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/i^^..,..-^.^ ^^.^Z*^*^.<^,L^ . 
 
 h Mmim $i Ik €>mhxitt. 
 
 TWO SERMONS 
 
 I'KEACIIED IN THE 
 
 CATIIEDllAL OF ClIMST CHURCH, 
 
 FEEDEJRIOTON, NEW BKUNSWIOK, 
 
 ox 
 
 WUITSINDAY Ax\D TIIINHY SUNDAY, 18G7, 
 
 By JOHN. BISHOP OF FREDERICTOiN. 
 
 TU'MLISIIB'JJ Sir SiEQUBST. 
 
 FUEDEKICTON, N. B.: 
 
 IIKNIIV A. CROPIiEY. 
 
 1»67. 
 
 • t 
 
 • • 
 
 > « 
 
 . . ' 
 
n, \. « Kori.i.v. im;inti:i;. <^ii i.v siuii r. ri;i.i>n;i' ion. n. i; 
 
TO 
 
 A/id Many other kind /) tends. 
 
 TiiKSK i)i:«cui'issi:s, n iiLisnKi) at thkiu i{i:«,.rKST. 
 
 AUK i)i;i»icATj.i». Mini i:vi:i{Y ri;i:Lixu of kkspkct and AMKcnoN, 
 
 in Tlir.IU I AlTIIkl 1, J KIKNK AM> BISIU»l', 
 
 JOHN' FIIEDKIIICTON. 
 
THE MISSION OF THE COMFORTER. 
 
 -•«•- 
 
 " TnK Comforter, wliioh is the Uoly Ghost, wliom tlic Father will scml in my 
 name, lie will teadi you nil tilings, nmi l)ring nil fliinj^s io your rcmcmbraiifo, 
 whnt"«oovcr I have said unto vou." — St. Joiix xiv. Hi. 
 
 HE clmptcr from which my text is taken, niul tlic 
 two chapters which follow it, form at all times, 
 but especially at this season,* most profitable 
 subjects for tlie Christian's private reading and 
 meditation. That the Scriptures arc by many not 
 read at all, and by many more read to little pur- 
 pose, can hardly be denied. The business of life 
 absorbs the wlioh; attention, and even the Lord's 
 day is not devoted, as it might be, to this kind of 
 spiritual improvement. How small a hold must 
 religion have upon the heart, when not even a 
 portion of the day of rest can be spared for this 
 great purpose. It is true we regularly attend public worship, and 
 hear the Scriptures read with attention and devoutness; and we 
 mav be supposed to have discharged some part of what are called 
 religious duties. Ihit in order to union and communion with 
 (Jod, — in order to the fulfilment of that glorious destiny for which 
 we were sent into the world, — there must be something beyond 
 attendance at Church: the truths which we liear must have a deep 
 hold-fast in the heart itself, and they nnist be the principles on Avhich 
 our life and practice are built. For how immense is the danger 
 that the busy scenes of political life, the eager computation of money, 
 the schemes of management and co-operation with others, will so 
 absorb the mind, that it will lose all interest in the eternal world; 
 and the danger is the greatest when we do not see it. The fear is, 
 that, even on the Lord's Day, the mind may be unable to do more 
 than to give to God a superficial discharge of theolficcs of religion, 
 while the Christian is not so in love with truth as to take up the holy 
 Word of his own accord, and think it out quietly by himself. We 
 mar even make use of religious senices, so as to shut out private 
 reading altogether. Now, after so much has been said of the import- 
 
 Preached on WhitsuQday. 
 
TIIK MISSION OF TIIK COMFOHTKIt. 
 
 tance of haviiij^ the Scrtpturo traiislntinl into our mother toii<(uo, niul 
 freely accensiblo to all, are not many, by their own ncjflccjt, placed 
 in the same condition with tho8C who liuvc no tninslulion of the 
 Bible, and nu knowledge of it? And thun it liappenH, that whilst 
 oth«r Christiana are fiercely assailed for depriving their inombt'iH of 
 this special blessing, the very persons who glory in their possession 
 of (lie Scriptures neglect to use them, and are, by their neglect, in a 
 worse condition than those over whose miserable estate they con- 
 tinually laii'.ent. Among the subjects which our Church presses on our 
 attention, we find especially prominent the subject of the coming, the 
 presence, the assistance, and consolation of the Holy (Jhost. The 
 promise of the Comforter was the special topic of consolation to the 
 sorrowing Apostles on the eve of our Lord's departure. " I will not 
 leave you orphans," he said tenderly ; *' 1 am coming to you." Com- 
 ing, not in bodily presence, not in manifestation of judgment, but in 
 sending tlie great representative of the Father and the Son, who is 
 IkUown as the Holy Spirit. Our Lord sjK'aks of ilim as possessing all 
 the attributes of a person, and of a Divine jierson. He can licar. 
 speak, come, and dwell, lie can keep, comfort, and intercede. He 
 can be vexed, fjuenched, grieved, and forced to depart. He can en- 
 lighten their understandings and refresh their memories. He can 
 impart grace, truth, light, love, i)eace, and joy. He proceeds from 
 the l*'ather, ajid is sent by the Son, and by the Father. He is as om- 
 nipotent as the Father, as ever-present as the Son, and is joined 
 with them in the great act of initiation into the Christian covenant, 
 the solemn homage of heart-worship, and in the three-fold blessing 
 which corresponds to the blessing which Moses taught the chiUhvn 
 of Lsrael to use when the ark moved and rested. The fellowship of 
 the Spirit is to be sought for as earnestly as the grace of the Lord 
 Jesus and the love of the eternal Father. AVhat solid i)roofs arc here 
 of the Divine nature of the blessed Spirit; and how entirely iiicom- 
 l)atible are the expressions with the supposition that He is a mere 
 attribute or influence of the Almighty I 
 
 Again, all the manifestations of Divine i)Ower which accompanied 
 the life of our Lord, and which followed the fultilment of his promise 
 that he would *' send " the Spirit " from the Father, " are aseribcd in 
 the (lospels and the Acts of the Apostles, and in the Ei>i<tles of St. 
 I'aul, to the agency of the Holy Ghost; and they were as truly miracu- 
 lous, and as truly proceeded from (Jod, as any of those works which, 
 as our Lord declared, showed that '* He proceeded forth and came 
 from God." Nor need we limit this supernatural and miraculous 
 agency to the age of visible miracles. Ileal miracles may be wrought, 
 when visible miracles are no longer vouchsafed. The Holy Si)irit's 
 miraculous power need not be limited to those bodily cures, or to 
 those manifestations of power o\er tlie sphere of nature, w Inch form 
 
TitE MtSfitON OK TIIK rOMKOUTKn. 
 
 ii<fUo, niul 
 ct, plncc'd 
 Dll ol' I lie 
 lut whilst 
 ornbiMH of 
 »().sscssi()u 
 i^loct, ill u 
 they coii- 
 st'8 on our 
 miny. Iho 
 DSt. Tlio 
 iuii to the 
 I will not 
 I." Corn- 
 lit, but iii 
 n, who is 
 iessinjf all 
 can hear. 
 ;etlo. Ho 
 le can en- 
 Ho can 
 ^eds iVoni 
 is as oin- 
 is Joined 
 Ruvcnant, 
 bl('ssin;4' 
 children 
 wship of 
 the Lord 
 are here 
 y iiiconi- 
 is a inerc 
 
 (inpanicd 
 
 ■5 i)ronu.«e 
 
 cribed in 
 
 les of St. 
 
