priests nor even Moses himself could bear to look upon it, there was the unseen presence of the Holy Spirit, as much exceeding that cloud in glory, as the temple which it filled, and the ministration to which it belonged, exceeded in glory. From this day the Church, fitly framed together and built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone, became a habitation of God through the Spirit; and God took up his abode with men, and dwelt among them, in a manner and to an extent of which the world had had no experience before,-no, not even when the eternal Son was conversant here in the flesh,-and which will only be surpassed when the earthly temple shall be exchanged for the heavenly.

But the Church collectively is not the only building which God has vouchsafed to hallow as his temple and to glorify with his presence. "Know ye not," says the Apostle, "that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God?" Each individual Christian is a temple, not indeed separate and detached from the larger temple, but a chapel, as it were, within its precincts, built upon the same foundation, sheltered beneath the same roof, and sanctified by the presence of the same allpervading Spirit.

Now it is a question of deep interest for many

d1 Cor. vi. 19.

reasons, At what particular juncture did each of these lesser temples first become a temple of God through the Spirit? Or, to drop the figure, At what precise time, if indeed it is possible to fix it, does the Holy Spirit first enter into the Christian, to dwell in him, consecrating him on the one hand to God's service, and on the other making him a receptacle of God's grace, and imparting to him the first elements of that holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord?

I

This question, with God's help, I will endeavour to answer, though, in answering it, I shall be constrained to tread upon ground, which has of late been the field of eager controversy. venture upon it, however, with the earnest prayer, that I may at least not add to the exasperation already existing, nor increase the breach which unhappily has been made between those who ought to be one in heart and affection. Compromise indeed in such matters, as it necessarily involves the sacrifice of truth on one side or on both, must be eventually as impolitic as it is wrong; but it may be possible to find some point accessible to both parties from which the ground in debate may be viewed by both. And this is often of more force than any other expedient for bringing together those who really love the

e The Sermon was preached while the excitement, produced by the decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Mr. Gorham's case, still prevailed.

truth, and long to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Such a point there is, if I mistake not, a point which, though acknowledged universally as lying within the legitimate range of the subject, has hardly perhaps been made available to the full extent of which it is capable.

What that point is will appear as we proceed. I would only remark now, that I shall keep my attention fixed, in the first instance, exclusively upon the case of persons, such as the first converts, who have been brought to believe in Christ, and to receive Christian baptism, as adults. The case of infants will come under consideration afterwards.

One of the first things which must strike one in connection with this subject is, that the gift of the Holy Spirit is expressly spoken of in the New Testament as consequent upon faith. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us,.... that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith;" "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise:" passages singularly in harmony with our Lord's promise of the Holy Spirit, to be shed forth in large measure on those who should believe on Him, and St. John's comment

upon his words, "This spake He of the Spirit, which they that believe on Him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified."

Even the case

of Cornelius and those who were with him, which, in one important respect, was undoubtedly an exception to the general rule, was in strict accordance with it here. "God, who knoweth the hearts, bare them witness," said St. Peter in reference to it, "giving them the Holy Ghost, even as He did unto us, and put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith."

But it may be asked, Is not faith itself the work of God's Spirit? And do not we read of those to whom the Holy Spirit was given, who yet lived while the elder dispensation was still in force, and before faith had a Saviour actually risen and ascended and glorified to believe in? Did not the old prophets speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost? Was not the aged Simeon under the influence of the Spirit, when he came into the temple, and recognised the infant Saviour? Did not the angel who appeared to Zacharias tell him, that the Child of whose birth he had come to give him notice should be filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother's womb?

No doubt we must answer "Yes" to all these questions. The Holy Spirit was given in some sense before Pentecost: and faith, on which it has just been said the gift of the Holy Spirit is consequent, is the work of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle says, "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

But then we must distinguish, and the dis

tinction is of importance, between that presence of the Holy Spirit whereby he enters into a man, and takes up his abode in him, as the Shekinah did in the tabernacle of old, insomuch that that man is to be regarded thenceforward as a temple of the Holy Ghost, a habitation of God through the Spirit, and those assistances of the Holy Spirit by which he fits and prepares a man to become his temple. And correspondently to this we must distinguish between the gift of the Holy Spirit as given under the Mosaic dispensation, and the same gift as given under the Christian. The Holy Spirit, though given under the Mosaic dispensation, inspiring the prophets, and being the author of whatsoever measure of holiness adorned God's servants, did not in strictness belong to that dispensation. It formed no part of the Old Covenant'. It was a Gospel blessing: and to whatever extent it was given, it was given either as ministering to the Gospel, or as a prelibation of the Gospel. It was included indeed, as St. Paul expressly declares, in the covenant made with Abraham. But that covenant, which was the Gospel covenant itself, was as yet suspended in its operation, except in so far as God, of his abounding mercy, scattered forth some earnests of its blessings before the time. But when at length "the Seed" came to whom the promise was made, and the covenant was ratified by the See Bp. Bull, Harmon. Apostol. Diss. Post. c. xi.