contrasted, is a person also. The word 'Spirit' in both passages means the influence under which persons act.

Had the translators been consistent with themselves, and rendered the impersonal neuter pronouns correctly, 'it,' 'its,' 'itself,' instead of 'he,' 'his,' 'him,' in all places, as they have in some, the appearance of the personality of the Spirit would have been almost entirely removed from the New Testament. But they were Trinitarians, who believed that God and his Spirit were two distinct persons; consequently they gave us the personal pronouns instead of the impersonal as in the Greek.

3. The breath of God and the Spirit of God are synonymous. “By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed."—Job iv. 9. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.-Ps. xxxiii. 6. And Jesus breathed on his disciples and said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost."-John xx. 22. "And then shall that wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume by the Spirit of his mouth."-2 Thess. ii. 8. "The Lord breathed

into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."—Gen. ii. 7. "Thou takest away their breath and they die. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit and they are created."-Ps. civ. 29, 30. Jesus illustrates the regenerating influences of the Spirit by the effects which the wind produces: John iii. 8. 66 While the Spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips shall not speak wickedness."Job xxvii. 3. Here the Spirit of God means the air, which by the agency and blessing of God, Job breathed through his nostrils.

Hence it appears that under the idea of breath, wind, and air, we obtain the most correct apprehension of the nature and operation of the Spirit of God of which we are capable. But no ideas are more incompatible with proper personality. It is absurd to speak of a self-existent and almighty

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person as the breath of another person. Spirit is essential to personality. If the Spirit of God the Father be a distinct person, that person must have a spirit peculiar to himself, and distinct from the Spirit of the Father. If God be three equal persons, the third person can no more be the Spirit of the first, than the first can be the Spirit of the third. The Spirit of God can have no connection with personality, only as it is the Spirit, or power, or sufficiency, or fulness, or something else, of a real person.

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4. The Spirit of God is synonymous with the hand, and the finger of God. "The Spirit of the Lord lifted me up, and took me away....but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me."-Ezek. iii. 14. "By his Spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent."-Job xxvi. 13. When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers."Ps. viii. 3. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."-Matt: xii. 28. "But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.”—Luke xi. 20.

But what can be more disrespectful and absurd than to call a self-existent and almighty person the hand and the finger of another co-equal person? As the hand and the finger of a person are mere instruments and subordinate to his will, so the Spirit of God is represented as subordinate to his will. As what is done by the hand of a man is done by the man, so what is done by the Spirit of God is done by God. If the Spirit of God is the third person in the Trinity, then the finger of God is the very same blessed

person.

5. To fortify his disciples against the terrors of persecution, Jesus said to them, "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak: for it

is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.' ."-Matt. x. 19, 20. "For it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."-Mark xiii. 11. For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. ."-Luke xii. 12. "For I will give you a mouth, and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay or resist."-xxi. 15. By comparing these passages it appears that the Spirit of the Father is synonymous with the Holy Ghost; that the speaking of the Spirit, and the teaching of the Holy Ghost, was the same thing as Christ's giving them a mouth and wisdom; and that the meaning of the promise was, that on such occasions they should have all necessary supernatural assistance.

6. That the Spirit of God, or Holy Ghost, is not a distinct person, equal with the Father, is certain from this declaration of Christ. "All things are delivered unto me of my Father; and no one knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any one the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."-Matt. xi. 27. If the Spirit be a person, omniscient like the Father, Jesus could not have made this declaration; for the Spirit could not be ignorant of any thing. Jesus, predicting a certain event, said, “Of that day and-hour knoweth no one, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."-Matt. xxiv. 36. If the Spirit were the third person in the Trinitý, he would have known the day and hour as well as the Father,

The subterfuge to which Trinitartans have recourse when pressed with texts which assert the inferiority of the Son, is, that they refer only to his human nature, But it is not pretended that the Holy Spirit has two natures. I cannot see the truth of the above declarations of Christ, if there are two other persons, besides the Father, that are omniscient. I see not how the Trinitarian hypothesis of three omniscient persons can be maintained without impeaching the testimony

of the faithful and true Witness, who asserts that no one is omniscient but the Father. We must unhesitatingly reject a system which plainly contradicts our blessed Saviour.

7. That the Spirit of God is sometimes spoken of under personal characters, and by the use of personal pronouns, is no proof of proper personality. It is common in sacred and profane writings to personify, things which have no real personal character. The following is a specimen from the Scriptures. The mountains saw God and trembled....the deep uttered his voice, and lifted up his hands on high.'— Hab. iii, 10. Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O arm of the Lord.'-Isa. li. 9. Destruction and death say, we have heard the fame thereof with our ears.'—Job xxviii. 22. So in the New Testament the Spirit is spoken of under the personal character of the Comforter, and personal pronouns become necessary. Howbeit, when he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth; for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come.'John xvi. 13. The Comforter was sent, he spoke not of himself, but was instructed. This is not language that can be applied to the omniscient and all-wise God.

Such figures of speech are common in all languages; but in which the dialects of the Eastern nations abound. St. Paul gives personal attributes to sin, death, and the grave; and most beautifully describes charity as exemplifying all the Christian graces. But let neuter pronouns be substituted for personal, where the Greek will justify it, and it will be found that the Spirit or Soul of man is personified as often at least, as the Spirit of God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? Why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God.'-Ps. xlii.5. 'I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry."-Luke xii. 19. "The spirit

is willing.'-Matt. xxvi. 41. 'Paul's spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.'—Acts xvii. 16. 'The spirit of Titus was refreshed.'-2 Cor. vii. 13. The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit.'-2 Tim. iv. 22. Now who would infer from such passages that the soul or spirit of a man is another person ?

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But here it is worthy of special remark, that, though the Spirit is spoken of under personal characters in the 14th, 15th, and 16th chapters of John, the personal name in these passages is an assumed name, and not the proper name of the Holy spirit. Пagazλyros (Comforter) was a name given to the Spirit because it was to supply the place of Christ after he should" go away," and to be an indwelling comforter, and abide with the disciples for ever. But all the personal pronouns in this connection supply the place οι παρακλητος (Comforter) and not πνευμα the proper name of the Spirit. As these pronouns refer only to the assumed name of the Spirit, it furnishes no proof of the personality of the Spirit. But lest any mistake should arise from the use of the masculine word rendered Comforter,' by sup posing it to be a real person, Jesus fully explains himself on the first mention of the Spirit under that character. “I will pray the Father and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever:" and then he adds, even the Spirit of truth; which the world cannot receive, because it seeth it not, neither knoweth it: but ye know it; for it dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."John xiv. 17. Thus Jesus explains the personal word παρακλητος (comforter) by the impersonal word πνευμα (Spirit,) and by the following pronouns all of the neuter gender; which he would not have done had he believed in the personality of the Spirit. The fulfilment of this promise is a complete confirmation of the argument. Jesus said to his disciples, "These things have I spoken unto

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