 [y niiracu- 
 
 s Avliich. 
 
 md came 
 
 iraculous 
 
 wrought, 
 
 y Spirit's 
 
 CCS. or to 
 
 lich form 
 
 a larjje portion of the miracles reconled in the Old Testament, and 
 even in the infancy of the (hri'^tian Church. And I know not why 
 in a more spiritual sphere of action, ayrecably to the genius of the 
 Christian dispensation, the Holy (iliost may not work continual mir- 
 acles in the Christian Chiiich. And as in the ini|)erfect tlispcn-iiitioii 
 given to the .lews, the test of laith was to receive the teacher as 
 come from (J«)d, when he was enabled to exercise unusual jiowcr 
 over natural thiiij,^s and persons, so i»ossibly one test of faith now 
 may be to believe in the work of the Holy (Jhost. as sanctifying 
 the creatures of (Jod to hiji^h and spiritual uses, and to realize his 
 work, as Irulv miraculous. ihon<fh no outward chanire takes place 
 in the persons :ind thiiij^s whii-h are the subjects of his power. And 
 this may be more truly an act of faith than if we saw one ris(> from 
 the dead, on the jrreat i)rinciple announced by our I^ord, *'Itlcs>cd 
 arc th(>y that have not seen, and yet have believed.'* 
 
 Indeed, tin's princi[»l«! of the continual workinjrof the Holy (Jho>t, 
 and by <rreater works than Christ himself did on earth, is the? sp(>cial 
 [H'omisc of the (Christian dis]»>nsation. We are told by St. IVler. that 
 the ''holy men,'' who si)ak«! and wrote before our Lord's advent, 
 were ** moved " or borne on by the impnlsj's of th(> Holy (iho'«l ; nor 
 can we imai;iiie any ^ood tiling* in thi! heart of man wlii(;h did not 
 l»roreed Irom this source. Still, in a very im))ortanl sense " the Holy 
 Spirit was not jriven until Christ was jrloritlcd;" that is, until he as- 
 cencU'd into Heaven. The gift ol the HolyChost to be the representa- 
 tive of the F;jtlier and of the Son was not nn\de. No yeneral g-race had 
 been i)onr( d out on the world. Xo <jreat commission had been issued to 
 baptize nil nations. No one had been ai)pointed over the whole 
 (Jhurch, of whom the Spirit should be the invisible, but real, active, 
 and ever-abiding representative. The separate and subordinate gift 
 may have been beetowed on the individual mind, as the rsulmist 
 says, ^'Tttke not Thy Holy Spirit from me; '' but this was not a col- 
 lective gift for the whole Church, as iIk; Apostle speaks. •' Through 
 Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the; Father.'' "And 
 have been all made to drink of the same Si)irit.*' "As many of you a> 
 have been l»!ii)tized into Christ, have put on Christ." Thus in special 
 couiieclion Willi .lesus Chi'ist as "'iho head over all thing's to hi^ 
 ( liurcli, the t"nhie>s of liim avIio lillelh all in all,"' is the continued 
 abiding- and in-dwellingof the (Jomforter in the '• Church which is his 
 body," and in the Jiearts of all who believe in, love, and obey him. 
 
 How these great and plainly revealed truths are to bo rcconcil(>il 
 with the Cnity of Cod. is a subjeet far above the reaeli of any human 
 mind. lint the fact that many stumble at the doctrine, as soon a- 
 they l)egin to try it by the measures of sight and reason, is no valid 
 objection to it. Whatever God reveals transcends our reason; and if 
 viewed only in one aspect appears to be contradictory to it. 1 say, 
 
THE MISSION OF THE COMFOKTEK. 
 
 ( 
 
 if viewed only in one axpcct or one Hitlo; for it certainly i« not coii- 
 trndictory to reason lo wiy that the Divine lleinj,'^ is both One and 
 Tin-ee, provided lie is not Three in the same sense in wliich lie is One. 
 Admitting tlie Unity of (Jod to bo tlic fundamental Article of all 
 faith, we cannot add to this tsiniple statement that (iod is One, tlio 
 uecessary complements of that doctrine, that He is eternally self-exis- 
 tent, omnipotent, omniscient, without an apparent contradiction in 
 lan<j;U!i«ie: for what is clearer than that any thiny beyond Time and 
 splice we hav(! no idea wluitsoever, and as soon as wo attempt to state 
 it, we are involved in contradictions? And what is apparently clearer 
 tlian that a personal aj^tMit cannot be wholly present in two places at 
 one and the same time, and that such a bein<^ mtist be capable of being 
 circumscribed by certain bonds and limits? The objections therefore 
 nr<i('d against the doctrine of the Trinity, or the personality of the 
 Holy (ihost, arise in some measure from our ne<4lecting to analyse 
 our ideas on the attributes of God in his simi)le Ujiity. For these 
 ideas will be found to be as full of inconsistency, as soon as we begin 
 to try them by the measures of human reason. The truth is, we have 
 no measure of a Divine IJeing. He exists in a sphere above and 
 beycmd our own. Ontn; admit a llevelation, antl what is revealed is 
 u pure matter of faith witii which reason has nothing to do, except to 
 try to discover the meaning of the words in which the Itevelation is 
 made. The thing itself is matter for adoration, not investigation. 
 
 Ihit let us now apply ourselves to the consideration of the text it- 
 self. "The Comforter: He shall teach you all things." The .Son (»f (;od 
 whilst lie remained with man, was our Comforter, by his teaching, 
 b\ his glorious exami>h!, and by his wondrous patience, *' even unto 
 death." JJut the Holy Ghost can do more for man than the Lord 
 iTesus cifected on earth. 
 
 The Sv)n, having limited himself to a hunum body, Avould have been 
 circumscribed within the bounds of one place, and the benefits which 
 he bestowed must have been proportionally limited. But now acting 
 by his Spirit, he is present within all Churches, he visits every clime, 
 and hears the prayers of every soul in the assemblies of the failiiful 
 at one and the same moment. The bodily presence of the Son repre- 
 sents the loss perfect dispensation. Born of a Jewish virgin, he is 
 bound by Jewish laws, and oilers his devotions in the material Jewish 
 Temple. But now, enthroned on high, He sends His Spirit to repre- 
 sent to us the freedom and the glory of the New Covenant. The lirst 
 law" of that Covenant is faith in an unseen Spiiit, universal worship 
 oll'ered through an unseen Saviour " in spirit and in truth, " and the 
 agency of the Holy Ghost, as being invisible, impresses on us more 
 forcibly the spirituality of His Kingdom. The Spirit also sanctifies 
 and yives efllcacv to the Institutions of the Christian CTiurch, more 
 particularly to those two Sacraments which form the basis on which 
 the spirit uttl fabric rests. 
 
