Judge ye then, whether it is not high time for the true minifters of JESUS CHRIST, who have been made partakers of this heavenly gift, to lift up their voices like a trumpet; and if they would not have thofe fouls perifh, for which the LORD JESUS has fhed his precious blood, to declare, with all boldnefs, that the Holy Spirit is the common privilege and portion of all believers in all ages; and that we as well as the first chriftians, must receive the Holy Ghoft, before we can be truly called the children of GOD.

For this reason, (and also that I might answer the defign of our church in appointing the prefent feftival *) I have chofen the words of the text.

They were fpoken by JESUS CHRIST, when he was at the feaft of tabernacles. Our LORD attended on the temple-fervice in general, and the festivals of the Jewish church in particular. The festival at which he was now present, was that of the feast of tabernacles, which the Jews obferved according to God's appointment in commemoration of their living in tents. At the last day of this feaft, it was cuftomary for many pious people to fetch water from a certain place, and bring it on their heads, finging this anthem out of Ifaiah,

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And with joy fhall they draw water out of the wells of falvation." Our LORD obferving this, and it being his conftant practice to spiritualize every thing he met with, cries out, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, (rather than unto that well) and drink. He that believeth on me, as the fcripture hath spoken, (where it is faid, God will make water to fpring out of a dry rock, and fuch-like) out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water." And that we might know what our Saviour meant by this living water, the Evangelift immediately adds, "But this fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fhould receive."

The last words I fhall chiefly infist on in the enfuing difcourse: And

First, I fhall briefly fhew, what is meant by the word Spirit.

Secondly, That this Spirit is the common privilege of all believers.

• Whitsuntide.

Thirdly,

Thirdly, I fhall fhew the reason on which this doctrine is founded. And

Laftly, Conclude with a general exhortation to believe on JESUS CHRIST, whereby alone we can receive this Spirit.

First, I am to fhew, what is meant by the word Spirit.

By the Spirit, is evidently to be understood the Holy Ghoft, the third perfon in the ever-bleffed Trinity, confubftantial and co-eternnl with the Father and the Son, proceeding from, yet equal to them both. For, to use the words of our Church in this day's office, that which we believe of the glory of the Father, the fame we believe of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, without any difference or inequality.

Thus, fays St. John, in his firft epiftle, chap. v. ver. 7. There are three that bare record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghoft, and these three are one." And our LORD, when he gave his Apoftles commiffion to go and teach all nations, commanded them to baptize in the name of the Holy Ghoft, as well as of the Father and the Son. And St. Peter, Acts v. 3. faid to Ananias, " Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghoft?" And ver. 4. he fays, "Thou haft not lied unto men, but unto GOD." From all which paffages, it is plain, that the Holy Ghoft, is truly and properly GoD, as well as the Father and the Son. This is an unfpeakable mystery, but a mystery of GOD's revealing, and, therefore, to be affented to with our whole hearts feeing GOD is not a man that he should lie, nor the son of man that he should deceive. I proceed,

Secondly, To prove that the Holy Ghoft is the common privilege of all believers.

But, here I would not be understood of fo receiving the Holy Ghoft, as to enable us to work miracles, or fhew outward figns and wonders. I allow our adverfaries, that to pretend to be inspired, in this fenfe, is being wife above what is written. Perhaps it cannot be proved, that God ever interposed in this extraordinary manner, but when fome new revelation was to be established, as at the first fettling of the

Mofaic and gofpel difpenfation: and as for my own part, I cannot but suspect the spirit of those who infift upon a repetition of fuch miracles at this time. For the world being now become nominally chriftian, (though, God knows, little of the power is left among us) there need not outward miracles, but only an inward co-operation of the Holy Spirit with the word, to prove that JESUS is the Meffiah which was to come into the world.

Befides, if it was poffible for thee, O man, to have faith, fo as to be able to remove mountains, or cast out devils; nay, couldst thou fpeak with the tongue of men and angels, yea, and bid the fun ftand ftill in the midst of heaven; what would all these gifts of the Spirit avail thee, without being made partaker of his fanctifying graces? Saul had the spirit of government for a while, so as to become another man, and yet probably was a caft-away. And many, who caft out devils in CHRIST's name, at the laft will be difowned by him. If, therefore, thou hadst only the gifts, and was deftitute of the graces of the Holy Ghoft, they would only ferve to lead thee with fo much the more folemnity to hell.

