Isaiah xi. 2.

I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to you and to all people: for unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him." Thus was fulfilled the prophetic words of Isaiah. "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord."

And this explains the important revelation in the Book of Wisdom, that the Holy Spirit is the breath of the Lord Almighty, proceeding from the glory of his Godhead, and pervading all things, and which is consistent with the inferences of natural knowledge."

For" the Spirit of "wisdom is more moving Wisd. vii. 24 than any motion, it passeth and goeth through all

things by reason of its pureness; for it is the breath of the power of God, and a pure influence flowing from the glory of the Almighty;

therefore, can no defiled thing fall into it;for it is the brightness of the everlasting light, the unspotted mirror of the power of God, and the image of his goodness; and being but One, it can do all things; and remaining in itself, it maketh all things new; and in all ages entering into holy souls, it maketh them friends of God, and prophets."

St. Paul's words accord with it, as being the Holy Spirit given to regenerate the souls of mankind, through the merits of Jesus Christ. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Eph. i. 17, Spirit of wisdom, and revelation in the knowledge of him."

Having now before us the descent and incarnation of the Word of God, in Jesus the promised Christ-he appeared to his disciples after his crucifixion, when "he breathed on them," as typical of the breath flowing from the Godhead of his glory, to regenerate and support the souls of the christian world, "and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." John xx. 22.

John i. 1.

John viii. 58.

Rev.i. 8.

Hence the record of St. John, "In the begin ning was the Word, and the Word was with. God and the Word was" the spirit "of God. The same was in the beginning with God."

Hence his words to the unbelieving Jews:"Before Abraham was, 1 am:" and speaking by St. John, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, Isaiah xlv. 7. The Almighty." By Isaiah, “ I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the Lord do all these things."

John i. 18.

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"No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of 1.Kings viii. 27. the Father, He hath declared him: ""The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain Acts xvii. 28. Thee"-but, "In Him we live, and move, and Job xxxiv. 14. have our being." Hence, "If he gather unto himself his Spirit, and his breath, all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again into dust."

The recorded sufferings of our Saviour

under temptations, "yet without sin," were to that excess by the oppression of the spirit of evil, or those passions which beset all of us, "that his sweat was as it were great drops of Lake xxii. 44. blood falling to the ground; and being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and there appeared an angel from heaven, strengthening him." But, by his words, he came prepared for the great sufferings and indignities he bore; for after fulfilling the law, and before his death on the cross, he said, "Now is my soul John xii. 27. troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour! Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said, That it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes." For our sakes, inasmuch as having fulfilled the law, he willingly gave himself up as the sacrifice for our nonfulfilment of it; by which the tempter, or spirit of malignity was cast out as the witness against us-by

H

the grace due to his merits. So that the whole

might become one spiritual body in his eternity, John xii. 31. which his words do signify. "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince

Matt.xxviii.18.

of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” ⠀

"And Jesus," after his resurrection, " came and spake to the eleven disciples, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth: Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo! I am with you, even unto the end of the world."

Hence, the means adopted to cast out the spirit of malignity from our souls-called the serpent-Satan-the Devil-the prince of this world the beast, &c.-to create mankind in his own spiritual image, and to elevate them to the dignity of sons of God, was, in the first place, to fulfil the Mosaic law, which none of us have fulfilled by works; by which he proved,