SERM. XV. raife (as indeed it did) a general expectation of him, John ix. 19. But Simeon's faith was confirmed, by a particular revelation, ver. 26. That he fhould fee Chrift before he faw death, which could not but greatly encourage and raise his expectation to look out for him, whofe coming would be the greatest consolation to the whole Ifrael of God. The confolation rapaxλnois. παράκλησις. The Spirit is frequently called in fcripture, apaλnts, the Comforter But Chrift, in this place, is called rapazans, comfort, or confolation itself: The reafon of both is given in John xvi. 14. "He fhall take of mine and thew it unto you :" Where Chrift is faid to be the matter, and the Spirit, the applier of true comfort to the people of God. Now this confolation is here expreffed both with a fingular emphasis [the confolation] intimating that there is nothing of confolation in any thing befides him; all other comforts compared with this, are not worth naming. And as it is emphatically expreffed, fo it is alfo limited and bounded within the compafs of God's Ifrael, (i. e.) true believers, ftiled the Ifrael of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, Gal. vi. 16. From whence the point of doctrine is, Doct. That Jefus Chrift is the only confolation of believers, and of none befides them. So fpeaks the apostle, Phil. iii. 3. "For we are the circum"cifion, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Chrift Jefus, and have no confidence in the flesh." Those that worShip God in the Spirit are fincere believers; to fuch fincere believers, Chrift is confolation, our rejoicing is in Christ Jefus : And they have no confolation in any thing befide him; nothing in the world can give them comfort without Chrift, We have no confidence in the fefb. The gospel is glad tidings of great joy; but that which makes it to be fo, is Jefus Chrift, whom it imparts and reveals to us, Luke ii. 10, 11. In the opening of this comfortable point, four things must be fpoken to, for the right ftating the method of our discourse, viz. 1. What is meant by confolation. 2. That Chrift, and he only, is confolation to believers. 3. That believers only have confolation in Christ. 4. How it comes to pafs, that any believer should be dejected, fince Chrift is confolation to all believers. The first thing to be opened, is the nature of confolation, which is nothing else but the cheariness of a man's spirit, whereby he is upheld, and fortified against all evils felt, or feared. Confolation is to the foul, what health is to the body after wafting fickness; or the reviving spring, to the earth, after a long and hard winter. And there are three forts of confolation, or comfort, fuitable to the difpofition and temper of the mind; viz. Natural, Natural comfort is the refreshment of our natural spirits by the good creatures of God, Acts xiv. 17. "Filling their hearts "with food and gladness." Sinful comfort is the fatisfaction and pleafure men take in the fulfilling of their lufts, by the abufe of the creatures of God, James v. 5. "Ye have lived in pleasure upon earth," (i. e.) your life hath been a life of fenfuality and fin. Spiritual comfort is the refreshment, peace, and joy, gracious fouls have in Christ, by the exercise of faith, hope, and other graces, Rom. v. 2. And this only deferves the name of true folid confolation: To which four things are required. First, That the matter thereof be fome fpiritual, eminent, and durable good; elfe our confolation in it will be but as the crackling of thorns under a pot, a fudden blaze, quickly extinct with the failing matter of it. Chrift only gives the matter of folid durable confolation; the righteoufnefs of Chrift, the pardon of fin, the favour of God, the hopes of glory, are the subftantial materials of a believer's confolation, Rom. v. 2. Matth. ix. 2. Pfal. iv. 6, 7. 2 Pet. i. 8. Things are as their foundations be. ་་ Secondly, Intereft and propriety in thefe comfortable things, are requifite to our confolation by them; Luke i. 47. "My spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour." It is no confolation to him that is hungry, to fee a feaft; to him that is poor tó fee a treafure; if the one may not taste, or the other partake thereof. Thirdly, Knowledge, and evidence of intereft, in fome degree, is requifice, to actual confolation, though without it a man may be in the ftate of confolation; for that which appears not, is (in point of actual comfort) as if it were not. Fourthly, In order hereunto, the work of the Spirit upon our hearts is requifite, both to give, and clear our intereft in Christ, and the promifes: And both these ways he is the Comforter, "The fruit of the Spirit is joy," Gal. v. 22. And thus briefly of the nature of confolation. Secondly, Next I will fhew you that Chrift, and he only, is matter of confolation to believers: which will demonstratively appear by this argument. Arg. He that brings to their fouls all that is comfortable, and VOL. II. Z z SERM. XV removes from their fouls all that is uncomfortable, muft needs be the only confolation of believers. But Jefus Chrift brings to their fouls all that is comfortable, and removes from their fouls all that is uncomfortable. Therefore Chrift only is the confolation of believers. First, Jefus Chrift brings whatfoever is comfortable to the fouls of believers. Is pardon comfortable to a perfon condem ned? Nothing can be matter of greater comfort in this world, Why, this Chrift brings to all believers, Jer. xxiii. 6. "And this is the name whereby he fhall be called, the Lord our righte "oufnefs." This cannot but give ftrong confolation; righte oufness is the foundation of peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoft, Rom. xiv. 17. "The work of righteoufnefs fhall be peace; and "the effect of righteoufuefs, quietnefs, and affurance for ever," Ifa. xxxii. 