Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1886-09-09
MISSION OF THE SPIRIT.
DR.. JOHN HALLS NOTES ON THE
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Lesson Nj of the International Series for
Sunday, Sept. 12-Golden Text: He
Will Guide You Into All Truth John
XVI, $50.

We have the New Testament and the his
tory of the Christian Church, but we must re-
member the disciples had not. They had
given up all for Christ. To find him gone,
themselves alone and hated because of him
Tvs. l, p might well make them doubt all he
had taught them, or stumble. Hence our
lesson was taught them ". l, Revision),
"that We should not be made to stumble If
on the other hand they could only remember
and understand his words they would be all
the stronger. This is just what he told us;
he is the faithful witness" they would say
So he says ". A. these things have l." etc.
But how could they be made to remember
and understand. The answer to that ques-
ton we are now to get, and it is to be studied
in the light of these facts. Let US put our
selves in the place of this little company and
try to imagine their feelings, and we shall the
better see the meaning.
l. Their situation Tvs so. Jesus was
going his way to him that sent him. He
came from God and went to God. He was
to go back when his work on earth was done,
and it was soon to be finished" "None of
you," says he, tasks me, Whittier goest thou?"
This seems to contradict John xiii, Sc, but only
seems" Reverting to the explanation given
of that passage, it is seen that Peter was
speaking of some place on earth, in Judea, to
which he thought Jesus going. But Jesus is
speaking here of going from earth and to be
glorified in heaven, and none of them
took in the idea clearly enough to ask
about his destination and work when he
left the earth His meaning is, ~You do
not take in the great crisis, and what am to
effect after going away" They were not un-
a
and not thinking of the great gain that would
come from His glorification in other forms.
They were in this just what we are. God
takes away known blessings, and we are filed
with sorrow and brood on our loss, when we
should think of what we shall gain in other
ways through the loss, in graces, in expert
ence and in fresh forms of help from Gods
hand
He is telling them the truth: 1t was "expe-
dent" fit, proper, a part of the divine plan,
a necessary part, that He should go away.
Why "expedient?" U He was to sit at Gods
right hand (Ps. cx, y. q His ascension was
to be the proof of Gods being satisfied with
His work (Acts ii, 80, 81. 81 The divine Or
der was, first let law be satisfied, then this
great gift of the Spirit may be given to "even
the rebellious' (Ps xviii, 1S). a. 1t is need
lul llldJ luC IAC OSIltNOlSy
walk by faith, not by sight No. is the
great reason Christ here dwells upon. "If l
depart, will send Him unto you" How
much they needed to have all this made plain
the latter history shows. They counted all at
an end when they saw Him buried You do
not find one of them saying, "Now, brethren,
let US look for the Comforter, till Jesus came
and told them what to do. GSee Luke xiv,
40, and Acts i, 4, 5.
II. What the Comforter was to do ". S-15.
The word in Greek is that which we make
Paraclete. 1t may mean also advocate. 1t
represents one who explains, vindicates and
so gives relief. Hence tho word "reprove,"
or as it is better in the revision, convict"
The world, l. e., the men and women now in
''the world" that is, not in Christ, not be-
Ieving, have to be convicted of sin. So it is
with all men naturally. II am not sinner;
am as good as others; there is an excuse for
any little wrong thing 1 did; l can make all
right and turn round whenI please" So they
reason. They only say, "God be merciful to
me a sinner" when the spirit has shown them
Gods law, character, claims and their
own badness. Especially ". 81 have such
to be shown their guilt in not believ-
ing in Jesus This is to all who
near IQG ROSptl luc Sill VI olIlS. Ills
was the crowning sin of the Jews. Christ
was rejected. But when sensible of sin the
question is, What can we do? How can we
get righteousness? And the first idea is, work
it out Stop SHINING Watch yourself Do
good And, so influenced, men often go on
and say, work righteousness by Furnishing
yourself. First, go without sleep, clothes,
homes, live in caves and dens, go into monas-
teries, and so lay up Righteousness But the
Spirit shows that that is not the kind of right
eousness needed. 1t is not perfect; it is not
righteousness at all. and even if it were. it is
needed for the present, and does not cancel
the past The Spirit shows that the right
eousness-which is perfect-is Christ's, done
and finished on the earth. That is the mean-
ing of V. 10, which explains what is said in
VS..
But one may say, How can this righteous
ness, of another, do us any good? That is
where Judgment comes in. He is not speak
ing of the great and general Judgment. See
the Revision ON V. II. 1t is thing then past,
l. G., when the Comforter is doing his work,
"the prince of this world hath been judged"
Put it thus: Satan could say Of men, "They
belong to me, they sinned, they are my SER
wants, not Gods. They have no claim
to heaven. They are to be with me-"
His case was good so far. They were debt
ors, criminals, and justice demanded pun
ishment. But Jesus came, paid the debt,
bore the guilt and destroyed this plea,
secured Judgment against Satan. So God
is "just, and yet the justifier of him that be-
ieveth." This is the substance of the gospel
system, and men need the Holy Ghost to
convict them of all this. Hence the need of
prayer for the Holy Spirit. 1t is a remark
able thing that the bitterest foes of Christi
anity own the personal goodness, righteous
ness of Jesus.
When ". ~, he says, II have many
but ye cannot bear them now," he is not
speaking of more trouble on them, but of
their inability to understand him then. The
history of the disciples after his death, and
before the Spirit came shows the truth of that
But
". 12) they would be guided into all truth;
the Spirit would not speak of himself. He is
person, a divine person; but as in the plan
of salvation Jesus forgets self for us, so the
Holy Spirit leaves much about himself and
about his ways of working John iii, s. in
mystery, that he may reveal the things
of Christ and show things to come, their
duty, their position, their privileges and their
prospects.
So ". 14 He glorifies Christ, makes men
understand His real dignity and honor and
mighty saving work. Then they see that He
is not only matchless teacher and holy
man, not only rounding mind and giving men
a new ideal, but saving them by satisfying
law, making atonement taking the plea out
of Satans mouth, and enabling saints to say,
"Who is He that condemneth!" Rom. viii, 80.
And this is not honoring the Son too much,
and forgetting God the Father as it We're, for
". 15 "all things that the Father hath" etc.
Could any mere creature say this trulyl
III. Their perplexity. Jesus said, "Ye
cannot BEAR" etc, V. Il. They prove that
without meaning it. Now they take in what
Peter did not in xiii, 81, that he is not speak
ing of going somewhere else on earth, but of
going to the Father in "little while" He
tells them as much as they can bear. 1t will
be sorrow in the first instance, and ''the world
will rejoice" men will think, snow we have
got rid of this troubler, but joy afterwards;
darkness first, but light afterwards. We
shall see the meaning of this as we proceed
with the history of the crucifixion, the resur-
rection and ascension, and the scenes of
Psntecost.
From this lesson we may see:
II How slow man is to learn spiritual