28. Mr. Bull's Forenoon Farewell Sermon

28. Mr. Bull's Forenoon Farewell Sermon
"And I will send the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever."- John 14:16.
The Observation that I commended to you out of these words, was this.
It is the great work for which the Spirit of Christ is given by God, to comfort the hearts of his people.
You may remember, that I have formerly opened the truth to you, and have shewed you what this spiritual comfort is, that the Spirit of Christ works in the hearts of his Disciples. I gave it you in this Description.
It is that inward, spiritual satisfaction that the heart of a gracious person finds in, and through Jesus Christ, in all the various dispensation• of God towards him, whereby he is enabled to go on in chearfulness in the way that God would have him, whether it be by a way of doing, or of suffering. And herein I shewed,
1. The nature of the spiritual satisfaction.
2. The Author of it; It is God by his Spirit.
3. The Object of it; God through Jesus Christ.
4. The proper subject of this inward spiritual comfort; the people of God.
5. And lastly, the effects of the spiritual comfort; it is to strengthen the heart both to do, and to suffer.
I came the last time to shew you how the Spirit of God doth this.
1. He doth it as an enlightening Spirit, by shewing where comfort is to be had, by opening the eyes of the understanding, as he did Hagars bodily eyes to see the Well of Water.
2. He doth it as a quickning Spirit, bringing the Soul into that capacity to take in the comfort; for what comfort can a dead man receiver? a Cordial and Puddle is all one to a dead man.
3. He works this inward spiritual satisfaction, by discovering the truth of his vital Principle in the Soul: for a man may have a principle of grace and spiritual life in him, and not know it; that though he has the spiritual comfort, yet it is all one as if he had it not.
Now this is the great Question that is debated in the heart of a childe of God, Whether he be regenerated and born again? Whether he hath grace in his soul, that grace that will qualifie him for glory? and if he was satisfied as to this, he would not be a moment without comfort: But he is afraid that he is dead in sin, that he is a stranger to the life of grace: hence ariseth all the Spiritual troubles: Now the Spirit of God comes in, and resolves the case, comes into the soul by his bright reflections, and fills our souls with comfort: Now we have received not the spirit of the World, but the Spirit which is of God.
4. The Spirit of God is a comforting Spirit, as he openeth the vein of godly sorrow in the soul: Truly this is the next way to spiritual comfort, when a man can once spiritually mourn for sin, Matthew 5:4. Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. Godly sorrow opens the vein, and lets out the matter that hinders comfort, and causeth inward trouble in the soul: A gracious man takes a great delight in godly sorrow: Oh! it's matter of marvellous comfort to a Child of God, when he can kindly mourn for his sins.
5. The Spirit of God comforts the soul as he is a mortyfying Spirit. Thus he takes away that that is the ground and matter of Believers trouble, mortifying that sin that is the cause of his sorrows, pride, unbelief, inordinate love to the World.
6. The Spirit of God works comfort in the hearts of his people by setting their own spirit to seek for comfort in Gods own wayes.
The last thing that I did for the explication of the Doctrine, was to add some Propositions, and they are such as these:
1. Many a gracious heart that hath fellowship with the spirit of God in his sanctifying work, may feel and find none in his comforting work. The Sun may operate where it doth not shine: A man may be in a state of Salvation, when it doth not feel the joyes of Salvation, Isaiah 51:3. You shall find those that fear the Lord, and had the comforts of the Holy Ghost, yet walked in darkness.
2. Even those gracious souls that have the fellowship of the comforting spirit today, may want it tomorrow: This is not daily bread, while the Saints are on this side Heaven. The Solstice of a Christians comfort doth not last all the day long, they are not feasted with this every day; they have the night as well as the day, there is a night as well as a day in the heart of a gracious soul: as it is natural in the common course of nature, the Sun may shine today, but it may be clouded tomorrow. Thus it was with that holy man, Psalms 30:7. Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled. And God doth this in infinite wisdom, to put a difference between Earth and Heaven; this valley of tears, and that state of Glory; that so the hearts of Gods people may be kept in frame of longing after the state of Heaven; God will have his people be groaning here, that his people may groan after that condition when all sorrowing and sighing shall flee away. God reserves perfect comfort to be the reward of perfect holiness; while our graces are imperfect, we must make account that our comfort will be so too; Tears will be never wiped from our eyes, till sin be quite taken out of our hearts.
