fectly to enjoy the communion of the Holy Ghost to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." p. 27.

"The fountain of all true moral excellence in mankind, is the Spirit of God. The serious and enlightened Christian of every denomination will readily confess, that it is only through the influence of this Holy Spirit that he is enabled rightly to apprehend God, to know himself, and to accept Jesus Christ as his all-sufficient Saviour: that it is only through such an influence that he is converted in the first place, and afterwards sanctified and prepared for his heavenly inheritance." Among Christians there exists no difference of sentiment as "to the question whether the Holy Spirit does or does not operate on the heart of man." "Friends," however, "deem it their duty in a peculiar manner to insist, that the operations of the Holy Spirit in the soul are not only immediate and direct, but perceptible; and that we are all furnished with an inward Guide or Monitor, who makes his voice known to

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us, and who, if faithfully obeyed and close ly followed, will infallibly conduct into virtue happiness, because he leads us into a conformity with the will of God." pp. 36, 37.

true

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Under the Christian dispensation, the Holy Spirit is poured forth in pre-eminent abundance on the souls of true believers in Christ Jesus. p. 38.

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And he quotes, in support of this view of the subject, John xiv. 16, 17, 26, and xví. 13, 14.

He also frequently speaks of the inward manifestations and monitions of the Holy Spirit; and he represents these as leading, when" united with a dependence on Christ, as an all-sufficient Saviour," to an end of quietness and peace," p. 50; and all who commit themselves to the guidance of this inward Monitor "find that he leads them through the strait gate, and by the narrow way, and that, in order to follow him, it is indispensably necessary for them to resist their own desires, and to mortify those perverted selfish principles, which constitute the character of the natural man." p. 521

Again :13 m

tor natural

as is our

as is our own infirmity, deep is certain guide of whom we are

that the inwat deflement, it is

speaking, is entirely holy, and he upholds to his followers the very highest standard of action. He commands them to be of clean hands," &c. " and he is ever ready to assist us in our humble endeavour to offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Such are tests, and such are the fruits of the perceptible guidance of the Holy Spirit in the soul.", pp. 55, 56. “It is the happiness of true Christians to love and serve an incarnate, crucified, risen, and glorified Redeemer. They enjoy a superabundant light, an exceeding grace, a revealed and established hope, and a pre-eminent de gree of the communion of the Holy Spirit.” p. 350.

We have been the more anxious to exhibit the clearest and most satisfactory evidence which Mr. Gurney's work affords of the sentiments which he entertains on the subject of the distinct personality of the Holy Ghost, because these sentiments, as has been said, are no where explicitly stated, and because important practical results hinge upon the question. It seems important, for example, as clearly as possible to mark the distinction of office assigned to the Holy Spirit in the mysterious economy of re demption, from that assigned to the Divine Son. If we should represent the Spirit of God merely as a Divine Influence, we should learn to regard Him in the light of an Instrument: and then, regarding the Divine Son as an Agent, and His Spirit as the Instrument, we come to identify as one the work plished by both; and to attribute, in fact, the whole agency of redemp tion to the Person of the Son working instrumentally by His Spirit, Now, assuredly there is the greatest possible difference between connecting and blending two several ope rations; for, however, the two operations of justification by the merits of Christ, and sanctification by His Spirit, must be always connected together, more or less, in the same individual, yet should We object to that statement which led in any degree to blend them, or to make them, even in appearance, one and the same act. Justifica

accom

in his excellent and very interesting little work on Redemption, has appeared to us to assert, we are then perfectly agreed; for this is a sentiment which will be found fully exhibited in the clear and explicit statement of the Eleventh Article of the Church of England, and in the Homily on Justification. Now, we would ask, are Barclay's sentiments in accordance with that statement; or do they not approach more nearly to the popish notion, that justification is not simply the pardon and acceptance of the sinner through the blood of Christ, but that it is also, or rather partly, the infusion of the Spirit of grace, of holiness, of a Divine seed, of something which being inwardly put on, makes the person just, and so renders him righteous before God?

