《A Christian Library (Vol. 27)》(John Wesley)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Works Of Archbishop Tillotson
Extracts From The Works Of Mr. Flavel, Chap I-XVII
Extracts From The Works Of Mr. Flavel, Chap XVIII-XXXII
Husbandry Spiritualized: Or, The Heavenly Use Of Earthly Things. Part I, Chap I-VIII
Husbandry Spiritualized: Or, The Heavenly Use Of Earthly Things. Part I, Chap IX-XIX
Husbandry Spiritualized: Or, The Heavenly Use Of Earthly Things. Part II-III
A Discourse Of The Causes And Cures Of Mental Errors
Extracts From The Lives Of Sundry Eminent Persons. Chap I-VI
Extracts From The Lives Of Sundry Eminent Persons. Chap VII-XV
The Works Of Archbishop Tillotson
A
CHRISTIAN LIBRARY:
CONSISTING OF
EXTRACTS FROM AND ABRIDGMENTS OF
THE
CHOICEST PIECES
PRACTICAL DIVINITY
WHICH HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE ENGLISH TONGUE.
IN THIRTY VOLUMES.
FIRST PUBLISHED IN 175O, IN FIFTY VOLUMES, DUODECIMO.
BY JOHN WESLEY, M.A.
LATE FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD.
VOL. 27
LONDON
SERMON 1
OF THE' ORDINARY INFLUENCE OF THE HOLY GHOST ON THE MINDS OF CHRISTIANS.
TO THE READER.
I HAVE the rather inserted the following Extracts for the sake of two sorts of people: Those who are unreasonably prejudiced for, and those who are unreasonably prejudiced against this great man. By this small specimen it will abundantly appear, to all who will at length give themselves leave to Judge impartially, that the Archbishop was as far from being the worst, as from being the best of the English writers.
JOHN 7: 39.
But this spake he of the SPIRIT, which they that believed on him should receive. For the HOLY GHOST was not yet given, because that JEsus was not yet glorified Our blessed SAVIOR (who used from all sorts of objects and occurrences to discourse of heavenly and spiritual things) being present at the feast of tabernacles, in which it was the custom of the Jews, from the fountain Siloam, to fetch water with great pomp and ceremony, and to bring it into the temple with sound of trumpet, singing those words of the Prophet ISAIAH, " They shall draw waters with joy out of the wells of salvation," takes occasion from these waters, to proclaim those spiritual benefits which Christians should be made partakers of by the HOLY GHOST, and which are in Scripture represented by " waters dewing from a living fountain. In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried, saying, If any mart thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture says," that is, according to the tenor of several passages in the Prophets, " out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water;" and then the evangelist adds, byway of farther explication of our' SAVIOR'S meaning, " But this he spoke of the SPIRIT, which they that believed on him should receive. For the HOLY GHOST was not yet given, because JESUS was not yet glorified."
In which words we have these three things considerable.
I. The Gift itself, which is here called " the SPIRIT," or “the HOLY GHOST."
II. The Persons upon whom this gift was to be conferred; and those are believers. " This he spoke of the SPIRIT, which they that believed on him should receive."
III. The particular Time of the first conferring this gift; and this was not to be till after our SAVIOR'S ascension, implied in those words, " The HOLY GHOST was not yet given, because JESUS was not yet glorified." I shall briefly explain these three things.
I. The gift itself, which is here called " the SPIRIT," or " the HOLY GHOST." By which we are to understand a, special power and presence of the HOLY GHOST with believers, the immediate operation and assistance of the Divine SPIRIT communicated and imparted to them; and this comprehends in it these two things: 1. Those extraordinary gifts which were bestowed upon the Apostles and Christians, in order to the planting and propagating the Christian religion in the world,. and for the benefit of the church, while it was under persecution, destitute of all secular assistance, and of those ordinary advantages which are sufficient to preserve a religion, after it is once generally entertained. And these gifts were in a very remarkable manner conferred' upon the first preachers of the Christian doctrine; and they were in a high degree necessary, to give credit to this religion at its first appearance, and to awaken the drowsy world to an attentive consideration of it, to conquer the prejudices of men, and to support the teachers of this doctrine against that violent opposition which would certainly be raised against it.
