any*. Before me was no God formed: neither shall there be after me†. I am the Lord,—and my glory will I not give to another. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve §. Since then there is not a plurality of gods; and yet the Son and Spirit are each of them God, no less than the Father: it plainly follows, that they are, in a manner by us inconceivable, so united to him, that these three are one; but still, in a manner equally inconceivable, so distinguished from him, that no one of them is the other. Now certainly, in general, it is no contradiction, that things should be in one respect the same, and in another different. But the particular and explicit notion of this union and this distinction, the word of God hath not given us. Whether we are capable of apprehending it, we know not: and therefore it is no wonder in the least, that we are incapable of forming one to ourselves. For indeed we are incapable of forming clear notions concerning thousands of other things, which are unspeakably less beyond our reach. All that we can do therefore is, to use those expressions in relation to it, which either Scripture furnishes, or experience hath found useful to guard against false apprehensions: for with very imperfect ones we must be content. Thus in speaking of the difference of the Son and the Spirit from the Father and from each other, we say, with our Bible, that the Son is begotten, and the Spirit proceeds, without pretending to know any further, what these two words mean, than that each denotes something different from the other; and both something different from creation out of nothing. And this distinction giving + Isaiah xliii. 10. Isaiah xlii. 8. Isaiah xliv. 8. 1 John v. 7. occasion to Scripture to speak of them in somewhat the same manner, as of different persons amongst men; we call them the three Persons of the Trinity: not at all intending by it to say, that the word, person, suits them in every respect that it suits us : but only to acknowledge, that as we find them thus spoken of, we doubt not but there is some sufficient ground for it. And as we find further, that in point of rank, the person of the Father is represented as supreme, the Son as subordinate to him, the Holy Spirit to both; and in point of relation to us, creation is ascribed peculiarly to the first, redemption to the second, sanctification to the third; and yet, in some sense, each of these things to each: we imitate the whole of this likewise. Still we are very sensible, at the same time, that many more doubts and difficulties may be raised, almost about every part of the doctrine, than God, in his unsearchable wisdom, hath given us light enough to solve. But we apprehend it is our duty, to believe with humility and simplicity what the Scripture hath taught us: and to be contentedly ignorant of what it doth not teach us; without indulging speculations and conjectures, which will only perplex the subject more, instead of clearing it. And surely it is our duty also, to interpret with candour, and use with prudent moderation whatever well-meant phrases the church of Christ, especially in its earlier days, hath applied to this subject; to think, on matters, which are both so mysterious in their nature, and so hard to be expressed, with great charity of other persons and for ourselves, to keep close with great care to so much as is plain and practical. In order to this, I now proceed to lay before you, : II. The peculiar office of the Spirit in the work of 10 our redemption: on account of which he is called, in our Catechism, God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth us, and all the elect people of God. For probably he is called the Holy Spirit so frequently in Scripture, and the Spirit of Holiness once *, not merely as being perfectly holy in himself, which the Father and the Son are also, but as being the cause of holiness in believers; who are elected by God, to eternal life, on foreseeing that their faith will produce obedience. To be holy is to be pure from defilement; but particularly, in this case, from the defilement of iniquity: and being sanctified is being made holy: to which blessed change in sinful man, the Spirit of God, we are taught, contributes many ways. In baptism we are born again of water and of the Spirit; restored by him to the state of God's children, and endued with the principles of a new, that is, the Christian, life. As we grow up, it is through him, that our understandings are enlightened by the knowledge of God's will. He directed the ancient prophets in what they preached and wrote. For holy men of old time, spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost which more especially testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow §. Then afterwards, when our Saviour became man, the Holy Ghost was upon him, and accompanied him through the whole of his ministration: and after his ascension was communicated more fully than before to his Apostles; to teach them all things needful, and bring to their remembrance whatever he had said to them so that in all their discourses for the instruction of mankind, it was not so much they who *Rom. i. 4. † John iii. 3. 5. 2 Pet. i. 21. §1 Pet. i. 11. Luke iii. 22. iv. 1. Acts i. 2. x. 8. Matth. iii. 16. spoke as the Spirit of the Father that spoke in them*. Nor can we doubt but he afforded them equal assistance at least in what they wrote for the use of all future ages. The sam Spirit was also their comforter, under every suffering: and lastly, bore witness to the truth of their doctrine and our faith, by a multitude of signs and wonders and supernatural gifts by which means, and the ministry of their successors, whom likewise the Holy Ghost made overseers over Christ's flock, the light of his Gospel hath filled the world, and now shines upon us. || Nor is it outwardly alone, that he reveals and confirms to us divine truths: but as the blessed Jesus promised, that he should dwell in his disciples, and abide with them for ever §; so, by his inward operations, the credibility of which I shall, God willing, prove to you in its proper place, he opens our hearts || to receive the word of God, influences our affections to delight in it, and excites our wills to act conformably to it for which reasons good persons are said to be led by the Spirit ¶; and all Christian graces to be the fruits of the Spirit **. With the wicked he strives t†, till they obstinately harden themselves, and then forsakes them. But those, who yield to his motions, he renews ‡‡, and strengthens with might in the inner man §§; helps their infirmities, and both directs and animates their prayers, thus making, as it were, intercession || within them. By this one Spirit, being in all Christians, they are united into one body ¶¶, and made to love each other. By the Holy Ghost also, the love * Matth. x. 20. § John xiv. 16. ** Gal. v. 22. §§ Eph. iii. 16. VOL. VI. ++ of God is shed abroad in our hearts; teaching us to look upon him, not as an austere master, but a kind parent; or, in the language of St. Paul, to cry, Abba, Father +. And thus the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, joins with our consciences to complete the evidence, that we are the sons of God: from whence arises that joy in the Holy Ghost§, which different persons have in very different degrees, and therefore no one should despond, because he feels but little, or at times perhaps nothing, of it, provided he truly honours and serves God. But to some persons, on some occasions, the heavenly Comforter vouchsafes, both strong assurances of their good state; (hereby know we, that God abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us ||); and such lively consolations from it, as amount to a pledge and foretaste of happiness to come. Accordingly they are said to be sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of their inheritance ¶. But to prevent wicked persons of enthusiastic tempers from mistaking, as they often have done, their own groundless confidence for the inward testimony of the divine Spirit, they should be carefully reminded, that by our fruits we are known **, and must know ourselves tt, that the fruit of the Spirit is in all righteousness and truth ‡‡, and only good men are full of the Holy Ghost§§. For into a malicious soul he will not enter; nor dwell in the body, that is subject unto sin. The Holy Spirit of discipline will flee deceit ; and remove from thoughts that are without understanding and will not abide, when unrighteousness cometh in . * Rom. v. 5. † Rom. viii. 15. Gal. iv. 6. Wisd. i. 4, 5. Rom. viii. 16. ¶ Eph. i. 13, 14. ‡‡ Eph. v. 9. |