Owen, Of Communion With God, File 24
(... continued from File 23)
Chapter 6. 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.
The way being thus made plain for us, I come to show how
we hold particular communion with the Holy Ghost, as he is
promised of Christ to be our comforter, and as working out our
consolation by the means formerly insisted on. Now, the first
thing I shall do herein, is the proposal of that which may be
some preparation to the duty under consideration; and this by
leading the souls of believers to a due valuation of this work
of his towards us, whence he is called our Comforter.
To raise up our hearts to this frame, and fit us for the
duty intended, let us consider these three things: -
FIRST, What it is he comforts us against.
SECONDLY, Wherewith he comforts us.
THIRDLY, The principle of all his acting and operations in
us for our consolation.
FIRST. There are but three things in the whole course of
our pilgrimage that the consolations of the Holy Ghost are
useful and necessary in: -
1. In our afflictions. Affliction is part of the provision
that God has made in his house for his children, Heb. 12: 5,
6. The great variety of its causes, means, uses, and effects,
is generally known. There is a measure of them appointed for
every one. To be wholly without them is a temptation; and so
in some measure an affliction. That which I am to speak unto
is, that in all our afflictions we need the consolations of
the Holy Ghost. It is the nature of man to relieve himself,
when he is entangled, by all ways and means. According as
men's natural spirits are, so do they manage themselves under
pressures. "The spirit of a man will bear his infirmity;" at
least, will struggle with it.
There are two great evils, one of which does generally
seize on men under their afflictions, and keep them from a due
management of them. The apostle mentioneth them both, Heb. 12:
5, "Me oligorei paideias Kuriou, mede ekluou, hup' autou
elengchomenos", - Despise not the chastisement of the Lord;
neither faint when thou art reproved." One of these extremes
do men usually fall into; either they despise the Lord's
correction, or sink under it.
(1.) Men despise it. They account that which befalls them
to be a light or common thing; they take no notice of God in
it; they can shift with it well enough: they look on
instruments, second causes; provide for their own defence and
vindication with little regard to God or his hand in their
affliction. And the ground of this is, because they take in
succours, in their trouble, that God will not mix his grace
withal; they fix on other remedies than what he has appointed,
and utterly lose all the benefits and advantage of their
affliction. And so shall every man do that relieves himself
from any thing but the consolations of the Holy Ghost.
(2.) Men faint and sink under their trials and
afflictions; which the apostle farther reproves, verse 12. The
first despise the assistance of the Holy Ghost through pride
of heart; the latter refuse it through dejectedness of spirit,
and sink under the weight of their troubles. And who, almost,
is there that offends not on one of these hands? Had we not
learned to count light of the chastisements of the Lord, and
to take little notice of his dealings with us, we should find
the season of our afflictions to comprise no small portion of
our pilgrimage.
Now, there is no due management of our souls under any
affliction, so that God may have the glory of it, and
ourselves any spiritual benefit or improvement thereby, but by
the consolations of the Holy Ghost. All that our Saviour
promiseth his disciples, when he tells them of the great
trials and tribulations they were to undergo, is, "I will send
you the Spirit, the Comforter; he shall give you peace in me,
when in the world you shall have trouble. He shall guide and
direct, and keep you in all your trials". And so, the apostle
tells us, it came to pass, 2 Cor. 1: 4-6; yea, and this, under
the greatest afflictions, will carry the soul to the highest
joy, peace, rest, and contentment. So the same apostle, Rom.
5: 3, "We glory in tribulations". It is a great expression. He
had said before, "We rejoice in hope of the glory of God,"
verse 2. Yea, but what if manifold afflictions and
tribulations befall us? "Why, even in them also we glory,"
saith he; "we glory in our tribulations." But whence is it
that our spirits are so borne up to a due management of
afflictions, as to glory in them in the Lord? He tells us,
verse 5, it is from the "shedding abroad of the love of God in
our hearts by the Holy Ghost." And thence are believers said
to "receive the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Ghost," l Thess. 1: 6; and to "take joyfully the spoiling of
their goods". This is that I aim at: - there is no management
nor improvement of any affliction, but merely and solely by
the consolations of the Holy Ghost. Is it, then, of any esteem
or value unto you that you lose not all your trials,
temptations, and affliction? - learn to value that whereby
alone they are rendered useful.
