Novatian, On the Trinity 29
Both the logic of reason and the authority of faith — grounded in the Lord's own words and writings — urge us to believe in the Holy Spirit after all that has gone before. This Spirit was promised to the church long ago, but was given at the appointed seasons. He was promised through the prophet Joel (Joel 2:29), yet bestowed through Christ. "In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on my servants and handmaids." The Lord Himself said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain them, they are retained" (John 20:22-23). The Lord Christ calls this same Holy Spirit now the Paraclete, now the Spirit of truth. He is not a newcomer in the Gospel, nor was He given for the first time there. It was this very Spirit who accused the people through the prophets and who acted as advocate for the nations through the apostles. The former deserved accusation because they had despised the Law; the latter deserve the Spirit's advocacy because they strive to attain the law of the Gospel. There is a real difference in the kinds of duties He performs, since the reasons for His action vary with the times; yet He who acts is not thereby a different person, nor does He become another while so acting. He remains one and the same, distributing His offices across times, occasions, and moments. Finally, the apostle Paul writes: "Since we have the same spirit of faith as it is written, 'I believed, therefore I spoke,' we also believe and therefore speak" (2 Cor 4:13). So it is one and the same Spirit at work in the prophets and the apostles — except that there He was present only for a moment, whereas here He abides forever. There He did not dwell in them permanently; here He remains in them always. There He was distributed in measure; here He is poured out in fullness. There He was given sparingly; here He is supplied lavishly. Yet He was not manifested before the Lord's resurrection, but was bestowed through Christ's resurrection. For Jesus said, "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever — the Spirit of truth" (John 14:16-17). "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father — the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father" (John 15:26). "If I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7). "When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13).
Latin
Sed enim ordo rationis et fidei auctoritas digestis uocibus et litteris domini admonet nos post haec credere etiam in spiritum sanctum, olim ecclesiae repromissum, sed statutis temporum opportunitatibus redditum. est enim per Ioelem prophetam repromissus, sed per Christum redditus. in nouissimis, inquit, diebus effundam de spiritu meo super seruos et ancillas meas. dominus autem: accipite spiritum sanctum; quorum remiseritis peccata, erunt remissa; et quorum retinueritis, erunt retenta. hunc autem spiritum sanctum dominus Christus modo paracletum appellat, modo spiritum ueritatis esse pronuntiat. qui non est in euangelio nouus, sed nec noue datus. nam hic ipse et in prophetis populum accusauit, et in apostolis aduocationem gentibus praestitit. nam illi ut accusarentur merebantur, quia contempserant legem: et qui ex gentibus credunt, ut patrocinio spiritus adiuuentur merentur, quia ad euangelicam peruenire gestiunt legem. differentia sane in illo genera officiorum, quoniam in temporibus differens ratio causarum: nec ex hoc tamen ipse diuersus, qui haec sic gerit, nec alter est, dum sic agit, sed unus atque ipse est, diuidens officia sua per tempora et rerum occasiones atque momenta. denique apostolus Paulus: habentes, inquit, eundem spiritum, sicut scriptum est: credidi, propter quod locutus sum, et nos credimus, ideo loquimur. vnus ergo et idem spiritus, qui in prophetis et apostolis; nisi quoniam ibi ad momentum, hic semper. ceterum ibi, non ut semper in illis inesset, hic, ut in illis semper maneret: et ibi mediocriter distributus, hic totus effusus; ibi parce datus, hic large commodatus; nec tamen ante resurrectionem’ domini exhibitus, sed per resurrectionem Christi contributus. rogabo enim aiebat, patrem, et alium aduocatum dabit uobis, ut uobiscum sit in aeternum, spiritum ueritatis. et: cum uenerit aduocatus ile, quem ego missurus sum uobis a patre meo, spiritum ueritatis, qui de patre meo procedit. et: si non abiero ego, aduocatus ille non ueniet ad uos: si autem ego abiero, remittam illum ad uos. et: cum uenerit spiritus ueritatis, ille uos diriget in omnem ueritatem.