346 THE ARIAN INVITED TO ORTHODOX FAITH. itself represented in a personal manner, as a prophet having fore-knowledge and a power of speaking ? Gal. iii. 8. " The scripture seeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached the gospel to Abraham." Is not the law de- scribed as a person ? Gal. iii. 24. " The law was our school- master to bring us to Christ." And in several other places. Is not the grace of God exhibited as a person, labouring together with St. Paul ? 1 Cor. xv. 10. " I laboured more than they all ; yet not I, but the grace of Godwhich was with me." And why may not the spirit ofGod, or his efficient ppower, be so described too, since it has so great, so universal, add all-pervading an agency in the affairs of creation and salvation ? Are not the water and the blood described in, a personal manner, as witnesses, " o µap1ups'hç ; 1 John. v. S. Take these words in any sense, yet they are not real proper persons : Why then may not the Spirit be called a witness, and be represented personally too, whether in' that verse it signifies a divine powers or the influence of that power ? Let it be observed as I hinted before, that among men no- thing is more naturally represented in a personal manner, than the several actions, qualities, or powers of human nature, viz. virtue, vice, wisdom, fancy, reason, conscience, will, &c. and this both in scripture, and in common writings. I will mention but one at present. The very approbation, and concurrent sen- timents of St. Paul are called his spirit, and represented in a personal manner; 1 Cor. v. 4. " When ye are gathered together, and my spirit with you ;" Col. ii. 5. " Though I be absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order. " Now if the very will, inclination, and concurrent sentiments of a man may be called the spirit' of a man, and re- presented as being present, and acting in a distant place, is there not much more reason why a divine efficient power should be called the Spirit of God, and be represented as employed and acting in all distant places, by virtue of the divine omnipresence. Answer II. I might give a second answer to this objection, in this manner. It is granted by all Trinitarians, that there are some places of scripture where the Spirit must be construed as a power, or a divine influence, and must signify the gifts, graces, or operations of the Spirit, viz. Where the Spirit is represented as poured out, as shed down, as communicated in greater or less degrees, &c. Now 'since the Spirit, if he be a proper, real, literal person, yet is confessed to be sometimes represented as a power, why may he not be sometimes represented as a person ; though in his own nature he be a proper, real, literal power ? Tbings are represented in scripture as persons, more frequently then persons are represented as things. Objection. But here it will be Objected still, If the Spirit
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