3. The Comforter may abide as a Comforter, when he doth not actually comfort the foul; in truth as to the effence of holiness, he cannot dwell in us, but withal he must make us holy, for the temple of God is holy; but as to his comforting, his actings therein, are all of his fovereign will, fo that he may abide, and yet not actually comfort us.

4. The Spirit often works for it, and tenders confolation to us, when we do not receive it; the well is nigh, and we fee it not; we refufe to be comforted: I told you that the Spirit as a Sanctifier comes with power to conquer an unbelieving heart; the Spirit as a Comforter comes with fweetnefs, to be received in a believing heart; he fpeaks and we believe not that it is his voice; he tenders the things of confolation and we receive them not; my fore ran, faith David, and my foul refused to be comforted.

5. I deny that ever the holy Spirit doth abfo lutely and univerfally leave a believing foul without confolation; a man may be darkened, clouded, refuse comfort, actually find none, feel none, but radically he hath a foundation of confolation, which in due time will be drawn forth: and therefore when God promifes that he will heal finners, and reftore comfort to them, as Ifa. lvii. 17. it is not that they were without any, but that they had not fo much as they needed, that that promife is made. To infift on the feveral ways whereby men refuse comfort, and come fhort of the ftrong confolation, which God is willing that we fhould receive, is not my purpose at prefent. Thus then the Spirit being fent, and given, abideth with the fouls of believers, leaves them not, though he variously manifeft himfelf in his operations: of which in the next place.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Of the actings of the Holy Ghost in us being beflowed on us. He worketh effectually, diftributeth, giveth.

Aving thus declared, from whence, and how

H the Holy Ghoft is given unto us as a Spirit

of confolation; come in the next place to declare what are his actings in us, and towards us, being so bestowed on us, and received by us. Now here are two general heads to be confidered. 1. The manner and kind of his actings in us, which are varioufly expreffed: and 2. The particular products of his ac tings in our fouls, wherein we have communion with him. The first is variously expreffed: 1 fhall pafs through them briefly.

1. He is faid to work effectually, 1 Cor. xii. 11. all thefe worketh or effecteth that one and-felf fame Spirit: it is fpoken there indeed in refpect of his diftribution of gifts, but the way is the fame for the communication of graces, and privileges; he doth it by working, which as it convinces his per fonality, especially as confidered with the words following, dividing to every man according to his will, (for to work according to the will, is the infeparable property of a perfon, and is spoken exprefly of God, Eph. i. 11.) fo in relation to ver. 6. foregoing, it makes no lefs evident his Deity. What he is here faid to do, as the Spirit bestowed on us, and given unto us; there is he faid as God himfelf to do: there are diverfity of operations, but it is one God that worketh all in all; which here in other words is, all these worketh the felf fame Spirit, dividing to every man as he will; what we have then

from

from him, we have by the way of his energetical working; it is not by propofing this or that argument to us, perfuading us by thefe or thofe moral motives or inducements alone, leaving us to make ufe of them as we can; but he works effectually himself, what he communicates of grace, or confolation to us.

1

2. In the fame verfe, as to the manner of his operation, he is faid diaroun, he divideth or diftributeth to every one as he will. This of diftribution adds to that of operation, choice, judgment, and freedom. He that distributes variously, doth it with choice, and judgment, and freedom of will: fuch are the proceedings of the Spirit in his difpenfations: to one he giveth one thing eminently to another another. To one in one degree, to another in another. Thus are the faints in his fovereignty kept in a conftant dependance on him; he diftributes as he will; who fhould not be content with his portion? What claim can any lay to that which he diftributeth as he will? which is farther manifested,

3. By his being faid to give, when and what he beflows; they speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, Acts ii. 4. he gave them to them, that is freely; whatever he bestows upon us, is of his gift. And hence it is to be observed, that in the oeconomy of our falvation, the acting of no one perfon doth prejudice the freedom and liberty of any other; fo the love of the Father in fending the Son is free, and his fending doth no ways prejudice the liberty and love of the Son, but that he lays down his life freely alfo. So the fatisfaction and purchase made by the Son doth no way prejudice the freedom of the Father's grace in pardoning

and

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and accepting us thereupon: fo the Father's and Son's fending of the Spirit doth not derogate from his freedom in his workings, but he gives freely what he gives, and the reafon of this is, becaufe the will of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft is ef fentially the fame; fo that in the acting of one there is the counsel of all, and each freely therein.

Thus in general is the manner and kind of his working in us and towards us, being bestowed upon us, defcribed. Power, choice, freedom, are evidently denoted in three expreffions infifted on. It is not any peculiar of his towards us, that is hereby declared, but the manner how he doth produce the effects, that fhall be infifted on.

That which remains in the laft place for the explanation of the things propofed to be explained as the foundation of the communion which we have with the Holy Ghost, is the effects that being thus fent and thus working he doth produce; which I fhall do, not cafting them into any artificial method, but taking them up as I find them lying scattered up and down in the fcripture, only defcending from those which are more general, to those which are more particular, neither aiming nor defiring to gather all the feverals, but infifting on thofe which do moft obviously occur.

Only as formerly, fo now you must obferve, that I fpeak of the Spirit, principally, if not only as a Comforter, and not as a Sanctifier; and therefore the great work of the Spirit towards us all our days, in the conftant and continual fupplies of our new light, power, vigor, as to our receivings of grace from him, belonging to that head of fanctification, muft be omitted.

Nor

Nor fhall I infift on thofe things which the Comforter doth in believers, effect towards others in his testifying of them, and convincing of the world which are promised, John xv. 26. xvi. 8, 9. wherein he is properly their Advocate, but only on those which as a Comforter he works in, and towards them on whom he is bestowed.

CHA P. III.

Of the things wherein we have communion with the Holy Ghoft. He brings to remembrance the things Spoken by Chrift, John xiv. 26. The manner how he doth it. The Spirit glorifies Chrift in the hearts of believers, John xvi. 14. fheds abroad the love of God in them. The witness of the Spirit, what it is. Rom. viii. 16. The fealing of the Spirit, Eph. i. 13. The Spirit, how an earnest, on the part of God, on the part of the faints. Difference between the earneft of the Spirit, and tafting of the powers of the world to come. Unction by the Spirit, Ifa. xi. 2, 3. The various teachings of the Holy Ghoft. How the Spirit of adoption, and of fupplication.

T

HE things which in the foregoing chapters, I called effects of the Holy Ghost in us, or towards us, are the subject matter of our communion with him; or the things wherein we hold peculiar fellowship with him, as our Comforter; these are now propofed to confideration.

1. The first and most general is that of John xiv. 26. He hall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, that I have spoken