The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 461

v>'ill bn'l"O pnwcr to rlo this by bearin!{ fin<l any_ p~ace in o. ~onsationc,l philoaovhy, tc~limnny t.n t.hat which they sec e.nrl know because 1t 1e not a umvenal experience. H to he tlio foot oi the Ollee. The celebrated will become eo. The further re,'lllRtione of J)ft•snge (eh. \'ii. 89) which asserts the the Lor,! Rll contdlrnted to create the oon• "glorifi<'atinn" of ,Teens to be the oonrliUon viction, an,! Pentecost scaled it to the world, of the mission of tho Comforter (ef. oh. xvi. It is deHimble to remember (of. Luke xxiv, 7) mllkcs the bestowment of t.ho Spirit on 33, etc.) that not merely the eleven e.posllea this ocoasion R. proof thRt the glorificalion received this Divine gift, but Rll the other~ had nlrc1tdy begun. Hae be not already who hnd gn.lhorcd together with them, Be.id tol\lary. "I nmlll!OOnding to myF11ther"? This circumste.ncc must be held to govem So DCIW he implies that the time will come to some extent the solemn Bnd mysterious wl.Jen, though he is sending his disciples privilege whioh appoors to follow the Divine fortl.J from his immcdirito corporeal pre- bestowruent of the Holy Spirit. We CBnnot ronoo, they will touch him by other f1Wulties divide the company into two parts, one of than cvo, or ear, or hand. He is about to which received the Holy Spirit, and the leave iliem for 11even <l&ys; they nre to learn other which did not reoeive him; one of LI.Jc renlit)- of his spiritual presence by e.n which became conscious of the Divine reality, cameF\ of Pontccosl, by suoh e. gift of the and the other not. The women who had Spirit lhnt they will recognize, in the rush- been the first witnesses and proolaimcrs of ing mighty wind. the presence of the sa.me the resurreclion-life of the Lord could not upliftiug, revealing, supernatural Energy. have besn deprived of this sublime privilege. It is urged by Hofmann, Luthardt, Gess, To the little society of believers, before long Moultou, and to sorn-:i extent Westcott anJ. to swell to e. company of e. hlllldred and Godel., that the absence of the article must twenty, wns this great gre.ce given, and to be represented in the translation, that we the new fellowship of faith was .the high have here either "a holy ~pirit," or an privilege vouohsafed; for he continue!!, energy, an impersonal force of Spirit, or" e. Whoeesoever sine ye (remit) forgive, , they gift of the Holy Spirit," an effneion of Holy are forgiven 1 unto them-absolutely forgiven Spirit, and not " tJw Spirit of the Father and by God; for who oa.n forgive sine but God Son,'' not the fulnese of the Holy Ghost, only, and the Son of man who had and not the realization of the Divine indwelling, exercised the power on earth to forgive sins? only un earnest of the sublime reality, e. -and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are symbolic expression of the promise of the retained. The history of the interpretation Fo.il,cr. Godet says, " This communication of this remarkable pa.ssa.ge is given at is to the Resurrection wha.t Pentecost will be length in Herzog's ' R(;o.l Encycl.,' ort. to the AsccDSion. As by Pent.ecost he will " Schliiesclgewelt," by Stein. The patristic, initiate tLem into bis ascension, so now he echola.stic, Tridentino,:Reforma.tion doctrines 88Bociatcs I.hem with t1e life of the Resur- a.re very carefully treated. 'fhe deorees of rection." This last may be perfectly true; the Council of Trent, session xvi. cc. i.-vi., yet nv,iiµa u A-,,ov, with or without article, show that every form in which e.poetoli~ ia" the Holy Spirit" (of. Rom. viii. 4; Gal. custom, reformed theology, and modern v. l C). Mi,yer says, "The idea of an inter- exegesis have solved the problem of their mediate Holy Spirit, distinot from the Holy meaning, was repudiated and anathematized Spfrit, lies outside of Scripture." Nor can by the Church of Rome, and thut the func- we minimize the fnll foroe of ~.,,.., which tion of forgiving or retaining sin was re- emphasizes the special action of Christ, by served for the priesthood alone, whether v.Lich be communicat.ed io this first gather- in respect of venial or mortal sin (see ing of ihe Church the sense of bis Divine • Eoclesia: Church Problems considered in prc.cnce, the gift of spiritual insight, the a Series of Essays,' article by the present Gou-consciowmess, the experience of two writer "On Forgiveness ond Absolution of worlds, the unity and community of life Sins"). It is impossible to sever this poRsage witll himself, which has been e.ugmcnting from thoBe passages iu Matt. xvi. 19 where in 1;ositi ve roo.lize.tion, in vivid proofs, in Petcr's confession of the Messiahship draws migl1ty powers, from that hour to this. forth frow ihe Lord the extra.ordinary bene- Whosoever entars into the sphere of that Divine bri,uth becomes "a.live unto God;" 1 'A.4>,,,,.,.,a, is read by ~•, A, D, L, J, 13, bis faith is invincible; he comes to know that 124, and Fe.there; and is preferred by Tre, which p8.i,Bes current experience. Thie was gelles, Tischendorf (8th edit.), aQd Westcott the beginning of the eupernatnral life which and Hort. •A</>l•na., is read by '£.B., R.T., ma.ku1 Chrietill.Il con.sciouenCBs Uljiq UB ll,WODg with B•, E, G, I, K, e.ud m11ny Fol.hers. ~• rt:ligione e,:periencee. From that hQW' the ~ends #,efi11..,a1, with veJ'Bions. •/uploll'Ta1 i,11 holy world and kingdom in which Chris! placed by W estoott and llort in the marghi. rules Le.ii been 11.Il objective fe.ct. It lies Moultoi:i tre.nsl.f.te.s, "Tc ey have been re- far beyond the ken of science, o.nd cannot ' mitteq." (JTT. xx. 1-81.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. ,JOHN. 475