358 THE ARIAN INVITED TO ORTHODOX FAITH. Christ, in a superior character of grandeur and authority, than is, or can ever be expressed concerning any of his apostles. When divine wisdom is represented in a personal manner; as in Prov. i. 20, 23. it is frequently supposed to denote our bles- sed Saviour. Nowwisdom speaks there in amajestic manner, " Turn you at my reproof, and behold I will pour out my Spirit uponyou;" and when our Lord was departing from the world, " he breathed on the disciples, and said,, receive ye the Holy Ghost;" John xx. 22. The Son of God, or the man Christ Jesus, personally united to the eternal Logos, or divine Word, is God over all blessed for ever : And being now ascended to heaven he sus- tains the office of his Father's vicegerent, and deputed king in the sacred economy, and therefore the Spirit is represented as proceeding from the Father in an original manner, but as being sent by Jesus Christ; the authority of the Father and the Son concur in this matter. The Lamb is raised to sit upon the Fa- ther's throne, that is, to exercise his Father's authority ; Rev. iii. 21. and therefore the river of the water of life, which may denote the blessed Spirit, is represented; Rev. xxii. 1. " To proceed from the throne both of God and the Lamb," that is, front the royal authority of the Father and the Son. III. Text, I Cor. xii. 4. " Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit." Verse 5. "And there are differen- ces of administrations, but the same Lord." Verse 6. f° And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all." Which is easily explained thus : Though the gifts are different, it is the same divine Spirit, the same prin- ciple of efficience, or power of God, that gives them. Though the administrations, or services in the church, are various, yet Christ is the same Lord and Master. Though there are divers miraculous operations, yet it is the same God which worketh them all in all believerswho receive them. Now, that the same Spi- rit in the fourth verse signifies a power in the divine nature, or God himself operatingby this power, may be learned from verse II. compared with verse 6. " By all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." Both the will and the operationwhich are proper to Godhimself, and which are ascribed to him ; verse 6. are ascribed to the Spirit; verse 11. whereby it seems plain that the Spirit is some- times construed to signify God himself, and sometimes to signify a power in the divine nature. Thus the scripture attributes true godhead to the Spirit, under some distinction both from the Fa- ther and theSon. IV.. Text, Isa. xliv. 3. " I will pour water on him that is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on thy seed, and my blessing on thy oft ring." And, Joel u.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=