When Christ told the people, That they should believe on him whom God had sent,' they replied, What sign shewest thou then (that thou are sent of God) that we may see and believe thee? what doest thou work a?' There was a grounded expectation that the Saviour's mission should be confirmed by miracles: Hence Christ said, ' Except you see signs and wonders, you will not believe b.' To confirm Christ's mission, and induce men to believe on him, God was pleased to work many miracles by the Spirit, in Christ and the apostles. Hence Peter thus addressed the people, ‹ Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God by miracles, and wonders, and signs, you have crucified and slain c.' And the apostle Paul says, That God bore witness to Christ, and his salvation, by divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost d.' The Holy Spirit, by miraculous works, attested the truth of Christ's mission, and proclaimed him to be the true and the only Saviour, whom God sent. Hence Peter, and the other apostles, testified to the council, that God had raised Christ from the dead, and had exalted him to be a Prince and a Saviour; and that they the apostles were witnesses of the truth of these things; and they add, ' And so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to them that obey him e.' The Spirit f bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. Miracles wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost, in confirmation of Christ's being the true Messiah, and for the establishment of the Christian doctrine, cannot deceive us, seeing the Spirit is truth, and was sent to lead us into all truth; and therefore he could not set his seal to a lie, or work miracles to authorize or confirm an impostor. It is therefore a great and glorious confirmation of the Christian religion, that the Holy Ghost has attested it by divers miracles and gifts.

They who assert that evil spirits have a power of working miracles, in confirmation of false doctrines and deceivers,

a John vi. 29, 30. d Heb. ii. 4.

b John iv. 48.

e Acts v. 31, 32.

c Acts ii. 22, 23. f 1 John v. 6.

lose, or rather give away this glorious evidence and defence of the Christian religion, and expose it to the insults of its enemies. But seeing the scriptures which have been cited, shew that miracles were wrought by the power of the Holy Ghost, in confirmation of Christ and Christianity, let us hold fast this truth, and endeavour to improve it to all the great purposes to which it serves. The Spirit and his miraculous powers were the attendants of that Christian doctrine, they witnessed and confirmed the truth of the gospel, and that Christ is the true Messiah. Thus Christ was justified in or by the Spirit, in that convincing and glorious testimony which he gave to Christ, whereby he convinced the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.

In doing this the Holy Spirit is glorified. The miraculous works could be performed by no less than an Almighty power; seeing then they were wrought by the Holy Spirit, he is Almighty, and consequently the true and living God : None but God could do such mighty works by his own power. The ministration of the Spirit must therefore be very glorious, with respect to those miraculous powers and works which proceeded from him, and ought to be very much regarded, on the accounts now mentioned.

It was a glorious thing for the Spirit to glorify Christ and himself at once: This was a work fit for the Spirit of glory, or that eternal Spirit whose office it is to testify of, and glorify Christ, and that in a way glorious to the Spirit himself; as the apostle teaches in my text, when he calls the ministration of the Spirit glorious. It is said of Christ, when he wrought his first miracle, which was done by the Spirit, that he manifested forth his glory a: If such glory appeared in that one single miracle, what glory may we see in the various miraculous works of the Holy Spirit recorded in scripture? The outward splendor of Moses's face was not once to be compared with the glory of the Holy Ghost in his miraculous

a John ii. 11.

and wonderful works, which filled the beholders with such conviction, admiration, and praise to God.

APPLICATION.

1. What reason have we to adhere to Christ, and to hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, seeing the Spirit of truth has so confirmed it by divers miracles? There would be no escaping, should we reject such a Saviour and salvation, attested with so many and such infallible proofs, which came from him for whom it is impossible to lie, or propagate a falsehood in the world. The Holy Spirit has given a most convincing and unalterable testimony to Christ, that he is the true and the only Saviour whom God has sent, and on whom we ought to believe. Let us then never be moved away from the faith of the gospel; if we receive the witness of men, the a witness of God is greater, and ought to be more regarded. Well then might Christ say, The Spirit shall convince the world of sin, because they believe not on me b.' The clearer and fuller the evidence there is given, that Jesus is the very Christ, the more inexcusable they must be, who either do not believe in him, or apostatize from him. Let us then regard the testimony of the Spirit, and cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart, and embrace, with a divine faith, every truth concerning him, attested by such a divine witness as is the Holy Ghost.

