80 CHRIST EXALTED AND THE SPIRIT LIVEN. tSERM. IV. his Father's promises, and made her all glorious and blessed for ever. I proceed now to the second general head of my sub- ject; and that is, to consider the pouring down of the Spirit at the exaltation of Christ. This was matter of astonishment to the Jews, and to the inhabitants of all nations who were gathered together-at the feast. This is generally represented, and with great propriety, as the noble donatives which a conqueror distributes on the day ofhis triumph; or the royal gifts of a king scattered among his people at his coronation. Thus it is prophesied in Ps. lxviii. 18. 1bus it is recorded in history; Eph. iv: 8. " He ascended on high, he led captivity 'captive, he triumphed over the powers of darkness, which had led captive the nations of the earth, he received gifts for men, saith the prophet, even for the rebellious or heathen world, that the Lord God might dwell amongst them as he dwelt of old in Sion." The apostle interprets this verse, that he gave gifts to men, even the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to make apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the conversion of sinners, and the edification of the church. These are the glorious blessings, or gifts of the Spirit, which-he received of the Father, and which he shed forth on his disciples, under the visible emblem of tongues of fire. Let it be first observed líere, that these divine dónatives, these influ- ences of the Holy Spirit are generally distinguished into gifts and graces ; and though in truth they are all really gifts,of the Spirit from the grace of an exalted Saviour, yet it is chiefly those new capacities or powers of actions, which are usually called gifts, and are reckoned. among his extraordinary operations, because they belong chiefly to the primitive times; whereas the christian virtues are more frequently called the graces, or fruits of the Spirit, and are attributed to his ordinary influences, because they continue through all ages of the church*. Let it be observed in the second place, that these ex- traordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit did not necessarily carry with them christian virtues or graces; for in Mat. * I grant my text speaks chiefly, ifnot only, of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; bút as the graces proceed also from the Spirit of Christ exalted, I thought it not proper to omit thin here.
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