THE HOLY GHOST.--ITS POWER.
As the time drew near for Jesus to make his great sacrifice, and then
depart from the immediate presence of his disciples, he manifested a
great desire to comfort them in prospect of this separation, and this
he did by promising to send to them from the Father the Holy Ghost,
that he might abide with them for ever;[A] and in explaining to them
the powers of this Spirit, he said: "But 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."
[Footnote A: John xiv: 16, 26.]
In continuation of his remarks on this subject, he told them he had
many things to say unto them, but they could not bear them at that
time. "Howbeit," said he, "when he, the Spirit of Truth, is come, he
will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself: but
whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak: and he will show you
things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine,
and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine:
Therefore, said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto
you."[B]
[Footnote B: John xvi: 13-15.]
From these passages four important things are learned respecting the
powers of the Holy Ghost:
I. That he will teach all things; and, what is equivalent, "guide into
all truth."
II. He will bring all things to remembrance, that is, whatsoever things
have been stored in the mind.
III. He will show things to come.
IV. He will take of the things of God and reveal them unto men.
Of the excellence and importance of these several powers it is scarcely
needful to speak, since their excellence is evident, upon the mere
enumeration of them, yet one cannot refrain from looking at them more
in detail. How excellent a thing it is to have a teacher competent to
teach all things, and guide into all truth In view of the fact that
the saints possessed the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy Ghost has these
powers, one can understand the reasonableness of John's remarks to the
saints, in which he says: "But ye have an unction from the Holy One,
and ye know all things. * * * The anointing which ye have received of
him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the
same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie,
and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him."[C]
[Footnote C: I. John ii: 20, 27.]
Moreover, to that extent that a man is guided into all truth, he is
preserved from all error. There is no danger of his being deceived,
or led astray by every wind of doctrine, or the cunning craftiness of
false teachers, so long as he is in possession of that Spirit which
guides into all truth. So taught Isaiah, who, in speaking of the time
when the house of Israel should possess this Spirit, says: "And though
the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction,
yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine
eyes shall see thy teachers: And thine ears shall hear a word behind
thee, saying. This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right
hand and when ye turn to the left."[D]
[Footnote D: Isaiah xxx: 20, 21.]
As to the second power enumerated, _viz_.: the power to bring all things
to the recollection, I maintain that it would be impossible for man to
live the law of the gospel without some such grace being conferred upon
him by the Lord. The law of the gospel requires men not only to do good
to those who do good to them, but to do good to those who despitefully
use them; not only to lend to those who lend to them, but to lend to
those of whom they can hope to receive nothing in return; to revile
not those who may revile them--in a word, the law of the gospel is
summed up in this: "Be ye not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with
good."[E]
[Footnote E: Romans xii: 21. See also Matt. v, vi.]
However fine this may be in theory, or however beautiful it may look on
paper, to carry it practically into the affairs of life is difficult.
When reviled it seems but natural to answer railing with railing, blows
with blows, and for injury inflicted, return as much in kind as is
within one's power to inflict. And unless in possession of this grace
bestowed by the Holy Ghost, _viz_., having brought to one's recollection
the things of Christ's gospel, being reminded in the very moment of
temptation of these laws--when smarting under a sense of injustice,
or suffering under wrongs heaped upon one--it would be difficult if
not impossible to live up to these heavenly precepts. But by having
the Holy Spirit as one's prompter in the moments of temptation, and by
cultivating the Christian virtue of patience, this law of the gospel,
so contrary to the natural disposition, may be complied with, and the
follower of Christ, like his Master, may be able to say for those who
inflict injury upon him, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what
they do."
Thirdly, "He will show you things to come." In other words, the Holy
Ghost is the spirit of prophecy, for by it the future has been unfolded
to the minds of the prophets; and by it the scriptures were given. In
proof of this I quote the apostle Peter: "The prophecy came not in old
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved
by the Holy Ghost,"[F] and that which they spake was written and became
scripture.
[Footnote F: II. Peter i: 21.]
When an angel visited John on Patmos and that apostle fell at his feet
to worship him, the angel said: "See thou do it not: I am thy fellow
servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus" [which
is the Holy Ghost]: "worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the
Spirit of prophecy."[G]
[Footnote G: Rev. xix: 10.]
These facts will exhibit the inconsistency, nay, I may say, the
absolutely erroneous position of those who insist that while the Holy
Ghost has continued with men, prophecy and revelation have ceased.
The very fact, as stated in the fourth item taken from these passages
under consideration, _viz_., that the Holy Ghost will take of the things
of the Lord and show them unto men, also proves that this Spirit is
one of revelation, and is in harmony with the scripture--"The Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. What man knoweth the
things of man, but the spirit of a man which is in him? Even so the
things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God."[H]
[Footnote H: I. Cor. ii: 11, 12.]
In addition to these powers there is still another, and it is an
important one. The Holy Ghost is a witness for God and Christ: "When
the Comforter is come," are the words of the Son of God, "whom I will
send unto you from the Father, * * * he will testify of me."[I] The
testimony of Paul is still more emphatic than this: "No man speaking by
the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that Jesus
is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."[J]
[Footnote I: John xv: 26.]
[Footnote J: I Cor. xii: 3.]
I have shown in my remarks on the Holy Ghost being "the Spirit of
prophecy," that that Spirit and this without which no man can say that
Jesus is the Lord--"the testimony of Jesus"--are identical. Several
other powers belonging to this Spirit are also enumerated by Paul.
He gives us to understand that "There are diversities of gifts, but
the same Spirit, and there are differences of administration, but the
same Lord. * * * But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit, the word of
wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit: to another
faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same
Spirit: To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to
another discerning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues; to
another interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and
the self same Spirit dividing to each one severally as he will."[K]
[Footnote K: I. Cor. xii: 4-22.]
In addition to this splendid array of powers and gifts of the Holy
Ghost, we are told that its fruit "is love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance."[L] Indeed we
may say, in the language of Apostle Parley P. Pratt, the Holy Spirit
adapts itself to all the organs and attributes of man. "It quickens all
the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies
all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them by the gift
of wisdom to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and
matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings
and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness,
tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form
and feature. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling.
It develops and invigorates all the faculties of the physical and
intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates and gives tone to the
nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the
heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole
being."[M]
[Footnote L: Gal. vi: 22, 23.]
[Footnote M: Key to Theology, p. 102.]
Such is the Holy Ghost and its sanctifying influence--such is the
Spirit given to those who accept the gospel, who believe in God and
Jesus Christ, who repent of their sins and are baptized for the
remission of them--then follows the baptism of the Spirit, in other
words, the reception of the Holy Ghost through the laying on of hands.
Then is developed one or more of its spiritual gifts, and its general
purifying influences; enlarging the understanding, ennobling every
thought, making pure the heart; in short, it draws man into a nearer
relationship with his God, and begins that spiritual education so
necessary to prepare him for the glorious presence of his Creator--his
Father.