which the writer refers to God as their author; whether they are considered as proceeding from him directly or remotely; whether as miraculous, or as regulated by the ordinary laws of the physical and moral world; whether they are to be referred immediately to an act of his power, or are the immediate consequence and result of means and motives, and the operation of other agents. The term is as often used to denote influences and communications not regarded as miraculous, as to denote those which are thus regarded. All the means and motives which God employs to bring men to goodness, are referred to the Spirit of God; and he who is affected by these means, and acts under the influence of these motives, is said to be actuated by the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of God. Abundant evidence of what has just been stated may be found by consulting the lexicons and concordances of the Old and New Testaments, and especially Schleusner's article on the word πveûμa, a translation of which, by Mr. Buckminster, is contained in the first volume of the General Repository.

66

Having settled the sense of the term Spirit of God, we may determine that of the word EÓTVEVOTOS. This is to be understood in a similar latitude of signification. It is equivalent, as has been said, to the words, written by the Spirit of God; and these words denote nothing more than written under those influences which proceed from God, whether miraculous or not. The writings thus characterized may have been the works of prophets, who received direct miraculous communications from God; or they may have been nothing more than the works of men, whose minds were acted upon by the motives which he presents, and who had that sense of religion and duty, which his dispensations to the Jewish nation were adapted

to produce. In the present case, the term is, I conceive, applied to writings of both these classes.

"In the text in question, the rendering of the words πâoa yрapń by the words all Scripture, is incorrect. They should be translated every writing. Allowing the common reading and construction to be correct, the following rendering will, it is believed, express the true sense of the text, as nearly as it can be expressed in our language:

"Every writing (that is, of the Old Testament, the iepà ypáμpara, the Holy Scriptures, mentioned in the γράμματα, preceding verse) was composed under those influences which are from God, and is profitable, &c.

"If this mode of reading and constructing the verse is correct, it may be regarded as a general proposition, not to be understood strictly and universally; since it is at least doubtful whether the Apostle would, have ascribed the Song of Solomon in any sense to divine influence.

"But the text may be otherwise understood and thus rendered:

"Every writing, composed under those influences which are from God, is profitable, &c.

"The account which has been given of the terms Spirit, Holy Spirit, and Spirit of God, will serve to explain other passages, which are usually quoted in defence of the doctrine of the inspiration of the whole of the Old and New Testaments."

26

SECTION X.

EPISTLE TO TITUS.

I. 1-3.

The faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness (in hope of eternal life), which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; but hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me.

I have inclosed in a parenthesis the words "in hope of eternal life," which I understand to be equivalent to "resting on a hope of eternal life," and to be added as a description of " the truth which is after godliness," that is, which is productive of godliness. According to this simple arrangement, it is not "eternal life," or "the hope of eternal life," which is declared by the Apostle to have been "promised" by God "before the world began" (πpò xpóvwv aiwvíwv); that is, before the times of the Jewish dispensation. (Comp. above, p. 78.) We have no knowledge that eternal life, or the hope of it, was promised thus early; but the contrary. What the Apostle truly declares to have been promised thus early (Gen. xii. 3, xviii. 18, xxii. 18, xxvi. 4, xxviii. 14; Deut. xviii. 15) was, that "truth" after godliness, which, Paul adds, was "in due times manifested" through Jesus, and made known to the world "through preaching," in which Paul was employed.

A peculiar people.

II. 14.

The disciples of Jesus, says Paul, sustain a special relation to God, as did the disciples of Moses of old. (See Exod. xix. 5; Deut. vii. 6, xiv. 2, xxvi. 18; and comp. above, pp. 225-228.)

SECTION XI.

FIRST EPISTLE OF PETER.

I. 9-12.

Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you; searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto you, they did minister the things. which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

From these words, Peter appears to me to have understood the case of the ancient writers called Prophets, just as I have represented it. They were not inspired, or supernaturally instructed men. On the contrary, they had very imperfect apprehensions apprehensions unsatisfactory to themselves of that

grace that should come," to which they referred in vague language, founded on the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. xii. 3, xxvi. 4, xxviii. 14), and on the promise made by Moses (Deut. xviii. 15). They testified, indeed, through "the spirit of Christ which was in them"; that is,. a spirit, an impulse, which led them to speak of Christ. But as to what it "did signify," what in particular was imported by the general language which Moses, their great authority on the subject, had used in relation to the coming teacher, respecting this they were at a loss; respecting this "they inquired and searched diligently"; and, as appears from what they have written upon it,

The

they inquired and searched with only partial success, arriving at conclusions very materially erroneous. general terms in which Moses had foretold the coming "prophet like unto himself," had reference to, and ultimately had their fulfilment in, "the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." The prophets of the later ages had meant their representation of the expected Christ to be a repetition and amplification of the idea presented by Moses, and therefore they might properly be said to "testify beforehand the sufferings [or experiences] of Christ, and the glory that should follow," because these were the true import of the promise of Moses, and it was the promise of Moses which (distorted and incorrect as was in fact the image they gave of it) the prophets had designed to repeat. (Comp. Luke x. 24.) And much, in relation to the subject and to the "manner of time" of its occurrence, as they were ignorant of, this they knew," it was revealed" - it was obvious to them -that the hope of the Messiah's coming was not accomplished in their day, but remained to be accomplished subsequently, and accordingly was accomplished, as Peter says, in the time of those to whom he was writing. "Unto whom it was revealed that not unto themselves, but unto you [unto a future time, -unto your time, as it turns out] they did minister the things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into [things, so far from being subject to be comprehended by the old Jewish sages, with their imperfect hints derived from Moses, that still, even after the great fact of the Messiah's mission has taken place, they are matter for the scrutiny of higher intelligences]."