,,quiet ,,talks ,,on ,,power ,,by ,s4 ,d4 ,,gordon ,illustration ,,new ,,and ,,revised ,,edition ,,chicago ,,new ,,york ,,toronto ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,,london ,,and ,,edinburgh ,,copyright1 #aijc1 ,,by ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,chicago3 #fc ,washington ,street ,new ,york3 #aeh ,fifth ,avenue ,toronto3 #bg ,richmond ,street1 ,w ,london3 #ba ,paternoster ,square ,edinburgh3 #cj ,st4 ,mary ,street ,,contents ,,page ,,choked ,,channels #i ,,the ,,olivet ,,message #cc ,,the ,,channel ,,of ,,power #fa ,,the ,,price ,,of ,,power #hg ,,the ,,personality ,,of ,,power #aag ,,making ,,and ,,breaking ,,connections #adg ,,the ,,flood-,,tide ,,of ,,power #agc ,,fresh ,,supplies ,,of ,,power #aii ,,choked ,,channels4 ,an ,odd ,distinction4 ,a few years ago ,i was making a brief tour among the colleges of ,missouri4 ,i remember one morning in a certain college village going over from the hotel to take breakfast with some of the boys1 and coming back with one of the fellows whom ,i had just met4 ,as we walked along1 chatting away1 ,i asked him quietly1 ,are you a christian1 sir8 ,he turned quickly and looked at me with an odd1 surprised expression in his eye and then turning his face away said3 ,well1 ,i'm a member of church1 but--,i don't believe ,i'm very much of a christian4 ,then ,i looked at him and he frankly volunteered a little information4 ,not very much4 ,he did not need to say much4 ,you can see a large field through a chink in the fence4 ,and ,i saw enough to let me know that he was right in the criticism he had made upon himself4 ,we talked a bit and parted4 ,but his remark set me to thinking4 ,a week later1 in another town1 speaking one morning to the students of a young ladies' seminary1 ,i said afterwards to one of the teachers as we were talking3 ,i suppose your young women here are all christians4 ,that same quizzical look came into her eye as she said3 ,i think they are all members of church1 but ,i do not think they are all christians with real power in their lives4 ,there was that same odd distinction4 ,a few weeks later1 in ,kansas ,city visiting the medical and dental schools1 ,i recall distinctly standing one morning in a disordered room--shavings on the floor1 desks disarranged--the institution just moving into new quarters1 and not yet settled4 ,i was discussing with a member of the faculty1 the dean ,i think1 about how many the room would hold1 how soon it would be ready1 and so on--just a business talk1 nothing more--when he turned to me rather abruptly1 looking me full in the face1 and said with quiet deliberation3 ,i'm a member of church2 ,i think ,i am a deacon in our church--running his hand through his hair meditatively1 as though to refresh his memory--but ,i am not very much of a christian1 sir4 ,the smile that started to come to my face at the odd frankness of his remark was completely chased away by the distinct touch of pathos in both face and voice that seemed to speak of a hungry1 unsatisfied heart within4 ,perhaps it was a month or so later1 in one of the mining towns down in the zinc belt of southwestern ,missouri1 ,i was to speak to a meeting of men4 ,there were probably five or six hundred gathered in a ,methodist ,church4 ,they were strangers to me4 ,i was in doubt what best to say to them4 ,one dislikes to fire ammunition at people that are absent4 ,so stepping down to a front pew where several ministers were seated1 ,i asked one of them to run his eye over the house and tell me what sort of a congregation it was1 so far as he knew them4 ,he did so1 and presently replied3 ,i think fully two-thirds of these men are members of our churches--and then1 with that same quizzical1 half-laughing look1 he added1 but you know1 sir1 as well as ,i do1 that not half of them are christians worth counting4 ,well1 ,i said to myself1 astonished1 this is a mining camp2 this certainly is not anything like the condition of affairs in the country generally4 ,but that series of incidents1 coming one after the other in such rapid succession1 set me thinking intently about that strange distinction between being members of a church on the one hand1 and on the other1 living lives that count and tell and weigh for ,jesus seven days in the week4 ,i knew that ministers had been