the fulness of the Spirit and of his grace is put upon him, to be communicated by him to poor finners.-Confider farther,

3. That Chrift could not have been qualified to execute the office to which the Father had called him, without communicating the Spirit to those with whom he has to deal; therefore fays the text, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath fent me to preach good tidings to the meek. How fhall the poor meek ones, who fee nothing in them or about them to recommend them to God, believe the good tidings, without the Spirit of faith? How can the broken hearted have their wounds bound up without the healing Spirit? How can the captives and prifoners be delivered, unless the Spirit break off their fetters.-Confider,

Laftly, That it is from Jefus Chrift that all who partake of the Spirit do receive the Spirit; there is no other channel of conveyance: John, i. 16. "Out of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace." John, vi. 63. " It is the Spirit that quickeneth: the words that I fpeak unto you are fpirit, and they are life." It is he who fends the Spirit, John, xv. 16. It is true, the Father is faid to give the Spirit to them that ask him, Luke, xi. 13.; but it is still in Chrift's name, and for his fake, John, xiv. 29. Therefore he is called the Spirit of God's Son, whom he fends forth into the hearts of his people. We now proceed,

III. To confider the reasonableness and suitablenefs of this glorious device, of the Spirit being put on Chrift to be communicated to poor finners.

1. It is most suitable to the Father's honour, that guilty criminals partake of his Spirit through a Mediator. God looked on all the fallen race of min, and could be pleafed with none of them:

Pfal.

Pfal. xiv. 3. "They are all gone afide; they are altogether become filthy." But-behold his own Son became man! and he is well pleased with him, with his perfon and mediation, and therefore with finners in him, Matth. iii 17. In Christ he meets with the finner; and his juftice being fatisfied by him, he may, with fafety to his own honour, communicate with the poor creatures, and they receive his Spirit, as members of his own Son, their glorious Head.

2. It is most fuitable to the honour of the Son, who is appointed head over all things to the church, which is his body, Eph. i. 23. This is that honour which his Father has put upon him, that he be the great steward of heaven, the trustee for all the elect of God, the great difpenfer of the Fạther's favours, to the objects of everlasting love.. And as Pharaoh put an honour upon Jofeph, by ordering his petitioners to go to Jofeph; fo does the Father put honour upon Chrift, his own wellbeloved Son, by a fimilar appointment.

3. It is most suitable to the honour of the Holy Spirit; for in this manner the gift of the Spirit appears to be by the infinite value of the blood of the Son of God: Rev. v. 6. "The Lamb flain hath seven horns and feven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God fent forth into all the earth.” No receiving of this holy fire, but from the altar where a Saviour was flain. No communicating of that Spirit, but through the blood of the Redeemer.

Laftly, It is most suitable to the finner's cafe; for Chrift is bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. He is our near kinfman, through whom we come to God boldly: Eph. iii. 12. " In whom we have boldness and accefs with confidence by the faith of him." We are not able to behold an unvailed

God,

God, his glory would dazzle and confound us; but through the vail of the flesh of Christ, we may behold him, and live.--We now come,

IV. To a practical improvement of the subject. And this,

Firft, In an ufe for information.

1. This lets us fee the tranfcendent glory and beauty of Jefus Chrift. Pharaoh could fay of Jofeph to his fervants, Gen. xlviii. 38." Can we find fuch a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" How does the firmament fhine with the ftars which sparkle in it! How beautiful is the earth, when decked with the variety of the gifts of nature in the spring! But what are all these to the Mediator's glory and beauty, in whom all the gifts and graces of God's Spirit do center: Pfal. xlv. 2. "Thou art fairer than the fons of men; grace is poured into thy lips." There is no man, however well qualified, that excels in all things, there is a want in every individual, but no want in Christ: Song, v, 16." Yea, he is altogether lovely." (Heb. He is all defires).-We may learn,

2. The abfolute fulness and fufficiency of Christ to make the finner who comes to him perfectly happy; he gives them reft, Matth. xi. 28. There is a fulness of the Spirit in him to answer all their neceffities, be what they will. Behold the whole conftellation of gifts and graces in our exalted/ Redeemer. Every good gift, natural, moral, or religious, come from this Spirit. Some have one gift of him, some another; but our Lord Jefus Chrift has all, which is more than all the excellencies to be found in angels and men. And what can he want to bestow, who has the Spirit

to

to give to those who come to him?-We may learn,

3. The freedom of grace in Christ. He has all, and he communicates all freely. The fpring runs freely without price or hire. It is a pleasure to have a full breast fucked; and it is a pleasure to our bleffed Redeemer to do good and to communicate to undeferving finners.-We may fee,

4. The abfolute need we have of Christ. Ye are ruined without the Spirit, ye will pine away

your guilt, ruft away in your corruptions, and, like dead corpfes, be buried out of God's fight, if ye get not the Spirit; and ye cannot have the Spirit but from Chrift. This is the only market opened to relieve your neceffities.

Laftly, Ye are inexcufeable if ye continue without the Spirit, for you may have the Spirit if you come to Chrift; but, alas! he may fay of us, as John, v. 40. "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life." I would raise your dead fouls, I would quicken you, I would make you as a wellwatered garden; but alas! ye care not for the Spirit: Prov. i. 25. "Ye have fet at nought all my counfel, and would none of my reproof."-We fhall improve this fubject.

Secondly, In an ufe of exhortation.

1. I would exhort you, then, to come to Christ, that ye may partake of his Spirit. Chrift is faying to you this day, The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Come, and I will pour him out upon you. Alas for the want of the Spirit this day! it appears fadly in the whole church, in the congregation, in neighbourhoods, and in families. There is enough of a felfifh, devilifh, carnal, worldly, profane, and formal fpirit, but little of a holy heavenly spirit, to be feen this day. But we

may

may get the fpirit, if we will by faith come to Chrift for it. O that we were all moving to him for this fpirit!-To be more particular, we would exhort you,

1. Come to Chrift, O thou dead and lifelefs finner, who art lying rotting under the power of thy lufts, who haft a heart within thee which cannot repent and mourn, or let go the dead grip it has taken of the world, and of finful courses. His Spirit is a spirit of life, which will make the dry bones live, the withered foul flourish as an herb, the heart, which is like a clog now in duties, to be ⚫ like the chariots of Aminadib: Eph. v. 14. " Awake, thou that fleepeft, and arife from the dead, and Chrift will give thee light."

2. Come, drooping, fainting, difpirited foul, who art haraffed with terrors, pierced with fearful apprehenfions, whofe heart is like a ftone, dying within thee. His Spirit is a fpirit of light, life, and comfort; he binds up the broken hearted, makes light to arise to those who go mourning without the fun, takes off the fackcloth, and girds with gladness.

3. Come, hard-hearted finner, whom nothing can move, neither judgements nor mercies, who canft not mourn either for thy own fins, or the fins of the generation. His Spirit can foften the heart. He will take away your ftony heart, and give you an heart of flesh. An outpouring of the Spirit, would melt down the heart, and diffolve it in tears of godly forrow, this would break the bands of iron and brafs: Zech. xii. 10. "And I will pour out upon the houfe of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the spirit of grace and of fupplication; and they fhall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they fhall mourn for him, as one mournVOL. III.

C

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