The Spirit, as a personal agent, comes from the Father, is sent by the Father, and of course can not be the Father. As sent by the Father, he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God, i. c., the Father from whom he came. The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God (I Cor. If there be no distinct personality of the Spirit separate from that of the Father, the real import of these pas sages must be, that the Father comes from him self, is sent by himself, makes intercession to himself, according to the will of himself, and that he searches the deep things of himself—which is a style of writing not to be ascribed to any ra tional man, and certainly not to inspired apostles.
The Spirit of God (1 Cor. ii :It) is not a cre ated spirit ; and if uncreated, it must be divine in the highest sense; but this Spirit is the Holy Spirit, and a proper person; hence he is God.
As the author of regeneration, or of the new spiritual and incorruptible life in the heart of the believer, lie must be divine. This change, the Scriptures abundantly declare, is wrought by the Spirit and power of God.
Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost is the only sin for which there is no remission (Matt. xii : 31). This sin against the Holy Spirit, in what ever it may consist, is distinguished from all other sins by a degree of guilt which renders it unpar donable. If lie be not in his nature truly God,
there is nothing in him to give to sin against him such a peculiar aggravation. Although it is not simply because the Spirit is God that blasphemy against him is unpardonable—for then would blas phemy against the Father and the Son also be un pardonable—yet it is a sin against God, and, as be ing against the third person of the Godhead, it is aggravated to a degree of enormity which it could not receive if committed against any other being than God. (See SIN.) The divine and incommunicable attributes of the Deity arc ascribed to the Spirit. These at tributes belong exclusively to the divine nature ; he who possesses them must have the divine na ture and honor as God (for proof texts, see TRIN ITY).
Works truly divine are attributable to the Holy Spirit, as creation and preservation, and especially the work of sanctification.
Of the office of the Holy Spirit, it is only nec essary to say, that it is not ministerial, like that of the angels and apostles, but it is the peculiar work in the salvation of man which he performs, as sent by the Father and the Son. E. A. L.