TTTF, MI«MON OF TTTR rOMTOnTEn. 
 
 not coii- 
 
 Oiio and 
 lu in Olio, 
 clo of n\l 
 
 One, the 
 
 solt'-exls- 
 liction in 
 Time niul 
 [)t to state 
 ly clearer 
 I places at 
 e of being 
 
 therefore 
 ity of the 
 analyse 
 For tlieso 
 
 we begin 
 !, we have 
 ibove and 
 Bvealed is 
 
 except to 
 'elation is 
 
 stigalion. 
 lie text it- 
 on of (Jod 
 
 teaching, 
 even nnio 
 
 the Lord 
 
 have been 
 
 fils which 
 
 L>w acting 
 
 ry clinic, 
 
 e faitlifnl 
 
 on rei)re- 
 
 (in, he is 
 
 al rJewisli 
 
 to reprc- 
 
 The first 
 
 worship 
 ' and the 
 
 lis more 
 sanctifies 
 •ch, more 
 oil which 
 
 The word Sacrament is derivctl from the anciont military oath, by 
 Whicli KoldieiH were bound. The .Sacraments are, therefore, tests of 
 our fidelity. They are essentially spiritual onllnanccs. Conslilered as 
 more forms nuiny ways might bo devised of rememberiug our FiOrd 
 as signiticant ; and as lie never indnlge<l in mere forms and cere- 
 monies, it would be contrary to his practice to continue them, on 
 the supposition (hat they are only forms; and the (Juaker, on this prin- 
 ciple, is the oaly consistent Christian in entirely abandoning tlu'ir use. 
 For the whole genius of Christianity is adverse to forms wlilcli embody 
 no truth, and contain no symbolical teaching. The Sacraments nnist 
 bo connected with the CJracc! of the Holy (ihost, or they are lifeless 
 forms, without force or meaning. Our (Mmnjh therefore rec(>gnl/es 
 throughout her whole service a great si)irit«ud element, a great and 
 mighty truth, that the i)n>sence of the Holy (jlhost can alone bless and 
 sanctify what Christ has commanded to bo done; and if it be done 
 asChristco]nmanded,we cannot suppose that glorious Presence will bo 
 withheld. For if we believe that (Christ's Sacraments may bo rightly 
 administered and righty received, and yet that the Holy Chost will 
 not be present, what do we but make the Lord's words a moc^kery, 
 what are wc to think of such words as "whom the Father will send in 
 my Name," if the Holy Ghost be not present, when that High Name is 
 rightly used? What is therefore by some dcrisivelycalled" Sacramental 
 Ueligion,"' is not a belief in the efficacy of Sacraments irrespective of 
 the working of the Holy Ghost, and of the right recei)<ion of the wor- 
 shipper, a mere magical charm, which it is to be hoi)od no Christian 
 believes in ; but it is a firm possession of the reality and etficacy of 
 the Sacraments rightly administered and riglily received (a persuasion 
 which Cranmer, llidley, and Jewell held to the last hour of their lives), 
 u firm belief in the presence and acting of the Holy CJhost, in and 
 though the Avord spoken by the eternal Son for the use of men. Our 
 belief in the presence of the Holy Ghost if. expressed in the one 
 Sacrament by the ecclesiastical word " liegeneration," and in the 
 other by thewords "Ileal Presence, "terin3which,howcverabusod, can 
 be clearly separated from that abuse, and satislhctoriiy explained. 
 Regeneration is oiir ti'ans])lantlng from a state of nafure into a state 
 of grace, and our aibnission into all the privileges of the sons of (Jod. 
 No i)ower but that of the Holy (ihost can do this, and it belongs to 
 Him specially and exclusively. In one respect it dill'ers entirely from 
 CoiiM ision, with which it is sometimes confounded, llegeneration 
 is bestowed on us as a free gift, that we may be made and may be 
 called children of (jod. Conversion is also His gill; but it is a more 
 complex word than Hegeneration. It lini)lies not only the gift of God 
 to turn from sin by llepentance and Faith, but the ellort of man io turn 
 from sin, after he has fallen into it. llegeneration takes place once, and 
 can no more be repeated than a man can be naturally twice born; 
 
10 
 
 THE MISSION or THE OOMKOIITRK. 
 
 Conversion is in one sr ise lifc-lonj>-, for wo nevor bid fiirewoll to fin 
 till we pass out of tiiis sinful world, in another sense, it nuiy be 
 repeated, for we may be converted, and fall away a«^ain, and yet bo 
 restored to life. Uegeneration, our churcli teaches us, may be be- 
 stowed on Inlants, who ncA'cr connnitted actual sin. But it is not 
 bestowed on Adults, unless they repent and believe. But to say that 
 an Infant is converted is to pervert the use of words, for an Infant 
 has no actual sin to repent of. Again, by the words "Real Presence" 
 we do not mean that the elements of bread and win<! cease to be what 
 in their own nature God has nnide them, but that the Holy Ghost de- 
 scending- upon them, and receiving them as our oblation to (iod, 
 sanclilies tliem to a holy and spiritual use wholly dilferent from 
 their natural use, and through them comnuinicales the Body and 
 Blood of Christ spiritually to the soul of the faithful receiver; so that 
 in a manner wholly incomprehensible to our natural faculties, Christ 
 and His Spirit are truly present, and we do by faith "verily and 
 indeed" spiritually feed on Christ our Lord. This is so often and so 
 plainly stated in our Catechism and Communion ottioe, that it is need- 
 less to (juote i)assages lamiliar to all who use these otiices, and the doc- 
 trine being there expressed, the words "Real rresenco" need not 
 disquiet any serious mind, as though any change of the substance of 
 the elements, or any adoration of them, or any carnal presence of 
 Chnst's body were implied or intended. 
 
 But the sanctitication of the Sacraments to the spiritual uses of the 
 soul is far from being the whole of the Spirit's work in the Church of 
 God. We depend on the witness of the Spirit for the autlienllcity of 
 the Gospels.* That they contain matters of fact is evident from this 
 testimony of the Lord, "He shall teach you all things (necessary by 
 tliem, we suppose, to be known), and bring all things to your remem- 
 brance, whatsoever 1 have told you." There is a peculiar character in 
 the biogra\>hy of the Gospels which distinguishes them from every 
 other history of man. We arc nssured that the Spirit of (iod guided 
 the writers in the selection of facts, and brought to their remembrance 
 all that was necessary for the design of (iod. Human judgment would 
 have been utterly at fault in the selection of facts from our Lord's 
 wonderful and many-sided life, and would have either omitted some- 
 thing important to be known, or would have nmltiplied the details 
 unnecessarily, so as to make the work burdensome by its si/e, or 
 would have cuml)ered it by n'Hections, or would have omitted the 
 account ot the weakness and incredulity of the diseiples. Who but an 
 inspired Avriter could have been trusted to describe the betrayal of 
 
 i 
 
 * As the yion\':i gcnuim'ness ami authrnUtify arc often coiifound*^!, obsorvo that 
 rfenitiiuDi'ss siLrnitics that tlio dociniu'iit wsis wntteii hy the :aitt'<>r whose ti ine 
 it IwMirs; authnticit;/, tliiit (lie docuini'tit coutuins mutters of I'uct, not legcudary 
 Btxjnes. 
 