17. Come to a dejected foul, labouring under the burden of guilt, and fay, cheer up, I bring you good tidings, there is fuch an eftate befallen you, or fuch a troublesome buf nefs comfortaby ended for you; alas! this will not reach the heart: If you can bring me (faith he) good news from heaven, that my fius are forgiven, and God reconciled, how foon fhould I be comforted! And therefore (as one well obferves) this was the ufual receipt with which Chrift cured the fouls of men an and women, when he was here on earth; Son or daughter, "be "of good cheer, thy fins be forgiven thee." And, indeed, it is as eafy to feparate light and warmth from the beams of the fun, as cheerinefs and comfort from the voice of pardon. Are the hopes and expectations of heaven and glory comfort able! Yes fure, nothing is comfortable if this be not; Rom. y. 2. "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God." Now, Chrift brings to the fouls of men all the folid grounds, and foundations upon which they build their expectations of glory, Col. i. 27. "Which is Chrift, in you, the hope of glory." Name any thing elfe that is folid matter of comfort to the fouls of men, and the grounds thereof will be found in Chrift, and in none but Chrift: as might easily be demonftrated by the enumeration of multitudes of particular inftances, which I cannot now infift .upon. Secondly, Jefus Chrift removes from believers whatever is uncomfortable; therein relieving them against all the matters of their affliction and forrow. As namely, First, Isfin a barden and matter of trouble, to believers? Chritt, and none but Chrift, removes that burden, Rom. vii. 24, 25. "Owretched man that I am! (faith fin-burdened Paul) "who will deliver me from the body of this death? I thank "God through Jefus Chrift our Lord." The fatisfaction of his blood, Eph. v. 2. The fanctification of his Spirit, John i. 5, 6. His perfect deliverance of his people from the very being of fin at laft, Eph. v. 26, 27. This relieves at prefent, and removes at laft the matter and ground of all their troubles and forrows for sin. Secondly, Do the temptations of fatan burden believers? O yes by reafon of temptations; they go in trouble and heaviness of Ipirit. Temptation is an enemy under the walls; temptation greatly endangers, and therefore cannot but greatly afflict the fouls of believers; but Chrift brings the only matter of relief a gainst temptations. The interceffion of Chrift is a fingular relief at prefent, Luke xxii. 32. "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not." And the promises of Chrift are a full relief for the future; "The God of peace fhall fhortly tread fatan "under your feet," Rom. xvi. 20. แ Thirdly, Is fpiritual defertion, and the hiding of God's face, matter of affliction and cafting down to believers? Yes, yes, it diftreffes their hearts; nothing can comfort them; "Thou hideft thy face, and I was troubled," Pfal. xxx. 7. Outward afflictions do but break the fkin, this touches the quick; they like rain fall only upon the tiles, this foaks into the houfe; but Chrift brings to believers fubftantial matter of confolation against the troubles of defertion: He himfelf was deferted of God for a time, that they might not be deferted for ever. In him alfo the relieving promiles are made to believers, that notwithstanding God may defert them for a time, yet the union betwixt him and them fhall never be diffolved, Heb. xiii. 4. Jer. xxxii. 40. Though he forfake them for a moment, in respect of evidenced favour, yet he will return again and comfort them, Ifa. liv. 7. Though fatan pull hard, yet he will never be "able to pluck them out of his Father's hand," John x. 20. Oh what relief is this! What confolation is Chrift to a deferted believer. Pourthly, Are outward afflictions matter of dejection and trouble? Alas, who finds them not to be fo? How do our hearts fail and our fpirits fink under the many fiarting rods of God upon us? But our relief and confolation under them all is in Chrift Jefus; for the rod that afflicts us is in the hand of Chrift that loveth us, Rev. iii. 29, "Whom I love, I rebuke "and chaften." His defign in affliction is our profit, Heb. xii, 10. That defign of his for our good fhall certainly be accomplished, Rom. viii. 28. And after that no more afflictions for ever, Rev. xxi. 3, 4. "God fhall wipe away all tears from their eyes," So that upon the whole, two things are most evident. SERM. XV, Firft, Nothing can comfort the foul without Chrift! he is the foul that animates all comforts, they would be dead things with out him. Temporal enjoyments, riches, honours, health, relations, yield not a drop of true comfort without Chrift. Spiritual enjoyments, minifters, ordinances, promifes, are fountains fealed and fprings fhut up; till Chrift open them, a man may go comfortless in the midst of them all. Secondly, No troubles, forrows, or afflictions can deject or fink the foul that Chrift comforteth, 2 Cor. vi, 20. "As forrow"fal, yet always rejoicing." A believer may walk with a heart full of comfort amidit all the troubles of this world: Chrift makes the darkness of troubles to be light round about his people. So that the conclufion stands firm, and never to be shaken, that Christ, and Chrift only, is the confolation of believers; which was the thing to be proved. In the third place, I am to fhew you that believers, and none but believers, can have confolation in Chrift; which will con. vincingly appear from the confideration of thofe things which we laid down before as the requifites to all true fpiritual confola tion. For, ઃઃ First, No unbeliever hath the materials, out of which spiritual comfort is made, which (as I there told you) must be some solid, fpiritual and eternal good, as Chrift and the covenant are: what do unregenerate men rejoice in, but trifles and mere vanities, in a thing of nought? Amos vi. 13. See how their mirth is defcrib ed in Job xxi. 12. "They take their timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the found of the organ," He doth not fay, they take the Bible, turn to the promifes, and rejoice in Chrift and the Covenant; 'tis not the melody of a good confcience, the joy of the holy Ghost; no, no, they have no acquaintance with fuch mufic as that; but the rejoicing of believers is in those things, 2 Cor. i. 12. and this is well-built confolation, which reaches the heart. Secondly, I told you, that propriety and intereft in Chrift and the promises, are required to all fpiritual confolation: but no un believer hath any title or intereft in Chrift and the promifes, and fo they can fignify nothing to him in point of comfort. 'Tis not another man's money, but my own, that must feed, cloth and comfort me; nor is it another man's Chrift, but my own Chrift, that muft juftify, fave and comfort my foul. Thirdly, You were told, that evidence of a man's peace and reconciliation with God, is neceffary to his actual confolation, which no unbeliever can poffibly have; he hath neither grace Within him to make him a qualified fubject of any special pro |