3. Those that have had this spiritual comfort in their Souls, they may lose not only the impression of the Spirits comfort, but they may feel the impression of Gods anger. Haman complains, That the wrath of God did bang upon him, and that the terrors of God had out him off. A gracious heart hath real grounds of Consolation, though he hath not present sensible comforts.
A child of God hath always that, that if he did see, he could not be without comfort; the Promises are his support, he hath the first fruits of the Spirit, and right to eternal life: A Child of God shall always have so much to keep up his hopes and affiance upon God; A Child of God, in the darkest condition, though he doth not see enough to make him rejoyce in God, yet he sees enough to make him trust in God: though he walk in darkness, and see no light, yet he trusts in God. Job sayes, Though the Lord slay him, yet be would trust in him. David was in great trouble, while he was in that disquiet expostulation, why art thou cast down, O my Soul! and why art thou disquieted within me! trust in God.
5. Those that have inward comforts from the Spirit, may at the same time have little comfort from Gods outward dispensations. It may be dark without, when it is light within; while Stephen sees nothing but blood here below, he saw Heaven above: And Christ tells his Disciples, In the world they shall have tribulation, but in him they shall have peace.
6. And lastly, though this be one great work of the Spirit of God, to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples, yet there are some special seasons wherein the Spirit of God gives out this comfort. There are seasons of sadness, there is a season of heaviness, and there is need of it: There is a time to weep, and a time to laugh, a time to mourn, and a time to dance. I shewed you some of the Seasons.
1. One special season of the Spirits comforting the renewing Soul, is presently upon the Souls first salvation. After the spirit is become a Spirit of Adoption, presently it becomes a Spirit of Consolation; after the Spirit hath come into the soul in the Law, it then nextly appears a Spirit in the Gospel.
2. Another season when the Spirit gives out this comfort, is just before the Lord layes upon his people any great affliction. When was it that Christ was transfigured, and his face did shine as the Sun? it was immediately before his bloody passion. Christ was first taken into the Mount, before he was lifted up upon the Cross. When was the voice heard, this is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased? but just before he was led into the Wilderness, to be tempted When was Paul lifted up into Heaven? it was immediately before Satan was sent to buffet him. Thus God gives his people something beforehand to support their Spirits, that they may not faint; the Disciples were full of comfort, Acts 5:41. And when was this? immediately just before they were carryed before the Council, and whipt up and down like Vagabonds and Rogues, for preaching the Gospel.
3. Another Season when the Spirit gives out this Comfort, is in the time of suffering. God comes in the nick of time, especially if a man suffer for righteousness sake, if this suffering be upon the account of Christ, he seldom sails to send the Comforter for the relieving of his Spirit, 1 Peter 4:13. But rejoyce in as much as ye are partakers of Christs sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
Bodily confinement, and in ward straits are the time of the souls greatest inlargement. John had his vision in the Isle of Patmos. When a Child of God is brought to a piece of bread, then is the season for God to feed him with heavenly Manna; Jacob had glorious Visions, while he was flying from the wrath of his Brother, when he had nothing but a heap of Stones for his Pillow. It was in the Wilderness that God speaks to his Church thus. I told you of Mr. Glover, a Prisoner, who found no comfort in the time of his imprisonment; but when he was going to the stake he cryed out, He is come, be is come, meaning the Spirit, the Comforter.
4. Another season of Comfort is, after some special exercise of grace, godly sorrow-for sin, free actions in the pardon of sin, and new Engagements, and Resolutions, and Promises of more close walking with God, after declining from him.
5. Another season of Comfort is, After some great Tryals and Afflictions. Light is then most pleasant, when we newly are come out of a dark place; after Thunder comes Lightning; after a Storm comes a Calm: God led his people first into the Wilderness, and then into the Land of Canaan: It is often so in Gods Dispensations towards his people, their greatest Afflictions go before their greatest Deliverances: And therefore let not the Saints of God despair when they are at the lowest, when they walk in darkness, and see no light, yet let them trust in the Lord.
6. Another Season of comfort was, when men were conscientiously diligent in their particular Callings, then they walk with God. To this I gave you an instance in the Shepherds, they were faithful and diligent in their Callings, they were watching over their flocks by night, and then the Angel comes and tells them, To you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord, Luke 2:11. A company of poor Shepherds, keeping of their Sheep, God appears unto them, and manifesteth his comforting Presense, when the Scribes and Pharisees, notwithstanding all their long prayers, and their strict Rites and Ceremonies, hear not a word of him.
