suggests the words while we thus speak, which he hath elsewhere expressed more plainly, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father!' But what is, The Spirit bearing witness with our spirit? He means, the Paraclete by the gift given unto us." (But that this was an extraordinary gift, we have no intimation at all, neither before nor after.) "And when the Spirit beareth witness, what doubt is left? If a man or an angel spake, some might doubt. But when the Most High beareth witness to us, who can doubt any longer?"

Now let any reasonable man judge how far your Lordship has "translated the words of St. Chrysostom! And whether he reckons the testimony of the Spirit among the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost?" Or among those ordinary gifts of the Spirit of Christ, which if a man have not, he is none of his.

19. The fifth text your Lordship quotes, as describing a miraculous gift of the Spirit, is 1 Cor. xiv. 15: to prove which, you comment on the 8th chapter to the Romans, particularly the 26th verse: and here again it is said, "That the interpretation assigned, is confirmed by several of the most eminent Fathers, more especially the great John Chrysostom as well as by Origen and Jerome upon the place." I cannot find St. Jerome to have written one line upon the place. And it is obvious, that St. Chrysostom supposes the whole context from the 17th to the 25th verse, to relate to all Christians in all ages. How this can be said to "confirm the interpretation assigned," I cannot conjecture. Nay, it is remarkable, that he expounds the former part of the 26th verse, as describing the ordinary privilege of all Christians. Thus far, therefore, he does not confirm, but overthrow" the interpretation before assigned." But in the middle of the verse he breaks off, and expounds the latter part, as describing one of the miraculous gifts. Yet I must do the justice to this venerable man to observe, he does not suppose that miraculous gift was given, only that the inspired might do what any ordinary Christian might have done without it. This interpretation even of the

latter part of the verse, he does in no wise confirm. But that he might ask in every particular circumstance, the determinate thing which it was the will of God to give.

20. The third Father by whom it is said this interpretation is confirmed, is Origen. The first passage of his, which relates to Rom. viii. 26, runs thus: (Vol. I. p. 199.) "Paul perceiving how far he was, after all these things, from knowing to pray for what he ought as he ought, says, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought." But he adds, whence what is wanting may be had by one who indeed does not know, but labours to be found worthy of having the defect supplied. For he says, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought. But the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered. 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." The Spirit which crieth, Abba, Father, in the hearts of the saints, knowing well our groanings in this tabernacle, making intercession for us to God, with groanings which cannot be uttered. To the same effect is that scripture, 1 Cor. xiv. 15, "I will pray with the Spirit, I will pray with the understanding also." For our understanding (or mind o ves) cannot pray, if the Spirit do not pray before it, and the understanding, as it were, listen to it." Again, (Vol. II. p. 146,) I would know, how the saints cry to God without a voice. The Apostle shews, God" hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father!" And he adds, "The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered." And again, "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." Thus, therefore, the Spirit making intercession for us with God, the cry of the saints is heard without a voice." Once more in his Homily on Joshua, (Vol. II. p. 419,)"Jesus, our Lord, doth not forsake us; but altho' when we would pray, we know not what to pray for as we ought, yet the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with

groanings which cannot be uttered. Now the Lord is that Spirit: the Spirit assists our prayers, and offers them to God with groanings which we cannot express in words."

I believe all rational men will observe from hence, that Origen is so far from confirming, that he quite overturns your Lordship's interpretation of the 16th as well as the 26th verse of this chapter: seeing, in his judgment, both that testimony of the Spirit, and this prayer belong to all Christians in all ages.

