49. And His operations, what are they? For majesty ineffable, and for numbers innumerable. How shall we form a conception of what extends beyond the ages? What were His operations before that creation whereof we can conceive? How great the grace which He conferred on creation? What the power exercised by Him over the ages to come? He existed; He pre-existed; He co-existed with the Father and the Son before the ages. It follows that, even if you can conceive of anything beyond the ages, you will find the Spirit yet further above and beyond. And if you think of the creation, the powers of the heavens were established by the Spirit,  16  cf. Ps. xxxiii. 6. the establishment being understood to refer to disability to fall away from good. For it is from the Spirit that the powers derive their close relationship to God, their inability to change to evil, and their continuance in blessedness. Is it Christ’s advent? The Spirit is forerunner. Is there the incarnate presence? The Spirit is inseparable. Working of miracles, and gifts of healing are through the Holy Spirit. Demons were driven out by the Spirit of God. The devil was brought to naught by the presence of the Spirit. Remission of sins was by the gift of the Spirit, for “ye were washed, ye were sanctified,…in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the holy Spirit of our God.”  17  1 Cor. vi. 11, R.V. There is close relationship with God through the Spirit, for “God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying Abba, Father.”  18  Gal. iv. 6. The resurrection from the dead is effected by the operation of the Spirit, for “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and Thou renewest the face of the earth.”  19  Ps. civ. 30. If here creation may be taken to mean the bringing of the departed to life again, how mighty is not the operation of the Spirit, Who is to us the dispenser of the life that follows on the resurrection, and attunes our souls to the spiritual life beyond? Or if here by creation is meant the change to a better condition of those who in this life have fallen into sin, (for it is so understood according to the usage of Scripture, as in the words of Paul “if any man be in Christ he is a new creature”  20  2 Cor. v. 17. ), the renewal which takes place in this life, and the transmutation from our earthly and sensuous life to the heavenly conversation which takes place in us through the Spirit, then our souls are exalted to the highest pitch of admiration. With these thoughts before us are we to be afraid of going beyond due bounds in the extravagance of the honour we pay? Shall we not rather fear lest, even though we seem to give Him the highest names which the thoughts of man can conceive or man’s tongue utter, we let our thoughts about Him fall too low?

It is the Spirit which says, as the Lord says, “Get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.”  21  Acts x. 20. Are these the words of an inferior, or of one in dread? “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”  22  Acts xiii. 2. Does a slave speak thus? And Isaiah, “The Lord God and His Spirit hath sent me,”  23  Isa. xlviii. 16. Mr. C. F. Johnston remarks: “In Isaiah xlviii. 16 St. Didymus, as translated by St. Jerome, gives Spiritum suum. The Targum has the same. St. Ambrose writes: ‘Quis est qui dicit; misit me Dominus Deus et Spiritus Ejus; nisi Qui venit a Patre, ut salvos faceret peccatores? Quem ut audis, et Spiritus misit; ne cum legis quia Filius Spiritum mittit, inferioris esse Spiritum crederes potestatis,’ (De Sp. S. iii. 1, § 7.) The passage is quoted by St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Cyril Hieros., and, as far as the editor is aware, without any comment which would help to determine their way of understanding the case of τὸ πνεῦμα; but Origen, on the words ‘Whosoever shall humble himself as this little child’ (Comm. in Evang., Matt. xiii. 18) says,—quoting the original, which may be rendered, “‘humbling himself as this little child is imitating the Holy Spirit, who humbled Himself for men’s salvation. That the Saviour and the Holy Ghost were sent by the Father for the salvation of men is made plain by Isaiah saying, in the person of the Saviour, ‘the Lord sent me, and His Spirit.’ It must be observed, however, that the phrase is ambiguous, for either God sent and the Holy Ghost also sent, the Saviour; or, as I understand, the Father sent both, the Saviour and the Holy Ghost.’” The Vulgate and Beza both render “Spiritus.” The order of the Hebrew is in favour of the nominative, as in the Vulgate and lxx. cf. Note A on Chap. xlviii. of Isaiah in the Speaker’s Commentary. and “the Spirit came down from the Lord and guided them.”  24  Is. lxii. 14, LXX. And pray do not again understand by this guidance some humble service, for the Word witnesses that it was the work of God;—“Thou leddest thy people,” it is said “like a flock,”  25  Ps. lxxvii. 20. and “Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock,”  26  Ps. lxxx. 1. and “He led them on safely, so that they feared not.”  27  Ps. lxxviii. 53. Thus when you hear that when the Comforter is come, He will put you in remembrance, and “guide you into all truth,”  28  John xvi. 13. cf. xiv. 26. do not misrepresent the meaning.

