Discourse, Book I, chapter 34: The spirit of spirits: a conclusion (part 1 of 2)

CHAP. XXXIV. A Conclusion wherein the Spirit of spirits is described, by the illumination of which Spirit all spirits are to be tryed: with a Confutation of the Pneumatomachi flatly denying the divinity of this Spirit.

TOuching the manifold signification of this word [Spirit] I have elsewhere in this brief discourse told you my mind; which is a word nothing different in Heb. from breath or wind. For all these words following; to wit, Spiritus, Ventus, Platus, Halitus, are indifferently use by the Holy Ghost, and called by this Hebrew word [Hebrew] in the sacred Scripture: For further proof whereof I cite unto you the words of Isaiah; For his Spirit (or Breath) is as a River that overfloweth up to the neck, &c. in which place the Prophet describeth the coming of God in heat and indignation unto judgement, &c. I cite also unto you the words of Zacharie; These are the four Spirits of the Heaven, &c. Likewise in Genesis; And the Spirit of God moved upon the waters. Moreover, I cite unto you the words of Christ; The Spirit (or Wind) bloweth where it listeth. Unto which said places infinite more might be added out of holy Writ, tending all to this purpose; namely, to give us this for a note, that all the sayings above cited with many more that I could alledge, where mention is made of spirit, the Hebrew Text useth no word but one; to wit, [Hebrew] which signifieth (as I said) Spiritum, ventum, flatum, halitum; which may be Englished, Spirit, wind, blast, breath.

But before I enter upon the very point of my purpose, it shall not be amiss, to make you acquainted with the collection of a certain School Divine; who distinguisheth and divideth this word [Spirit] into six significations; saying, that it is sometimes taken for the air, sometimes for the bodies of the blessed, sometimes for the souls of the blessed, sometimes for the power imaginative or the mind of man; and sometimes for God. Again he saith, That of spirits there are two sorts, some created, and some uncreated.

A spirit uncreated (saith he) is God himself, and it is essentially taken, and agreeth unto the three Persons notionally, to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost personally. A spirit created is a creature, and that is likewise of two sorts; to wit, bodily, and bodiless. A bodily spirit is also of two sorts: for some kind of spirit is so named of spiritualness, as it is distinguished from bodiliness: otherwise it is called Spiritus a spiriando, id est, a flando, of breathing or blowing, as the wind doth. A bodiless spirit is one way so named of spiritualness, and then it is taken for a spiritual substance; and is of two sorts; some make a full and compleat kind, and is called compleat or perfect, as a spirit angelical: some do not make a full and perfect kind, and is called incompleat or unperfect as the soul. There is also the spirit vital, which is a certain subtil or very fine substance necessarily disposing and tending unto life. There be moreover spirits natural, which are a kind of subtil and very fine substances, disposing and tending unto equal complexions of bodies. Again, there be spirits animal, which are certain subtil and very fine substances disposing and tempering the body, that it might be animated of the form, that is, that it might be perfected of the reasonable soul. Thus far he, In whose division you see a Philosophical kind of proceeding, though not altogether to be condemned, yet in every point not to be approved.

Now to the Spirit of spirits, I mean the principal and holy Spirit of God, which one defineth, or rather describeth to be the third Person in the Trinity, issuing from the Father and the Son, no more the charity, dilection and love of the Father and the Son, than the Father is the charity, dilection and love of the Son and Holy Ghost. Another treating upon the same argument proceedeth in this reverent manner: The holy Spirit is the vertue or power of God, quickning, nourishing, fostering, and perfecting all things; by whose only breathing it cometh to pass that we both know and love God, and become at the length like unto him: which Spirit is the pledge and earnest penny of grace, and beareth witness unto our heart, whiles we cry Abba Father. This Spirit is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of him which raised up Jesus from the dead.