2. The gift of the HOLY GHOST does likewise signify a more ordinary and gentle influence of God's SPIRIT Upon the minds of men, to all holy and good purposes; by which I mean an immediate operation and assistance of the HOLY GHOST afforded to men, to relieve the weakness and impotence of human nature, to help and strengthen us to the performance of what the Gospel requires of us. And this I shall have occasion to explain more particularly, when I have gone over the other parts of the text.
II. You have here the qualification of the persons who were to be made partakers of this gift, that is, believing the Gospel. "This he spoke of the SPIRIT, which they that believed should receive." The extraordinary gifts of the SPIRIT were not conferred,on any, but those who embraced the faith of CHRIST. Not that all Christians were endowed with those gifts, much less in an equal degree: But they were distributed, as ST PAUL tells us, in such manner and measure as the wisdom of GOD thought fit. But all were partakers of the HOLY GHOST in respect of his more ordinary influence, and this gift all Christians received upon their embracing the Christian religion. Thus " the HOLY GHOST" is said " to be given by GOD to them that obey him." (Acts 5: 32.) And we are said to " receive the promise of the SPIRIT through faith." (Gal. 3: 14.) And " in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that HOLY SPIRIT of promise."
III. The third thing considerable in the text is, the particular time of conferring this gift of the HOLY GHOST; and that was after our SAVIOR'S ascension into heaven, implied in these words, " The HOLY GHOST was not yet given, because JESUS was not yet glorified;" signifying that this effusion of the SPIRIT was not to be till after our SAVIOR'S ascension into heaven.
But was not the HOLY GHOST given to the Prophets of old And were not good men in former ages under the influence of the SPIRIT Why is it then said that " the HOLY GHOST was not yet given" The answer to this is easy, that our Savior here speaks of that general and plentiful effusion of the HOLY GHOST which was promised to the latter days, that is, to the Gospel age; the like to which, both for the universal communication of this gift, and for the measure of its participation, had never been in the world before; and of this it is that the Evangelist speaks, when he dates the time of it, from after our Savior’s ascension into heaven. Now the dispensation of this gift of the HOLY GHOST was particularly limited to this time..
1. Because it was not so necessary before in our Savior’s life-time. For during his continuance with his disciples, his presence supplied all other defects; but when he left them, they were, as he calls them, orphans, destitute of help, comfort, and protection; and therefore it was requisite, that upon his departure from them, this " Comforter and Advocate should come to abide with them for ever." But this does not seem to reach fully the reason assigned in the text, why “the SPIRIT was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." Therefore
2. It seems convenient, not only that our SAVIOR should be visibly taken up into heaven, but that after he was ascended thither, he should give some testimony to the world of the power and dignity to which he was -there advanced; that as a King he should give some evidence of his authorit*and majesty, at his solemn inauguration into his kingdom, by dispensing plentiful spiritual gifts, as the Princes of this world are wont to scatter temporal favors. And this the Scripture takes notice of, as an evidence and testimony of his royal dignity, and glorious exaltation at the right hand of God. " Him has GOD exalted" (speaking, of our blessed LORD) " with his own right hand, to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance unto Israel, and forgiveness of sins. And we are his witnesses of these things; and so also is the HOLY GHOST, whom GOD has given to them that obey him." (Acts 5: 31, 32.) Where you see that the gift of the HOLY GHOST is mentioned as a testimony of our Savior's being "exalted at the right hand of God." But more expressly ST. PAUL, applies to our SAVIOR these words of the Psalmist, ' Wherefore he says, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." (Eph. 4: 8.)
