gone; and, besides, the people might rise against the Roman power, and so bring about the ruin of the city and nation. When therefore they heard that the people were asking each other whether Jesus were not the Christ, the Pharisees thought it high time to take Him out of the way. If He were once removed, all about Him would soon be forgotten. So they sent officers, or attendants, to take Him.

No sooner were they sent, than Jesus knew it. There was not a thought or plan in the Pharisees' hearts, that He did not know. He seems to allude to this, when He speaks to the people of being yet but a little while with them, and then going back to Him who sent Him. His enemies, He knew, were beginning to move against Him: the time was drawing on.

The Jews however did not understand what He meant. Was He going into foreign parts? Was He going away from the Jews, to teach the Gentiles, the despised Gentiles? They little thought that their own words were to come true. He was not going to teach the Gentiles Himself; but He was soon going to send them teachers: "yet a little while," and He Himself would be gone, ascended, returned to His Father; but not till He should have given that parting command, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature." Thus it is that we have the Gospel, for we are Gentiles; and now we are to obey His word, and send it to other Gentiles, to the heathen.

The eight days' feast now came to an end. The last day was more solemn than the others" that great day of the feast." On that last day Jesus stood forth, and spoke publicly those memorable words about the Holy Spirit.

They remind us very closely of what He said to the woman of Samaria. But here He gives a more direct invitation: "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." This coming means believing, for He added, "He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." This again goes somewhat beyond what He said to the woman, "the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life."

In St. John's own words that follow (inspired words, let us remember), both passages are explained. "This spake He of the SPIRIT." Though the Holy Spirit was given in some measure before Christ came, yet it was not till after He went away, and was glorified, that the blessing came in that full measure of which our Lord here speaks. Then, when the promise should be fulfilled, and the Comforter should come, then He should dwell in the heart of the believer, and "out of his belly," that is, from within him, by the virtue of the presence of the Spirit there, should "flow rivers of living water," streams of holy influence, doing good to all around.

This gift of the Spirit is strictly joined with believing. When one comes to Christ in faith, when one believes, then this great blessing is given to him. He receives the Spirit, he becomes a temple of the Holy Ghost, and the fruits of the Spirit appear in his life. And the more deeply he believes, and the more closely he is knit to Christ by faith, the more does he enjoy of this indwelling presence, and the more copiously do the streams flow.

Let us thirst more for this living water. Let us

desire more of the Spirit's presence and grace.

Let us

To our

seek a closer union with our Lord by faith: Lord Himself the Spirit was given, not by measure, without any limit whatever; but to us the measure given will depend on our prayers and our faith. "Ask, and ye shall receive." "According to your faith be it unto you."

40

66

Division among the People:

Nicodemus and the Pharisees.

CHAP. vii. 40-53.

Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, "Of a truth this is the Prophet. 41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall 42 Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture

said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? 43 So there was a division among the people because of 44 Him. And some of them would have taken Him; but no man laid hands on Him.

45

"Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye 46 not brought Him? The officers answered, Never 47 man spake like this man. Then answered them the 48 Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the 49 rulers or of the Pharisees believed on Him?

50

But

this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. "Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to 51 Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he 52 doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.

53

"And every man went unto his own house."

UR Lord's solemn words on the last day of the feast caused a division among the people. This, thought

K

some, must surely be the Prophet foretold by Moses. "This is the CHRIST!" said others. On both classes an impression was made.

But in others prejudice was strong. They could not deny the power of His words: but was He not a Galilean? And was the Christ to come from that despised country? Was He not to come of the family of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem ?

But did they not know that, though a Galilean, Jesus was of the family of David, and that He actually had been born at Bethlehem? Their prejudice was founded on ignorance, mere ignorance. A little honest enquiry would have made all plain. How many strong prejudices, that quite blind men to the truth, are founded on ignorance!

There is often a division among people about Christ. He Himself said it would be so. If some receive Him, and some do not; if some love Him, and some turn away from Him; must there not be division ? For this is no trifle, no unimportant thing, on which people may agree to differ. This is a matter of life or death. Yet let not those who believe provoke division: let them rather seek to win others to Him by love.

While our Lord was yet speaking, the servants sent by the Pharisees arrived, and now they stood with the rest, and heard His words. When He left off speaking, some of them wished to take Him; but none touched Him, "no man laid hands on Him."

Why not? We have their own explanation. For now the scene changes; and we are no longer with Jesus in the temple, but with the chief priests and Pharisees, sitting in council. They have sent the servants to seize Jesus, and they are waiting for their