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aggravation as to be only out of the reach of God's pardon and mercy, which to all other moft grievous Sins extends it felf. It cannot I fay be poffibly conceiv'd that the honour of a Creature fhould be thus preferr'd, thus ftronger guarded and fortify'd, than the honour of God himself. It remains therefore that the Holy Ghost, against whom only this unpardonable Sin can be committed, must of neceffity be no Created Being, but God Eternal, Co-effential and Co-equal to the Father and the Son in Unity of Nature, and Diftinct from them both in Perfon only. Which Diftinction when I fhall briefly have made appear out of Scripture, I think I fhall have fhewn you all that is neceffary to be Known and Believ'd of the Nature, and fhall proceed to the Of fice of the Holy Ghoft. That therefore, tho he is One in Nature with the Father and the Son because he is God, and because there can be but One God, both which Propofitions are plainly in many places of Scripture deliver'd, yet that he is diftinguifh'd from both in his Perfon, is as manifeftly in the fame Scriptures taught. From the Father first in all thofe places which are too numerous to be reckon'd, and too ob vious to need it, where he is faid to be sent by the Father, to be given by the Father, to proceed from the Father, to make Inter

ceffion

ceffion for us with the Father, and the like, and also from the Son, where he is called the Spirit of the Son, Gal. 4. 6, where he is fent by the Son, where he is faid to receive of the Son and thereby to glorify him, Hefball glorify me, for he fball receive of mine John 16.14. where we are told that he defcended and refted upon the Son, that the Son was led by him, anointed by him, and by his Operation and Overshadowing Conceiv'd of the Bleffed Virgin, and lastly where Our Saviour exprefsly diftinguishes him from himself by calling him Another, John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give You another Comforter that he may abide with You for ever. And as in all these places of Scripture the Holy Ghoft is diftinguifh'd from the Father, and from the Son feverally, fo very frequently alfo is he diftinguifh'd from 'em both jointly and together. Out of all which Ifhall mention but one, because of its clear. nefs, which is that account of St Matthew 3. 16. fo he faw the Spirit of God defcending like a Dove and lighting upon him, and lo! a Voice from Heaven saying, this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleafed. Where it is very evident that the Perfon of the Holy Ghoft was manifeftily diftinguish'd from the Perfon of the Son upon whom he lighted, and the Perfon of the Father who spake from Heaven of his Son. All which is

enough

enough to let us underftand that the Holy Scriptures do as certainly and clearly make Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, as diftinct in their Perfons, as they make them One in their Nature. And let thus much fuffice as concerning the Effence or Nature of the Holy Ghoft; for this is all that the Word of his own Infpiring has reveal'd to us of himself, and further it is neither dutiful, nor reverent, nor fafe for us to enquire.

I proceed now to His Office.

By His Office I mean that which is pe-. culiarly afcrib'd to Him in the Salvation of Mankind, as the Work wrought by Him, and for which He is purpofely fent by the Father and the Son. And That proper and peculiar Office of the Holy Ghoft is Sanctification, He being the Author of all Internal Holyness and Sanctifying Grace. Not that the Other Perfons of the Bleffed Trinity are excluded from a joint Concurrence in this Work. For all the Actions of the Bleffed Trinity, excepting thofe that are of extrinfecal Relation, are the undivided Works of all the Three. According to that Maxim uniformly and conftantly ever receiv'd in the Catholick Church, Opera Trinitatis ad extra funt indivifa. But because We are of too grofs an Understanding to be

able

able to conceive the Distinct Trinity of Perfons in the Unity of the Godhead without fome Diftinction of their Offices and Operations; in reference to Us therefore do's the Scripture condescend so far to our Capacities, as to attribute by way of Appropriation, as Divines call it, fome of those Great Works to One Perfon, and fome to Another, after a more special Manner than to the Reft. Thus Power and Creation is commonly afcrib'd to the Father, Wisdom and Redemption to the Son, and Goodness and Sanctification to the Holy Ghoft. According as we are taught in the excellent Catechifm of our Church, where the Queftion after the Creed being put, What daft thou chiefly learn in thefe Articles of thy Be lief, The Anfwer is, Firft I learn to believe in God the Father, who hath made me and all the World; Secondly in God the Son, who hath redeem'd me and all Mankind; Thirdly in God the Holy Ghoft, who fanctifieth me and all the Elect People of God. Sanctification then being the chief and peculiar Office of the Blessed Spirit, we fhall endeavour to fhew out of Holy Writ, by what Method he proceeds in this great Work, in which his feveral Operations may more diftinctly be confider'd.

And the firft Operation of this Holy Spirit in the Work of our Sanctification is the producing of Faith in us. For we being

by

by Nature totally void of all faving Truth, and under an impoffibility of knowing of ourselves the Will of God, fince as the Apostle fays, 1 Cor. 2. 10, 11. None knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God, This Spirit that fearcheth all things, yea even the deep things of God, revealeth them to the Sons of of Men; nor is that all, he does not only propound to us outwardly and generally all Saving Truths in the Holy Books written as they were Infpir'd by him, but inwardly and particularly Illuminates the Understanding of all that Believe, that they may fee and embrace the Truth. He is therefore called by the Apostle, Ephef. 1. 17. The Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation. Not of Revelation only, in propounding the Object to be Believ'd, but of Wisdom, in enlightening the Subject that is to Believe. So that not Only the outward Revelation of the Word of God, but the internal Illumination of the Soul of Man, is altogether both in its firft Original and all its further Growth and Encrease, the gift of the Holy Ghost. But as the Things of God are Foolishness to the Natural Man's Understanding, so they are Enmity to his Will: the Second Part therefore of this great Work of Sanctification is the renewing of Man's Will by the fame Spirit and making it inclinable and obfequious to the Will of God, which is

properly

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