21. The sixth scripture which your Lordship has undertaken to shew, "relates only to the Apostolic times," is 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. And, this interpretation also, it is said, is confirmed by the authority of Chrysostom, Origen, and other ancient writers." (p. 33.) With those other "ancient writers" I have no concern yet. St. Chrysostom so far confirms this interpretation, as to explain that whole phrase, the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, of "the power of the Spirit shewn by miracles." But he says not one word, of any "Proof of the Christian Religion, arising from the types and prophecies of the Old Testament." Origen has these words, (Vol. I. p. 321,) “Our word has a certain, peculiar demonstration, more divine than the Grecian, logical demonstration. This the Apostle terms, The demonstration of the Spirit and of power: of the Spirit, because of the prophecies, sufficient to convince any one, especially of the things that relate to Christ; of power, because of the miraculous powers, some footsteps of which still remain." Hence we may doubtless infer, That Origen judged this text to relate, in its primary sense, to the Apostles: but can we thence infer, that he did not judge it to belong, in a lower sense, to all true ministers of Christ? Let us hear him speaking for himself in the same Treatise, p. 377. "And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Those who hear the word preached with power, are themselves filled with power," (N. B. Not the power of working miracles) which they demonstrate both in their disposition, and in their life,

and in their striving for the truth unto death. But some, although they profess to believe, have not this power of God in them, but are empty thereof." Did Origen then believe, that the power mentioned in this text, belonged only to the Apostolical age? "See the force of the word, conquering believers by a persuasiveness attended with the power of God! I speak this to shew the meaning of them that said, 'And my speech and my preaching were not with the enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.' This divine saying means, That what is spoken is not sufficient of itself, although it be true and most worthy to be believed, to pierce a man's soul, if there be not also a certain power from God given to the speaker, and grace bloom upon what is spoken, and this grace cannot be but from God."

After observing, That this is the very passage which your Lordship mentions at the close of the other, but does not cite it, I desire every unprejudiced person to judge, whether Origen does not clearly determine, that the power, spoken of in this text, is, in some measure, given to all true ministers in all ages?

22. The last scripture which your Lordship affirms "to be peculiar to the times of the Apostles," is that in the first Epistle of St. John, concerning the unction of the Holy One. To confirm this interpretation, we are referred to the authority of Origen and Chrysostom, on the parallel passages in St. John's gospel, p. 42. But it has appeared, That both these Fathers suppose those passages to belong to all Christians. And consequently their authority (if these are parallel passages) stands full against this interpretation. Your Lordship subjoins, "I shall here only add that of the great Athanasius, who (in his epistle to Serapion) interprets the unction from the Holy One, not merely of divine grace, but of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit." Nay, it is enough, if he interprets it at all of ordinary grace, such as is common to all Christians. And this your Lordship allows he does. But I cannot allow that he interprets it of

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any thing else. I cannot perceive, that he interprets it at all" of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit." His words are," The Holy Spirit is called, and is, the unction. and the seal. For John writes, "The anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and ye need not that any man should teach you, but as his anointing,' his Spirit. 'He teacheth you of all things.' Again, it is written in the prophet Isaiah, 'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me.' And Paul writes thus: 'In whom also ye were sealed.' And again, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.' This anointing is the breath of the Son, so that he who hath the Spirit may say, We are the sweet smelling savour of Christ. Because we are partakers of the Holy Spirit, we have the Son: and, having the Son, we have the Spirit, crying in our hearts, Abba, Father." And so, in his Oration against the Arians: "He sendeth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. His Son in us, invoking the Father, makes him to be called our Father. Certainly God cannot be called their Father, who have not the Son in their hearts."

Is it not easy to be observed here, 1. That Athanasius makes that testimony of the Spirit, common to all the children of God: 2. That he joins the anointing of the Holy One, with that seal of the Spirit wherewith all that persevere are sealed to the day of redemption: and, 3. That he does not, throughout this passage, speak of the extraordinary gifts at all ?

Therefore, upon the whole, the sense of the primitive church, so far as it can be gathered from the authors above cited, is, "That "although some of these scriptures primarily refer to those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, which were given to the Apostles and a few other persons in the Apostolic age: yet they refer also, in a secondary sense, to those ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit, which all the children of God do and will experience, even to the end of the world."

23. What I mean by the ordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, I sum up in the words of a modern writer: