Volume 1
An ecclesiastical biography, containing the lives of ancient fathers and modern divines, interspersed with notices of heretics and schismatics. Forming a brief history of the church in every age / by Walter Farquhar Hook.
- Walter Farquhar Hook
- Date:
- 1845-1852
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An ecclesiastical biography, containing the lives of ancient fathers and modern divines, interspersed with notices of heretics and schismatics. Forming a brief history of the church in every age / by Walter Farquhar Hook. Source: Wellcome Collection.
570/618 page 554
![“The memorial therefore of that most gracious and glorious dispensation, [of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, &e.] the Christian church wisely and piously hath continually preserved, obliging us at this time peculiarly to bless God for that incomparable and inestimable gift conferred then most visibly upon the Church, and still really be- stowed upon every particular member duly incorporated thereinto. ‘“‘T say bestowed upon every particular member of the Church, for the evangelical covenant doth extend to every Christian; and a principal ingredient thereof is the colla- tion of this Spirit, which is the finger of God, whereby (according to the prophet Jeremy’s description of that covenant) ‘‘ God’s law is put into their inward parts, and written in their hearts!” inscribed (as St Paul allusively speaketh) not with ink, but by the Spirit, &.; not only as the Jewish law, represented from without to the senses, but impressed within upon the mind and _ affections; whence God’s Spirit is called the Spirit of promise, the donation thereof being the peculiar promise of the gospel ; and the end of our Saviour’s undertaking is by St Paul declared, ‘‘that we might receive the promise of the Spirit by faith;” that is, by embracing Christianity might partake thereof, according to God’s promise; and the apostolical ministry or exhibition of the gospel is styled “the minis- tration of the Spirit,” and tasting “of the heavenly gift, and participation of the Holy Ghost,” is part of a Chris- tian’s character; and the inception of Christianity is de- scribed by St Paul, ‘“‘ But we are bound to give thanks, &c. (2 Thess. ii. 13.) and our Saviour instructed Nicodemus, that no man can enter into the kingdom of God (that is, become a Christian, or subject of God's spiritual kingdom, ) without being regenerated by water, and by the Spirit, that is, without baptism, and the spiritual grace attending it: according as St Peter doth in the words adjoining to our text imply, that the reception of the Holy Spirit is annexed to holy baptism ; ‘Repent (saith he) and be baptized every one,’ &c. .. . “for the promise (that great promise of the](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b33029416_0001_0570.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
