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they might think the request is powerful on its own, He added: If you love me; then, He says, I will do it. But since it was likely that they, on hearing, "I am going to the Father," would be troubled, He says: This is not love, to be troubled now, but to obey what is said. I gave you a commandment, that you love one another; that you do to one another as I also have done to you. This is love, to obey these things, and to yield to the one who is longed for. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter. Again, the word is of condescension. For since it was likely that those who did not yet know Him would greatly desire that companionship, those words, His presence in the flesh, and would accept no comfort in His absence, what does He say? I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter; that is, another such as I am. Let them be ashamed, both those who are sick with the doctrines of Sabellius, and those who do not hold the proper opinion concerning the Spirit. For the marvel of this saying is this, that with a single blow He has struck down heresies standing at opposite poles. For by saying, "Another," He shows the difference of His hypostasis; but by saying, "Comforter," the affinity of substance. But why does He say, "I will ask the Father"? Because if He had said, "I will send," they would not have believed in the same way; but now the main point is this, that He should be believed. For later He Himself says that He sends Him, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit;" but here 59.404 He says He asks the Father, so as to make the saying credible to them. Since John says of Him, "Of His fullness we have all received;" what He had, how does He receive from another? And again, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." What more did He have than the apostles, if He was going to ask the Father to give to others, when they are often seen doing this even without prayer? And how, if He is sent by the Father according to a request, does He come upon them of His own accord? How is He who is present everywhere sent by another, and who distributes to each one individually as He wills, and says with authority, "Separate for me Paul and Barnabas"? And yet those ministering were ministering to God, but nevertheless with authority He called them to His own work; not that He called them to another work, but that He might show His authority. What then, he says, is, "I will ask the Father"? Showing the time of His coming. For when He had cleansed them through the sacrifice, then the Holy Spirit descended. And why, when He was with them, did He not come? Because the sacrifice had not yet been offered up. But when sin was at length loosed, and they were being sent into dangers, and were stripping for the contests, it was necessary for the one who anoints to come. And for what reason does the Spirit not come immediately after the resurrection? So that, being in great desire for Him, they might receive Him with great grace. For as long as Christ was with them, they were not in tribulation; but when He departed, being stripped bare and in great fear, they were about to receive Him with much eagerness. He abides with you. This shows that not even after death does He depart. But lest, on hearing "Comforter," they should suspect another incarnation, and expect to see Him with their eyes, correcting them He says: Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him. For He will not be with you in the same way as I am; but He will dwell in your very souls; for this is, "He will be in you." And He calls Him the Spirit of truth, by this signifying the types in the Old Testament. That He may be with you. 59.405 What is, "be with you"? What He Himself says, that "I am with you." But otherwise, He also hints at something else, that He will not suffer these things that I do, nor will He depart. Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him. For what, tell me, of other things is visible? Nothing. But here He speaks of knowledge. For He added, "nor knows Him;" for He is accustomed to speak of seeing even in the case of exact knowledge. For since sight is the keenest of the senses, through it He always represents exact knowledge. And by "world" here He means the wicked,

