The Abiding Comforter

"And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you, and shall be in you." John 14:16, 17

What an evening was that which preceded the memorable night in which the Lord of life and glory sweat great drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane; that gloomy night which ushered in a still more gloomy day on which the Son of God was nailed to the accursed tree at Calvary! Could we roll back the tide of more than eighteen hundred years, and be transported in spirit to Jerusalem, what scenes that evening would there meet our astonished eye! We would see the streets of the city crowded with multitudes, not only of its own citizens, but of sojourners also from all parts of the neighboring countries who had come up to keep the Passover; and we would view this vast assemblage surging and heaving like the troubled sea, as expecting some mighty event to take place. Some of them would be half believing that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah; but the greater part would be filled with enmity and prejudice against Him because He had not come as they expected, in all the power and pomp of kingly majesty, to put the abhorred Roman eagles to ignominious flight!

We would see Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, sitting at his feast, amid the cups of flowing wine, little dreaming of the important part that he was to play in the great event of the morrow. We would view the chief priests, Scribes and Pharisees, all assembled in secret conclave, plotting the death of the innocent Lamb of God, and among them we might observe a dark form flitting to and fro, one doomed by the just sentence of God to eternal perdition, and condemned by the universal concurrence of men to everlasting infamy—the traitor Judas, holding out his itching palm for the offered reward of blood.

But turning our eyes from these, and fixing them on a solitary spot, in an upper chamber, we would see the blessed Lord sitting in the midst of His eleven faithful disciples, addressing Himself to comfort their sorrowful hearts, and speaking in their ears those gracious words which have been preserved by the Holy Spirit through the pen of John, and which we have now before us for our instruction and consolation. It is true that we cannot transport ourselves there in spirit; that we cannot see the Lord's face, or hear the Lord's voice; but we can, with God's help, listen with holy reverence and solemn attention to the words which fell from His lips on that memorable evening. And if the Lord the Spirit be pleased to touch my lips this morning with His unction and grace, and to anoint your ear and heart with the same divine power, I may speak and you may hear words that may profit, instruct, edify and comfort your souls.

The Lord Jesus Christ, from whose omniscience nothing was concealed, saw that His disciples' hearts were filled with sorrow. He had told them that He was about to leave them, and it broke their hearts to think of His departure. His presence with then had been so full of blessing; He had so comforted them in their various distresses, had been such a shield against all their enemies, had so revealed to them His grace and truth, and had so manifested His glory, that the very thought of His departure filled their hearts with grief, for in losing Him they felt that they would lose their all. They little thought how that departure would take place, and what a scene would present itself before their eyes on the coming day; for the deep mystery of the Cross was at that time hidden from them, and they saw in it for their Master nothing but agony and shame, and for themselves the total wreck of all their hopes. Addressing Himself then to console their sorrowing hearts, Jesus lays before them this grand truth, that it was expedient for them that He should go away; for that if He went not away, they could not have the promised Comforter, who was to abide with them forever. As this is the chief point that presents itself in the words of our text, I now proceed, with God's blessing, to open it up. And in so doing, I shall direct your attention—

I. First, to the Blessed Spirit of promise, and I shall endeavor to show why He is called "the Comforter" and "the Spirit of truth."

II. Secondly, that the world cannot receive this Comforter, this Spirit of truth; and the reason, "because it sees Him not, neither knows Him."

III. Thirdly, that the saint of God does know Him, and that by a personal work upon his heart and conscience.

IV. And fourthly, the sweet promise, that He dwells with them, and shall be in them.

I. The Blessed Spirit of promise. The Lord Jesus Christ speaks here of the gift of the Spirit as being the first fruit of His intercession at the right hand of God: "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter." Observe the word "give" and the almost similar expression "send." "But the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name." I do not hold that the blessed Spirit, or any one of His gifts and graces, was purchased by the atoning blood of the Lamb—an expression we frequently meet with—but that they were the fruits of His intercession. The gift of the Holy Spirit and His divine mission were as much a part of the covenant of grace as the gift and mission of the Son of God. Regeneration and sanctification are as indispensable to the soul's entering the courts of heaven as redemption and justification; and had these been left out of the eternal covenant, redemption would have been of no avail, for "without holiness no man can see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Is not, then, the Holy Spirit, as a Person in the Godhead, as much a party to the everlasting covenant as the Father and the Son? and would it be consistent with the dignity of His Person that He, with His gifts and graces, should have been purchased by the atoning blood of the Son? The gifts and graces of God the Holy Spirit were as much a part of the "everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure," as the electing love of God the Father and the redeeming blood of God the Son, and therefore stand upon the same foundation.

