Editor's Table: Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Comforter

EDITOR'S TABLE. HOLY GHOST, HOLY SPIRIT, COMFORTER. A large number of questions coming from many sources and pertaining to the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit of God, have recently been asked. While it is impracticable to reply, separately, to all, it is hoped that in this writing a satisfactory answer to most of them may be found. The Holy Ghost, who is a member of the Trinity in the Godhead, has not a body of flesh and bones, like the Father and the Son, but is a personage of Spirit. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 130: 22.) The Holy Spirit, or Spirit of God, both of which terms are sometimes used interchangeably with the Holy Ghost, is the influence of Deity, the light of Christ, or of Truth, which proceeds forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space, and to quicken the understanding of men. (Doc. and Cov., Sec. 88: 6-13.) The Comforter, spoken of in John 14: 16, 17, is not the Holy Gho3t, and has no reference to the Holy Ghost, but has reference to another Comforter which is the Spirit of Truth, which dwells in the Son of God, as explained in the 17th and 18th verses, in which the Lord says, "I will not leave you comfortless; I will come unto you." Therefore, Jesus himself, and the Spirit of Truth proceeding from him and that dwelleth in him, which is imparted to the true believer by the power of the Holy Ghost, is that other Comforter which Jesus promised in this scripture. If a man is baptized and ordained to the holy priesthood, and is called upon to perform duties which pertain to that priesthood, it does not follow that he must always have the Holy Ghost present with him when he performs his duty, but every righteous act which he may perform legally will be in force and effect, and will be acknowledged of God, whether he hath much or little of

390 IMPROVEMENT ERA. the Holy Ghost, but the more of the Spirit of God he possesses in ministrations, the better for himself, and those will not suffer any loss unto whom he administers. Therefore, the presentation or "gift" of the Holy Ghost simply confers upon a man the right to receive at any time, when he is worthy of it and desires it, the power and light of truth of the Holy Ghost, although he may often be left to his own spirit and judgment. The Holy Ghost as a personage of Spirit can no more be omnipresent in person than can the Father or the Son, but by his intelligence, his knowledge, his power and influence, over and through the laws of nature, he is and can be omnipresent throughout all the works of God. It is not the Holy Ghost who in person lighteth every man who is born into the world, but it is the light of Christ, the Spirit of Truth, which proceeds from the source of intelligence, which permeates all nature, which lighteth every man and fills the immensity of space. You may call it the Spirit of God, you may call it the influence of God's intelligence, you may call it the substance of his power, no matter what it is called, it is the spirit of intelligence that permeates the universe, and gives to the spirits of men understanding just as Job has said. (Job 32: 8; Doc. and Cov. Sec. 88; 3-13). Every elder of the Church who has received the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, by one having authority, has power to confer that gift upon another; it does not follow that a man who has received the presentation or gift of the Holy Ghost shall always receive the recognition and witness and presence of the Holy Ghost himself, or he may receive all these, and yet the Holy Ghost not tarry with him, but visit him from time to time (Doc. and Cov. Sec. 130:23); and neither does it follow that a man must have the Holy Ghost present with him when he confers the Holy Ghost upon another, but he possesses the gift of the Holy Ghost, and it will depend upon the worthiness of him unto whom the gift is bestowed whether he receive the JT?ly Ghost or not. Now I repeat — the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, he constitutes the third person in the Trinity, the Godhead. The gift or presentation of the Holy Ghost is the authoritative act of conferring him upon nvan The Holy Ghost in person may visit men

EDITOR'S TABLE. 391 and will visit those who are worthy and bear witness to their spirit of God and Christ, but may not tarry with them. The Spirit of God which emanates from Deity may be likened to electricity, or the universal ether, as explained in our manual, which fills the earth and the air, and is everywhere present. It is the power of God, the influence that he exerts throughout all his works by which he can effect his purposes and execute his will, in consonance with the laws of free agency which he has conferred upon man. By means of this Spirit every man is enlightened, the wicked as well as the good, the intelligent and the ignorant, the high and the low, each in accordance with his capacity to receive the light; and this Spirit or influence which emanates from God may be said to constitute man's consciousness, and will never cease to strive with man, until man is brought to the possession of the higher intelligence which can only come through faith, repentance, baptism for the remission of sins, and the gift or the presentation of the Holy Ghost by one having authority. All this seems very plain and simple. The Y. M. M. I. A. Manual statements are not intended, and certainly should not be interpreted, to mean that the Spirit of God is ether, or that ether is the Spirit of God. It is true that the manual likens or compares the infinity of the Spirit of God or Holy Spirit, which permeates all His works, with the supposed infinity of the universal ether, but it was certainly not intended to convey the thought that ether is the Spirit of God; and much less that the Holy Ghost, who is a personage of Spirit, is ether. By request Dr. John A.Widtsoe has written an article on the subject, supplemental to the manual, which follows. Joseph F. Smith.