Sixth, There is a striking analogy between the relations of the Spirit to the perfect human nature of Christ, and His relations to those who are made partakers of the divine nature.

(1). Christ as a man was born of the Spirit:

Matt. i. 18-20.—Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Luke i. 35.—And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Heb. x. 5.—Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

(2). He was anointed and sealed with the Spirit:

Matt. iii. 16.—And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.

Mark i. 10.—And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him.

Luke iii. 22.—And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

John i. 32, 33.—And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

John vi. 27.—Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

Acts x. 38.—How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

(3). He was led by the Spirit:

Matt. iv. 1.—Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

Mark i. 12.—And immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness.

Luke iv. 1.—And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.

(4). He acted in the power of the Spirit:

Matt. xii. 28.—But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

Luke iv. 14, 18, 19.—And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. * * * * The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

John iii. 34.—For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.

Acts i. 2.—Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen.

(5). He was justified by the Spirit:

Rom. i. 4.—And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

I Tim. iii. 16.—And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

(6). He offered Himself by the Spirit:

Heb, ix. 14.—How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your con science from dead works to serve the living God?

(7). He was raised up by the Spirit:

Rom. viii. 11.—But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

1 Pet. iii. 18.—For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. See also

Isa, xi. 2.—And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and under standing, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.

Rev. iii. 1.—And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.

So Christians are

(1). Born of the Spirit:

John iii. 5, 6, 8.—Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. * * * * The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Tit. iii. 5.—Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost,

(2). They are anointed and sealed with the Spirit:

II Cor. i. 22.—Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

II Cor. v. 5.—Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Eph. i. 13.—In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.

1 John ii. 27—But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.

(3). They are led by the Spirit:

Rom. viii. 4, 14.—That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

I Cor. vi. 19, 20.—What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? for ye are bought with a price: there fore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Gal. v. 16–18.—This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the. things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

(4). They act in the power of the Spirit:

John vii. 38, 39.—He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Acts i. 8.—But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utter most part of the earth.

Rom. viii. 26.—Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

(5). They are justified by the Spirit:

I Cor. vi, 11.—And such were some of you: hut ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

(6). They offer themselves unto God through the Spirit:

Rom, xv. 16.—That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost.

I Cor. xii. 3-13. Gal. iv. 4-6.—But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal. v. 25.—If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

I Pet. i. 2, 22.—Elect according to the fore knowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. * * * * Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.

(7). They are raised up by the Spirit:

Rom. viii. 11.—But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. you,