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SECTION XVII.

The Holy Ghost-The Trinity.

I PRAY that I may be enabled to look as much to God the Holy Ghost for sanctification, as I do through faith, to God the Son, my Redeemer, for pardon and justification.

Some venture to call the Holy Spirit only an emanation; but I believe him to be God, because he gives divine life to the "dead in trespasses and sins;" and believers are called in the bible,"temples of the Holy Ghost."

There is no holy breathing after God in any, but those into whom there has been breathed the genuine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that God the Holy Ghost can give me a holy spiritual mind, and stupid as I am by nature, can enable me to understand the dispen

sation of the gospel, by the power of his gracious teaching.

I pray that it may be my work until death, to preach upon the influence of God the Holy Spirit on the church of Christ.

I love to preach upon the doctrine of the Trinity, because it gives us a fine, simple conception of the gospel. It teaches us to set forth the excellence of the Father's love, the riches of the Son's redemption, and the wondrous nature of the Holy Spirit's work in the Christian's heart.

In speaking of the doctrine of the Trinity, our language ought to be very guarded. We should keep close to scriptural expressions.

All the riches of divine grace are treasured up in the mutual relations of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

By union with God in Christ Jesus, believers become "one" in God the Father respecting

his law-in God the Son respecting his redemption-in God the Holy Spirit respecting his sanctifying influence.

This is what we call Trinity Sunday,1 (May 25th, 1823.) We are reminded hereby to consider with holy caution, as far as it is revealed to us, the nature of His divine existence "in whom we live and move and have our being." This is a mystery which can never be understood. Here human reason fails, and revelation becomes our only guide. Proud man, when he attempts to be wise above that which is written, is sure to have his wisdom turned into folly. Do you understand the nature of your own existence? Can you tell me how body and spirit are most curiously united? I have sometimes asked if you can explain what life is? This you may attempt to answer by reference to the actions of life, but what life is in itself you cannot tell. If then I cannot comprehend myself, how can I expect to comprehend Him who is infinitely incomprehensible! I therefore only go as I am guided; and my prayer is that I may be guided into all truth by the Spirit of

1 The following paragraph was the substance of the opening of Mr. Hill's sermon on that day. His text was 2 Cor. xiii, 14.

truth. I say quite enough, when I assert that the doctrine of the Trinity is most decidedly stated in the word of God. We are initiated into the Christian dispensation by baptism; and what did our Lord command his disciples? They were to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit. We are sure that we adore the Trinity when we truly adore the Unity-and

"Where reason fails with all her powers,

There faith prevails and love adores."

We believe this mystery because it is made known to us by God, and have no doubt of what is so gloriously revealed. It struck me when the lesson was read in the morning service, how clearly this doctrine was contained in it. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan, unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteous

Then he suffered him. And Jesus when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water, and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God de

2 Matt. iii.

scending like a dove and abiding upon him. And lo, a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Now what can we have more distinct than this? Jesus was the person baptized; the Spirit descended upon him; and God the Father spoke from his throne of glory, and said, "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Again, what a wonderfully striking passage is this 3⁄4—“ if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh,"-now mark how plainly three persons are mentioned in covenant with us-"how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" Thus hath the triune Jehovah revealed himself to man.

I am not to controvert this doctrine by asking whether it is consistent with reason. What do poor worms mean by reason? Reason may assist us to climb from one truth to another, but if we miss only a single step, all our afterreckonings are wrong.

3 Heb. ix, 13, 14.