Thirdly, Another property of a living person is 'power. A power whereby any one is able to act according to the guidance of his un- derstanding and the determinations of his will, declares him to be a person. It is not the mere ascription of power absolutely, or ability unto any thing, that I mtend; for they may signify no more but the efficacy wherewith such things are attended in their proper places,
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82 DIVINE NATURE AND PEESONALITY OF THE [cOOK I,
as instruments of tlie effects wliereunto they are applied. In this sense power is ascribed to the word of God, when it is said to be *' able to save our souls," James i. 21 ; and Acts xx. 82, " the word of God's grace" is said to be "able to build us up, and to give us an inhe- ritance among all them which are sanctified," if that place intend the word written or preached (Avhereinto I have made inquiry elsewhere): but these things are clearly interpreted in other places. The word is said to be " able," yea, to be the " power of God unto salvation," E,om. i. 16, because God is pleased to use it and make it effectual l)y his grace unto that end. But where power, divine power, is ab- solutely ascribed unto any one, and that declared to be put forth and exercised by the understanding and according to the will of him to whom it is so ascribed, it doth undeniably prove him to be a divine person; for when we say the Holy Ghost is so, we intend no more but that he is one who by his own divine understanding puts forth his own divine power. So is it in this case : Job xxxiii. 4, " The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Creation is an act of divine power, the highest we are capable to receive any notion of; and it is also an effect of the wisdom and will of him that createth, as being a voluntary act, and designed unto a certain end. All these, therefore, are here ascribed to the Spirit of God. It is excepted (Schlichting. pp. 618-615) "That by the 'Spirit of God' here mentioned no more is intended but our own vital spirits, whereby we are quickened, called the ' Spirit of God' because he gave it." But this is too much confidence. The words are, ';i'nn ^-^^ npt^•J1 ^}mv ^S-nn. There were two distinct divine operations in and about the creation of man. The first was the forming of his body out of the dust of the earth; this is expressed by '"ij^J^ and "ly^, — " he made," "he formed." And secondly, the infusion of a living or quickening soul into him, called 2''*'!' ^'r'^^, or "the breath of life." Both these are here distinctly mentioned; the first ascribed to the Spirit of God, the other to his breath, — that is, the same Spirit considered in a peculiar way of operation in the infusion of the rational soul. Such is the sense of these figurative and enig- matical words, " God breathed into man the breath of life," — that is, by his Spirit he effected a principle of life in him; as we shall see afterward.
Isa. xi. 2, As he is called a " Spirit of wisdom and understanding," so is he also of " might" or power. And although it may be granted that the things there mentioned are rather effects of his operations than adjuncts of his nature, yet he who effecteth wisdom and power in others must first have them himself To this jTOrpose also is that demand, Micah ii. 7, " Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened," or shortened? that is, in his power, that he cannot work and operate in
CHAP. III.J HOLY SPIRIT PROVED AND VINDICATED. 83
the prophets and his church as in former days ; and the same pro- phet, chap. iii. 8, affirms that he is "full of power, and of judgment, and of might, by the Spirit of the Lord." These things were wrought in him by his power, as the apostle speaks to the same jiurpose, Eph. iii. 16.
Those by whom this truth is opposed do lay out all their strength and skill in exceptions, I may say cavils, against some of these par- ticular testimonies and some expressions in them; but as to the whole argument, taken from the consideration of the design and scope of the Scripture in them all, they have nothing to except.
To complete this argument, I shall add the consideration of those works and operations of all sorts which are ascribed to the Spirit of God ; which we shall find to be such as are not capable of an assigna- tion unto him with the least congruity of speech or design of speak- ing intelligibly, unless he be a distinct, singular subsistent or person, endued with divine power and understanding. And here what we desii'ed formerly might be observed must be again repeated. It is not from a single instance of every one of the works which we shall mention that Ave draw and confirm our argument ; for some of them, singly considered, may perhaps sometimes be metaphorically ascribed unto other causes, which doth not prove that therefore they are persons also, — which contains the force of all the exceptions of our adversaries against these testimonies; — but as some of them, at least, never are nor can be assigned unto any but a divine person, so we take our argument from their joint consideration, or the uniform, constant assignation of them all unto him in the Scriptures: which renders it irrefragable. For the things themselves, I shall not insist upon them, because their particular nature must be afterward un- folded.