Jesus Christ, for that he received not the Spirit by measure, but in fulness, doth call it his Spirit, saying; When the Comforter shall come, whom I will send, even the Holy Spirit, he shall testifie of me. This Spirit hath divers Metaphorical names attributed thereunto in the Holy Scriptures. It is called by the name of water, because it washeth, comforteth, moistneth, softeneth and maketh fruitful with all godliness and vertues the mindes of men, which otherwise would be unclean, comfortless, hard, dry, and barren of all goodness; whereupon the Prophet Isaiah saith; I will pour water upon the thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground, &c. Wherewithal the words of Christ do agree; He that believeth in me, as saith the Scripture, out of his belly shall flow rivers of waters of life. And elsewhere; Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never be more athirst. Other places likewise there be, wherein the Holy Spirit is signified by the name of water and flood; as in the 13. of Isaiah, the 29. of Ezek. the 146. Psalm, &c. The same Spirit by reason of the force and vehemency thereof is termed fire. For it doth purifie and cleanse the wholeman from top to toe, it doth burn out the soil and dross of sins, and setteth him all in a flaming and hot burning zeal to prefer and further Gods glory. Which plainly appeared in the Apostles, who when they had received the Spirit, they spake fiery words, yea such words as were uncontrollable, in somuch as in none more than in them this saying of the Prophet Jeremy was verified, Nunquid non verba mea sunt quasi ignis? Are not my words even as it were fire? This was declared and shewed by those fiery tongues, which were seen upon the Apostles after they had received the Holy Spirit.

Moreover, this Spirit is called annointing, or ointment, because that as in old time Priests and Kings were by annointing deputed to their office and charge, and so were made fit and serviceable for the same; even so the elect are not so much declared as renewed and made apt by the training up of the Holy Spirit, both to live well and also to glorifie God. Whereupon dependeth the saying of John; And ye have no need that any should teach you, but as the same ointment doth teach you. It is also called in Scripture, The Oil of gladness and rejoycing; whereof it is said in the Book of Psalms; God even thy God hath annointed thee with the Oil of joy and gladness, &c. And by this goodly and comfortable name of Oil in the Scriptures is the mercy of God oftentimes expressed, because the nature of that doth agree with the property and quality of this. For as Oil doth float and swim above all other liquors, so the mercy of God doth surpass and over-reach all his works, and the same doth most of all disclose it self to miserable man.

It is likewise called the Finger of God, that is, the might and power of God: by the vertue whereof the Apostles did cast out Devils; to wit, even by the finger of God. It is called the Spirit of Truth, because it maketh men true and faithful in their vocation; and for that it is the touch-stone to try all counterfeit devices of mans brain, and all vain Sciences, prophane Practices, deceitful Arts, and circumventing Inventions; such as be in general all sorts of Witchcrafts and Inchantments, within whose number are comprehended all those wherewith I have had some dealing in my Discovery; to wit, Charms or Incantations, Divinations, Augury, Judicial Astrology, Nativity-casting, Alchymistry, Conjuration, Lot-share, Popery which is meer paltry, with divers other: not one whereof, no nor altogether are able to stand to the tryal and examination, which this Spirit of Truth shall and will take of those false and evil spirits. Nay, they shall be found, when they are laid into the balance, to be lighter than vanity: very dross, when they once come to be tryed by the fervent heat of this Spirit; and like chaffe, when this Spirit bloweth upon them, driven away with a violent whirlwind; such is the perfection, integrity, and effectual operation of this Spirit, whose working as it is manifold, so it is marvellous, and therefore may and is called the Spirit of spirits.

This Spirit withdrawing it self from the hearts of men, for that it will not inhabit and dwell where sin hath dominion, giveth place unto the spirit of errour and blindness, to the spirit of servitude and compunction, which biteth, gnaweth, and whetteth their hearts with a deadly hate of the Gospel; in so much as it grieveth their minds and irketh their ears either to hear or understand the truth; of which disease properly the Pharisees of old were, and the Papists even now are sick. Yea, the want of this good Spirit is the cause that many fall into the spirit of perverseness and frowardness, into the spirit of giddiness, lying, drowsiness, and dulness; according as the Prophet Isaiah saith; For the Lord hath covered you with a spirit of slumber, and hath shut up your eyes; and again elsewhere, Dominus miscuit in medio, &c. The Lord hath mingled among them the spirit of giddiness, and hath made Egypt to err, as a drunken man erreth in his vomit: And as it is said by Paul; And their foolish heart was blinded, and God gave them over unto their own hearts lusts. Which punishment Moses threatneth unto the Jews; The Lord shall smite thee with madness, with blindness and amazedness of mind, and thou shalt grope at high noon as a blind man useth to grope, &c.

