The Ministry of the Spirit

“PREFACEIt is not claimed that in this little volume all has beensaid that might be said upon the subject treated. On the contrary, the writerhas proceeded upon the belief that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit can bebetter understood by limiting the sphere of discussion, rather than byextending it to the largest bounds. For finite beings, at least, presence ismore intelligible than omnipresence. So, though the subject of this book is initself profoundly mysterious, we have sought to simplify it by dwelling upon thetime-ministry of the Holy Ghost without entering upon the consideration of hiseternal ministry. What the Spirit did before the incarnation of Christ, andwhat he may do hereafter beyond the second advent of Christ, is a questionhardly touched upon in this volume. We have sought rather to emphasize and tomagnify the great truth that the Paraclete is now present in the church: thatwe are living in the dispensation of the Spirit, with all the unspeakableblessing for the church and for the world which this economy provides. Hence,as we speak of the ministry of Christ meaning a service embraced within definedlimits, so we name this volume the "Ministry of the Spirit," as referring tothe work of the Comforter extending from Pentecost to the end of thisdispensation.How deep a subject for a study! What prayer more becomingfor those entering upon it than the humble petition that the Spirit himselfwill teach us concerning the Spirit! Deeply sensible of the imperfection ofthis work, it is now committed to the use and blessing of that Divine Person ofthe Godhead of whom it so unworthily speaks.A. J. Gordon BOSTON,Dec., 1894.”