CHAPTER VI.—Of particular communion with the Holy Ghost
elevate people above such humble and seemingly insignificant means of communing with God. In short, it would be very easy to go through all the remarkable effects of the Holy Spirit in and towards believers and demonstrate that the so-called spirit of our time directly opposes and contradicts each one of them. Satan has transitioned from one extreme to another—from a bitter and miserable opposition to the Spirit of Christ to a cursed pretense of possessing the Spirit—yet always with the same ultimate goal and purpose.
I could provide several more instances of the contempt or misuse of the dispensation of the Spirit. The ones mentioned above represent the extremes to which all others can be attributed or classified. I will not deviate further from the matter at hand, which is directly aligned with my purpose.
CHAPTER VI
Of particular communion with the Holy Ghost—Of preparation thereunto—Valuation of the benefits we receive by him—What it is he comforts, us in and against; wherewith; how.
Now that the way has been made clear, I will proceed to explain how we have particular communion with the Holy Spirit, as promised by Christ to be our comforter, and how He works out our consolation through the means previously discussed. The first thing I will do is present something that may serve as preparation for the duty at hand, by leading the souls of believers to a proper appreciation of
this work of the Holy Spirit towards us, for which He is called our Comforter.
To elevate our hearts to this mindset and prepare us for the intended duty, let us consider these three things:
FIRST, What the Holy Spirit comforts us against. SECONDLY, With what He comforts us. THIRDLY, The underlying principle behind all
His actions and operations in us for our consolation.
FIRST. There are only three things throughout our journey that require the consolations of the Holy Spirit:
1. Afflictions. Affliction is part of God's provision for His children in His household (Hebrews 12:5-6). The various causes, means, uses, and effects of affliction are generally known. Each person has a designated measure of affliction. To be completely without afflictions is a temptation and, to some extent, an affliction in itself. What I am about to address is the fact that we need the consolations of the Holy Spirit in all our afflictions. It is in the nature of humans to seek relief when they are entangled, employing every possible means. People handle their troubles differently depending on their natural disposition. "The spirit of a man will bear his infirmity," or at least, he will struggle with it.
Under afflictions, there are two great evils that typically befall people, preventing them from managing their situations properly.
The apostle mentions both of them in Hebrews 12:5: "Do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him." Individuals usually fall into one of these two extremes: either they despise the correction of the Lord or they succumb to it.
(1.) Some despise it. They consider what befalls them to be a trivial or common occurrence, failing to recognize God's hand in it. They shift the blame onto instruments and secondary causes, defending and justifying themselves without much regard for God or His involvement in their affliction. The reason for this is that they seek help in their troubles from sources with which God will not mix His grace. They rely on remedies other than those appointed by God, thus missing out on all the benefits and advantages their affliction could bring. And anyone who seeks relief from anything other than the consolations of the Holy Spirit will find themselves in the same predicament.
(2.) Others become discouraged and overwhelmed by their trials and afflictions, which the apostle further admonishes in verse 12. The former group despises the assistance of the Holy Spirit due to pride, while the latter rejects it due to despondency, sinking under the weight of their troubles. There is hardly anyone who does not stumble in one of these two directions. If we had not learned to belittle the chastisements of the Lord and to disregard His dealings with us, we would find that our afflictions make up a significant portion of our journey.
Properly managing our souls under any affliction, so that God may be glorified and we may receive spiritual benefits and growth from it, can only be achieved through the consolations of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus forewarned His disciples of the great trials and tribulations they would face, all He promised them was, "I will send you the Spirit, the Comforter; He will give you peace in Me, even in the midst of trouble in the world. He will guide, direct, and preserve you through all your trials." And the apostle tells us that this is indeed what happened (2 Corinthians 1:4-6). Even in the face of the greatest afflictions, the Holy Spirit can lead the soul to the highest
levels of joy, peace, rest, and contentment. As the same apostle declares, "We boast in tribulations" (Romans 5:3). It is a significant statement. He had previously stated, "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (verse 2). But what if we encounter manifold afflictions and tribulations? Well, even in those circumstances, we glory, he says;
"we glory in our tribulations." And why is it that our spirits are so uplifted in a manner that we can glorify the Lord in the midst of afflictions? He tells us in verse 5 that it is because "the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit." Thus, believers are said to "receive the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 1:6), and to "joyfully accept the plundering of their goods." This is the point I aim to make: there can be no proper management or improvement of any affliction except through the consolations of the Holy Spirit. If you value not losing all the trials, temptations, and afflictions you face, then learn to value that which alone makes them useful.
2. Sin is the second burden we bear in our lives, and it is by far the greatest. It is to this burden that these consolations are particularly suited. In Hebrews 6:17-18, an analogy is drawn from the manslayer under the law who, having unintentionally killed someone and brought guilt upon himself, would flee with haste to the city of refuge for deliverance. Our great and only refuge from the guilt of sin is the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in fleeing to Him that the Spirit administers consolation to us. A sense of sin fills the heart with troubles and unrest, but it is the Holy Spirit who grants us peace in Christ. The Spirit provides an apprehension of wrath, while at the same time shedding abroad the love of God in our hearts. When Satan and the law accuse us, labeling us as objects of God's hatred, it is the Spirit who bears witness with our spirits that we are children of God. Sin employs various instruments or strategies to disturb our peace, but the
Holy Spirit counters each one with an appropriate effect to overthrow them.
3. The consolations of the Holy Spirit are also necessary throughout our entire journey of obedience, so that we may persevere cheerfully, willingly, and patiently until the end. I will delve into this matter more thoroughly, specifying particular instructions for our communion with this blessed Comforter, at a later point. In summary, we need His consolations in every aspect of this life and in our anticipation of the next. Without them, we would either despise afflictions or falter under their weight, neglecting God's intended purpose in allowing them.
