lies hid in it, is never dived into, nor brought up; the glorious beauty of it is obfcured, the furface of it is skimmed over; a few parallel texts are brought in, and dark constructions put upon the words, and the paffage left more obfcure than when the workman began. There is nothing in your ears but fwelling words and empty found; and nothing in your foul but leanness and beggary. Inftead of watering the trees of righteoufnefs, or refreshing the bowels of the faints, these clouds without rain rather exhale or dry up all the dew of heaven that is on the foul, however refreshed before. Such workmen obfcure and becloud the Spirit's work, caft a dimnefs on the brightest evidences, contract the most enlarged heart, and imprifon thofe whom the Lord has made free indeed. This I know by woful experience. And it must be fo; for the natural man difcerneth not the things of the Spirit of God, nor can be know them, because they are fpiritually difcerned.

Perfonal properties alfo, or those properties and things which are afcribed to perfons, are also ascribed to the Holy Spirit-fuch as will, power, mind, judg ment, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, love, joy, grief, vexation, &c. for instance-All theje worketh that one and the felf-fame Spirit, dividing to every man feverally as he wiLL. Mighty figns and wonders by the POWER of the Holy Ghoft. And God that fearcheth the heart knoweth what is the MIND of the fpirit. And The Lord of hosts fhall be for a fpirit of JUDGMENT to him that B 4 fitteth

fitteth in judgment: upon him shall reft the spirit of WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING, the spirit of counSEL and MIGHT, the spirit of KNOWLEDGE and of the fear of the Lord. Again, Now I beseech you, for the Lord Jefus Chrift's fake, and for the LOVE of the Spirit. Again, You received the word with Joy of the Holy Ghost. GRIEVE not the Spirit of God, by which ye are fealed. But they rebelled and VEXED bis Holy Spirit, till he turned to be their enemy, and fought against them. I cannot fee how all the abovementioned things can with propriety be ascribed to any thing but a perfon. To apply them to a quality, an accident, a name, or a nonentity, must be abfurd to the last degree. And I have often thought that, if men were allowed to take the fame liberties with the evidences of a purchase, a man's will and teftament, title-deeds, and writings of eftates, &c. that fome take with the word of God, there are lawyers and counsellors wife enough to dispute every landholder in the nation out of all that he hath, and even out of his own perfonality and existence too. For it is but to prove that there is no fuch man, no fuch perfon; that it is only a name; and all the relative or perfonal characters are to be understood in a figurative or an allegorical fenfe; and that it means no more than a quality in man, or a power put forth by man on certain occafions; or that it fignifies only the breath of a man's mouth, an accident, or a tranfient emanation, flowing out with

his words when he speaks.-Allow a wife lawyer or counsellor to go this way to work, and we should foon see the greatest landholders in the nation begging in the streets.

Now, my dear brother, I muft leave this fubject for the prefent, fubmitting this my fcribble to your perufal. And, fhould your thoughts meet with any rubs in the way, as they rove; fhould any thing grate upon your ears; fhould any thing found harsh; fhould any of the things appear to clafh, or feem unintelligible; or appear low, mean, unworthy, or unbecoming the glorious fubject; fignify the fame, and offer your thoughts freely-it will be kindly received by him who fubfcribes himself, in undif fembled love,

Yours in Chrift Jefus,

W, HUNTINGTON,

LETTER

To the Rev. J. JENKINS, Lewes, Suffex.

Dearly beloved in the Lord,

HAVING now a little time on my hands, I will reaffume my former fubject. When I began the last my mind was dark and my heart cold. Much work and many engagements at the time of Christmas had banished my former fweet meditations far from me; fo that, when I came to fit down to put them to paper, I had them far to fetch, and all to collect afresh; but before I had been long at the work they came about me again, and I found myself rather happy in the return of my pleafing vifiters. I left off after I had offered a few thoughts on the perfonal characters which the scriptures of truth afcribe to the Holy Ghoft; and I fhall now mention fome few works and actions which the fcriptures afcribe to the Spirit, and which are perfonal works and actions, fuch as none but real perfons can do.

None but perfons can bear record to the truth of any contract, covenant, or agreement; nor be admitted as a witnefs in fuch cafes, or to any deed, or upon any trial whatever. But there are three that bear RECORD in heaven; the Father, the Word, and

the Holy Ghoft: and there are three that bear WITNESS on earth; the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood. And we are witnesses of these things, fays the apoftle; and fo is alfo the Holy Ghost; whom God hath given to them that obey him. Acts v. 32. The Spirit bears witnefs to the truth of the word; he gives teftimony to the word of his grace, and to the truth of their commiffion whom he fends to preach it. He brings the righteousness of Chrift to the foul; we are justified in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God. And he bears witness to our justification, and to our adoption. He that believeth bath the witness in himself. And even in the court of a believer's confcience his witnefs is fo powerful and effectual, that neither law, devil, nor fin, which is represented as crying to heaven; no, nor even conscience itself, is suffered to speak. And this witness is true, and is no lie; and we are to abide in him. I know that Jacob fet up a pillar at Bethel; and that Laban and Jacob gathered an heap of ftones together at Mount Gilead, and called them witneffes: but these were only to help the treacherous memory of perfons, who are apt to forget, as Jacob did, when God bid him arife, and go up to Bethel, where he anointed the pillar.

Power and authority; qualifying, equipping, and investing men with offices, muft be perfonal works. You shall receive POWER after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you. To one is given the WORD of wisdom, to another faith, to another divers kinds of tongues, to an

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