things to you, sorrow hath filled your hearts." Nor do we wonder that the hope of his speedy re-appearance should prove a fascinating lure to many who are as much mistaken as the disciples were, in wishing to detain their Lord and to delay his departure to his glory. But when Peter said, "Lord it is good for us to be here, let us build tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, one for Elias ;" he knew not what he said. We cannot but feel that earth would be enriched and glorified by the presence of its Saviour and its Lord. We cannot but exclaim as we see him go, "Alas, poor impoverished world! what hast thou left when Jesus is gone? In proportion as heaven overflowed with joy, and bade her gates lift up their heads to receive the King of glory in, earth might reasonably weep and almost envy heaven, saying to it, "Thou hast robbed us of our jewel."

But, however dear and precious to us, we must part with that glorious Person, who was made flesh, and once dwelt amongst us; not but that Christ, who promised to be with his church always, even to the end of the world, is with us still, to bless and save us. But so he was, before his incarnation, with the church in the wilderness; for "Israel tempted Christ in the desert," and Joshua saw him as the Captain of the Lord's host, with his drawn sword ready to fight for Israel, on their entrance into Canaan, to give them possession of the good land which he had promised. As "God over all, blessed for ever," Christ fills the universe, being present with us, through all time and all space; but the human body, of which he spake when he said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again," was not with us before his incarnation, nor has it been here since his ascension. "He has gone up to heaven; angels, and principalities, and powers, being made subject to him." "The heavens must receive him till the time of the restitution of all things;" then shall he be seen so coming in like manner as he was seen going into heaven."

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Let none, then, think that we undervalue the presence of Christ's humanity on earth, when we proceed to shew,

2. The superior value of the Spirit's presence.

Some reasons we have already assigned why the Spirit should not come in full glory while Christ was here. But it is that fulness of the enjoyment of divine influence of which we now speak. Wherever there has been religion, there was the operation of the Spirit in the heart. Wherever you see a blind mind enlightened, if you ask, "Who has been here?" the answer is, "The Spirit of truth has led him into all the truth." Wherever you see the word of the Lord, having free course, glorified, if you ask the reason, we say, "The Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word."

But we come now to ask how the mere drops that before were "like angel-visits, few and far between," have been exchanged for the showers, numerous, powerful, and long-continued? The reason is, that Jesus was gone to send the Comforter down; as he said several times previously to his departure. For this, many and weighty reasons may be assigned. I specify the following:

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(1.) The bodily presence of Christ is confined to one spot;-the presence of the Spirit is universal.

I say nothing now of the Lutheran doctrine of the divine properties or attributes being imparted to the human nature of Christ, which seems to have been invented in order to sanction the doctrine of consubstantiation, which was as great a stride as Luther could make from the old dogma of transubstantiation. You, doubtless, could not perceive how a body, which was born about eighteen hundred years ago, could be eternal; or how that which was nailed to the cross could be omnipresent. We are assured that it was expedient for us that Christ, after he had removed his body from the grave, should go away, that the heavens might receive him: for ought not Christ, having suffered these things, to enter into his glory? If, therefore, our Saviour were to return to earth, he could be but in one part of it at one time. In the days of his flesh, he inhabited Judea alone, and never visited the heathen world; and when he honoured one spot with his presence, he departed from another. Had he continued on earth after his resurrection, and travelled through the whole globe, to plant churches, he must have quitted one, in order to visit another. If he were now amongst us, our brethren on the other side of the globe could not enjoy the same bliss. What advantage, then, would they have from his being here? They could know this fact, only by report, and by the belief of a testimony, as we now know that he is in heaven.

How much better, then, is it that he should go away, and that the Comforter should come! For this blessed Spirit, having no other than a divine nature, is in every sense infinite, omnipresent, allpervading. He is at this moment present with every church—with every "heart that loves our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Know ye not that ye are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and that God dwells in you?" How many assemblies of the saints are there at this moment enjoying the influence of that Spirit which of old moved on the waters! While our bosoms glow with his power and grace, our brethren in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, France, America, Taheite, China, India, and Africa, enjoy the same illuminating, sanctifying, consoling, quickening influence. Thousands of saints of different hues, with different tongues, repeat the joyful words,

"The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost given to us." Millions of prayers now fill the air and make their way to the mercy-seat, winged by that "Spirit which maketh intercession in the saints according to the will of God."

Had the Redeemer remained on earth, or were he to return to it, and did we behold him in the midst of us, we must enjoy this blessing at our brethren's expense, and our gain would be their loss; or, were he to quit us to visit others, their gain would be our loss. But who could bear the thought of the struggle between our interests and our duty, our lawful solicitude for our souls' welfare, and our benevolent regard for our brethren, the love of God and of our neighbour,-between our wish to retain the Saviour here, and our desire, scarcely less strong, that others might enjoy him too? But now we are saved from such strife, for we wait for the presence of Christ, till we can all enjoy it together, and, mean while, rejoice that the Comforter is come, who shall abide with us all for ever.

(2.) The bodily presence of Christ belongs to the order of means that strike the senses, but the presence of the Spirit is that of an agent who affects the heart and attains the end.