But let me not be misunderstood. The sufferings and death of the Lord Jesus Christ were the appointed channel through which the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit were to come. But for His death they could not have been given, for in the order of things redemption must precede sanctification. Sin must be put away before mercy can be revealed; the sacrifice must be offered before its merits and benefits can be applied; but that by no means implies that the one purchased the other, or that because the one precedes and is the foundation of the other, that it should be said to have bought it. The blood-shedding and sacrifice of the Son of God opened a way whereby God, consistently with all His perfections, could bestow upon His people the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit.

But I do not believe that there was any bargain, so to speak, between the Father and the Son, whereby these gifts and graces were bought and purchased by atoning blood. Most certainly they are spoken of in our text as a gift; and a gift excludes purchase. I view, therefore, the gift of the Comforter, and of everything implied by that expression, as the first fruits of the intercession of Jesus. "I will pray the Father."

But if enabled to look upwards, what a glorious view these words open before our eyes, introducing us, as it were, into the very courts of heaven, there to see an interceding High Priest at the right hand of God! This intercession was beautifully prefigured by what took place on the great day of atonement under the Levitical law. On that solemn day the high priest entered the most holy place with incense beaten small, which as he went in he scattered upon live coals taken from off the bronze altar. As then he entered the most holy place with the blood of the bullock and the goat, the fragrant steam of the incense filled the sanctuary as with a cloud; the coals typifying the wrath of God, and the incense beaten small the bruised humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the incense of Christ's work upon earth, of His blood and sufferings and obedience here below, fills the courts of heaven as if with an ever-rising, ever-enduring cloud, as the prophet in vision saw "the house of the Lord filled with smoke" (Isa. 6:4).

When, then, the blessed Lord said, "I will pray the Father," we need not necessarily attach such a meaning to the words as if they implied that He uses vocal prayer. His presence in heaven is prayer. "He ever lives to make intercession for us." And this intercession was typified by the act of Aaron, when he took the censer and put fire therein from off the altar and put on incense, and thus stood between the dead and the living (Num. 16:46-48). In this sense Jesus "prays the Father," and the first fruit of His intercession is the gift of the Comforter, as was first strikingly seen on the day of Pentecost, and is from time to time realized by every saint of God who receives the Spirit and is blessed by His presence and grace.

A. The Comforter. But let us, with God's blessing, examine a little more closely the words that the blessed Lord spoke, and whereby He brings before our eyes more distinctly who and what this promised Comforter is. The Lord Himself when here below was the Comforter of His people. While He was with them, they needed no other; but when He left them they required one to supply His place. They needed one who could be to them what Jesus had been. How plainly we gather from this the Deity and distinct personality of the Holy Spirit! When Jesus was present with them, it was His Person that comforted and shielded them. To supply His place was not therefore a Person needed? How short of this would fall a mere influence, an emanation, a virtue, or any other such inferior consolation! Any person, too, that was not Divine and equal with Jesus could not fill His place, or be to them what Jesus had been. Let us, therefore, hold fast by the Deity and personality of the Holy Spirit. Those who deny them have neither part nor lot in His teachings or consolations, in His regeneration or His sanctification.

1. But what the disciples needed, all other true disciples of Jesus equally need—a Comforter who can speak peace to their hearts, who can relieve the various troubles and sorrows through which they are called upon to pass, and that by administering an inward consolation which shall be an effectual remedy. Here lies the vast difference between the comfort that the world bestows and that which is communicated by the Holy Spirit. The world has to a certain extent its comforts to give; in fact, we are surrounded on every side by a vast number of earthly comforts; but these can speak no peace or pardon to a troubled conscience; these can take no load of guilt off a burdened soul; these can give no sweet anticipations of eternal joy when life comes to a close; these cannot smooth a dying pillow, rob death of its sting, or spoil the grave of its victory. Here everything falls short but the consolations of the blessed Spirit.

