262 OF COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY GHOST.
sad is the condition of poor souls destitute of these consolations! What poor shifts are they forced to betake themselves unto ! what giants have they to encounter in their own strength ! and whethei* they are conquered or seem to conquer, they have nothing but the misery of their trials !
The SECOND thing considerable, to teach us to put a due valuation on the consolations of the Holy Ghost, is the matter of them, or that wherewith he comforts us. Now, this may be referred to the two heads that I have formerly treated of, — the love of the Father, and the grace of the Son. All the consolations of the Holy Ghost consist in his acquainting us with, and communicating unto us, the love of the Father and the grace of the Son ; nor is there any thing in the one or the other but he makes it a matter of consolation to us: so that, indeed, we have our communion with the Father in his love, and the Son in his grace, by the operation of the Holy Ghost.
1. He communicates to us, and acquaints us with, the love of the Father. Having informed his disciples with that ground and foun- dation of their consolation which by the Comforter they should re- ceive, our blessed Saviour (John xvi. 27) shuts up all in this, " The Father himself loveth you." This is that which the Comforter is given to acquaint us withal, — even that God is the Father, and that he loves us. In particular, that the Father, the first person in the Tri- nity, considered so distinctly, loves us. On this account is he said so often to come forth from the Father, because he comes in pursuit of his love, and to acquaint the hearts of believers therewith, that they may be comforted and established. By persuading us of the eternal and unchangeable love of the Father, he fills us with consolation. And, indeed, all the effects of the Holy Ghost before mentioned have their tendency this way. Of this love and its transcendent excel- lency you heard at large before. Whatever is desirable in it is thus communicated to us by the Holy Ghost. A sense of this is able not only to relieve us, but to make us in every condition to rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious. It is not wnth an increase of com, and wine, and oil, but with the shining of the countenance of Ood upon us, that he comforts our souls, Ps. iv. 6, 7. " The world hateth me," may such a soul as hath the Spirit say; " but my Father loves me. Men despise me as a hy2')0crite; but my Father loves me as a child. I am poor in this world ; but I have a rich inheritance in the love of my Father. I am straitened in all things ; but there is bread enough in my Father's house. I mourn in secret under the power of my lusts and sin, where no eyes see "me ; but the Father sees me, and is full of compassion. With a sense of his kindness, which is better than life, I rejoice in tiibidation, glory in affliction, triumph as a conqueror. Though I am killed all the day long, all my soitows
OF COMMUNION WITH THE HOLY GHOST. 263
have a bottom that may be fathomed, — my trials, hounds that may be compassed ; but the breadth, and depth, and height of the love of the Father, who can express?" I might render glorious this way of the Spirit's comforting us with the love of the Father, by comparing it with all other causes and means of joy and consolation whatever; and fcu discover their emptiness, its fulness, — their nothingness, its being all ; as also by revealing the properties of it before rehearsed.
2. Again : he doth it by communicating to us, and acquainting us with, the grace of Christ, — all the fruits of his purchase, all the desire- ableness of his person, as we are interested in him. The grace of Christ, as I formerly discoursed of at lai:ge, is referred to two heads, — the grace of his person, and of his office and work. By both these doth the Holy Ghost administer consolation to us, John xvi. 14 He glorifies Christ by revealing his excellencies and desirableness to be- lievers, as the " chiefest of ten thousand, — altogether lovely ;" and then he sliows them of the things of Christ, — his love, grace, all the fruits of his death, suffering, resurrection, and intercession: and with these supports their hearts and souls. And here, whatever is of refreshment in the pardon of sin, deliverance from the curse, and wrath to come, in justification and adoption, with the innumerable privileges attending them in the hope of glory given unto us, comes in on this head of account.
Thirdly. The _prmcip?e and fountain of all his actings for our consolation comes next under consideration, to the same end; and this leads us a little nearer to the communion intended to be directed in. Now, this is his own great love and infinite condescension. He willingly proceedeth or comes forth from the Father to be our com- forter. He knew what we were, and what we could do, and what would be our dealings with him, — he knew we would grieve him, provoke him, quench his motions, defile his dwelHng-place ; and yet he would come to be our comforter. Want of a due consideration of this great love of the Holy Ghost weakens all the principles of our obedience. Did this dwell and abide upon our hearts, what a deax valuation must we needs put upon all his operations and actings to- wards us ! Nothing, indeed, is valuable but what comes from love and good-will. This is the way the Scripture takes to raise up our hearts to a right and due estimation of our redemption by Jesus Christ. It tells us that he did it freely ; that of his own will he hath laid down his life ; that he did it out of love.-^ " In this was manifested the love of God, that he laid down his life for us ;" " He loved us, and gave himself for us;" " He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." Hereunto it adds our state and condition, considered as he undertook for us, — sinners, enemies, dead, alienated; then he loved us, and died ' ] John iv. 9, iii. 16; Gal. ii. 20; Rev. i. 5.