the work that God had given him to do, had fhewed himself alive to the apostles after his paffion, and had given them the commandments which he faw neceffary at that time for their conduct, he is wafted up from the ground, gradually mounts the air in their fight, till a cloud of glory received him out of it. Thus, after his conquering death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, he afcends in triumph in the "cha"riots of God, which are twenty thousand, " even thousands of angels;" as Jehovah defcended on Mount Sinai at the giving of the law. In them he afcends far above the heavens, "leading captivity captive:" when first entering the holy of holies for us, he was feated on the "throne at the right-hand of "the Majefty on high; far exalted above all "principality and power, and had a name given him above every name, that at the 66 name of Jefus every knee should bow, and "every tongue confefs that Jefus Chrift is "Lord; angels, and authorities, and powers "being made fubject to him." Nor did any thing remain "that was not put under his "feet, until the confummation of all things, "Him only excepted who placed them in "this fubjection to him." He is then anointed with." the oil of gladness," or with the 9 Pfal. Ixviii. 7, 18. 6. Phil. ii. 9, 12. Holy Holy Ghoft, "above his fellows," as the King and head of his church': or "filled " with all fullness, receiving the promise of "the Father, even gifts for men, that out of "his fulness he might fill all things, and "we might receive grace for grace. To fuch a folemnity as this, ten days were appointed at the end of which, after he had thus entered into the most holy place, was feated on his throne, was fitted for all mediatorial power, and invefted with it; he, out of his royal bounty, gives gifts unto men, and bleffes them with all fpiritual bleffings from the "heavenly places; fitting fome to. "be apoftles, fome to be prophets, fome to "be evangelifts, fome to be paftors and "teachers for the work of the miniftry, for "the edifying of the church;" by their miniftry of the word of reconciliation, " he "ruled in the midst of his enemies," fubduing them immediately from the "womb of "the morning, by this the rod of his ftrength, "or power; and making them a willing บ people in this the day of his power who, in token of their ready subjection to his just authority, pay him the homage which was proper to recognize him as the Lord and heir of all things; and offer their profeffions for the fupport of his kingdoms, by relieving t Eph. i. 3. • Heb. i. 3, 9. the neceffities of the minifters, and of those needy fubjects of which it was chiefly compofed. This confideration of the time of the first and greatest effufion of the Holy Ghost may help us to explain what St. John fays", that "the Holy Ghost was not given because Jefus was not glorified." Thus much may be observed in general about the time of this effufion. But St. Luke, having pointed out another circumftance of time relating to it, very particularly informs us, that it was "when the feast of Pentecoft was fully "come." Now the reafon why God feems to have chofen that time for this great event, was to fhew, that as in Chrift's fuffering at the feaft of paffover, Chrift was our true paffover; fo that the giving of the Spirit was that which was prefigured by the feast of Pentecoft; as it is most probable he was born at the feaft of tabernacles, to point out to us, that the Word, or the brightness of the Father's glory," was come to dwell (or taber nacle) among us." The feast of pentecoft was appointed to be the morrow after seven weeks from the paffover, that is, fifty days. The reafon of this feaft was to commemorate the giving of the law at Mount Sinai; it being precifely fifty days from the night that the children of Ifrael obferved the first paff John vii. 39. 7 John i. 14. x Acts ii. I. z Lev. xv. 16. Deut. xvi, 9. over to God's giving the law there. Whence all the Jewish writers conclude, that this feaft was inftituted in commemoration of giving the law: which Maimonides fays was the great reafon of bringing the children of Ifrael out of Egypt. Thus it was likewise fifty days after Chrift our paffover was facrificed for us (who refted in his grave on the fabbath, and by rifing, on the first day of the week, when the fheaf, or the first-fruits of the barley-harveft, was offered unto the Lord, became the first-fruits of those who flept); it was, I fay, from that day fifty days, that the Holy Ghost was fhed down on the apoftles and their company; to teach them first the laws and doctrines of Chrift, or the things of the kingdom of Chrift; and then to enable them to publish them to others, from Mount Sion, or Jerufalem (the place that God had appointed for his worship, and from whence Chrift's fceptre was to go forth to Jews and Gentiles), who had been ignominioufly crucified there fifty days before. At this feaft the firft-fruits of wheat-harvest were to be offered to God in two loaves, which were for the use of the priests. And on those loaves, as on all the meatofferings, oil was poured. After which See Bishop Patrick's Com. on Exod. xix. 1. Mor. Nev. they began to gather in their wheat-harvest, and compleat it. Thus likewife the apostles, having themfelves received the first-fruits "of the Spirit," gathered in that day three thoufand fouls, whom they prefented, or offered up unto God, and unto the Lamb, fanctified by the Holy Ghoft, as a kind of firft-fruits of his creatures, or his new creatures, or as the first-fruits of the Jewish christian-church. And then, agreeably to the feafting and rejoicing at all thofe feasts, and particularly this of Pentecoft, all the first chriftians continued daily in the temple; " and breaking bread from houfe to house, "did eat their meat with gladnefs, as well as "fingleness of heart; praifing God alfo, as "well as having favour with the people!. And the apoftles proceed farther in their great harveft. Thus was this day well fuited to the dignity of the event, as well as to confirm the truth of the chriftian religion, and to furnish feveral moral inftructions, to those who confider this circumftance of time with the attention it deferves. And as to the feast of Pentecoft being fully come, it carries in it, as Dr. Lightfoot learnedly obferves, a manifeft reference to the inftitution of Pentecoft; which was to be on the morrow after the fabbath, or after the feventh fabbath from the paffover; which f A&s ii. 46, 47. e Deut. xvi. 1 1. makes |