Page:A Compendium of the Chief Doctrines of the True Christian Religion.djvu/36

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A COMPENDIUM OF THE

fied body from the Father, or divine essence within him. Hence the Holy Spirit, called also the Spirit of truth, and the Comforter, becomes a new character of the Lord, arising out of the incarnation of himself, as divine truth, or as the Word, and his subsequent glorification: and hence it is written, "I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. When he the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself. He shall glorify me; for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath, are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you," John xvi. 7, 13 to 15. Again, "The Holy Spirit was not yet, because that Jesus was not yet glorified," John vii. 39. But after his glorification, "Jesus breathed on his disciples, and saith, Receive ye the Holy Spirit," John xx. 22.

In these passages the Holy Spirit, though apparently represented as a distinct person by himself, yet cannot in reality be considered as such; because it is expressly said of him, that he shall not speak of himself, but shall take of the Lord's; that there was no Holy Spirit until the glorification of Jesus; and lastly, that the breath, or divine truth, proceeding from him, after his glorification, is the Holy Spirit. It further appears from the circumstance of there having been no Holy Spirit until the glorification of Jesus, that in some respects it is to be distinguished from the Spirit of Jehovah, or even the Spirit of holiness, which existed prior to the incarnation. And it is remarkable, that in the original of the Old Testament the term Holy Spirit is not so much as once