heard him; God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and with gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will," Heb. ii, 3, 4.

This extraordinary inspiration and these miraculous powers were conferred on the first messengers of Christ for general purposes. The design of them was to enable the apostles and their helpers to spread and to establish Christianity among both Jews and Gentiles. The use of them was for the conviction of unbelievers, and the edification of the church. (See 1 Cor. xiv, 4, 24.) But are these general purposes the only purposes for which the Holy Ghost has been either promised or imparted? Is not the influence of the Spirit of God necessary to individuals for their own personal salvation? and is it not promised, and has it not been imparted, with that design? Without any hesitation, we answer, Yes.

When Mr. G. has occasion to produce any of those passages which relate to this subject, he has frequently hinted that they relate to the miraculous powers conferred on the apostles and the primitive ministers of the Christian church. As it would not be deemed fair to take occasion from those hints to examine this subject, without having produced some of them, the reader is presented with the following specimens:

"It will perhaps be asserted that we do not believe in the Holy Spirit, to which Jesus and his apostles so frequently laid claim." (Vol. i, p. 111.)

"It was the energy, the power, the Spirit of God imparted to Jesus Christ and his apostles, manifested by their performance of miracles." (Vol. i, p. 112.)

Speaking of the command of our Lord to his apostles to "baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit," he says, "The Holy Spirit, or divine energy, which was exhibited in miracles, is distinguished from the Son, as not being his own naturally inherent power, nor resident in him alone, but likewise communicated to the apostles." (Vol. i, p. 132.)

"Thus they (the writers of the New Testament) will be found to have used the term Holy Spirit, sometimes as the cause, viz., the energy, power, or breathing of God himself; sometimes as the effect, viz., the power they

possessed of working miracles in consequence of this energy or breathing of the Deity. These significations will be found consistently to explain all the passages relating to the Holy Spirit." (Vol. i, p. 163.)

"This Holy Ghost, this Comforter, he now declares he will send to them, and then states it to be that they were to be endued with power from on high.' This power, this Comforter, this Holy Spirit did descend from on high to dwell with the apostles, and thus the promise of God and of Jesus Christ were fulfilled." (Vol. i, p. 163.)

And lastly speaking of the final clause of the apostolic benediction, "The fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all," he represents the apostle as wishing all the Corinthians "might enjoy a participation of the miraculous powers, the divine influence which others possessed." (Vol. i, p. 172.)

pre.

We have quoted thus copiously from Mr. G., that the reader may fully understand the manner in which he cludes the expectation of any supernatural influence on the minds of mankind in order to their salvation. From this statement two things may be gathered: That the Socinians suppose, 1. That the gift of the Holy Spirit was restricted to the first ages of Christianity, the age of miracles. And, 2. That it never was given but in miraculous gifts, and for extraordinary purposes. The Scriptures which are to be cited on this occasion are therefore of two classes. The first class is of those which speak indefinitely of the gift of the Spirit, most of which do not distinguish between the miraculous and the saving influence; but which imply that the Holy Spirit is, or that it may be possessed by all real Christians. The second class are of those in which the ordinary influence of the Spirit is obviously distinguished from that which is extraordinary, and which speak of that ordinary influence in such a definite manner, as to indicate a benefit necessary for all men, to make them either wise, or holy, or happy.

I. Of those scriptures which speak of the influence of the Holy Spirit, in such a manner as implies that it is or that it may be enjoyed by all real Christians.

It is not, perhaps, very easy to ascertain to what extent

the miraculous gifts were, in the apostolic age, given to Christian believers; but it is perfectly clear that they were not universal. That many real Christians did not possess them, is obvious from the language of St. Paul to the church which was at Corinth. "God (said he) hath set some in the church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that miracles; then gifts of healing, helps in governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?" 1 Cor. xii, 28-30. But if all real Christians did not enjoy these miraculous gifts, and yet it should appear that they did enjoy, or were called to enjoy the influence of the Spirit, it will follow that there is an influence of the Spirit which is not miraculous: and that that influence is the common privilege of all real Christians.

1. In the following scriptures it is obvious that the Holy Spirit is promised to all real Christians :

(1.) "And it shall come to pass that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit," Joel ii, 28, 29. It is true this passage speaks of the extraordinary and miraculous effusion of the Spirit, and that Peter applied it to the spiritual gifts which were bestowed on the day of pentecost. Acts ii, 17, 18. But it is equally true, that the prophet speaks also of the universal effusion of the ordinary influence of the Spirit. It is to the sons and daughters of Israel he promises that some (not all) of them should prophesy, dream dreams, and see visions;. but he promises the effusion of the Spirit to all flesh; to Gentiles as well as Jews, and to the meanest as well as to the greatest; to the servants, and to the handmaids.

(2.) Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins: and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call," Acts ii, 38, 39. Here the apos

tle has explained the extent of the preceding promise, which he had taken for his text. According to him, this inestimable gift is imparted to all who repent and are baptized in the name of Christ, for (expecting through him) the forgiveness of sins. And this he asserts, not only of the Jews and their children, but of "all that are afar off," the Gentiles also: not only of that generation, but of all succeeding generations, even 66 as many as the Lord our God shall call."

(3.) "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this he spake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive," John vii, 37– 39. What our Lord has here said of living water, the evangelist has explained as meaning the gift of the Spirit. This Spirit our Lord has most positively promised shall be received by all who believe on him, and he has invited, indiscriminately, all who thirst for it, thus to come and receive it. Precisely of the same character, in the latter respect, is that remarkable passage, "Let him that is athirst come: and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely," Rev. xxii, 17.

(4.) "If ye then, 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," Luke xi, 13. Again: "If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water," John iv, 10. We have just seen, in the preceding passage, that by living water is meant the Holy Spirit. In these two scriptures we are assured that the Holy Spirit is given to them that ask it; and the argument in both is such as to warrant the application of the promise to all that ask it. In the former, our Lord places the promise on the ground of parental affection, and, therefore, intends to give this assurance to all in every place and age; for God is the Father of all. In the latter, our Lord argues from his own character as the Messiah, who is anointed with the Holy Ghost without measure: and while he takes for granted that when that character is

properly known and acknowledged, the living water will be asked, he also assures us that it shall be given.

2. The following scriptures prove that the Holy Spirit was actually given to private Christians :

(1.) "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?" 1 Cor. vi, 19. Here the apostle addresses himself to all the members of the Corinthian church individually, as having received the Holy Spirit from God, and as being his habitation.

(2.) "For 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. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit," 1 Cor. xii, 12, 13. Here, not merely the Corinthian church, but the church universal, including both Jews and Gentiles, and all the individuals of which it is composed, whether bond or free, are positively said to be partakers of the Spirit of God.

(3.) "This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? He, therefore, that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" Gal. iii, 2-5. Here the apostle speaks of the Galatians as having received the Spirit, and makes an obvious distinction between themselves as private Christians, and those apostles who had ministered unto them the Spirit, and had wrought miracles among them. And to this reception of the Spirit he alludes, as having been universal, by supposing their defection from the liberty of the gospel to be, in every case, a submission to a principle opposed to the Spirit: having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?

(4.) "There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling," Eph. iv, 4. Here the individual members of the Ephesian church are sup. posed to be the members of a universal church which is inhabited by one Spirit, and each one is supposed individually