286 Ofthe Corning of the .Holy Ghof, Vol. II. a Perfon, and that in as plain and exprefs Terms, as Chrift himfelf is. As the Father fant thrill, fo is he faid tofend the Holy Ghofl; as Chrift is faid to depart, fo the Holy Ghoft is faid to come ; as Chrift is called an Advocate, fo the Holy Ghoft is raid to be anotherAdvocate ; Chrift our Advocate to plead our Caufe with God, he Chrift's Advocate to plead his taufe with the World ; Chap. 14.16, 17. And Imill pray theFather, and he frail giveyou another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. And who is that ? Even the Spirit of Truth. And Chap. 15. 26. But when the Comforter is come, whom Iwill fend untoyou from the Father, even theSpi- rit ofTruth. And in the Verfe immediately after the Text, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come. But exprefly, Chap. 14. 26. he is called the Holy Ghofl But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghofl, whom the Father willfend in ivy Name, he Pall teach you all Things. All the Difficulty is concerning the Word >,,e4xo1a-, which our Tranflation renders the Comforter. 'Tis true indeed, that the Verb is of a very large and unlimited Signification ; it fometimes lignifies toComfort, very frequently to Preach, Teach, and Exhort, and fometimes to Pleadas an Advocate theCaufe of another. And this feems to bethe proper Notion of the Word in this Place, the Advocate or Patron ofa Caufe, one that pleads for the. Party accufed. And in this Senfe, and no other, Chrift is called our .4,0476-, or Advocate with the Father, 1 John 2. r. If any Man in, we have an Advocate with the Father, yefua Chrifl the Righteous. And as Chrift is our Advocate with the Father in Heaven; fo. the Spi- rit is Chrifl's Advocate here on Earth, and pleads his Caufe withtheWorld. And it is very obfervable, that this veryWord Paraelete, tho' it be not an Hebrew, but a GreekWord, is frequently ufed both by the Chaldee Paraphraft, and other yewifh Writers, in this Senfe of an Advocate. And that this Notion of the Word agrees heft with this Place, I (hall clearly {hew, when I come to the Second Head of my Difcourfe; namely, To (hew the happy Confequence and Effeht of the Coming of the Holy Ghoft, vie. The Convincingof the World how injutioufly they had dealt with Chrift, and the clear Vindication of his Innocency, which is the proper Office and Work of an Advocate. Having thus fix'd the Notion of the Word aap o.fl in this Place, we will now enquire, what Nece(fity or Expediency there was, that Chrift fhould leave the World, in order to the Coming of the Holy Ghoft : It is expedient for you that Igo away: For if Igo not away, the Advocate will not come untoyou ; but ifIdepart, I will find him unto you. And of this I {hall give an Account in thefe two Particulars : I. From the Method of the Divine Difpenfation, in the Redemption and Sal- vation of Man by jefus Chrift. IL From the Rational Suitablenefs, and Congruity of this Difpenfation. L From the Method of the Divine Difpenfation, in the Redemption and Sal- vation of Man by Jefus Chrift. Thus the Scripture tells us, that God in his in- finite Wifdom had defign'd and order'd Things, that theSon of God should come into the World, and live in a mean and abjea Condition ; that he should be De- fpifed and Rejetiedof Men, Perfecuted and put toDeath ; and that as aReward of all this Submifïìon andSuffering, he { hould be raifed again from the Dead, taken up intoHeaven, and plac'd on the Right Hand of the MVO, on high; and that in the Triumph of his Afcenfion, he fhould lead Captive Deathand Hell, and all the Powers of Darknefs; and being entred into the higheft Heavens, and fit on the Right HandofGod, as an Att of Power and Royalty, he (hould fend down his Holy Spirit in miraculous Gifts upon Men, for the Convi&ion of the World, that the Dottrine which he commanded his Apoftles to publifh to all Nations, was from God. And therefore the Apoftie St. Paul tells us exprefly, that the Communicationof thefe Gifts of the Spirit was the proper Effett and Confequent of our Lord's Exaltation, and one of the firft Afts of Royalty which he exerci- fed, after he was poffefs'd of his glorious Kingdom, Ephef. 4. 7, 8. where fpeak- ing of the various Gifts of the Spirit, Zinto every one of us, faith he, is given Grace, according to the Meafure of the Gift of Chri/l. For which he cites the Predittion of David, Pfal. 63 18. Wherefore hefaith, When he afcendedup on high, he led Captivity captive, andgave Gifts unto Men. And, he gave f me Apoflles, andfame Prophets, and forne
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