men; and if it does not break out in reproach and injury, it is the effect of the restraining influences of the circumstances in which you are placed. If you dislike genuine Christianity and genuine Christians, it is because you dislike Christ; and if you dislike Christ, it is because you dislike God, being "enemies by evil works ;" and if you dislike God and Christ, it is because you do not know them aright, being “alienated from them through the ignorance that is in you;" and if you do not know them aright, it is because you will not receive the knowledge of God and Christ, "not liking" to receive nor "to retain the knowledge of God," though clearly stated and abundantly confirmed. Your ill-will and its consequences are no proper cause of shame to Christians, but they are a very proper cause of shame to yourselves. How do good men, how do angels, wonder at you?-how does the devil, whom you serve, despise you? What must the end be, if you remain in your present state-if you persist in your present course? When the true followers of Jesus Christ,-whom you would fain cover with shame,shall "shine forth like the Son in the kingdom of their Father;" and with him who is their life shall appear in glory,-shame and everlasting contempt will be your portion. When those whom you made, or would fain have made, sufferers, will have all tears wiped away from their eyes by the hand of God, you shall sink under the infliction of those sufferings which are the due reward of your malignity, and its practical results in reference to God, to Christ, and to genuine Christians, and weep, and wail, and gnash your teeth for ever. And the condemnation will be as just as it is awful-of YOU, as "of them, who know not God, and obey not the Gospel of his Son;" for "this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and ye have loved darkness rather than the light, because your deeds are evil.”1 He comes and speaks to you, as really as he did to the Jews;

1 John iii. 19.

and though you do not see the works which he did, such as no other man did, you have abundant evidence that he did them; and their power as evidence consists, not in their being seen done, but in their being done, and our knowing that they were done. There has been no want of clear statement, no want of satisfactory evidence. Your ignorance and unbelief are wilful. Inexcusable in themselves, they never can form an excuse for anything else. No, "when he punishes you, you will have nothing to answer him."

But Jesus is yet "the Saviour of the world," able and willing to save you, not in the world, but by delivering you from this evil world-by taking you out from among the world lying under the wicked one. And I cannot conclude without once more proclaiming to you the glad news of great joy, which are to all people: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so has the Son of Man been lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." Look to him and be saved, "for God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." "Hear" these words-attend to, understand, and believe them-" and your souls shall live." Shut your ear-shut your heart-to them, and you must diedie the second death, from which there is no resurrection. Remain of the world, and you must perish with the world. "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." And "He is not a man that He should repent;" "He is not slack" concerning either his promises or his threatenings. "Hath

1

1 John iii. 14-17.

22 Cor. vi. 17, 18.

He said it, and shall He not do it? hath He declared it, and shall He not bring it to pass?"

§ 4. The disciples had no reason to be discouraged by the hatred and opposition of the world.

It only remains now that we consider our Lord's statements, which show that the disciples had no reason to be discouraged in the prospect of meeting with the malignant opposition of the world.

There were two things calculated to discourage them, when they looked forward to what our Lord had assured them was awaiting them-" hatred and persecution from the world:" the first, there seemed little probability that they should succeed in their object in opposition to a hostile world; and the second, they must encounter this hostile world uncheered by the presence of him, their best friend. Our Lord meets both these causes of discouragement-the first, by assuring them that provision was made for their success, and showing them what that provision was; the second, by informing them that his going away from them, was the suitable and the appointed means of having the provision made for their success actually realised. These two heads will be found to embrace all the topics which in this paragraph remain yet to be considered.

(1.) The Holy Spirit will so testify to them and by them, as that the world shall be convinced.

With regard to the first, the provision made for their ultimate success, our Lord makes the following statements : "But 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. And ye also shall bear witness,' because ye have been with me from

"There are two inseparable witnesses of the Son of God-his Spirit, and his word: or, his Spirit working both inwardly and outwardly in the church, and his Spirit speaking by the mouths of his apostles and ministers. This is

1

the beginning." "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit 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 to you." 2 "When he is come, he will reprove," or rather as it is in the margin 'he will convince,' “the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more: of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."

With regard to the second head of encouragement, the necessity of his going away, an event in itself extremely discouraging to the disciples, being the necessary, suitable, appointed, means of having the provision made for success actually realised, he makes the following statement. "Now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whether goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless 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.' The first head of encouragement is, 'The Holy Spirit is coming;' and the second is, 'My departure is necessary to secure his coming-I will send him unto you.' Let us consider, then, these two heads of encouragement in their order.

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And first, let us attend to our Lord's statement as to the provision which has been made for the success of their great enterprise, notwithstanding the malignant, virulent, powerful, opposition of the world. That statement, on

the settled and established way of God, with which He very rarely dispenses. Let us keep to the channel, if we desire to reach the fountain."—QUESNEL. 1 John xv. 26, 27. 2 John xvi. 12-15. 3 John xvi. 8-11. John xvi. 5-7.

close examination, will be found to be this: "The Holy Spirit is coming, and his coming will secure your success.' HE, every way qualified for the office, is to be my witnessmy witness to you-my witness through you to the world— and his testimony shall be effectual in convincing the world, notwithstanding all the opposition it may make.' The disciples might well have said, had they had distincter views than they had at the time these words were addressed to them.' 'How shall we ever disciple all nations? How shall we convert the world, a prejudiced, unbelieving, hostile world? How shall we ever accomplish the work entrusted to us? Who is sufficient for these things? The answer to all these questions is, "your sufficiency is of God." The Holy Ghost is coming, and he testifying of Christ to you, and in you and by you to the world, will convince them of the truth, and thus gain for you the victory.

Let us very shortly inquire, Who this witness is? What is meant by his coming, his being sent from the Father by the Son, and proceeding from the Father? How he discharges the office of a witness to Christ, to the disciples, and to the world? and finally, How he in the discharge of this office secures the success of the great enterprise in which the disciples were about to engage ?

This witness to Christ, who was soon to come, is here termed the "Comforter,"-" the Spirit of truth;" the two appellations given to him, when first spoken of by our Lord at the sixteenth verse of the fourteenth chapter; and at the twenty-sixth verse of that chapter, he is termed "the Holy Ghost." That it is of a person and not merely of an attribute or influence that our Lord speaks, has already been abundantly established.1 His proper name is the Holy Ghost. —his character is the Spirit of truth-his office in reference to Christians, the Comforter.

As to his name, he is the Holy Ghost or Spirit, the third

This is strongly marked here. The "Spirit" a neuter word-He-not itshall testify-ixtivos. John xvi. 13.