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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withdrawn from amongst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
Holy
Spirit, be for ever ivith you."
Amcn.