2. But besides this the saints of God are called upon for the most part to pass through many trials and afflictions in this valley of tears. Their very character, as determined by the mouth of God, is to be "an afflicted and poor people," as much as "to trust in the name of the Lord" (Zeph. 3:12). It is "through much tribulation that they are to enter the kingdom" (Acts 14:22). And as theseafflictions and tribulations are chiefly internal, they need an internal Comforter to relieve and comfort them under their weight and pressure. Many of the Lord's family are pressed down exceedingly with guilt and distress of mind on account of their sins against a holy God. Can earthly comforts relieve these distressing pangs? Can they remove this heavy burden of guilt? Can they pour oil and wine into this bleeding conscience? No; they need a deliverance, a remedy, a consolation that can reach their case; and as this is beyond all human help, none but the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, can whisper it into their souls. Spiritual maladies lie too deep for any other remedy. The same hand which shot the arrow can alone extract it. A woe is pronounced against those who "heal the hurt of God's people slightly" (Jer. 6:14). Only He, then, who brings health and cure can reveal to the soul "the abundance of peace and truth" (Jer. 33:6).

3. But besides the affliction of a troubled mind and a guilty conscience that every saint of God is called upon to pass through at one time or other of his earthly pilgrimage, which above all other troubles makes a Comforter so needful, and when He comes so valued, there are few of the living family who have not many trials and sorrows spread in their path. Circumstances arise inProvidence as connected with their daily business or occupation which often deeply and acutely try their mind. Nor is it always with them as regards their families as they would have it to be. They may have, with David, to lament that their "house is not so with God," that is so favored and blessed as he himself was (2 Sam. 23:5). They would gladly see their children walking in the strait and narrow path that leads to eternal life, but rarely find a favor so great. As David had to mourn over the vile lust of Amnon and the rebellion of Absalom, so some of the saints of God have even to mourn over profligate or rebellious children, whom no discipline can control or kindness alter. Under these trials they need special support to reconcile their minds in submission to God's sovereignty. As Aaron held his peace when he saw his two sons consumed by fire from heaven at the very altar (Lev. 10:1, 2); as David had a blessed persuasion that the Lord had made with him an everlasting covenant, though his house was not with God as he could wish; so many of the most highly favored saints have had to put their mouth into the dust before God in solemn silence, and to submit to His holy will. But can they do this without special grace? Do not they almost above all others need the Comforter to support them under such heart-rending trials? Who else can silence the murmurs of their rebellious heart, and bend and bow it into submission to these heavy strokes?

4. Many, too, of the choicest of God's people have to drink the bitter cup of poverty, to labor hard for the bread that perishes. But that bread is scanty, and their minds are often filled with anxiety as to the coming morrow, whence a fresh supply is to come. These also need an inward Comforter to stay their murmurings and fretfulness, and to set before their eyes how their Master "had not where to lay His head"; how He was "a Man of sorrows," and passed through this world as a poor, despised carpenter's son. Poverty is one of the greatest of earthly trials, and has a peculiar tendency to stir up unbelief, as well as fretfulness and envy against those who seem to be more favorably dealt with. But the blessed Spirit, the Comforter, can subdue every murmuring thought, and can so bless the soul with inward consolation, that poverty and need lose their keen edge, and a crust with the Lord's blessing may become sweeter food than all the delicacies under which the tables of the wealthy groan.

5. Many, too, of the Lord's people are suffering under bodily disease. Their body is racked with pain, or their constitution is shattered with ailments of long standing, or their nerves are weak and trembling, or their general health broken by multiplied afflictions. This often causes inward murmuring, fretfulness, and rebellion, for few trials are heavier than continued ill health. Hence the need of a Comforter to support them under the pain and languor of an afflicted body; and while they are thus reminded that their time is but short and that life itself is held by a slender thread, so to manifest the power of His grace that as "the outward man perishes, so the inward man may be renewed day by day."