TTir. MISSION or TIIK CX)MKOnTKIJ. 
 
 U 
 
 well to fin 
 it limy be 
 iinl yet be 
 nay bo be- 
 lt it is not 
 to say that 
 an Infant 
 Presence" 
 to be what 
 ,' Ghost de- 
 m to (iod. 
 brent from 
 Body and 
 er; so that 
 ties, Christ 
 verily and 
 rten and so 
 t it is nced- 
 nd the doc- 
 " need not 
 nbstancc of 
 jrescnce of 
 
 uses of the 
 
 Church of 
 
 lent'icity of 
 
 it from this 
 
 [•cessary by 
 
 jur remem- 
 
 luj'acter in 
 
 rom ev<n*y 
 
 od jruided 
 
 ncnibranco 
 
 iicut would 
 
 our Lord's 
 
 tted some- 
 
 thc details 
 
 its size, or 
 
 mntted the 
 
 Alio but an 
 
 betrayal of 
 
 observe that 
 \vbi)sp !)')no 
 Bt legeu'lary 
 
 Judas, the denial of 8t. Peter, or above all the Pnflrerin*?s, death, and 
 resurrection of the Lord himself? Who but an inspired writer could 
 have do<^iiiatica!ly laujiiit the Supreme Divinity of the ISoii, and yet 
 iusisted luUy on his inferiority to the Father as man, in the s(!lf-same 
 Gospel, puttiuj{ into his mouth the two slariliufi: sentences " My Father 
 is greater thji 11 I,' and "That all men should honour the Son, even 
 as tliey honour the Father?" Thus we see everywhere in the Gospels 
 the lV>otpriiits of the I )ivine Spirit. We s«'e tliat the writers were men 
 of ditl'eient natural jiifts and powers of observation, and yet in one 
 respect singularly alike ; and that the diversity of their natural powers 
 under ^lie plastic iiilluence of the Spirit of (iod was made to subserve 
 God's jj^reai purpose. Xoihinjj!' was told us tojn'atity curiosity, nothing 
 was withheld wliich could serve that i)urpose. 
 
 Once more, we may trace the Holy Spirit's <rift in the ordination and 
 ellectual discharge of the iluties of the Ministers of the Church. For 
 the continued gift of the Spirit implies that the words "Sejiarate me 
 Barnabas and Saul for the work to which 1 have called thom,"' still re- 
 main in unchanged force and efficacy, and that his gifts still render 
 valid the olHces pertbrmed by frail, fallible men. This truth teaches 
 us how to <listinguish between the personal fiailties of the man and 
 tiie benelits we can receive from his ministry, whilst the ellectual min- 
 istrations even of the traitor Ju<las Iscaiiot arc guaranteed by no less 
 an autiiorily than our Lord himself. For even .ludas was chosen iiiid 
 sent lurlh to discharge, and doubtless did discharge, the duty assigned 
 to him. We look then above the man who is sent to the Master who 
 sends him, and believe that he may convey to our souls the inestimable 
 blessings of Christ's Word, even though, through his own neglect or 
 apostacy, he, alas! prove a castaway. 
 
 In dwelling on this important subject, I have chiefly spoken of the 
 Holy Spirits work on the Church of (iod at large. Not that 1 would 
 keep out of sight, or undervalne his blessful work on the imlividuai 
 heait, but because it is a very common error to depreciate or forget 
 iiis holy work in the corporate btxiy, and restrict his sacred inlluences 
 to what is done in the heart of the separate believer. The etlect of 
 this sejiaration of the two joint works is most deplorable. It leads 
 i.Multitudes to believe that Truth has no objective side, that piety is 
 only feeling pious, instead of being the life olGoil in the soul of man, 
 begun by the Spirit in the Church, carried on Uy the Spirit in the 
 soul, in active and effectual co-operation Avith our use of the means of 
 grace appointed to assist us, and with our daily endeavour to follow 
 the steps ot Christ's most holy lile. Whilst tlasnifore we utterly dis- 
 claim the doctrine of the grace of the Sacraments, unconnected with 
 their right administration and reception, we would urge on you the 
 necessity of believiun in the Spirit's work in the whoU; body and your 
 duty of co-operating with it. !i.« nienihcrs of tliai body, tiiis being in 
 
19 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE COMFORTEU. 
 
 Bomo scnso as important as His gracious work in our own separate 
 souls. Your life, in sliort, is a common life ; your ransom, a common 
 ransom; the gifts and graces of the Holy Ghost common to vou all, 
 as Heaven is the common home olTered to you. You can neither be 
 born, nor live, nor die, nor rise again, spiritually, for yourselves alone. 
 Kcmcmber, I beseech you, that an isolated Chiistianity is uotliiug 
 but a spiritualized sclfislmess. 
 
THE MISSION OF THE COMFORTER. 
 
 " The wind bloweth where it listcth, mid thou hearcst tLe sound thereof, but 
 canst not tell whence it comcth, and wliither it goeth; so ia every one that ii 
 born of the Spirit." — St. John iii. 8. 
 
 HERE is an important difference between the three 
 first Gospels and the fourth. Th« three fir it speak 
 of tlic facts relating to our Lord's Incarnation as 
 historical truth: St. John d'sals with their mys- 
 terious and sacramental character. We may observe 
 this ditfcrence in the very opening of the Gospels. 
 St. Matthew, after connecting our Lord with tho 
 royal house of David, simply tells the story of his 
 birth. St. Mark, omitting this as already told, enters 
 almost at once on his ministiy. St. Luke, after 
 recounting more fully the history of St. John tho 
 Baptist, gives us the particulars which, possibly, ho 
 had received from the Blessed Virgin herself, of the Lord's Incarnation, 
 and all the attendant circumstances. But St. John (as the fathers 
 speak) lightens upon us at once like a flash from a thunder-cloud : 
 "In the beginning was the "Word." And without pausing to explain 
 why he made use of that expression, he adds, " and the Word was 
 with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning 
 with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not 
 anytliing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh and 
 dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only- 
 begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." What depths of 
 eternal greatness and wisdom are here unfolded; what a mighty 
 mysterious revelation of the Eternal mind, in a few verses, in laiiguago 
 transparently simple, in depth of meaning wholly unfathomable! 
 
