JOHN xvi. 14. “He shall glorify Me:
for he shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.”
THE distinction of Persons in the Godhead is pure matter
of revelation. Reason, left to itself, could never have
argued the existence of more than one Person in the God-
head.
I. The mutual glorification of the Son and Spirit of God.
In setting forth the mysteries of the present dispensation,
the Son puts forward and glorifies the Spirit; while the
Spirit, in His turn, puts forward and glorifies the Son. In
His last discourses our Lord engages the minds of His dis-
ciples with the Comforter, who was to supply His place.
He gave them no encouragement to do what they actually
did, follow Him with their eyes into heaven; on the con-
trary, He threw the eyes of their minds forward to the
advent of the Comforter. When the Comforter came, He
testified of Christ. “He shall glorify Me: for He shall
receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you.” So the
sermons of the apostles in the Acts are simply testimonies
of Christ.
II. The lessons of doctrine and of example to be drawn
from this fact.
1. Let us not overlook the clear testimony we have to
the distinction of the Persons in the Godhead.
2. We live under the dispensation of the Spirit. Are
we cherishing His gracious influences so as to nurse and
develop into its full stature the new life within us?
3. Let us not so unduly exalt the connection of the Holy
Spirit with the present dispensation, as to throw the teach-
ing and example of the Saviour into the background, and
to regard them as superseded.
4. An example is given us by the mutual glorification of
one another by the Persons of the Trinity. The marvel-
lous self-concealment of these Divine Persons, their display
of one another, teaches us to go and do likewise. God’s phil-
anthropy is one of self-concealment. Man’s philanthropy
is one of self-display. Let us pray for deliverance from
the love of human praise, and seek the honour that cometh
from God only.
E. M. Goulburn, D.D.