XII arguments drawn out of the Scripture wherein the commonly-received opinion touching the deity of the Holy Spirit is clearly and fully refuted : to which is prefixed a letter tending to the same purpose, written to a member of the Parliament ... / by John Biddle.

An Answer to the grand Ob∣jection of the Adversaries, touch∣ing the supposed Omnipresence of the HOLY SPIRIT.

AFter I had thorowly sifted this Contro∣versie, I found that the Adversaries, who so much cry down Reason, saying that we must renounce it when we speak of Divine Mysteries, and simply rest in the words of the Scripture, do notwithstanding in the upshot wave the Scripture, as giving a very un∣certain testimony to their doctrine in this point, and ground themselves on the meer conjectures of their own Reason. For thus they argue: The holy Spirit, if he were not omnipresent, and con∣sequently God, could not inspire and dwell in so many men at one time. For answer hereunto, I will onely ask them one Question, which if they resolve, I will then tell them how the holy Spirit, though he be not omnipresent, may inspire all the faithful in the world at one time. Our Saviour, in the fourth of Mark, explaining the Parable of the sower, saith, in vers. 15. [And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown: but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh the word that was sown in their hearts.] Sup∣pose now that the seed of the Word be sown in

ten thousand places at one time, as it happeneth on every Lords day, How can Satan, whom the Adversaries will deny to be omnipresent, come and immediately snatch the Word out of the hearts of the greatest part of the hearers? The same Resolution that they shall give to this Que∣stion, will I apply to their own Objection. If this be not sufficient, take yet more proofs, that may seem to evince the omnipresence of the un∣clean spirit. Thus is he said to have been a lying spirit in the mouth of four hundred false prophets, 1 King. 22. 22, 23. (and there is the same reason between four hundred, and four millions.) Thus is he said to hold the impenitent (who make the greatest part of mankinde) in his snare, and to take them captive at his will, 2 Tim. 2. ult. To blinde the mindes of them that believe not, 2 Cor. 4. 4. To dwell in the ungodly, Rev. 2. 13. To shew the wicked whatsoever they practise, Joh. 8. 38. Yea, to deceive the whole world, Rev. 12. 9. & 20. 2, 3. If they dare not, for all this, to affirm the unclean spirit to be omnipresent, Why do they on less ground conclude the omnipresence of the holy Spirit, especially when the Scripture so plainly testifieth that he changeth place, as Joh. 15. 26. But when the Advocate is come, whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth which proceedeth (or, goeth out) from the Father, he shall testifie of me. How could the holy Spirit be sent, and go out from the Father to the disciples, if he were already with them, and could not but stay with the Father? Gal. 4. 6. Because ye are sons, God hath sent out the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Fa∣ther. This sheweth that the Spirit was not in their hearts before, otherwise he needed not to be

sent out into them. 1 Pet. 1. 12. The things which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the holy Spirit sent down from heaven. Could the holy Spirit be sent down from heaven, if he were already upon the earth, and continued still in heaven? For, that the coming of the holy Spirit down from heaven is properly to be taken, appeareth by the very sight, in that John the Baptist did see the Spirit descending from heaven in a bodily shape like a dove, and he abode on Christ, Joh. 1. 32. compared with Luke 3. 21, 22. where the words of the Scripture are diligently to be heeded; for it is not said, that the bodily shape did descend, but the Spirit in the shape: so that the descent did primarily and by it self agree to the holy Spirit; but in a secondary way, and by acci∣dent, to the shape which he had assumed. Now is it possible to descend out of heaven to the earth, and not change place? Or is there any thing better then an ocular demonstration to e∣vince a change of place? Certainly, if notwith∣standing all this, and much more which may be alleadged, it is yet true that the holy Spirit doth not go from place to place; what assurance can I have, when the Scripture saith of any one whom∣soever, that he is sent, or cometh down, or goeth out, that he moveth from one place to another, and doth not abide where he was before? Neither is it rightly done by the Adversaries, when against so many evident Scriptures they alleadge one ob∣scure passage, Psal. 139. 7, 8. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. For, to omit that the Psalmist, as the precedent and sub∣quent

