_First_, I shall briefly shew, what is meant by the word Spirit.
_Secondly_, That this Spirit is the common privilege of all
believers.
_Thirdly_, I shall shew the reason on which this doctrine is
founded. And
_Lastly_, Conclude with a general exhortation to believe on
JESUS CHRIST, whereby alone we can receive this Spirit.
_First_, I am to shew, what is meant by the word _Spirit_.
By the Spirit, is evidently to be understood the Holy Ghost, the third
person in the ever-blessed Trinity, consubstantial and ♦co-eternal
with the Father and the Son, proceeding from, yet equal to them both.
For, to use the words of our Church in this day’s office, that which we
believe of the glory of the Father, the same we believe of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality.
♦ “co-eternnl” replaced with “co-eternal”
Thus, says St. _John_, in his first epistle, chapter v. verse 7. “There
are three that bare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
Holy Ghost, and these three are one.” And our LORD, when he gave his
Apostles commission to go and teach all nations, commanded them to
baptize in the name of the Holy Ghost, as well as of the Father and the
Son. And St. _Peter_, _Acts_ v. 3. said to _Ananias_, “Why hath Satan
filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost?” And verse 4. he says,
“Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto GOD.” From all which passages,
it is plain, that the Holy Ghost, is truly and properly GOD, as well as
the Father and the Son. This is an unspeakable mystery, but a mystery
of GOD’s revealing, and, therefore, to be assented to with our whole
hearts: seeing GOD is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man
that he should deceive. I proceed,
_Secondly_, To prove that the Holy Ghost is the common privilege of all
believers.
But, here I would not be understood of so receiving the Holy Ghost,
as to enable us to work miracles, or shew outward signs and wonders.
I allow our adversaries, that to pretend to be inspired, in this
sense, is being wise above what is written. Perhaps it cannot be
proved, that GOD ever interposed in this extraordinary manner, but when
some new revelation was to be established, as at the first settling
of the _Mosaic_ and gospel dispensation: and as for my own part, I
cannot but suspect the spirit of those who insist upon a repetition of
such miracles at this time. For the world being now become nominally
christian, (though, GOD knows, little of the power is left among us)
there need not outward miracles, but only an inward co-operation of the
Holy Spirit with the word, to prove that JESUS is the Messiah which was
to come into the world.
Besides, if it was possible for thee, O man, to have faith, so as to be
able to remove mountains, or cast out devils; nay, couldst thou speak
with the tongue of men and angels, yea, and bid the sun stand still
in the midst of heaven; what would all these gifts of the Spirit avail
thee, without being made partaker of his sanctifying graces? _Saul_ had
the spirit of government for a while, so as to become another man, and
yet probably was a cast-away. And many, who cast out devils in CHRIST’s
name, at the last will be disowned by him. If, therefore, thou hadst
only the gifts, and was destitute of the graces of the Holy Ghost, they
would only serve to lead thee with so much the more solemnity to hell.
Here then we join issue with our adversaries, and will readily grant,
that we are not in this sense to be inspired, as were our LORD’s first
Apostles. But unless men have eyes which see not, and ears that hear
not, how can they read the latter part of the text, and not confess
that the Holy Spirit, in another sense, is the common privilege of all
believers, even to the end of the world? “This spake he of the Spirit,
which they that believe on him should receive.” Observe, he does
not say, they that believe on him for one or two ages, but they that
believe on him in general, or, at all times, and in all places. So that,
unless we can prove, that St. _John_ was under a delusion when he wrote
these words, we must believe that even we also, shall receive the Holy
Ghost, if we believe on the LORD JESUS with our whole hearts.
Again, our LORD, just before his bitter passion, when he was about to
offer up his soul an offering for the sins of the elect world; when
his heart was most enlarged, and he would undoubtedly demand the most
excellent gift for his disciples, prays, “That they all may be one, as
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they also may be one in
us, I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;”
that is, that all his true followers might be united to him by his holy
Spirit, by as real, vital, and mystical an union, as there was between
JESUS CHRIST and the Father. I say all his _true followers_; for it is
evident, from our LORD’s own words, that he had us, and all believers,
in view, when he put up this prayer; “Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” so
that, unless we treat our LORD as the high priests did, and count him
a blasphemer, we must confess, that all who believe in JESUS CHRIST,
through the word, or ministration of his servants, are to be joined to
JESUS CHRIST, by being made partakers of the Holy Spirit.
A great noise hath been made of late, about the word _enthusiast_,
and it has been cast upon the preachers of the gospel, as a term of
reproach; but every christian, in the proper sense of the word, must
be an enthusiast; that is, must be inspired of GOD, or have GOD, by his
Spirit, in him. St. _Peter_ tells us, “we have many great and precious
promises, that we may be made partakers of the divine nature;” our LORD
prays, “that we may be one, as the Father and he are one;” and our own
church, in conformity to these texts of Scripture, in her excellent
communion-office, tells us, that those who receive the sacrament
worthily, “dwell in CHRIST, and CHRIST in them; that they are one with
CHRIST, and CHRIST with them.” And yet, christians must have their
names cast out as evil, and ministers in particular, must be looked
upon as deceivers of the people, for affirming, that we must be really
united to GOD, by receiving the Holy Ghost. Be astonished, O heavens,
at this!