If Christ were to appear on earth, he must either come in his glory or lay it aside. Choose which of the alternatives you please. Were he to come in his glory, it would most powerfully affect us, but could we endure it? Let Paul answer. When Ananias said, “The Lord has chosen thee that thou shouldest see that Just One," Paul observed, "I could not see for the glory of that light, and was led by the hand of those that were with me into Damascus." When the beloved disciple who had reposed on the bosom of Jesus, was indulged with the visions of Patmos, after Christ had entered into his glory, John fell at his feet as dead. And how could we endure the blaze of his presence, if he were now to appear in the midst of us? We should be dazzled, overwhelmed, confounded, almost annihilated. But should we be instructed? I had almost said, should we be cheered and delighted?

Must he, then, lay aside his glory? Should he, in order to accommodate himself to us, return to the days when he was without form or comeliness, and when he made himself of no reputation? What! has he not had enough of this? Was not once sufficient for him to empty himself, and stoop to be made like unto his brethren? Is he not now clothed with glory which he can never lay aside? Shall He “who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory" ever recall those honours? Was it not enough that he died unto sin once? Now that he liveth he liveth unto God, in the glory of the Father.

If it were possible that he should drop his splendours again, what

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advantage could there be in his dwelling here incognito? should it be known that it was he? What benefit should we derive from such an appearance, if appearance it could be called? Would it not be an object of faith rather than of sight, to be known only by the belief of a testimony, in the same way as we now believe that Christ is on the throne of heaven, creating the light, and glory, and joy, of the celestial world?

But on any supposition, the presence of Christ would merely constitute a means that would affect the senses only. It does not belong to Christ to apply salvation that is the work of the Spirit. For, as the Father did not make atonement, but received that which was made by the Son; so the Son of God does not change the heart, but gives his Spirit to accomplish this important object. Christ, therefore, might dazzle our eyes, and act powerfully upon our bodily frame; but this does not change the nature, melt the heart, or kindle "repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ." Christ's bodily presence might act on our bodies, but his Spirit operates upon our spirits.

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Many, therefore, saw Christ while on earth, only to their more aggravated condemnation; so that "the men of Nineveh will rise in the judgment with them, and condemn them; for the Ninevites repented at the preaching of Jonah," while many heard a greater than Jonah and repented not. Even those who repented because they saw Christ, were told not to glory, but to blush. "Thomas, because thou hast seen me thou hast believed: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." Had Christ continued on earth, or were he now to return again, our imperfect religion would regard him with a mixture of debasing carnal emotions, from which we are, by his absence, kept free, saying, "Henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now, henceforth, know we him no more." Now we are no longer in danger of intruding upon him with unseemly familiarity, nor are we exposed to the repulse, "Touch me not;" but by the Spirit's pure and heavenly influences we are elevated towards the Saviour's throne, by a flight altogether spiritual and divine; free from much irregularity and excess; though, alas! not free from all defect.

(3.) It is more honourable, both to Christ and to his Spirit, that the Son should depart and send his Spirit down.

If this can be shewn, it will follow that it is expedient for us; for everything that is glorious to our Saviour and Sanctifier, is good for the church, and welcome to her sons. The Head cannot be

glorified without shedding lustre on the members; nor can the members see the Head exalted, without feeling a sense of exaltation and delight. We and our Lord rise or fall together; for as we have fellowship in his sufferings, so we are raised together, and sit together with him in heavenly places.

While Christ dwelt here, he was the Father's ambassador and servant; and so entirely did he enter into the spirit of the office, that he said, "I seek not my own glory, but the glory of Him that sent me ;" and at the approach of death, "Father, I have glorified thee on the earth." So much humiliation and infirmity entered into his sojourn here, that he might well chide his friends for wishing to detain him in it, saying, "If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I said I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I." But now he has prayed, and has been heard, "Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee, before the world was." When he quitted earth for heaven, he exchanged the condition of a servant for that of a king returning to take possession of his dominions, and to sit upon the throne of his glory. From the seat of glory, he sent down his Spirit as his advocate, as well to glorify Christ, as to call and sanctify us. For though the word TαρákληTоs includes the idea of consolation, and our translators render it "comforter," yet this word does not exhaust the meaning. Some have adopted, rather than translated, the word, and then the Paraclete should be regarded as conveying the idea of a patron and counsellor, to vindicate Christ's rights, and display his glory, and animate the spirits of men to rise to lofty and delightful ideas of the Saviour. He who had humbled himself was now to be exalted; and he who had served the Father on earth, was to enjoy the honour of seeing one of the Persons of the Godhead sent down to plead his cause, to convince the world of the sin of rejecting him, and of the righteousness of Him that went to the Father, so that now we see him no more.

While Christ holds the throne of heaven, the sceptre of the universe, and has all things at his command, that Spirit against whom the unpardonable sin was committed, is engaged on earth to make men think highly of the Saviour, even to trust their souls into his hands, and to love him better than life.

"How glorious the Lamb is seen on his throne,

His labours are over, his battles are won."

What exalted honours attend the Saviour, while he sends down the Spirit to see that Christ shall not have suffered in vain; but