TnE HOLY SPIRIT A COMFORTER. Book II. METAPHOR. him, bm after all, remains very fad and difconfolatc. Il. Another Comforter many Times miffes the Cafe of a poor, .offliCted Perfon, and thereby cannot accomplilh theWork; thisdid Job's Comforters, they millook his Cafe, whereby they proved miferable . Comforters to him. D IS PAR IT Y. he cloth it ell'et'tually. If he· Jpeak Peace, wbo call caufe Sorrow? For I have Jatiated the <t'eary Soul, and I have replenij!xd every fcrrowful Soul, Jer. xxxi. 25. I!. But the Holy Spirit never cloth, nor can mill:ake any Perfon's Condition. Being God, he knows, and is the Searcher of the Heart; all Things lie naked and open to his Eyes. .'J'he Spirit Jearcheth all 'J'hings, yea, the deep 'J'hings of God, Ill. Other Comforters are many Ill. But the Holy Spirit cannot be wea<ied nor Times wearied ont, and leave their tired out. '!'be Creator of the Ends of the Eartb Friends in the mid!t of their Sorfawtetb not, there zs no fearching of hiS Under.ftandrow. · ing, Ifa. xi. 28. IV. Another Comforter may be IV. But the Holy Gholl: isomni prefent. Whiabienr, nay at a great Diflance when ther jha/II go from thy Spirit? or whither I jha!l .his poor dif\rdfed Friend !lands in fly from thy Prefence ? Pfal. cxxxix. 7· He is ~1mofi need of him; befides, he can ways near, and at hand, and needs none to bring vifit but a few Pc::rfons at one and him news how ir goes with any Perfon. Being the fame Time, and cannot be at the omnifcicnt God, he c?.n vifit Thoufands, and above one Place at once. ten Thoufands at one and the fame Time ; is V. Other Comforters can fpeak .ro the Ear, bur fcarce able to reach the Heart; Spira had many Words of Comfort fpoke to his Ear, but they could not fpeak to his Heart. every where, not circumlcribed nor limited to Place. V. The Spirit can fpeak to the Heart of a poor Sinner. I will (faith God) allure her, and . bring her into the Wi/derneft, andJpeak comfortable Words unto her. In the Hebrew, iu~- ~)I '111::11, !oquar fuper Cor, or ad Cor ejus, [ will fpeak to her Heart, Hof. ii. 14. In this the Holy Spirit infinitely excels all other Comforters, he can in a Moment caufe all Sorrow to ceafe, by fpeaking ro the Heart. I N F E R E N C E S. I. WE may infer from hence, the great Love of Chrill: to his own People, he will · not leave them comfol'tlef.•, nor fend one to them that is not able to fpeak Peace, or adminill:er true Comfort and Confolation to their Souls. !I. lt lhould teach us in our Trouble, to cry for the Holy Comforter to come unto us. Ill. It reproves fuch, who deny the Holy Gholl: to be God, and a divine Perfon; this being an Appellation that properly belongs to a dif\int'1: Perfon. lV. Let us take heed we never grieve the Holy Spirit, who is fuch a choice and bletfed Friend to us. V. It may alfo caution every Soul againll: receiving Comfort, when God by the Spirit fpeaks it not to them. 1. The Holy Spirit fpeaks not Comfort to any unconvened Souls, who love, and Jive in their Sins, hm rather Terror. 2 , The Holy Spirit fpeak s not Comfort to carnal and loofe Profelfors, and Hypo– crites in the Church, that have Lamps and no Oil, Mall. xxv. 3· the Name of Chrill: upon them, but not his Nature in them; much Knowledge~. but want Charity: Fear– fulnefs will (fa.rh the Spmt) furprzze the Hypocrzte, Ifa. XXXI!l. 1 4· 3 . The Spirit fpeaks no Comfort to an Apoi\ate and Backfiider in Heart and Life; he tells them, '!'hey fhall be filled with their own Ways, and led ajide with the Workers of IniquifJ, Pfal. cxxv. 5· . 4 . The Spirit fpeaks no Comfort to the moral Perfon, who :"'holly refls upon.bis own Righteoufnefs, and fees no need of a Savwr, nor of the Rzghteoufnefs of God, which is by Faith in Jefus Chriji. 5· The Spirit fpeaks no Comfort to Perfecurors and Murderers of the Godly,-to .curfed Plotters and Haters of the true Religion, and Lovers of Idolatry; fuch that worlhip
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