Indeed, I will not say, all our letter-learned preachers deny this
doctrine in express words; but however, they do in effect; for they
talk professedly against inward feelings, and say, we may have GOD’s
Spirit without feeling it, which is in reality to deny the thing itself.
And had I a mind to hinder the progress of the gospel, and to establish
the kingdom of darkness, 1 would go about, telling people, they might
have the Spirit of GOD, and yet not feel it.
But to return: When our LORD was about to ascend to his Father and our
Father, to his GOD and our GOD, he gave his apostles this commission,
“Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” And accordingly, by authority
of this commission, we do teach and baptize in this, and every age of
the church. And though we translate the words, “baptizing them in the
_name_;” yet, as the name of GOD, in the LORD’s prayer, and several
other places, signifies his nature, they might as well be translated
thus, “baptizing them into the _nature_ of the Father, into the
_nature_ of the Son, and into the _nature_ of the Holy Ghost.”
Consequently, if we are all to be baptized into the nature of the Holy
Ghost, before our baptism be effectual to salvation, it is evident,
that we all must actually receive the Holy Ghost, and ere we can say,
we truly believe in JESUS CHRIST. For no one can say, that JESUS is my
LORD, but he that has thus received the Holy Ghost.
Numbers of other texts might be quoted to make this doctrine, if
possible, still more plain; but I am astonished, that any who call
themselves members; much more, that many, who are preachers in the
church of _England_, should dare so much as to open their lips against
it. And yet, with grief I speak it, GOD is my Judge, persons of the
established church seem more generally to be ignorant of it, than any
dissenters whatsoever.
But, my dear brethren, what have you been doing? how often have your
hearts given your lips the lye? how often have you offered to GOD
the sacrifice of fools, and had your prayers turned into sin, if you
approve of, and use our church-liturgy, and yet deny the Holy Spirit to
be the portion of all believers? In the daily absolution, the minister
exhorts the people to pray, that “GOD would grant them repentance, and
his Holy Spirit;” in the Collect for _Christmas-day_, we beseech GOD,
“that he would daily renew us by his Holy Spirit;” in the last week’s
Collect, we prayed that “we may evermore rejoice in the comforts of the
Holy Ghost;” and in the concluding prayer, which we put up every day,
we pray, not only that the grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the love
of GOD, but that “the fellowship of the Holy Ghost” may be with us all
evermore.
But farther, a solemn season, to some, is now approaching; I mean the
_Ember-days_, at the end of which, all that are to be ordained to the
office of a deacon, are in the sight of GOD, and in the presence of the
congregation, to declare, that “they trust they are inwardly moved by
the Holy Ghost, to take upon them that administration;” and to those,
who are to be ordained priests, the bishop is to repeat these solemn
words, “Receive thou the Holy Ghost, now committed unto thee, by the
imposition of our hands.” And yet, O that I had no reason to speak
it, many that use our forms, and many who have witnessed this good
confession, yet dare to both talk and preach against the necessity
of receiving the Holy Ghost now; and not only so, but cry out against
those, who do insist upon it, as madmen, enthusiasts, schismatics, and
underminers of the established constitution.
But you are the schismatics, you are the bane of the church of
_England_, who are always crying out, “the temple of the LORD, the
temple of the LORD;” and yet starve the people out of our communion, by
feeding them only with the dry husks of dead morality, and not bringing
out to them the fatted calf; I mean, the doctrines of the operations
of the blessed Spirit of GOD. But here is the misfortune; many of us
are not led by, and therefore no wonder that we cannot talk feelingly
of, the Holy Ghost; we subscribe to our articles, and make them serve
for a key to get into church-preferment, and then preach contrary to
those very articles to which we have subscribed. Far be it from me,
to charge all the clergy with this hateful hypocrisy; no, blessed be
GOD, there are some left among us, who dare maintain the doctrines
of the Reformation, and preach the truth as it is in JESUS: But I
speak the truth in CHRIST, I lye not; the generality of the clergy are
fallen from our articles, and do not speak agreeable to them, or to
the form of sound words delivered in the Scriptures; wo be unto such
blind leaders of the blind! how can you escape the damnation of hell?
It is not all your learning (falsely so called) it is not all your
preferments can keep you from the just judgment of GOD. Yet a little
while, and we shall all appear before the tribunal of CHRIST; there,
there will I meet you; there JESUS CHRIST, the great Shepherd and
Bishop of souls, shall determine who are the false prophets, who
are the wolves in sheep’s cloathing. Those who say, that we must now
receive and feel the Holy Ghost, or those who exclaim against it, as
the doctrine of devils.
But I can no more; it is an unpleasing task to censure any order of men,
especially those who are in the ministry; nor would any thing excuse it
but necessity: that necessity which extorted from our LORD himself so
many woes against the Scribes and Pharisees, the letter-learned rulers
and teachers of the _Jewish_ church; and surely, if I could bear to see
people perish for lack of knowledge, and yet be silent towards those
who keep from them the key of true knowledge, the very stones would cry
out.
Would we restore the church to its primitive dignity, the only way is
to live and preach the doctrine of CHRIST, and the articles to which we
have subscribed; then we shall find the number of dissenters will daily
decrease, and the church of _England_ become the joy of the whole earth.