1 Thessalonians 5:19,20

Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings The R. V. properly reduces to a semi-colon the full stop between these sentences.

What is revelationon God's part, is prophecyin its human instrument. "Prophecy" bears to "revelation" the same relation as "teaching" to "knowledge" (1 Corinthians 12:6), the former being the utterance and outcome of the latter. Prediction, to which we limit the term in common speech, is but a part and not an essential part of Prophecy, in its Biblical sense. It is, etymologically, the forth-speakingof what was otherwise unknown and hidden in the mind of God.

This power of declaring by direct inspiration the mind of God was widely diffused amongst the first Christians; see 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Romans 3:6, where it is spoken of as an ordinary and familiar thing. This gift manifested in the highest and most effective way the power of God's Spirit in man; but it was liable to be abused (see 1 Corinthians 14:26-31), and to he simulated (1 John 4:1). The expression "through Spirit" in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 probably refers to some spurious prophetic manifestation. A fanatical element appears to have mingled with the prophesyings of the Thessalonian Church; and this had doubtless given offence to sober minds, and created distrust in regard to prophecy itself. Hence the double caution. Contempt for this great gift of His must of necessity grieve the Holy Spirit, and limit His action in the Church. Nothing is more chilling to religious life than a cold rationalism which suspects the supernatural beforehand, and is ready to confound the manifestations of the Spirit of God with morbid excitement or insincere pretension.

But the command, "Quench not the Spirit," is universal. Whatever obstructs or disparages His work in the souls of men whether in others, or in ourselves is thus forbidden. It is a strange and awful, but very real power that we have to "resist the Holy Spirit" (Acts 7:51).

Since He may be "quenched," He is a fire, as appeared on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3). This emblem sets forth the sudden and vehement activities of the Holy Spirit, with His gifts of warmth for the heart and light for the mind and His power to kindle the human spirit. Prophecy exhibited His presence under this aspect, in its intensity and ardour. On the other hand, He appears in gentler form under the emblem of the dove, in whose guise the Spirit descended on Jesus at His baptism.