 The same dift'erence of treatment is apparent in St. John's account 
 of the two Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The three 
 first Evangelists (with very slight variations) furnish us with tho 
 same account of our Lord's baptism ; St. Matthew and St. Mark record 
 the general commission to baptize all nations. All three Evangelists 
 record the institution of the Lord's Supper; St. Luke according 
 perfectly with the account of St. Paul in tiie fu'st epistle to the Corinth- 
 ians. St. John does not record the institution of the Lord's Supper at 
 
 (1=0 
 
u 
 
 Tiir, Missio:t OK TiiK no!»ii"ORTr,«. 
 
 all; but he dwuUs on tho nivHtorics coiinoctcd with both 8««vftmout8, 
 and rcl'ors to tlieir peiiuaual witiiesn to Dlvlno Truth in his tirst 
 guiienil epistle: "Thmc are three that bear witness on earti), tlie 
 spirit, and tlie water, and the bh>od: and tliesc three a;(ree in one."* 
 In tlie tliird cliapter of liis (iospel lie selects Nicodenius, one of the 
 great council of the nation, as the person whose conversation with 
 our Lord he deems it tittest to record; and he proves from that 
 discourse "the great necessity of the 8acramont" of l)aptism,t <>f a 
 new birth by water and the spiiit. None anj exchnled from this 
 uecessity. All, learned or unlearned, rich or poor, venerated liabbi 
 or '* simple folk," must stoop by this door; for none can enter into the 
 kingdom of .lesus but such as are born of water and of the S])irit. 
 Nicodemus avows himself astonished at the statement. He canriot 
 understand the mystery. He asks in anuizement, can the natural 
 birth take place a second time? Our Lord does not condescend to 
 explain his stattunent, but assists the cloud«'d understanding of his 
 disciple by the illustration in the text: "The wiiul 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." It is important to have a distinct conception of the points 
 of the comparison, an«'. of its bearing on the whole conversation. 
 
 Our Lord had announced to the astonished Habbi a new ami spiritual 
 life connected Avith his king<lom. He showed him that all who enter 
 his kingdom partake of a new birth, and that in this new birth there 
 arc two parts, the visible and the invisible ; the water which cleanses the 
 body, and the 8i)irit which purities the soul. AV^ater, in the old 
 dispensation, had been used as an outward means of bodily restorat ion ; 
 it should now be made use of in the "mystical washing away of sin." 
 Our Lord connects the earthly element with tho sjjiritual grace by a 
 link, the subtlety of which altogether escapes us, so that what is per- 
 ceptible to our observation, is inscrutable to our understanding. Ho 
 leaves it to tinu^,and to thcgraciousteachingof his Spirit to make known 
 to Nicodemus the practical working of this truth. For we do not know 
 that our Lord baptized Nicodenms, nor do we know at whose hands 
 he received bai>tism. The mystery of the Sacrament is what St. John 
 gets forth, and loves to dwell upon. In his view, it exalts the dignity of 
 his Master to raise the Saci'ament in the eyes of men. In our days, men 
 speak of elevating Christ, when they depreciate his Sacramentj^ ; as 
 if Christ could possibly be magnitieil by unflervaluing what Christ 
 instituted for the benetit of the whole world. Surely such Christians 
 take a very different view of truth from the inspired Apostle. One 
 would suppose the true way to raise one's Master in men's 
 thoughts was not to idolize the servant, but to magnify tho Master's 
 
 * 1 St. John V. S. t Service for Baptism of Adults. 
 
THE 3IIS870N OF THE COMFOUTKU. 
 
 1A 
 
 !^1(M-Ani01lt8, 
 
 ill his Hrst 
 
 I earth, the 
 
 lie in oiu?."* 
 
 , Olio of the 
 
 sal ion with 
 
 s iVoin that 
 
 [)fisin, t of a 
 
 il from tJiis 
 
 rated Uahbi 
 
 iter into (lie 
 
 ' the S])irit. 
 
 He cannot 
 
 the natural 
 
 iidescend lo 
 
 idin«f of liis 
 
 cth wliere it 
 
 tell whence 
 
 boni of the 
 
 f the points 
 
 rsation. 
 
 ind spiritual 
 
 1 who enter 
 
 birth there 
 
 cleanses the 
 
 in the old 
 
 restoration ; 
 
 vay of sin." 
 
 jrrace by a 
 
 vliat is per- 
 
 ndino:. He 
 
 lake known 
 
 o not know 
 
 hose hands 
 
 at iSt. John 
 
 e dijjnity of 
 
 days, men 
 
 iment>< ; as 
 
 rhat Christ 
 
 Christians 
 
 >stle. One 
 
 in men's 
 
 e Master's 
 
 ; 
 
 i 
 
 law, and to estei^n (he Ilj^litest word spoken by Illm us more 
 precious than jrold; to (hink of lliin as ordainin<; nothint; in whi«rh 
 Jle was not forever present, never inovinjf in the sphere of form and 
 ceremony, but in that of intense solemn reality. In short, to exalt 
 <Jhri8t is to lower the man who is sent, in the jfreatiiess of the (Jod 
 who sends him; to ma«fnily the thing done, rather tliau tlie earthly 
 doer thereof. 
 
 On a former occasion 1 set before you the g'racious work of the Holy 
 Spirit on the (church a( larj^e. invijroralinj^ it w ith new life ; bestowiiiff 
 on it both miraculous powers and spiritual j^races; endowiii}^ the 
 Sjicranients with the jfltl of Ills Presence; and so making (he one 
 to become, when ri<i:h(ly r«Mu'ived. the ordinary (channel of our new 
 IJirth. and the odier (he m(>aiis whereby we rec.«'ivc the Lord's Body 
 and liloo<l: inspirin<>' fallible men with the power to reveal new and 
 Divine TriKh; commissioninic his servants to declare that Truth, and 
 validly to perform spiritual funcfions. Hut beside this j^eneral <ii(t (o 
 theChurchat larjife,(he Holy (Jhost carries on in the hearts of the faith- 
 ful a work lea«lin;^ to their \)erso!ial sanctilication and sjdva(ion. On 
 this work I now d«!sire <'hi(!t1y to speak. And I wish yon all to observe 
 distinctly, that when I inajfiiify the Sacrament which Christ appointe(l, 
 1 neither attribute to it a superstitious cliarni, nor wish to exalt it 
 abov(! the dignity whi«*h tin* inspired writer ascrib(!s to it. much less 
 would 1 deny the necessity of that c(mtinual life-long work of grace 
 in the soul, of which the Sa«'rament is both (he sign and the seal. 
 Our Lord's illustration in (he text is taken from the natural world. 
 This is His condnual habit, to dwell on, and to spiritualize what wo 
 call nature; but which is not a power apiirt fr«»ni (Jod, but (rod's own 
 handiwork : for not only is t he ( rod of Nature also the ( iod of grace, but 
 his work in (be one sphen' is analogous to his work in the other. A 
 very simpleiilementary truth. one wouI<lsupp<>s(n yet how much forgot- 
 ten, misunderstood. misrepn^scMited. Howmanyfals<'princii)les would 
 have beenavoided in ancient and modern times.if men hadonly believed 
 (as Scripture teaches) that (rod woiks in gracct as he works in na- 
 ture, making allowance for the ditlerenl subjet^ls on wliicli he works, 
 anddieditlerent pui'p(»s<'s He has in view. When (Jod works In Nalun^ 
 He works on Matter: it has no jjower to resist his will ; it forms sueli 
 (combinations as he directs, and is snliject to such laws as he imposes. 
 But wImmi He wtM'ks in (irace. He works on Mind, to which H(^ lias 
 vouchsafed a likeness in immortal being and altriltutes to Hin»<elf: to 
 which He hasgivena power denied to Matter — the power to reflect, to 
 compare, to will, to love, to hate, nay to work wit h or to resist, for its own 
 good, or its own undoing. ( )nmipotence itself. Thedestiny of Matter 
 is made for it. The <lestiny ofmiiitl. (he mind makes fori(self; though 
 whenever it works tor goocl it must Ijc aided and m'>ulded by the 
 plastic power of a higher, wiser, nobler mind. And yet some 
 
