his conversations with them on the day before his crucifixion, this promise is repeated no less than four or five times, once in the words of our text, once in the xv. and twice in the xiv. chapter. "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." To which we may add another passage, in the chapter from which our Text is taken, "Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth." I have brought these passages together, because they mutually throw light upon each other, and seem sufficient to satisfy any reasonable man respecting the nature and attributes of the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. In the first place, it is manifest that the Holy Ghost is a Person. The last quoted passage is of itself sufficient to establish this, "When he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”—HE, the Spirit of Truth.-The expression is pointed, studiously accurate, and manifestly intended to mark the personality of the Spirit of Truth. The other texts produced contain strong confirmations of the same doctrine. "The Comforter, whom I will send unto you from the Father, He shall testify of me." "The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, HE shall teach you all things." In both these passages, as well as in the preceding, the pointed use of the personal pronoun clearly indicates the personality of the Holy Ghost. The next contains a different, but not less evident indication of the same truth. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter"-Another Comforter-Surely it must have been understood from these words, that the other Comforter was to be a similar Being to the one who was about to leave them, namely to the Divine Person who then addressed them. Taking, then, these passages together, no one can reasonably wish for clearer proof than they afford, that the Holy Ghost is a person. Nor do they less clearly shew, that he is a different person from the Father and from the Son. Different from the Father, because he is "given by the Father, sent by the Father, sent from the Father," and "proceedeth from the Father." Different from the Son, because he is "another comforter," whose coming depended upon the Son's departure;' because he is "sent in the name of the Son," to "testify of the Son," and because he proceedeth from the Son as well as from the Father, inasmuch as he is "sent by the Son," and is "the Spirit of the Son," as absolutely and truly, as he is sent by the Father, and is the Spirit of the Father. As a person, therefore, the Holy Ghost is distinct from the Father and from the Son. But, as of the same Divine nature, he cannot be distinguished from either; for, as we shall now proceed to shew, He is very and eternal God. His coming was to compensate, yea, and more than compensate, for the departure of our Lord. "I tell you the truth. It is expedient for you that go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you." What sort of person, 1 Gal. iv. 6. then, must this Comforter be, whose coming is more advantageous than the continued presence of the Son of God? Surely he must possess equal power, wisdom, and goodness, to protect, instruct, comfort, and support the brethren, during the fiery trials that awaited them. But he who is equal to God the Son in power, and wisdom, and goodness, must be possessed of infinite power, infinite wisdom, infinite goodness, that is, of the power, and wisdom, and goodness of God. Thus the words of our text alone would serve to prove, that the Holy Ghost is God. 2 The same inference may be drawn from the very titles by which he is distinguished. "The Holy Ghost," that is, the Spirit essentially and pre-eminently HOLY, which is the most adorable attribute of God, a glory that belongs to no other. For “there is none holy as the Lord." God is " THE HOLY ONE;"3" the Holy One of Israel ;"4" holy and reverend is his name.' "5 The term holy is indeed applied, in a subordinate sense, to persons and things that have been sanctified, or that have been consecrated to the service of the Most Holy; but the whole tenor of Christ's discourse, as well as all 4 Ps. lxxi. 22. 2 1 Sam. ii. 2. 3 Hos. xi. 9. that has been recorded of the office of the Comforter, shews that it is not applied to Him in any subordinate sense. We never read that He was sanctified or made obedient; but that, by his own inherent efficacy, and spontaneous co-operation with the Father and the Son, He sanctifieth the elect unto obedience.7 The title Holy is, therefore, applied to the Spirit in its highest and most absolute sense. And that it could not be so applied by our Lord to any but God alone, is manifest from the decided manner in which he himself declined a similar title, when applied to him as Man, during his state of trial and humiliation. (E) “Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God." So also there is none holy but one, namely, God; and that Spirit, whose distinguishing title is the Holy, must be God. A similar argument may be drawn from his being called "the Spirit of Truth ;" for " He that is true," as well as "He that is holy," is God. He is elsewhere called "The Spirit of Wisdom," in that superlative sense in which "God only is wise."2 And, to crown all his titles, he is called "The Spi 6 Compare John, xvi. 13—15, with v. 19-21; and see Note (c.) 7 1 Pet. i. 2. 8 Matt. xix. 17. 9 Rev. iii. 7. 1 Ephes. i. 17. 2 Jude, 25. |