can be, now he hath fulfilled the one sacrifice for sin, which he was to offer.

Now the Holy Spirit is promised under a twofold consideration. 1st. As a Spirit of sanctification to the elect, to convert them and make them believers. 2dly. As a Spirit of consolation to believers, to give them the privileges of the death and purchase of Christ: it is in the latter sense only wherein he is here spoken of. Now as to his presence with us in this regard, and the end and purposes for which he is sent, for what is aimed at, observe,

(1st.) The rise and fountain of it; (2dly.) The manner of his being given; (3dly.) Our manner of receiving him; (4thly.) His abiding with us; (5thly.) His acting in us; (6thly.) What are the effects of his working in us. And then how we hold communion with him, will from all these appear. What the Scripture speaketh to these particulars, shall briefly be considered.

(1st.) For the fountain of his coming it is mentioned, John xv. 26. παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορέυεται, ' He proceedeth from the Father;' this is the fountain of this dispensation; he proceedeth from the Father: now there is a twofold έkπáρevais or procession' of the Spirit.

[lst.] Φυσικὴ or ὑποστατικὴ, in respect of substance and personality.

[2dly.] 'Ouкovoju or dispensatory,' in respect of the work of grace. Of the first, in which respect he is the Spirit of the Father and the Son, proceeding from both eternally, so receiving his substance and personality, I speak not: it is a business of another nature than that I have now in hand. Therein indeed lies the first and most remote foundation of all our distinct communion with him and our worship of him. But because abiding in the naked consideration hereof, we can make no other progress, than the bare acquiescence of faith in the mystery revealed, with the performance of that which is due to the person, solely on the account of his participation of the essence, I shall not at present dwell upon it.

His Kópavσic or 'proceeding,' mentioned in the place insisted on is his economical or dispensatory proceeding for the carrying on of the work of grace; it is spoken of him in reference to his being sent by Christ after his ascen

sion; I will send him which proceedeth, namely, then when I send him. As God is said to arise out of his place, Isa. xxvi. 21. not in regard of any mutation in him, but of the new work which he would effect; so it follows, the Lord comes out of his place, to punish the inhabitants of the earth. And it is in reference to a peculiar work that he is said to proceed, namely, to testify of Christ; which cannot be assigned to him in respect of his eternal procession, but of his actual dispensation: as it is said of Christ, He came forth from God.' The single mention of the Father in this place, and not of the Son, belongs to the gradation before-mentioned, whereby our Saviour discovers this mystery to his disciples. He speaks as much concerning himself; John xvi. 7. And this relation, ad extra' as they call it, of the Spirit unto the Father and the Son in respect of operation, proves his relation 'ad intra,' in respect of personal procession whereof I spake before.

Three things are considerable in the foundation of this dispensation, in reference to our communion with the Holy Ghost.

1st. That the will of the Spirit is in the work; KTOρEÚETAL 'he comes forth himself?' frequent mention is made (as we shall see afterward) of his being sent, his being given and poured out; that it might not be thus apprehended, either that this Spirit were altogether an inferior, created spirit, a mere servant, as some have blasphemed, nor yet merely and principally, as to his personality, the virtue of God as some have fancied, he hath idiμara vπоOTатIкα personal properties applied to him in this work arguing his personality and liberty; KTOρEVETαι. He of himself, and of his own accord, proceedeth.

2dly. The condescension of the Holy Ghost in this order of working this dispensation, to proceed from the Father and the Son, as to this work; to take upon him this work of a Comforter, as the Son did the work of a Redeemer, of which afterward.

3dly. The fountain of the whole is discovered to be the Father, that we may know his works in the pursuit of electing love which every where is ascribed to the Father. This is the order here intimated. First, There is the ρódσic of the Father; or the purpose of his love the fountain of all; then

the spurnois, the 'asking' of the Son, John xiv. 15, which takes in his merit and purchase; whereunto follows έktópevolg, or willing proceeding' of the Holy Ghost. And this gives testimony also to the foundation of this whole discourse, namely, our peculiar communion with the Father in love, the Son in grace, and the Holy Ghost in consolation. This is the door and entrance of that fellowship of the Holy Ghost, whereunto we are called. His gracious and blessed will, his infinite and ineffable condescension, being eyed by faith, as the foundation of all those effects which he works in us, and privileges whereof by him we are made partakers, our souls are peculiarly conversant with him, and their desires, affections, and thankfulness, terminated in him; of which more afterward. This is the first thing considerable is our communion with the Holy Ghost.

(2dly.) The manner of his collation, or bestowing; or the manner of his communication unto us from this fountain, is herein also considerable, and it is variously expressed to denote three things.