We must close this part of our observations, by expressing our very serious dissent from any such imperfect statement on justification as this; not so much from its being popish, which a priori means nothing, but from its being unsound, unscriptural, unsafe; and as naturally leading to many of those pernicious consequences to which it led under the reign of Popery. Such views ground themselves upon one or two passages of Scripture, in which the act of justification seems to be made synonimous with the act of sanctification; but they oppose the direct tenor of the whole of the sacred writings, more especially the Epistles of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, who unequi: vocally distinguishes the two acts when he says, "Now to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly:" and

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The absence of any explicit statement on this fundamental point in the présent work, which professes to lay a foundation for unity in religious sentiment throughout the whole world, has induced, and we think warrants, our present line of observation. We shall most gladly retract, our remarks, on learning from the respect ed author that we have at all failed in clearly apprehending his view of the subject.

again, "In whom we have redemp tion through his blood even the forgiveness of sins; and again, when he makes the act of justification to be forensic and extrinsic, in his cele brated exclamation, Who shall LAY ANY THING TO THE CHARGE of God's elect? It is God that JUSTIFIETH. Who is he that CONDEMNETH? It is Christ that died;-yea, rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Passages with this bearing might be multiplied almost without limit though these are sufficient to establish the fact of a separation, and a distinction, between the office of the Son in justifying, and the Spirit in sanctifying, the sinner: whilst those equally noble and magnificent pas-" sages which describe the Saviour as a Redeemer from the practice of sin, and a purifier from all iniquity,

cleansing the sons of Levi, that they may offer an offering in righteousness," are equally conclusive as to the necessary connexion of the two effects in the same individual.-But we must add that the statements which confound justi fication and sanctification seem strongly to lead to that great source of evil, pride and a spirit of boasting. "Where is boasting then? it is excluded by what law? of works?" no-far from it. And we must add, that it is not the law of works, nor yet any change in our character, however produced, which can be regarded as constituting our justification before God, as believers in Christ. For if it is the Spirit, the Divine seed, the transformation, the "Christ formed within us," which is to justify us, then is it eventually by what we are in ourselves, by our own characters, that we are justified. That Christ" must be formed in us the hope of glory," we most cordially allow; but we admit not the notion of Christ formed within us as the meritorious claim to that glory: for even "when we have done, all or rather " not we, but the grace of God which was with us to t

us, we are

still unprofitable servants," we are "nothing." Let the spiritual attainments of the great Apostle be compared with the lowliness of mind with which he ever speaks respecting himself; and we shall have the true key to his whole system on the doctrine of justification. And he who beforehand had said in humility, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh, be justified;" was then in a fit frame of mind to speak with humility of his freedom from sin, and his attainments in sanctification, in the words which follow: "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. We should desire to add, without the least intention to offend any class of persons, for we are speaking of tendencies only, that if we were to apportion the two views of justification, one blending it with sanctification, the other distinguishing between them, to the two characters respectively of the Pharisee and the Publican; we should see in the former view a liability to that dangerous error of the Pharisee, who thanks God indeed, but because he is not as other men, and in the latter view, at least a fair ground, for the self-abasement of the Publican, who went down, to his house JUSTIFIED rather than the other.

In a word, if the separation of the justifying act from its everfaithful concomitant the grace of sanctification, may give occasional encouragement, to that most detestable le of all enormities, the Antinonian heresy; the contrary enormity, so to speak, that of trusting in ourselves that we are righteous, has been ever found, under some modification, the effect of confounding justification with sanctifi. cation, and of looking more for acceptance with God to our own characters, to "Christ within us," the justifier of men, than the Scriptures diCHRIST. OBSERV. No. 276.

and less to Chris

rect. But we are concerned to have dwelt so long upon a point which may be considered as a digression from our main subject, to which we now return.

In the several works under consideration, we have found no direct guide to the observations which have been forced upon ourselves as reviewers on the distinction of person as well as of office in the Holy Spirit of God. It has been the intention of most of the writers to state the work of the Spirit rather dogmatically than, controversially; and we by no means intend to censure them for so doing but we should have been gratified if they had assisted us more in what is, doubtless, a main subject of inquiry; namely, respecting the several kinds of operation adopted by the Divine Spirit in his communications with man, and the general result to be expected from His agency, prior to, during, and subsequent to the grand Apostolic effusion of His gifts.