10 
 
 THE MISSION OF THE rOMFOUTEtt. 
 
 men would reprcficnt God as ftctin«»' more ar]>itrarily, ca])rIcionsly, 
 tyrauicuU} , and far less lovingly, on the world of mind, than on the 
 worUl of matter; as less full of {goodwill to the soul that thinks, than 
 to the matter incapable of thought; and as ** passing by," with a lofty 
 indillerence, the necessities, and the woes, and the aspirations of the 
 souls which IJo has permitted for ever to exist. Surely the Bible, 
 soundly interpreted, teaches no su(!h doctrine ; and the common sense 
 of mankind will for ever revolt against it. 
 
 ** The wind bloweth Avhere it listeth." The grace of the comparison 
 is wholly lost in lOnglish, because Ave use one word for the wind and 
 another for the Jloly Spirit; whereas both in the Greek and IIcibreAV 
 tongues the same word expresses both ideas. So that some* have 
 translated the text, "■ the Spirit bloweth where he listeth," yet we cannot 
 doubt incorrectly, as thus the point of analogy is lost. 
 
 Again, there are two words in (rreek signifying wind, one, a])pli- 
 cable to the more violent motion of the atmosphere; and the other, 
 which is here used, signifying rather the gentler breatliing of the air, 
 which is in constant motion. " The wind bloweth where it listeth:" 
 not the hurricane with its impetuous violence; not the simoon with 
 I)estilential blast; but rather (as it has been well translated) "the air 
 brcatheth where it listeth." Go forth into the woods at noon on some 
 warm sununor's day, and note the deep silence that prevails. The song 
 of birds is hushed; the lowing of the cattle is still; the very hum 
 of insects is scarcely audible. Not a cloud cros cs the sky; not a 
 breath of wind is felt. Suddenly, without a n^te of preparation, 
 without knowing '' whence it comes, or whither it goes," a rustle is 
 heard in the forest. Every leaf feels the sweet impulse; a breath 
 passes over the water, a soft murnmr is heard, and gently dies aAvay. 
 *' So is every one that is boi'u of the Spirit." The free motion of the 
 air is one of the greatest mysteries in nature. It is perceptible to all 
 our faculties. It is the sustenance of life. It infuses into us new 
 vigor and unspeakable delight. Yet it is inscrutable. The whence, 
 the whither, the how, the Avhy, what i)liilosopher can tell us? The 
 secret mystery of its coming and going no nnm knows. This vital air 
 that breatlies everywhere in constant, healtliful, life-sustaining motion; 
 Bouietimes lluttering as a whisper, or heard as a '"small still voice;" 
 sometimes rising like a "mighty wind," that tills and overawes, and 
 is then hushed into silence, is our Lord's beautiful illustration of the 
 working of the Holy Si)irit on the mind of man. 
 
 "NVc learn from the comparison that llie intluence of the Spirit is as 
 wide-spread as the breath of air. It is contined to no class. It is 
 limited to no age or nation. The love of the Spirit is the love of the 
 Imman race. Yet it is as free as it is wide, independent of human 
 
 
 
 • A» Lutlior. 
 
tin: siissiox ok tfii: cfj^irouTKU. 
 
 17 
 
 ;nprlcionsly, 
 tluiii oil tlic 
 thinks, than 
 with a lofty 
 itions of the 
 y tlic Bible, 
 nmon sense 
 
 comparison 
 lie wind and 
 md IIcbroAV 
 some* have 
 et we cannot 
 
 , one, a])pli- 
 
 d the oilier, 
 
 ^ of the air, 
 
 iit listeth:" 
 
 inioon with 
 
 h1) "the air 
 
 3011 on some 
 
 •5. The song 
 
 ic very linm 
 
 sky; not a 
 
 )reparation, 
 
 a rustle is 
 
 ; a breath 
 
 dies away. 
 
 Dtion of the 
 
 )tible to all 
 
 to us new 
 
 10 whence, 
 
 1 us? The 
 
 lis vital air 
 
 n,i>- motion; 
 
 till voice;" 
 
 rawcs, and 
 
 tion of the 
 
 Spirit is as 
 
 I ass. It is 
 
 love of the 
 
 of human 
 
 
 