words, yea the passage it self cited at large doth shew, intendeth onely to prove the omnipre∣sence of God himself, and not of his Spirit; and that divers of the very Adversaries, as namely the Divines of the Assembly in their Annotations on this place, do by Spirit here understand the knowledge or power of God, and not the holy Spirit: should it be granted that thesewords, Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? are meant of the holy Spirit, yet do they import no more, then that David could go into no place; but the Spirit could be there with him; and so sign fie, not that he is in all places at one time, but can be in them at several times, accordingly as David should come into them. A∣gain, should it be further granted, (what the Ad∣versaries are not able to evince) that Davids meaning is, that he could go into no place where the Spirit was not present; yet would not this presently argue, that he was there present in his person or substance (as the Adversaries conceive, when they say that he is Omnipresent, and there∣fore God) since it is sufficient for the truth here∣of, that he is in every place by his knowledge, so that a man can be in no place whatsoever, but the holy Spirit will know where he is. This Om∣nipresence, which I verily believe belongeth to the holy Spirit, doth not hinder him to go from one place to another. Yea, whosoever diligently look∣eth into Davids words, shall finde that he intend∣ed in this Psalm to assert no other Omnipresence to God himself, then that of knowledge and power. For he openly speaketh of the knowledge of God in the first six verses, saying in the second of them, Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Which implyeth that the person or substance of

God himself was not upon the earth with David, otherwise he would understand David's thought neer at hand, and not afar off. But in the tenth verse, which is an explication of the three prece∣ding ones, he speaketh of the hand of God, where∣by is wont to be understood his power. Afterwards, vers. 11. and 12. he returneth to the knowledge of God, whereof he had before spoken. Moreo∣ver, the main current of the Scripture runneth that way, and plainly intimateth, that the per∣son, or substance, or shape of God (I speak the language of the Scripture; see Job 13. 7. Will ye accept his (God's) Person? will ye contend for God? Heb. 1. 3. Who being the brightness of his (God's) Glory, and express Image of his person (Gr. substance) John 5. 37. And the Father himself which hath sent me, hath born witness of me. Ye have neither heard this voice at any time, nor seen his shape:) is nowhere else but in Heaven. Neither let the Adversaries reply, that if I ascribe an universal knowledge of humane affairs to the holy Spirit, this very thing will evince him to be God. For first, I have al∣ready excepted the searching of the heart, proving in the twelfth Argument that it agreeth not to the holy Spirit. Secondly, had the holy Spirit an Universal knowledge, as of other things, so also of the heart, yet would not this prove him to be God, unless he had this knowledge originally and of himself. For it is apparent from the Scripture, John 5. 22. that God hath given all judgement unto Christ, and consequently all knowledge, without which that judgement cannot be mana∣ged. But if he hath given all knowledge unto Christ, he can as well give it to the holy Spirit: Wherefore, let the Adversaries, when they are dri∣ven

from their opinion by that invincible Argu∣ment drawn from the Intercession which the holy Spirit is said to make for the Saints, cease to take up the same weapon, and contend, that the holy Spirit, inasmuch as he maketh intercession for the Saints, must needs know all their wants, and so be God. For is not Christ also said to make in∣tercession for the Saints? and doth he not inter∣cede with God as a man, and so as a man know all their wants? But if Christ, as a man, and so as a Creature, maketh intercession unto God for the Saints, and knoweth all their wants, why not the holy Spirit also, though he be a created Spirit, and not God?

As for the dwelling of the holy Spirit in so ma∣ny persons, though I might forbear to shew in what manner this is done, untill the Adversaries had answered my Querie, yet will I (for the satis∣faction of such as are studious of the truth) here declare it. He dwelleth therefore in all the Saints dispersed through the whole world, not in his per∣son or substance, for then his person or substance would fill the world, and dwell in all men a like, whereas the indwelling of the holy Spirit is by the Scripture made a peculiar priviledge of the Saints, Rom 8. 9. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be (or for) the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Wherefore he dwelleth in them by his Gifts, or Effects, (since no other dwelling can be imagined) which is an Expression frequent in the writings of the Adversaries themselves, but that they are wont to forget it when they reason about the Godhead of the holy Spirit.

FINIS.