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"Sanctification being opposed to our corruption, and answering fully to the latitude thereof, whatsoever holiness and perfection are wanting in our nature, must be supplied by the Spirit of God. Wherefore, we being by nature totally void of all saving truth, and under an impossibility of knowing the will of God: this Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God,' and revealeth them unto the sons of men; so that thereby the darkness of their understanding is expelled, and they are enlightened with the knowledge of God. The same Spirit which revealeth the object of faith, generally, to the universal church, doth also illuminate the understanding of such as believe; that they may receive the truth. For 'faith is the gift of God,' not only in the object, but also in the act. And this gift, is the gift of the Holy Ghost working within us. And as the increase of perfection, so the original of faith is from the Spirit of God, by internal illumination of the soul.'

The second part of the office of the Holy Ghost is the renewing of man, in all the parts and faculties of his soul: For our natural corruption consisting in an aversion of our wills, and a depravation of our affections; an inclination of them to the will of God is wrought within us by the Spirit of God.

The third part of his office is, to lead, direct, and govern us, in our actions and conversations. If we live in the Spirit,' quickened. walk in the Spirit,' following his We are also animated and acted both to will and to do.'

by his renovation, we must also direction, led by his manuduction. by the Spirit of God, who giveth "And as many as are thus led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God.' (Rom. viii. 14.) Moreover that this direction may prove more effectual, we are guided in our prayers by the same Spirit: according to the promise, I will pour upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication.' (Zech. xii. 10.) Whereas then, this is the confidence we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us and whereas we know not what we should pray for as we ought, the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings that And he that searcheth the heart cannot be uttered.' (ver. 26, 27.) knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.' From which intercession (made for all true Christians) "he hath the name of the Paraclete given him by Christ; who said, 'I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete.' (John xiv. 16. 26.) For, if any man sin, we have a Paraclete with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,' saith St. John, 1 Epist. ii. 1: who maketh intercession for us,' saith St. Paul. Rom. viii. 34. A Paraclete, then, in the notion of the Scriptures, is an intercessor."

"It is also the office of the Holy Ghost to assure us of the adoption of sons,' to create in us a sense of the paternal love of God toward us, to give us an earnest of our everlasting inheritance. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For as many as are led by the Spirit of

God, they are the sons of God. And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father: the Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' As, therefore, we are born again by the Spirit, and receive from him our regeneration, so we are also by the same Spirit assured of our adoption. Because, being 'sons, we are also heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ,' by the same Spirit we have the pledge, or rather the earnest, of our inheritance. For he which establisheth us in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath also sealed us, and hath given us the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts;' so we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance.' The Spirit of God, as given to us in this life, is to be looked upon as an earnest, being part of that reward which is promised, and, upon performance of the covenant which God hath made with us, certainly to be received."

It now rests with your lordship to take your choice; either to condemn or acquit both: either your lordship must condemn bishop Pearson for an enthusiast, or you must acquit me: for I have his express authority on my side, concerning every text, which I affirm to belong to all Christians.

But I have greater authority than his, and such as I reverence, only less than the oracles of God. I mean, that of our own church, I shall close this head, by setting down what occurs in her authentic records, concerning either our receiving the Holy Ghost, or his ordinary operations in all true Christians.

In her daily Service, she teacheth us all to beseech God to grant us his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy:' to pray for our sovereign Lord the king,' that God would replenish him with the grace of his Holy Spirit; for all the royal family, 'that they may be endued with his Holy Spirit, and enriched with his heavenly grace;' for all the clergy and people, that he would 'send down upon them the healthful Spirit of his grace;' for the catholic church,' that it may be guided and governed by his good Spirit ;' and for all therein, who, at any time, make their common supplications unto him,' that the fellowship' or communication of the Holy Ghost may be with them all evermore.'

