filled with joy and with the Holy Ghost, Acts, xiii. 52. By the disciples, are here meant not only the apostles, prophets and evangelists, but also the whole body of believers in general. Was it then the privilege of the followers of Christ to be filled with the Holy Ghost in those days? And is it not equally their privilege now? Who will undertake to prove the contrary? They will find it a difficult, yea, insuperable task. The apostle Paul, therefore, with good reason, exhorts the faithful souls at Ephesus to be filled with the Spirit, Eph. v. 18. He had before prayed that they might be filled with all the fulness of God, chap. iii. ver. 19. And Oh! that this prayer and this exhortation may have their accomplishment in the hearts of all those who are called christians!

The same truth is asserted in divers other places of scripture. The great apostle of the Gentiles saith, Gal. iv. 6. Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. To which add, Rom. viii. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. All real christians are sons of God, both by regeneration and adoption; and, as natural children have freedom and familiarity with their parents, so the children of God have free access to and close communion with their heavenly Father. For this purpose, God sends forth the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, not calling, or saying, but, (as Lu

ther observes) crying,* Abba, Father; for when they pray, they cry unto God, Luke, xviii. 7. Psal. lxxvii. 1. lxxxviii. 1. a Spirit of grace and supplication is poured out upon them. They find enlargement of heart, liberty of speech, and a power freely to lay open their minds to God. The word Abba denotes that love and affection, as well as that simplicity and godly sincerity, wherewith the true saints of God approach his throne; therefore, we find our Saviour addressing God the Father in this familiar and pathetic language, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee, Mark, xiv. 36.

The indwelling of the Spirit is again mentioned, 1 Cor. iii. 16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? and chap. vi. ver. 19. What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? These interrogatories are equivalent to positive assertions, and teach us, that the hearts of believers are the temples of the Holy Ghost. This the same divine author directly affirms, 2 Cor. vi. 16. Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them. I will inhabit them.† Which expression specifies the intimate union and communion there is between God and his people, their hearts are his habitation, and there he resides as in his holy temple. And I take the word dwell,

to admonish us of God's perpetual abiding with his people he doth not turn in for a night or a day, as a way faring man; but when he once enters into their hearts, there he abides for ever: their hearts are his home. This text hath of old been made use of to prove and establish our doctrine. It was quoted by Ignatius the martyr, in his examination before Trajan the emperor. Trajan, said, “Who is Theophorus ? Ignatius answered, He that hath Christ in his breast.-And a little after the emperor said, "have you therefore in you him that was crucified?" Ignatius answered, “Yes: for it is written, I will dwell in them, and walk in them."* Whereupon, Trajan pronounced sentence of death upon him, and ordered him to be torn to pieces by wild beasts. I think proper to mention this, that none may take part with Trajan in condemning the generation of the righteous, in persecuting those who have Christ in their breast, and bear in them Jesus that was crucified. For how ready are some people to tear others in pieces, for no other reason but this, because they acknowledge they have the Spirit of God dwelling in them? And yet we see upon what ample testimony this doctrine depends; it is so clear from the scriptures, and our own articles and homilies, that none but those who are wilfully blind, can avoid seeing the truth of it. The Apostle and Evangelist John,

* Τις εσιν θεοφόρος Ιγνατιος απεκρινατο ὁ Χρισον έχων εν ξερνοις. Τραία ως είπεν συ ουν εν εαυτώ φερεις τον ςαυρωθέντα; Ιγναλιος είπεν ναγεγραπται γαρ ενοι κήσω εν αυτοις, και εμπεριπα]ρησω. τραιανός απέφηνας». Ignat. Act Martyr,

is as express as the Apostle Paul upon this head; he that keepeth his commandments, dwelleth in him, and he in him, 1 John, iii. 24. and chap. iv. ver. 13. hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit; and ver. 16. he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him.

It remains, therefore, now, to propound St. Paul's question, Acts, xix. 2. Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? I suppose what I have said, may convince you of the necessity of receiving the Holy Ghost, and I hope now you do not look upon this doctrine as enthusiasm or delusion; how is it, therefore, with your soul? answer to God and your own conscience. Have you received the Holy Ghost, or have you not? If you have not, what is all your religion worth? Do you think you have any true religion in you? I tell you, you have not. The Spirit of God, is all in all in the christian religion : so much of the Spirit as you have in you, so much true religion you have. But if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his, Rom. viii. 9. Therefore, never presume to call yourself a christian, till you have the Spirit of Christ in your heart. The principal difference between heathen morality and vital christianity I take to be this, the one is the effect of natural reason refined, the other is the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul. Now you may call yourself a christian, and be so deemed by others; but if you have not the Holy Spirit in you, all your religion is

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like a body without a soul, i. e. dead; and your external christianity is no better than heathen morality, and so will never procure your admission into the kingdom of heaven. But further, if you have not the Spirit of God in you, then the evil spirit is in you. Ah! you will be apt to say, this is a hard saying indeed, who can bear it? Though this assertion may seem strange; yet it is true, and is thus demonstrated the Holy Spirit, and the evil spirit, divide all mankind betwixt them; the children of God are under the influence of the one, and the children of disobedience are under the power of the other; there is no medium: and, consequently, if you are not under the influence and agency of the Holy Spirit, the infernal spirit, i. e. the devil, is in you. Perhaps you would be terrified and affrighted above measure, if the devil was to appear to you outwardly; but I assure you, if he bears sway and empire in your heart, (as he most certainly does, unless the Spirit of God be in you,) he will do you infinitely more mischief there, than he could do by any outward visible appearance whatsoever. But you may be ready to reply, I am easy and quiet, and do not perceive myself to be under Satan's power and dominion. What then? Is your condition the safer, because you do not perceive your danger? If you was sensible of your danger, you would probably use some means for your escape. Your lukewarmness, indolence and senselessness, your being at ease in a carnal state, and your indifference to the things of God and religion, are evidences to others of your