object, of the Spirit's operations. The supreme dignity of his person, his matchless wisdom, the grandeur and extent of his kingdom, the constant accession of subjects, and the favours which he would everywhere confer, were described by the prophets in the glowing imagery borrowed from the splendour of eastern potentates and kingdoms. These conspired to raise in the mind of the earthborn Jew the loftiest expectations of a temporal Messiah. But these expectations were delusive. They were not justified by the intention of the prophet, nor by the whole-length portrait he had drawn. His government genial, indeed, as the shower, and refreshing as the dew, surrounded his person, and kingdom, and subjects, with a halo of glory;--not of that glory which dazzles the corporeal eye, but of that which is resplendent to the eye of faith.

"The fulness of the time came." The Holy Spirit formed his human nature in the womb of that virgin, whom Isaiah

had foretold, whereby it became absolutely holy; and subsequently rested

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upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord." He furnished him with all those powers and gifts for the discharge of his office, of which he received the visible pledge at his baptism,3 and had thereby the seal of his Father appended to his mission.* "He was also

2

led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted:" and eventually, "through the eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God."5

Though, therefore, many "looked for redemption in Jerusalem," the greater part were grievously disappointed. In their zeal for a triumphant Messiah, who should bring the princes of the earth as tributaries to the foot of his throne, they overlooked those prophecies which fore

9 See Dr. Owen, on the Spirit, chap. iii.

1 Isa. xi. 2.

2 Isa. lxi. 1, 4. Acts x 38.

3 Matt. iii. 16, 17.

4 John vi. 27.

5 Heb. ix. 14.

told that he should be " a man of sorrows," and a "priest upon his throne."6

Thus, mistaken in their view, unbelief, prejudice, and pride gained the ascendency. They branded him with the epithet of a "deceiver;" offered him, upon every occasion but one, the utmost indignity; attributed his mighty works to satanic agency; and finally put him to death as a " blasphemer, because he made himself the Son of God." The faith of the disciples and of his followers tottered. Infidelity triumphed. But the triumph was of short duration. The third day he rose again from the dead, and "was declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness ;" and was therefore justified in (by) the Spirit.8

The charge of the Jews was thereby proved to be entirely malignant; the strain of imposture was wiped off; the

6 Isa. liii. passim. Zech. vi. 13.

7 Rom. i. 4.

8 1 Tim. iii. 16. See also Acts v. 31, 32.

purity of his life demonstrated; the reproach of his cross rolled away; and the purposes of his mission clearly exhibited to be "the putting away of sin by the sacrifice of himself," and "to leave us an example, that we should tread in his steps."

These purposes were, of course, to be made known. The apostles were, as heralds, to proclaim the stirring intelligence to a lost world: and were, as ambassadors, "to negociate between God and man, the great concerns of judgment and of mercy."

By their instrumentality, and that of others, the Holy Spirit was to fulfil that promise of our Lord which seems to embody, as it were, all others. "He shall glorify me;" and by glorifying him, to become his celestial, but invisible "witness" on earth.

Accordingly, the Holy Spirit qualified the apostles for their important office of instructing mankind. They had, indeed, listened with deep interest to the public,

and especially to the private, instructions of their divine Master; and had seen his miracles. But, prior to his ascension, it must be confessed their ideas of the nature and extent of his kingdom, together with the purposes of his advent, were, in common with others, exceedingly indistinct. A cloud rested on their understandings. "In truth, however, I can discover no single passage in Scripture from which we may infer that they had either stronger prejudices against the truth, or less of natural capacity, or greater ignorance of the sacred writings of the ancient covenant, than even the wisest members of the Sanhedrim. At all events, the phenomenon to which I have alluded may be more reverently and as satisfactorily accounted for by the recollection of that fact which is implied in so many passages of the gospel; that the time, namely, was not come at which the veil of mystery should be withdrawn from the designs of God, and that the work of our redemption was to be complete in all its parts,

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