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νομίσωσιν ἁπλῶς τὴν αἴτησιν ἰσχύειν, ἐπήγαγεν· Ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτέ με· τότε, φησὶ, ποιήσω. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰκὸς ἦν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀκούοντας, ὅτι Ἐγὼ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πορεύομαι, θορυβεῖσθαι, φησίν· Οὐ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ ἀγαπᾷν τὸ θορυβεῖσθαι νῦν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πείθεσθαι τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ἔδωκα ὑμῖν ἐντολὴν, ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους· ἵνα οὕτω ποιῆτε ἀλλήλοις, καθὼς καὶ ἐγὼ ὑμῖν ἐποίησα. Τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀγάπη, τὸ πείθεσθαι τούτοις, καὶ εἴκειν τῷ ποθουμένῳ. Καὶ ἐρωτήσω τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἄλλον Παράκλητον δώσει ὑμῖν. Συγκαταβάσεως πάλιν ὁ λόγος. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ οὐδέπω αὐτὸν ἐγνωκότας εἰκὸς ἦν σφόδρα ἐπιζητεῖν τὴν συνουσίαν ἐκείνην, τὰ ῥήματα, τὴν κατὰ σάρκα αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν, καὶ μηδεμίαν δέχεσθαι παραμυθίαν ἀπόντος· τί φησιν; Ἐρωτήσω τὸν Πατέρα, καὶ ἄλλον Παράκλητον δώσει ὑμῖν· τουτέστιν, Ἄλλον ὡς ἐμέ. Αἰσχυνθήτωσαν καὶ οἱ τὰ Σαβελλίου νοσοῦντες, καὶ οἱ περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος οὐ τὴν προσήκουσαν δόξαν ἔχοντες. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ θαῦμα τοῦ λόγου τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι τὰς ἐκ διαμέτρου ἑστώσας αἱρέσεις μιᾶ πληγῇ κατήνεγκε. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ εἰπεῖν, Ἄλλον, δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τῆς ὑποστάσεως τὴν διαφοράν· τῷ δὲ εἰπεῖν, Παράκλητον, τῆς οὐσίας τὴν συγγένειαν. ∆ιατί δέ φησιν, Ἐρωτήσω τὸν Πατέρα; Ὅτι εἰ εἶπεν, Ἐγὼ πέμψω, οὐκ ἂν ὁμοίως ἐπίστευσαν· νῦν δὲ τὸ σπουδαζόμενον τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὥστε πιστευθῆναι αὐτόν. Ὕστερον γὰρ αὐτός φησιν αὐτὸν πέμπειν, λέγων· Λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· ἐνταῦθα δέ 59.404 φησιν ἐρωτᾷν τὸν Πατέρα, ὥστε ἀξιόπιστον ποιῆσαι αὐτοῖς τὸν λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Ἰωάννης φησὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ, ὅτι Ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν· ὃ δὲ εἶχε, πῶς παρ' ἑτέρου λαμβάνει; Καὶ πάλιν· Αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί. Τί δὲ τῶν ἀποστόλων πλεῖον εἶχεν, εἰ τὸν Πατέρα ἀξιοῦν ἔμελλεν ὥστε διδόναι ἑτέροις, ὁπότε ἐκεῖνοι πολλάκις καὶ χωρὶς εὐχῆς φαίνονται τοῦτο ποιοῦντες; πῶς δὲ, εἰ κατὰ ἀξίωσιν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς πέμπεται, αὐτὸ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ ἐφίπταται; πῶς δὲ παρ' ἑτέρου πέμπεται τὸ πανταχοῦ παρὸν, καὶ διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται, καὶ λέγον μετὰ αὐθεντίας· Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Παῦλον καὶ τὸν Βαρνάβαν; Καίτοι τῷ Θεῷ ἐλειτούργουν οἱ λειτουργοῦντες, ἀλλ' ὅμως μετὰ αὐθεντίας εἰς τὸ ἴδιον ἔργον ἐκάλεσεν· οὐχ ὅτι ἐπ' ἄλλο ἔργον ἐκάλει, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὴν ἐξουσίαν δείξῃ. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ἐστὶν, Ἐρωτήσω τὸν Πατέρα; ∆εικνὺς τῆς παρουσίας τὸν καιρόν. Ὅτε γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἐκάθαρε διὰ τῆς θυσίας, τότε ἐπέπτη τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ τί δήποτε ὄντος μετ' αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐπήρχετο; Ὅτι οὐδέπω ἦν ἡ θυσία ἀνηνεγμένη. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ λοιπὸν καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐλύθη, καὶ αὐτοὶ πρὸς κινδύνους ἐπέμποντο, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἀπεδύοντο, ἔδει τὸν ἀλείφοντα ἐλθεῖν. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν οὐκ εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὸ Πνεῦμα ἔρχεται; Ἵνα ἐν πολλῇ αὐτοῦ καταστάντες ἐπιθυμίᾳ, μετὰ πολλῆς αὐτὸ δέξωνται χάριτος. Ἕως μὲν γὰρ ἦν μετ' αὐτῶν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐκ ἦσαν ἐν θλίψει· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπῆλθε, γυμνωθέντες καὶ ἐν φόβῳ πολλῷ καταστάντες, μετὰ πολλῆς ἔμελλον αὐτὸ τῆς προθυμίας δέχεσθαι. Μεθ' ὑμῶν μένει. Τοῦτο δηλοῖ, ὅτι οὐδὲ μετὰ τελευτὴν ἀφίσταται. Ἵνα δὲ μὴ Παράκλητον ἀκούσαντες, πάλιν ἐνσάρκωσιν ἑτέραν ὑποπτεύσωσι, καὶ ὀφθαλμοῖς προσδοκήσωσιν αὐτὸ θεωρεῖν, διορθούμενός φησιν· Ὃ ὁ κόσμος οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν, ὅτι οὐ θεωρεῖ αὐτό. Οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ὑμῖν συνέσται ὥσπερ ἐγώ· ἀλλ' ἐν αὐταῖς οἰκήσει ταῖς ὑμετέραις ψυχαῖς· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, Ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσται. Πνεῦμα δὲ ἀληθείας αὐτὸ καλεῖ, διὰ τούτου τοὺς τύπους τοὺς ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ δηλῶν. Ἵνα μεθ' ὑμῶν ᾖ. 59.405 Τί ἐστι, Μεθ' ὑμῶν ᾖ; Ὅ φησιν αὐτὸς, ὅτι Ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι. Ἄλλως δὲ, καὶ, ἕτερόν τι αἰνίττεται, ὅτι Οὐ πείσεται ταῦτα ἅπερ ἐγὼ, οὔτε ἀποφοιτήσει. Ὃ ὁ κόσμος οὐ δύναται λαβεῖν, ὅτι οὐ θεωρεῖ αὐτό. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τῶν ἄλλων θεωρητόν; Οὐδέν. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα τὴν γνῶσίν φησιν. Ἐπήγαγε γοῦν· Οὐδὲ γινώσκει αὐτό· οἶδε γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς γνώσεως θεωρίαν λέγειν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν αἰσθήσεων τρανοτέρα ἐστὶν ἡ ὄψις, διὰ ταύτης ἀεὶ τὴν ἀκριβῆ παρίστησι γνῶσιν. Κόσμον δὲ ἐνταῦθα τοὺς πονηρούς φησι,