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SERMON XV.

THE ABIDING OF THE COMFORTER

"JESUS SAID

CONDITIONAL,

For Whit-Sunday.

S. JOHN XIV. 15, 16.1

UNTO HIS DISCIPLES, IF YE LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. AND I WILL PRAY THE FATHER, AND HE SHALL GIVE YOU ANOTHER COMFORTER, THAT HE MAY ABIDE WITH YOU FOR EVER."

TO-DAY the Church celebrates the Coming of the "HOLY GHOST, the COMFORTER;" I therefore propose to consider our state in reference to the Descent of the HOLY SPIRIT, according to CHRIST's promise given to His disciples.

He promised to send them in their igno1 The Gospel for the day.

rance, a Guide into all truth:' in their orphanhood of HIM, a Comforter:2 in their corruption, a Sanctifier: in their forgetfulness, a Remembrancer, to "bring all things to their remembrance, whatsoever He had said unto them :" in the world of sin around them, a Reprover, "a Reprover of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:" in the silence of their hearts, a Speaker, WHO should "not speak of HIMSELF, but whatsoever He should hear that should He speak, and should show them things to come.

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But, in the text, our Blessed LORD adds something which is, in very deed, to us of the deepest moment, I mean that promise that the COMFORTER should "abide with " HIS Church "for ever." 226 I say to us of the deepest moment, for if we find, as we do, so much difficulty in overcoming the corruption of our nature even with the aid of GOD the HOLY GHOST, what would have been our state had we been left comfortless? Blessed

1 S. John xvi. 13. The Gospel for the fourth Sunday after Easter.

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2 S. John xiv. 18.

3 S. John xv. 26; compare with xvii. 17.

4 S. John xiv. 26.

6 S. John xiv. 16.

5 S. John xvi. 8, 13.

be God the HOLY GHOST, that we are not comfortless, but that "HE dwelleth with us," yea, "dwelleth in us.""

Such then is the state of every Christian in CHRIST's Church on earth. By nature they can do nothing, but sin-GOD'S HOLY SPIRIT by grace enables them to do all things. Yet destroys HE not their free will, nor their free agency. Consecrated to GOD in Holy Baptism, they may, if they choose, lead unholy lives, and "defile His Holy Name." "Drawn with cords of a man, and with bands of love," they may “draw back unto perdition."3 Having had "their names written in Heaven," they may cause the LORD to "blot out their names from the Book of Life." Having "put off the old man, and put on the new man," they may forsake CHRIST, and follow the Evil One. Many are called, who refuse to obey their calling. Many receive the talents of God's HOLY SPIRIT, and squander them away, or bury them in the earth. Many have received

1 Rom. viii. 9, 11; 1 Cor. iii. 16; 2 Tim. i. 14. 3 Hos. xi. 4; Heb. x. 39.

2 Ezek. xliii. 7, 8,

4 S. Luke x. 20; Rev. iii. 5.

5 Col. iii. 9, 10.

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a crown of immortality, and suffer Satan to come and "take away their crown."" Mansions are prepared in a Heavenly FATHER'S House for prodigals, who will never" arise and go to their FATHER." Many have been made heirs of Heaven, who cause their FATHER to "disinherit" them, and to make them "know His breach of promise!'" So then the fault is in themselves. "GOD is no respecter of persons." It is His will that all Christians should, having been brought to CHRIST, be saved, and that for ever. He gives HIS HOLY SPIRIT to all of us alike, at our entrance into His Holy Church, and tells us that if we will but obey HIM, we shall be sure to be led aright; that "then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD." And we may infer all this from the manner in which our Blessed LORD, in the words of the text, connects the keeping of His commandments with the perpetual abiding of the COMFORTER with us.

And yet are there those to be found who lull themselves into slothful security, and cheat themselves into the notion that, since

1 Rev. iii. 11. 3 Acts x. 34.

2 Num. xiv. 12, 34.
4 Hos. vi. 3.

by nature man can do nothing for himself towards winning Heaven, they must wait until the HOLY SPIRIT Works within themand then, they would make themselves believe, then they shall repent, and amend. "Oh! that there were such a heart in them "" that they would see how God's HOLY SPIRIT has, from the beginning, worked in them, and led them in the right road, and urged them on in their Heaven-ward course, while they have sluggishly lingered behind, and refused to follow. Wanderers they remain -because they will not follow their Guide into all truth: comfortless-for they "will not be comforted :" corrupt--because they "return from their washing to their wallowing in the mire :" forgetful—because they "do not like to retain GOD in their knowledge:" hardened-because they choose to "harden their hearts," as Pharaoh in Egypt, and their forefathers in the wilderness: deaf -because their ears have they themselves closed, "like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ears, which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely." And

1 Deut. v. 29.

3 2 S. Peter ii. 22.

2 S. Matt. ii. 18.

4 Rom. i. 28.

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