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We have this then by the Spirit, he teacheth us of the love of God in Chrift, he makes every gofpel truth as wine well refined to our fouls, and the good things of it, to be a feast of fat things; gives us joy and gladnefs of heart with all that we know of God, which is the great prefervative of the foul to keep it close to truth. The apostle speaks of our teaching by this unction, as the means whereby we are preferved from feduction. Indeed to know any truth in the power, fweetnefs, joy and gladnefs of it, is that great fecurity of the foul's conftancy in the prefervation and retaining of it. They will readily change truth for error, who find no more sweetness in the one than in the other. I muft crave the reader's pardon, for my brief paffing over these great things of the gofpel: my prefent defign is rather to enumerate, than to unfold them. This one work of the Holy Ghost might it be pursued, would require a fuller difcourfe than I can allot unto the whole matter in hand. All the privileges we enjoy, all the dignity and honour we are invested withal, our whole dedication unto God, our nobility and royalty, our interest in all churchadvantages, and approaches to God in worship, our feparation from the world, the name whereby we are called, the liberty we enjoy, all flow from this head, are all branches of this effect of the Holy Ghoft. I have mentioned only our teaching by this unction: a teaching that brings joy and gladnefs with it, by giving the heart a fenfe of the truth wherein we are inftructed. When we find any of the good truths of the gofpel, come home to our fouls, with life, vigor, and power; giv ing us gladness of heart, transforming us into the

image and likeness of it, the Holy Ghost is then at his work, is pouring out of his oil.

We have adoption alfo by the Spirit, hence he is called the Spirit of adoption; that is either, he who is given to adopted ones, to fecure them of it, to beget in their hearts a sense and perfuafion of the Father's adopting love; or else to give them the privilege itself, as is intimated John i. 12. Neither is that oppofite hereunto which we have, Gal. iv. 6. for God may fend the Spirit of fupplication into our hearts, because we are fons, and yet adopted by his Spirit. But of this elsewhere.

He is alfo called the Spirit of fupplication, under which notion he is promifed, Zech. xii. 10. and how he affects that in us, is declared, Rom. viii. 26, 27. and Gal. iv. 6. and we are thence faid to pray in the Holy Ghost. Our prayers may be confidered two ways.

1. As a fpiritual duty required of us by God; and fo they are wrought in us by the Spirit of fanctification, which helps us to perform all our duties, by exalting all the faculties of the foul for the fpiritual discharge of their respective offices in them.

2. As a means of retaining communion with God, whereby we fweetly ease our hearts in the bofom of the Father, and receive in refreshing tastes of his love. The foul is never more raised with the love of God, than when by the Spirit taken into intimate communion with him, in the discharge of this duty: and therein it belongs to the Spirit of confolation, to the Spirit promifed as a Comforter. And this is the next thing to be confidered in our communion with the Holy Ghoft; namely, What are the peculiar effects which he worketh in us, and towards us, being fo bestowed on us, as was de

clared,

clared, and working in the way and manner infifted on. Now these are, his bringing the promises of Christ to remembrance, glorifying him in our hearts, fhedding abroad the love of God in us, witneffing with us, as to our fpiritual estate and condition, fealing us to the day of redemption; being the earnest of our inheritance, anointing us with privileges as to their confolation, confirming our adoption, and being prefent with us in our fupplications. Here is the wifdom of faith, to find out and meet with the Comforter in all these things; not to lose their sweetness, by lying in the dark to their Author; nor coming fhort of the returns which are required of us.

CHAP. IV.

The general confequences in the hearts of believers, of the effects of the Holy Ghoft before mentioned. Confolation, its adjuncts. Peace, joy, how it is wrought immediately, mediately.

H way of our communion with the Holy Ghost, Aving proceeded thus far in difcovering the

and infifted on the most noble and known effects that he produceth, it remains that it be declared, what general confequents of thefe effects there are brought forth in the hearts of believers; and fo we fhall at least have made mention of the main heads of his difpenfation, and work in the oecono my of grace. Now thefe, as with the former, I fhall do little more than name; it being not at all in my defign, to handle the natures of them, but only

only to fhew what refpects they bear to the business in hand.

Confolation is the firft of thefe. The difciples walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the confolation of the holy Ghost, Acts ix. 31, He is o parakletos, and he gives paraklefin from his work towards us, and in us, we have comfort and confolation. This is the first general confequent of his difpenfation and work. When ever there is mention made of comfort and confolation in the fcripture given to the faints, (as there is most frequently,) it is the proper confequent of the work of the Holy Ghoft towards them. Comfort or confolation in general, is the fetting and compofing of the foul in reft and contentedness, in the midst of, or from troubles, by the confideration or presence, of fome good wherein it is interested, outweighing the evil, trouble, or perplexity that it hath to wrestle withal. Where mention is made of comfort and confolation properly fo called, there is relation to trouble or perplexity; fo the apostle, 1 Cor. i. 5, 6. As the fufferings of Christ abound in us, fo our confolation alfo aboundeth by Christ. Suffering and confolation are oppofed; the latter being a relief against the former; fo are all the promises of comfort, and all the expreffions of it in the Old and New Teftament, still propofed as reliefs against trouble.

And as I faid, confolation arifeth from the prefence or confideration of a greater God, that out-good ballances the evil, or perplexity wherewith we are to contend. Now in the effects or acts of the Holy Ghost before mentioned, ly all the fprings of our confolation. There is no comfort but from them; and there is no trouble, that we may not have comfort in, and againft, by them: that a man may LI

have

have confolation in any condition, nothing is required, but the presence of a good, rendering the evil, wherewith he is preffed, inconfiderable to him. Suppose a man under the greatest calamity that can poffibly befal a child of God, or a confluence of all thofe evils numbered by Paul, Rom. viii. 38. &c. Let this man have the Holy Ghost, performing the works mentioned before toward him, and in defpight of all his evil, his confolations will abound. Suppofe him to have a fenfe of the love of God all the while shed abroad in his heart, a clear witness within that he is a child of God, accepted with him, that he is fealed and marked of God for his own, that he is an heir of all the promises of God, and the like, it is impoffible that man fhould not triumph in all his tribulations.

From this rife of all our confolation, are those defcriptions which we have of it in the fcripture, from its properties and adjuncts: as firft, it is abiding, thence it is called everlasting confolation. 2 Theff. ii. 16. God our Father, which hath loved us, and given us everlifting confolation; that is comfort, that vanifheth not; and that because it rifeth from everlafting things. There may be fome perifhing comfort given for a little feafon by perifhing things: but abiding confolation, which we have by the Holy Ghoft, is from things everlasting. EverJafting love, eternal redemption, an everlasting inheritance.

2. Strong. Heb. vi. 18. That the heirs of the promife fhould receive ftrong confolation. As ftrong oppofition lies fometimes against us, and trouble, whofe bands are strong, fo is our confolation ftrong; it abounds and is unconquerable, it is fuch, as will make its way through all oppofition, it confirms,

corro

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