In some, this word [Spirit] doth signifie a secret force and power, wherewith our minds are moved and directed; if unto holy things, then it is the motion of the holy Spirit, of the Spirit of Christ and of God; if unto evil things, then is it the suggestion of the wicked spirit, of the Devil, and of Satan. Whereupon I inferr, by the way of a question, with what spirit we are to suppose such to be moved, as either practice any of the vanities treated upon in this Book, or through credulity addict themselves thereunto as unto divine oracles, or the voyce of Angels breaking through the clouds? We cannot impute this motion unto the good Spirit; for then they should be able to discern between the nature of spirits, and not swerve in judgment: it followeth therefore, that the spirit of blindness and error doth seduce them, so that it is no marvel if in the alienation of their minds they take falsehood for truth, shadows for substances, fancies for verities, &c, for it is likely that the good Spirit of God hath forsaken them, or at leastwise absented it self from them; else would they detest these devillish devices of men, which consist of nothing but delusions and vain practices, whereof (I suppose) this my Book to be a sufficient discovery.

It will be said, That I ought not to judge, for he that judgeth shall be judged. Whereto I answer, That judgment is not to be understood of three kind of actions in their proper nature; whereof the first are secret, and the judgment of them shall appertain to God, who in time will disclose whatsoever is done in covert, and that by his just judgment. The second are mixed actions, taking part of hidden, and part of open, so that by reason of their uncertainty and doubtfulness they are discussable and to be tryed; these after due examination are to have their competent judgment, and are incident to the Magistrate. The third are manifest and evident, and such as do no less apparently shew themselves than an inflammation of blood in the body: and of these actions every private man giveth judgment, because they be of such certainty, as that of them a man may as well conclude, as to gather that because the Sun is risen in the East, Ergo it is morning: he is come about and is full South, Ergo it is high noon; he is declining and closing up in the West, Ergo, it is evening. So that the objection is answered.

Howbeit, letting this pass, and spiritually to speak of this Spirit, which whiles many have wanted, it hath come to pass that they have proved altogether carnal; and not savouring heavenly divinity have tumbled into worse than Philosophical barbarism; and these be such as of Writers are called Pneumatomachi, a Sect so injurious to the holy Spirit of God, that contemning the sentence of Christ, wherein he foretelleth, That the sin against the Holy Spirit is never to be pardoned, neither in this world nor in the world to come; they do not only deny him to be God, but also pull from him all being, and with the Sadduces maintain there is none such; but that under and by the name of holy Spirit is meant a certain divine force, wherewith our minds are moved, and the grace and favour of God whereby we are his beloved. Against these shameless Enemies of the Holy Spirit, I will not use material weapons, but syllogistical charms. And first, I will set down some of their paralogisms or false arguments; and upon the neck of them infer fit confutations grounded upon sound reason and certain truth.

Their first Argument is knit up in this manner. The Holy Spirit is nowhere expresly called God in the Scriptures; Ergo he is not God, or at leastwise he is not to be called God.

The Antecedent of this Argument is false; because the Holy Spirit hath the title or name of God in the fift of the Acts. Again, the consequent is false. For although he were not expresly called God, yet should it not thereupon be concluded that he is not very God; because unto him are attributed all the properties of God, which unto this do equally belong. And as we deny not that the Father is the true light, although it be not directly written of the Father, but of the Son; He was the true light giving light to every man that cometh into this world; so likewise it is not to be denyed, that the Spirit is God, although the Scripture doth not expresly and simply note it; sithence it ascribeth equal things thereunto; as the properties of God, the works of God, the service due to God, & that it doth interchangeably take the names of Spirit and of God oftentimes. They therefore that see these things attributed unto the Holy Spirit, and yet will not suffer him to be called by the name of God; do as it were refuse to grant unto Eve the name of Homo, whom notwithstanding they confess to be a creature reasonable and mortal.

The second reason is this. Hilarie in all his twelve Books of the Trinity doth nowhere write that the Holy Spirit is to be worshipped; he never giveth thereunto the name of God, neither dares he otherwise pronounce thereof, than that it is the Spirit of God. Besides this, There are usual Prayers of the Church commonly called the Collects, whereof some are made to the Father, some to the Son, but none to the Holy Spirit; and yet in them all mention is made of the three persons.

