that he knoweth nothing as he ought to know, he shall cast himself into a labyrinth, and never find that he seeketh for. God hath bound Himself by His promise unto His Church of purpose, that men by her good direction might in this point be relieved; to whose godly determination in matters of question, her dutiful children ought to submit themselves without any curious or wilful contradiction. I could bring many authorities to this effect.
Andrews, Bishop and Doctor.—Sermons on Whitsunday, No. 9. (Works, p. 695.)
The Holy Ghost may be received more ways than one. He hath many spiramina; πολυτρόπως "in many manners" He comes; and multiformis gratia He comes with. He and they carry the name of their cause; and to receive them is to receive the Spirit. There is a gratum faciens, the saving grace of the Spirit, for one to save himself by, received by each, without respect to others; and there is a gratis data (whatever become of us) serving to save others by, without respect to ourselves. And there is χάρις διακονίας, the grace of a holy calling, for it is a grace, to be a conduit of grace any way. All these; and all from one and the same Spirit.
That was here conferred, (in John xx. 22.) was not the saving grace of inward sanctimony; they were not "breathed on" to that end. The Church to this day gives this still in her ordinations, but the saving grace the Church cannot give; none but God can give that. Nor the gratis data it is not. That came by the tongues, both the gift of speaking divine languages, and the gift of ἀποφθέγγεσθαι, speaking wisely, and to the purpose: and (we know) none is either the holier or the learneder by his ordination.
Yet a grace it is. For the very office itself is a grace; mihi data est hæc gratia, saith the Apostle, in more places than one; and speaks of his office and nothing else. The Apostleship was a grace, yet no saving grace. Else, should Judas have been saved. Clearly then, it is the grace of their calling (this) whereby they were sacred and made persons public, and their acts authentical, and they