 
 laws and coiKlitions, to bo vouchsafed or withdrawn a^ (Jod ><m's titi 
 ^V^' may ii(»t. indeed, say thai tlie irit"! was the >ame before our Lord 
 ascended into Heaven, as after lie ax-ended ; nor can we say that the 
 Spirit is vouchsafed to Heathens as t<» Christians; but I think we 
 siiould not err in sayiiij*". thai wherever tliere !>< a tender, l(»viiiji' lieart, 
 a <ieneroiis imitiilse. an honest mind, a reverent h(»inai;e to (Jod, a 
 dc>ire to "do justly and love mercy,'' a shrinkin;;' fr(»ni injii>lice, 
 cruelty, and iini)iirity, whether in .lew, heathen, oi- ('hri>tian. then; 
 is the motion of the ble^sed Spirit for <rood, however far the heart 
 maybe from the perfect knowled;;*' of (Jod, And how various and 
 manifold is this «;ift. As the air hlows on the nioiintain-lo|is. or in 
 the sultry plains, in (he autumn evenin^r. or in the elcar fro'>t\ air of 
 th»' winter morn, or is boiMu; in upon the tide ever in healthful thouiili 
 various motion, so the Spirit variously works on t' e human heart. 
 Now It whispers simple (ruths into the child's bicast ; now It iierv«'s 
 theendurinjjrmaii for a jireat and hazardous eiiterpri/.e : now It siiuiiests 
 the first thouiihl of devotion, or strenythen> the last act of faith : It speaks 
 comfort to the mourner, and fear to the head>t ron;:' yituth : It plaees in 
 the hands of the preacher the "bow that is<lrawn at a vent lire. "and that 
 sends convii'tion to the heart : Itaids the counsel of friends, and helps the 
 weak to resist tenii)tation, and brinn's before us the better way. and 
 bids us walk therein, and l»e safe: it speaks of eontentmeiit and hope; 
 amidst sntleriiiif, and assures us. in dark and dreary hours, that a way 
 will be ojiened before us. and that at evenin<;-tide there shall be li<ilit. 
 O, how j^racious is this blessed Spirit, how winniiiL;", and how wise! 
 lie chooses means adai)ted to hearts which ditler as widely as the laces 
 of mankind. He does not force truth upon us. but presents it to the 
 mind, so that it may be the heart's own choice, iiivitini:', persuasive, 
 yet not irresistible, for then there eculd be no •••raee in aceeptinji- it : 
 and that the Holy Spirit is not irresistible ii is iniiMtriaiit to -how for 
 several reasons, Xothinu;" can more rleaily prove tlii> than (»iir Lord's 
 impassioned, bitter cry, *'0 deni-alem, .Ieru>alein. how oflen would 
 1 have <i'athered thy children to<j;<'i!ier. a> a hen jiatliereth her ehickens 
 under her wings, (ind ye would not!" AVords full of the insult of the 
 deepest mockery had there been anythinu' w ithheld which the (Jrace 
 of (Jod (M)uld have j^iveu, consistently wiih man's own per-onal res- 
 ponsihility of acceptino- or rejecting' the otlercd mercy. Ami Si. Paul's 
 earnest entreaty is of the same nature, *• We. then, as workers together 
 with (Jod, beseech you also, that ye receive not the (Jraco of (Jod in 
 vain." Yet he intreats mockingly if no grace that might be resisted 
 Were vouchsafed, if the Holy Spirit could not be resisted, though all 
 migdit be saved by comindsion, salvation would not be the glorious 
 crown of the (Jhristian's own life-long struggle. All the sympathy of 
 Christ with his much-tried and faithful soldiers would be lost; iiU the 
 Bymjiathy of the Kedeemed in lleuven with each other would b(! de«i- 
 
18 
 
 TIIK MI.^SION OK TIIK ('()MF<)1{TF,U. 
 
 ti'oyed. For what is syuipiithy l)ut fcllow-rodinjj: witli ollior ^ufTcrors 
 in their ciKhii-iincc? The Hcdccmcd will love racli (»tii('r in Ilciivcn 
 bcciiusc ihcy hiiVi- all "coiiio out of ^rcat tribulation," and they lovo 
 Christ in Heaven hci-auso thts Spirit proceeded from the Father and 
 the Son to help them in their strujr^^les, not to Ibnre them into salvation. 
 They know they would never have rearhed that blessed shor<i without 
 liis constant aid, and yet there is u humble, healthful consciousness 
 within each heart of havin;^' not (bine violence to the <';:!entle breathin<;s 
 of ji'oodnes.~, of having made a vi<iorous and continued etlbrt, of havini^ 
 cherished a life-Ion^' (h'siro, of havinji^ struck out with both hands 
 curuestly to r(>ach the wished-for shore. 
 
 We know thai even in lower thin<is, in schools, or contests for 
 earthly rewards, if jjri/ces ten times nion^ valuable were l)estowed 
 without ail ellori, they W(julil be valueless in the eyes of tho-io who 
 received them. And what meaniujj: wouhl those noble words have to 
 us, *• who for the Joy set Ixrfore llim endured the cross, despisin«r ibo 
 sliame, and is set (h)wn at the riyiit hand of the throne of (Jod; " and 
 aji'ain. " Jiut W(* see .b'sus for thi' sufVerin;.'s of death, crowned with 
 {rlory and honour;" if instead of bearing;' our cross after him, we were 
 lanih'd in Heaven without an effort, and had no need to raise an arm, 
 or maintain a strurylc to take us thither? So that the doctrine of 
 irresistible <4:race is foun(h'don a misconception of the whoU' nature of 
 man, and of the reward i)roper to man's nature, and on a misinter- 
 pnitation of all the passa<>es of Scripture Avhich describe the struy:<ile 
 and the success of man. 
 
 So, thou, as the o-racc of the Holy Spirit is resistible, as that bh>sscd 
 Person may be resisted, '•rieved, vexed, quenched, and his lijiht 
 kindled or ])ut out within us. we should see that we ])ut forth all the 
 powers and desires of our minds t() meet that jrentle motion, and to 
 fall in with its first suj^fj-estions. Nor are we to look for his o])eration 
 commonly, in a way imi)lyin,<^ violence, or sudden tiory impulses, that 
 take? the heart by storm, and leave no room for resistance. When the 
 Holy (Jhost first came down from Heaven. If was indeed "like a 
 mij^hly wind, that shook the house" where the Ajiostles were assembled; 
 for It was sent to ^ive evidence to unbelievers of a power that could 
 not be resisted, and to supi)ort w^eak and i)ersecuted believers in 
 the dischar<i;'c of their hiyh mission. But the miracle was never exactly 
 rejicated. not even in Ai)ostolic times, and the <,nft of tonp-nes has 
 since been withdrawn. W(? know, from the histoi-y of Elijah, that 
 not in the " pTeat and strong' wind which rent the mountains, and 
 brake in ])ieces the rocks." nor in the ** earth<|uake.'' nor in the " fire," 
 but in the *' still small voice" of love, the Lord's presence was mani- 
 fested. So it is not for man to assemble his fellows, and pr(>scribe the 
 
 
 mai 
 
 nier of the Spirit's operat 
 
 ion. 
 
 Now it is to be seen and felt; in 
 
 this way only; on those very benches, with those set expressious of 
 
TTIK MISSION OF TITK <'«MF«)RTF,n. 
 
 19 
 
 or >un«Mors 
 ill llciivoii 
 I tlit'y lovo 
 Fiillicr luul 
 I) salvation. 
 
 Jl-'! w illlUllt 
 
 iis(!i(Misnoss 
 
 hrcatliiii^jH 
 
 t, of lia villi;; 
 
 butli hands 
 
 ontosfs for 
 
 • l)0stOW0(l 
 
 tlit).-»e who 
 rds liavc to 
 "•il)i-infr lli(^ 
 (Joel; " and 
 (wncd witli 
 n, we Tvero 
 is(> an arm. 
 doftriiu! of 
 
 nature of 
 a niisiiitor- 
 iu! ,slrn<i'^lo 
 
 hat l)lo^scd 
 
 1 his lii-ht 
 )rth all the 
 on, and to 
 
 o]>('ration 
 iilst's, that 
 When the 
 like a 
 
 soinbled ; 
 (hat could 
 
 iov(Mv in 
 rer exactly 
 no-ues lias 
 lijali. that 
 tains, and 
 he '' tire," 
 was niaui- 
 \-('ril)e the 
 id f«'lt ; in 
 essions of 
 
