MDCXLVIII.

CHRIST'S OFFER OF THE SPIRIT.

John vii. 37, 38. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

OUR blessed Lord incessantly laboured for the salvation of men; nor could their ungrateful returns at all divert him from his purpose. His life was sought, and he knew that persons were sent to apprehend him: yet, instead of rejecting them with abhorrence, he sought to win them by love, and importuned them to accept his richest blessings. Let us consider his invitation,

I. As addressed to them—

The time and manner of his invitation are worthy of notice

[This was a day of peculiar sanctity, and of uncommon festivity; and it seems that some customs, not required in the original institutions of the law, obtained among the Jews at that time. Happy to improve the opportunity, Jesus stood in the most conspicuous place, and, with an exalted voice, claimed the attention of the people; and, despising equally the censures of the uncharitable, and the persecutions of the proud, he made them fresh overtures of mercy. While they only panted for his blood, he longed for their salvation. He pointed himself out to them as "the only fountain of living

a It was the eighth and last day of the feast of tabernacles, Lev. xxiii. 34, 36.

b It is said that on this day they went annually to the pool of Siloam, and drawing water from thence returned with it in procession to the temple, where they poured it out with all possible demonstrations of joy. At what time this custom arose, it is not easy to de. termine; but probably it commenced after the Babylonish captivity; and was adopted in reference to that prediction, Isai. xii. 3. Nor is the design of it precisely known but it seems most likely that they then commemorated the giving of water out of the rock in the wilderness; and called upon God for rain, which was so necessary to them at that season. Perhaps the more spiritual among them, might pray also for those spiritual blessings, which their promised Messiah was appointed to bestow. These circumstances served as the foundation of our Lord's address, and reflect much light upon it.

waters," and assured them of his readiness to impart whatsoever they stood in need of. He excepted none from his offers, provided they did but "thirst" for his blessings.]

Lest, however, his invitation should be slighted, he enforced it with a promise

[He first explained what he meant by "coming to him." (It was not a mere outward, but an inward and spiritual application, that he wished them to make to him.) They were to "believe in him," as possessing all fulness in himself and as the person appointed of the Father to convey blessings to them. In a full persuasion of this truth they were to come to him by faith. For their encouragement he promised them a rich effusion of his Spirit. By" living water" our Lord meant the gift of his Spirit; and when he said, that "rivers of this living water should flow out of his belly," he intimated, that the believer should have a constant spring of consolation within him, which should refresh all who came within the sphere of his influence. Of this blessed truth the Scriptures had abundantly testified, and our Lord now confirmed it to them by a most solemn promise. He assured them, as he had before told the Samaritan woman, that his communications to them should prove a source of unutterable and endless joy.]

In this promise he clearly shewed them that he was the promised Messiah

g

[The gift of his Spirit in such an abundant measure was that "new thing" which the Messiah was to accomplish And in thus freely offering it to all, he fulfilled the office more especially assigned him h

But it is time that we consider the invitation, II. As addressed to us

In the very name of Christ, and as his authorized ambassador, I now repeat the invitation to you: “I stand and cry to you," even as he did to them, and with the very same confidence and assurance.

[Christ is "the fountain of living watersi:" it has pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; and that all

c Col. i. 19.

d Ps. lxxii. 17.

e ver. 39. Some, because our Lord's words are not found in Scripture, connect καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γραφὴ with ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ ; (translating εlmεv, hath required) but there are many passages that speak to the same effect, though not in his express terms.

f John iv. 10, 13, 14.

g Isai. xliii. 18-20. and xliv. 3.

h Isai. lv. 1-3. and Joel ii. 28, 29, 32. i Jer. ii. 13.

k Col. i. 19.

we should receive out of it according to our necessities'. In fact, he has received the Holy Spirit on purpose that he may impart it unto us. And now I say in the presence of you all, that if you will but "believe in him you shall receive this heavenly gift in the richest abundance." Whatever you may have been, or whatever you may have done, even though, like his auditors, you may have thirsted for his blood, the offer is to you. If only you thirst for salvation, you shall never be disappointed of your hope: "The Holy Spirit shall be in you as a well of water springing up unto eternal life." It shall accomplish in you all the good pleasure of your God, and shall enable you to diffuse blessings all around you. In truth, this is your distinctive privilege. A man may possess ever so large a measure of earthly wisdom or power, and never be able to benefit or comfort one soul: but if you be endued with the Holy Ghost, your conversation shall be edifying to all around you; and you shall be the means of imparting to others in rich abundance the consolation and refreshment which you yourself have received. If Christ be as the rock in the wilderness to you, you in your measure shall be the same to many a thirsting soul.]