recognizing such a distinction1 but to find it so freely acknowledged by folks in the pew was new1 and surely significant4 ,and so ,i thought ,i would just ask the friends here to-day very frankly1 ,what kind of ,christians are you8 ,i do not say what kind you are1 for ,i am a stranger1 and do not know1 and would only think the best things of you4 ,but ,i ask you frankly1 honestly now1 as ,i ask myself anew1 what kind are you8 ,do you know8 ,because it makes such a difference4 ,the ,master's plan--and what a genius of a plan it is--is this1 that the world should be won1 not by the preachers--though we must have these men of ,god for teaching and leadership--but by everyone who knows the story of ,jesus telling someone1 and telling not only with his lips earnestly and tactfully1 but even more1 telling with his life4 ,that is the ,master's plan of campaign for this world4 ,and it makes a great difference to ,him and to the world outside whether you and ,i are living the story of ,his love and power among men or not4 ,do you know what kind of a christian you are8 ,there are at least three others that do4 ,first of all there is ,satan4 ,he knows4 ,many of our church officers are skilled in gathering and compiling statistics1 but they cannot hold a tallow-dip to ,satan in this matter of exact information4 ,he is the ablest of all statisticians1 second only to one other4 ,he keeps careful record of every one of us1 and knows just how far we are interfering with his plans4 ,he knows that some of us--good1 respectable people1 as common reckoning goes--neither help ,god nor hinder ,satan4 ,does that sound rather hard8 ,but is it not true8 ,he has no objection to such people being counted in as christians4 ,indeed1 he rather prefers to have it so4 ,their presence inside the church circle helps him mightily4 ,he knows what kind of a christian you are4 ,do you know8 ,then there is the great outer circle of non-christian people--they know4 ,many of them are poorly informed regarding the christian life2 hungry for something they have not1 and know not just what it is2 with high ideals1 though vague1 of what a christian life should be4 ,and they look eagerly to us for what they have thought we had1 and are so often keenly disappointed that our ideals1 our life1 is so much like others who profess nothing4 ,and when here and there they meet one whose acts are dominated by a pure1 high spirit1 whose faces reflect a sweet radiance amid all circumstances1 and whose lives send out a rare fragrance of gladness and kindliness and controlling peace1 they are quick to recognize that1 to them1 intangible something that makes such people different4 ,the world--tired1 hungry1 keen and critical for mere sham1 appreciative of the real thing--the world knows what kind of christians we are4 ,do we know8 ,there is a third one watching us to-day with intense interest4 ,the ,lord ,jesus6 ,sitting up yonder in glory1 with the scar-marks of earth on face and form1 looking eagerly down upon us who stand for ,him in the world that crucified ,him--,he knows4 ,i imagine ,him saying1 ,there is that one down there whom ,i died for1 who bears my name2 if ,i had the control of that life what power ,i would gladly breathe in and out of it1 but--he is so absorbed in other things4 ,the ,master is thinking about you1 studying your life1 longing to carry out ,his plan if ,he could only get permission1 and sorely disappointed in many of us4 ,he knows4 ,do you know8 ,the ,night ,visitor4 ,after that trip ,i became much interested in discovering in ,john's ,gospel some striking pictorial illustrations of these two kinds of christians1 namely1 those who have power in their lives for ,jesus ,christ and those who have not4 ,let me speak of only a few of these4 ,the first is sketched briefly in the third chapter1 with added touches in the seventh and nineteenth chapters4 ,there is a little descriptive phrase used each time--the man who came to ,jesus by night4 ,that comes to be in ,john's mind the most graphic and sure way of identifying this man4 ,a good deal of criticism1 chiefly among the upper classes1 had already been aroused by ,jesus' acts and words4 ,this man ,nicodemus clearly was deeply impressed by the young preacher from up in ,galilee4 ,he wants to find out more of him4 ,but he shrank back