Book II. TnE . HOLY SPIRIT A COMFORTER. 479 METAPHOR. PAR ALL EL. ibnrl how to fpeak a Word of my Heart, Pfal. cxxxix. 23. I jbe Lord fearcb Comfort to him. the Heart, &c. Jcr. xvii. 10. He tbat Jcarchcth tht Heart, &c. Rom. viii. 27, z6. 'Ihe Spirit Jearchet!J XI. A Comforter fometimes is {lighted, by the Pt'tfon or Perfons he comes to vifit, and admini!l:ers .Succor unto, and all his good and fweet Advice is not regarded for a Time. XII. A Comforter many Times keeps his Friends from utter De– fpondencr, and wonderfully-r.:vives and confc,Jes his Soul, and thereby makes Sighing and Heavincfs to fly away. '!'he moving of my Lips fhould aJ!wagc your Grief, &c. Job .:rvi. 5· X!ll. A faithful and true Com– forter will not only give his dif– treffed and difconfolare Friend a Vilit, but if he fee there is need of it, will make his Abode, even fiay with him many Days; Job's Friends did fo. all Things, &c. 1 Cor. ii. 10. XL So the Holy Spirit is fometimes fl ighted and grieved, through the Power of Temptation, by a Believer, and his fweet and heavenly Advice is not minded, nor followed as it ought to be, but all Comfort is rejdl:ed for a Time, but ofter– wards (though fame times long firft,) the Soul with Joy takes hold of it, Eph. iv. 30. XII. The Holy Spirit keeps the Heart of a Believer from utter Defpondency, and greatly re– vives and confolcs him; hence the Apo[\k faith, God bath givm us everlajiing ConJo!ation, and gocd Hope through Grace, 2 'I'hef ii. 16. We arc troubled on ewry fide, but not i:t Diftrefs, we are perplexed but not in Defpair, t Cor. iv. 8. I have Jem his Ways and will heal him alfo, and rcflore Camforts t• him, &c. Ifa.lvii . 18. XIII. The Holy Spirit knows there is an abfo– lute Neceffiry for him not only tO give the Saints a Vilit and immediotely be gone, but alfo t" abide with them always, for they cannot be with– out his glorious Prefence one Moment: It is true fometimes they may be without his eminent com– forting Prefencc, which caufes the Church to cry, 'Ihe Comforter that jhouldrelievc my Soul is far from me, Lam. i. r5· yet his fupporting Prefence is ever with them. I will pray the Father, and he jhallfend you another Comforter, that he may abide withyou for ever, even the Spirit of 'I'ruth, &c. and he is faid to dwell in us, and to make his Abode with us. But if the Spirit of him that raifed Jcfus from the Dead, dwell in you, he that raifed up Chriji from the Dead, foal/ alfoquickw )'riur mortal Bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth itt yott. XIV. Agood and faithful Com– forter is highlyefleemed and greatly beloved by his Friend, efpecially when the vVorth 'Of him is known, or he is fenlible of the Profit and much Good effeC\ed by him. XIV. The Holy Spirit is exceedingly prized, and much beloved by every godly Man, but more efpecially when they find by Experience the great Worth of him, and the great Good and Profit they receive by his Means. XV. A faithful Comforter will XV. The Holy Spirit deals faithfully with deal plainly with his Friend, and every Man, he will not fpeak Peace to any Per– nor fpeak Peace and Comfort when fan but to thofe to who1<1 it doth belong, nor at he knows there is not jufl and a Time when the Soul is fallen into any Sin, or good reafon fo to do, but will reunder fame great Temptation to Sin, but will at prove fometimes alfo if he find fuch Times rather rebuke and reprove them. The caufe for it. Spirit is firfl, a Spirit of Burning, and then a Spirit ofConfolation: The humble, lincere and broken-hearted Ones he comfortS and revives. METAPHO R. LA NOTHERComforterthough wife and very compaffionate, and every Way capable to fpeak Words to a difconfolate Perfon,,yet finds fometimes the Condition of his Friend to be fuch, that all he can fay and do will not take place, nor adminifter prefenr Relief to D IS PAR IT Y. I. THEHoly Spirit fometimes inds a gracious Perfon very much di!1urbed and cafl down under heavy Preffures of AfRiC\ion, and that no other can comfort him ; yet when he comes to a Re· folurion to relieve, refrelh and comfort him, all his Sorrow, Temptations and Difquierudes fly away. Let a Saint be never fo fad, if tbe Spirit fee it is a fit Time to fpe~k Peace and Comfort to him, he
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