A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion. Robert Hindmarsh

as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound," Isa. xxx. 26.

      The Holy Spirit, or Divine Operation,

       Table of Contents

      ​

      X. The Holy Spirit, or Divine Operation.

      THE great Jehovah having thus shewn himself to be not only the Creator, but also the Redeemer and Saviour, by means of the Humanity which he assumed in the world: and having returned to heaven, together with and in that Humanity glorified, it became necessary, on the removal of his personal presence from the church, to secure to it the presence of his Holy Spirit: and this is effected by the divine truth proceeding immediately out of the Lord's ​glorified body from the Father, or divine essence within him. Hence the Holy Spirit, called also the Spirit of truth, and the Comforter, becomes a new character of the Lord, arising out of the incarnation of himself, as divine truth, or as the Word, and his subsequent glorification: and hence it is written, "I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. When he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath, are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you," John xvi. 7, 13 to 15. Again, "The Holy Spirit was not yet, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," John vii. 39. But after his glorification, "Jesus breathed on his disciples, and saith, Receive ye the Holy Spirit," John xx. 22.

      In these passages the Holy Spirit, though apparently represented as a distinct person by himself, yet cannot in reality be considered as such; because it is expressly said of him, that he shall not speak of himself, but shall take of the Lord's; that there was no Holy Spirit until the glorification of Jesus; and lastly, that the breath, or divine truth, proceeding from him, after his glorification, is the Holy Spirit. It further appears from the circumstance of there having been no Holy Spirit until the glorification of Jesus, that in some respects it is to be distinguished from the Spirit of Jehovah, or even the Spirit of holiness, which existed prior to the incarnation. And it is remarkable, that in the original of the Old Testament the term Holy Spirit is not so much as once ​mentioned, though the phrase Spirit of holiness occurs three times, once in Ps. li. 11; and twice in Isa. lxiii. 10, 11. Neither is it said by any of the prophets, that they spake from the Holy Spirit, but from Jehovah. The difference between the one and the other may be seen in what follows.

      By the Spirit of Jehovah is understood the divine truth proceeding from him, and operating through the medium of angels and spirits. This operation, passing through such a medium, though adequate to the wants and necessities of former ages prior to the incarnation, was at length, in consequence of the excessive accumulation of evil, found to be no longer effectual in promoting the reformation, regeneration, and salvation of mankind. It therefore became necessary, that the Lord should assume the Humanity, and by the divine truth proceeding immediately from himself, when glorified, as well as mediately through angels and spirits, restore to man the capacity of receiving new spiritual life. This divine truth, proceeding both mediately and immediately from the Lord, is what is emphatically called the Holy Spirit, because his Humanity, now glorified, is the only fountain and source of all holiness; as it is written, "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy," Apoc. xv. 4. By the latter Spirit, that is, by the Holy Spirit, man is also enabled to comprehend spiritual things even in a natural and rational manner, and so to have a more full and satisfactory view of the great truths of revelation, especially of Him, from whom alone they proceed, of whom alone they treat, and to whom alone they continually lead.

      In addition to these considerations we further learn, that the Lord himself is the Holy Spirit, since he, from whom any thing proceeds, must be essentially ​the same with it. but in a primary order and degree. On which account, after identifying himself with the Father, he proceeds to identify himself in like manner with the Comforter, or Spirit of truth, whom he promised to send after his personal departure out of the world, saying to his disciples, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you," John xiv. 18.

      The Divine Trinity,

       Table of Contents

      ​

      XI. The Divine Trinity.

      HAVING in the preceding pages considered the Lord as the Father, as the Son, and as the Holy Spirit; and having identified these essentials as one undivided God; it follows, that there is a Divine Trinity in the person of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, similar to the human trinity of soul, body, and proceeding operation in every individual man. And as the three essentials, which constitute a human trinity, do not in the smallest degree derogate from the unity of man's nature, perception, and life; so neither do the three essentials, which constitute the divine trinity, in the smallest degree violate the divine unity, but on the contrary they rather exalt, illustrate, and confirm it. To assert, as some do, that the Father is one person, the Son another, and the Holy Spirit a third, each one distinct from the other, each one by himself a complete God and Lord, though to one are ascribed properties which are denied to the others, and all three co-eval with each other, that is to say, all three co-existent with each other from eternity, is such a manifest and yet contradictory avowal of a Trinity of Gods, that no after-palliation, no lip-confession of there being still only One God, can ever be admitted as any apology for the insult offered both to the Sacred ​Scriptures and to sound reason. The most that can be allowed to the professors of such a faith is, that the three Gods, whom they affect to acknowledge, may occasionally be unanimous. And yet it appears, that they have not always been so, since the one has required an atonement for sin on his part, which the two others did not think necessary on their's. But, not to dwell on the absurdities of a doctrine, which has completely overturned the church, and introduced a species of refined heathenism in the place of the true christian religion, it is sufficient to observe, that in the apostolic age no such faith was known, and that for hundreds of years christians were satisfied with acknowledging and worshipping Jesus Christ as the true God; the doctrine of a trinity of persons not having been invented for so long a time after the first publication of christianity.

      This deplorable state of the christian church is clearly predicted by our Lord in the 24th chapter of Matthew's Gospel; and it's dangerous principles, now so universally prevalent, are called by him the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, or church. But at the same time a promise is made, that, on the consummation or end of this church, a new one shall be raised up, which will both in doctrine and in life acknowledge only One God, in One Divine Person, in whom nevertheless is a Divine Trinity, as already explained; the Father or Divine Essence being the soul, the Son or Divine Humanity being the body, and the Holy Spirit being the proceeding influence or operation, all belonging to one and the same God, who is no other than our ever-adorable Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

      To confirm this doctrine in all it's fulness, would be to transcribe a great part of the Sacred Scriptures. ​But as without such authority it may possibly still be a matter of doubt with some readers, let the following passages be consulted, and the truth will be manifest.

      That our Lord Jesus Christ is the Father, is proved from Isa. ix. 6. John x. 30. Chap. xii. 45. Chap. xiv. 7, 9. Chap. xvi. 15. Chap. xvii. 10. Apoc. i. 8, 11, 17. Chap. xxii. 13. Besides a multitude of other passages, which declare that the Redeemer and Saviour of the world is no other than the great Jehovah.

      That he is the Son, is universally acknowledged: nevertheless see Matt. i. 23. Chap. iii. 17. Luke i. 31, 32, 35. John i. 18; &c. &c. &c.

      And that he is the Holy Spirit,