2. Sin is the second burden of our lives, and much the
greatest. Unto this is this consolation peculiarly suited. So
Heb. 6: 17, 18, an allusion is taken from the manslayer under
the law, who, having killed a man unawares, and brought the
guilt of his blood upon himself, fled with speed for his
deliverance to the city of refuge. Our great and only refuge
from the guilt of sin is the Lord Jesus Christ; in our flying
to him, does the Spirit administer consolation to us. A sense
of sin fills the heart with troubles and disquietness; it is
the Holy Ghost which gives us peace in Christ, - that gives an
apprehension of wrath; the Holy Ghost sheds abroad the love of
God in our hearts; - from thence does Satan and the law accuse
us, as objects of God's hatred; the Spirit bears witness with
our spirits that we are the children of God. There is not any
one engine or instrument that sin useth or sets up against our
peace, but one effect or other of the Holy Ghost towards us is
suited and fitted to the casting of it down.
3. In the whole course of our obedience are his
consolations necessary also, that we may go through with it
cheerfully, willingly, patiently to the end. This will
afterward be more fully discovered, as to particulars, when I
come to give directions for our communion with this blessed
Comforter. In a word, in all the concernments of this life,
and in our whole expectation of another, we stand in need of
the consolations of the Holy Ghost.
Without them, we shall either despise afflictions or faint
under them, and God be neglected as to his intendments in
them.
Without them, sin will either harden us to a contempt of
it, or cast us down to a neglect of the remedies graciously
provided against it.
Without them, duties will either puff us up with pride, or
leave us without that sweetness which is in new obedience.
Without them, prosperity will make us carnal, sensual, and
to take up our contentment in these things, and utterly weaken
us for the trials of adversity.
Without them, the comforts of our relations will separate
us from God, and the loss of them make our hearts as Nabal's.
Without them, the calamity of the church will overwhelm
us, and the prosperity of the church will not concern us.
Without them, we shall have wisdom, for no work, peace in
no condition, strength for no duty, success in no trial, joy
in no state, - no comfort in life, no light in death.
Now, our afflictions, our sins, and our obedience, with
the attendancies of them respectively, are the great
concernments of our lives. What we are in reference unto God
is comprised in them, and the due management of them, with
their contraries, which come under the same rule; through all
these does there run a line of consolation from the Holy
Ghost, that gives us a joyful issue throughout. How sad is the
condition of poor souls destitute of these consolations. What
poor shifts are they forced to retake themselves unto! what
giants have they to encounter in their own strength! and
whether they are conquered or seem to conquer, they have
nothing but the misery of their trials!
The SECOND thing considerable, to teach us to put a due
valuation on the consolations of the Holy Ghost, is the matter
of them, or that wherewith he comforts us. Now, this may be
referred to the two heads that I have formerly treated of, -
the love of the Father, and the grace of the Son. All the
consolations of the Holy ghost consist in his acquainting us
with, and communicating unto us, the love of the Father and
the grace of the Son; nor is there any thing in the one or the
other but he makes it a matter of consolation to us: so that,
indeed, we have our communion with the Father in his love, and
the Son in his grace, by the operation of the Holy Ghost.