Hereunto, I answer, that although Hilarie doth not openly call the Holy Spirit, God: yet doth he constantly deny it to be a creature. Now if any ask me why Hilarie was so coy and nice to name the Holy Spirit, God, whom he denyeth to be a creature, when as notwithstanding between God and a creature there is no mean: I will in good sooth say what I think. I suppose that Hilarie, for himself thought well of the Godhead of the Holy Spirit: but this opnion was thrust and forced upon him by the Pneumatomachi, who at that time rightly deeming of the Son, did erewhiles join themselves to those that were sound of judgment. There is also in the Ecclesiastical History a little book which they gave Liberius a Bishop of Rome, whereinto they foisted the Nicene Creed. And that Hilarie was a friend of the Pneumatomachi, it is perceived in his Book De Synodis, where he writeth in this manner; Nihil autem mirum vobis videri debet, fratres charissimi, &c. It ought to seem no wonder unto you dear Brethren, &c. As for the objection of the Prayers of the Church called the Collects, that in them the Holy Spirit is not called upon by name: we oppose and set against them the Songs of the Church, wherein the said Spirit is called upon. But the Collects are more ancient than the Songs, Hymns, and Anthems. I will not now contend about ancientness, neither will I compare Songs and Collects together; but I say thus much only, to wit, that in the most ancient times of the Church the Holy Spirit hath been openly called upon in the Congregation. Now if I be charged to give an instance, let this serve. In the Collect upon Trinity Sunday it is thus said; Almighty and everlasting God, which hast given unto us thy servants grace by the confession of a truth to acknowledg the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the divine Majesty to worship the Unity; we beseech thee that through the stedfastness of this faith, we may evermore be defended from all adversity, which livest and reignest one God world without end. Now because that in this Collect, where the Trinity is expresly called upon, the names of persons are not expressed; but Almighty and Everlasting God invocated, who abideth in Trinity and Unity; it doth easily appear elsewhere also that the persons being not named under the Name of Almighty and Everlasting God, not only the Father is to be understood, but God which abideth in Trinity and Unity, that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holyghost.

A third objection of theirs is this. The Son of God oftentimes praying in the Gospels, speaking unto the Father, promiseth the Holy Spirit, and doth also admonish the Apostles to pray unto the heavenly Father, but yet in the Name of the Son. Besides that, he prescribeth them this form of Prayer: Our Father which art in Heaven. Ergo The Father only is to be called upon, and consequently the Father only is that one and very true God, of whom it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Whereto I answer, first by denying the consequent, The Son prayed to the Father only; Ergo, the Father only is of us also to be prayed unto. For the Son of God is distinguished of us both in Person and in Office; he as a Mediator maketh Intercession for us to the Father; and although the Son and the Holy Spirit do both together receive and take us into favour with God; yet is he said to intreat the Father for us; because the Father is the fountain of all counsels and divine works. Furthermore touching the form of Praying described by Christ, it is not necessary that the Fathers name should personally be there taken, sith there is no distinction of persons made; but by the Name of Father indefinitely we understand God, or the Essence of God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy-Ghost. For this name hath not alwayes a respect unto the generation of the Son of God; but God is called, The Father of the faithful, because of his gracious and free adopting of them; the foundation whereof is the Son of God, in whom we be adopted: but yot so adopted, that not the Father only receiveth us into his favour, but with him also the Son and the Holy Spirit doth the same. Therefore when we in the beginning of Prayer do advertise our selves of God's goodness towards us, we do not cast an eye to the Father alone, but also to the Son, who gave us the Spirit of Adoption; and to the Holy Spirit in whom we cry Abba, Father. And if so be that invocation and Prayer were restrained to the Father alone, then had the Saints done amiss, in calling upon, invocating, and praying to the Son of God, and with the Son the Holy Spirit in Baptism, according to the form by Christ himself assigned and delivered.

Another objection is out of the fourth of Amos, in this manner: For lo it is I that make the Thunder, and create the spirit, and shew unto men their Christ, making the light and the clouds, and mounting above the high places of the earth, the Lord God of Hosts is his Name. Now because it is read in that place, Shewing unto men their Christ; the Pneumatomachi contended that these words are to be understood of the Holy Spirit.