Exposition of the Apostles Creed, Exposition · Part 3
THE THIRDE part of the Creede.
I beleeue in the holy Ghoſt.
Teſtimonies out of the Prophets and Apoſtles.
Ioel 2.28 And it ſhall come to paſſe afterward: I will power out my ſpirit vponupon all fleſh, & your ſonnes & your daughters ſhal prophecie: your olde men ſhall dreame dreames, and your yong men ſhal ſee viſions: yea and vppon the ſeruants and maidens in thoſe days, I will powre out my ſpirit, and I will ſhewe wonders in the heauen & in the earth: blood, & fire, & pillers of ſmoke: the ſonne it ſelfe ſhalbe turned into darkenes & the moone into blood, before the great & terrible day of the Lord come. And further it ſhal come to paſse, that whoſoeuer ſhall cal vponupon the name of Iehovah, ſhall be ſaued: for in Mount Syon, and Ieruſalem ſhall be deliuerance, as the Lorde hath ſaide, and in the remnant whome the Lorde ſhall call. Actes 2.16.17. But this is that which was ſpoken by the Prophet Ioel, And it ſhall be in the laſt day, ſaith God, I will powre out of my ſpirite vppon all fleſhe, and your ſonnes and your daughters ſhall prophecie &c. Eſay 59.20 21. And the redeemer ſhall come to Syon, and vntounto them, that turne from iniquitie in Iacob, ſaith Iehouah, and I will make this my couenant with them, my ſpirit, that is vponupon thee, & my words which I hauehave put in thy mouth ſhall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy ſeed, nor out of the mouth of the ſeed of thy ſeed, ſaith the Lord, frō hence forth euen for euer. Ioh. 14. verſes 16.17.18.19. &c. I will pray the father, and he ſhall giuegive you an other comforter, that hee may abide with you for euer, euen the ſpirite of trueth whome the worlde can not receiue, becauſe it ſeeth him not, neither knoweth him: but yee knowe him, for he dwelleth with you, and ſhall be in you. I will not leaue you fatherles: but I will come to you, yet a little while, and the worlde ſhall ſee me no more, but ye ſhall ſee mee: becauſe I liue, ye ſhall liue alſo. At that day ſhall yee know that I am in my father, and you in me, and I in you. Manie moe teſtimonies were aledged, when wee entreated of the trinitie.
The meaning of this article.
I Beleeue that the holy Ghoſt is verie true & euerlaſting God, and of the ſame ſubſtance together with the father and the ſon, and yet notwithſtanding a perſon diſtinct from both, as proceeding from them both. And therefore foraſmuch as he is verie God, I place my confidence and truſt in him, as in the father and in ye ſonne, and I truſt in him that he will worke al, that in me, being emptie of all good, that hee himſelf hath promiſed in his word, & for which cauſe he is ſent of the father & the ſonne. Now his effectes they are many and diuerſe. For firſt of all he is giuen, that he may witnes the louelove of the father in our hearts, Gal. 4. & that he may lighten the eyes of our minde with the knowledge of Chriſt: & that through faith he may ſo engraft me into Chriſt as a brāch into ye vine & may make me a partaker of Chriſt, & al his benefits, Ioh. 15. This coniunction with Chriſt & his benefits, which the holy ghoſt doeth worke in vsus, ye ſcripture doth expreſſe with great force when he ſaith, yt the holy ghoſt doeth ſprinkle vsus with the blood of Chriſt, 1. Pet 1. doth make vsus members of Chriſt, 1. Cor. 6. doth feede vsus wt Chriſt, Ioh. 6. doth make vsus drinke of Chriſt, 1. Cor. 10. & the 12. and doth build vsus vponupon Chriſt. Eph. 2. In which the office and end of the holy ghoſt giuen vntounto vsus, is ſhewed, yt through faith it may moſt neerely knit vsus vntounto Chriſt, and may work ye like things both in ye mēbers & head, ſeing it is ye ſame ſpirit, yt is to ſay, ye very ſame life & glory, Rom. 8. I beleeue yt the holy ghoſt as the true & very God wil worke theſe thinges in me, which he hath promiſed vntounto me yt beleue; euē as theſe his peculiar epithetons & names do declare: that he is ye water flowing vntounto euerlaſting life, Iohn. 4.7. A water which ſhal cleanſe me, Ezek. 36. 1. Corinthians, 6. An annoynting which ſhal remaine in vsus, 1. Iohn. 2. the ſeale and earneſt of inheritance: in all which it is promiſed vntounto vsus that he is giuen vntounto vsus to comforte vsus in all aduerſities, to helpe vsus in our infirmities, to make interceſſion for vsus with ſighes and grones that can not be expreſſed, (foraſmuch as we knowe not to pray as we ought) and ſo that he be our true comforte or aduocate, who ſuffereth not vsus to be deſtitute of his counſaile and helpe, but handleth our cauſe himſelfe, to the ende he may be in vsus and remaine with vsus for euer, Iohn. 16. To him I truſt, to him I wholy deliuer my ſelfe to be gouerned, comforted, and quickened in the father, and in Ieſus Chriſte his ſonne, who through the holie Ghoſt make their abiding with vsus.