6. But time will not suffice to enumerate a tenth of the numerous trials and afflictions that the Lord's people have to pass through. They have temptations also which in some respects are harder to bear and need more special help. Their own treacherous, unstable, and wicked heart is continually presenting snares in which their unwary feet are too readily caught, and they have to prove again and again, to their sorrow and shame, the truth of the word:
"Seldom do we see the snares
Before we feel the smart."

Satan, too, is continually tempting them to despair, or infidelity, it may be, even to suicide, and distressing their mind with many suggestions which, though groundless, appear at the time to have some solid foundation. Under these temptations they need that special relief and consolation which nothing short of the Spirit of God can communicate. For when severely pressed down by the weight of temptation, they deeply feel that His inward comforts alone can relieve their distress or speak a solid peace to their souls.

B. The Spirit of truth. But the Lord speaks of this blessed Comforter under another title: He calls Him the "Spirit of truth." We are surrounded with error, the carnal heart is full of it; for wherever truth is not, there error must be. A veil of ignorance is by nature spread thickly over the mind, through which not one ray of divine light penetrates. Men love error—I mean religious error—for God's own testimony is that they "love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil" (John 3:19). They love to be deceived; they hate the hand which would rend the delusion asunder. While then they are encompassed with the mists of error, how can they find the way to truth? The Lord the Spirit alone can dissipate these clouds, disperse these mists, and take away this veil of unbelief and ignorance spread over the heart; and this it is His sacred office to perform, for He is the "Spirit of truth."

1. But why we may ask, does He bear from the Lord's own lips this sacred title: "the Spirit of truth"? Because it is His prerogative to unfold truth to the soul, to engraft it into the heart, and to make the saints of God vitally and experimentally acquainted with it. I say vitally and experimentally, because we may know truth in the letter without the teaching of the Spirit. We may have a sound creed, a form of words perfectly consistent with the outward revelation of truth in the Scriptures; but this will neither sanctify nor save. Truth in the bare letter brings no deliverance from the guilt, filth, love, power, and practice of sin; brings not the soul near unto God, repels not Satan, sets not up the kingdom of God with power in the heart.

We need a better teaching than this. We need "the Spirit of truth," whose especial office is to take the truth of God, and to open up, reveal, make known, apply, and seal it with His own gracious operation, divine influence, and holy power upon the heart and conscience. Do not you who fear His great name find at times darkness pervading your souls—an Egyptian darkness, a darkness that may be felt—so that there seems not a ray of divine light in your breast? Whence comes this dreary feeling, this sinking down of your whole soul under the power of darkness, as the earth sinks under the power of the shades of night? Because the Spirit of truth has come into your heart to convince you of the darkness in which you were born, and to show you that it still hovers as deeply as ever over your carnal mind.

Remember this, that as the carnal mind is ever "enmity against God," darkness wholly possesses it; for as love is light, enmity is darkness, and the light of life has no more penetrated the carnal mind than the love of God. It is light in your spiritual mind that makes you see this darkness; it is the teaching of God's Spirit in your soul that makes you groan and sigh beneath it. Now as you mourn and sigh under this darkness you feel the indispensable necessity of the Spirit of truth to open up, apply, reveal, and make known the truth of God to your soul, for you can no more give yourself light than give yourself faith or love.

But, through rich and unspeakable mercy, there are times and seasons when a spiritual light seems to shine upon the sacred page. You read the Bible with enlightened eyes. Power and sweetness seem to stream, as it were, in rich unction through the Word of truth, and as you read it with softened heart and tearful eyes, the truth of God shines from it into your understanding as brightly and as clearly as the sun in the noonday sky. You wonder how anyone can doubt or deny the truth of God; it is so clear to you that you think he who runs may read.

And why? Because the Spirit of truth is opening it up to your understanding and applying it with power to your heart. You wonder how any man who reads the Bible can deny the Deity of Christ, His eternal Sonship, the atoning blood, the justifying righteousness, the dying love of the Lord the Lamb. You wonder how any man can read the Bible and deny the covenant of grace, the electing love of God, the full salvation wrought out by His dear Son, and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. Why is the matter so clear to you? Because the Spirit of truth is illuminating your mind, radiating light from the Scriptures into your soul, and opening up the truth of God with divine power to your heart. This He does as the Spirit of truth, for as the Spirit of truth He makes the Word of God to be spirit and life to the soul.

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