The Morning herald., 1878-11-20
SPIRIT AND BREATH.

MEsSRS. EDITORS For the Denent OF
those who may not have studied sufi,
GENTLY to satisfy themselves as to the cor
rect meaning of the term spirit, I desire
to call their attention to few thoughts, as
well as to some facts, in regard to this
subject. In the book of Job, xxi. 8,
may be found these words: But THERE
Is spirit in man, and the inspiration of
the Almighty giveth.. them understand
ing" Judge Halstead, in his Theology
Of the Bible" informs us that "the word
SPIRIT is Lain word, with the Latin
termination, US struck off; and the Italian
Spirito is the Lat. Spiritus, with the Ital.
termination, instead of the Lat. termina-
ton. This Lat. word. spirit, should not
have appeared in an English version of
the Bible; it should have been translated.
Its primary and true genealogical mean
ing is BREATH, from the Lat. verb sPIRo,
to breathe; and the llal sPIRITo is breath,
from the ltal. verb sPIRA ARE, 10 breathe,
so given even by Graglia; and for the
Ital. noun sPIRo he gives breath, or
, spirit" And this seems TO be in perfect
harmony with mans creation. "The
Lord God brealhed into mans nostrils the
breath of life" And also at the food,
All in whose nostrils was the breath"
marg. of the spirit of life, etc. Here,
breath and spirit means the same. And
| they went unto Noah into the Ark two and
two of all flesh, wherein is the breath Of
life" Ger. vii. Is Here the animals
are Possessed Of this same breath or spirit
of lie. "'All the while my breath IS in me,
or the spirit Of God is in my nostrils"
Job, xvi 8. Here, again, breath and
spirit are Synonymous. 1.-The spirit of
God hath made me, and the breath Of
the Almighty hath given me life Job,
xxxlIi A. This is another form of ex-
preston, but still conveys the same truth
"lf he set his heart upon man, if he
gather unto himself his spirit and his
breath, all flesh shall Perish together, and
man shall TURN again 10 dust" JOB,
1xxly IA, Is. How, then, can IN IN
turn Into "a spirit? By tie word of the
l. rd were The heavens made; and all The
~ hem ny the brea'n Of h,s mouth"
- In, xxxiii.: 6. And the spi:it of
efni ! oVed upon lie face f the waiers."
Gen L.: 2. This il another synonym.
" lhon takest away their breath, they die,
and return to their dust" Palm, CIV; 20.
Ills breath goeth forth, he reluraeth 10
his earth; and ia that very day his
Thoughts perish" Palm, cxlvi. 4. And
this turning and retu ming" to earth and
dus: IS taat OF the man, but he never turns
to spirit. Again, The sons Of men and
the beas 5, all have one breath" or spirit,
and "one thing beiaIleth Il en-
lhste must have been avery great change
came over the breath # The inspired Pau
when his Spirit or breath was stirred
within him. when he saw the super,ti-
t'ou' idola'ry around him, az lie declared
TO lLem that God had made the world,
ana all things therein, and hath given to
all lie aud breath, and ali thnys." Acts,
XVI, %. As the body without the
spirit is dead" and here the marg reading
IS breath" James H.: 26. It follow,
.hen, from The Scriptures themselves, that
"breath' and Esprit" are synonymous
terms heGco, no amount of eccleslIstica
manipulation en- convert or change these
terms, 50 as to make il clear to any iptelli.
gent or thoughtful mind that the term
spirit 10 man. means anything more
lnan my breath is in me-" or "the s, irit
@ oi God Is IN my nos'rils." And this being
God's spirit and Gods breath, which ne
gathers Unto himself" Then man can.
not 40 otherwise than "turn again toj
dust" And this is in perfect harmony
with Gods word. dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thcu return" Then, it
can be no advantage 10 man whatever; i'll
el'ner breath" or Esprit" be imm morlal,
as a.. IL Is taken away from him, and he |
'ufns again to dust" And, as "tbe l..
man ! that VANDERBILT out of the way OF un.
a. ooerSlandlng, shall remain in the congrepa-
llon OF the dead" 1t follows, that unless
lae inspiration" or Esprit" or "breath"
ol Inc Almighty giveth them und ,rstand-
lns, ,Hs, 'neh there can be no difference be-
.ween them and the beasts, as thew. all
nave one spirit or breath, &" and all 90 TO
I Ine pace Iteologians may play 1pon
n's 'elm spirit" as it spl ears to them .
,r rom their theological stand-points and
argue very learnedIy from "the fathers y
'is ~ unless there be divine inbrealbiup
t influence from God himself
"e man knows nothing but what be
l4o%s |" 81, nat urally as a brute beast" Titus I
'ror y, mere 1t no man that hath power
'stb ine lux spirit to retain the spirit neither
''.e ne power in the day of death" Eccl
I, ,.,I,, ne ne is like the beasts that perish%
sam, sam, xix: u, 20. Then immortality
apDot nt ,an De applied to natural men, with.