adapted thereunto are not sufficient; but there is ne"cessarily required an union of the DIVINE SPIRIT with "both, as it were a THIRD ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLE. “This, as it is a certain truth, so it is a great MYSTERY "OF CHRISTIANITY.' **** “ The great Basil, in his homily intitled, Quod Deus "non est Author peccati, speaking of the nature of man, 66 as it was at first created, hath these words: * What 66 was the chief or principal good it enjoyed? THE ASSES«Ε SION OF GOD AND ITS CONJUNCTION WITH HIM BY LOVE; “ from which, when it fell, it became depraved with vari« ous and manifold evils. So in his book, de Spiritu "Sancto, cap. 15, he plainly tells us, † The dispensation “ of God and our Saviour towards man, is but the recall" ing of him from the fall, and his return into the friend"ship of that God, from that alienation which sin had “ caused. This was the end of Christ's coming in the "flesh, of his life and conversation described in the gos"pel, of his passion, cross, burial, and resurrection; that man, who is saved by the imitation of Christ, might re 66 "gain that ANTIENT ADOPTION. Where he plainly sup66 poseth that man before his fall had the adoption of a “ son, and consequently the Spirit of adoption. And "so he expressly interprets himself afterwards in the σε * “ Τὶ δὲ ἦν αὐτῇ τὸ προηγέμενον ἀγαθὸν; ή προσεδρεία του κ θεῶς καὶ ἡ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης συνάφεια· ἧς ἐκπεσέσα, τοῖς ποικί λοις καὶ πολυ]ρόποις ἀῤῥωςήμασιν ἐκακώθη.” 66 † 66. Η του θεῖο καὶ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οικονομία, Η ανάκλησίς έσιν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκπτώσεως, καὶ ἐπάνοδῷ εἰς οἰκείωσιν Η θεό, ἀπὸ τῆς διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γενομένης αλλοιώσεως δια “ τότο, ἡ μετὰ σαρκὸς ἐπιδημία Χρισῦ· ἡ τῶν ἐυαγ[ελικῶν πολιτ «Γευμάτων ὑποτύπωσις· τὰ πάθη ὁ σαυρὸς· ἡ ταφὴ· ἡ ἀνάτασις, “ ὥσε τὸν σωζόμενον ἄνθρωπον διὰ μιμήσεως Χριςν, τὴν ἀρχαίαν “ ἐκείνην υιοθεσίαν ἀπο· λαβῶν.” "same chapter: By the Holy Spirit we are restored "into paradise, we regain the kingdom of heaven, we re« turn to the adoption of sons. Again, (Homil. advers. "Eunomium 5, p. 117.) which have these express “ words: + We are called in the sanctification of the Shi"rit, as the apostle teacheth. This (Spirit) renews us, " and makes us again the image of God, and by the laver « of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, we "are adopted to the Lord, and the new creature again "partakes of the Spirit, of which being deprived, it had "waxed old. And thus man becomes again the image of « God, who had fallen from the divine similitude, and was "become like the beasts that perish. "St. Cyril (7th Dial. de Trin. p. 653.) delivers the "same doctrine with great perspicuity and elegancy, « in these words + For when the animal (viz. man) had * σε Διά πνεύματος αγίες, ή εις παράδεισον ἀποκατάστασις· σε ἡ εἰς βασιλείαν ἐρανῶν ἄνοδῷ· ἡ εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἐπανόδῳ. Vide “ ejusdem Libri, cap. 9.” 66 † 46 Ἐν ἀγιασμῶ τῇ πνεύμα]Θ ἐκλήθημεν, ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολο σε διδάσκει, τότο ἡμᾶς ἀνακαινοῖ, καὶ πάλιν εἰκόνας ἀναδείκνυσι σε θεό, διὰ λετράς παμιγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματ σε ἁγίας υιοθετέμεθα κυρίω καινὴ πάλιν κλίσις μεταλαμβάνεσα σε του πνεύματα, ὅ περ ἐσερημενη πεπαλαίω]ο· εἰκὼν πάλιν θεῖ σε ὁ ἄνθραο ἐκπεσῶν τῆς ὁμοιότη@ τῆς θείας, καὶ παρασυμβλη σε θεὶς πλήνεσιν ἀνοήτοις καὶ ὁμοιωθεὶς αὐτοῖς.” - Η σε Διανενευκότα γὰρ τῇ ζώει πρὸς τὸ πγημμηλές, καὶ τὴν σε εἰς ποίησον ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ τῆς εἰσάπαν φιλοσαρκίας ήῤῥωςηκότα, σε τὸ πρὸς θείαν εἰκόνα διαμορφῶν αὐτόν, καὶ σημάντρα δίκην ἀπορε σε ῥήτως ἐνεθειμενον ἀπενοσφίζετο πνεύμα, φθαρτόν τε έτω, κα σε ἀκαλλὲς, καὶ τί γὰρ ἐχὶ τῶν ἐκτόπων συνειλοχὸς ἀναπέφανται; σε ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων γενεσιεργὸς ἀνακομίζειν ἔθελεν εἰς ἑδραιότητα, σε τις ευκοσμίαν τὴν ἐν ἀρχαῖς τὸ διολισθήσαν εἰς φθοράν, παρά σε σημάντε, καὶ ἀκαλλὲς διὰ τὴν εἰσποίηλον γεγονὸς ἁμαρτίαν, ἐνῆκεν σε αὖθις αὐτῷ τὸ ἀποφοιτῆσαν ποῖς θεῖον τε, καὶ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, μελα " turned aside unto wickedness, and out of too much love "of the flesh had superinduced on himself the disease of "sin, THAT SPIRIT, WHICH FORMED HIM AFTER THE DI"VINE IMAGE, AND AS A SEAL WAS SECRETLY IMPRESSED ON HIS SOUL, WAS SEPARATED FROM HIM, and so he became corruptible