Let me then invite you all, as it were, separately and by name

[You who, like our Saviour's auditors, have no desire after spiritual blessings, what have you ever found that can be compared with the blessings here offered you? What have all those things for which you have laboured proved, but "broken cisterns that can hold no water?" And do you think you contract no guilt whilst you prefer such vanities before the living God? Hear how God himself complains of you" And assure yourselves, that, if you continue to treat him thus, the day will come when you will "want a drop of water to cool your tongue."

If there be any who doubt whether they shall ever obtain such mercy at their Saviour's hands, "only believe, and according to your faith it shall be done unto you." See how exactly the Lord has stated your very case, and accommodated to your mind his gracious promises. Dismiss your fears then, and wait patiently upon him in prayer; and in due season the Rock shall be stricken to quench your thirst; and "your soul shall ere long be as a watered garden, and as a spring of water, whose waters fail not "."

But doubtless there are some who have already drunk of the living waters which Christ has given them. It is no wonder

1 John i. 16. Phil. iv. 19. m Ps. lxviii. 18. with Eph. iv. 8. n Jer. ii. 12, 13. P Isai. lviii. 11.

• Isai. xli. 17, 18.

"for

that you thirst for if you had received as much as ever St. Paul himself had, you would only thirst the more, getting what you had received, and panting still for more." But remember this; if you have ever drunk of these waters, "you will never thirst for any thing else" even to your dying hour. Even though you have no earthly comfort whatever, you will be "as one that possesses all things'." Remember too, that you must daily make your profiting to appear. Being watered as the garden of the Lord, you must "abound in all the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God." Remember lastly, that you are to impart to others the blessings which you yourselves have received. From you are to flow rivers of living water for the refreshing of others; and " as you have received freely, you must freely give" to all around you. As "the righteous are a tree of life"," that all may eat of their life-giving fruits, so are you to be wells of salvation in your respective spheres, that all who can gain access to you may have the cup of salvation put into their hands, and drink and live for ever. Such is the honour which our blessed Saviour has conferred on you; and such is the improvement of it which he expects at your hands.]

66

9 John iv. 14

r2 Cor. vi. 10.

s Prov. xi. 30.

MDCXLIX.

THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY DISMISSED.

She

John viii. 10, 11. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go and sin no more.

IT is surprising to see in what a variety of ways the wickedness of the human heart will betray itself: sometimes in the commission of gross iniquity, and sometimes in apparent indignation against it: sometimes in open hostility against Christ, and sometimes in hypocritical professions of regard for him. Who that had seen the zeal of the Scribes and Pharisees against an adulterous woman, would not have thought them the purest of the human race? Who that had heard their citations of Moses' law, and their respectful application to Christ as an authorized expositor of that law, would not have supposed that they truly feared God, and desired to perform his holy will?

Who would have imagined that the whole was only a murderous plot against the life of Christ? Yet so it was. These accusers had no indignation against the sin of adultery, nor any love to the law of Moses, nor any zeal for the honour of God: they were actuated solely by an inveterate hatred of Christ, and a determination to find, if possible, some occasion against him, that they might accuse him. Their professed object was, to punish the woman; but their real object was, to lay a snare for his life.

We forbear to notice, that in some old manuscript copies this short history is not recorded, because there can be no doubt of its authenticity; and the very care with which the early Christians examined the authenticity of every part of Scripture, is a strong proof of the genuineness of the New Testament, as it has been handed down to us.

That which we wish you particularly to observe, is, I. In what manner Christ extricated himself— The snare laid for him was well contrived

[The Scribes and Pharisees brought him a woman, who had been taken in the very act of adultery, and was therefore incapable of uttering a word in her own defence. The law of Moses had prescribed that all who were guilty of that crime should be put to death. If the woman were not absolutely married, but only espoused, she was still to be put to death, and that by stoning. Hence, it should seem, the particular death to which adulterers in general were condemned, was that of stoning. But the point which they referred to our Lord's decision, was, whether they should execute the law, or not. Now there were but four things which our Lord could do: either he might acquit the woman, or condemn her, or dismiss the matter without any attention to it, or refer them to another tribunal; but whichever of these he should do, they would make it a ground of accusation against him: if he should acquit her, they would represent him as an enemy to Moses, and a patron of iniquity: if he should condemn her, they would accuse him to the Romans as resisting the government of Cæsar, and encouraging sedition: if he should dismiss the matter, they would say he shewed no zeal for the honour of God, whom he pretended to call his Father, and had no pretensions to the office of the Messiah, whose first object would b Ezek. xvi. 38, 40.

a Lev. xx. 10. Deut. xxii. 22-24.