Of Communion with God, Part 3 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
The Generall consequences in the Hearts of Believers, of the Effects of the Holy Ghost before mentioned. Consolation: its adjuncts. Peace. Joy. how it is wrought immediatly, mediately.
HAving proceeded thus farre in discovering the way of our Communion with the Holy Ghost, and insisted on §. 1 the most noble and known Effects that he produceth, it remaines that it be declared, what Generall consequents of these Effects there are brought forth in the hearts of Believers; and so we shall at least have made mention of the maine heads of his dispensation, and work in the oeconomy of Grace. Now these (as with the former) I shall do little more then name; it being not at all in my designe, to handle the natures of them, but only to shew what respects they beare to the businesse in hand.
Consolation is the first of these. The Disciples walked in the feare of the Lord, and in the Consolation of the Holy Ghost, Acts 9, 31. foreign. §. 2 He is foreign, and he gives foreign, from his worke towards us, and in us, we have Comfort and Consolation. This is the first generall consequent of his dispensation and work. When ever there is mention made of Comfort and Consolation in the Scripture given to the Saints, (as there is most frequently,) it is the proper consequent of the work of the Holy Ghost towards them. Comfort or Consolation in generall, is the setting and composing of the Soule in rest and contentednesse, in the middest of, or from troubles, by the consideration, or presence, of some good wherein it is interested, outweighing the Evill, trouble, or perplexity that it hath to wrestle withall. Where mention is made of Comfort and Consolation properly so called, there is relation to trouble or perplexity; so the Apostle, 1 Cor. 1. 5, 6. As the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our Consolation also aboundeth by Christ. Suffering and Consolation are opposed; the latter being a reliefe against the former; so are all the promises of Comfort, and all the expressions of it in the Old and New Testament, still proposed as relieses against Trouble.
And (as I said) Consolation ariseth from the presence or consideration §. 3 of a greater Good, that outballances the evill, or perplexity where with we are to contend. Now in the Effects or acts of the Holy Ghost before mentioned, lye all the springs of our consolation. There is no comfort but from them. And there is no trouble, that we may not have comfort in, and against, by them. That a man may have consolation in any condition, nothing is required, but the presence of a good, rendring the evill, wherewith he is pressed, inconsiderable to him. Suppose a man under the greatest calamity that can possibly befall a child of God, or a confluence of all those evills numbred by Paul, Rom. 8. 38, &c. Let this man have the Holy Ghost, performing the works mentioned before toward him, and in despight of all his evill, his Consolations will abound. Suppose him to have a sence of the Love of God all the while shed abroad in his heart, a cleare witnesse within that he is a child of God, accepted with him, that he is sealed and marked of God for his own, that he is an heire of all the promises of God, and the like, it is impossible that man should not triumph in all his tribulations.
From this Rise of all our Consolation, are those descriptions §. 4 which we have of it in the Scripture, from its properties and adjuncts: As first, it is abiding, thence it is called everlasting consolation, 2 Thes. 2. 16. God our Father, which hath loved us, & given us everlasting consolation; that is, Comfort, that vanisheth not; and that because it riseth from everlasting things. There may be some perishing Comfort given for a little season, by perishing things: but abiding consolation, which we have by the Holy Ghost, is from things everlasting. Everlasting Love, eternall Redemption, an everlasting inheritance.
2. Strong. Heb. 6. 18. That the heirs of the Promise should receive strong Consolation. As Strong opposition lies sometimes against us, and trouble, whose bands are strong, so is our consolation strong; it abounds, and is unconquerable. foreign: it is such, as will make its way through all opposition, it confirmes, corroborates,, and strengthens the heart under any evill, it fortifies the soule, and makes it able cheerfully to undergoe any thing that it is called unto, and that because it is from him who is strong.
3. It is Precious. Hence the Apostle makes it the great motive unto obedience, which he exhorts the Philipians unto, cap. 2. 1. If there be any consolation in Christ: if you set any esteeme and valuation upon this precious mercy of consolation in Christ; by those comforts, let it be so with you.
And this is the first generall consequent in the hearts of Believers, of those great Effects of the Holy Ghost before mentioned: §. 5 now this is so large and comprehensive, comprizing so many of our concernments in our walking with God, that the Holy Ghost receives his denomination, as to the whole work he hath to performe for us from hence; He is the Comforter; as Jesus Christ, from the work of Redemption and salvation, is the Redeemer and Saviour of his Church. Now as we have no consolation but from the Holy Ghost: so all his Effects towards us, have certainly this consequent more, or lesse, in us. Yea I dare say; whatever we have in the kinds of the things before mentioned that brings not consolation with it, in the root at least, if not in the ripe fruit, is not of the Holy Ghost. The way whereby comfort issues out from those works of his, belongs to particular cases. The fellowship we have with him, consists, in no small portion of it, in the consolation we receive from him. This gives us a valuation of his Love; teacheth whether to make applications in our distresse; whom to pray for, to pray to, whom to wait upon in perplexities.
