The rule of faith, or, An exposition of the Apostles Creed so handled as…

The sign that should confirm them, was that Christ breathed on them, and said, Receive the Holy Ghost. And this might confirm them two ways, viz. both in respect of themselves, and in respect of their hearers: In respect of themselves, they need not fear the difficulty of the work, for their sufficiency should be from the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of Christ should qualify them and inspire them to do all that was required of them: In respect of their hearers, they must take comfort, for that God that made a creation of life in man by breathing upon him, could and would breath spiritual life into the dead world by their preaching. The promise annexed to their commission is, that whose soever sins according to the tenor of the covenant of grace in the Gospel they should publicly or privately remit, their pardon should be ratified in heaven: and contrariwise, whosoever should for their impenitency and contumacy be by them bound over to the Judgement of Christ according to the tenor of the covenant of works, and according to the malediction pronounced against all such as despise the Gospel, ⟨p. 464⟩Christ would ratify their act, in the day of death and judgement, and for the present account of them as persons rejected of God.

The signe that should confirme them, was that Christ breathed on them, and said, Receiue the Holy Ghost. And this might confirme them two waies, viz. both in respect of themselues, and in respect of their hearers: In respect of themselues, they need not feare the difficultie of the worke, for their sufficiencie should be from the Holy Ghost. The Spirit of Christ should qualifie them and inspire them to do all that was required of them: In respect of their hearers, they must take comfort, for that God that made a creation of life in man by breathing vpon him, could and would breath spirituall life into the dead world by their preaching. The promise annexed to their commission is, that whose soeuer sinnes according to the tenor of the couenant of grace in the Gospell they should publikely or priuately remit, their pardon should be ratified in heauen: and contrariwise, whosoeuer should for their impenitencie and contumacie be by them bound ouer to the Iudgement of Christ according to the tenor of the couenant of works, and according to the malediction pronounced against all such as despise the Gospell, ⟨p. 464⟩Christ would ratifie their act, in the day of death and iudgement, and for the present account of them as persons reiected of God.