Wesley Corpus

John’s Gospel; in which he uses these words.” In what verses, my Lord?" Why is not this specified ? unless to furnish your Lordship with an opportu nity of doing the verythings whereof you before complained,-- of “confounding passages of a quite contrary nature, and jum bling together those that relate to the extraordinary operations of the Spirit, with those that relate to his ordinary influences?” You cite the words thus: “‘When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth, and he will show you things to come.’ These are nearly the words that occur. (xvi. 13.) “And again: ‘The Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” These words occur in the fourteenth chapter, at the twenty-sixth verse.” But, my Lord, I want the original promise still; the origi mal, I mean, of those made in this very discourse. Indeed your margin tells us where it is, (xiv. 16,) but the words appear not. Taken together with the context, they run thus: “If ye love me, keep my commandments. * I take it for granted, that the citation of texts in the margin, which is totally wrong, is a blunder of the printer's. “And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever: “Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him.” (xiv. 15-17.) My Lord, suffer me to inquire why you slipped over this text. Was it not (I appeal to the Searcher of your heart 1) because you was conscious to yourself that it would neces sarily drive you to that unhappy dilemma, either to assert that for ever, ets Tov atova, meant only sixty or seventy years; or to allow that the text must be interpreted of the ordinary operations of the Spirit, in all future ages of the Church 9 And indeed that the promise in this text belongs to all Christians, evidently appears, not only from your Lordship’s own concession, and from the text itself, (for who can deny that this Comforter, or Paraclete, is now given to all them that believe?) but also from the preceding, as well as follow ing, words.