and deformed, and every way vicious. "But after that the Creator of the universe had designed "to restore to its pristine firmness and beauty that which "6 was fallen into corruption, and was become adulterated "and deformed by sin superinduced, he sent again into it "that divine and holy Spirit which was withdrawn from "it, and which hath a natural aptitude and power to change us into the celestial image, viz. by transforming us into "his own likeness. And in the fourth book of the same, "work,* When the only begotten Son was made man, find"ing man's nature bereft of its antient and primitive good, "he hastened to transform it again into the same state, out "of the fountain of his fulness, sending forth (the Spirit), " and saying, RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST, σε αποιέν εὖ μάλα πρὸς τὴν ὑπερκόσμιον εἰκόνα, καὶ πεφυκὸς καὶ δυ “ νάμενον διὰ τὸ πρὸς ἰδίαν ἡμᾶς μεταῤῥυθμίζειν ἐμφέρειαν.” * σε Οτέ γέγονεν ἂνθρωπῷ ὁ μονογενῆς, ἐρήμην τῇ πάλαι, σε ἐν ἀρχαῖς ἀγαθῆ τήν ἀνθρώπε φυσιν εὑρὼν, πάλιν αὐτὴν εἰς σε ἐκεῖνο μελαςοιχειὲν ἠπειγείς, καθάπερ ἀπό πηγῆς του ἰδία πλ σε χρώματα ενιείς το τι λέγων· λαβεῖς πνεῦμα άγιον.” ST. CYRIL F SECTION X. The Opinions of Bishop Pearson and Doctor Scott, Author of the Christian Life, and an Advocate for natural Religion, against spiritual Pretensions. divine. BISHOP Pearson is in the highest esteem as a His book on the Creed is recommended by tutors, by Bishops' chaplains, and by Bishops, to young students in the course of their reading preparatory to to holy orders. It has been most accurately examined and universally approved by the most eminent theologues of our church, as an orthodox exposition of the Christian Creed. Let us hear him on the subject of the SPIRIT'S evidence, which now engages our attention. "As the increase and perfection, so the original or " initiation of faith is from the Spirit of God, not only "( by an EXTERNAL PROPOSAL IN THE WORD, but by an “INTERNAL ILLUMINATION in the soul, by which we ❝are inclined to the obedience of faith, in assenting to "those truths which unto a natural and carnal man are "foolishness. And thus we affirm not only the revela"tion of the will of God, but also the illumination of the "soul of man, to be part of the office of the Spirit of "God*." Dr. Scott, an orthodox divine, a zealous teacher of morality, celebrated for a book intitled the Christian Life, says, "That without the Holy Ghost we can do nothing; "that he is the AUTHOR AND FINISHER of our faith, who "worketh in us to will and to do of his good pleasure. "His first office is the informing of our minds with the "light of heavenly truth. Thus the apostle prays that Bishop Pearson on the Creed, Art. 8. "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glo❝ry, would give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and "revelation in the knowledge of him, that THE EYES "OF THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS being enlightened, they "might know what is the hope of Christ's calling*; and "we are told, that it is by RECEIVING THE SPIRIT OF "GOD, that we KNOW the things that are freely given us "of Godt. “Now this illumination of the Spirit is twofold: first, "external, by that revelation which he hath given us of "God's mind and will in the holy scripture, and that "miraculous evidence by which he sealed and attested "it; for all scripture is given by inspiration of God; or, 66 as it is elsewhere expressed, was delivered by holy men, "as they were moved by the Holy Ghost ||; and all those "miraculous testimonies we have to the truth and di"vinity of scripture are from the Holy Ghost, and, upon “that account, are called the demonstration of the Spirit; so that all the light we receive from scripture, and ALL "the evidence we have that that light is divine, we de"rive originally from the Holy Spirit. "But besides this external illumination of the Holy "Spirit, there is also an INTERNAL one, which consists "in impressing that external light and evidence of scrip"ture upon our understandings, whereby we are enabled more clearly to apprehend, and more effectually to be"lieve it. "For though the divine Spirit doth not (at least in "the ordinary course of his operation) illuminate our "minds with any new truths, or new evidences of truth, "but only presents to our minds those old and primitive "truths and evidences which he at first revealed and gave to the world; yet there is NO DOUBT but he still * Ephes. i. 17, 18. 2 Tim. iii. 16. † 1 Cor. ii. 12. |