formed in his ftate of humiliation, proved to a demonftration that there was nothing in his heart towards his people but love, fuch as was and is boundlefs, bottomlefs, inconceivable, and incomprehenfible. That his bowels were full of mercy towards his redeemed; that he was full of grace-a fountain and fpring of comfort and bleffedness to his dearly beloved ones. Our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift was about to leave his difciples, to fuffer and die for them; after which, raised from the dead as their great Shepherd and justifying Head, ascended from earth to heaven, received up into glory, and feated at God's right hand, his church below would be deprived of his bodily presence; in the prospect therefore of this, he endeavours to fortify and prepare the hearts of his beloved apostles for his departure. I may entitle the difcourfe of Chrift recorded in this chapter, one of our Lord's farewell fermons, in which he gives forth and adminifters a variety of cordials and encouragements, to fupport the hearts of his faithful followers during his departure and abfence from them. He begins to lift up their hearts by the following encouragements: that heaven was their home; that he was going from them, and before them, as their forerunner; that his appearance on their behalf in heaven would be for their advantage; that as the fruit of it, their prayers would be heard, and the fpirit would be given. Let not your hearts (faith Chrift) be troubled. There were many things would distress their minds, and fill them with grief-their Lord's abfence, and especially the way in which he was to be taken from them and

our divine Shepherd, knowing their hearts, foreseeing their fears, and compaffionating their griefs, comforts them thus:-Let not your hearts be troubled, ye believe in God, believe also in me. Under the Old Teftament difpenfation, God the Father principally discovered and revealed himself to his church by promifing to fend them a Saviour—a great one, who fhould deliver his people from fin, the curfe of the law, and the power of Satan; and the faith of the Old Teftament faints was principally fixed and exercised hereupon. The incarnation of Christ was the accomplishment of this; and the perfons our Lord here addreffed, had feen this wonderful promife fulfilled: yet at this prefent time, though they were true believers in Chrift, and had the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, their faith was not fo diftinctly acted and exercised upon Chrift's perfon as their all-glorious Mediator, as it would be and was after our Lord had finished his work, and was taken from them into heaven. The bleffed Jefus, as the principal foundation to fupport their faith, and keep their hearts happy, directs them to exercise their faith towards and upon him, as they had done towards his Divine Father: ye believe in God, as the fountain of grace, the ocean of everlasting love, the fpring of infinite unceasing mercy, believe alfo in me, as the fent of God, the true, eternal, and only begotten Son of the Father in truth and love, as the feed of the woman, who will effectually, completely, and eternally bruise the serpent's head; I being the Meffiah, whofe name is, I am that I am; this is my name for ever, and my memorial throughout all generations. Our

he may abide with you for ever.

And he abides with

his church in the capacity wherein he is fent, as an advocate and comforter. As an advocate he pleads for Chrift, by fhewing us the perfect work of falvation, wrought out and finished in his life and death, and the Father's perfect acceptance of what he did and fuffered and as a comforter, he fills us with all joy and peace in believing. Behold the wonders of divine love! View it in these two amazing gifts of grace: God fo loves us, as to give his only begotten Son for us, a gift greater than heaven itself: he has alfo given his Spirit unto us, to dwell in the fouls and bodies of his people, to fanctify them, and make them meet for glory and this gift of the Spirit to dwell and abide with us for ever, exceeds in worth and value, eternal glory. The eternal Spirit dwells in Chrift the head, and refts upon him, and will abide in him for ever; fo alfo he doth with the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. He is in his people as the breather of all spiritual life into them, and the fountain and spring of fpiritual life in them; the author of all their graces; the cause of all their holiness. He it is who brings them to know their union with the Father and the Son, and gives them bleffed fellowship with the Father and Chrift. Every fpiritual a&, breathing, and defire in the foul after the Lord Jesus Christ, are the fruit of the Holy Spirit's gracious indwelling prefence. The work of Chrift, though completely finished, yet we know nothing of it, to our fpiritual advantage, until we are renewed by the Holy

L

Spirit, and enlightened by him into the knowledge of Chrift, crucified, and Christ exalted, who is raised up to the fupremeft pinnacle of glory, that he can, as our head, be exalted unto. The union between Christ and his people, is made known in their hearts by the Holy Ghoft the comforter; and a moft wonderful intercourse in a way of communion is carried on through his grace between Chrift and them. He prefents unto them the glories, excellencies, royalties, and perfections of their beloved friend and heavenly lord and husband; gives them a view of Chrift by his own light which he enlightens them with; and raifes up their hearts within the vail, filling them at times. with joys which are unfpeakable; with joy in God through our Lord Jefus. Such is the glorious prerogative-royal of Christ's advocate, the Holy Spirit; that he, dwelling in our head in glory, knows all the thoughts of love which Chrift thinks refpecting us, all the bowels of mercy he hath towards us, the great love wherewith he loves us: and he can, and doth fuggeft them to our minds and comfort our fouls therewith, fhewing us that Chrift's heart in heaven is upon his people on earth. He gives evidence of this in every gospel sermon that is preached, and in every prayer offered up by real faints; because in all these, he perfuades us of Chrift's love to this very day. Yea, he is in all these the pledge of Chrift's love, "because he comes in Chrift's name, and in his stead, and works all by commiffion from him. When you feel your hearts moved with the preaching of Chrift

and his unfearchable riches, who is it moves your. hearts? Verily, the Holy Spirit. Have you at times communion with Chrift in prayer? It is because the Holy Spirit puts forth his power in your fouls. Do you pray in prayer? It is through the Spirit. It is because Chrift is an advocate for you, that the Holy Spirit is an advocate in you. Have you at times a fight of Chrift in the ordinance of the fupper? It is the Holy Spirit who difcovers and gives you a view of your beloved. beloved. These things are bleffed evidences of Chrift's love towards you, and his perfect delight in you. Beloved, take this home with you: : our heavenly Father is to his people the God of all confolation: the Lord Jefus is a fountain of everlasting comfort: and the Holy Ghoft is fent down from heaven into the hearts of his people to be their comforter; he dwells in our fouls for this very end, and with this great defign, to comfort us under all the discouragements which may arife within us from the guilt and power of fin, by leading us to the fountain of Chrift's blood, which hath a continued virtue in it, to cleanfe from all fin; he comforts us by the application of precious promifes, giving us a fight of our perfonal intereft in Chrift, who is our everlasting confolation; he comforts us in temptations, arms us against the fears of death, fills at times his people in their dying moments with unutterable joy, and abides with them as their God and guide, even unto death, yea, with them and in them for ever; and he is in heaven the fountain of everlasting joy