Her Collects are full of petitions to the same effect. Grant that we may daily be renewed by the Holy Spirit.'* Grant that in all our sufferings here, for the testimony of thy truth, we may by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed, and being filled with the Holy Ghost, may love and bless our persecutors.'t Send thy Holy Ghost, and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity.' O Lord, from whom all good things do come, grant to us, thy hum

* Collect for Christmas Day.

St. Stephen's Day. I Qinquagesima Sunday.

ble servants, that by thy holy inspiration, we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guidance may perform the same.'* "We beseech thee, leave us not comfortless, but send us the Holy Ghost to comfort us.'t Grant us by the same Spirit, to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort.'‡ Grant us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit to think and do always such things as be rightful.'S O God, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee, mercifully grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts.'|| Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name.'¶

'Give thy Holy Spirit to this infant, (or this person,) that he may be born again.'Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons,' (N.B. already baptized,) that they may continue thy servants.'

Almighty God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these persons by water and the Holy Ghost:-strengthen them with the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, and daily increase in them the manifold gifts of thy grace." ***

From these passages it may sufficiently appear for what purposes every Christian, according to the doctrine of the Church of England does now receive the Holy Ghost. But this will be still more clear from those that follow; wherein we may likewise observe a plain, rational sense of God's revealing himself to us, of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and of a believer's feeling in himself the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ.

'God gave them of old, grace to be his children, as he doth us now. But now by the coming of our Saviour Christ, we have received more abundantly the Spirit of God in our hearts.'tt He died to destroy the rule of the Devil in us, and he rose again to send down his Holy Spirit to rule in our hearts.' We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, as a seal and pledge of our everlasting inheritance.'‡‡

The Holy Ghost sat upon each of them, like as it had been cloven tongues of fire, to teach, that it is he that giveth eloquence and utterance in preaching the gospel, which engendereth a burning zeal towards God's word, and giveth all men a tongue, yea, a fiery tongue.' (N.B. Whatever occurs, in any of the Journals, of God's giving me utterance, or enabling me to speak with power, cannot therefore be quoted as enthusiasm, without wounding the church through my side.) So that if any man be a dumb Christian, not professing his faith openly, he giveth men occasion to doubt, lest he have not the grace of the Holy Ghost within him.'§§

It is the office of the Holy Ghost to sanctify; which the more it is hid from our understanding,' (i. e. the particular manner of his working,) the more it ought to move all men to wonder at the secret

Fifth Sunday after Easter. + Sunday after Ascension-day. Ninth Sunday after Trinity. Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity. nion Office. **Office of Confirmation. tt Hom. on Faith. Resurrection. §§ Hom. on Whitsunday, part 1.

Whitsunday. ¶ Commu‡‡ Hom. on the

and mighty workings of God's Holy Spirit, which is within us. For it is the Holy Ghost that doth quicken the minds of men, stirring up godly motions in their hearts. Neither does he think it sufficient inwardly to work the new-birth of men, unless he does also dwell and abide in them. Know ye not,' saith St. Paul, that ye are the temples of God, and that his Spirit dwelleth in you? Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost, which is within you?' Again he saith, Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit.' For why? The Spirit of God dwelleth in you.' To this agreeth St. John, (1 John ii. 27,) The anointing which ye have received,' (he meaneth the Holy Ghost,) abideth in you.' And St. Peter saith the same; The Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.' O what comfort is this to the heart of a true Christian, to think that the Holy Ghost dwelleth in him! If God be with us,' as the apostle saith, 'who can be against us?' He giveth patience and joyfulness of heart in temptation and affliction, and is therefore worthily called the Comforter. (John xiv. 16.) He doth instruct the hearts of the simple in the knowledge of God, and his word; therefore he is justly termed the Spirit of truth. And (N. B.) where the Holy Ghost doth instruct and teach, there is no delay at all in learning.**

[From this passage, I learn, 1. That every true Christian now receives the Holy Ghost, as the Paraclete or Comforter promised by our Lord. (John xiv. 13.) Secondly, That every Christian receives him as the Spirit of truth, (promised John xvi.) to teach him all things. And, 3. That the anointing, mentioned in the first epistle of St. John, abides in every Christian.]

