112 THE GENERAL WORE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ..J the design that he is sent upon; this is the work that he comes to do, even as it was the design and work of Jesus. Christ to glorify the Father by whom he was sent. And this are they always to bear in mind, who stand in need ofor pray for his assistance in their work or office in the church of God. He is given unto them, that through him they may give and bring glory to Je- sus Christ. And, (4.) How the Holy Spirit doth glo- rify the Lord Christ is also declared. He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. The communica- tion of spiritual things from Christ by the Spirit is here called his receiving of them; as the communication of the Spirit from the Father, by the Lord Christ to his disciples, is called the receiving of the promise. The Spirit cannot receive any thing subjectively which he had not, as an addition unto him, It is therefore the economy of these things that is here intended. He is not said to receive them as though before he had them not. For what can he who is God so receive? only when he begins to give them unto us, because they are peculiarly the things of Christ, he is said to receive them. For we can give nothing of another's but what we receive of him. Good things are given unto us from Christ by the Spirit: for so it is added, and shall shew them unto you. He shall make them known unto you; so declare them, and manifestly evidencethem to you; and in you, that you shall understand and have experi- ence of them in yourselves; shew them by revelation, instructing you in them, by communication imparting them to you. And what are these things that he shall sodeclare? they are Te Rua, my things, saith our Savi- our. The things of Christ may be referred unto two heads, his truth and his grace, John i. 17. The first he shews by revelation, the latter by effectual commu- nication, His truth heshewed unto them by revelation, as we have declared him to be the immediate author of all divine revelations, This he did untothe apostles by bis inspirations, enabling them infallibly to receive, un- derstand, and declare, the whole counsel of God in. Christ. For so, according unto the promise, he led them into all truth. And his grace he shewed unto them in his pouring out both of his sanctifying graces . and extraordinary gifts upon them in an abundant mea- sure, And so he still continues to sheww the truth and . grace of Christ unto all believers, though not in the same .. manner as unto the former, nor unto the same degree as unto the latter. For he shews unto us the truth of Christ, or the truth that came by Jesus Christ,, by the word, as written and preached, instructing us in it, and enlightening our minds spiritually and savingly to understand the mind of God therein. And of his . grace he imparts unto us in our sanctification, consola- tion, and communication of spiritual gifts, according unto the measure of the gift of Christ unto every one of us, as the present use of the church doth require, . which things must be afterwards declared. And the reason ofthe assertion is added in the last place: " All . things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said " I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto " you." Two things may be observed in these words:. 1. The extent of the things of Christ, which are to be shewed unto believers by the Spirit; and they are all. the things that the Father bath. They are mine saith. our Saviour; and these all things may be taken either absolutely and personally, or with a restriction unto office; (1.) All things that the Father bath absolutely, were the Son's also. For receiving his personality from the Father, by the communication of the whole entire divine nature, all the things of the Father must needs be his. Thus, as the Father bath life in himself, so he heth given unto the Son to have life in himself, John v. 26. and the like may be said of all other essential . properties of the Godhead. But these seem not to be the all things here intended. They are not the all things of the divine nature which he had by eternal genera- tion; but the all things of spiritual grace and power which he had by voluntary donation; Matth. xi. 27. John iii. 25. The Father loveth the Son, andhath giv- en all things into his hand, that is, all the effects ofthe love, grace, and will of the Father, whatever he had purposed. in himself from eternity, and whatever his infinite power and goodness would produce in the pur- suit thereof, was all given and committed unto Jesus Christ? so all things that the Father bath were his. 2. That these things may be rightly understoodand apprehended, we must consider a twofold operation of God as 'Three in one. The first hereof is absolute in all divine works whatever; the other respects the eco- nomy of the operations of God in our salvation. In those of the first sort, both the working and the work, do in common and undividedly belong unto and pro- ceed from each person. And the reason hereof is, he.
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