THE HOLY SPIRIT PROVED AND VINDICATED. 39 coal from the altar, where the fire represented the Holy Ghost, or his work and grace, having touched the lips of his prophet, his sin was taken away, both as to the guilt and filth of it. And this is the work of the Holy Ghost; who not only sanctifieth us, but by ingenerating faith in us, and the application of the promise unto us,' is the cause and means of ourjustification also, 1 Cor. vi. 11. Tit. iii. 4, .5, 6, 7. whereby our sins on both ac- counts are taken away. So also his efficacy in other places is compared unto fire and burning; Isa. iv. 4, 5. " When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of " the daughters of Sion, and shall havepurged the blood " of Jerusalem from the midst thereof, by the Spirit of "judgment, and the Spirit of burning." He is com- pared both to fire and water, with respect unto the same cleansing virtue in both. So also, Mal. iii. 2. Hence, as this is expressed, by the Holy Ghost and fire in two evangelists, Matth. iii. 11. Luke iii. 16. So in the other two there is mentioned only of the Holy Ghost, Mark viii. John i. 85. the same thing being intended. I have added these things, a little to clear the manner of this divine appearance, which alsobelongs unto the economy of the Spirit. I,.. Sect. 18. Now, I say that this appearance of the Holy Ghost ina bodily shape, wherein he was represent- ed by that which is a substance, and bath a subsistence of his own, loth manifest that he himself is a substance, and hath a subsistence of his own. For if he be no such thing, but a mere influential effect of the power of God, we are not taught right apprehensions of him, but mere mistakes by this appearance. For of such an accident there can be no substantial figure or resemblance made, but what is monstrous. It is excepted by our adver- saries, (Crei. de Natur. Spirit. Sand.) that a dove is no person, because not endued with an understanding, which is essentially required unto the constitution of a person. And therefore they say no argument can thence be taken for the personality of the Holy Ghost. But it is enough that he was represented by a subsisting sub- stance; which, if they will grant him to be, we shall quickly evince that he is endued with a divine under- standing, and so is completely a person. And whereas they farther object, that if the Holy Ghost, in the ap- pearance intended to manifest himself to be a " divine " person, he would have appeared as a man, who is a. " person; for so God, or an angel in his name, appear- K " ed underthe Old Testament;" it is of no more import- ance than the preceding exception. The Holy Ghost did manifest himself, as it seemed good unto him; and some reasons for the instructive use of the shape of a fiery dove, we have before declared. Neither did God of old appear only in an human shape. He did so sometimes in a burning fiery bush, Exodus iii. 2, 4. Sometimes in a pillar of fire, or a cloud, Exodus xiv. 24. Moreover, the appearances of God, as I have elsewhere demonstrated, under the Old Testament, were all of them of the second person; and he assumed an human shape as a preludium unto, and a signification of his future personal assumption of our nature. No such thing being intended by the Holy Ghost, he might re- present himself under what shape he pleased. Yea, the representation of himself under an human shape, had been dangerous and unsafe for us. For it would have taken offthe use of those instructive appearances under the Old Testament, teaching the incarnation of the Son of God; and also that sole reason of such appearances being removed, namely that they had all respect unto the incarnation of the second person, as they would have been by the like appearance of the third, there would have been danger of givinga false idea of the Deity unto the minds of men. For some might from thence have conceived that God had a bodily shape like unto us, when none could ever be so fond as to imagine him to be like a dove. And these, with the like testi- monies in general, are given unto the divine personality of the Holy Spirit. I shall nextconsider those personal properties which are particularly and distinctly ascribed unto him. Sect. 19.First; Understanding or wisdom, which is the first inseparable property of an intelligent subsist- ence, is so ascribed unto him in the acts and effects of it; 1 Cor. ii. 10. The Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things ofGod. What spirit it is that is intend- ed is declared expressly, verse 12. Forwenot havereceiv- ed TO 711,5(1.4a. ve xePKe, the spirit ofthe world, are not actu- ated by the evil spirit, ârrx z vsmpee To h, za o.v, but that Spirit which is of God, a signal description of the Holy Ghost. So he is called his Spirit, verse 10. God hath revealed these things unto us by his Spirit. Now to search is an act of understanding. And the Spirit is said to search, becausehe knoweth, verse H. No man knoweth Me things of a man, save the spirit of a man; 17
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