actions. He is to be the substitute of the
most marked and influential Personality with whom the disciples had ever
been brought in contact. He is to supply His vacated place. He is to be
to the disciples as friendly and staunch an ally and a more constantly
present and efficient teacher than Christ Himself. What as yet was not
in their minds He was to impart to them; and He was to mediate and
maintain communication between the absent Lord and themselves. Was it
possible that the disciples should think of the Spirit otherwise than as
a conscious and energetic Person when they heard Him spoken of in such
words as these: "Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall
guide you into all the truth: for He shall not speak from Himself; but
what things soever He shall hear, these shall He speak: and He shall
declare unto you the things that are to come. He shall glorify Me: for
He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you"? From these words
it would seem as if the disciples were justified in expecting the
presence and aid of One who was very closely related to their Lord, but
yet distinct from Him, who could understand their state of mind and
adapt Himself to them, who is not identical with the Master they are
losing, and yet comes into still closer contact with them. What
underlies this, and what is the very nature of the Spirit and His
relation to the Father and the Son, we do not know; but our Lord chose
these expressions which to our thought involve personality because this
is the truest and safest form under which we can now conceive of the
Spirit.

The function for the discharge of which this Spirit is necessary is the
"glorification" of Christ. Without Him the manifestation of Christ will
be lost. He is needed to secure that the world be brought into contact
with Christ, and that men recognise and use Him. This is the most
general and comprehensive aspect of the Spirit's work: "He shall glorify
Me" (ver. 14). In making this announcement our Lord assumes that
position of commanding importance with which this Gospel has made us
familiar. The Divine Spirit is to be sent forth, and the direct object
of His mission is the glorifying of Christ. The meaning of Christ's
manifestation is the essential thing for men to understand. In
manifesting Himself He has revealed the Father. He has in His own person
shown what a Divine nature is; and therefore in order to His
glorification all that is required is that li