Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-11-06
THE HOLY SPIRITS WORK
LESSON VI, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, NOV 8.


nit Verses. 10. I4-Goiden Text. John
xvi, I3-Commentary by the Rev. ID. VI.
Stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by
permission of II. $. Hoffman, publisher, Phil
adelpha.
|. "These things have spoken unto you,
that we should not be offended"
Instead of "be offended" the revised
version says "be made to stumble" 1t is
written in Us. cxix, l65, Great peace have
they which love the law, and nothing shall
offend them" Or, as in the margin, "They
shall have no stumbling block"
9 They shall put you out of the syna
gogues. Yea, the time cometh, that who
soever killeth you wiz think that he doeth
God service"
The man who was born blind had al
ready been cast out for His sake (chapter
tx, 35), and that was but sample of
what should happen to them How any
one could think that he was serving God
by putting fellow creature to death in
the name of religion is explained by the
confession of Paul in Acts XVI, oil, and
in Acts xiii, |, he says he did it with a
good conscience before God In his epistle
to the Romans and to the Philippians no
+
norance of God and His righteousness, and
in the pride of his own self righteousness
Rom. X, 3, Phil iii, 6, 81
B. And these things will they do unto
you, because they have not known che
Father nor Me"
L. But these things have told you, that
when the time shall come ye may remem
Der that | told you of them
In His great love He fOrewarns them
that they may not be surprised nor dis
mayed when the events come to pass 50
the Word Of God tells us of the events of
the last days, that as they come we may
remember how all was foretold and not
be discouraged by otherwise perpleNiug
events Instead of looking for the CONVEX
sion of the world, those who believe God
look for perilous times, a form of Godliness
without power, lovers of pleasure, scoiIers
at His coming I'll Tim iii, 10. II Pet
iii, 3, A.
/ And these things said not unto you at
the beginning because | was with YOU.
j. But now 20 My way to Him that
sent Me- and none of You asketh Me
Whittier goest Thou?'
One of the uppermost facts in the mind
of Christ was that the Father sent Him,
for in this Gospel alone He makes mention
I
came from God and was going back to God
/ Chapter xiii, - was to Him an ever present
reality So real was the unseen to Him
/ that He seems surprised that they do not
ask Him about it. If very rich friend
should visit us in a humble home, and tell
us much Of the grand estate where he lived.
and to which he had given us cordial in
vitation to come and make it our home he
would think it strange if we had nothing
to say about the joys he set before us
6. But because have said these things
unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart"
Z. Nevertheless tell you the truth. it
is eXpedent for you that 20 away"
This should have satisfied and quieted
them. Their response should have been,
at is the Lord, let Him do what seemet h
Him good" or, Just and true are Thy
ways" q Sam. ill., 49, Hos. xiv. o: Rev
XIV, 81.
For if go not away the comforter will
not come unto you; but if | depart will
send Him unto you"
s. And when He is come, He will re-
prove tor convict) the world of sin, and OF
righteousness, and of Judgment"
1t is wrong to speak of the Spirit as ar
influence, thing, it; the Spirit is person.
Observe the pronoun "IIe" in these chap
V, =,
4, His oneness with God
o. "Of sin. because they believe not on
Me-"
This is the sin of all sins. "He that be-
lieveth not is condemned already, because
he hath not believed in the name of the
only bc"otten Son of God" (John iii, lS).
10. "Of righteousness, because 20 to the
Father and We see Me no more"
The presence of the Spirit is proof that a
righteous God has given Christ a seat at
His right hand. His own people, Israel
condemned Him to death, but God raised
Him up and gave Him glory, and said unto
Him, "Sit Thou at Ny right hand till |
make Thy foes Thy footstool' Il Pet. l. 81:
Acts ii, "a, 35).
II. "Of judgment, because the prince OF
this world is judged"
In chapter xii, 81, He said, Nov is the
judgment of this world, now shall the
prince of this world be cast out" Some
times this work of the Spirit is spoken OF
as if verse read Judgment to come" but
that expression is found in Acts xiv, %
this refers to the judgment of him who has
the power of death on Calvary
II Il have yet many things to say unto
you, but we cannot bear them now"
So slow were they to understand that
ne salu 10 fhlIlp, have been 81 long
time with you and yet hast thou not
known Me?" xiv, 81. Reminding us also
of Paups words concerning Melchsedec,
"Of whom we have many things to say
and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull
of hearing" Heb. V, ID
H. How be it when He, the Spirit OF
Truth is come. He will guide you into all
truth"
This seems 10 give the light upon their
inability of which He spoke in the previous
verse. What a glorious word this is fol
all who have received the Spirit We have
His book and we have Himself, and we
have this promise of Him who gave us
both the book and the author that He will
cause us to know the truth. There is
therefore no need for any one TO remain in
darkness concerning anything that is re
vealed.
For He shall not speak of Himself, but
whatsoever He shall hear that shall He
speak, and He will show you things tC
come"
The Spirit will not speak about Himself,
nor will he speak from Himself: He testi
ties of Christ and speaks only what the
Father tells Him How both Jesus and
the Spirit unite to glorify the Father.
What emphasis it gives to such a word AS
"Glorify God. "Whatsoever ye do, do all