"to '3d O eo £ 2 O O H 03 ^ -° ? ©^ r « • TO o O £ «*H O O >y, CD a £"« 8*8 03 £» 8 11*. S.-8J C 03 § (^■^ CO §■5 M So o.S g J| iJ? 03 2 as SSgS-* «j_ jj t- a _2 ° O "co ""* &- CO J-, -OCa $ a fa m~~ g 2 2 &! >* •B a g.s a _ o ,2 S.— a » j3 © to ») g co * •* '-5 "*» V cdt„ . >> 2 -a O >>ed 5^ -6 a £o £ s . O 03 O « J= 9.4 2 *-Sw 03 w *a •5.S i 51 a ^ c2"" « a rf« 3 ^°lo§ S3; -fi a 5 03 P i « sp ^ ^^ 5 I 8 ego |J cd r*S •" CO ^ Cfl 03 . cj 53 +J »uc2 § cd _ c J2 S S o ffi 03 £ig ■5 2^ o — Of Christ. 541 The preceding table scarcely requires any comment. From Genesis to Revelations, it shows a remarkable coincidence and harmony of operation in the Almighty Father, the Messiah, his Anointed Son, and the Holy Spirit. But it is a truth too grave and solemn for the human mind to meddle with, or even to attempt to state in different terms from those used in Scrip- ture, lest, in the attempt, any one should appear to be wise above that which is written. I therefore feel some anxiety that the expression, harmony of opera- tion, may not be misconstrued. I wish the Truth of Scripture to stand on its own foundation, and to shine by its own light. And, I presume, it would be diffi- cult to use any form of words, that would more strongly express this fundamental Truth, than those which are employed in Scripture itself, particularly in the examples I have selected. Yet much ingenuity has been exercised, on the one hand, to bring this Truth more within the grasp of the human intellect; and on the other, to reason away the import of the Scripture terms used to set it forth. Extravagant attempts of this sort only show the weakness and vanity of the human mind; and one extreme of opi- nion leads or drives to another. When men, professing to be sound in Faith, fabri- cate unintelligible mysteries, they turn away those, who are resolved to use their reason, from the very foundation itself. And, accordingly, what is deno- minated an Enlightened System of Christianity, which admits of nothing but what is obvious to Reason, and 542 Of the Divine Spirit. at the same time robs the Christian Religion of its spirituality, or in the words of Dr. Watts, "sinks the glories of the Gospel Dispensation below its original design," has been proposed to the inquirer after Truth for his acceptance, with a specious shew of liberality, — a system which has led more to Deism and entire self-dependence in the work of Religion, than to the pure vital spirit of the Gospel. And we may perceive the dilemma in which not only those are placed, who, professing themselves Deists, assert what they call "a natural Conscience to be sufficient, and Christianity to be as old as the Creation," without any miraculous and super-natural display of the Divine will to benighted mankind ; and yet deny an operative internal Spirit of God — viz. that of Jesus Christ to be universally diffused amongst men : but those also, who, professing them- selves Christians, assert a revelation from above to be necessary to the work of Salvation, and to include in its design, universally Jews and Gentiles; and yet confine this revelation, with its benefits, to the me- dium and local influence of a Written Record. The first make nothing of that omnipotent effective Wordy in the beginning with God, without which no blessing, moral or physical, ever was, or can be attained ; and the last nullify in effect the Spirituality of the Gospel Dispensation, which came to direct mankind from types and ceremonies, and written ordinances, to the living eternal substance of all true Religion — to the law written in the heart, — to the kingdom of Heaven Of Christ. 543 within them, — to the Grace of God which hath appeared unto all men, — to the anointing that needeth no man's teaching, — to the spirit that quiclceneth, — to the tight that lighieth every man that cometh into the world, — to the implanted word, the incorruptible seed, — to Christ within, the Hvpe of Glory, the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God, — the wonderful Counsel- lor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Fa- ther, and the Prince of Peace. After what has been said, I apprehend, it will scarcely be necessary for me to attempt to prove, that the Spirit was in all the Lord's Prophets, and ope- rated, before the outward appearance of Christ, in the hearts of men universally, by its immediate power. For it is clearly implied in Scripture that the spirit of God strove with the rebellious, so long as their thoughts and imaginations were not wholly turned to evil ; and that it dwelt with the righteous as their director and comforter from the beginning. On the latter head we have the most ample testimony from some of the Prophets themselves. " The Lord God and his Spirit hath sent me," saith Isaiah. 48. 16. " The Spirit entered into me when he spake to me," saith Ezekiel. 2. 2. 3. 24. Of Daniel it was testified (by a heathen indeed), that " in him was the Spirit of the Holy Gods." Dan. 4. 8. Tho Psalms of David sufficiently proclaim, that he was under the same Divine influence. He prays that the Holy Spirit may not be withdrawn ; petitions for its return ; supplicates for its Divine aid; and rejoices 544 Of the Divine Spirit. in its holy consolations. Moreover. Christ himself declares, that u David in spirit calleth him Lord." Mat. 22. 