7. Another Season of comfort is, when we are either preparing for, or in the spiritual act of some duty. When grace is exercised to prepare the heart to pray, and in attendance upon such an Ordinance, then oftentimes the Spirit of God is with them, to let poor souls in their endeavors finde acceptance with God. Hannah had been praying to God; But what melody did she finde in her heart! When Mary sate at Christs feet, how doth Christ fill her heart with comfort, sealing up her salvation to her! I now come to close with some Application.
Use of Information.
Use. If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of Christs Disciples, then by way of Information I gather this, that a poor soul is very hardly settled and satisfied in point of Comfort. Sure it is a hard matter to comfort a poor soul, when one of the Persons of the blessed Trinity must be employed on purpose to do it. This is an office belonging to the Holy Ghost, when he is to be the Paraclete, the comfort of the Holy Ghost. This sure is a hard matter to comfort the wounded spirit, when the soul is full of the spirit of bondage. Oh! the hesitates, the jealousies, the doubts and fears, the objections that a poor soul makes against his spiritual peace and comfort! now it begins to take comfort, then it doubts again; now he believeth, and takes courage, but anon he is afraid; there is a great deal ado to fasten comfort upon a poor soul, 2 Corinthians 1:22-23. What a heap of Words are there together, and it is all little enough to comfort a poor soul! Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God, and hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the spirit in our hearts. It is not without much tugging and drawing that the soul is first brought to believe, and then, when it doth believe, it is a hard thing to perswade it that it doth believe: There is a strange kind of squemishness upon the heart, he thinks that there is no comfort to be taken that doth belong to him. Luther says, it is a harder thing to comfort a troubled Conscience, than to raise the dead. Surely it must be as hard, when nothing but the same power must do it.
The soul is hardly convinced; but all the glad tidings of the Gospel, are golden streams, and all the Promises are but pleasant Fancies, without any Reality; but that these things should belong to him, this he cannot believe, for want of faith: So that the Spirit of God is fain to come in, and end the controversie, before the soul will be satisfied.
2. If it be the work of the Spirit of God to comfort the hearts of his people: Then all the comfort of Christless and graceless souls is nothing worth, there is no true peace, for they are not the Disciples of Christ, which are the proper subjects of this comfort; they will not hearken to Christ; nor learn of Christ, but they cast his words behind their backs, and break his bands asunder.
Those that do not learn Christs Precepts, and follow Christs Canons, and obey Christs Commands, they are none of Christs Disciples; and to be sure, they have not the Spirit of Christ, which is the Efficient in this comfort; and without the root, there cannot be the fruit; for this inward peace is the fruit of the Spirit. And therefore what comfort they have, it is either a sinful comfort, which to be sure will end in sorrow, or else at best, it is but a carnal comfort, which will soon vanish like the crackling of thorns under a Pot; There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked; there is no peace with God, as long as you are at peace with sin.
3. Here they are stumbled with the Riddle, That the people of God should be sorrowing, yet always rejoycing; As sorrowing, yet always rejoycing: The carnal world think this to be a contradiction; though they be troubled without, yet they have peace within; though they have matter of sorrow in respect of outward affliction, yet they have fellowship with the Holy Ghost the comforter, which gives peace in affliction, joy in sorrow, light in darkness, which fills thee with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.
Secondly, If the Holy Ghost be the only Comforter of the hearts of Gods people; then let me exhort every one of you to labour for an interest in this Comforter. Friends, I beseech you be restless till you have got some evidence of the Comforter in your souls, by the inhabitation of the Spirit in your hearts; without you have an interest in Christ, there is no comfort, no true comfort to be expected, no comfort in prosperity, no comfort in adversity, no comfort in life, nor in death, no peace with your consciences: Men may make a shift to keep themselves at quiet for the present, by lulling conscience; they may have a kind of peace from a false principle; Ah, but what will you do when storms arise? what will you do when death and affliction comes? Jonas lay quietly asleep till the storm came: O my friends, we must shortly lye a dying, the Lord knows how soon; O what will you do for comfort in a dying hour? all other comforts may forsake you, and before that time you may meet with sorrow and heavy afflictions, so that all your friends in the world will not do you good; your friends may fail, your hearts may fail, and then no comfort but the comfort of the Holy Ghost will do you good; the time may come, that all your friends may prove miserable comforters, when God comes to deal with the soul, to set sin home upon the conscience, to lay sin before us, then what will you do? We are all guilty of sins of omission, and sins of commission; when these come to be charged upon the soul, what will you then do? then no plaister of comfort will stick, but those of the Spirits laying on, unless the Spirit seal up the pardon of sin, the love of God to the soul, nothing will quiet and comfort the soul; however men may be merry for a time, yet there is a time of sorrow that will come, when they shall reflect upon their ways, when they shall see nothing but sin behind them, and terrours before them: Oh! what amazement will seize upon their souls! they have no interest in God, in Christ, they have no interest in the Promises; there is nothing that will comfort you, unless you have an interest in the Spirit.
