tory of the preaching of the apostles among the Gentiles, the circumstances of our Saviour's ministry are summarily recapitulated, and the promise of the Holy Ghost is thus stated, (Acts i. 5)—“ John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." In the next chapter we have the manner in which the promise was fulfilled-" When the day of penticost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing, mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting; and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance." Peter, soon after he had received the Holy Ghost, miraculously healed a man lame from his birth, and so effectually preached the gospel, that in one day three thousand souls were added to the Christian Church. When the Holy Spirit fell on the apostles, we then perceive, they received the gift of tongues, the power to work miracles, and knowledge to teach the truths pertaining to eternal life. The qualifications received were the blessings promised. The splendour of circumstances attending the endowment of the apostles with these qualifications, corresponded with the wonderful powers with which they were invested. The apostles themselves were not only imbued with these extraordinary faculties; but power was also given to them to impart to other converts, at least to evangelists, pastors, and teachers, the gift of tongues

and other extraordinary attributes. When Peter preached to Cornelius and other Gentiles, the Holy Ghost fell on them that heard the word; and they of the circumcision, which believed, were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost; for they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." Paul, on his conversion to Christianity, received the Holy Ghost by the imposition of the hands of Ananias; and from this time we find him exercising the extraordinary powers of an apostle. "When Paul laid his hands upon them, (the converts of Ephesus,) the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied." Peter and John laid their hands on the Samaritan disciples, " And they received the Holy Ghost." Simon, the sorcerer, offered these apostles money, "saying, give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost." Many other texts might be cited from the New Testament, under this branch of our subject, but it is not necessary. have selected the most important, and these are sufficient to illustrate the scriptural meaning of the term Holy Ghost, and Holy Spirit, when it is used in peculiar reference to the apostles.

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4. Let us review these passages of scripture, in which the term Spirit, Spirit of God, and Holy Ghost, are applied to Christians in common, and in connexion with their progress in moral life.

These terms are all used in the bible, to express the means with which God has been pleased to favour men, to enlighten their minds and improve

their dispositions. They embrace all the measures adopted, and the influences afforded in the moral government of God, to assist men in acquiring the knowledge of religious truth, and obtaining the qualifications of a religious character. Stephen, the martyr, rebuked the Jews of his day, for rejecting the counsel of God." Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye." The resistance here mentioned, was to all the measures contained in the dispensation of Moses, and in the gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul uses this phraseology, (Rom. viii. 14)-"As many as are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God."Under divine influence, men are formed to a resemblance of the divine character. In the same chapter, he informs us, (ver. 26) that "the Spirit helpeth our infirmities." God grants us assistance in the concerns of moral life. This class of texts is very numerous in the New Testament; but their connexion points out their meaning, and they are without difficulty understood. Few ever select these texts as proof of the Trinitarian doctrine. I proceed,

5. To consider those passages of scripture in which the Holy Ghost is spoken of as a person or agent.

Our text is one of the most expressive of these, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." The meaning of our Saviour, in this passage, we have already discovered, by attending to the ac

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complishment of the promise, when the apostles received the Holy Ghost. In other places, our Saviour speaks of sending the Comforter, (John, xvi. 7)—" If I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Howbeit, (ver. 13,) 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." From these passages, we perceive that the Comforter was sent, that he spoke not from himself, but as he was instructed. ly this is not language that can be applied to a being of independent existence, underived power, and in all divine attributes equal with the Father. The promise of our Saviour, to send the Comforter to his disciples, is fully explained to us, by learning what gifts were bestowed on the apostles at the pentecost. This explanation also teaches us the true meaning of the expressions of Jesus in the last quotation. They are bold figures of speech, which are common in all language, but in which dialects of eastern countries abound. We shall clearly understand their import, when we attend to the manner in which the apostles, desponding at the death of their Master, were comforted by his resurrection; and reflect on the extraordinary powers with which they were endowed after his ascension. Similar personifications are frequently found in the sacred writings. Solomon, in the book of Proverbs, gives to wisdom personal attributes, and represents her as exercising an extensive agency. St. Paul, in a

most impressive manner, personifies sin and death; and he has beautifully described charity in the active display of all Christian graces. When you,

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my Christian brethren, fully understand the personification of wisdom and charity, can you find difficulty in understanding the personification of the spirit, by which the apostles were endued with the gift of tongues, the power to work miracles, and the knowledge of all religious truth? In the New Testament we are informed, that Spirit knoweth all things, searcheth even the deep things of God, and revealeth them to men.” We are directed not to "grieve the Holy Spirit of God." We are informed that the Spirit was taught, and that he teacheth. In the New Testament we also read "that death reigns, that the law speaks, that the scriptures preach, and that charity believeth all things, hopeth all things, and endureth all things." We readily perceive the meaning of one class of these texts: why, by the same principle of construction, do we not perceive the true meaning of the other?

When the inspired writers speak of the Holy Spirit in simple language, they do not represent a person with whom men hold communion; but they describe qualifications or powers, with which Christ and his apostles were in a greater or less degree endowed; or, the Holy Ghost is spoken of as a quality, a favour, or a blessing, given, granted, poured out, or in which Christians participated.

There are other senses in which the Spirit of God, or simply Spirit, are used in the bible. In the Old Testament, men of mechanical ingenuity