“The third part of this office is, To lead, direct and govern us in our actions and conversations. _If we live in the Spirit_, quickened by his renovation, we must also _walk in the Spirit_, following his direction, led by his manuduction. We are also animated and acted by the Spirit of God, who giveth _both to will and to do_: And _as many as are_ thus _led by the Spirit of |God|, are the sons of |God|_.¹ Moreover, that this direction may prove more effectual, we are guided in our prayers by the same Spirit: according to the promise, _I will pour upon the house of |David|, and upon the inhabitants of |Jerusalem|, the spirit of grace and supplication_. (Zechariah xii. 10.) Whereas then _this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us_: and whereas _we know not what we should pray for as we ought_, _the |Spirit| itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered_²: And _he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of |God|_.³ From which intercession” (made for all true Christians) “he hath the name of the _Paraclete_ given him by Christ, who said, _I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete_.⁴ For _if any man sin, we have a Paraclete with the Father, |Jesus Christ| the righteous_, saith St. _John_: _Who maketh intercession for us_, saith St. _Paul_, (Romans viii. 34.) And we have _another Paraclete_⁵, saith our Saviour: _Which also maketh intercession for us_⁶, saith St. _Paul_. A _Paraclete_ then, in the notion of the scriptures, is an intercessor.”
¹ Romans viii. 14.
² Verse 26.
³ Verse 26.
⁴ John xiv. 16, 26.
⁵ John xiv. 16.
⁶ Romans viii. 27.
“It is also 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| shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us_. For _as many as are led by the |Spirit| of |God|, they are the sons of |God|. And because we are sons, |God| hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 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|._¹”
¹ Verses 15, 16.
“As therefore we are born again by the Spirit, and receive from him our regeneration, so we are also by the same Spirit _assured of our adoption_. Because being _sons we are also heirs, heirs of |God|, and joint-heirs with |Christ|_, 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 us the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts_: So that _we are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance_. The Spirit of God, as given unto us in this life, is to be looked upon as an earnest, being part of that reward which is promised, and, upon performance of the covenant which God hath made with us, certainly to be received.”
Your Lordship observed, that “the interpretation of those passages, which relate to the _Unction from the Holy One_, depends on the sense of those other passages of holy scripture, particularly, those in St. _John_’s gospel.” Now if so, then these words fix the sense of six out of the seven texts in question: and every one of them, in the judgment of this writer, describes the _ordinary gifts_ bestowed on all Christians.
It now rests with your Lordship, to take your choice; either to condemn or to acquit both. Either your Lordship must condemn Bishop _Pearson_ for an _enthusiast_, (a man no ways inferior to Bishop _Chrysostom_:) or you must acquit me: for I have his express authority on my side, concerning every text which I affirm to belong to all Christians.
24. But I have greater authority than his, and such as I reverence, only less than that of the oracles of God. I mean, that of our own church. I shall close this head, by setting down what occurs in her authentic records, concerning either our _receiving the Holy Ghost_, or his _ordinary_ operations in all true Christians.