The applying of this doctrine to the couenant of grace.
THat ſame euerlaſting couenant that God hath ſtricken with Abraham, the Sonne of God in mans nature, taken of the ſeede of Abrahā hath confirmed, by ſatiſfying the righteouſnes of God perfectly, in manner as I hauehave confeſſed in the former articles of faith. Nowe it reſteth that the holie Ghoſt engraffe vsus into Chriſt through faith the true ſeed of Abraham, and ſo powre out that bleſſing, promiſed to Abraham and his ſeede vponupon vsus, and by the earneſt of an euerlaſting inheritance. Paule ſaith in the third to the Galathians, that in the Gentiles the bleſſing of Abraham is extant in Chriſt Ieſus, that we might receaue the promiſe of the ſpirit through faith. And a little after, Now to Abraham and to his ſeede were the promiſes made, he ſaith not, & to the ſeedes, as ſpeaking of many: but, and to thy ſeede (as of one) which is Chriſt. Alſo, And if yee be Christs, then are yee Abrahams ſeede & heires by promiſe: And Rom. 9.8.2. Cor. 1.21.22.
How the holy Ghost is giuen, and howe we know whether we hauehave it or no.
THe holy Ghoſt is giuen by the miniſtery of the Goſpel as by an ordinary meane. Gal. 3. This onelyonly would I learne of you, receiued ye the ſpirit by the works of the lawe, or by the hearing of faith preached? Alſo Epheſi. 1. verſe 13. and 1. Cor. 12. verſe 13. Now thou ſhalt knowe by the working of the holy Ghoſt that thou art a partaker of the holy Ghoſt. For euen like as thou ſeeſt not the winde, but doſt feele his operation: ſo the holy Ghoſt is knowen by his working, as Chriſt teacheth Iohn 3. Theſe are the principall and chiefe workes of the holy ghoſt in vsus: faith, inuocation, & grones. 1. Cor. 12. No man can ſay, Lord Ieſus, but by the holy Ghost: and the 2. Cor. 4. becauſe we hauehave the ſame ſpirit of faith, according to that which is written: I beleeue and therfore I ſpeake: ſo we alſo beleeue, and for that cauſe we alſo ſpeake. Ro. 8. Becauſe we are ſonnes, therefore God hath giuen the ſpirit of the ſonne into our heartes, by which we crie Abba Father. And in the ſame place; The ſpirit maketh interceſſion for vsus, with grones that cannot be vttered. Beſides theſe, the being diſpleaſed with our ſelues, and the hatred of ſinne, or rather the battell againſt ſinne is a ſure, and vndoubted token yt we hauehave the holie Ghoſt, & that we are ingraffed into Chriſt. For the fleſh fighteth not againſt it ſelfe. Rom. 8. There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Ieſus, which walke not after fleſh, but after the ſpirite.