First, It is the gospel alone that presents the Spirit of God as a comforter to poor sinners. Indeed the comforting office of the Spirit is founded on the satisfaction of Jesus Christ. When Christ had shed his blood, and in it laid down upon the nail the full price of a sinner's peace with (iod ; then at his return to heaven he prays his Father to send the Comforter : neither could Christ desire this request of his Father, nor his Father grant it to him, but upon the account of this his death, which secures the justice of God from receiving any damage by the comfort which the Spirit carries into the believing sinner's bosom. Christ tells his disciples thus much, John xvi. 7 : ' If I go not awa)^, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you;' mark, the Spirit, as a comforter, stays till Christ goes to heaven to send him down ; and no room for Christ there, till the work was done he came about; and what was that, but by his bloody death to purchase peace with God for poor believing sinners ? And now let him come when he will, the S])irit is ready to be sent as a comforter, as soon as he appears in the heavens with his blood as an intercessor. But whence then had the Old Testament saints all their peace and comfort, who lived before Christ returned to heaven ; yea, before he took his first journey, from heaven, I mean, to earth? I answer, upon the same account they had their comfort, that they had their pardon. They w'ere pardoned through the blood of Christ, who was virtually a lamb slain from the beginning of the world, and they were comforted by the Spirit of Christ, whose comforting office bears the same date with Christ's mediatorial office. As all their pardons were issued out upon the credit of Christ, who stood engaged in the fulness of time to laj^ down his life ; so all the comforts which the Spirit of Christ issued out into their consciences, was upon the same credit of Christ, who should, as in the fulness of time, die on earth for sinners, so appear also in the heavens, (by virtue of the satisfaction that his death should make,) there to intercede with the Father for a comforter. Thus you see the first thing. The Spirit as a comforter hath his office from the gospel-covenant, and could never have spoke a word of comfort, but upon this gospel account. Hence it is, when the Father sends him as a comforter, he sends him in Christ's name, who hath closed the breach between him and sinners, John xiv. 26, that is, for his sake, and at his entreaty : yea, when the Sj)irit doth comfort, what is it he saith.' the joyful news he brings is gospel-intelligence, John xvi. 13, 14: ' He shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear he shall speak;' the meaning is, when he comes to teach, he shall not bring new light, diti'erent from what shines in the gospel; but what truth Christ preached in the gospel, that he shall teach when he comforts ; the ingredients which his soul-reviving cordials shall be made of, are, what grow in the gospel-garden, as ver. 14 : 'He shall glorify me, for he shallreceiveof mine, andshewittoyou,' thatis, my death, my merit, my resurrection, my ascension and intercession, my promises purchased and sealed with my blood ; these he shall take and make report of them to you, for your eternal joy and comfort ; so that, if it had not been for these, the Spirit, who is Christ's messenger, would have wanted an errand of this comfortable nature to have brought unto poor sinners : yea, instead of a comforter, he would have been an accuser and a tormentor ; he that now bears witness with our spirits for our reconciliation, adoption, and salvation, would have joined in a sad testimony with our guilty consciences against us, for our damnation and destruction.
Secondly, I am to shew the admirable fitness of the Spirit for this comforting office, which the gospel reveals him to have, for the pacifying and satisfying the consciences of poor disconsolate sinners. You have heard that the gospel aifords an argument sufficient to satisfy the most troubled conscience in the world, to wit, the full satisfaction which Christ by his precious blood hath nuide to God for sinners. But if man had been left to improve this as well as he could for his comfort, he might have lain long enough roaring in the horror of his scorched conscience without ease, for want of one drop of this cooling, healing balm into it. But as both the wisdom and love of God appeared in providing an able Saviour to purchase eternal ledtmption for us; so also a meet Comforter,
gY8 THE GOSPEf. OF PEACE.