every creature is made subject to him: His people are his willing subjects in this day of his power, and his enemies shall be made his footstool. Angels, principalities and powers are put under him as his ministering servants, for the purposes of his government over the church and the world; Ps. cx. 1-3. Eph. i. 20. Heb. i. 4. Rev. iii. 21.

And yet further, he is not only the appointed Heir and Lord of all, but he is constituted the final Judge of the living and the dead: He who stood once at the bar of Pilate and the high-priest as a transgressor, hath a throne of judgment preparing for him, and the high-priest and Pilate shall be arraigned there: All the tribes of the earth shall be gathered together before him, and shall receive their eternal sentence from his mouth. Mat. xxv. 31, 32, 34, 41. "God the Father hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, and has given assurance of it to all men by raising him from the dead." Acts xvii. 31. "The Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment into the hands of his Son, and hath given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man;" John v. 22-27.

IV. Our blessed Saviour must have a most extensive knowledge and power to execute this vast authority, and to fulfil this glorious trust.

Let us first consider his extensive knowledge. He has not only the kingdoms of nature and grace committed to his care, but the book of the decrees of God is put into his hands that he may govern these kingdoms according to the Father's will. Sq that text is generally explained; Rev. v. 1-9. "The Lainb in the midst of the throne came and took the book out of his Father's hand." He must know what God hath ordained that he may execute all his Father's counsels with regard to the church and the world, and that he may send his prophets to reveal to his church so much as is needful for them to know. The whole book of the Revelation is an instance of this knowledge communicated to him by the Father; Rev. i. 1. "The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John." The day and hour of the last judgment, which were unknown to the Son in the days of his flesh; Mark xiii. 32. and were reserved in the Father's hand, are now laid open before him in this book of divine counsels. Both as a Priest and a King he must know the hearts of men. He must see their secret thoughts that he may govern and judge them aright; 1 Cor. iv. 5. And he must know all the groans and breathings of holy souls that he may present them in the sympathy of his affection before the Father, and may have a

fellow-feeling of their infirmities and sorrows; Heb. ii. 18. and iv. 15.

Again, he must be acquainted with the hidden iniquities of men and devils, that he may countermine their pernicious plots, that he may sometimes prevent the mischiefs which they design, and sometimes permit them to accomplish their wicked purposes for the trial of his people. All the dark perplexities of providence, and the whole maze and labyrinth of human events lies open before him, and the secret things in the heart of man; for "he must bring to light the hidden things of darkness, he must manifest the counsels of the heart, and reward every one according to their works;" 1 Cor. iv. 5. Rev. xxii. 12.

"The

But besides all this, we must remember in the next place, that he is possessed of active power equal to this extensive knowledge. What could the name of such a sublime authority do toward the government of all things, even if he had sufficient knowledge without a correspondent power? It would be but a splendid title and a mere shadow of kingship. But Jesus our King has universal royalty, and has power to support it. He must not sit like a shining cypher on the throne of government, nor on the tribunal of judgment; Rev. v. 6. Lamb who had been slain appears in the midst of the throne with seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth." Whether this denotes the seven chief angels which are prime ministers in the court of heaven, employed by our exalted Saviour, or whether the number "seven" signifies a perfection of knowledge and power described by eyes and horns; still it must imply either such outward mediums of power and knowledge, or such inward capacities as the Son of God is furnished with in order to govern the ends of the earth, and execute his Father's decrees. The sun and moon with all their attendant lights; the earth, air, and sea, with all their millions of living inhabitants; nature and time with all their wheels and motions, are put under his controul: all move onward in their constant courses by his word, and they shall stop at his command and finish their last period. Then shall he call to the graves to give up their dead; the graves shall obey the Son of man, and the dead shall arise in millions at his call; John v. 26. And indeed without such allcommanding power, which can subdue all things to himself, how can he execute the office of being "Head over all things for the good of his church?" How can he fulfil his Father's decrees? How is it possible he should transact the important affairs of the last day, that he should judge the intelligent creation, that he should reward his friends and favourites in the heavens, and send his implacable enemies to the second

hear the voice of the Son of God, and live: The grave shall resign its prisoners at his command: He has the keys of death, and the gates of eternal life are in his keeping.

And as his promises are worthy of our trust, so are his laws of our obedience: for in this exalted state, he can enforce them powerfully with temporal and eternal rewards, with temporal and eternal punishments. Heaven, earth, and hell, with all that belong to them, being placed in his power, the blessings and the vengeance are within the reach of his hand; he shall distribute eternal recompences to men and angels, as the righteous and mighty Judge of all. Ps. ii. 11, 12. Serve the Lord with fear, kiss the Son, or adore him with love, lest you perish upon the spot, if his wrath be kindled but a little: But blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

