wealth; for the enjoyment of regulations, we can judge only the privileges of the gospel. from the effects. This is the only This was known to be the pri- test for all human institutions. mary object of the enterprise; The world have before them and none could have engaged in the state of society, and the state the undertaking, but under this of religion in the New England persuasion. While, therefore, a colonies and states, for nearly credible profession of religion was two centuries. Such as they are, aade a requisite qualification for they are certainly the result of places of public trust,and,in some those systems which were establiof the colonies, for the right of shed by the first planters. They suffrage, which proceeds upon have also a view of other colothe same principle, a voter being nies rising in other parts of our naturally a candidate for office, country, with equal and greater it was in pursuance of the origi- natural advantages, commenced nal design of the plantations. As on different principles, pursuing a the association of the emigrants different course. A decision on was purely voluntary, and made the comparative wisdom of the under such an implicit condition, respective systems, we leave to no natural or stipulated right posterity. Irreligion and vice was abridged. The protection will ever strive to destroy all of the laws was cheerfully afford-institutions erected on the basis ed to all persons of peaceable de- of Christianity. But when deineanor. But the administra- stroyed, they sigh for the safety tion of the public interests was and the privileges which these reserved in the hands of those afforded. who could cordially unite in promoting the original design of the settlements. If a company of Mahometans from Barbary were to remove to some unoccupied part of America, for the sake of preserving their religion uncorrupted, and should make a regulation that no one should be admitted to a share in the management of the public concerns without a profession of the Mussulman faith, it would not be thought that the rights of any description of men were abridged. No one would attach himself to their community but with an implicit consent to that con-natives. dition. Many will question the policy of such a proceeding as that adopted by our early colo. ists. Whatever that may be, it does not affect the right. But with regard to the wisdom of their

The New England fathers have often been charged with abusing the aborigines of the country. I can find no evidence for the support of such a charge. They treated them as the native proprietors of the soil; they came into possession of their country by open purchase; they treated them with justice and integrity; they took great pains to make them acquainted with the arts of civilized life, and with the divine religion of the only Saviour of men. In return, they generally enjoyed the confidence and the friendship of the

These considerations are submitted to the judgment of candor. We mean not to vindicate our ancestors any farther than they are justly vindicable; but believe it to be a duty to at

of God is given to the true saints to dwell in them as his proper lasting abode, and is so united to the faculties of the soul, that he becomes there aprinciple or spring of new nature and life." This is certainly a very obscure expression, and very hard to explain or understand, and comes very near an expression, which he discards,

On the In-dwelling of the Holy "that they are Goded with God,

M'

Spirit.

and Christed with Christ." If the Holy Spirit becomes personally united to the faculties of the souls of Christians, it seems as though his in-dwelling rendered them truly divine. These observations may show the importance of considering what the scripture teaches respecting the in-dwelling of the divine Spirit in believers. And for the sake of perspicuity in treating on this subject, I shall proceed gradually, and observe,

1. That the Spirit of God, the third person in the blessed Trinity, does habitually operate upon the It is the pro

UCH has been written of late to revive the reputation of former divines, who lived fifty, or an hundred and fifty, or two hundred years ago. It is readily conceded, that those divines were men of great learning, ingenuity, and piety; and generally Calvinistic in their sentiments. But it is no disparagement to them to suppose that some, who have come after them, and stood upon their shoulders, and enjoyed the benefit of their writings, have been able to set some religious sub-hearts of saints. jects in a more clear and consistent light than they did. Mr. Edwards, in his Treatise on the Affections, has discovered and refuted some of their errors; but yet has not altogether avoided one of their faults. They were very apt to use dark and obscure expressions, in treating upon ex-gospel, and sometimes he gives perimental and practical religion, which gave their writings the air of mystery. They often represented regeneration, sanctification, and the whole Christian life, as being incapable of a clear and intelligible explanation.And Mr. Edwards says some things about the in-dwelling of the Spirit in Christians, which are very obscure, if not unintelligible. He says, "that the Spirit

per office of the Holy Spirit, in distinction from the Father and Son, to operate upon the hearts of men, and prepare them for heaven. He occasionally operates upon the minds of sinners. He strives more or less with ail, who live under the light of the

them very clear and painful apprehensions of their guilty and dangerous state. But he often remits these common operations upon the minds of sinners, and suffers them to stifle convictions and relapse into their former state of stupidity and insensibility, by which they ripen themselves for final ruin. There is reason to fear, that the Spirit of God has left multitudes whom

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He

only sets in motion their natural
and moral powers, and makes
them attend to, and feel the
weight of divine truth, and of
eternal objects. He operates by
the medium of moral suasion,
and objective motives.
brings God himself into view,
and makes them see, that he
can wound or heal, kill or make
alive, and that there is none
that can deliver out of his band.
This makes them believe, fear,
and tremble, like the great fallen
spirit, to whom he makes the
same manifestations of his pow-

he enlightened and alarmed, to rates, not merely occasionally, pursue this path to destruction.but habitually in their hearts, by But after he has once renewed which he carries on the work of the hearts of sinners and cou-sanctification, which he has beverted them into saints, he ha-gun and promised to finish. bitually operates in their minds, 2. The Spirit of God, in his and carries on a work of saucti-operations upon the hearts of fication. They become "bis believers, produces real holiness. temple," where, as the apostle In his occasional operations upsays, "he'dwells," or habitually on the minds of sinners, he pròresides, by his gracious opera-duces no holy affections. He tions. The Father is said to be where he operates; the Son is said to be where he operates; and the Holy Spirit is said to be, or to dwell where he habitually operates. This is plainly intimated in various passages of scripture. To this purpose the apostle says Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you p" This undoubtedly alludes to the divine presence in Solomon's temple. Christ said to his disciples, before he left the world, "I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter and displeasure. But these er, that he may abide with you operations upon the minds of for ever, even the Spirit of truth, sinners leave their hearts in a whom the world cannot receive, state of total enmity and oppobecause it seeth him not, neither sition to all divine truths and diknoweth him: but ye know him vine objects, And did not the Spirit of God operate in a different manner upon the minds of Christians, he would not seal them to the day of redemption. But he does operate directly upon their hearts, and produces his own moral image there. produces that disinterested love, which is the essence of all holiness. He makes them holy, as God is holy. He makes them partake of the divine nature, which is love. He makes them feel as God feels, by shedding abroad his love in their hearts. He unites them to God,to Christ, and to the friends of Christ, and