[49] Αἱ δὲ ἐνέργειαι τίνες; Ἄρρητοι μὲν διὰ τὸ μέγεθος, ἀνεξαρίθμητοι δὲ διὰ τὸ πλῆθος. Πῶς μὲν γὰρ νοήσομεν τὰ τῶν αἰώνων ἐπέκεινα; τίνες ἦσαν αὐτοῦ πρὸ τῆς νοητῆς κτίσεως αἱ ἐνέργειαι; πόσαι δ' ἀπ' αὐτοῦ περὶ τὴν κτίσιν χάριτες; τίς δὲ ἡ πρὸς τοὺς αἰῶνας τοὺς ἐπερχομένους δύναμις; Ἦν μὲν γὰρ καὶ προῆν, καὶ συμπαρῆν τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων. Ὥστε κἄν τι νοήσῃς τῶν αἰώνων ἐπέκεινα, τοῦτο εὑρήσεις τοῦ Πνεύματος κατωτέρω. Ἐάν τε τὴν κτίσιν ἐνθυμηθῇς, ἐστερεώθησαν αἱ τῶν οὐρανῶν δυνάμεις παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος: τῆς στερεώσεως δηλονότι ἐπὶ τὸ δυσμετάπτωτον τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἕξεως νοουμένης. Ἡ γὰρ πρὸς Θεὸν οἰκείωσις, καὶ τὸ πρὸς κακίαν ἄτρεπτον, καὶ τὸ ἐν μακαριότητι διαρκὲς, παρὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ταῖς δυνάμεσι. Χριστοῦ ἐπιδημία: καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα προτρέχει. Ἔνσαρκος παρουσία: καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα ἀχώριστον. Ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων, διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου. Δαίμονες ἀπηλαύνοντο ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Διάβολος κατηργεῖτο συμπαρόντος τοῦ Πνεύματος. Ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπολύτρωσις ἐν τῇ χάριτι τοῦ Πνεύματος. «Ἀπελούσασθε γὰρ καὶ ἡγιάσθητε ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ.» Οἰκείωσις πρὸς Θεόν, διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος. «Ἐξαπέστειλε γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν, κρᾶζον: Ἀββᾶ ὁ Πατήρ.» Ἡ ἐκ νεκρῶν ἐξανάστασις, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος. «Ἐξαποστελεῖς γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμά σου, καὶ κτισθήσονται, καὶ ἀνακαινιεῖς τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς.» Εἴτε τὴν κτίσιν τις ἐκλαμβάνοι ἐπὶ τῆς τῶν διαλυθέντων ἀναβιώσεως, πῶς οὐ μεγάλη τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ ἐνέργεια, τοῦ οἰκονομοῦντος ἡμῖν τὸν ἐξ ἀναστάσεως βίον, καὶ πρὸς τὴν πνευματικὴν ἐκείνην ζωὴν τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν μεταρρυθμίζοντος; Εἴτε λέγοιτο κτίσις ἡ ἐνταῦθα τῶν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας διαπεπτωκότων ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον μετακόσμησις _λέγεται γὰρ καὶ οὕτω κατὰ τὴν συνήθειαν τῆς Γραφῆς, ὡς ὅταν Παῦλος λέγῃ: «Εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις»_, καὶ ὁ ἐνταῦθα τοίνυν ἀνακαινισμός, καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς γηΐνης καὶ ἐμπαθοῦς ζωῆς ἐπὶ τὴν οὐράνιον πολιτείαν μεταβολή, διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡμῖν γινομένη, ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν θαύματος τὰς ψυχὰς ἡμῶν ἀνάγει. Ἐπὶ τούτοις πότερον φοβηθῶμεν μὴ τὴν ἀξίαν ὑπερβῶμεν ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς τῶν τιμῶν; ἢ τὸ ἐναντίον, μὴ εἰς ταπεινότητα καταγάγωμεν τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔννοιαν, κἂν τὰ μέγιστα δόξωμεν ἐπ' αὐτῷ τῶν ἐξ ἀνθρωπίνης διανοίας καὶ γλώττης προφερομένων φθέγγεσθαι; Τάδε λέγει τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὡς τάδε λέγει Κύριος: «Κατάβηθι, καὶ πορεύου σὺν αὐτοῖς, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος, διότι ἐγὼ αὐτοὺς ἀπέσταλκα.» Μὴ ταπεινοῦ ταῦτα καὶ κατεπτηχότος τὰ ῥήματα; «Ἀφορίσατε δή μοι τὸν Βαρνάβαν καὶ τὸν Σαῦλον εἰς τὸ ἔργον ὃ προσκέκλημαι αὐτούς.» Μὴ δοῦλος οὕτω φθέγγεται; Καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας: «Κύριος ἀπέσταλκέ με, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ.» Καί: «Κατέβη Πνεῦμα παρὰ Κυρίου, καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτούς.» Καὶ μή μοι τὴν ὁδηγίαν πάλιν εἰς ταπεινὴν διακονίαν ἐκλάβῃς. Τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ Θεοῦ ἔργον εἶναι ὁ λόγος διαμαρτύρεται. «Ὡδήγησας, φησίν, ὡς πρόβατα τὸν λαόν σου.» Καί: «Ὁ ὁδηγῶν ὡσεὶ πρόβατον τὸν Ἰωσήφ.» Καί: «Ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς ἐπ' ἐλπίδι, καὶ οὐκ ἐδειλίασαν.» Ὥστε ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι «Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ Παράκλητος, ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει καὶ ὁδηγήσει πρὸς πᾶσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν», τὴν ὁδηγίαν ὡς ἐδιδάχθης νόει, μὴ συκοφάντει τὴν ἔννοιαν.