We•shall have occasion afterwards, to notice par ticularly the divinity of the Son ; and, therefore, we shall close this discussion on the Trinity with a few texts, tending to prove the divinity and dis tinct personality of the Holy Spirit. His Divinity is proved by the reproof of the Apostle Peter to Ananias, Acts v. 3, 4. " Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ? Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." And his distinct personality is proved by our Lord's words, Matt. xii. 31, 32. " All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; and whosoever speak eth against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come." If language has a meaning, and if the sacred re cords can be depended on for settling a point of faith, we must consider this passage as perfectly conclusive, as to the divinity and distinct person ality of the Holy Spirit. He is God because men may be guilty of blasphemy against him, which cannot be said of any created being,—blasphemy can only be committed against God ; and he is dis tinct from the Father and the Son, inasmuch as blasphemy against him is unpardonable, which is not the case when committed against the Father or the Son.
We do not reckon it necessary to proceed farther in adducing Scripture proofs of this doctrine. A vast number of texts equally applicable might be quoted, and the whole tenor of the New Testament Scriptures is in exact conformity with the obvious meaning of those passages which have been ad duced. The opponents of this doctrine make a very unreasonable demand upon us, and require us to bring it down to the level of their understanding. They who make such a demand should forego all discussion respecting the nature of God, the prin ciples of human conduct, and the ordinary pheno mena of nature: for on all these subjects they must soon be involved in inextricable mystery. What, for instance, can we know of that God whose being and attributes we can demonstrate ? Ile is self existent, eternal, without beginning and without cud, omniscient, omnipresent, illimitable. Can we comprehend the nature of a being possessed of such attributes ? No : his nature is unsearchablc, his ways are past finding out. But it may be said that this subject only transcends the power of our rea son, while the doctrine of the Trinity contradicts its intimations. This is not the case. We are compelled to believe things as extraordinary incomprehensible by our faculties. The soul and the body make one person, yet we believe them to be totally different from each other in substance, nature, and qualities. Various faculties, how many we cannot tell, compose one mind, though they arc very opposite to each other in their operations.
Indeed, we are probably not acquainted with a sin gle simple substance in nature. The air which we breathe is a triple compound ; the water which gives fertility to the earth is composed of, at least, two ingredients ; and the light, which used to be considered as the purest of all elements, is found to be a very complex substance.
These things are adduced not as proofs, but as illustrations ; and they are brought forward in this view, to obviate objections, rather than to produce belief. The doctrine of the Trinity depends on tes timony, rather than on reasoning ; except in so far as reasoning is employed to establish the testimony by which it is supported: it rests on the same foun dation with the general plan of revelation, and they must stand or fall together. But as all the objec tions to the doctrine are professedly founded on reason, these objections are done away when reason can point out analogous facts to meet the argu ments which have been supposed to invalidate the doctrine. The eternal generation of the Son, for instance, has been objected to as not only incompre hensible, b-at impossible. To this Jortin (who is not over orthodox on the subject of the Trinity,) replies, that to deny the possibility of this would be to deny that God had the power of working from all eter nity. Again it is said, how can the Son and Spirit proceed from the Father and yet be equally eternal with him ? This has been answered by Pearson long ago, by an illustration drawn from the visible sun : for were we to suppose this luminary to be eternal, (which is, at least, a possible supposition,) then the rays which proceed from it must be eternal also.
All the attributes and perfections of the Dcity are manifested in the works of creation, providence, and redemption. The curiosity of men has led them to inquire what has moved the divine mind to these manifestations of wisdom, power, and good ness. As all the actions of men arise out of certain purposes which they have formed, and certain ob jects and ends which they have in view, we arc na turally led to conclude that the same must he the case with the ways of God ; they must have an origin, and they must be designed to accomplish certain ends. In other respects there must be a wide difference between the ways of God and the ways of men. We are influenced by motives, sug gested by circumstances over which we have no control ; the actions of the Almighty arise out of his own free will, uninfluenced by external circum stances, inasmuch as his purposes were formed be fore the foundation of the world, regulating, and not following the course ()filature and of providence.