Owen - BX9315 O81

HOLY SPIRIT, AND HIS WORN. 3 our Saviour himself of him and his work: He shall raise of the Spirit from the Father, and poured it out upon his disciples. 2. The LordChrist Both not hereby cease to be the Comforter of his church. For what he doeth by his Spi- rit, he doeth by himself. He is with us unto the end of the world by bis Spirit being with us, and he dwell- eth 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 threefold account: For, (1.) The LordChrist, as Mediator, is God and man in one person, and the divine nature is to be considered in all his mediatory operations: for he who worketh them is God, and lie worketh them all as God -man, whence they are thean- drical. And this is proposed unto us in the greatest acts of his humiliation, which the divine nature jn itself is not formally capable of. So God redeemed his church with his own blood, Acts xx. 28. " Inasmuch as as he who was in the form of God, and thought it no robbery to be equal with God, humbled himself, and " became obedient unto death, the death of the cross,". Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8. Now, in this respect, the Lord Christ, and theHoly Spirit, are one innature, 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 ofthe 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 name ofthe Father, where he every where ascribed what he did unto the Father in a pecu- liar manner. Theword, saith he, whichyou hear, isnot mine, but the Father'swhich 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 hame. (S.) 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 glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall sheen it unto you, John xvi. 14, All that consolation, peace, and joy which he communicates unto believers; yea, all that he doth in hiswhole work towards the elect, is but the effectual communication of the fruits of the media- tion of Christ unto them. And this is the first thing that constitutes the office of the Comforter; this work is committed and intrusted untohim in an especial man- ner, which, in the infinite condescension 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 mis- sion always includes commission. He who is sent is in- trusted and empowered as unto what he is sent about,. See Pool, civ. 30. John xiv. 26. chap. xv. 26. chap. xvi, 7. 'The nature of this sending of the. Spirit, and how it is spoken of him in general, hath been considered be- fore inour 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 hash taken that on him which Lath the nature of an office. For that is his office to performwhich he is sent unto, and be will not fail in the discharge of it. And it is in itself a greatprinciple of consolation unto all true believers, an effectual means of their support- ment and refreshment, to' consider, that riot 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, ex- pressing and declaring his office. When the Son of God was to be incarnate, and born in the world, he had an especial name given him; He wascalled Jesus. Now, although there was a signification in this name of the work he was to do; for he was called Jesus, because he was to save hispeoplefrom their sins, Matth. i, 21. yet was it also that proper name whereby he was to be dis- tinguished from other persons, So the Holy Spirit hath no other name but that of the Holy Spirit, which how it is eharacteristical of the third person in the holy Trinity, bath been before declared. But, as both the

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