2. This Spirit is had, or said to be in us. We have not only the fruit, but the tree. But how have we him ? We have a right to his person, he is given to us in the covenant of grace, as our sanctifier ; as God is ours by covenant, so is the Spirit ours, as well as the Father and the Son ; and he is present in our hearts, as the immediate agent of Christ, and worker of all grace. It is true, in respect of his essence, and some kind of operation, he is present in all creatures : Ps. cxxxix. 7, ' Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? Whither shall I fly from thy presence ? ' God fiUeth all things with his Spirit and pi-esence. And therefore when some are said to have him, and others not to have him, it is understood of his peculiar presence, with respect to those eminent operations and effects which he produceth in the hearts of the faithful, and nowliere else ; for he is such an agent nowhere, as he is in their hearts. Therefore, they are called temples of the Holy Ghost — 1 Cor. iii. 16 and 1 Cor. vi. 19 — because he buildetli them up for a holy use, and also dwelleth and resideth there, maintaining God's interest in their souls.
VeR. 9.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. 3
3. These eminent operations of the Holy Ghost are either in a way of common gifts, or special graces ; as to common gifts, reprobates and hypocrites may be said to be partakers of the Holy Ghost, Heb. vi. 4, Balaam had the gift of prophecy, and Jndas the gift of miracles, as well as the rest of the apostles : 1 Cor. xii., the apostle discourseth at large of the gifts of the Spirit, and concludeth ; ' but I shew you a more excellent .way,' verse 31 ; and then taketh it up again : 1 Cor. xiii. 1, 2, ' Though I speak with the tongue of men and angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal ; and, though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge ; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have no charity, I am nothing.'
There are donaministrantia, gifts for the service of the church ; such as profound knowledge, utterance in preaching, or praying, or any other ministerial acts ; and dona sanctijicantia, such as faith, hope, and love ; the former may render us useful to the churcli, but not acceptable to the Lord. The superficial Christianity is rewarded with common gifts, but the real ciiristianity with special graces; all that profess the faith are visibly adopted by God into his family, and under a visible admini- stration of the covenant of grace ; so far as they are adopted into God's family, so far are they made partakers of the Spirit. Christ giveth to common christians those common gifts of the Spirit, which he giveth not to the heathen world ; as, knowledge of the mysteries of godliness, abilities of utterance and speech about heavenly things ; some affection also to spiritual and heavenly things, called a tasting of the good word ; the heavenly gift, and the powers of the world to come ; these will not prove us true christians, or really in God's special favour, but only visible, professed christians.
4. The Spirit, as to sanctifying and saving effects, may be considered as S'piritus assistens aid informans ; either as moving, warning, or excit- ing, by transient motions ; so the wicked may be wrought upon by him, as to be convinced, warned, excited ; how else can they be said to resist the Holy Ghost? Acts vii. 51. And the Lord telleth the old world, Gen. vi. 3, that his Spirit should not always strive with them. Surely, besides the counsels and exhortations of the word, the Spirit doth rebuke, warn, and excite them, and moveth, and stirreth, and striveth in the hearts of all carnal creatures, or else these expressions could not be used.
5. There are such effects of his sanctifying grace, as are wrought in us, per moduni habitus permanentis, to renew and change us, so as a man fi'om carnal, doth become spiritual, the Spirit of God doth so dwell in us as to frame heart and life into holiness ; this work is some- times called the new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17, and sometimes the divine nature, 2 Pet. i. 4. It differeth from gifts, because they are for out- ward service ; but this conduceth to change the heart ; it differeth from actual motions and inspirations, because they may vanish and die away, without any saving impression left upon the heart : it differeth from those slighter dispositions to godliness, which are many times in tem- poraries ; because they are but a light tincture, soon worn off, and have no power and mastery over sensual affections ; if they restrain them a little, they do not mortify and subdue them. Good motions are as a
4 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VIII. [SeR. XII.
dash of rain ; and those weak inclinations and good dispositions whicii are in temporaries, are as a pond, or pool, which may be dried up ; but this saving and sanctifying work is as a spring: John iv. 14. Two things are considerable iu it : 1. Its continuance and radication. 2. Its efficacy and predominancy.