' The first Adam was a living soul, the last Adam was a quickening Spirit,' 1 Cor. xv. 45. He quickened himself when he was dead, and he quickens all his members too. First, he receives the Spirit himself, and the same Spirit that filled and sanctified his human nature, the same Spirit sanctifieth his church, which he ' loves even as himself.' As he loveth that his own human nature, which the Holy Ghost sanctified, so doth he love * That is, ' devisc'th.'— G.
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his own mystical body, his church, being mystically united to him, and sanctifieth it by the same Spirit.
Christ dispenseth his Spirit unto us, as head of his church, and this he doth in divers respects.
(1.) As he is God, by way of immediate influence. He poureth it out upon us as the prime and principal cause. And this he doth as God, not as man, for the manhood cannot work above itself, it cannot do the work of God, it cannot work grace or give the Spirit.
(2.) As he is man, considei-ed as joined together with the Godhead, by way of merit and satisfaction. He procureth the Spirit to be given and poured out, which is done by the Father and the Son on all those who are beloved in the Son. So that the Spirit is given by Christ, with the Father, as Mediator, meritoriously. For he by suft'ering and satisfying procured the gift. Christ himself is the first gift, yea, the greatest that ever was given, the giving of Christ to die, to satisfy the wrath of God, and to obtain eternal life. Next to that main gift is the gift of the Spirit, in which is the seed of all gifts and graces ; and this we have by his merit and media- torship. Yet this we must likewise remember, that although Christ be said to give the Spirit, as he doth, yet the Holy Spirit giveth itself too. For there is such a unity in the Trinity of consent and nature, that though the Father and the Son send the Spirit, yet the Spirit comes of his own self. Though the Father and the Son give the Spirit, jet the Spirit giveth himself.
(3.) "We have the Spirit from Christ not only by way of merit, but in some kind by way of examj^le. He is the exemplary cause of all graces in us ; looking to Avhom, we are transformed, as we shall see afterwards, ' from glory to glory.' For when we consider that Christ hath done so much for us as to save us, and redeem us, and die for us, this begetteth a love in us to Christ, and makes us often to think of him, and desirous to imitate him, as we usually do such as we love and highly esteem of.
The dispensation of the Spirit is in most abundance after the resurrection of Christ. As he appeared in himself then to be most spiritual and glorious after he rose again ; so then being as the sun in its full height and perfect beauty, castcth his beams most plentifully abroad, and that for these reasons,
[1.] Because then he having finished the work of redemption and satisfied the wrath of God fully, and given contentment to divine justice, and accomplished all by his death, there ivas nothin// to hinder the blessed gift of the Spirit. It is said that ' before, the Holy Ghost was not given, because Christ was not glorified,' John vii. 39. The gift of the Holy Ghost especially depends upon the glorifying of Christ. When he had fulfilled the work of redemption, and was raised to glor}', God being paciiied gave the Holy Ghost as a gift of his favour.
[2.1 Then again after his resurrection and ascension, he did give the Holy Ghost more abundantlj' than before to his church, because now he is in heaven, and hath the advantage of the place, being exalted on high. As that glorious creature the sun, by the advantage it hath being placed in the heavens above us, is able to shine upon the greatest part of the earth at all times ; and we need not call the sun down from its place to come into our houses, or fields, or gardens. No. Where it is seated in its proper place or orb, it hath the best opportunity, in most abundance and largest extent, to send down heat and light and influence to inferior things. So Christ doth his church more good now he is in heaven, from whence he sends the
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Spirit, than ho could do if he were below ; because though his human nature bo confined in heaven, his person is everywhere. And being ' ascended now far above all heavens,' he givetli gifts more liberally and plentifully, insomuch as ho fllleth all things, Eph. iv. 10. He enlargeth the tents of his gospel, and hath taken in a greater people to himself. We Bce in winter, when the sun is low and near the earth, all things are dead and cold ; but when the' sun in the spring cometh to overtop us, to be in a higher point above us, we see how all things put a new garment upon them. There is a new vigour and freshness in them. So there was more abundant vigour of the Spirit when Christ came in the flesh ; his virtue appeared much more every way than before. But when this blessed Son of righteousness was advanced, and seated at the right hand of his Father, where his nature was perfectly enriched, and perfectly adorned with all kind of graces what- soever in the highest glory of them, his influence of light and heat now beginning to be increased, and the efficacy and working of it to be felt everywhere, the glorious beams of the sun began to be scattered, and the light of the gospel to shine to a greater number of people. Now there was no respect of persons, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male or female, all was one. The commission was enlarged to all, Mark xvi. 15, ' Go preach the gospel to every creature ;' and with the word the Spirit went, and was received ; and those that were * added to the church,' even such as ' should be saved,' were many thousands, Acts ii. 47.