confirmed by a particular revelation, ver. 26. That he should see Christ before he saw death, which could not but greatly encourage and raise his expectation to look out for him, whose coming would be the greatest consolation to the whole Israel of God. The conso- lation vrugaxAvjffic. The Spirit is frequently called in scripture, a-agoxXijnjs, the Comforter: But Christ in this place is called a-agaxXjjtf/g, confort, or consolation itself: The reason of both is given in John xvi. 14. " He shall take of mine and shew it unto you :" Where Christ is said to be the matter, and the Spirit, the applier of true comfort to the people of God. Now this consolation is here ex- pressed both with a singular emphasis [the consolation^ intimating that there is nothing of consolation in any thing besides him ; all other comforts compared with this, are not worth naming. And as it is emphatically expressed, so it is also limited and bounded within the compass of God's Israel, i. e. true believers, stiled the Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, Gal. vi. 16. From whence the point of doctrine is,
Doct. That Jesus Christ is the only consolation of believers, and of none besides them.
So speaks rhe apostle, Phil. iii. 3. " For we are the circumci- " sion, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ. u Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Those that worship God in the Spirit are sincere believers ; to such sincere believers, Christ is consolation, our rejoicing is in Christ Jesus : And they have no consolation in any thing beside him ; nothing in the world can give them comfort without Christ, We have no confidence in the fiesh. The gospel is glad tidings of great joy ; but that which makes it to be so is Jesus Christ, whom it imparts and reveals to us, Luke ii. 10, 11. In the opening of this comfortable point, four things must be spoken to, for the right stating the method of our discourse, viz.
1. What is meant by consolation.
2. That Christ, and he only, is consolation to believers.
3. That believers only have consolation in Christ.
4. How it comes to pass that any believer should be dejected, since Christ is consolation to all believers.
The first thing to be opened, is the nature of consolation, which is nothing else but the cheerfulness of a mans spirit, whereby he is upheld, and fortified against all evils felt, or feared. Consolation is to the soul what health is to the body after wasting sickness ; or the reviving spring to the earth after a long and hard winter. And there are three sorts of consolation, or comfort, suitable to the dis- position and temper of the mind, viz.
SERM. XV. THE METHOD OP GRACE, 245
Natural, Sinful, and Spiritual. Natural comfort is the refreshment of our natural spirits by the good creatures of God, Acts xiv. 17. " Filling their hearts with " food and gladness." Sinful comfort is the satisfaction and plea- sure men take in the fulfilling of their lusts, by the abuse of the creatures of God, James v. 5. " Ye have lived in pleasure upon " earth," i. e. your life hath been a life of sensuality and sin.
Spiritual comfort is the refreshment, peace, and joy, gracious souls have in Christ, by the exercise of faith, hope, and other graces, Rom. v. 2. And this only deserves the name of true solid consola- tion : To which four things are required.
First, That the matter thereof be some spiritual, eminent, and durable good ; else our consolation in it will be but as the crack- ling of thorns under a pot, a sudden blaze, quickly extinct with the failing matter of it. Christ only gives the matter of solid, du- rable consolation ; the righteousness of Christ, the pardon of sin, the favour of God, the hopes of glory, are the substantial mate- rials of a believer's consolation, Rom. v. 2. Mat. ix. 2. PsaL iv. 6, 7. 2 Pet. i. 8. Things are as their foundations be.
Secondly, Interest and propriety in these comfortable things, are requisite to our consolation by them, Luke i. 47. " My spirit re- " joiceth in God my Saviour." It is no consolation to him that is hungry to see a feast ; to him that is poor to see a treasure ; if the one may not taste, or the other partake thereof.
Thirdly, Knowledge, and evidence of interest, in some degree is requisite to actual consolation, though without it a man may be in the state of consolation ; for that which appears not, is (in point of actual comfort) as if it were not.
Fourthly, In order hereunto, the work of the Spirit upon our hearts is requisite, both to give, and clear our interest in Christ and the promises: And both these ways he is the Comforter, " The fruit of the Spirit is joy," Gal. v. 22. And thus briefly of the nature of consolation.
Secondly, Next I will shew you that Christ, and he only, is mat- ter of consolation to believers : which will demonstratively appear by this argument.
First, He that brings to their souls all that is comfortable, and removes from their souls all that is uncomfortable, must needs be the only consolation of believers.
But Jesus Christ brings to their souls all that is comfortable, and removes from their souls all that is uncomfortable.
Therefore Christ only is the consolation of believers.
First, Jesus Christ brings whatsoever is comfortable to the souls
THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XV>
of believers. Is pardon comfortable to a person condemned? No- thing can be matter of greater comfort in this world. Why, this Christ brings to all believers, Jer. xxiii. 6. " And this is the name " whereby he shall be called the Lord our righteousness." This cannot but give strong consolation ; righteousness is the foundation of peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. xiv. 17. " The work " of righteousness shall be peace ; and the effect of righteousness, " quietness and assurance for ever," Isa. xxxii. 17. Come to a dejected soul, labouring under the burden of guilt, and say, cheer up, I bring you good tidings, there is such an estate befallen you, or such a troublesome business comfortably ended for you ; alas I this will not reach the heart : If you can bring me (saith he) good news from heaven, that my sins are forgiven, and God reconciled, how soon should I be comforted ! And therefore (as one well ob- serves) this was the usual receipt with which Christ cured the souls of men and women, when he was here on earth ; Son or daugh- ter, " be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." And, indeed, it is as easy to separate light and warmth from the beams of the sun, as cheerfulness and comfort from the voice of pardon.