Wesley Corpus

Therefore, upon the whole, the sense of the primitive Church, so far as it can be gathered from the authors above cited, is, that “although some of the scriptures primarily refer to those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit which were given to the Apos tles, and a few other persons in the apostolical age; yet they refer also, in a secondary sense, to those ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit which all the children of God do and will experience, even to the end of the world.” 23. What I mean by the ordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, I sum up in the words of a modern writer:-- “Sanctification being opposed to our corruption, and answer ing fully to the latitude thereof, whatsoever of holiness and per fection is wanting in our nature must be supplied by the Spirit of God. Wherefore, being by nature we are totally void of all saving truth, and under an impossibility of knowing the will of God, this ‘Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God,” and revealeth them unto the sons of men, so that thereby the darkness of their understanding is expelled, and they are enlightenéd with the knowledge of God. The same Spirit which revealeth the object of faith generally to the universal Church, doth also illuminate the understanding of such as believe, that they may receive the truth. For ‘faith is the gift of God, not only in the object, but also in the act. And this gift is a gift of the Holy Ghost working within us.-- And as the increase of perfection, so the original of faith, is from the Spirit of God, by an internal illumination of the soul.” “The second part of the office of the Holy Ghost, is the renewing of man in all the parts and faculties of his soul. For our natural corruption consisting in an aversation of our wills, and a depravation of our affections, an inclination of them to the will of God is wrought within us by the Spirit of God. “The third part of this office is, to lead, direct, and govern usin our actions and conversations. “If we live in the Spirit,” quickened by his renovation, we must also ‘walk in the Spirit,” following his direction, led by his manuduction.