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Elements of Divinity; Or, a Course of Lectures. Comprising the System of Theology as Taught in the Holy Scriptures
Elements of Divinity Or a Course of Lectures Comprising the System of Theology as Taught in the Holy Scriptures Author:Thomas N. Ralston General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1851 Original Publisher: E. Stevenson Subjects: Theology, Doctrinal Religion / Christian Theology / General Religion / Christian Theology / Systematic Religion / Theology Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may... more » be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: LECTURE IV. THE PERSONALITY AND DIVINITY OP THE HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit is a term of so frequent occurrence in the Sacred Writings, and presents a theme of contemplation so intimately connected with the entire system of revealed truth, that a careful investigation of the subject must be of vital importance. The word rendered Spirit, in Hebrew, is ruach, and in Greek, pneuma, which in those languages signify, primarily, breath, or wind, from the verb signifying to breathe, or to blow. The etymology of the word, however, can afford us but little aid in the investigation of the subject of the Holy Spirit, as presented in the Bible. Here we must rely entirely upon the declarations of Inspiration. % In reference to what we are to understand by the Holy Spirit, as used in the Scriptures, there has existed from the early ages of Christianity, among professed Christians, a diversity of sentiment. Some have understood thereby merely an attribute, energy, or operation of the Divine Being, denying to the Holy Spirit any personal existence whatever ; whilst others have contended both for the personal existence and the real Deity of the Holy Spirit. The former has been the sentiment generally of Arians, Socinians, Unitarians,« less