from exposing himself to criticism by these influential people for his possible friendship with the young radical1 as ,jesus was regarded4 ,so one day he waits until the friendly shadows will conceal his identity1 and slipping quietly along the streets1 close up to the houses so as to insure his purpose of not being recognized1 he goes up yonder side street where ,jesus has lodgings4 ,he knocks timidly4 ,does the preacher from up the north way stop here8 ,yes4 ,could ,i see him8 ,he steps in and spends an evening in earnest conversation4 ,i think we will all readily agree that ,nicodemus believed ,jesus after that night's interview1 however he may have failed to understand all ,he said4 ,yes1 we can say much more--he loved ,him4 ,for after the cruel crucifixion it is this man that brings a box of very precious spices1 weighing as much as a hundred pounds1 worth1 without question1 a large sum of money1 with which to embalm the dead body of his friend4 ,ah6 he loved ,him4 ,no one may question that4 ,but turn now to the seventh chapter of ,john4 ,there is being held a special session of the ,jewish ,senate in ,jerusalem for the express purpose of determining how to silence ,jesus--to get rid of ,him4 ,this man is a member of that body1 and is present4 ,yonder he sits with the others1 listening while his friend ,jesus is being discussed and ,his removal--by force if need be--is being plotted4 ,what does he do8 ,what would you expect of a friend of ,jesus under such circumstances8 ,i wonder what you and ,i would have done8 ,i wonder what we do do8 ,does he say modestly1 but plainly1 ,i spent a whole evening with this man1 questioning ,him1 talking with ,him1 listening to ,him4 ,i feel quite sure that ,he is our promised ,messiah2 and ,i have decided to accept ,him as such4 ,did he say that8 ,that would have been the simple truth4 ,but such a remark plainly would have aroused a storm of criticism1 and he dreaded that4 ,yet he felt that something should be said4 ,so1 lawyer-like1 he puts the case abstractly4 ,hmm--does our law judge a man without giving him a fair hearing8 ,that sounds fair1 though it does seem rather feeble in face of their determined opposition4 ,but near by sits a burly ,pharisee1 who turns sharply around and1 glaring savagely at ,nicodemus1 says sneeringly3 ,who are you8 ,do you come from ,galilee1 too8 ,look and see6 ,no prophet comes out of ,galilee--with intensest contempt in the tone with which he pronounces the word ,galilee4 ,and poor ,nicodemus seems to shrink back into half his former size1 and has not another word to say1 though all the facts1 easily ascertainable1 were upon his side of the case4 ,he loved ,jesus without doubt1 but he had no power for ,him among men because of his timidity4 ,shall ,i use a plainer1 though uglier1 word--his cowardice8 ,that is not a pleasant word to apply to a man4 ,but is it not the true word here8 ,he was so afraid of what they would think and say6 ,is that the sort of christian you are8 ,believing ,jesus1 trusting ,him1 saved by ,him1 loving ,him1 but shrinking back from speaking out for ,him1 tactfully1 plainly1 when opportunity presents or can be made4 ,a christian1 but without positive power for ,him among men because of cowardice6 ,i can scarcely imagine ,nicodemus walking down the street in ,jerusalem1 arm in arm with another ,pharisee-member of the ,sanhedrin and saying to him quietly1 but earnestly3 ,have you had a talk with this young man ,jesus8 ,no1 indeed1 ,i have not6 ,well1 do you know1 ,i spent an evening with ,him down at ,his stopping place1 and had a long1 careful talk with ,him4 ,i am quite satisfied that ,he is our long-looked-for leader2 ,i have decided to give ,him my personal allegiance2 won't you get personally acquainted with ,him8 ,he is a wonderful man4 ,i say ,i have difficulty in thinking that this man worked for ,jesus like that4 ,and yet what more natural and proper1 both for him and for us8 ,and what a difference it might have made in many a man's life4 ,powerless for ,jesus because of timidity6 ,is that the kind you are8 ,possibly some one thinks that rather hard on this man4 ,maybe you are thinking of that other member of the ,sanhedrin--,joseph of ,arimathea--who was also a follower of ,jesus1 and that quite possibly he may have been influenced by ,nicodemus4 ,let us suppose1 for ,nicodemus' sake1 that this is so1 and then mark the brief record of this man ,joseph in ,john's account3 ,a disciple secretly for fear of the ,jews4 ,if we may fairly presume that it was ,nicodemus' influence that led his friend ,joseph to follow ,jesus1 yet he had led him no nearer than he himself had gone6 ,he could lead him no higher or nearer than that4 ,john in his gospel makes plain the fact that ,jesus suffered much from these secret1 timid1 cowardly disciples whose fear of men gripped them as in a vise4 ,five times he makes special mention of these people who believed ,jesus1 but cravenly feared to line up with ,him4#a ,he even says that many of the rulers--the very class that plotted and voted ,his death--believed ,jesus1 but that fear of the others shut their lips and drove them into the shadow when they could have helped ,him most4 ,these people seem to have left numerous descendants1 many of whom continue with us unto this day4 ,tightly ,tied ,up4 ,turn now to the eleventh chapter and you will find another pictorial suggestion of this same sort of powerless christian1 though in this instance made so by another reason4 ,it is the ,bethany ,chapter1 the ,lazarus ,chapter4 ,the scene is just out of ,bethany village4 ,there is a man lying dead in the cave yonder4 ,here stands ,jesus4 ,there are the disciples1 and ,martha1 and ,mary1 and the villagers1 and a crowd from ,jerusalem4 ,the ,master is speaking4 ,his voice rings out clear and commanding--,lazarus1 come forth--speaking to a dead man4 ,and the simple record runs1 ,he that was dead--life comes between those two lines of the record--came forth1 bound hand and foot with grave-clothes1 and his face was bound about with a napkin4 ,will you please take a look at ,lazarus as he steps from the tomb8 ,do you think his eyes are dull1 or his cheeks hollow and pale8 ,i think not6 ,when ,jesus1 the ,lord of life1 gives life1 either physical or spiritual1 ,he gives abundant life4 ,that face may have been a bit spare4 ,there had been no food for at least four days and likely longer4 ,but there is the flash of health in his eye and the ruddy hue of good blood in his cheek4 ,he has life4 ,but look closer4 ,he is bound hand and foot and face4 ,he can neither walk nor work nor speak4 ,i have met some christian people who reminded me forcibly of that scene4 ,they are christians4 ,the ,master has spoken life1 and they have responded to ,his word4 ,but they are so tied up with the grave-clothes of the old life that there can be none of the power of free action in life or service4 ,may ,i ask you very kindly1 but very plainly1 are you like that8 ,is that the reason you have so little power with ,god1 and for ,god8 ,perhaps some one would say1 ,just what do you mean8 ,i mean this3 that there may be some personal habit of yours1 or perhaps some society custom which you practice1 or it may be some business method1 or possibly an old friendship which you have carried over into the new life from the old that is seriously hindering your christian life4 ,it may be something that goes into your mouth or comes out of it that prevents those lips speaking for the ,master4 ,perhaps it is some organization you belong to4 ,if there is lack of freedom and power for ,christ you may be sure there is something that is blighting your life and dwarfing your usefulness4 ,it may possibly be that practically in your daily life you are exerting no more power for ,god than a dead man6 ,a christian1 indeed1 but without power because of compromise with something questionable or outrightly wrong6 ,is that so with you8 ,i do not say it is1 for ,i do not know4 ,but you know4 ,the hungry1 critical world knows4 ,subtle1 keen ,satan knows4 ,the ,lord ,jesus knows4 ,do you know if that describes you8 ,you may know with certainty within twenty-four hours if you wish to and will to4 ,may we be willing to have the ,spirit's searchlight turned in upon us to-night4 ,the ,master's ,ideal4 ,there is another kind of christian1 an utterly different kind1 spoken of and illustrated in this same ,gospel of ,john1 and ,i doubt not many of them also are here4 ,it is ,jesus' ideal of what a christian should be4 ,have you sometimes wished you could have a few minutes of quiet talk with ,jesus8 ,i mean face to face1 as two