100

The great general operation of the Holy Spirit, is popularly considered to be that of sanctifying the heart and life of the believer. In what manner the Spirit of God, in producing this, or any operation, acts upon the spirit of man, it must be fruitless for us to inquire, and presumptuous to pronounce upon, at least otherwise than by referring to the memorable words of the Saviour himself, "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; so is every one that is born of the Spirit." This point is briefly but well discussed in the short work, No. 1, on our list: in which, however, there appears the assumption of a more arbitrary proceeding in the Divine Spirit, with respect to individuals, than we deem Scripture to warrant. The text above quoted refers not so much to the selection of objects for: Divine grace, as to the mode of its operation upon them. The need of that operation, its blessed effects, and the necessity for long patience 5 G

in waiting for them, are, however, strongly and eloquently described in this pamphlet. From the description of the effects on individual character, we select the following glowing passage.

"But it is in the affections of the heart, and in the conduct of the life, that the effects of the Spirit's influences display themselves in the loveliest forms, and in their highest glory. Antecedently to the operations of that Mighty Agent upon the soul the breast was the seat of carnal, depraved, and malignant passions, which at the slightest degree of irritation, were ever ready to burst into a flame. The first fruit of the Spirit is love-love towards God. Like a mass of ice melting before the warm beams of the sun, the heart-which in the state of nature is frozen into enmity against God-touched by the softening influence of the Spirit, dissolves into pure and genuine affection; the carnal mind, laying aside its hatred and dislike of his character, and its determined stubbornness of opposition to his law, is converted into a spiritual mind, which delights in the contemplation of his perfections, glows with gratitude for his kindness, and enters with alacrity into the whole plan of his government a mind which derives the chief source of its enjoyment from the experience of his favouring presence, and draws the motives of its obedience from the fountain of redeeming love. It is also love to man. The same subordinating power which slew the enmity against God, and kindled in its stead the flame of ardent affection torwards him, has also expanded into a free exercise of every benevolent and disinterested emotion, the heart, which, under every blast of unkindness, was ready to be contracted into selfishness, or hardened into insensibility. The mind that was ever prone to regard rather with feelings of jealousy than with sincere delight the happiness and the superior advantages of others that deemed every instance of ill treatment a justifiable ground of hatred land of ill treatment in return, and every instance of ingratitude a sufficient reason for witholding kindness--has now become generous in its principles, tender and amiable in its sympathies, and patient of injuries and persecutions.. Not unconcerned for the temporal welfare of man-kind, and not backward to contribute, to the utmost extent of its means, towards the promotion of their present happiness itsmchief vanxiety it will consider as

justly due to their eternal interests. Viewing them as creatures made for immorefforts will be devoted to the still more tality, its most earnest and persevering its endeavours may succeed) their wellimportant purposes of securing (so far as being in a world to come. Necessarily associated with this exercise of universal love, will be the other virtues, graces, and endowments of the Christian character-all blending into a soft and harmonious combination, and all flowing forth as so many streams from that spring of living waters which the Divine Spirit has opened in the heart. There joy, mingled with gratitude and elevated by hope, arising in part from the consideration of miseries escaped, and in part from the anticipation of felicities to be-enjoyed from a sense of the privileges now possessed, and of the blessedness still in reserve—triumphs as in its natural element, There peace meek, gentle, and serene, resulting from the subjugation of the appetites and passions, from the banishment of vain and irregular desires, from a soothing persuasion of being in a state of reconciliation with God through the death and righteousness of his Son, diffuses a calm and delightful composure through all the powers of the soul. There forbearance under every species of provocation, resignation to the Divine will under the most trying dispensations of providence, and amidst the most afflictive scenes of human life, will check the first risings of anger, and silence the voice of complaint. There faith, in all the variety of its operations, will act with energy and vigour, reposing an unhesitating trust in all the declarations of Jehovah confiding with unshaken reliance in the meritorious life and atoning death of the Redeemer as the sole and all-sufficient ground of its hope of salvation-looking forward with a realizing eye to the glories of a future world amid the clouds and darkness of present sufferings, and directing as a primary power the whole movements of the conduct. There the flame of devotion burns, prayer delights to make known its request, praise to offer up its incense of thanksgiving, holy contemplation to unfold its pinions, and to soar amidst scenes yet remote. There, also, the duties of temperance and self-denial, the rigid restraint within their due and appropriate bounds of the several faculties and affeetions of the soul, will meet with the reqnisite share of attention. There, in short, goodness, in all its constituent principles, whether it regards God or