the gofpel whereas the Holy Ghost always defcended to confirm fome things that were to be of univerfal inftruction and importance; or confer gifts on perfons that were to be of the greatest use and service to the whole chriftian church: as will appear upon the leaft reflection on the only inftances which occurr of his immediate defcent.

However, though the gifts conferred by the apoftles were conferred in a lower degree than when the Holy Ghoft fell on them; yet I am apt to think, that whenever the apofties conferred fuch gifts of the Holy Ghoft as they could impart, they always prayed that thofe to whom they were going to impart them might receive them. Our Saviour, who told his difciples, that their heavenly Father would give them the Holy Spirit; adds, that "it fhould be on their asking it." It is very obfervable, that the Holy Ghoft did not defcend on our Saviour till after his praying, on coming out of the water P. And it is expreflly related of Peter and John, that "when "they had prayed, they laid their hands on "the Samaritans, and gave them the Holy "Ghost." And though it is not mentioned in any other cafe, yet I am strongly inclined to believe, that prayer always preceded; to fhew that this great gift came from God, and

• Luke xii. 13. • Acts viii. 15.

. Ibid. iii. 21.

was

was difpenfed according to his will. And I the rather incline to this, from the laying on of hands, which always accompanied the conferring these gifts; that being a ceremony which always attended folemn bleffing and prayer; or, if you please, a folemn prayer for a bleffing; as I fhall prove in the third Effay. St. Austin, to this purpose, fpeaking of the apostles imparting the Holy Ghost to the Samaritans, fays, Orabant quippe ut veniret in eos (fpiritus fanctus) quibus manus imponebant; non ipfi eum dabant.

There is one thing more concerning these gifts, which very well deferves our notice, namely, that whether they were poured out by God immediately, or imparted by the laying on of the hands of the apoftles; yet they were not all diftributed to one, nor were they diftributed in fuch measure as the apoftles would, or as the chriftians defired to have them; but differing in kind and degree, according to the grace that was given them; or according to fuch proportion as God faw fit to give to the feveral members of the church, for the ufe and fervice of the whole body; "For the perfecting of the faints, for the "work of the miniftry, for the edifying the body of Chrift; that fo fpeaking the truth

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T

Auguft. de Trin. lib. xv. cap. 26.

Rom. xii. 16. 1 Cor. xii.

VOL. I.

S

« in

7

"in love, they might grow up into him in "all things, which is the head, even Chrift. "From whom the whole body fitly joined "together, and compacted by that which

every joint fupplieth, according to the ef"fectual working in the measure of every "part, maketh increase of the body, unto "the edifying itself in love." Thus St. Paul tells the Corinthians, all had not the word of wisdom, nor all the word of knowledge; all did not prophecy, nor had all the ability to teach, to exhort, to fing pfalms, to pray, to interpret; all were not helps or governments: but God gave fome apoftles, fome prophets, fome evangelifts, fome pastors and "teachers," according to his own good pleafure; to fhew, that all thefe diverfities of gifts were not diftributed by the will of man,

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but by the fame Spirit, dividing to every "man feverally as he will." So alfo the author of the epiftle to the Hebrews informs us, that "God bore witnefs to the apostles by

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figns and wonders, and with divers mira"cles and gifts (diftributions, μegioμoïs) of "the Holy Ghoft, according to his own "will"." Whereby it was still farther proved beyond all exception, that the power was not of man, but of God.

There were foon falfe Chrifts. Did Christ fend forth true apoftles and prophets? There

Eph. iv. 12. 15, 16.

"Heb. ii. 4.

foon

foon arofe falfe prophets and apoftles. Did they lay claim to a fuperiour Spirit? So did the falfe apostles too. They, and the heretics that fucceeded them, vented ftrange extravagancies about the Spirit, which they pretended to have fuperiour to the prophets, and very different from one another, as Irenæus, Clemens Alexandrinus, Theodoret, and Epiphanius, inform us. Hence come the phrases of "not believing every fpirit, and of trying "the fpirits and of the Spirit of Chrift, ❝and of antichrift: the Spirit of Truth, and "the fpirit of error y."

This is what I have to offer to explain the teaching of the Holy Ghoft. All that I fhall fay to explain what I mean by the Holy Ghoft's witneffing, is, that whenever those who were thus enlightened ufed the knowledge communicated to them in its various inftances and degrees, the Holy Ghost witneffed to the truth of chriftianity; or gave a proof of the great articles of it, on which all the reft were founded; namely, "that Jefus "of Nazareth was crucified, was rifen, and "exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to

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grant repentance and remiffion of fins: fince "he, according to the predictions of this mat"ter, having received the promise of the

* 1 John iv. 1.

y Ver. 6.

* Ver. 3.

S 2

"Father,

て

"Father, had fent down thefe gifts which "men faw and heard.

But though the principal business of the Spirit's witneffing was to prove the truth of the great facts of the chriftian religion, yet it was to ferve another end alfo; namely, to comfort thofe who had it with the affurance of God's pardon and acceptance. This feems to follow from the very nature of the thing; and to be fairly implied in what Peter fays to the Jews, Acts ii. (on their being pricked in the heart by his fharp reproof, and by perceiving the great guilt that was upon them, in having "flain Jefus of Nazareth, whom God had fo highly approved, crying out, in the utmost diftrefs, to Peter and the reft of the apostles, Men and brethren, what fhall we do?) Repent and be baptized-and ye fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (the pledge of the pardon of this fin, which will draw down God's heavy vengeance on the whole nation, if they do not repent of it); for the promife is to you, &c." And, indeed, if this had not been implied in faying, "Ye fhall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost," it could have given them but little confolation under their diftrefs, how much foever it might have witneffed to the truth of the great facts which the apoftles teftified. But on their understanding what was to be inferred,

w Acts ii. 33. v. 31, 32.