But then, what shall I do, that I may get this comforting Spirit into my soul?
First, Thirst earnestly after it. The Promise is made to those that thirst after it, Isaiah 44:3. Thirst after him in his convincings, in his humblings, in his sanctifying mercy: Oh let the desire and longing of thy soul run out this way! no matter for an Estate, no matter for Friends and outward comforts, if thou hast the Spirit of God, thou hast that that is paramount to all outward comforts.
Secondly, Pray earnestly for the Spirit. You are not so willing to give your children that they want, as God is to give his Spirit to them that ask it. Cry mightily, Lord, give me thy Spirit; and cry to the Spirit, and say, as Laban to Abicam, Come in; so pray the Spirit to come in to thy Soul.
Thirdly, if you would have this Comforter to come and abide with you, You must resolve to become Christs Disciple. It is only for such that Christs prays that God would send the Comforter: You must hearken and obey him, and follow him wheresoever he goeth. You know the terms upon which you must be Christs Disciple, Matthew 16:24. He must deny himself, and take up his Cross, and daily follow Christ. He must deny himself. There is two selves in a man, nay, three selves, and they must be denied, but however the first two must be denied, if you intend to be Christs Disciple.
1. A mans righteous self. If anything that we are, that we have, or can do, from our works or duties, anything of our own, all must be denied in point of Justification.
2. Sinful self. A mans corruptions must be denied, pride, passion, and love to the world.
3. Natural self. Friends, estates, relations, credit, and honour, and outward comforts, these may be denied; you may be called to part with them, but if they come in competition with Christ, they must be denied.
2. You must take up the Cross of Christ, rather than forsake his honor, or disobey his commands. You must resolve to follow Christ wheresoever he shall lead you, either in a way of active or passive obedience; you must take up Christs load, you must undergo his burden.
Now Christians, are you resolved upon this? now sit down and consider what it will cost you to be Christians; and if you would have the best, you must be contented with the worst; and if you are resolved upon this, then you are the true Disciples of Christ, and you are under the promise of his comfort, and Christ is praying the Father to send you another Comforter, who shall abide with you forever.
2. Use of Exhortation.
2. Use Is of Exhortation, wherein I shall apply myself to the true Disciples of Christ, those that have had communion with Christ in his sanctifying Presense; labour after communion with him in his comforting Presense, To all others that are without the Spirit of God, I may say, as Jehu to Jehoram, What hast thou to do with these things.
Labour to be convinced of the need and want of Christ; but such as have been partakers of the Spirit of Christ as a sanctifying Spirit, labour after communion with him as a comforting Spirit; and to this end I shall stir you up to this,
1. By way of Motive.
2. By way of Comfort.
First by way of Motive. Though you have some comfort, it is but little in comparison of what you may have, and in comparison of what you may stand in need of, though a Saint would not change the saddest hour of his life for the sweetest hour in his former condition. If the Saints of God did enjoy the comforts that they might, oh what blessed lives might they live! but they are so full of trouble, as if there were no Holy Ghost the Comforter. The people of God are oftentimes troubled without a cause, as that holy man, why art thou cast down, oh my soul? He could not render a true account of his trouble, he was sad, but he could not tell why or wherefore.
2. When there is cause, they are apt to be troubled without measure. In those cases, where it is a sin not to be troubled at all, the people of God are apt to be troubled over-much, as the Israelites in their bondage in Egypt. It were a sin for them not to be troubled, but they were so full of troubles, that they could not hearken to Moses and Aaron. And so the Disciples in the Text, it were a sin for them not to be troubled for the absense of Christs body; but so to be troubled, as if God could not comfort them without him, this was their weakness: And to come to our Cases, it were a sin to slight this Dispensation of God that is coming upon us, if we should not be troubled for the loss of the Ministers of Jesus Christ: but to mourn before God under the sense of this Dispensation, to mourn so much, as to think that when these are gone, all are gone, to be so much troubled, as not to hearken to the words of the Text, That we have a Comforter. I remember an admirable expression of a Child to his Mother, when his Father was dead, to shew, That out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings God can manifest his praise. Why Mother (says the Child) though my Father be dead, yet God is alive: May not I say so to you: Though your Ministers be as it were naturally dead, yet is not God alive? Is not the Spirit of God alive? Though you have some comfort, yet you have little in comparison of what you may have, if you seek for it.
