapter, we find the divine wisdom represented as a living agent, possessing a variety of other attributes, and performing such actions as are elsewhere ascribed to the Spirit of God."

This answer is the only specious one which has been, or, it is presumed, can be made to the arguments alleged above. I shall therefore consider it particularly; and reply,

[1.] This personification of wisdom is exhibited in animated and sublime poetry.

In such poetry, and in the loftier strains of eloquence, we are to look, if anywhere, for bold, figurative language. The whole tenour of the discourse here proceeds from an enkindled imagination and ardent feelings. In this state of mind nature instinctively adopts figurative language and bold images, and readily imparts life, thought, and action to those objects, the contemplation of which has excited the peculiar elevation. With the writer, the reader in all such cases readily coincides. The dullest man in the dullest frame easily catches the inspiration, and not only admits without hesitation the propriety of this language and these images, but regards them as the only things which are proper, natural, and suited to the strain of thought.

But on ordinary occasions, which furnish nothing to raise the mind above its common cool level, such a mode of writing is perfectly unnatural, is at war with the whole tenour of thought, and can be the result of nothing but an inexplicable determination to write extravagance, and produce wonder.

Not an example of this nature can be found in the Scriptures, unless it be this which is now in debate.

Here this language and these images are adopted, if they are in fact adopted at all, on the most ordinary occasions; inferring the most tranquil, even, uninterested, state of the writer; in the simplest narratives, and the most quiet discussions. Who would look for a personification in such instances as the following? The Spirit said unto Peter' The Spirit said unto Philip'- The Spirit caught away Philip'— Now the Spirit speaketh expressly' It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us;' together with a vast multitude of others, exactly resembling these in their nature? If personifications are to be used in such cases, in what cases are they not to be used? And in what cases are we to use simple language?

To complete the strangeness of this representation, the Greek masculine pronouns and relatives are, in a multitude of instances, made to agree with the neuter substantive, Ilu, spirit; a mode of personification in all other cases absurd, and here, to say the least, inexplicable.

[2] The wisdom spoken of in the Proverbs is also a real person, aud not an attribute; viz. the Lord Jesus Christ.

This has been the unwavering opinion of the great body of divines; of most I believe, if not all, who are not Unitarians. Christ, as I apprehend, challenges this character to himself, Matthew xi. 19, Wisdom is justified of her children.' St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians, chap. i. ver. 24, attributes it to him directly, when he says, Christ the wisdom of God;' and in verse 30, when he says, 'Who of God is become unto us wisdom;' and in Col. ii. 3, where he says of Christ, In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom.'

That the attribute wisdom is not meant by Solomon in this chapter, is completely evident from the 14th verse; : Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom. Now it is impossible that Wisdom should possess wisdom; the possessor, and the thing possessed, being, by physical necessity, two things distinct from each other. It is also evident from the whole tenour of this chapter, as well as from several other parts of the discourse in the beginning of this book, particularly chap. i. 20-33, on which, however, I can dwell no longer at the present time.