III. Is Christ exalted? Then "his faithful followers have a pledge and pattern of their own exaltation, though not to equal degrees of pleasure, honour or power." It is as their forerunner he is entered within the veil, and is dignified with many glories, as their great representative. Is his body of flesh and blood by some glorious change made fitter for the heavenly world, and better suited to be the mansion or instrument of a glorified Spirit? Such shall be the bodies of all his people, for they must be like him: He will change their vile bodies till they are made like his own glorious body; Phil. iii. 21. Is his holy soul filled with all joy and blessedness in the presence of God, and in the review of his past labours and sufferings? Such shall be the felicity of their souls, for they must be like him when they see him as he is; 1 John iii. 2. They shall rejoice for ever, and their joy shall no man take from them; John xvi. 22. Is he exalted to power and dominion, to a crown and a throne, and to royal honours? His followers also must have a crown of life and righteousness, they shall sit upon thrones to judge the tribes of Israel, they shall have power over the nations, and share according to their measure and capacity in the honours of an exalted Saviour. Rev. ii. 10, 26. and iii. 21. Mat. xix. 28. Fix the eye of your faith on a glorified Jesus, and behold there a pattern of your own joys and glories; such honour have all his saints; Ps. cxlix. 9. But again I say, remember that your character and your share is far inferior to his; you are but members, he is the head: You are but sinners saved, he is the Saviour and without sin: You are but adopted children, he is the original Son: You are but creatures made in time, he is the Son of God before the creation: In the beginning he was with God, and he was God; John i. 1. In all things he must have the pre-eminence; Col. i. 18.

IV. Is Christ exalted?" Then he can secure to himself and to his people whatsoever honours or blessings his humiliation has

purchased for himself or for them." He offered up himself a sacrifice for the sins of men, and thereby, according to the ancient covenant with his Father, he procured a seat of glory and power at his right-hand for himself, and eternal salvation for all his people. He is risen from the dead, he is possessed of these promised powers, he ean vindicate his own honours, and insure grace and glory, and all the blessings of the purchased salvation to all his people.

V. Is Christ exalted to the kingdom? Then "the plots of all his enemies in earth and hell against his church are but vain devices." His enemies must submit to him or perish before him. When God has sent his Son Jesus as king on his holy hill, Zion; Ps. ii. 1-12. and given him the heathen for his dominion; it is but a vain and fruitless rage, that the princes or people can discover against his kingdom. Let the kings of the earth be wise; let them serve the Lord with fear, and bow before him, or he shall crush them with a rod of iron, and dash them as a potter's vessel. The church of Christ may rejoice in her lowest estate, having such a Ruler and such a Saviour on high. He will never forget nor forsake her interests, till he has fulfilled all his Father's promises, and made her all-glorious and blessed for

ever.

I proceed now to the second general head of my subject; and that is, to consider the pouring down of the Spirit at the exaltation of Christ. This was a matter of astonishment to the Jews, and to the inhabitants of all nations who were gathered together at the feast. This is generally represented, and with great propriety, as the noble donatives which a conqueror distributes on the day of his triumph, or the royal gifts of a king scattered among his people at his coronation. Thus it is prophesied in Ps. Ixviii. 18. Thus it is recorded in history; Eph. iv. 8. " He ascended on high, he led captivity captive, he triumphed over the powers of darkness, which had led captive the nations of the earth; he received gifts for men," saith the prophet," even for the rebellious or heathen world, that the Lord God might dwell amongst them as he dwelt of old in Sion." The apostle interprets this verse, that he gave gifts to men, even the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to make apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for the conversion of sinners, and the edification of the church. These are the glorious blessings, or gifts of the Spirit, which he received of the Father, and which he shed forth on his disciples, under the visible emblem of tongues of fire. Let it be first observed here, that these divine donatives, these influences of the Holy Spirit, are generally distinguished into gifts and graces; and though in truth they are all really gifts of the Spirit from the grace of an exalted Saviour, yet it is chiefly those new capaci

ties, or powers of actions, which are usually called gifts, and are reckoned among his extraordinary operations, because they belong chiefly to the primitive times; whereas the christian virtues are more frequently called the graces, or fruits of the Spirit, and are attributed to his ordinary influences, because they continue through all ages of the church*.

Let it be observed in the second place, that these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit did not necessarily carry with them christian virtues or graces; for in Mat. vii. 22. our Saviour declares, that some who prophesied in his name and cast out devils by virtue of these gifts, were workers of iniquity; he will not know them, he will at the last day bid them depart from him, and banish them for ever from his presence; and on the other hand, the graces of the Spirit are bestowed on thousands in every age, where these extraordinary gifts were never received; though some suppose that in the primitive days, all that were converted by the apostles themselves, received some or other of these gifts by the imposition of their hands.

Give me leave now briefly to set before you the several kinds of these gifts and graces of the Spirit of God, which were poured down from heaven upon men by our exalted Saviour: together with a hint of the chief designs or uses of them, and then I shall conclude with some remarks upon them.

The extraordinary gifts are of various kinds; they are represented by the apostle Paul; 1 Cor. xii. 8-11. and explained by learned and ingenious writers. In the first place, the word of wisdom, or an extensive acquaintance with the mysteries of christianity, the doctrines and duties of the religion of Christ. This eminently belonged to the apostles, that they might be able upon all occasions to preach the gospel in all the substantial and necessary parts of it, and answer the questions of importance which were proposed to them. The next was the word of knowledge; which may imply such an insight into the Old Testament and the writings of the prophets, as to cite them and happily apply them by way of interpretation or allusion, to illustrate or confirm the gospel of Christ, and to refute the Jewish abuses and perversions of them. The third is the gift of faith; that is, probably, a peculiar impulse that came upon them from heaven, when any difficult matter was to be performed, which inwardly assured them, that the Spirit of God would enable them to perform it. Then follows the gift of healing of various distempers by a word of their mouth, or a touch of their hand, and the gift of working other miracles also, even the power of inflicting diseases, or death itself,

* I grant my text speaks chiefly, if not only, of the extraordinary gifts of .the Spirit; but as the graces proceed also from the Spirit of Christ exalted, I thought it not proper to omit them here.