349 THE ARIA\ I\RITaD TO ORTHODOX FAITH. scriptures may be interpreted upon thisfoot, which represent the Spirit of God in the strongest language of personality. Objection 'II. If the Spirit of God be really but a power of the divine nature, how is that consistent with those texts of scrip- ture which speak of the power of the Spirit of God and the power of the holy Ghost ; Rom. xv. 13, 19. Can there be the power of a power ? Or, is this proper language ? Answer I. Yes, the language is proper enough, while we remember that the word power in one place signifies a faculty, in the other, the force of that faculty : Are not reason And consci- ence powers of a human soul, and yet it is never thought itnpro- per to speak of the power, that is, force of these powers or fa- cul ties. May we not say, that one man subdued his appetitesby the power of his reason ? And that the conscience of another man had power over his vices ? Even the divine will is repre- sented in scripture as a power in the godhead, and yet it is very proper to attribute various effects to the power of the divine will : And by the same reason we may speak of operations wrought by the power of the holy Spirit, especially when he is represented as a divine power. It is natural and easy in this case to suppose the word power, in those texts to be an attribute, or property of this divine power, or faculty, personalized : For when any thing is represented as aperson, itis no impropriety at all to attribute powers to it. Answer II. Or, if we should suppose the power of the holy Spirit to be a pleonastic expression, it is no more than is common in scripture, and there are many instances of it, as, Eph. i. 5. according to the good pleasure of his will, that is, the will of his will, so in Eph. vi. 10. " Be strong in the power of his might." Eph. i. 19. "Ká }C T'1 e,ety«C, Tze xpCTay sa> ixOS, COTS n, e,xpynoe.." " According to the working of the might of his power which he worked, or wrought" Col. i. 22. " In the body of his flesh." And a multitude of such oriental pleonasms are found in scripture. Objection III. If the Spirit of God be properly a power of the divine nature, or a distinct principle of action, and not a real and proper person, or distinct intelligent being, how can weoffer a doxology to the Spirit, and ascribe honour and glory to him, together with the Father and the Son ? Answer I. Though I think it may be very proper, upon some occasions, to join the Holy Spirit in a doxology, and to offer gloryand praise to him, together with the Father and the Son, yet I think it maybe affirmed, that there isnot any one plain and ex- press instance in all the scripture, of a doxology directly and dis- tinctly addressed to the Holy Spirit. Perhaps one reason among others, may be because both the Father, and the Son, considered as God-men, are proper, distinct persons, while the proper, die-
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