as able to apply this purchased redemption to us ; his consolations are called ' strong consolations.' Christ shewed his strength, when he unhinged the gates of the grave, and made his way out of that dark prison by his glorious resur- rection : by this, 'he was declared to be the Son of God with power,' as the apostle hath it, Rom. i. 4. And truly it requires no less power to break open the dungeon, wherein the guilty conscience lies shut up, as one free among the dead, in his own despairing thoughts ; for if you observ^e it well, the same stone and seal are upon the sinner's conscience to keep him down from a resurrection to comfort, as was on Christ's grave, to keep him down from a resurrection to life. What was the heaviest stone, the strongest seal upon dead Jesus, to keep him from rising? Not the stone man rolled upon him ; not the seal the Jews thought to fasten the grave with ; but the curse of the law for sin, which divine justice rolled upon him; this pressed the heaviest upon Christ without all compare ; the angel himself that rolled away the stone could not have removed the curse. Now look upon the distressed conscience's grave, where its own guilt hath laid it ; what is that ? no other than the lowest hell in its fears and present dismal apprehensions. I am damned, I am for ever an imdone creature, is the language such a one rings continually in his own ears. But inquire what is it that keeps him down in this grave? what hinders, but the poor wretch may be helped out of this pit of horror, and receive some comfort ? Alas, he will tell you that it is but in vain to comfort him, this ointment is all wasted to no pur- pose, which you pour upon his head. No, he is an undone sinner ; the curse of God sticks like a dagger in his heart, the wrath of God lies like a mountain of lead on his conscience ; except you can put your hand into his bosom, and pluck out the one, or by main force roll off the other, it is impossible that he should be raised to any peace or comfort in his miserable conscience ; you see it is the same gravestone on both. But for thy eternal comfort know, poor heart, that art thus fast laid under the sense of the cm-se due to thy sins, as the weight is the same, that keeps thee from comfort, which lay on Christ to keep him from life, so the same power and strength is sent to raise thee to comfort that enabled Christ to rise to life. That Spirit, who kept the Lord Jesus from seeing corruption in the grave ; that restrained death, when it had Christ in its very mouth, so as it could no more feed on him, than the whale could digest Jonah ; yea, that quickened his dead body, and raised him with honour, not only to life, but immortality also ; is he that Christ sends for his messenger, to come and satisfy the trembling consciences of his poor children oil earth, concerning his love, yea, his Father's love to them for his sake. This blessed Spirit hath all the properties of a comforter ; he is so pure and holy, he cannot deceive ; called therefore ' the Spii'it of truth,' John xiv. If he tell thee thy sins are pardoned, thou mayst believe him, he will not flatter ; if it were not so, he would have brought another message to thee : for he can chide and reprove as well as comfort, convince of sin as well as of righteousness. He is so wise and omniscient, that he cannot be deceived. Never did the Spirit of God knock at the wrong door, and deliver his letters into a wrong hand, (as a man may do, especially where persons are very like.) The Spirit exactly knows the heart of Cjod to the creature, with all his counsels and purposes con- cerning him, 1 Cor. ii. 11 : 'The Spirit searcheth all things, the deep things of God.' And what are those deep things of God the apostle means, but the counsels of love which lie deep in his heart, till the Spirit draws them forth and acquaints the creature with them ? as appears by ver. 9. And also he knows the whole frame of man's heart; it were strange, if he that made the cabinet should not know every secret box in it. Some few men have compassed that we call the greater world ; but the little world of man, as we call him, never did any creature encircle with his knowledge, no not the devil himself, who hath made it is work so many thousands of years to make a full discovery of it : but the Spirit of God knows him, infus est in cute, as we say, 'thoroughly;' and knowing both these, he cannot be deceived. In a word, he is so unresistible, that none can hinder the efficacy of his comforts. The pardon brought by Nathan to David, did not lie so close as the holy man desired; and, therefore, away goes he to beg comfort of the Comforter, Psa. li., where you find him on his knees praying hard to have his lost joy restored, and his trembling heart established by the free Spirit of God. Though thou canst baffle man, and,
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