for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." In consequence of this declaration of Christ, the Spirit of God in sanctification is called the Spirit of Promise. The apostle tells the believers at Ephesus, that " they were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." And he warns the same persons "not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby they were sealed unto the day of redemption." It appears from these passages of scripture, that the Spirit of God has an abiding or habitual influence upon the hearts of Christians. He ope

He

gives them communion with the Father, the Son, and one another. He gives them joy, peace, patience, submission, resolution, fortitude, zeal, and self-denial. He works in them both to will and to do that which is well pleasing to God. He gives them the Spirit of Christ, and makes them holy, harmless, and separate from sinners. In a word, he produces every species of holy affections in their hearts.

-

of their flesh, and will give them
an heart of flesh." Here it is
plain, that the Spirit which God
promised to give his people, was
the same as a new heart and a
holy heart. That is, the Spirit
here mentioned is the fruit of
the Spirit, and not the Holy
Spirit personally. In the thir
ty-sixth chapter, he says again
to the same people, I will
sprinkle clean water upon you,
and ye shall be clean.
A new
heart also will I give you, and a
new Spirit will I put within you

66

ny heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." God here promi

3. This real holiness itself, which the Spirit produces in the hearts of saints by his special o--and I will take away the stoperations, is what the scripture generally calls the Spirit. So our Saviour expressly called it. He said, "That which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit." That is, the effect of the special infuses to give his Spirit to his peoence of the Spirit is of the same nature, and properly called by the same name as the cause. The Holy Spirit, who is the third person in the adorable Trinity, produces that holiness in the hearts of saints, which is his own moral image. It may, therefore, be properly called Spirit, the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit. For it is the Spirit of holiness. Let us now hear what the inspired writers say upon this subject. They use expressions which plainly imply that the holiness which the Spirit of God produces in the minds of saints in regeneration and sanctification, is the same as a holy heart, and the same that is meant by the Spirit of God, which he gives to them, and not the third person in the Trinity himself. In the eleventh chapter of Ezekiel, God says to his people, "I will give them one heart, and I will put a new Spirit within you: and I will take the stony heart out

66

ple, and to give it to dwell in them. But it clearly appears from the connection, that this Spirit was the same as the new Spirit and a new heart; that is, it was the fruit of the Spirit, or that holiness which the Holy Spirit should produce in their hearts. Let us now turn to the New Testament, and hear what the apostle says to Christians respecting the Spirit which God gives them. In the eighth of Romans, he says, Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit, itself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God." This Spirit was not the Holy Spirit himself, but that holiness which he had produced in the sons of God. It was the same as the Spirit of adoption, or an holy heart.The same apostle uses the word Spirit in the same sense, when

he tells the Ephesians that "they | God produces in the hearts of saints, is what the scripture calls the Spirit, and the Spirit of God; which is not the third person in the Trinity; but the effect which he produces in the hearts of his people by his special influence.

4. This holiness, which the scripture calls the Spirit and the Spirit of God, does dwell in the saints, because it actually exists there, and is united to the facul ties of their souls, and is an essential part of their moral existence. Holiness is as much a personal property of saints, as their reason, memory,conscience, or any other faculty of their minds.

The holiness which the Spirit of God produces in the saints, is not his personal holiness, but is their personal holi

had been sealed with the Holy
Spirit of promise." The Holy
Spirit of promise is that holiness
which the Holy Spirit has prom-
ised to produce in the hearts of
all whom he has once renewed.
God is said to give his Spirit to
Christians, when he gives them
a holy heart, which is the fruit
of his Spirit. So the apostle
John says "Hereby we know
that he abideth in us, by the Spi-
rit which he hath given us."
The same idea is conveyed by
another passage of scripture.-
Paul says to the professors of
the gospel, "Ye are not in the
flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the
Spirit of Christ, he is none of
his." Here the Spirit, which
dwells in Christians, is explain-ness.
ed to be the same as the Spirit
of Christ; and the Spirit of
Christ means that holiness of
heart which was produced in
him by the Holy Spirit. So we
expressly read in the third of
John.-"He whom God hath
sent speaketh the words of God:
for God giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto him." The holi-
ness of the man Christ Jesus was
produced in his heart by the Ho-
ly Spirit, the third person in the
sacred Trinity. The third per-
son did not dwell in him, any
otherwise than by his gracious
operations. He produced holi-
ness in Christ's heart, which is
called his Spirit; and this same
Spirit of holiness he produces in
the hearts of all the followers of
Christ. And so they all have
his Spirit, which is produced by
the same agent that produced
this. Thus it appears that the
real holiness which the Spirit of

It is that seed mentioned in the third chapter of the first epistle of John-" Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." To be born of God is to be born of the Spir it, and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, and consists in real holiness. So that while this real holiness remains in the heart, the believer cannot disobey God.

The Spirit of God dwells in Christians in the same sense that holiness dwells in them; for it is precisely the same thing. And this holiness which dwells in them is properly the spring or source from which all their external obedience flows. It is that well of living water in them, which is springing up to eternal life.This is agreeable to the representation of Christ in the seventh of John-" In the last day,