[1st.] The freeness of it: thus he is said to be given; John xiv. 16. he shall give you another Comforter; I need not multiply places to this purpose. The most frequent adjunct of the communication of the Spirit is this, that he is given, and received as of gift; he will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. That which is of gift is free, the Spirit of grace is given of grace; and not only the Spirit of sanctification, or the Spirit to sanctify and convert us, is a gift of free grace, but in the sense whereof we speak in respect of consolation, he is of gift also; he is promised to be given unto believers. Hence the Spirit is said to be received by the gospel, not by the law; Gal. iii. 2. that is of mere grace, and not of our own procuring. And all his workings are called xapiouara, 'free donations.' He is freely bestowed and freely works; and the different measures wherein he is received, for those ends and purposes of consolation which we shall consider, by believers, which are great, various, and inexpressible, arise from hence that we have him by donation, or free gift. And this is the tenor whereby we hold and enjoy him; a tenor of free donation.

a Nehem. ix. 20. John xiv. 16. vii. 39. xx. 22. Acts ii. 28. v. 32. viii. 15. x. 47. xv. 8. xix. 2. Rom. v. 5. 1 Cor. ii. 11. vi. 19. xii. 7. 1 Thes. iv. 8. 1 John iv. 14.

So is he to be eyed, so to be asked, so to be received. And this also faith takes in, and closeth withal, in our communion with the Comforter. The conjunction and accord of his will, with the gift of Father and Son; the one respecting the distinct operation of the Deity in the person of the Holy Ghost; the other the economy of the whole Trinity, in the work of our salvation by Jesus Christ. Here the soul rejoiceth itself in the Comforter; that he is willing to come to him, that he is willing to be given him. And seeing all is will and gift, grace is magnified on this account.

[2dly.] The authority of it; thence he is said to be sent; chap. xiv. 26. the Father will send him in my name: and chap. xv. 26. I will send him unto you from the Father, and him 'will I send to you;' chap. xvi. 17. This mission of the Holy Ghost by the Father and the Son, as it answers the order of the persons' subsistence in the blessed Trinity, and his procession from them both, so the order voluntarily engaged in by them, for the accomplishment (as was said) of the work of our salvation. There is in it, in a most special manner the condescension of the Holy Ghost in his love to us, to the authoritative delegation of Father, and Son, in this business; which argues not a disparity, dissimilitude, or inequality of essence, but of office, in this work; it is the office of the Holy Ghost to be an advocate for us, and a comforter to us; in which respect, not absolutely, he is thus sent authoritatively by Father and Son. It is a known maxim, that 'inæqualitas officii non tollit æqualitatem naturæ:' this subjection (if I may so call it), or inequality in respect of office, doth no ways prejudice the equality of nature which he hath with Father and Son, no more than the mission of the Son by the Father doth his. And on this authoritative mission of the Spirit, doth the right apprehensions of many mysteries in the gospel, and the ordering of our hearts in communion with him depend:

1st. Hence is the sin against the Holy Ghost (what it is I do not now dispute) unpardonable; and hath that adjunct of rebellion put upon it, that no other sin hath: namely, because he comes not, he acts not in his own name only, though in his own also, but in the name and authority of the Father and Son, from, and by whom he is sent; and therefore to sin against him, is to sin against all the authority of God, all the

love of the Trinity, and the utmost condescension of each person to the work of our salvation. It is, I say, from the authoritative mission of the Spirit, that the sin against him is peculiarly unpardonable; it is a sin against the recapitulation of the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit. And from this consideration, were that our present business, might the true nature of the sin against the Holy Ghost be investigated. Certainly it must consist in the contempt of some operation of his, as acting in the name and authority of the whole Trinity, and that in their ineffable condescension to the work of grace. But this is of another consideration.

2dly. On this account, we are to pray the Father and the Son, to give the Spirit to us; Luke xi. 13. 'your heavenly Father will give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him;' now the Holy Ghost being God, is no less to be invocated, prayed to, and called on, than the Father and Son, as elsewhere I have proved; how then do we ask the Father for him, as we do in all our supplications, seeing that we also pray that he himself would come to us, visit us, and abide with us? In our prayers that are directed to himself, we consider him as essentially God over all blessed for evermore; we pray for him from the Father and Son, as under this mission and delegation from them. And indeed God having most plentifully revealed himself in the order of this dispensation to us, we are (as Christians generally do) in our communion to abound in answerable addresses; that is, not only to the person of the Holy Ghost himself, but properly to the Father and Son, for him, which refers to this dispensation.

3dly. Hence is that great weight in particular laid upon our not grieving the Spirit; Eph. iv. 30. because he comes to us in the name, with the love, and upon the condescension of the whole blessed Trinity. To do that which might grieve him so sent, on such an account, for that end and purpose which shall afterward be mentioned, is a great aggravation of sin. He expects cheerful entertainment with us, and may do so justly upon his own account; and the account of the work which he comes about: but when this also is added; that he is sent of the Father, and the Son, commissioned with their love and grace, to communicate them to their souls, this is that which is, or ought to be of unspeakable esteem