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corroborares, and ftrengthens the heart under any evil, it fortifies the foul, and makes it able chearfully to undergo any thing that it is called unto, and that because it is from him who is strong.

3. It is precious. Hence the apoftle makes it the great motive unto obedience, which he exhorts the Philippians unto, chap. ii. 1. if there be any confolation in Chrift: if you fet any efteem and valuation upon this precious mercy of confolation in Chrift; by thofe comforts, let it be fo with you.

And this is the firft general confequent in the hearts of believers, of thofe great effects of the Holy Ghoft before mentioned: now this is fo large and comprehenfive, comprizing fo many of our concernments in our walking with God, that the Holy Ghoft receives his denomination, as to the whole work he hath to perform for us from hence; he is the Comforter; as Jefus Chrift, from the work of redemption and falvation, is the Redeemer and Saviour of his church. Now as we have no confolation but from the Holy Ghoft fo all his 'effects towards us, have certainly this confequent more or lefs in us. Yea, I'dare fay; whatever we have in the kinds of the things before mentioned, that brings not confolation with it, in the root at leaft, if not in the ripe fruit, is not of the Holy Ghost. The way whereby comfort iffues cut from thofe works of his, belongs to particular cafes. The fellowship we have with him, confists in no fmall portion of it, in the confolation we receive from him. This gives us a valuation of his love; teacheth whether to make applications in our distress; whom to pray for, to pray to, whom to wait upon in perplexities.

2. Peace arifeth hence alfo, Rom. xv. 31. The L12

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God of hope fill you with all peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. The power of the Holy Ghoft, is not only extended to hope, but to our peace alfo in believing. So it is in the connexion of those promifes, xiv. 26, 27. I will give you the Comforter: and what then? what follows that grant? peace, faith he, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, Nor doth Christ otherwife leave his peace, or give his peace unto them, but by beftowing the Comforter on them. The peace of Chrift, confifts in the fouis fenfe of its acceptation with God in friendship. So is Chrift faid to be our Peace, Eph. ii. 14. by flaying the enmity between God and us, and in taking away the handwriting, that was against us, Rom. v. 1. being juftified by faith, we have peace with God. A comfortable perfuafion of our acceptation with God in Chrift, is the bottom of this peace, it enwraps deliverance from eternal wrath, hatred, curfe, condemnation; all fweetly affecting the foul and confcience.

And this is a branch from the fame root with that foregoing; a confequent of the effects of the Holy Ghoft before mentioned. Suppose a man chofen in the eternal love of the Father, redeemed by the blood of the Son; and juftified freely by the grace of God, fo that he hath a right to all the promifes of the gofpel; yet this perfon can by no reasonings or arguings of his own heart, by no confiderations of the promises themselves, nor of the love of God, or grace of Christ in them, be brought to any establishment in peace, until it be produced in him, as a fruit and confequent of the work of the Holy Ghoft in him, and towards him. Peace is the fruit of the Spirit, Gal. v. 22. the fa

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vour of the Spirit is life and peace, Rom. viii. 6. alli we have is from him, and by him.

3. Joy alfo is of this number. The Spirit as was fhewed, is called the oil of gladness, Heb. i. 10, his anointing brings gladnefs with it, Ifa. xli. 3. the oil of joy for mourning. The kingdom of God is: righteousness, peace, and Joy in the Holy Ghoft, Rom. xiv. 17. 1 Theff. i. 6. Received the gospel, with joy in the Holy Ghost; with joy, as Peter tells be-lievers, unspeakable, and full of glory, 1 Pet. . 8.. To give joy to the hearts of believers, is eminently the work of the Comforter, and this he doth by the particulars before instanced in, that rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, mentioned, Rom v. ii.. which carries the foul through any tribulation event with glorying, hath its rife in the Spirit's hedding. abroad the love of God in our hearts, ver. 5. Now there are two ways, whereby the Spirit worketh this joy in the hearts of believers..

1. He deth it immediately by himself; without the confideration of any other acts, or works of his,, or the interpofition of any reafonings, or deductiens, and conclufions; as in fanctification, he is a well of water springing up in the foul, immediately ex erting his efficacy, and refreshment: fo in confolation,, He immediately works the foul, and minds of men to a joyful rejoicing, and spiritual frame, filling them with exultation and gladnefs; not that this arifes: from our reflex, confideration of the love of God;; but rather gives occafion thereunto: when he fo fheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, and fo filling them with gladness by an immediate act and operation (as he caused John Baptiff, to leap for joy: in the womb, upon the approach of the mother of Jefus.) Then doth the feul even from hence, nife idel

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itself to a confideration of the love of God, whence joy and rejoicing doth alfo flow. Of this joy there is no account to be given, but that the Spirit worketh it, when, and how he will; he fecretly infufeth, and diftills it into the foul, prevailing against all fears, and forrows, filling it with gladness, exultations, and fometimes with unfpeakable raptures of mind.

2. Mediately by his other works towards us. He gives a fenfe of the love of God, with our adoption and acceptation with him: and on the confideration thereof, enables us to receive it. Let what hath been spoken of his operations towards us be confidered, what affurance he gives us of the love of God, what life, power, and fecurity, what pledge of our eternal welfare, and it will be eafily perceived, that he lays a fufficient foundation of this joy, and gladnefs: not that we are able upon any rational confideration, deduction, or conclufion, that we can make from the things mentioned, to affect our hearts with the joy, and gladness intended: it is left no lefs the proper work of the Spirit to do it from hence and by the intervenience of these confiderations, then to do it immediately without them. This procefs of producing joy in the heart we have, Pfal. xxiii. 5, 6. thou anointeft my head with oil. Hence is the conclufion, as in the way of exultation, surely goodness and mercy fhall follow me. Of this effect of the Comforter fee, Ifa. xxxv. throughout.

4. Hope alfo is an effect of those workings of the Holy Ghoft in us, and towards us, Rom. xv. 13. these I say are the general confequents of the effects of the Holy Ghoft upon the hearts of believers; which if we might confider them in their offspring, with all the branches that shoot out from them, in

exultation, affurance, boldness, confidence, expectation, glorying, and the like, it would appear how far our whole communion with God is influenced by them: but I only name the heads of things, and haften to what remains; it is the general and particular way of our communion with the Holy Ghost, that should nextly enfue, but that fome other confiderations neceffarily do here interpofe themfelves.

CHAP. V.

Some obfervations and inferences from difcourfes foregoing concerning the Spirit. The contempt of the whole adminiftration of the Spirit by fome. The vain pretence of the Spirit by others. The falfe Spirit difcovered.

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HIS process being made, I should now fhew immediately how we hold the communion proposed with the Holy Ghoft, in the things laid down, and manifefted to contain his peculiar work towards us. But there are fome mifcarriages, in the world in reference unto this difpenfation of the Holy Ghost, both on the one hand and on the other, in contempt of his true work, and pretence of that which is not; that I cannot but remark in my paffage; which to do fhall be the bufinefs of this chapter.

1. Take a view then of the state and condition of them who profeffing to believe the gofpel of Jefus Chrift, do yet contemn and despise his Spirit as to all its operations, gifts, graces, and difpenfations to his churches and faints. Whilft Chrift was in the world with his difciples, he made them no great

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