43. " For many years," says Nehemiah, " didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets." Nehem. 9. SO. And Zecha- riah, CJ The words which the Lord of Hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets." Ch. 7. 12. These examples are sufficient to show that, it was by the Spirit, God revealed his will to the Prophets. It is clear, therefore, that the passage in John, where he says, " the Spirit was not yet come" cannot possibly mean the actual commencement of Divine Revelation by the Spirit; but must refer to that ex- traordinary effusion of this heavenly gift which took place on the day of Pentecost, that was promised to the disciples by their Lord and Master on the eve of his crucifixion ; and perhaps to the Gospel Dispen- sation, as a spiritual one, open to all men, contrasted with the ceremonial and partial dispensation of the Law. Indeed, it is clear, that every renewed influence of the Spirit was considered a new gift : and that no true spiritual gift could be retained but by watching and prayer. It appears to have been long after Jesus had endowed his disciples with power to cast out evil spirits, and that some of them, having proved its efficacy, returned to him, in the joy of their hearts, saying " the devils are subject to us through thy name," that they relapsed into unbelief, so that they were not able to heal the young man who was a Of Christ. 545 lunatic : and their master told them, with a reproof, that it was because of their unbelief; for that " this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting :" — this miracle cannot be performed but by a renewed act of Faith, and by watching unto prayer. II. With reference to the second point — the pre- existence of Christ in his spiritual character, though it might be clearly established, by inference, from the Table; yet we have the direct testimony of Christ himself, as recorded by the four Evangelists, and allusions to it by two of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. Christ saith, M I and my Father are one." John 10. 38; and again, " Verily, verily I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am/' John 8. 58. He also interrogates the Scribes and Pharisees re- specting his Divine nature in these words : " What think ye of Christ ? Whose Son is he ? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in Spirit call him Lord, saying, 4 sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool?' If David then call him Lord, how is he is son ?" We may perceive — and it is somewhat remarkable — that this was one of the last of those questions put to his enemies, which brought them to a stand, so that they could not answer him a word. And as it appeared to be his design that men should judge for themselves by inference from his miracles, whether he was the Messiah or not; so it appears to have been his design that they should judge by inference from the prophecy 2 m 546 Of the Divine Spirit. of David, whether the Messiah was anterior to David or not, that is, in the beginning- with God : and he urged the same truth more strongly in that decla- ration, that he was before Abraham ; in order that they might clearly infer, he and the Messiah were one. As if it had been said, The miracles which I do, prove that I am the Messiah ; yet ye will not believe. David, by the spirit, calls the Messiah c his Lord ;' yet ye will not believe the Prophet. I myself declare that I was before Abraham ; yet ye will not believe that I am the Christ, who, I have shewn you, was be- fore David; — that I am truly the Messiah, — that Seed promised to Adam, seen in the prophetic vision by Abraham, and foretold by Moses — appointed to restore the world from Sin, — to bring life and immor- tality to light, — to point out the way to salvation by the Cross, — to be the Messenger of Grace and Truth — sent to preach deliverance to the captive, and to the poor the glad tidings of the Gospel of Peace. This is, therefore, a truth, which, we may surely believe, cannot now be controverted, without seeking to rob " the express Image of GoaV of his Divine honour, and of " that eternal glory" which he him- self declared, " he had with the Father before the world was" John 17. 5. In the Revelations, Christ also declares himself to be the " Root" as well as " the Offspring, of David." But, further, if Christ be the " Power and Wisdom of God," and " the Word of God" by whom all Of Christ. 547 things were made, as the Evangelist testifies, as well as the Apostle Paul, it is absurd to argue for the commencement of his spiritual existence, at the time of his outward manifestation z'/z the flesh. The Apostle Peter bears testimony to the same truth when he says: "Of which Salvation the Prophets have inquired, who prophesied of the Grace that should come unto you, searching what, or what man- ner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them, did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ." 1. it 10, 11. Paul also says, " They (the fathers) did all drink the same spiritual drink : for they drank of that Spi- ritual Rock that followed them : and that Rock was Christ: 9 1 Cor. 10. 4. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we find the expres- sion, " Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Heb. 13. 