DISSERTATION V. 315 any iniquity, nor are their limbs moved but by the original force Qf his law of creation, according to their ownfree will, and their own resolution. It is granted by modern philosophers that the divine will, or power, is the immediate cause of gravitation ; and it is evident, that if a man push a boy from a precipice, it is gravitation that dashes out his brains;,yet the man is properly guilty of the boy's death, and not the divine power, which is an universal and uni- form agent, according to the settled laws of the creation. I thought it necessary for the sake of weaker readers, to remove this cavil by the way. But these last pages are rather an occasional digression, and a meditation " en passant." Whe- ther this be approved or no, it does not at all effect my present hypothesis, of explaining the sacred Three. It is time now to endeavour to solve some of the special difficulties relating to the doctrine of the Trinity, that are supposed to attend on this re- presentation of the blessedSpirit. SECT. TV.Objections answered. Objection I. Is not the personal language, in which the Spirit of God is represented in scripture, too strong and empha- tical, to be applied merely to a divine power ? Is he not de- scribed as a real proper person, an intelligent being, distinct from God the Father and the Son ? Answer I. I..grant the personal representations of the Holy, Spirit seem to be strong in some places of scripture : But let it he noted, that the more general and constant language speaks of lum as a power, or a medium of divine operation, in the very essence of God. We must also consider that it was Vie frequent custom amongst the Jewish writers, and the Oriental nations, not only in their oratorical or poetical works, but even in their common phra- seology, to speak of powers and qualities, under personal charac- ters. Now it is nowonder at all that the blessedSpiritof God should be so represented, especially since we know not how great the real and divine distinction may be between God and lus essential powers. This may be so great, for ought we know, as to lay a juster foundation for the ascription of personal cha- racters to the blessed Spirit, than can be found etmongst any human powers or properties whatsoever. Is not the wisdom of man, as well as the wisdom of God represented in strong personal characters in the book of Pro- verbs ? See Prov. is 20-33. ", Wisdom crieth without, she uttereth her voice in the streets, &c." Prov. ii. 10-12. iii. 13 20. iv. 6-13. ix. L as well as in the eighth chapter, where it is supposed the second person in the Trinity is meant. Is not' eharity represented as aparson i l Cor. ,xiii ? Isnot the scripture
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