enemies as before, at the apprehension and crucifixion of their Master, they now boldly faced them, prepared to stand before rulers, to speak of God's testimonies even before kings, without being ashamed. They were no longer grieved or offended at the thought of suffering for the truth; they rejoiced in tribulations of that sort, and conceived themselves to have acquired a new dignity, when counted worthy to suffer. Such was the mighty change wrought in their minds through the power of the Holy Ghost the Comforter."* Acts viii. 26: "The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip;" and in the 29th verse, "the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip" (a recital exactly parallel to those recorded in Ezekiel ix. 31.) Then had the churches rest, and were edified, and walking in the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Ghost were multiplied. And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Cesarea unto me. And the Spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting." (Acts xi. 11, 12.) "In these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit." (ver. 27, 28.) "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. So they being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia." (xiii. 2, 4.)

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In these passages we find the Holy Ghost commanding as God, and acting as coadjutor with the

*Horne.

Almighty Father and the Almighty Son in the great work of redemption. "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia, and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they essayed, to go into Bythinia: but the Spirit suffered them not." (xvi. 6, 7.) "And now, behold I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befal me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me." (xx. 23.) "Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." (ver. 28.) "And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle." (xxi. 11.)

During the humiliating incarnation of the hallowed Son of God, the agency of the Holy Ghost, it appeareth from New Testament relation, was ordained to administer to Christ. "After his baptism, as He went up straightway out of the water, lo! the heavens were opened unto him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him; and lo! a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." The precursor of our blessed Lord had previously declared, that though he had indeed baptized with water to repentance, one mightier than he then stood among them, whom they knew not; whose shoe-latchets he was not

worthy to unloose; and that He would baptize them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. And upon Jesus coming to Jordan unto John to be baptized of him, John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering, said unto him, Suffer it to be so now; for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness: then he suffered him. When man became polluted, God, as before observed, was pleased to ordain a figurative rite, an outward and visible sign, denotive of the absolute necessity of an inward cleansing, and of which washings in pure water was an appropriate type; covenanting with those who faithfully and in faith obeyed this injunction, that they should thereby receive such spiritual regeneration, as should cleanse them from their sins, and refit them for his favour. With this pure rite, our blessed Lord, who, as He was on earth enveloped in our humanity, thought fit to comply. The reason He assigned, namely, that thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness, and on his ascent from out the river Jordan, the Holy Spirit of God visibly descended in a dove-like form, and lighted upon him, accompanied by a celestial voice, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased;--these were the blessed attestations given by the paternal Deity, of his acceptance of the means of ordinance. The immediate operations of the Holy Spirit next cited, are, "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the devil." The expression being led,' implies somewhat of reluctance to be led, by

the party who was led. But St. Mark (i. 12) records the same particular in much stronger terms: "And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness." The awful juncture was now come, when the second Adam was to engage in his great Father's business; and, in the weak nature of the pristine Adam, to vindicate his glorious Father's honour. It had yielded to the tempter it was now to withstand; it had been conquered, but it was now to conquer. The filial Deity who acted now in contact with our frail mortality, had to combat with the innocent averseness inherent in all natures to suffering and conflict; for previous to encountering the temptation of his malignant foe, our blessed Lord was ordained to endure a long abstinence from food; and, while pressed with the cravings of a keen appetite, to repulse the insidious suggestions of the malicious tempter. All this our Saviour knew, and, as we are expressly told, that He took on him our infirmities,* there is good ground to conclude, that He took them on him in their extremest extent. Had He not done so, the victory of the frail nature which was to break the wily serpent's head, could not have been deemed complete for had feeble man in any instance been destined to struggle with temptation above our blessed Lord, it could not have with truth been said, that He was tempted in all points like to what man has been. But he drank the bitter cup

* Matt. viii. 17. This observation will be much more fully illustrated when we come to treat on Christ's agony in the garden.

his beloved Father gave him down to the deepest dregs; the work to be done was to be achieved by an infinite being; and the magnitude of the work was to correspond with the infinitude of the infinite achiever. And Christ's temptation in the wilderness being a transaction which the sequel of the history proves was under the particular inspection of the angelic hierarchies, -as at its conclusion, we are told, they came and ministered to him; and the very intent of Christ's mission being to glorify his Almighty Father in the sight of heaven, there is just reason for concluding, that the superior penetration of these principalities and powers in heavenly places (who were so deeply interested in the issue of this great work) would enable them far more justly to appreciate the glorious magnanimity of the illustrious victor, than can enter into the heart of man to do. They had long beheld him seated on his high throne of glory, before he formed our world: and they must view with wonder his amazing love, his amazing condescension, in submitting to a transition involving him in so much misery, that he might make others happy. They knew that during his incarnation He was given in charge to them, and that if he prayed his Father, angelic legions were instantly at his command; but, as our Lord observed, how then could Scripture be fulfilled? He had, indeed, descended from the heaven, and took on him the form of a servant, but the remembrance of his former bliss and of his former glory, must have been ever present with him. On earth, he had in infancy been fos

VOL. II.

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