Wesley Corpus

It is granted, that he interprets not only John xvi. 13, but also both the passages in the fourteenth chapter, as primarily belonging to the Apostles. Yet part of his comment on the twenty-sixth verse is as follows: “Such is that grace,” of the Comforter, “that if it finds sad ness, it takes it away; if evil desire, it consumes it. It casts out fear, and suffers him that receives it to be a man no longer, but translates him, as it were, into heaven. Hence “none of them counted anything his own, but continued in prayer, with glad ness and singleness of heart. For this chiefly is their need of the Holy Ghost; for the fruit of the Spirit is joy, peace, faith, meekness. Indeed spiritual men often grieve; but that grief is sweeter than joy: For whatever is of the Spirit is the great est gain, as whatever is of the world is the greatest loss. Let us therefore in keeping the commandments,” according to our Lord’s exhortation, verse 15, “secure the unconquerable assist ance of the Spirit, and we shall be nothing inferior to angels.” St. Chrysostom here, after he had shown that the promise of the Comforter primarily belonged to the Apostles, (and who ever questioned it?) undemiably teaches, that, in a secondary sense, it belongs to all Christians; to all spiritual men, all who keep the commandments. I appeal, therefore, to all mankind, whether his authority, touching the promiseof our Lord in these texts, does not overthrow the proposition it was cited to prove? Although your Lordship names no other author here, yet you say, “The assigned sense of these passages was confirmed by the authority of Origen.” (P. 42.) It is needful, therefore, to add what occursin his Works with regard to the presentquestion. He occasionally mentions this promise of our Lord, in four several places. But it is in one only that he speaks perti nently to the point in hand, (vol. ii., p. 403, Edit. Bened.) where his words are these :-- “‘When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, and he will teach you all things.’ The sum of all good things consists in this, that a man be found worthy to receive the grace of the Holy Ghost.