h only
becomes completely available on the death, resurrection, and ascension
of our Lord; so that the Holy Spirit, the divine Conveyancer, had not
the full inheritance to convey till Jesus was glorified.

Observe therefore, in the valedictory discourse of our Lord, the
frequent recurrence of the words: "_Because I go to the Father_," one
of the sayings which greatly perplexed his disciples. In the light of
all which Jesus says in this connection, let us see if its meaning may
not be clear to us. "If ye loved me ye would rejoice because I go unto
the Father; for the Father is greater than I" (John 14: 28), he says in
the same connection. We cannot here enter into the deep question of
the _kenosis_, or self-emptying of the Son of God in his incarnation.
It is enough that we follow the plain teaching of the Scripture, that
though "being in the form of God, he counted it not a thing to be
grasped to be on an equality with God; but emptied himself, taking the
form of a servant" (Phil. 2: {43} 6, 7, R. V.). What now does his
going to the Father signify but a refilling with that of which he had
been emptied, or a resumption of his co-equality with God? The greater
blessing which he could confer upon his church by his departure seems
to lie in the fact of the greater power and glory into which he would
enter by his enthronement at God's right hand. As Luther pointedly
puts it: "Therefore do I go, he saith, where I shall be greater than I
now am, that is, to the Father, and it is better that I shall pass out
of this obscurity and weakness into the power and glory in which the
Father is." In the light of this interpretation the meaning of our
Lord's words above quoted does not seem difficult. The Paraclete was
to communicate Christ to his church,--his life, his power, his riches,
his glory. In his exaltation all these were to be very greatly
increased. "All things that the Father hath are mine" (John 16: 15),
he says. And though he had for a time voluntarily disinherited himself
of his heavenly possessions, he is now to be repossessed of them.
"Therefore said I, that he shall take of mine and shall show it unto
you" (16: 15). Christ at God's right hand will have more to give than
while on earth; therefore the church will have more to receive through
the Paraclete than through the visible Christ. What obvious
significance then do the following sayings from this farewell sermon of
Jesus have: "Verily {44} verily, I sa