2. Study the excellent nature of the comfort, how little soever a man hath of this spiritual comfort, it will sweeten his condition, be it what it will be. When a Man hath communion with the spirit God, he hath comfort in all conditions: then, though a mans condition be never so bad, yet it is very good, Hebrews 3:17. Though the Fig-tree shall not blossome, though the fruit be not in the Vines, the labour of the Olive shall cease, and the Fields shall yield no meat: the Flocks shall be cut off from the Fold, and there shall be no Herd in the Stalls, yet will I rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. He can fetch Hope, and ground his Faith upon the Promises, though the Providences and Dispensations of God be never so mysterious, the comfort of the Spirit doth make up the want of all other comforts: The comforts of Ordinances are sweet comforts, Sermon-comforts are sweet comforts, Sacrament-comforts are sweet comforts: Ah, but the comfort of the Spirit can supply the want of all these! All outward crosses cannot hinder these inward comforts: a man that hath these inward comforts, may have a Feast with bread and water, a little of this comfort is able to sweeten a whole Ocean of sorrow: In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comfort delight my Soul, Psalms 94:10. So that when the hearts of God's people are filled with sad thoughts, what will become of themselves, what will become of their Families, what will become of the Church of God, what will become of the Ministery of the Gospel, and of the Ordinances of Christ? they are full of sad fears, and distracting thoughts, when they have a multitude of thoughts, in the midst of all, these spiritual comforts can comfort and refresh the Soul: Oh labour after a greater share of this comfort.
God hath cast us upon sad times, wherein we shall have need of more than ordinary comfort: We are like to have troubles without, if we have not peace within, it will be very sad: we are like to lose much of Christ's bodily presense, I mean in his Ordinances: how many of those Messengers that present the person of Christ, and stand in his stead? If we should not enjoy the other comforter, our estates would be doleful: If we have darkness without, and darkness within, how sad will that darkness be.
3. Labour to get more communion from the Spirit of God. This will raise and sublimate your natural comforts, and turn them into Spiritual comforts. A man can never relish these outward comforts, till he come to taste the ravishment and sweetness of the holy Ghost, till he taste the love of God: these give them a higher lustre than the men of the world; though they enjoy much comfort, yet they do not enjoy half that a child of God doth; the little that the righteous hath, is better than the great revenues of the wicked; to a Child of God a dinner of green herbs is more savoury and pleasant to him, than the stalled Ox, because a Child of God hath better sauce with it.
Worldly men they smell to their flowers, it is the only godly man that sucks out the honey; that all things are given to him in love, out of this he sucks comfort: A gracious heart sees all these outward comforts, that they are purchased with the bloud of Christ, and therefore these should do him good, and he may take comfort that he hopes for what he hath not, as well as for what he may have; and he may take comfort in his condition, be it what it will, he sees all is for his good; such a one believeth what he readeth not: So he believeth Gods ways are ways of Truth, though some more sweet, and some more bitter.
4. Labor after communion with the Spirit in his comforting work, is another. This is the best preservative against all intanglements of sin whatsoever: It is a great hour of temptation, and if our comforts do do not lie above the world, we shall be greatly insnared by the world; If a man eat sweet-meats, he cannot relish ordinary food: so while these sweet comforts lie upon the soul, he cannot relish these ordinary things in the world: What, do you tempt me with those things, saith a child of God? What are these to the comforts of the Holy God? The heart of man will seek comfort one way or another; and if he hath it not from the Spirit of God, he will seek it some other way; if he hath not comfort from the Spirit of God, he will seek some sparks of his own kindling; rather than they will sit in darkness without comfort, they will light their candle at the Devil's fire: And as he delivereth from temptation on the right, so he delivereth from temptation on the left hand: he that is filled with the comforts of the Holy Ghost, what are sufferings to such a man? he hath that within will carry him through all danger, here is that comfort, and that life by Christ, which may ease us in our greatest crosses; this will make a child of God speak of the sufferings of this world as a light matter. Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, shall work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, because in Heaven they had a better and more enduring substance, Hebrews 11:35. Some were tortured, receiving no deliverance, because in Heaven they had a better substance. Oh, if you would be kept from the snares of the World, let your comforts be above the power and danger of temptation from anything here below.