Without His consolations, sin would either harden us, leading to contempt for it, or cast us down, causing us to overlook the remedies graciously provided to combat it. Without His consolations, our duties would either inflate us with pride or leave us devoid of the sweetness found in new obedience.
Without His consolations, prosperity would make us worldly, sensual, and content solely with earthly things, rendering us utterly unprepared for the trials of adversity. Without His consolations, the comforts of our relationships would distance us from God, and the loss of those relationships would leave our hearts as desolate as Nabal's. Without His consolations, the calamities of the Church would overwhelm us, and the prosperity of the Church would not stir us. Without His consolations, we would lack wisdom for every task, peace in every circumstance, strength for every duty, success in every trial, joy in every state, comfort in life, and light in death.
Now, our afflictions, sins, and obedience, along with their respective consequences, are the major aspects of our lives. Our relationship with God is intertwined with them, and the proper management of
these matters, along with their opposites, falls under the same rule.
Throughout all of these, the Holy Spirit provides a continuous stream of consolation that leads us to a joyful outcome. It is truly a sad state for poor souls who lack these consolations. They are forced to resort to feeble measures and find themselves battling formidable foes in their own strength. Regardless of whether they are conquered or seem to conquer, they are left with nothing but the misery of their trials.
The SECOND aspect to consider, in order to truly appreciate the consolations of the Holy Spirit, is the content of these consolations— the very things that bring us comfort. This can be linked to the two themes I discussed earlier: the love of the Father and the grace of the Son. All the consolations of the Holy Spirit revolve around acquainting us with and imparting to us the love of the Father and the grace of the Son. There is nothing in either the love of the Father or the grace of the Son that the Holy Spirit does not make a source of comfort for us. Thus, we have communion with the Father through His love, and with the Son through His grace, by the operation of the Holy Spirit.
1. The Holy Spirit imparts and acquaints us with the love of the Father. After providing His disciples with the foundation of their consolation that they would receive through the Comforter, our blessed Savior (John 16:27) encapsulates it all by stating, "The Father himself loves you." This is precisely what the Comforter is given to acquaint us with—that God is our Father and that He loves us. More specifically, the Comforter reveals that the Father, the first person of the Trinity, loves us individually. For this reason, the Comforter is repeatedly said to come forth from the Father, as He comes to make known the Father's love and to comfort and establish the hearts of believers. By convincing us
of the eternal and unchanging love of the Father, the Holy Spirit fills us with consolation. In fact, all the aforementioned effects of the Holy Spirit are directed towards this end. You have already heard a thorough explanation of this love and its surpassing excellence. Whatever is desirable in this love is communicated to us by the Holy Spirit. A sense of this love not only relieves us but also enables us to rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy in every situation. It is not an abundance of material possessions, such as corn, wine, or oil, that brings comfort to our souls, but rather the shining of God's countenance upon us (Psalm 4:6-7).
A soul that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit may declare, "The world may hate me, but my Father loves me. People may despise me as a hypocrite, but my Father loves me as a child. I may be poor in this world, but I have a rich inheritance in my Father's love. I may feel constricted in all things, but my Father's house has an abundance of bread. I may mourn secretly under the power of my lusts and sin, where no eyes can see me, but my Father sees me and is full of compassion. With a sense of His kindness, which is better than life itself, I rejoice in tribulation, I glory in affliction, and I triumph as a conqueror. Though I may be slain all day long, all my sorrows have limits that can be fathomed.
The breadth, depth, and height of my Father's love—who can fully express it?" I could further demonstrate the glorious way in which the Spirit comforts us through the love of the Father by comparing it to all other causes and means of joy and consolation, revealing their emptiness in contrast to its fullness and their insignificance in contrast to its totality. I could also expound upon the previously mentioned attributes of this love.
2. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit comforts us by imparting to us and acquainting us with the grace of Christ—the fruits of His redemptive work and the attractiveness of His person, in which
we have a personal stake. As I extensively discussed before, the grace of Christ can be categorized under two headings: the grace of His person and the grace of His office and work. The Holy
Spirit administers consolation to us through both of these aspects (John 16:14). He glorifies Christ by revealing His excellencies and desirability to believers—as the "chief of ten thousand" and the one who is "altogether lovely." Additionally, the Spirit shows us the things of Christ—His love, grace, and all the fruits of His death, suffering, resurrection, and intercession
—and supports our hearts and souls with them. Thus, every aspect of refreshment that comes from the forgiveness of sins, deliverance from the curse and wrath to come, justification, adoption, and the countless privileges that accompany them, as well as the hope of glory given to us, all fall within this realm.
THIRDLY. Now let us turn our attention to the main principle and source of all the Holy Spirit's actions for our consolation. This brings us closer to the intended communion. His own great love and boundless condescension serve as the driving force. He willingly proceeds and comes forth from the Father to be our comforter.
Despite knowing our flaws, weaknesses, and how we would grieve, provoke, and reject Him, He still chooses to be our comforter.
Failure to fully consider this great love of the Holy Spirit weakens the foundations of our obedience. If we truly grasped this and held it in our hearts, we would value and appreciate all His works and interactions with us. Indeed, nothing is truly valuable unless it originates from love and goodwill. This is the approach the Scriptures take to elevate our hearts and grant us a proper estimation of our redemption through Jesus Christ. It informs us that He did it freely, that He willingly laid down His life, that it was an act of love.
"In this, the love of God was manifested, that He laid down His life for us." "He loved us and gave Himself for us." "He loved us and