Owen - Houston-Packer Collection BX9315 .O8 1721

each P E x s o N difiní`ly: 3g_3 of the. grace which is communicated to us by them. This Chrift calls toy things, being the fruit of his purchafe and mediation : on which account he faith, all his Father's things are ha; that is, the things that the Father in his eternal love, bath provided to be difpenfed in the blood ofhis Son, all the fruits of eleftion : diele, fait he, the Comforter final]. receive : that is, they (hall be committed unto him, to difpofe for your good and ad- vantage, to the end before propofed. So it follows cárayysas7,, He Jhall flee, or declare, and make them known to you. Thus then is he a Com- forter. He reveals to the fouls of believers, the good things of the co- venant of grace, which the Father hath provided, and the Son purchafed. He (hews to us mercy, grace, forgivenefs, righteoufnefs, acceptation with God ; letteth us know that thefe are the thingsof Chrift, which he hath procured for us, (hews them to us for our comfort and eftablifhment. Thefe things, I fay, he effeftually declares to the fouls of believers, and makes them know them for their own good : know them as originally the things of the Father, prepared from eternity in his love and good-will, as pur- chafed for diem by Chrift, and laid up in ftore in the covenant of grace, for their ufe. Then is Chrift magnified and glorified in their hearts; then they know what a Saviour and Redeemer he is. A foul doth never glorify or honour Chrift upon a difcovery, or fenfe of the eternal redemption he bath purchafed for him, but it is in him a peculiar effeft of the Holy Ghoft as our Comforter. No gran can fay, that yefua is the Lord but by the Holy Ghoff. t Cor. xii. 3. g. He 'beds abroad the love of God in our hearts, Rom. v. 5. That it is the love of God to us, not our love to God, which is here intended, the context. is fo clear, as nothing can be added thereunto ; now the love of God is either ordination or acceptation : the love of his purpofe to do us good, or the love of acceptation : the loveof his purpofe to do us good, or the lave of acceptation, and approbation with him ;both thefe are called the lave of God frequently in fcripture, as I have declared. Now has eàn thefe be filed abroad in our hearts ? Not in,tnenifelves, but in a fen( of them; in a fpiritual apprehenfon of them, laastio?at, io flied abroad, the fame word that is ufed concerning the Comfortea being given us, Titus ii. 6. God Jbeds hint abundantly or pours him on us; fo he sheds abroad, or pours out the love of God in our hearts. Not to ïnuft on the exprefhon, which is metaphorical, the bufinefs is, that the Comforter gives a fweet and plentiful evidenceand perfwafion ofGod to us, fuck as the foul . is taken, delighted, fatiated withal. This it his work, and he Both it effectually. To give a poor flnful foul a comfortable perfwafon, affe£t- ing it throughout, in all its faculties and affe&ions that God in Jefus Chrift loves him, delights in him, is well- pleated with him, hath thoughts of tendernefs and kindnefs towards irim : to give, I fay, a foul an over- flowing fenfe hereof is an unexprefhble mercy. This we have in a peculiar manner by the Holy Ghoft : it is his proper work, as all his works are worksof love and kindnefs, fo thisof communi- cating a Senfe ofthe love of the Father, mixes itfelf with all the particulars of his actings. And as we have herein peculiar communion with himfelf; fo by him we have communion with the Father; even in his love, which is thus flied abroad in our hearts : fo not only do we rejoyce in, and glo- rify the Holy Ghoft which doth this work; but in Trim alfa wlrofe love it is. Thus it is alto, in refpeft of the Son; in his taking of his, and ].hew- ing of it unto us, as was declared. What we have of heaven in this' world lyes herein: and the manner of our fellow(hip with the Holy Ghoft on this account, falls in with what was fpoken before. 4. Ana-

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