3. By way of Direction. How shall we have communion and act faith upon the Holy Ghost as your Comforter? the Holy Ghost is designed and appointed by God the Father to this Office: now you know none love to be slighted in their Office; and if we do not act faith upon the Holy Ghost, we slight his Office; therefore we should have recourse to him in a way of believing: as we should act faith upon Christ for the pardon of sin, so we should act faith upon the holy Ghost, for a sense of that pardon
2. Go often to Jesus Christ, and beg him, and beseech him to entreat the Father for you. Go to God the Father in the name of Christ, and beg it upon the account of Christs Prayer and Intercession, that he would send the Comforter: and you have a good argument to enforce the Petition, the very same as the Disciples, That Christ would, when he went away, Pray the Father, and he should send you another Comforter. Christ tells them, that some there were that would kill them, and in so doing, think they did God good service; therefore Christ, in compassion to them, in the state that he left them in, prays the Father that he would send the Comforter. So now we must go to God; those Ministers that were wont to comfort us, are now to be taken from us; our Barnabas's sons of consolation, their mouths are to be stopped, though Ordinances are now to be damned up, the Houses of God made places of defilement, our Teachers are removed into corners, our Troubles encrease, and we have none to tell us how long; the light of our eyes, the comfort of our hearts, in respect of outward means, are going from us: whither shall we go? we want Bread for our Souls, we want cordials for our Hearts, Blessed Saviour pity us! and since thou wilt not come to us in thy own presense, as thy Embassadors to come to us by thy Spirit, do now in Heaven as thou didst on earth, Pray the Father for us; do not leave us so many Orphans, without Father or Mother, but send thy Spirit to refresh our Souls: See how we are hated and reviled, and we must suffer these things now, Let us have thy Spirit.
3. If you would have communion with the Spirit of Christ in his comforting work, Take heed you do not lay up your comforts in the Creature, this is to seek for the living among the dead: those that rejoyce in the Creature, rejoyce in a thing of nought: and you that have an interest in God, God will not take it at your hands, if you seek it anywhere else, no, not in Ordinances; though God would have you to seek comfort in Ordinances, yet he would not have you to seek comfort from Ordinances.
4. Set down, and be much in duty, Psalms 63:5-6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips, when I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night-watches. If you look at the beginning of the Psalm, you shall finde that this Psalm was penned when David was deprived of the Ordinances of God. Many a man complains that he lives uncomfortably, no wonder, when he little thinks on Christ.
5. Be much in the exercise of grace. Then they that walked in the fear of the Lord, when they walked in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.
6. Take heed of quenching and grieving the Spirit, your Comforter, by neglecting his motions, or by acting anything against the minde of the Spirit: Do not sin against him as your enlightning Spirit, that will hinder him as your Comforter.
I close with a word of comfort to the people of God. If it be one of the great works of the Spirit of God, here is matter of great comfort to those that stick close to Jesus Christ.
Sure your comforts will be satisfying comforts, and sufficient, because they are comforts of the Spirits working. The Lord Jesus hath promised to make up the want of his bodily presense, by sending his Spirit: He was now going from them, and tells them, that he could not stay: and this was sad news to the Disciples, who were ready to break their hearts, and the best comfort that he could afford them, was to tell them, that he would send the Comforter. If Christ can comfort his people in the absense of himself, surely he can comfort them in the want of all other comfort that relate either to soul or body; and so in the want of mercies, in the want of outward Ordinances, he can comfort the soul. It is the Spirit of God that can comfort in the use of these; and, if he will, he can do it in the want of them: he can comfort us in the wilderness, where no water is; when he doth deny the means, he can comfort us without, where he denies us the stream, he can make us drink at the Fountain.
7. And lastly, the people of God find hereby, that their comforts are abiding. Your liberty, your friends, ah, Ordinances of, and Ministers may be taken from you, your Ministers may be banished, your Ministers may be imprisoned: but here is a Comforter that abides forever. And though they may keep your Ministers out of the Pulpit, yet they shall not take the Comforter out of your hearts: So that when I shall not preach any more to you, I shall pray the Father, that he would send you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.