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Here then we join iffue with our adverfaries, and will readily grant, that we are not in this fenfe to be infpired, as were our LORD's firft Apoftles. But unless men have eyes which fee not, and ears that hear not, how can they read the latter part of the text, and not confefs that the Holy Spirit, in another fenfe, is the common privilege of all believers, reven to the end of the world? This fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." Obferve, he does not fay, they that believe on him for one or two ages, but they that believe on him in general, or, at all times, and in all places. So that, unless we can prove, that St. John was under a delufion when he wrote thefe words, we must believe that even we alfo, fhall receive the Holy Ghoft, if we believe on the LORD JESUS with our whole hearts.

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Again, our LORD, just before his bitter paffion, when he was about to offer up his foul an offering for the fins of the elect world; when his heart was most enlarged, and he would undoubtedly demand the most excellent gift for his difciples, prays, "That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee; that they alio may be one in us, I in them,

them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;" that is, that all his true followers might be united to him by his holy Spirit, by as real, vital, and myftical an union, as there was between JESUS CHRIST and the Father. I fay all his true followers; for it is evident, from our LORD's own words, that he had us, and all believers, in view, when he put up this prayer; "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them alfo which fhall believe on me through their word;" fo that, unless we treat our LORD as the high priests did, and count him a blafphemer, we must confefs, that all who believe in JESUS CHRIST, through the word, or miniftration of his fervants, are to be joined to JESUS CHRIST, by being made partakers of the Holy Spirit.

A great noise hath been made of late, about the word enthufiaft, and it has been caft upon the preachers of the gospel, as a term of reproach; but every chriftian; in the proper fenfe of the word, must be an enthufiaft; that is, must be inspired of GOD, or have GCD, by his Spirit, in him. St. Peter tells us, "we have many great and precious promifes, that we may be made partakers of the divine nature;" our LORD prays, "that we may be one, as the Father and he are one;" and our own church, in conformity to thefe texts of Scripture, in her excellent communion-office, tells us, that those who receive the facrament worthily, "dwell in CHRIST, and CHRIST in them; that they are one with CHRIST, and CHRIST with them." And yet, chriftians must have their names caft out as evil, and minifters in particular, muft be looked upon as deceivers of the people, for affirming, that we must be really united to GOD, by receiving the Holy Ghost. Be astonished, O heavens, at this!

Indeed, I will not fay, all our letter-learned preachers deny this doctrine in exprefs words; but however, they do in effect; for they talk professedly against inward feelings, and say, we may have God's Spirit without feeling it, which is in reality to deny the thing itself. And had I a mind to hinder the progrefs of the gospel, and to establish the kingdom of darkness, I would go about, telling people, they might have the Spirit of GOD, and yet not feel it.

But to return: When our LORD was about to afcend to his Father and our Father, to his GOD and our Gop, he gave

his apoftles this commiffion, "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." And accordingly, by authority of this commiffion, we do teach and baptize in this, and every age of the church. And though we tranflate the words, "baptizing them in the name;" yet, as the name of GOD, in the LORD's prayer, and several other places, fignifies his nature, they might as well be tranflated thus, "baptizing them into the nature of the Father, into the nature of the Son, and into the nature of the Holy Ghoft." Confequently, if we are all to be baptized into the nature of the Holy Ghoft, before our baptifm be effectual to falvation, it is evident, that we all muft actually receive the Holy Ghoft, and ere we can fay, we truly believe in JESUS CHRIST. For no one can fay, that JESUS is my LORD, but he that has thus received the Holy Ghost.

Numbers of other texts might be quoted to make this doc trine, if poffible, ftill more plain; but I am aftonished, that any who call themselves members; much more, that many, who are preachers in the church of England, should dare fo much as to open their lips against it. And yet, with grief I fpeak it, GoD is my Judge, perfons of the eftablished church feem more generally to be ignorant of it, than any diffenters whatsoever.

But, my dear brethren, what have you been doing? how often have your hearts given your lips the lye? how often have offered to God the facrifice of fools, and had your prayers you turned into fin, if you approve of, and use our church-liturgy, and yet deny the Holy Spirit to be the portion of all believers? In the daily abfolution, the minifter exhorts the people to pray, that "GOD would grant them repentance, and his Holy Spi rit;" in the Collect for Christmas day, we beseech GOD, “ that he would daily renew us by his Holy Spirit;" in the last week's Collect, we prayed that "we may evermore rejoice in the comforts of the Holy Ghoft;" and in the concluding prayer, which we put up every day, we pray, not only that the grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the love of God, but that "the fellowship of the Holy Ghost" may be with us all evermore.

But farther, a folemn season, to some, is now approaching; I mean the Ember-days, at the end of which, all that are to

be