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Untitled Article
Holy Spirit . That council content themselves with declaring their belief in the Holy Spirit , omitting any mention of its . per- ? sonality , or of a Trinity in Unity . Towards the middle of the fourth century the nature of the Holy Spirit became the object of much discussion . The Deity of the Son was determined . Still something to wrangle about
was needed , and here was a suitable topic . The Arians appear to have regarded the Spirit as the divine energy . Their espousal of this notion was sufficient to awaken the opposition of the Athanasians . A council was convened at Alexandria , and by the influence of Athanasius it was decreed that , from that time , the Holy Spirit was to be acknowledged as of the same essence with the Father and the Son . Thus much had Athanasius done
towards completing the Trinity , He was one of those prospective minds that outstrip their age ; and in venturing so far as he did , he , as many other great men , gave offence to others less wise or more cautious . Yet even Athanasius himself did not venture to maintain the perfect equality of his Trinity ; but acknowledged that the Father , as the sole unbegotten and as the fountain of
Deity , was God over all . Those to whom in later times a fuller light has been vouchsafed on this knotty question , will pardon his defects out of consideration for the comparative ignorance of his age . His merits in the amplification of the Christian creed are considerable , and he will be judged by the perfect Trinitarian rather in reference to what he did . than what he omitted ; to
the darkness of preceding times , than the meridian light of the present day * Let those who are disposed to blame his deficiencies bethink them how pitiably small their faith might have been , had Athanasius been less aspiring and industrious . What he led unfinished others completed . Basil , who lived far on in the fourth century , was the first to advance and main *
tain the equality of the Son to the Father , and in consequence was charged with having three Gods . Yet his equality would not satisfy the perfect Trinitarian of these times ; for it was an equality of nature admitting of an inequality of degree and dignity .
Gregory , the brother of Basil , met also with much opposition from the uninitiated and simple-minded Unitarians , for main * taining a similar equality with that of Basil * Damasus , bishop of Rome , seems to have gone somewhat farther , accursing those who did not hold the three to be equal , not only in essence , but in power , dominion , glory , and authority . ' This determination
of his sounds better to the orthodox ear than any we have yet met with , and time only is needed for us to arrive at the full perfection of the holy mystery . The second general council , whose decision had been prepared by the worthies we have named , assembled at Constantinople in the year 381 . Here it wa » observed that * the Deity of the Holy Spirit , omitted , alas J
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&i * e and Progress of the Doctrine of the Trinit y * Sfft
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1832, page 319, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1812/page/31/
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