Before one can correctly understand the work of the Holy Spirit, they must first of all know the Spirit Himself. A frequent source of error and fanaticism about the work of the Holy Spirit is the attempt to study and understand His work without primarily coming to know Him as a Person. It is of the highest importance from the standpoint of worship that we decide whether the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, worthy to receive our adoration, our faith, our love, and our entire surrender to Himself, or whether it is simply an influence emanating from God or a power or an illumination that God imparts to us. If the Holy Spirit is a person, and a Divine Person, and we do not know Him as such, then we are robbing a Divine Being of the worship and the faith and the love and the surrender to Himself which are His due. It is not enough to believe the doctrineone must know the Holy Spirit Himself. The whole purpose of this book is to introduce you to the Holy Spirit.

Reuben Archer Torrey (18561928) was an American evangelist, pastor, educator, and writer. He aligned with Keswick theology.