 d 
 
 feel in;r and with none other, ye lunst be born ngain: feel us 1 have 
 felt, or ye cannot l)e born (»f the Spirit at all. This is the direct 
 tipposite of the text. It is not the ^jciitl' motion of the uir, intln'tely 
 various in its opei'aiioii; now wavin^i' on the to|)s of lofty pines, now 
 whispeiinji" on the lowly tlower. now st('alin<,^ over the wide prairie, 
 or visiiiiiji' the retired valley, ov lurUiii;,^ behind the summer cloud, or 
 quiverinjf on the aspen leaf, and then retirin<i- into silence: it is rather 
 the liery furnace-blast, that i)ours ft)rth fast and furious, scorches but 
 not iiiviiiforates, and riMpures aufain and aj,''ain to be kindled by the 
 same spasmodic ellbrt. U'e do not look for the jifentle prompliii<>s of 
 the Spirit in such ways as these, much less should we limit His ^^raee 
 to such means. We may adniH that He can bless ellbrts the most 
 irre<(ular, but wo may rather exj^ect His biessin<»' in the meek and 
 liumblo ways of sobriety and trustfulness, such as His word records 
 ami juvscribes. The fjfreatest favour ever bestowed by the Holy 
 (ihost upon one of the children of men was <rran(cd to a lowly Jewish 
 maiden, who in few words of artless modesty and conlidin<>' faith, 
 with no f^raphic deseription or scnsation-s|)eeoh, humbly submitlod to 
 the ffracious will and word of the Most JH^^h. And the words of the 
 Anj^el were as simple as her own. In no hiss reverent spirit does our 
 Church train her children to ask for the ji^ift of the Holy (Jhost, and 
 with no loss trustfulness does she humbly expect that it will be be- 
 stowed ill answi'r to our prayers. 
 
 It may possiby be objecMed to our Baptismal Service, " "Why, if you 
 deny the Holy Spirit's visible oi»eratioii, do you assert so positively that 
 the child is rej^enorate?" But there is a vast ditl'ercncc bet woeii what 
 we may expect when wo use the means which Christ has prescribed, 
 and where means are used which men invent themselves, to Avhich no 
 Divine promise is annexed. The Sacrament of Baptism is a Divine 
 institution, to Avliieh Christ has promised his presence; and wherever 
 Christ is His Si)irit is present also to l>|{>ss and sanctify. But let it be 
 rememborec^ that when we say the child is regenerate, we do not mean 
 what is intended when people say the man is converted. Conversion 
 sui)poses a chaii<^e of mind, aii actual turning' from sin to holiness. 
 We ascribe no such change to the infant. Wo sav rliat bv the grace 
 of the Holy Spirit it is taken out of the state of nature in whi(^h it 
 was born, and is i)laeed in a state of grace; it is made a christian; it 
 is now Cod's child; it has the ado\)tion and the privileges of sons; it 
 is an lieir of the kingdom; and that so much is implied in all the 
 Scriptural accounts of baptism in the New Testament-, and that St. 
 Peter exi)ressly makes such i)romises to our children. But we nowhere 
 speak of converted children. In order to conversion, a person must 
 have committed actual sin, which we are sure infants have not done. 
 Further, we do not limit the grace of the Holy Spirit to any one time, 
 nor do we say in w liat manner He will work on the heart of the child; 
 
 - 
 
80 
 
 THE MISSION OF TUJE C'OMI'0|?Tfin. 
 
 but WO say distinctly, that in'-ordov to etonial salvation, llin child, if 
 it live and ^row up, must ** crucify the old man and utlcily abolish 
 the whole body of sin," and that "all thin<^.s bclonfjfin^- to the Spirit 
 livlnw' and {'•rowinj'' in him, haviiiff victory over the devil, the world, 
 and the flesh, and beiny endued with heavenly virtues," he will thus, 
 and thus only, be in the c\u\ "everlastingly rewarded." 
 
 This office, therefore, only thanks Ood for a present promised 
 benetit, but neither prescribes the manner in which tlu' Holy (J host 
 will at any future time work on the man's heart, nor does it in any 
 way antlcii)ate his future and eternal state, except accordin<>' to the 
 couflitions which the IScripturo prescribes as necessary for all Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 And noAV, my brethren, how shall we improve tliis passajfe of (Jod's 
 holy word to our own use and benetit? If the air thit breathes in 
 (constant motion be our blessed Lord's own symbol of His Spirit's 
 grace, if we daily breathe and enjoy, and are sustained by the air, — 
 how much more should we long- for, how carelul .should we be to 
 pray for the hif'iier g'ltl? Above all, how much should we strive not 
 to provoke, resist, j^rieve, or (iuen(;h, the Spirit of Truth, of (3rdcr, of 
 Decency, of Ueauty, of AVisdom, of Fear, of Love, Charity, Purity, 
 and Peace; provoke Him by op[)osilion, vex Him by nej^lect, (piench 
 His rays by deeds of darkness and impurity, by deeds and words of 
 violence, by stilling' the convictions of our conscience, by wilful dis- 
 order, disunion, and disobcdionce to any j^ood advice; for if, even 
 under the old covenant, '* when they rebelled aiul vexed His Holy 
 Spirit, he turned to be their enemy, and fouj^-ht ag-ainst them," how 
 miich greater the sin, how much surer and more severe the i)unish- 
 ment, when the nobler blessing is obstinately rejected ; and remember 
 that all non-iinprovement of ourselves is virtually rejection of the 
 grace which helps us to improve. 
 
 The more connnon and ordinary our duties in life are, '* the more 
 necessary it is" (as has bee\i well said) *'to keep up the tone of 
 our minds to that higher region of thouglit and feeling-, in which every 
 work seems dignified in proportion to the ends for which, and the 
 spirit in which, it is done."* "And what we achieve depends less on 
 the amount of time we jjosscss, than on the improvement of our time." 
 
 I leave the subject with one AVord of trarnnii/ suitable to a g-eneration 
 ever boasting of superior light, yet showing too many tokens of unreal- 
 ity and blindness to its faults, " If ye were blind, ye should have no sin ; 
 but now ye say we see: therefore your sin remaineth." Au'i with 
 one word of inexpressible comfort: "the w'ater that I shall give 
 him shall be in him a fountain of water, springing up unto everlasting 
 life." And with one word of pniise and trust, tit to express our 
 souse of God's great mercy: "All my fresli springs are in Thee I " 
 
 * J. S. Mill. Address to the Students of the University of St. Andrews. 
 
Hio cl)fld, if 
 (eriy uholi.sh 
 to Uio Spirit 
 , tho world, 
 10 will thus, 
 
 t promised 
 
 Holy (jrhost 
 ^'« it in any 
 iiin«' to the 
 >!• all Chris- 
 
 ?o of God's 
 )i'euthos in 
 lis Spirit's 
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 wo bo to 
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 f Order, of 
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 Bt, quench 
 1 words of 
 ^viltul dis- 
 )r if, even 
 Jlis Holy 
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 i)unish- 
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 5 no sin ; 
 lid with 
 all o-ivG 
 rlasting* 
 ■ess our 
 
 JCl" 
 
 ews.