2. What reason have we to love and honour the Holy Spirit, who has, in such a convincing way, testified of Christ, and, at the same time, has given us such proofs of his own Deity and glory? What a dark dungeon would the world have been without the revelation of the gospel by the Spirit? and what a nest of scepticism and infidelity would it have been, if this revelation had not been so wonderfully attested, and confirmed by the Holy Ghost by divers miracles and gifts, and which even convinced the beholders that they came from God, and carried in them a divine approbation, and seal to the gospel

a John v. 36.

b John xvi. 9.

salvation? What reason have we to magnify and adore the Holy Spirit, as for his Deity, so for his works' sake? And whilst we recollect his other works, we ought not to forget his miraculous works, which are of so great use in the Christian œconomy. Had we lived in the apostolic age, and seen the mighty and glorious things which the Holy Spirit enabled his servants to do; with what awful reverence would it have filled us, and how worthy of our love and esteem would the Holy Spirit have appeared to be? The distance of time makes no alteration in the thing; the works of the Spirit do not lose their reality, greatness, or glory by length of time; why should we then be more backward to love and honour him than the primitive Christians were? He has, indeed, been degraded by some, quenched and grieved by others, at whose hands he deserves much better: But let us consider who he is, and what he has done, both for the saints, by his external works, and in them, by an internal power; and let us abound more in our love to him, and esteem of him, whose ministration is so exceeding glorious.

OF THE WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

SERMON V.

PREACHED JULY 27th, 1731.

2 COR. iii. 8.-How shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?

I

HAVE, for some time, been discoursing concerning the Works of the Holy Spirit, and have treated on those of Creation, Providence, and Inspiration, and the last time concerning his Miraculous Works.

VI. I now proceed to consider the Work of the Holy Spirit, relating to Christ himself.

The scriptures insist much upon it; our best writers on this subject have distinctly considered it; and, without making a chasm in the substance and order of his works, this head cannot well be omitted; I shall therefore present this work to our view, in the following particulars.

1. The Holy Spirit made representations, and gave descriptions of Christ before his incarnation. Thereby he glorified Christ among the Old Testament saints, by taking of his things, and shewing them to them. Job knew his Redeemer; Abraham saw his day, and was glad; Jacob waited for him as God's salvation; David beheld him as fairer than the sons of men; Solomon has given a most glorious description of him in his wonderful Song; Isaiah saw his glory, and spoke much of him; and the rest of the prophets have given various hints concerning him, and all from the teachings and influence of the Holy Ghost. In scripture he is represented as the seed of the woman, that should break the serpent's head; as the seed of Abraham, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed; as God's salvation; as the great prophet, whom God should raise up; as God's priest for ever; as his king set upon the holy hill of Zion; as a child born of a virgin, and a son given, who is the mighty God, the wonderful Counsellor, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace ; as the Messiah, and the Lord our righteousness; as the Redeemer of his people, who was to die for their sins and rise again, in whom all the seed of Israel are justified and do glory; as fairer than the sons of men, and the chiefest among ten thousand, who should build the temple of the Lord, and bear the glory; these, with many other and larger representations of Christ, as to his person, natures, works, disposition, and glory, did the Holy Spirit give to the Old Testament saints; and a great and wonderful work it was in itself, and for the glory of Christ, and the salvation and comfort of his people.

2. As Christ sent the Spirit, after his ascension, so the Spirit sent Christ at his incarnation; for equals, by consent,