l4O° Of COMMUN JON with rtts, that we are the children o;'God. There is not any one engine or in- firument, that fin ofeth, or fees up againft our peace, butone effe&or other of the Holy Ghoft towards us, is forted and fitted to the calling of it down. (3.) In the whole courfe of our obedience are his confolations neceifiry alfo ; that we may go: through with it cheerfully, willingly, patiently to the end. This will afterwards be more fully difcovered, as,to particulars, when I come to give directions for, our communion with this blelièd Coin- forter. In a word, in all the concernnients of this life, and in our whole expeiatian of another, we Rand in need of the confolations of the Holy. Ghoft. Without them, we lhall either defpife albiciiens, or faint under them, and God be negle&ed, as to his intendntents in them. Without them, fin will either harden us to a contempt of ir, or call us down to a negle& of the remedies, gracioufly provided againff it. Without them, du- ties will either puff us up with pride, or leave us without that fweetnefs which is in new obedience. Without them, profperity will make us car- nal, fenfual, and to take up our conteistment in theft things, and utterly weaken us for the tryals of adverfity. Without them, the comforts of our relations will feparate us from God, and the lofs of them make our hearts as Nobel's. Without them, the calamity of the church will overwhelm us; and the profperity of the church will not concern us. Without them, we shall have wifdoui for no work, peace in no condition, firength for no duty, fuccefs in no tryal, joy in no Rate, no comfort in life, no light in death? Now our aflii&ions, our fins, and our obedience, with the attendencies of them refpetkively, are the great concernments of our lives ; what we are, in reference unto God, is comprized in them; and the due management of them, with their contraries, which come under the fame rule; through all thefe doth there run a line of confolation from the Holy Ghoft, that gives us a joyful iliac throughout. How fad is the condition of poor fouls deflitute of thefe confolations? What poor fhifts are they forced to betake themfelves unto? What giants have they to encounter in their own ftrength? And whether they are conquered, or feem to conquer, they have nothing bet the miCery of their tryals. a. The fcccnd thing confiderable, to teach us to put a due valuation on the confolations of the Holy Ghoft, is, the matter of them, or than where- with he comforts us. Now this may be referred to the two Beads, that I have formerly treated of the love of the Father, and the grace of the Sou. All the confolations of the Holy Ghoft conlift, in his acquainting us with, and communicating unto us, the love of the Father, and thegrace of the Son : nor is there any tiring inthe one or the other, but he snakes it a matter of confolation to us; fo that indeed we have our communion with the Father in his love, and the Son in his grace, by the operation of the Holy Ghoit. (s.) He communicates to us, and acquaints us with the love of theFa- ther. Having informed his difciples with that ground and foundation of their confolation, which by the Comforter they lhould receive; our bleffed Saviour, :òb. xvi.17. Scuts up:all in this, The Father binfelfdovethyou: this is that which the Comforter is given to acquaint us withal; even that God is the Father, and that he loves us. In particular, that the Fa- ther the firft perfon in the Trinity, confìdered fo diftin&ly, lores us. On this account is he faid fo often to cone forth from the Father, becaufe he comes in purfuit of his love, and to acquaint the hearts of believers there- with that they may be comforted and eltablillred. 15y perfuading us of
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