After our SAVIOR's ascension, there was the greatest occasion that ever was for' the bestowing this gift of the Ho Y'GHOST, considering what kind of persons they were that were appointed to publish the Gospel to the world; and that this great work being' to be carried on by instruments so weak, and mean,' and contemptible, there was an absolute necessity' of an, extraordinary testimony from heaven to’the divinity, -of this new doctrine, and of a divine power going • along with it, to support' those weak instru= mints in carrying -on this work, against the mighty opposition and-persecution it was likely to meet with, and against such difficulties' and obstacles as were plainly insuperable by any human power.’ For' as there never was' a work of greater consequence and difficulty than this, so could this divine power never have manifested' itself upon a more worthy occasion. Since our SAVIOR, according to the wise counsel of GOD, intended, that afterr his ascension into heaven, his Gospel should be published to the world, it was highly requisite that the minds of men should be prepared for it, and way made for the more ready entertainment and easy passage of it, by some signal testimony of the divine presence attending the first publishers of it, and by circumstances, though not so full of terror and amazement as those which did accompany the giving of the law, yet - really of greater force and efficacy, and more apt to convince the world of the truth of this doctrine, and to insinuate it more effectually into the hearts and consciences of men.
And now that I have given you a brief account of the three particulars which offer, I shall return back to that which l intended more especially to insist upon, the ordinary influence of the HOLY SPIRIT upon the minds of those who believe; and this I shall endeavor td explain to you under these four heads: 1. I shall open the nature of it. 2 The necessity of it, to enable us to perform the condition of the Gospel covenant. 3. The blessed effects of it, 4. The extent of it, as to persons and times.
1. I shall open the nature of this gift of the HOLY GHOST, understanding by it the ordinary influence of the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD upon the hearts and minds of believers. And I doubt not but the Scripture means by it an immediate influence and operation of the HOLY SPIRIT Of God upon the minds of men, an inward power, strength, and assistance communicated to Christians, to all the purposes of holiness and obedience, enabling them to be such "manner of persons in all holy conversation and godliness" as the Gospel requires: And’not only that this strength and assistance is offered and afforded to us, "to work in us both to will and to do" all that is necessary to salvation; if we do not resist the SPIRIT of GOD; and the blessed motions of it; but likewise that this power does continually dwell and reside in all true Christians, if we do not grieve the SPIRIT of GOD, and provoke him to withdraw himself from us.
And this is sufficiently declared in several places of the New Testament, where we are said to be "assisted by a Divine Power, and strengthened with all might by the SPIRIT in the inner man, to walk in' the SPIRIT, to be led by the SPIRIT, and by the SPIRIT to mortify the deeds of the flesh;" and likewise in those texts, wherein "the SPIRIT of GOD" is said "to work mightily in them that believe, to dwell in them, to sanctify and renew them," with many such like expressions. By all which, unless we offer notorious violence to the plain and obvious sense of them, we must necessarily understand something more than the confirmation which was given to the Christian doctrine, by the miracles that were wrought by the power of the HOLY GHOST. Such a remote influence of the SPIRIT of GOD upon men as this is, does by no means answer the fullness of those expressions; and if any man do but seriously consider them, nothing less than an immediate influence of the SPIRIT of GOD upon our hearts, and a real strength and power thereby communicated to us, can be imagined to satisfy the proper sense and meaning of the several expressions which I have mentioned.
And that the Scripture, by the promise of the SPIRIT, and the various expressions concerning it, does mean this ordinary assistance common to all Christians in all times, and not the extraordinary gifts of the HOLY GHOST, which were peculiar to the first ages of Christianity, seems very plain; because the Scripture makes the gift of the SPIRIT to be common to all believers, and to be given to all that are baptized, and this in all ages of the Church; as appears from those words of ST. PETER, "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 2: 38, 39.) This promise is the promise of the HOLY GHOST, which, he says, is made to them and their posterity, that in all succeeding ages should be gained to the faith of CHRIST.