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[1 John ii. 1.] saith St. John: who also maketh intercession for us,' [Rom. viii. 34.] saith St. Paul; and we have another Paraclete, saith our Saviour; which also maketh intercession for us,' saith St. Paul. A paraclete then, in the notion of the Scriptures, is an intercessor.

Fourthly, The office of the same Spirit is to join us unto Christ, and make us members of that one body, of which our Saviour is the head. For by one Spirit we are all baptized into one body. And as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.' Hereby we know that God abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.' [John iii. 24.] As we become spiritual men by the Spirit which is in us, as that union with the body and unto the head is a spiritual conjunction, so it proceedeth from the Spirit; and he that is joined unto the Lord, is one Spirit.' [1 Cor. vi. 17.]

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Fifthly, It is 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 towards 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.' [Rom. v. 5.] For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.' [Rom. viii. 14.] And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father.' [Gal. iv. 6.] 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.' [Rom. viii. 15, 16.] As therefore we are born again by the Spirit, and receive from him our regeneration, so we are also assured by the same Spirit, of our adoption; because being sons, we are also heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.' [Rom. viii. 17.] 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 the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts;' [2 Cor. i. 22.] so that we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession.' [Ephes. i. 14.] The Spirit of God as given unto us in this life, though it have not the proper nature of a pledge, (the

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gifts received here being no way equivalent to the promised reward, nor given in the stead of anything already due) yet is to be looked upon as an earnest, being part of that reward which is promised, and, upon the condition of performance of the covenant which God hath made with us, certainly to be received.

Sixthly, For the effecting of all these and the like particulars, it is the office of the same Spirit to sanctify and set apart persons for the duty of the ministry, ordaining them to intercede between God and his people, to send up prayers to God for them, to bless them in the name of God, to teach the doctrine of the gospel, to administer the sacraments instituted by Christ, to perform all things necessary, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.' [Ephes. iv. 12.] The same Spirit which illuminated the apostles, and endued them with power from above to perform personally their apostolical functions, fitted them also for the ordination of others, and the committing of a standing power to a successive ministry unto the end of the world; who are thereby obliged to take heed unto themselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers, to feed the church of God.' [Acts xx. 28.]

By these and the like means doth the Spirit of God sanctify the sons of men, and by virtue of this sanctification, proceeding immediately from his office, he is properly called the Holy Spirit.

Having thus considered the offices of the Holy Spirit, let us, in conclusion, advert to the necessity of believing in him.

1. It is necessary to believe in the Holy Ghost, not only for the acknowledgment of the eminency of his person, but also for a desire of the excellency of his graces, and the abundance of his gifts. What the apostle wished to the Corinthians, ought to be the earnest petition of every Christian, that the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and communion of the Holy Ghost, be with us all. [2 Cor. xiii. 14.] For if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his;' [Rom. viii. 9.] if he have not that which maketh the union, he cannot be united to him; if he acknowledgeth him not to be his Lord, he cannot be his servant; and 'no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.' That which is born of the spirit, is spirit,' [1 Cor. xii. 3.] such is

their felicity who have it: "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; such is their infelicity who want it. What then is to be desired in comparison of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ; especially considering the encouragement we receive from Christ, who said, 'If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?'

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2. It is necessary to profess faith in the Holy Ghost, that 'the will of God' may be effectual in us, even our sanctification.' [1 Thess. iv. 3.] For if God hath, from the beginning, chosen us to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit; [2 Thess. ii. 13.] if we be elected according to the foreknowledge of the Father through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience;' [1 Pet. i. 2.] if the office of the Spirit doth consist in this, and he be therefore called Holy, because he is to sanctify us, how should we 'follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.' [Heb. xii. 14.] How should we endeavour to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.' [2 Cor. vii. 1.] The temple of God is holy, which temple we are, if the Spirit of God dwelleth in us:' [1 Cor. iii. 16, 17.] for the inhabitation of God is a consecration; and that place must be a temple, where his honour dwelleth. Now if we know, that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost within us, which we have of God; [1 Cor. iii. 16] if we know that we are not our own,' for that we are bought with a price;' [1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.] we must also know, that we ought there. fore to glorify God in our body, and in our spirit, which are God's.' Thus it is necessary to believe in the Spirit of sanctification, that our hearts may be established unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.' [1 Thess. iii. 13.]

3. It is necessary to believe in the Holy Ghost, that in all our weaknesses we may be strengthened; in all our infirmities, we may be supported; in all our discouragements, we may be comforted; in the midst of miseries, we may be filled with peace and inward joy. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.' [Rom. xiv. 17.] We read of the disciples at first, that they were filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost;' [Acts xiii, 52.] and those who afterwards became followers of them

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and of the Lord, received the word in much affliction, but with joy of the Holy Ghost.' [1 Thess. i. 6.] These are the rivers of living water, flowing out of his belly that believ eth. [John vii. 38.] This is the oil of gladness, wherewith the Son of God was anointed above his fellows; [Psal. xlv. 7. Heb. i. 9.] but yet with the same oil his fellows are anointed also: for we have an unction from the Holy One; and the anointing which we receive of him, abideth in us.' [1 John ii. 20, 27.]

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Lastly, the belief of the Holy Ghost is necessary for the continuation of a submissive ministry, and a Christian submission to the acts of their function, unto the end of the world. For as God the Father sent the Son, and the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, because he had anointed him to preach the gospel;' [Luke iv. 18.] so the Son sent the apostles, saying, 'As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you; and when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said unto them, Receive the Holy Ghost:' [John xx. 21, 22.] and as the Son sent the apostles, so did they send others by virtue of the same Spirit, as St. Paul sent Timothy and Titus, and gave them power to send others, saying to Timothy, Lay hands suddenly on no man;' [1 Tim. v. 21.] and to Titus, For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.' [Tit. i. 5.] Thus, by virtue of an apostolical ordination, there is for ever to be continued a ministerial succession. Those which are thus separated by ordination to the work of the Lord, are to feed the flock of God which is among them, taking the oversight thereof;' [1 Pet. v. 2.] and those which are committed to their care, are to 'remember and obey them that have the rule over them, and submit themselves, for that they watch for their souls, as they that must give account.' [Heb. xiii. 7. 17.]

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Thus may every Christian know what he ought to profess, when he saith, I believe in the Holy Ghost. For thereby he is conceived to declare thus much: I freely and resolvedly assent unto this as unto a certain and infallible truth, that beside all other whatsoever, to whom the name of Spirit is or may be given, there is one particular and peculiar Spirit, who is truly and properly a person, of a true, real, and personal subsistence; not a created but uncreated person, and so the

true and one eternal God; that though he be that God, yet he is not the Father, nor the Son, but the Spirit of the Father and the Son, the third person in the blessed Trinity, proceeding from the Father and the Son: I believe this infinite and eternal Spirit to be not only of perfect and indefectible holiness in himself; but also to be the immediate cause of all holiness in us, revealing the pure and undefiled will of God, inspiring the blessed apostles, and enabling them to lay the foundation, and by a perpetual succession, to continue the edification of the church, illuminating the understandings of particular persons, rectifying their wills and affections, renovating their natures, uniting their persons unto Christ, assuring them of the adoption of sons, leading them in their actions, directing them in their devotions, by all ways and means purifying and sanctifying their souls and bodies, to a full and eternal acceptation in the sight of God. This is the eternal Spirit of God; in this manner is that Spirit holy; and thus I believe in the Holy Ghost.'

[BISHOP PEARSON.]

SERMON LXXIX.

TRINITY SUNDAY.

THE TRINITY IN UNITY.

MATT. xxviii. 19.—-Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. SUCH is the solemn form of baptism, prescribed by our blessed Lord himself, as a perpetual standing law to his Church. Having redeemed mankind, and thereby acquired a new and special claim to their homage and service, he entered upon, and took possession of his purchased inheritance, that he might bring all nations, thus made his own by right of redemption, to the knowledge and worship of the true God. And how is this done? By making them acquainted, in the very first instance, with the obligations conferred upon them by three ever blessed persons, called by the names of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. These three persons, therefore, thus related and thus

VOL. I.

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