2. The Lord Christ doth not hereby cease to be the comforter of his church ; for what he doth by his Spirit, he doth by himself. He is with us unto the end of the world by his Spirit being with us; and he dwelleth in us by the Spirit dwelling in us ; and whatever else is done by the Spirit is done by him. And it is so upon a three- fold account: for, —
(1.) The Lord Christ as mediator is God and man in one person, and the divine nature is to be considered in all his mediatory opera- tions; for he who worketh them is God, and he worketh them all as God-man, whence they are theandrical. And this is proposed unto us in the greatest acts of his humiliation; which the divine nature in itself is not formally capable of. So "God purchased the church with his own blood," Acts xx. 28. "Being in the form of God, he thought it not robbery to be equal with God ; but he humbled himself, and be- came obedient unto death, even the death of the cross," Phil. ii. 6-8. Now, in this respect the Lord Christ and the Holy Spirit are one in nature, essence, will, and power. As he said of the Father, "I and my Father are one," John x. 30 ; so it is with the Spirit, — he and the Spirit are one. Hence all the works of the Holy Spirit are his also. As his works were the works of the Father, and the works of the Father were his, all the operations of the holy Trinity, as to things ex- ternal unto their divine subsistence, being undivided ; so is the work of the Holy Spirit in the consolation of the church his work also.
(2.) Because the Holy Spirit in this condescension unto office acts for Christ and in his name. So the Son acted for and in the name of the Father, where he everywhere ascribed what he did unto the Father in a peculiar manner: "The word," saith he, "which ye
CHAP. I.] HIS OFFICE AS A COMFOETER. 359
hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me," John xiv. 24 It is his originally and eminently, because, as spoken by the Lord Christ, he was said by him to speak it. So are those acts of the Spirit whereby he comforteth believers the acts of Christ, because the Spirit speaketh and acteth for him and in his name.
(3.) All those things, those acts of light, grace, and mercy, whereby the souls of the disciples of Christ are comforted by the Holy Ghost, are the things of Christ, — that is, especial fruits of his mediation. So speaketh our Saviour himself of him and his work. : " He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you," John xvi. 14 All that consolation, peace, and joy, which he communi- cates unto believers, yea, all that he doth in his whole work towards the elect, is but the effectual communication of the fruits of the mediation of Christ unto them. And this is the first thing that con- stitutes the office of the Comforter; this work is committed and in- trusted unto him in an especial manner, which, in the infinite con- descension of his own will, he takes upon him.
Secondly, It farther evinceth the nature of an office in that he is said to be sent unto the work; and mission always includeth com- mission. He who is sent is intrusted and empowered as unto what he is sent about. See Ps. civ. 30; John xiv. 26, xv. 26, xvi. 7. The nature of this sending of the Spirit, and how it is spoken of him in general, hath been considered before, in our declaration of his general adjuncts, or what is affirmed of him in the Scripture, and may not here again be insisted on. It is now mentioned only as an evidence to prove that, in this work of his towards us, he hath taken that on him which hath the nature of an office ; for that which he is sent to perform is his office, and he will not fail in the discharge of it. And it is in itself a great principle of consolation unto all true believers, an effectual means of their supportment and refreshment, to consider, that not only is the Holy Ghost their comforter, but also that he is sent of the Father and the Son so to be. Nor can there be a more uncontrollable evidence of the care of Jesus Christ over his church, and towards his disciples in all their sorrows and sufferings, than this is, that he sends the Holy Ghost to be their comforter.
Thirdly, He hath an especial name given him, expressing and de- claring his office. When the Son of God was to be incarnate and born in the world, he had an especial name given unto him : " He shall be called Jesus." Now, although there was in this name a signifi- cation of the work he was to do, — for he was called Jesus, " because he was to save his people from their sins," Matt. i. 21, — yet was it also that proper name whereby he was to be distinguished from other persons. So the Holy Spirit hath no other name but that of the Holy Spirit, which, how it is characteristical of the third person