SERMON XLIV. !' sh n Igo from thy Spirit, whither shall I fleefrom thypresence? where the term Spirit signifies God himself, or a distinct princi- ple in the Divine Essence. Ps. cvi. 33. The children of Israel provoked his Spirit ; Is. Ivi. 10. They rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, even as the spirit of a prince is provoked and vexed by the rebellion of his subjects. So Eph. iv. 30. Grieve not the HolySpirit of God,, whereby ye are sealed. These have quieted my Spirit in the north country, 4c. Zech. vi. 8. As the spirit of a man, or of any living creature, does not imply another being, derived from that creature, but a natural principle of operation in the very essence of that creature, and whereby that creature acts, so the Holy Spirit is generally cal- led the Spirit of God, not to denote another inferior being deri- ved from God, but some eternal glorious principlein the very essence of God, someprinciple or power in andof the true and eternal godhead, by which God operates[. So Ps. xxxiii. 0. The hosts of Heaven are formed by the breath or Spirit of God; Job. xxvi. 13. By .his Spirit he garnished the heavens; Ps. 1i. 12. David prays that God would uphold him by hisfree Spirit; Rom. viii. 11. God shall quickenyour mortal bodies, that is, raise you from the dead, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Thus God created' the world, and raiseth the dead by his Spirit, as an almighty principle of operationA. X: This Divine Principle, the Spirit of God, is sometimes represented in a personal manner as a divine person, or sovereign f Note, I have, in some of my writings, used the word " power," to de. note this principle of operation in the godhead, since this word is very much used in scripture to describe the Holy Spirit. i.nke i. 35. The Holy Ghost shell come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; Acts x. 38. Jesus of Nazareth was anointed with the Holy Spirit, and with power. John iii. 34. He had the Spirit given him without measure; and it was by this Spirit he wrought mira. eles, and cast out devils, and healed diseases, which in other places, is called the finger of God, and the power of God; Mat, xii. 28. Luke xi. 20. and v. 17. The apostles waited at Jerusalem for the promise of the spirit, which, Luke xxiv. 49. is called their being endue[ with power from on high; the word is Evra ci , power, not s oasee or authority,: And many other scriptures mightbe cited for this purpose. Let it be noted also, that theword " power" does not leadus, into the idea of another distinct substance, in the godhead, as the word " principle" might chance to do. ,e It might be added, perhaps under this proposition, that, when the Spirit of God is represented as speaking or acting in believers, he seems to be described as the Spirit of the Father, or a divine almighty principle reallybelonging to God, whichoperates in them, but is entirely distinct and different from their own spirits ; so Mat. x. 20. Il is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speakelh in you. It is this same Spirit of God, which taught their tongues to speak strange languages, and wrought miracles by their lips and, their hands. It is manifested as a divine principle of agency speaking and acting in them, infi- nitely different-from all their human principles of acting: This appeared emi- nently in the primitive and inspired christians, and in the ancient prophets they were actuated as by another spirit, or a divine active principle, distinct ; front' and vastly superior to their own.
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