8. III. I do not suppose that the opinions of any pro- fessing Christians, who have written since the time of the Apostles, can add weight to the doctrines con- tained in the new Testament : nevertheless, it may be satisfactory to some to see how this subject has been viewed by enlightened men in different ages. It is said of Justin Martyr, who is thought to have had his instruction from Polycarp, the disciple of the Evangelist John, that he understood by the term Logos or c word* of this Evangelist, not the reasoning faculty of the human mind, but the ema- nating reason of the Divine nature. This Divine 2m2 548 Of the Divine Spirit. reason he conceived to have inspired the Hebrew Prophets, and to have been the Christ, who appeared in flesh. He supposed it to have been participated not only by the Hebrew patriarchs, but by the more ex- cellent Pagan philosophers. Having been a Pla- tonist before his conversion to Christianity, he con- cluded that whatever was valuable in Platonism, had either been communicated to Plato by inspiration from the Logos, or had been transmitted by tradition from Moses and the Hebrew prophets, and might therefore be justly claimed as belonging to Divine Revelation.* " That blessed principle," says Penn,+ in address- ing his children, " the Eternal word, I began with to you, and which is that Light, Spirit, Grace, and Truth, I have exhorted you to, in all its holy appear- ances or manifestations in yourselves, by which all things were at first made, and men enlightened to salvation, is Pythagoras's great Light and Salt of Ages ; Anaxagoras's Divine Mind ; Socrates's good Spirit; Timaeus's unbegotten Principle and Author of all Light; Hieron's God in Man; Plato's eternal, ineffable, and perfect Principle of Truth; Zeno's Maker and Father of all ; and Plotin's Root of the Soul : who, as they thus styled the eternal word, so the appearance of it in man wanted not very signifi- cant words. A domestic God, or God within, says Hieron, Pythagoras, Epictetus, and Seneca; Genius, • See General Biography, vol. 5. Art. Justin, t See Fruits of a Father's Love, § 13. Of Christ. 549 Angel, or Guide, says Socrates and Timaeu the Light and Spirit of God, says Plato ; the Divine Principle in man, says Plotin ; the Divine Power and Reason, the infallible immortal Law in the minds of Men, says Philo ; and the Law and living Rule of the mind, the interior Guide of the Soul, and everlasting Foundation of Virtue, says Plutarch." The following passage from Cowper is likewise so apposite to my purpose, that I cannot deprive myself of the pleasure of quoting it. u The Lord of all, himself through all diffus'dj Sustains, and is the life of all that lives, Nature is but a name for an effect, Whose cause is God. He feeds the secret fire, By which the mighty process is maintained, Who sleeps not, is not weary : in whose sight, Slow circling ages are as transient days ; Whose work is without labour ; whose designs No flaw deforms, no difficulty thwarts : And whose beneficence no charge exhausts. Him blind antiquity profan'd, not serv'd, With self-taught rites, and under various names, Female and male, Pomona, Pales, Pan, And Flora, and Vertumnus ; peopling Earth With tutelary Goddesses and Gods, That were not, and commending as they would To each some province, garden, field, or grove. But all are under One. One Spirit — His Who wore the platted thorns with bleeding brows ^ Rules universal nature. Not a flower 550 Of the Divine Spirit. Bnt shews some touch, in freckle;, streak, or stain, Of his unrivall'd pencil. He inspires Their balmy odours, and imparts their hues, And bathes their eyes with nectar, and includes In grains as countless as the sea-side sands The forms, with which he sprinkles all the earth. Happy who walks with Him ! whom what he finds Of flavour or of scent in fruit or flow'r, Or what he views of beautiful or grand In Nature, from the broad majestic oak To the green blade, that twinkles in the Sun, Prompts with remembrance of a present God."* It does not seem to be necessary that I should say more on this part of my subject. To prove the Pro- position, we have the testimony of enlightened men confirmed by Scripture ; and I know not that we can establish a Truth of this nature on more solid grounds. After what has been said, therefore, in the pre- ceding pages, we may, I think, adopt this general conclusion — that as the unprejudiced, uncorrupted dictates of what is called a Moral Faculty, Sense, or Principle, or Conscience, (taken in its comprehensive meaning), may be resolved into true spiritual mani- festations, or immediate Divine Revelations, and are identified with the limited effusions of the Holy Spirit in the ordinary state of mankind, universally ; so the inference seems to be warranted from Scrip- ture that all Spiritual Manifestations, Divine Unc- * Task, Book 6. Of Christ. 551 tion, Grace, or Illumination, may be resolved into the heartfelt operation of the Virtue, Living Power, and Influence of Christ ; and, lastly, the Revelations of Christ, and the Holy Spirit, are resolvable into the will and counsel of one Eternal omniscient God, and Almighty Creator of the Universe. FINIS. London : Printed by William Phillips, George Yard, Lombard Street. ^BERKELEY t T> 21A— l5w-4,'63 L CD6471sl0)476