TWENTY-SECOND DAY.

JESUS

The Comforter.

ESUS said unto his disciples, 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 for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he 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 to him. Judas saith unto him (not Iscariot), Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 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. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. 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. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. St. John xiv. 14-27.

These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you. But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness,

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and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and shall see me, because I go to the Father. St. John xvi. 1-16. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

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Rom. viii. 26, 27.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Gal. v. 22, 23.

Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be

unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God. For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost.

THE

HE Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.' We prize, and justly prize, the efforts which those we love make in any time of sorrow or distress to bring comfort to our hearts. And we often receive some large measure of consolation from them. But the Blessed Spirit worketh comfort for us in a far different manner and of a far more deep and abiding character. Yea, ought we not rather to say that all true comfort received by us from others depends for its value on its helping to lead us to the Holy Ghost, the Comforter. The best and truest friendship, therefore, is most shown when it acknowledges in minister

ing to the suffering, that of itself it can do nothing, pointing ever to a higher than earthly comfort.

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The Holy Spirit comforts in sanctifying. The heart under His guidance gains peace in gaining holiness. This world's comforters would change our outward condition, give us some greater earthly good, avert some dreaded evil, vary our circumstances, alter our lot. The Holy Spirit changes, instead, our inner being. It is not where or how we are, but what we are, that He regards. man's soul is perturbed, distracted, disquieted: for one reason or other he is very unhappy. The Spirit of God reveals to him in His good time the mysteries of the kingdom of grace, and leads him to communion with Christ; giving him that knowledge of Christ which neither books, nor friends, nor sermons, nor the wisdom of the wisest man can teach; that intimate knowledge which He alone can impart, for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. And thus the wounded heart is healed; thus the love of Christ is poured into it; thus a deeper sense is awakened in it of what He is to the soul, its allsufficient portion, its exceeding great reward; thus the sorrows of time lose their power to distract and overwhelm, yea, they have even an aspect of brightness, as clouds which, though dark themselves, yet when the sun shines upon them reflect his beams.

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'The Holy Ghost, the Comforter.' not need comfort? The heart knoweth its own