THE PERSONALITY OF THE SPIRIT.
LAST week we studied for a little while the Spirit as the life of God, pulsing forth from the great central Heart of the universe—the ineffable Jehovah, a personal Creator, a personal Saviour, a personal Friend—to all parts of His living creation, and bringing Him into actual touch by these life-currents with every living creature. These great life-currents make possible actual contact with the Great God. It is true that all live thru Him, fed by His life; but it makes a difference how it is received. To the man that is carnal the Spirit is received thru the flesh, and the life force becomes perverted; it does not animate and control the man as the Spirit of God. The mind is carnal, controlled by the flesh; the person has life, but he has not the Spirit of God. But on the other hand, to Him, who is in harmony with God's will, the great life-current comes as the Spirit of God, bringing His presence into the heart, His life into the mortal flesh. In other words, it makes personally present to every soul who thus receives it Jesus Christ, his Saviour and Friend. This union with the will of God and the giving of His Spirit is thus set forth:— “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. 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 can not receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you.” John 14: 15-17. “He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father; and I will love Him, and will manifest Myself unto him.” Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love Me, he will keep My words; and My Father will love him, and we will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him.” Verses 21, 23. “But 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.” Verse 26. Whom did Christ promise to send?—“The Comforter,” “the Holy Ghost [Spirit],” “the Spirit of truth.” What did He promise in regard to Himself and the Father?—“I . . . will manifest Myself unto him.” “We will come unto Him, and make our abode with Him.” How would Christ manifest Himself?—By the Comforter, “whom the Father will send in My name.” “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He [the Father] may abide with you forever.” What are the conditions?—Love Him; keep His commandments. The Father is manifest in Christ, who comes in the Father's name. “All things that the Father hath are Mine: therefore said I, that He [the Spirit] shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16: 15. Christ and the Father are manifest thru the Spirit, which is sent or given in Christ's name. For the Spirit “shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” John 16: 13, 14. “For thru Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Eph. 2: 18. The evident conclusion, therefore, of all this is, that the personality of the Spirit is the personality of Jesus Christ, whom the Spirit manifests, or reveals. But how can this life outflowing from the Great Central Fountain everywhere, “poured out,” “shed forth,” by the Master, manifest personality?—Very easily to the Infinite One. We can see it better perhaps by the Gospel which God teaches to us in the revelations and discoveries of science. A few years ago men at a distance could communicate with each other only by letter or messenger, at the slow speed that the best of post horses. The letters of our friends, their peculiarities of composition and hand-writing, in a way revealed to us their personality; but days might be between the writing and reading of the message, and when received by us the hand might be cold and pulseless that wrote it. Then came the telegraph, bearing quick messages, but little or no personality. Then came the telephone, and thru that we are brought into wonderful touch with our friends. They may be hundreds of miles distant; but we hear their words, we distinguish their voices; they are practically present. In some offices each department is connected with the manager's room by a telephone. Each and every department may connect with him at the same time. Any message which he has to communicate he can give to the foreman of every room at the same time. Each one listens to the manager's voice, and he is in a sense personally present with each one, altho not one of these departments is in sight of the manager or in ordinary speaking distance from him or each other. This feebly illustrates how Christ is connected by His life, His Spirit, with every soul in perfect harmony with His will, and can speak to each and all, bringing to their mind the words of truth, calling to remembrance the instruction needed, and transmitting all the power of His endless life. He is a precious personal Saviour to each one.