receive the power of the Holy Ghoft coming upon you; or thus, Yefball receive power, the Holy Ghoft coming upon you, that is, when the Holy Ghost comes upon you) and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the Earth, Acts 1. 8. that these words, I fay, of our Lord were exactly verified.

Again, St. Peter fpeaking to thofe who were amazed at the Effufion of the Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, and fhewing that it was not the effect of intemperance, as fome pretended, but of the Power of God; tells them, that our Savior being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghoft, he hath fhed forth this, which ye now hear and fee, Acts 2. 33. Now the promise of the Holy Ghost mentioned in this place, must needs be that promife which was made, not only by St. John Baptift, and by him exprefly called Baptifm with the Holy Ghost, but also by the Prophet Joel, in thefe Words, And it shall come to pass afterwards, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh, and your Sons and your Daughters fall Prophecy, your old Men shall dream Dreams, your young Men fhall fee Vifions: and also upon Servants and ироп the Handmaids in those daies will I pour out my Spirit, Joel 2.28, 29. which Prophecy is exprefly applied by St. Peter to this miraculous Effufion of the Holy Ghoft, Acts 2. 17, 18. in this very Sermon. And confequently that Effufion of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, which occafioned thefe words of St. Peter, must be that Baptifm with the Holy Ghost which was promifed both by St. John the Baptift, and the Prophet Joel. Because St. Peter mentions it as the

the

perfor

performance of the promise made by Joel; and if the promise made by both were not the fame, then the promise made by the Baptist was never

fulfilled.

The fame Apostle informs us alfo in another place, that the Effufion of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft upon the Difciples, was their being baptized with the Holy Ghoft. For fpeaking of the Effufion of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghoft upon Cornelius, &c. which is related, Acts 10.44,45,46. he faies, And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghoft fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembred I the Word of the Lord, how that he faid, John indeed baptized with Water, but ye fhall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, Acts 11. 15, 16. Now St. Peter certainly means that Word of the Lord, which he fpake, Acts 1. 5. concerning the Apostles being baptized with the Holy Ghost; and confequently in St. Peter's Judgment, that Effufion of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost upon the Apoftles at the day of Pentecoft, was the accomplishmenr of the Word of the Lord, and the like Effufion of the miraculous Gifts of the Holy Ghost upon Cornelius and his Friends, related, Acts 10. 44,45,46. was a baptizing them with the Holy Ghost.

If what has been faid be duly confidered, I think, nothing can be more plain, than that those perfons only, who are indued with the extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, can be faid to be baptized with the Holy Ghost in that Senfe, in which the Phrase is used in the fix Places above-mentioned, in all which it evidently denotes the fame thing.

But I fhall mention one thing more, which in my judgment is of great weight, and very much confirms the Expofition of Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft, which I have given. Tis this. I cannot

but

but conclude from the Texts above recited, that the Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft was almost wholly appropriated to our Savior's Difciples. For St. John the Baptift faies, I indeed baptize you with Water unto repentance; but he that cometh after me, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He fhall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire, Matt.3.11. Do not thefe words plainly imply, that Baptifm with the Holy Ghost was a very extraordinary and unufual thing, and that St. John's Difciples were not baptized therewith, and that it was, in a manner at least, appropriated to our Savior's Difciples? For my part, I cannot think o therwife. And if this be granted, then that Expofition which I have given of Baptifm with the Holy Ghost is thereby proved to be most certain and neceffary. Becaufe being endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft was a very extraordinary and unufual thing, nor were the Baptift's Difciples favored with it; but it was (in a manner at leaft) appropriated to our Savior's Difciples. For tho' fome few perfons among the Jews had been Prophets, and wrought Miracles, and for that reafon might be faid to be baptized with the Holy Ghoft; yet thefe inftances were very rare, nor could fome particular Men's enjoyment of thefe privileges be worthy to be compared with that infinitely more frequent and plentiful Effufion of a vaftly greater Number of Miraculous Gifts, which our Savior vouchfafed his Difciples in the beginnings of the Gospel. And Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft might for that reafon be justly thought to be almoft wholly, and in a manner at leaft, appropriated to our Savior's Difciples. Whereas, if being endued with the Ordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft may be called Baptifm with the Holy Ghost

in that Senfe, in which the Baptift, and confequently our Savior and St. Peter ufed the Phrafe, then Baptifm with the Holy Ghost was far from being a very extraordinary and unufual Thing. For then every good Man whatfoever both under the Law, and amongst the Baptift's Difciples, was baptized with the Holy Ghoft; and every good Chriftian was as truly (tho' not as plentifully) baptized with the Holy Ghoft, as the Apoftles and thofe who partook of the Extraordinary Gifts, were; and St. Peter might apply to every true Convert to Christianity thefe words of our Savior concerning Baptifm with the Holy Ghost, as properly as to Cornelius and his Friends. But this is contrary to the whole Tenor of the Scripture-Language, which alwaies mentions Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft as fome thing peculiar to the Gofpel and our Savior's Difciples; and never attributes it even to our Savior's Difciples, but when they were certainly endued with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft.

Nay, Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft feems to be not given till after the Afcenfion of our Lord. For tho' the Difciples had indeed a Commiffion to Caft out Devils, c. in our Savior's-Life time; yet that feems to have been only a temporary Privilege, and not that Baptifm with the Holy Ghost which was promifed them. For the Evangelift faics, that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jefus was not yet glorified, John 7.39. Wherefore the Baptifm with the Holy Ghost, which was the giving of the Holy Ghoft here mentioned, was not to be vouchfafed to Believers till after our Savior's Afcenfion. And accordingly our Savior fpeaks juft before his Afcenfion of their being baptized with the Holy Ghoft, as a thing which was even then future. Te shall be baptized with the Holy Q

Ghost,

Ghoft, faies he, not many daies hence, A&ts 1. 5. thereby intimating, that they were not as yet baptized with the Holy Ghoft. Whereas, if being endued with the Ordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost were what was meant by Baptifm with the Holy Ghost; then they were at that time, and had been ever fince their Converfion,baptized with the Holy Ghost: which feems inconfiftent with our Savior's promife thereof, and fixing a fet time for it.

Nay farther ftill, partaking in fome small Meafure even of the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft does not feem to be what the Scriptures mean by Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft. For then, as I faid before, the Prophets under the Law, and the Difciples when they were fent out in our Savior's Life-time, and who confequently had fome Measure of the Spirit given them, were baptized with the Holy Ghost; which notwithstanding the Scriptures do not affirm of them. Nay, the Scriptures feem to confine Baptifm with the Holy Ghoft to the Time after our Savior's Afcenfion, as has been fhewn; and therefore the true import of being baptized with the Holy Ghoft feems to be a perfons being endued, not only in fome Measure, but in a moft plentiful manner, with the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghost.

I must add, that there may be one Argument to prove the abfolute Neceffity of limiting Baptifm with the Holy Ghost to the Extraordinary Gifts of the Holy Ghoft, drawn from the exprefs DoЯrine of our Adverfaries, which is also taught by many other Perfons, and will (I believe) upon due Confideration be acknowledged even by thofe who oppose it.

The Doctrine I mean, is this, that Man may adminifter the Spirit, or impart the Holy Spirit to ano

ther