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CHRIST
EXALTED
AND
THE
SPIRIT
GlVEÑ.
EsER14I. TV.
plainly
appear
to
be
divine.
It
is
the promised Spirit
which
our
Saviour
gave to
men.
It
can never
be
said
they
were
casual
events,
or
they
happened
by
chance,
for
they were
foretold
by
the
ancient prophets,
by
John
the
baptist, and
by
our
blessed
Saviour
:
They
were
pro-
mised
to,
Christ
Jesus
by his
rather,
and
he
promised
them to
his own disciples,
and
bid
them wait
at
Jeru-
salem, till they
received them.
Luke
xxiv. 49.,
There
is
a long shining
track of
divine promise
and faithfulness,
and
a
blessed
harmony
of
grace and truth,
that
runs
through
all this
event
to the
pouring
down
of
the
Holy
Spirit,
and
we
may
trace
it
through the writings
of
the
prophets
and apostles
-with
sacred delight. Is
the Spirit
sent
down
to
men in this
wondrous manner, then
God
has
not
failed
of
bis
promises
to
the
Jews
and
gentiles,
made
by
his
ancient prophets
;
then
the
Father
hath
not
failed
of
his
promise
to his Son
Jesus, nor
has
the
Son
of God
failed
of
his
promise to
his
disciples
and
followers.
Actsii.
16, 17.
Luke
xxiv.
49.
John
xv.
26.
Acts
i.
'8.
compared
with my
text.
Remark
II.
Are these wondrous
gifts
of
the
Spirit
sent
down
to publish and
confirm
the blessed gospel
;
then
surely
"
it demands our
firmest faith, since
it
was
propagated at
first
by
such divine miracles,
and
has been
established by such surprizing and glorious gifts."
How
wisely has
God ordained
these
visible and sensible won-
ders,
to
prove the exaltation
of
his Son
Jesus,
when he
left the world, and
became invisible to men
?
"
He hath
shed
forth
all
this
which
you
see
and hear
;"
and
this
is
the last and the greatest
witness to
christianity, and
it
confirms all
the rest.
Our
Saviour wrought many
mira-
cles
indeed, and
he
spoke
as
never man spake
;
yet
he
assured
his
disciples,
that
after
his
departure
they
should
not
only do the same works,
"
but greater
works than
these
shall
ye
do,
because
Igo
to
my
rather;"
John
xiv.
12.
Our
blessed
Lord cast
out
devils,
healed
diseases,
and
raised the
dead;
what
greater
works then can
we
sup-
pose
were
left for the apostles
to
perform,
or
what
great
-
er
gifts
than
these can
be
conferred upon them
?
May
I
have leave
to express
a
conjecture here
that
these might
be
"the
word of
wisdom
and
knowledge,
and the
gift
of
tongues." We grant
it
was
indeed
a
miracle, to heal the
bodies,
of
the
sick
with,
a
word
;
but
does
it
not
seem
a