In reading of God's word, he profiteth most who is most inspired with the Holy Ghost.'†

Human and worldly wisdom is not needful to the understanding the Scripture; but the revelation of the Holy Ghost, who inspireth the true meaning unto them, who with humility and diligence, search for it.'t

'Make him know and feel, that there is no other name given under heaven, unto men, whereby we can be saved. If we feel our conscience at peace with God, through remission of our sins-all is of God.' 'If you feel such a faith in you, rejoice in it, and let it be daily increasing by well-working.' The faithful may feel wrought, tranquillity of conscience, the increase of faith and hope, with many other graces of God.'¶ Godly men feel inwardly God's Holy Spirit inflaming their hearts with love."**

'God give us grace to know these things, and feel them in our hearts! This knowledge and feeling are not of ourselves. Let us, therefore, meekly call upon the bountiful Spirit, the Holy Ghost, to inspire us with his presence, that we may be able to hear the goodness of God to our salvation. For without his lively inspiration, we cannot so much as speak the name of the Mediator. No man can

Hom. on Whitsunday. Part I. Hom. on Reading the Scripture. Part F. Ibid. P. II. Hom. on Rogation Week. P. III. || Hom. on Faith. P. III. Hon on the Sacrament. P. I. ** Hom. on certain places of Scripture. P. L

say, Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.' Much less should we be able to believe and know these great mysteries that be opened to us by Christ. But we have received,' saith St. Paul, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God:' for this purpose, that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God.' In the power of the Holy Ghost resteth all ability to know God, and to please him. It is he that purifieth the mind by his secret working. He enlighteneth the heart to conceive worthy thoughts of Almighty God. He sitteth on the tongue of man, to stir him to speak his honour. He only ministereth spiritual strength to the powers of the soul and body. And if we have any gift whereby we may profit our neighbour, all is wrought by this one and self-same Spirit.*

Every proposition which I have any where advanced concerning those operations of the Holy Ghost, which I believe are common to all Christians, in all ages, is here clearly maintained by our own church.

Being fully convinced of this, I could not well understand, for many years, how it was, that on the mentioning any of these great truths, even among men of education, the cry immediately arose, "An enthusiast! an enthusiast!" But I now plainly perceive, this is only an old fallacy in a new shape. To object enthusiasm to any person or doctrine, is but a decent method of begging the question. It generally spares the objector the trouble of reasoning, and is a shorter and easier way of carrying his cause.

For instance: I assert, that "till a man receives the Holy Ghost, he is without God in the world; that he cannot know the things of God, unless God reveal them unto him by his Spirit; no, nor have even one holy or heavenly temper, without the inspiration of the Holy One." Now should one who is conscious to himself, that he has experienced none of these things, attempt to confute these propositions, either from Scripture or antiquity, it might prove a difficult task. What then shall he do? Why, cry out, "Enthusiasm! Fanaticism!" and the work is done.

"But is it not mere enthusiasm or fanaticism to talk of the NewBirth?" So one might imagine from the manner in which your lordship talks of it. "The Spirit did not stop till it had manifested itself in the last effort of his power, the New-Birth. (p. 123.) The New-Birth began in storms and tempests, in cries and ecstacies, in tumults and confusions. (p. 126.) Persons who had no sense of religion, that is, no ecstatic feelings, or pains of the New-Birth. (p. 180.) What can be the issue of the New-Birth, attended with those infernal throes? (p. 170.) Why should he elicit sense from these Gentiles, when they were finally to be deprived of it in ecstacies and New-Births? (p. 225.) All these circumstances Mr. W. has declared to be constant symptoms of the New-Birth." p. 222.

* Hom. for Rogation Week. P. IIL