called to endure in consequence of their attachment to Him, and their obedience to His commands. He calls Him another Comforter, because the Spirit was to comfort them in a different manner from that in which He Himself had given them comfort. It was not by means of the bodily presence of any Person that they were to receive the promised consolation; but they were to look for it to an invisible Being, whose spiritual influence they were to receive. Yet this other Comforter was so identified with Himself, that in reference to His gracious influences He could say, I will not leave you comfortless, as orphans deprived of their Protector, I will come to you, and again, Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Thus while sending to them another Comforter, He was Himself present with them in an invisible manner, to comfort their hearts under all the sorrows and trials of this life, to protect them from all evil, and to establish them in every good word and work: and this in a more effectual manner than could have been done while He was with them in the body. For while He was on earth their minds were so occupied with ideas of temporal advancement and prosperity, that they could not comprehend those things which were merely spiritual.

88

87 John xiv. 18.

88 Matthew xxviii. 20.

But the word here rendered Comforter has a more extended signification than is implied in that expression. It is also applied to our Lord Jesus Christ, and then it is rendered Advocate. We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.89 And it is probably in reference to this meaning of the word, that it is said, The Spirit maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God, with groanings which cannot be uttered.90 From which we may learn, that we are not only to look for His influence upon our souls to comfort us under all the troubles of life; but we are also to observe, that it is from His grace all holy desires proceed. It is His influence upon the minds of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, which produces longing and earnest desires after spiritual and heavenly blessings; not the loud groanings which are intended to reach the ears of our fellow-creatures, and excite perhaps their sympathy and compassion; but those which cannot be uttered, and which, though they are not loud but deep, enter into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth;91 and bring down answers of peace and consolation in His due time. It is this praying in the Holy Ghost,92 which is also called effectual fervent prayer, that prevaileth much,91 and obtains unspeakable blessings from the God of all grace, through Christ

89 1 John ii. 1. 90 Rom. viii. 26, 27. 91 James v. 4, 16. 92 Jude 20.

Jesus. May the Spirit of grace and of supplications be vouchsafed to us, that we may thus worship God in the Spirit;93 and that our fellowship being with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ, we may walk humbly with our God, and may rejoice in His salvation.

The Holy Ghost is also called by our Saviour, the Spirit of truth: the reason of which He mentions in the next chapter: When He the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth. The disciples of Christ were not in a fit state of mind to receive the instructions which He was desirous to communicate to them, while He was with them. He said to them on this subject, I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.95 Their disappointment would have been so grievous, if an end had been put to all their expectations of earthly greatness while He was with them, that the natural consequence of it would have been their going back and walking no more with Him, as others had done before.96 But by seeing the treatment which their Lord and Master received from an ungodly world, the veil was in a measure removed from their minds; and their attention was turned from temporal to spiritual things. So that when the Holy Ghost descended upon them on the day of Pentecost,

93 Philip. iii.3. 941 John i. 3. 95 John xvi. 12, 13. 96 John vi. 66.

they were ready to proclaim the spiritual blessings of the kingdom of Christ, as of infinitely greater value than the earthly prosperity upon which their carnal minds had before been set. And then they looked indeed to the Spirit of truth to guide them into all the truth as it is in Jesus,97 that they might testify the gospel of the grace of God 98 to all around them, and might also enjoy the consolation of it in their own souls. Let us seek for the influence of the Spirit of truth to be vouchsafed to us, to apply the word of the truth of the gospel to our hearts, that we may receive the truth in the love of it, and may grow thereby.

The object of His testimony is declared by our Saviour, He shall testify of Me. The manner in which He should bear testimony to Christ is explained subsequently; which may be briefly summed up by observing, that the Spirit of truth testifies to the hearts and consciences of those to whom He comes, as the witness for the Lord Jesus, that there is no pardon of sin to be obtained but through a reliance on His atonement; or by believing in Him as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world:99 that there is no possibility of justification before God, or of being accounted righteous in His sight, but by a reliance on the obedience unto death of

97 Ephesians iv. 24.

98 Acts xx. 24.

99 John i. 29.

the Redeemer of mankind; and no access with acceptance into the Divine presence, but through His intercession at the right hand of the Majesty on high. There is no way of obtaining the victory over the Prince of darkness, and the world, and the flesh, which are in league with Satan, and under his dominion, but through faith in Him who is the Conqueror of death and hell; and who, having Himself overcome the enemy of souls, will enable His believing people always to triumph, in His strength, over all the power of the adversary of God and man. May the Spirit of truth bear His testimony to our hearts on these subjects; that we may enjoy pardon and peace with God, and victory over the enemies of our souls, through faith in Christ Jesus; that His Name may be glorified in us and by us.

care.

The end to be obtained by means of the testimony of the Holy Ghost concerning Jesus Christ and His great salvation, is, reconciliation with God, and the enjoyment of His paternal love and This is intimated by its being said, that He proceedeth from the Father. The love of the Father gave the Son to be the Redeemer of lost sinners; and it also sends the Spirit of truth to apply to the hearts of the children of God the redemption of Christ, that they may receive and enjoy its blessings: so that through Christ1

1 Ephesians ii. 18.