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Of the Effufion of the Holy Ghoft after Chrift's Afcenfion.

ST. JOHN vii. 39.

But this pake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fhall receive; for the Holy Ghoft was not yet given, because that Jefus was not yet glorified.

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HESE Words are the Evangelift's Comment upon the preceding Difcourse of our Saviour to the Jews, and therefore it will be neceffary, in order to have the right Understanding of them, to confider what it was that gave the first Occasion to them. The two foregoing Verses will demand our Confideration; In the last Day, that great Day of the Feast, Jefus flood, and cried, If any Man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture bath faid, out of his Belly fhall flow

Rivers of Living Water. That Feast of the JEWS which is here intended was that which is called The Feast of Tabernacles, and was celebrated eight Days in Remembrance of their Forefathers living in Tents forty, Years in the Wilderness. That this was the particular Feaft appears by the second Verfe of this Chapter. Our Lord ordered his Difciples to go up to the Celebration of this Feaft. He would not immediately attend them, but purposed before the End of it to be with them, Verfe the 8th: The Reason he gives was, for that the Jews fought to kill him, Ver. 1 & 19. Soon after his Brethren were gone up, he went up alfo to the Feast, not openly but as it were in fecret, that he might avoid the Snare, and defeat the pernicious Scheme and Defign formed against him, Verse 10. About the Midft of the Feaft Jefus went up into the Temple and taught. And in the last, which is called the great Day of the Feast, the Jews were wont to go, with great Solemnity and Joy, to draw Water from the Fountain of SILOAM, and bring it to the Temple, finging thofe Words of the Prophet ISAIAH (xii. 3.) With Joy fhall ye draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation; wherein there may be an Allufion to the Condition of the ISRAELITES in the Wilderness; being parched with Thirst, they were greatly refreshed and delighted

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lighted with thofe Waters which God graci oufly and miraculously gave them in that dry. and barren Land. The firft and the laft of the Days wherein the Feast of Tabernacles was celebrated were to be kept holy by religious Affemblies and Sacrifice. We have the Divine Injunction for this Feaft in LEVITICUS XXiii. 35, 36, On the first Day Shall be an holy Convocation; ye shall do no fervile Work therein. Seven Days fhall ye offer an Offering made by Fire unto the Lord: On the Eighth, that is, on the last Day, shall be an boly Convocatiou to you, &c. Our Saviour calls the laft the great Day of the Feast, because the Jews were wont to draw Water from the Fountain of SILOAM, and bring it to their Priests, who poured it on the Altar with the Wine of their Sacrifices: And while they, in a religious Manner, prefented their Offerings to God, they expected fome Afflatus or Inspiration of the Holy Ghoft. Our Lord at this Time of their Solemnity invites all those who thirfted for, and ardently defired, the facred Influences of the bleffed Spirit, to come to, viz. to believe in, him; affuring them that they fhould thus have all their spiritual Wants fupplied; If any Man thirst, let him come to me and drink. The Meaning of which Paffage is this: Whoever amongst you who are fo intent on drawing Water from the Fountain of SILOAM, ho

ping, whilft thus employed, to receive the Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, if you really defire this Divine Favour and Bleffing, come to, and believe in, me, and you shall receive the Holy Ghost, and that not fparingly, but in a very abundant and plentiful Measure: He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath faid, out of his Belly fhall flow Rivers of Living

Waters.

In order to our having a right Underftanding of our Lord's Defign and Intention, it must be observed, that the facred Scriptures frequently represent the Gifts and Graces of the Holy Spirit by the Metaphor and Similitude of Water, on the account of its great Usefulness, and its refreshing, cooling, and purifying Quality. There are various Places to confirm this. See ISAIAH xliv. 3. I will pour on him that is thirfly Water, and Floods on the dry Ground; which is immediately explained, I will pour my Spirit on thy Seed, and my Bleffing on thy Offspring. See alfo EZEKIEL Xxxvi. 25, 26, Then, fays the Almighty, I will fprinkle clean Water on you, and ye fhall be clean; from all your Filthinefs, and from all your Idols will I cleanse you : A new Heart alfo will I give unto you, and a new Spirit will I put within you; which is explained in the following Words, I will put my Spirit within you. See alfo that remarka

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ble Place, ISAIAH lv. 1. Ho, every one that thirfteth, come to the Waters. The fame Metaphor is ufed in the New Testament, Revela. xxii. 17. Let him that is a thirst come; and whofoever will, let him come, and take of the Waters of Life freely. Thus our Lord addreffed himself to the Jews, and gave Encouragement to all humble devout Worshippers among them to expect the gracious InAuences of the Holy Spirit by believing in HIM. The fame Similitude is made use of by our Saviour in his Difcourfe with the Woman of Samaria, St. JOHN iv. 14. Whofoever fhall drink of the Water that I shall give bim fhall never thirst: But the Water that I fhall give him fhall be in him a Well of Water Springing up into Everlasting Life. That we might not be in any Doubt about the Meaning of our Saviour in this Difcourse, the Evangelift hath given us his Comment upon and Interpretation of it: But this fpake be of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive; for the Holy Ghoft was not yet given, because that Jefus was not yet glorified. I fhall treat on these Words in the following Order.

1. Prove, by feveral Quotations from the Antient Prophets, that God promised to pour out abundantly of his Spirit after the Advent and Appearing of the MESSIAH, the Saviour of Mankind, II. That