2. Peace ariseth hence also, Rom. 15. 13. The God of hope fill §. 6 you with all peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost. The power of the Holy Ghost, is not only extended to hope, but to our peace also in believing. So is it in the connexion of those promises, Joh. 14. 26, 27. I will give you the Comforter: and what then? what followes that grant? Peace, saith he, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Nor doth Christ otherwise leave his peace, or give his peace unto them, but by bestowing the comforter on them. The peace of Christ, consists in the soules sense of its Acceptation with God in friendship. So is Christ said to be our Peace, Eph. 2. 14. by slaying the enmity between God and us, and in taking away the handwriting, that was against us, Rom. 5. 1. being justified by Faith, we have Peace with God. A comfortable perswasion of our Acceptation with God in Christ, is the bottome of this peace, it enwrapps deliverance from Eternall wrath, hatred, curse, condemnation; all sweetly affecting the soule and conscience.
And this is a Branch from the same Root with that foregoing. §. 7 A consequent of the Effects of the Holy Ghost before mentioned. Suppose a man chosen in the eternall Love of the Father, Redeemed by the blood of the Son; and justified freely by the Grace of God, so that he hath a right to all the promises of the Gospell; yet this person can by no reasonings nor arguings of his own heart, by no considerations of the promises themselves, nor of the Love of God, or Grace of Christ in them, be brought to any establishment in peace, untill it be produced in him, as a fruit and consequent of the work of the Holy Ghost in him, and towards him. Peace is the fruit of the spirit, Gal. 5. 22. The savour of the spirit is life and Peace, Rom. 8. 6. All we have is from him, and by him.
3. Joy also is of this number. The Spirit as was shewed, is §. 8 called the Oyle of Gladnesse, Heb. 1. 10. his anointing brings Gladnesse with it, Isa. 61. 3. the oyle of joy for mourning. The kingdome of God is righteousnesse, Peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, Rom. 14. 17. 1 Thes. 1. 6. Received the Gospel, with joy in the Holy Ghost. with joy, as Peter tells believers, unspeakable, and full of glory. 1 Pet 1. 8. To give joy to the hearts of Believers, is eminently the work of the Comforter, & this he doth by the particulars before instanced in; that rejoycing in hope of the Glory of God, mentioned Rom. 5. 2. which carries the Soule through any Tribulation even with glorying, hath its rise in the Spirits shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts, v 5. Now there are two wayes, whereby the Spirit worketh this joy in the hearts of believers.
1. He doth it immediately by himselfe; without the consideration of any other Acts, or works of his, or the interposition of §. 9 any reasonings, or deductions, and conclusions; As in sanctification, He is a well of water springing up in the Soule, immediately exerting his efficacy, and refreshment: so in Consolation, He Immediately works the soule, and minds of men to a joyfull rejoycing, and spirituall frame, filling them with Exultation and gladnesse; not that this arises from our reflex consideration of the Love of God; but rather gives occasion thereunto: When he so sheds abroad the love of God in our hearts, and so filling them with gladnesse by an immediate act and operation (as he caused John Baptist, to leap for joy in the womb, upon the approach of the mother of Jesus.) Then doth the Soule even from hence, raise it selfe to a consideration of the Love of God, whence joy and rejoycing doth also flow. Of this joy there is no account to be given, but that the spirit worketh it, when, and how he will; he secretly infuseth, and distills it into the soule, prevailing against all feares, and sorrowes, filling it with gladnesse, exultations, and sometimes with unspeakable raptures of mind.
2. Mediately by his other workes towards us. He gives a §. 10 sense of the love of God, with our Adoption and acceptation with him: and on the consideration thereof, enables us to re-receive it. Let what hath been spoken of his operations towards us be considered, what Assurance he gives us of the Love of God, what life▪ power, and security, what pledge of our eternall welfare, and it will be easily perceived, that he lays a sufficient foundation of this Joy, and gladnesse: not that we are able upon any rationall consideration, deduction, or conclusion, that we can make from the things mentioned, to affect our hearts with the joy, and gladnesse intended: it is left no lesse the proper worke of the Spirit to doe it from hence and by the intervenience of these considerations, then to doe it immediately without them. This processe of producing joy in the heart we have. Psal. 23. 5, 6. Thou annoyntest my head with oyle. Hence is the conclusion, as in the way of exultation, surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me. Of this effect of the Comforter see Isai. 35. throughout.
4. Hope also is an effect of those workings of the Holy Ghost in us, and towards us. Rom. 15. 13. These I say are the generall §. 11 consequents of the Effects of the Holy Ghost upon the hearts of Believers; which if we might consider thē in their offspring with all the branches that shoot out from them, in Exultation, Assurance, Boldnesse, Confidence, Expectation, glorying and the like, it would appeare how farre our whole Communion with God is influenced by them: But I only name the heads of things, and hasten to what remaines; it is the generall and particular way of our Communion with the Holy Ghost, that should nextly ensue, but that some other considerations necessarily do here interpose themselves.