66 CHRIST EXALTED AND, THE SPIRIT GIVER. [SEAM. W. Holy Spirit in his hand, which have been the life and soul of the church." When he left the world, he sent down his Spirit, both in the gifts and graces of it, to raise and maintain a temple or dwelling for himself in it so long as the world should stand : He bath promised that his Spirit should abide with it for ever, at least for the ordinary communication of gifts, and the influences of special grace, and therefore " the gates of hell or death shall not prevail against it;" Mat. xvi. 18. And it might be added here also, that this is the reason . why believers persevere in faith and holiness, because Jesus their exalted head has the fulness of the ,Spirit in him, and it is from him that the members derive their life, and all their support. " He that was dead is alive, and behold he lives for ever ;" Rev. i. 18. And because I live, says our blessed Lord, ye shall live also; John .xiv. 19. Remark IV. This thought points to us " whither to direct our eyes and hopes, when the Spirit of God is withdrawn from amongst us." Since Jesus ascended to heaven, the great God communicates his promised Spirit to men only through the hands of his Son. Let minis- ters, let christians, let churches learn, whence to derive new supplies, new gifts, new graces and influences, when spiritual things run low in the midst of them. It is from the hand of an exalted Saviour that we must receive all these blessings : It is he must give new life to all his churches under their dying circumstances, and new zeal . and vigour to our souls under all their witherings and decays. Thus all-glorious and divine is our salvation, from the original love, power, and promise of God the Father, through the sufferings, the death and exaltation of Jesus Christ his Son, and by the gifts and graces of the Blessed Spirit. Hence arise the talents and furniture of minis- . ters, and hence the faith and hope, the life and holiness, the joy and comfort of christians. Nor can I put a sweeter period to such a discourse as this, than in those words of the great apostle, which unite the divine springs of our salvation; 2 Cor. xiii. 14. " May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love or God the Father, and the cómmunion° of the HolySpirit, be for ever ivith you." Amcn.
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