1. He communicates to us, and acquaints us with, the love
of the Father. Having informed his disciples with that ground
and foundation of their consolation which by the Comforter
they should receive, our blessed Saviour (John 16: 27) shuts
up all in this, "The father himself loveth you." This is that
which the Comforter is given to acquaint us withal, - even
that God is the Father, and that he loves us. In particular,
that the Father, the first person in the Trinity, considered
so distinctly, loves us. On this account is he said so often
to come forth from the Father, because he comes in pursuit of
his love, and to acquaint the hearts of believers therewith,
that they may be comforted and established. By persuading us
of the eternal and unchangeable love of the Father, he fills
us with consolation. And, indeed, all the effects of the Holy
Ghost before mentioned have their tendency this way. Of this
love and its transcendent excellency you heard at large
before. Whatever is desirable in it is thus communicated to us
by the Holy Ghost. A sense of this is able not only to relieve
us, but to make us in every condition to rejoice with joy
unspeakable and glorious. It is not with an increase of corn,
and wine, and oil, but with the shining of the countenance of
God upon us, that he comforts our souls, Ps. 4: 6, 7. "The
world hateth me," may such a soul as has the Spirit say; "but
my Father loves me. Men despise me as a hypocrite; but my
Father loves me as a child. I am poor in this world; but I
have a rich inheritance in the love of my Father. I am
straitened in all things; but there is bread enough in my
Father's house. I mourn in secret under the power of my lusts
and sin, where no eyes see me; but the Father sees me, and is
full of compassion. With a sense of his kindness, which is
better than life, I rejoice in tribulation, glory in
affliction, triumph as a conqueror. Though I am killed all the
day long, all my sorrows have a bottom that may be fathomed, -
my trials, bounds that may be compassed; but the breadth, and
depth, and height of the love of the Father, who can express?"
I might render glorious this way of the Spirit's comforting us
with the love of the Father, by comparing it with all other
causes and means of joy and consolation whatever; and so
discover their emptiness, its fulness, - their nothingness,
its being all; as also by revealing the properties of it
before rehearsed.
2. Again: he does it by communicating to us, and
acquainting us with, the grace of Christ, - all the fruits of
his purchase, all the desirableness of his person, as we are
interested in him. The grace of Christ, as I formerly
discoursed of at large, is referred to two heads, - the grace
of his person, and of his office and work. By both them does
the Holy Ghost administer consolation to us, John 16: 14. He
glorifies Christ by revealing his excellencies and
desirableness to believers, as the "chiefest of ten thousand,
- altogether lovely," and then he shows them of the things of
Christ, - his love, grace, all the fruits of his death,
suffering, resurrection, and intercession: and with these
supports their hearts and souls. And here, whatever is of
refreshment in the pardon of sin, deliverance from the curse,
and wrath to come, in justification and adoption, with the
innumerable privileges attending them in the hope of glory
given unto us, comes in on this head of account.
THIRDLY. The principle and fountain of all his acting for
our consolation comes next under consideration, to the same
end; and this leads us a little nearer to the communion
intended to be directed in. Now, this is his own great love
and infinite condescension. He willingly proceedeth or comes
forth from the Father to be our comforter. He knew what we
were, and what we could do, and what would be our dealings
with him, - he knew we would grieve him, provoke him, quench
his motions, defile his dwelling-place; and yet he would come
to be our comforter. Want of a due consideration of this great
love of the Holy Ghost weakens all the principles of our
obedience. Did this dwell and abide upon our hearts, what a
dear valuation must we needs put upon all his operations and
acting towards us! Nothing, indeed, is valuable but what comes
from love and good-will. This is the way the Scripture takes
to raise up our hearts to a right and due estimation of our
redemption by Jesus Christ. It tells us that he did it freely;
that of his own will he has laid down his life; that he did it
out of love. "In this was manifested the love of God, that he
laid down his life for us;" "He loved us, and gave himself for
us;" "He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own
blood." Hereunto it adds our state and condition, considered
as he undertook for us, - sinners, enemies, dead, alienated;
then he loved us, and died for us, and washed us with his
blood. May we not hence, also, have a valuation of the
dispensation of the Spirit for our consolation? He proceeds to
that end from the Father; he distributes as he will, works as
he pleaseth. And what are we, towards whom he carrieth on this
work? Froward, perverse, unthankful; grieving, vexing,
provoking him. Yet in his love and tenderness does he continue
to do us good. Let us by faith consider this love of the Holy
Ghost. It is the head and source of all the communion we have
with him in this life. This is, as I said, spoken only to
prepare our hearts to the communion proposed; and what a
little portion is it of what might be spoken! How might all
these considerations be aggravated! what a numberless number
might be added! It suffices that, from what is spoken, it
appears that the work in hand is amongst the greatest duties
and most excellent privileges of the gospel.
Owen, Of Communion With God
(continued in File 25...)
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