Who this Comforter is, our blessed Saviour had before declared, chap. XV. 26. He is ni/sD/ia r^s aXYi&uag, — " the Spirit of truth ;" that is, the Holy Ghost, who revealeth all truth to the sons of men. Now,
^ "'??. "'?''?'?, rendered in our translation, " My friends scorn me," is in the Tar- gum, to which Owen alludes, "''^st-i ""J-'Vp-^B, "My advocates are my friends." The •word is the Greek va^axXnToi in Hebrew characters. — Ei>.
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226 OF COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY GHOST.
of tins Comforter two things are affirmed: — (1.) That he shall come. (2.) That Christ shall send him.
(1.) That he shall come. The affirmative of his coming on the perfonnance of that condition of it, of Christ going away, is included in the negation of his coming without its accomplishment : " If I go not away, he will not come;" — " If I do go (iXBiietrai), he will come." So that there is not only the mission of Christ, but the will of the Spirit, in his coming: "He will come," — his own will is in his work.
(2.) n«/z4'&j avTov, — " I will send him." The mysteiy of his send- ing the Spirit, our Saviour instructs his disciples in by degrees. Chap. xiv. 1 6, he saith, " I will j^ray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter;" in the progress of his discourse he gets one step more upon their faith, verse 26, " But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name;" but, chap. xv. 26, he saith, "/ will send him from the Father;" and here, absolutely, " / will send him." The business of sending the Holy Ghost by Christ — which argues his personal procession also from him, the Son — was a deep mystery, which at once they could not bear; and there- fore he thus instructs them in it by degrees.
This is the sum : — the presence of the Holy Ghost with believers as a comforter, sent by Christ for those ends and purposes for which he is promised, is better and more profitable for believers than any cor- poreal presence of Christ can be, now he hath fulfilled the one sacrifice for sin which he was to offer.
Now, the Holy Spirit is promised under a twofold consideration : — [1.] As a Spirit of sanctification to the elect, to convert them and make them believers. [2.] As a Sjnrit of consolation to believers, to give them the privileges of the death and purchase of Christ: it is in the latter sense only wherein he is here spoken of. Now, as to his presence with us in this regard, and the end and purposes for which he is sent, for what is aimed at, observe, — 1st. The rise and fountain of it; 2dli/. The manner of his being given; Zdly. Our man- ner of receiving him ; Uhly. His abiding luith us; 5thly. ilis acting in us; Qthly. What are the effects of his working in us : and then how we hold communion with him will from all these appear.
What the Scripture speaketh to these particulars, shall briefly be considered : —
1st. For the fountain of his coming, it is mentioned, John xv. 26, Tlapa rou TLarphg s-/.-7ropiv£Tai, — "He proceedeth from the Father;" this is the fountain of this dispensation, he proceedeth from the Father. Noav there is a twofold ixTopivgig or "procession" of the Spirit : —
(1st.) ^veixrj or 'vzodrarixri, in respect of substance and personality.
i^dly) ' Oixovo/Mixr] or dispensatory, in respect of the work of grace.
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Of the first — in which respect he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, proceeding from both eternally, so receiving his substance and personality — I speak not : it is a business of another nature than that I have now in hand. Therein, indeed, lies the first and most remote foundation of all our distinct communion with him and our worship of him ; but because abiding in the naked consideration hereof, we can make no other progress than the ba7-e acquiescence of faith in the mystery revealed, with the performance of that which is due to the person solely on the account of his participation of the essence, I shall not at present dwell upon it.
His h'TTops-jgig or proceeding, mentioned in the place insisted on, is his economical or dispensatory proceeding, for the carrying on of the work of grace. It is spoken of him in reference to his being sent by Christ after his ascension : " I will send him which proceedeth," — namely, " then when I send him." As God is said to " come out of his place," Isa. xxvi. 21, not in regard of any mutation in him, but of the new work which he would effect; so it follows, the Lord comes out of his place " to punish the inhabitants of the earth." And it is in reference to a peculiar work that he is said to proceed, — namely, to testify of Christ: which cannot be assigned to him in respect of his eternal procession, but of his actual dispensation; as it is said of Christ, " He came forth from God." The single mention of the Father in this place, and not of the Son, belongs to the gradation before mentioned, whereby our Saviour discovers this mystery to his disciples. He speaks as much concerning himself, John xvi. 7. And this relation ad extra (as they call it) of the Spirit unto the Father and the Son, in respect of operation, proves his relation ad intra, in respect of personal procession ; whereof I spake before.