THE OFFICE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE MINISTRY OF CHRIST.

BY

THE REV. J. W. S. DONNISON, M. A.,

HARLESTON.

ISAIAH XI. 2.

And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and might; the spirit of knowledge, and of the fear of the Lord.

THE prophet is inspired, in this chapter, with a revela

tion of the glories of the MESSIAH'S kingdom. To fill up the picture, resplendent with spiritual blessings, we have exhibited to us the restoration of a converted remnant of the Jewish people to their own land, and the establishment of peace and unity among the several portions of creation, effected by the subjection of the Prince of Evil and Strife, to the power of MESSIAH the Prince of Peace. But before the accomplishment of this vision, which we are constrained, by the evidence of facts, to regard as still future, He, who shall then be exalted in glory, was to be manifested a Saviour of perishing sinners, a compassionate friend of the afflicted, and a preacher of righteousness. To this first appearance, when the tree, destined to overtop all the trees of the forest, should, in lowly condition, appear like a root out of a dry ground-a mere rod out of the stem of Jessethe description contained in the five opening verses of the chapter principally applies, for it contemplates JESUS

in his earthly character of Redeemer and Mediator. An account of the kingdom of GOD established upon earth, was fitly preceded by an exhibition of the character of Him who should bring it in, and who should be, at the same time, the chief glory of it.

Accustomed as we are, from other parts of Scripture, to look upon JESUS as one with the Father, very and eternal GOD, we may, perhaps, find some difficulty in rightly understanding the terms in which He is here spoken of. The prophet ascribes the wisdom, and might, and execution of judgment, appertaining to the MESSIAH, to the resting of the Spirit upon Him, as though these powers did not belong to Him in his own right, but were imparted by a higher and independent authority. Other passages, calculated to convey the same impression, might be adduced, but we will refer to one only, where our Lord himself says, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me ; and this is the Father's will that hath sent me, that of all which He hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." For the reconciliation of this seeming discrepancy, and the removal of the doubts respecting the perfection of our blessed Lord's divine nature, which might be awakened in some minds, by these and similar passages, let it be remembered that He is exhibited to our view, in holy Scripture, in two distinct lights; 1st,-as the only begotten, eternal Son of GOD, inferior to the Father, only as deriving from Him (the fountain) the infinite essence of Deity, which, by a generation incomprehensible to us, He received before all time in unlimited fulness and perfection, so as to be of one substance and eternity with the Father; and 2nd, as the incarnate Saviour, who became the Son of man, by taking our nature in the womb of the blessed

Virgin. This act of condescension is spoken of by St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians, "Who being in the form of GOD, thought it not robbery to be equal with GOD, but made himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man. And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the Cross." To these two characters, viz., "Son of GOD," and "Son of man," the language of Scripture respectively applies. An additional distinction. may be remarked under the head of his Messiahship, for, in the prosecution of that gracious office, He is occasionally spoken of as a suffering, persecuted, submissive partaker of our sorrows and sinless infirmities; and at other times, as a prince and conqueror, clothed indeed with our nature, but triumphing, in it, over the powers of darkness, and exalting it to sovereignty over every enemy. This head will not, however, generally require to be so much attended to, as the preceding ones, in reconciling the apparent opposition between the two classes of texts above mentioned. The first of these classes, regarding JESUS as the eternal Son of the Father, comprehends those passages which speak of Him as GOD-as one with the Father-and assign to Him the attributes of the Godhead; the other, contemplating Him as the Son of man, who dwelt in human form on earth, having become the promised seed of the woman, embraces all those declarations which represent Him as inferior to the Father, and ascribe to Him the qualities and infirmities of man. These distinct natures, which are united in the MESSIAH, constituting Him very GOD, and very man," are most clearly specified in the Athanasian creed, together with their respective dignities, for our Lord is there said "to be equal to the

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Father, as touching his Godhead, and inferior to the Father, as touching his manhood." Some notice of this key to the right acceptation of apparently conflicting passages of Scripture seemed necessary, not from its novelty or deep research, but because no doctrine has been more assailed by the teachers of heresy than that of our Lord's divinity. So far beyond the limits of human wisdom is the mystery of Christ's incarnation, that the pride of the natural man rises in opposition to the reception of the sacred truth. No refuge for unbelief must, therefore, be left, which can be cleared away; nor any stumbling-block be permitted to impede the humble but unstable penitent's access to his heavenly Redeemer, which a due investigation of revealed wisdom can make smooth.

Maintaining the distinction here suggested, let us proceed to examine those parts of the character of JESUS CHRIST which are spoken of in the text. We are first directed to his constitution to the office of Messiah, by the operation of the Spirit. Since He subjected Himself to death, for the redemption of the condemned world, and since He partook of our infirmities, "that He might be a merciful high priest in things pertaining to GOD," and assure us, "having Himself been tempted, of his ability and readiness to succour them that are tempted," "it was necessary that He should be made like unto us in all things, sin only excepted;"-in whose person humán nature was to be perfectly and inseparably united with the holy and infinite Godhead. Too high for our comprehension is this mystery of godliness, nor is it wise to intrude within the precints of the hidden things of eternity. We are not at liberty to exercise presumptuous speculations upon the method by which this gracious but wonderful union was effected; let us rather with humble

thankfulness adore the wisdom which, by its own ways, removed every impediment to the recovery of lost man. Thus much, however, is revealed for our instruction, that it was through the presence and energy of the HOLY SPIRIT, that the ministry of JESUS was commenced and prosecuted. He was conceived by the HOLY GHOST, and born of the Virgin Mary, thus uniting in one CHRIST the divine and human natures. At his baptism, the HOLY GHOST descended from heaven, and lighted upon Him; in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter declares, "how GOD anointed JESUS of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost, and with power;" and in the Epistle to the Hebrews, “Jesus is said to have offered Himself, through the eternal Spirit, without spot to GOD." These testimonies refer the power and wisdom of JESUS, in his earthly humiliation, to the presence of the Spirit with Him; and we must readily perceive how they harmonize with the text which speaks of the Spirit of the LORD resting upon the MESSIAH, figured under the expressions, "a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch out of his root."

We pass, in the next place, to the characteristics of this spirit which should manifest themselves in the person of the MESSIAH. There are three mentioned, the first of which is a spirit of wisdom and understanding. The faculties of man are not only limited in extent, but obscured by prejudice, and earthly corruptions. So far from being able to instruct his fellows without danger of error, he cannot direct his own steps aright. But no such imperfection resided in the blessed JESUS. One part of his gracious mission being to restore right knowledge to man, the divine wisdom, which belonged to Him. of right as GOD, dwelt in Him by the Spirit, in his character of MESSIAH," GOD manifest in the flesh." To Him were open the secrets of eternity, "for by Him