THE HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST. settl and body, was an effect of the power of the Holy Spirit; -.1 Pet. iii. 18. " He was put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the Spirit, a,a oiler e, vrnvµzry or he was restored to life by the Spirit;" and this was that:Spirit whereby he preached unto them that were disobedient in the days of Noah, ver. 19, 20. or that Spirit of Christ which was in the prophets from the foundation of the world, 1 Pet. i. 11, 12. by which he preached in Noah unto that disobedient. generation, 2 Pet. ii. 5. whereby the Spirit of God strove for a season with those inhabitants of theold. world, Gen. vi. 3. that is the Holy Spirit of God. .'ro the same purpose we are instructed by our apostle; Rom. viii. 1i. " But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead " dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead as shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit, " which dwelleth in you. God shall quicken our mor- tal bodies also, by the same Spirit whereby he raised Christ from the Stead. For so the relation of the one work to the other, requires the words to be understood. And he asserts again the same expressly, Ephes. i. 17, 18, 19, 20. he prays that God would give. his Holy Spi- rit unto them, as a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, ver. 17. The effects thereof in them and upon them are described, ver. 18. and this he desires that they may so be made partakers of; that by, the work of the Spirit of Gad in themselves, renewing and quickening of them, they might have anexperience of that exceeding great- ness of his power, which heput forth in theLord Christ when be raised him from the dead, And the evidence or testimony given unto his being the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead, is said to be according to the. Spirit of holiness, or the Holy Spirit, Roto, i. 4. He was positively declared to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead, i, óviaµu, ><a :a arvs>µ« áytmcvggs; that is, by the powerful workingofthe Holy Spirit. This also is the intendment of that expression, 1 Tim. iii. 16. justified in the Spirit.. God was manifest in the flesh by his incarnation and passion therein, and justified in the Spirit by a declaration of his acquittnent from the sen- tence of death, and all the evils which he underwent, with the reproaches wherewith he was contemptuously used, by his quickening and resurrection from the dead, through the mighty and effectual working of the Spirit of God. Sect. 12.Tenthiy; it was the Holy Spirit that glo- Cc 103 rifled the human nature, and made it every way meet for its eternal residence at the right handof God,and a pattern of the glorification of the bodies of them that believe on him. He who first made his nature holy, now made it glorious. And as we are made conforma- ble unto him in our souls here; his image being renew- ed in us by the Spirit, so he is in his bodynow glorified by the effectual operation of the same Spirit' the exem- plar and pattern of that glory which inour mortal bodies we shall receive by the same Spirit. s' For when he if appears we shall be likehim," T John iii. 2. seeing 'a he will change our vile bodies, that theymay be fash- " Toned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto w himself," Phil. in. 21. And these are some of the principal instances of the operations of the Holy Spirit on the human stature of the head of the church. The whole of them all, 1 confess, is a work that we can look but little into, only what is plainly revealed we desire to receive and embrace; considering that, if we are his, we are predestinated to be made conformable in all things unto him, and that by the powerful and effectual opera- tion of that Spirit which thus wrought all things in him to the glory ofGod. And as it is a matter of unspeak- able consolation unto us, to consider what bath been done in and upon our nature by the application of the love and grace of God through his Spirit unto it; so it is of great advantage, in that it directs our faith and supplications in our endeavours after conformity with him, which is our next end, under the enjoyment of God inglory. What therefore in these matters we ap- prebend weembrace; and for the depth of them they are the object ofour admiration and praise. Sect. 13.Secondly; There is yet another work of the Holy Spirit, not immediately in and upon the per, son of the Lord Christ, but towards him, and on his behalf, with respect unto his work and office. And it compriseth the head and fountain of the whole office of the Holy Spirit towards the church, This was his wit- ness- bearing unto the Lord Christ; namely, that he was the Son of God, the true Messiah, and that the work, which he performed in the world, was committed unto him by Godthe Father to. accomplish. And this same work he continueth to . attend unto, unto this Clay, and will do no to the consummation of all things. It is known how the Lord" Christ was reproached whilst be 20
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