12. The fellowship of this Holy Spirit He
bestowed on the Apostles; for it is written, And when He had said
this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy
Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them;
and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained John xx. 22.. This was the second time He breathed
on man (His first breath Gen. ii. 7: and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life. Compare Cat. xiv. 10. having been stifled
through wilful sins); that the Scripture might be fulfilled, He went
up breathing upon thy face, and delivering thee from
affliction Nahum ii. 1. The Septuagint, followed by
Cyril, differs widely from the Hebrew: (R.V.) He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy
face.. But whence
went He up? From Hades; for thus the Gospel relates, that then
after His resurrection He breathed on them. But though He
bestowed His grace then, He was to lavish it yet more bountifully; and
He says to them, “I am ready to give it even now, but the vessel
cannot yet hold it; for a while therefore receive ye as much grace as
ye can bear; and look forward for yet more; but tarry ye in the city
of Jerusalem, until ye be clothed with power from on high Luke xxiv. 39.. Receive it in part now; then,
ye shall wear it in its fulness. For he who receives, often
possesses the gift but in part; but he who is clothed, is completely
enfolded by his robe. “Fear not,” He says, “the
weapons and darts of the devil; for ye shall bear with you the power of
the Holy Ghost.” But remember what was lately said, that
the Holy Ghost is not divided, but only the grace which is given by
Him.