176 Of GOMMUIVION With known, is taken from the allufion of the Spirit unto water, and that in re-. lation tela11 the ufes of water, both natural and typical : a particular rela- tion of them, I cannot now infift on ; perhaps efficacy and plenty are chiefly intended. Now this threefold expreflionof giving, fending, and pouring out of the Spirit, gives us the three great properties of the covenant of grace. [r. That it is free, he is given. [2. That it is orderly, ordered in all things andfi4re; from the love of the Father, by the procurement of the Son; and thence is that variety of expreffion, of theFather's fending him, and the Son's fending him from the Father; he being the gift of the Father's love, and the purchafe of the blood of the Son. [3. The efficacy of it, as was laft obferved. And this is the fecond thing confiderable. 3.) The third, which is our receiving him, I (hall fpeak more briefly of,. That which I firft propofed, of the Spirit confidered as.a Spirit of fandifi- cation, and a fpirit of confolation, is here to be minded. Our receivingof him, as a fpirit of fandification is a meer paffive reception, as a veffel re- ceives water. He comes as the wind on Ezekiel's dead bones, and makes them live. He comes into dead hearts, and quickens them, by an all of his almighty power : but now as he is the Spirit ofconfolation, it is o- therwife; in this fenfe our Saviour tellsus, that the world cannot receive him, Joh. xiv. 17. The world receiveth him not, becaufe it feeth him not, nor knows him : but ye know bim, for he dwelleth with you, and abideth inyou. That it is the Spirit of confolation, or the fpirit for confolation that here is promifed; is evident from the clofe of the verfe, where he is faid, then to be in them, when he is promifed to them. He was in them as a Spirit ofquickning and fandification when promifed to them, as a Spirit of comfort and confolation, to abide with them for that purpofe. Now the power, that is here denyed to be in the world, with the reafon of it, that they cannot receive the Spirit, becaufe they know him not, is afcribed to believers; they can receive him, becaufe they know him. So that there is an altive power to be put forth in his reception for confolation, though not in his reception for regeneration and fandification. And this is the power of faith; fo Gal. iii. 2. they received the Spirit by the hearing ofthe fñith; the preaching of the gofpel begetting faithinthem, enabled them to receive the Spirit. Hence believing is put as the qualification of all our receiving the Holy Ghoft, Job. vii. 39. This be fpake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fleould receive: it is believers that thus receive the Spirit ; and they receive him by faith. Now there are three fpecial ads of faith, whereby it goes forth in the receiving of the Spirit, I (hall but name them. (i. It confiders the Spirit in the oeconom before defcribed, as pro - mifed. It is faith alone, that makes profit of the benefit of the promifes, Heb. iv. 2. now he is called the Spirit of that promife, Eph. ii. 13. the Spirit that in the covenant is promifed, and we receive the promife of the Spirit through faith, Gal. iii. tq. fo that the receiving of the Spirit through faith, is the receiving of him as promifed : faith eyes the pro- mife of God, and of Jefus Chrift, of fending the Spirit for all thofe ends, that he is defired; thus it depends, and waits, mixing the promife with itfelf, until it receive him. (2. By prayer; he is given as a Spirit of fupplication, that we may ask him as a Spirit of confolation, Luke xi. r3. and indeed this asking of the Spirit of God, in the name of Chrift, either direly or immedi- ately,
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