(Scripture Reading Exercise.)

OFFICE (I. E., FUNCTIONS) OF THE HOLY GHOST (Continued).

SPECIAL TEXT: "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. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." (St. John xvi:13, 14.)

DISCUSSION.

1. The Holy Ghost the Spirit of Prophecy and of Revelation: "He will show you things to come." In other words, the Holy Ghost is the spirit of prophecy, for by it the future has been unfolded to the minds of the prophets; and by it the scriptures were given. In proof of this I quote the apostle Peter: "Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost."^[A] And that which they spake was written and became scripture.

[Footnote A: II Peter i:21.]

When an angel visited John on Patmos and that apostle fell at his feet to worship him, the angel said: "See thou do it not. I am they fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus [which is the Holy Ghost]: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."^[A]

[Footnote A: Rev. xix:10. These facts will exhibit the inconsistency, nay, I may say, the absolutely erroneous position of those who insist that while the Holy Ghost has continued with men, prophecy and revelation have ceased.]

The very fact, as stated in the fourth item taken from these passages under consideration [Lesson XIV, subdivision 4], viz., that the Holy Ghost will take of the things of the Lord and show them unto men, also proves that this Spirit is one of revelation, and is in harmony with the scripture which saith:

"But as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."^[A]

[Footnote A: I Cor. ii:9-14.]

2. Joseph Smith on the "Spirit of Revelation:" The spirit of revelation is in connection with these blessings [i. e. receiving the Holy Ghost, see context of discourse]. A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; [i. e.] those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.^[A]

[Footnote A: Joseph Smith in a discourse to the Twelve, 27th June, 1839, History of the Church, Vol. III, p. 381.]

He also teaches, in the same discourse, that there are two comforters: one the Holy Ghost, whom he calls the First Comforter; the other, Jesus Christ, whom he calls the Second Comforter, in explanation of St. John xiv:12-23. (See also note e, Lesson XIV.)

"There are two comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance and baptism. Their First Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham [naturally] must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure intelligence.^[A]

[Footnote A: The Other Comforter: This subject, in part, was treated in footnote e, in Lesson XIV. I quote what the Prophet said further upon the subject in this foot note: "The Other Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands, which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to the 27th verses. * * * Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even he will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such glorious visions—Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general assembly, and the Church of the First Born." (History of the Church, Vol. III, pp. 380-1).]

3. Miscellaneous Gifts and Powers Imparted by the Holy Ghost: In addition to these special powers of the Holy Ghost, there are a number of gifts and powers enumerated, as one may say, in mass in the scriptures, and yet of highest importance. Paul says:

"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues; but all these worketh that one and the selfsame spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath many members and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."^[A]

[Footnote A: I Cor. xii:1-13.]

4. President Young on the Effect of the Holy Ghost Upon the Mind of Man: "The Holy Ghost takes of the Father, and of the Son, and shows it to the disciples. It shows them things past, present, and to come. It opens the vision of the mind, unlocks the treasures of wisdom, and they begin to understand the things of God; their minds are exalted on high; their conceptions of God and His creations are dignified, and "Hallelujah to God and the Lamb in the highest," is the constant language of their hearts. They comprehend themselves and the great object of their existence. They also comprehend the designs of the wicked one, and the designs of those who serve him; they comprehend the designs of the Almighty in forming the earth; and mankind upon it, and the ultimate purpose of all His creations. It leads them to drink at the fountain of eternal wisdom, justice, and truth; they grow in grace, and in the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, until they see as they are seen and know as they are known."^[A]

[Footnote A: Journal of Discourses, Vol. I, p. 241.]

5. Personal Graces Imparted by the Holy Ghost: In addition to these several spiritual gifts enumerated by Paul, he also gives—in his letter to the Galatians—in like mass, an enumeration of what I think may be called "personal graces," as the "fruit of the Spirit," having references to the Holy Ghost, since he is directing his remarks to those who have accepted the Gospel of Christ.^[A] The enumeration of these "graces"—"fruit of the Spirit"—will gain something in beauty and strength if placed, as the apostle himself places it, in contrast with the "works of the flesh."

[Footnote A: See the Epistle to the Galatians, passim.]

"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But i. ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."^[A]

[Footnote A: Gal. v:13-25.]