of us might sit and talk together4 ,you have thought you would ask ,him to say very simply and plainly just what ,he expects of you4 ,well1 ,i believe ,he would answer in words something like those of this seventh chapter of ,john4 ,it was at the time of ,feast of ,tabernacles4 ,there was a vast multitude of ,jews there from all parts of the world4 ,it was like an immense convention1 but larger than any convention we know4 ,the people were not entertained in the homes1 but lived for seven days in leafy booths made of branches of trees4 ,it was the last day of the feast4 ,there was a large concourse of people gathered in one of the temple areas2 not women1 but men2 not sitting1 but standing4 ,up yonder stand the priests1 pouring water out of large jars1 to symbolize the outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit upon the nation of ,israel4 ,just then ,jesus speaks1 and amid the silence of the intently watching throng ,his voice rings out3 ,if any man thirst let him come unto ,me and drink2 he that believeth on ,me1 as the ,scripture saith1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,mark that significant closing clause4 ,that packs into a sentence ,jesus' ideal of what a true christian down in this world should be1 and may be4 ,every word is full of meaning4 ,the heart of the sentence is in the last word--water4 ,water is an essential of life4 ,absence of water means suffering and sickness1 dearth and death4 ,plenty of good water means life4 ,all the history of the world clusters about the water courses4 ,study the history of the rivers1 the seashores1 and lake edges1 and you know the history of the earth4 ,those men who heard ,jesus speak would instinctively think of the ,jordan4 ,it was their river4 ,travelers say that no valley exceeded in beauty and fruitfulness that valley of the ,jordan1 made so by those swift waters4 ,no hillside so fair in their green beauty1 nor so wealthy in heavy loads of fruit as those sloping down to the edge of that stream4 ,now plainly ,jesus is talking of something that may1 through us1 exert as decided an influence upon the lives of those we touch as water has exerted1 and still exerts1 on the history of the earth1 and as this ,jordan did in that wonderful1 historic ,palestine4 ,mark the quantity of water--rivers4 ,not a ,jordan merely1 that would be wonderful enough1 but ,jordans--a ,jordan1 and a ,nile1 and a ,euphrates1 a ,yang ,tse ,kiang1 and an ,olga and a ,rhine1 a ,seine and a ,thames1 and a ,hudson and an ,ohio--rivers4 ,notice1 too1 the kind of water4 ,like this racing1 turbulent1 muddy ,jordan8 ,no1 no6 rivers of living water1 water of life1 clear as crystal4 ,you remember in ,ezekiel's vision which we read together that the waters constantly increased in depth1 and that everywhere they went there was healing1 and abundant life1 and prosperity1 and beauty1 and food1 and a continual harvest the year round1 and all because of the waters of the river4 ,they were veritable waters of life4 ,now mark that little1 but very significant1 phrase--,out of--not into1 but out of4 ,all the difference in the lives of men lies in the difference between these two expressions4 ,into is the world's preposition4 ,every stream turns in2 and that means a dead sea4 ,many a man's life is simply the coast line of a dead sea4 ,out of is the ,master's word4 ,his thought is of others4 ,the stream must flow in1 and must flow through1 if it is to flow out1 but it is judged by its direction1 and ,jesus would turn it outward4 ,there must be good connections upward1 and a clear channel inward1 but the objective point is outward toward a parched earth4 ,but before it can flow out it must fill up4 ,an outflow in this case means an overflow4 ,there must be a flooding inside before there can be a flowing out4 ,and let the fact be carefully marked that it is only the overflow from the fullness within our own lives that brings refreshing to anyone else4 ,a man praying at a conference in ,england for the outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit said3 ,o1 ,lord1 we can't hold much1 but we can overflow lots4 ,that is exactly the ,master's thought4 ,out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,do you remember that phrase in the third chapter of ,joshua--,for ,jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest4 ,when there was a flood in the river1 there was a harvest in the land4 ,has there been a harvest in your life8 ,a harvest of the fruit of the spirit--love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering2 a harvest of souls8 ,no1 do you say1 not much of a harvest1 ,i am afraid1 or it may be your heart says none at all4 ,is it hard to tell why8 ,has there been a flood-tide in your heart1 a filling up from above until the blessed stream had to find an outlet somewhere1 and produce a harvest8 ,a harvest outside means a rising of the tide inside4 ,a flooding of the heart always brings a harvest in the life4 ,a few years ago there were great floods in the southern states1 and the cotton and corn crops following were unprecedented4 ,paul reminded his ,roman friends that when the ,holy ,spirit has free swing in the life the love of ,god floods our hearts4#b ,please notice1 too1 the source of the stream--out of his belly4 ,will you observe for a moment the rhetorical figure here8 ,i used to suppose it meant out of his heart4 ,the ancients1 you remember1 thought the heart lay down in the abdominal region4 ,but you will find that this book is very exact in its use of words4 ,the blood is the life4 ,the heart pumps the blood1 but the stomach makes it4 ,the seat of life is not in the heart1 but in the stomach4 ,if you will take down a book of physiology1 and find the chart showing the circulation of the blood1 you will see a wonderful network of lines spreading out in every direction1 but all running1 through lighter lines into heavier1 and still blacker1 until every line converges in the great stomach artery4 ,and everywhere the blood goes there is life4 ,now turn to a book of physical geography and get a map showing the water system of some great valley like the ,mississippi1 and you will find a striking reproduction of the other chart4 ,and if you will shut your eyes and imagine the reality back of that chart1 you will see hundreds of cool1 clear springs flowing successively into runs1 brooks1 creeks1 larger streams1 river branches1 rivers1 and finally into the great river--the reservoir of all4 ,and everywhere the waters go there is life4 ,the only difference between these two streams of life is in the direction4 ,the blood flows from the largest toward the smallest2 the water flows from the smallest toward the largest4 ,both bring life with its accompaniments of beauty and vigor and fruitfulness4 ,there is ,jesus' picture of the ,christian down in the world4 ,as the red stream flows out from the stomach1 and1 propelled by the force-pump of the heart1 through a marvelous network of minute rivers takes life to every part of the body1 so he that believeth on ,me--that is the vital connecting link with the great origin of this stream of life--out of the very source of life within him shall go a flood-tide of life1 bringing refreshing1 and cleansing1 and beauty1 and vigor everywhere within the circle of his life1 even though1 like the red streams and the water streams1 he be unconscious of it4 ,an ,unlikely ,channel4 ,what a marvelous conception of the power of life6 ,how strikingly it describes ,jesus' own earthly life6 ,but there is something more marvelous still--,he means that ideal to become real in you1 my friend1 and in me4 ,i doubt not there are some here whose eager hearts are hungry for just such a life1 but who are tremblingly conscious of their own weakness4 ,your thoughts are saying3 ,i wish ,i could live such a life1 but certainly this is not for me2 this man talking doesn't know me--no special talent or opportunity3 such strong tides of temptation that sweep me clean off my feet--not for me4 ,ah1 my friend1 ,i verily believe you are the very one the ,master had in mind1 for ,he had ,john put into his gospel a living illustration of this ideal of ,his that goes down to the very edge of human unlikeliness and inability4 ,he goes down to the lowest so as to include all4 ,what proved true in this case may prove true with you1 and much more4 ,the story is in the fourth chapter4 ,it is a sort of advance page of the ,book of ,acts4 ,a sample of the power of ,pentecost before the day of ,pentecost4 ,you and ,i live on the flood-side of ,pentecost4 ,this illustration belongs back where the streams had only just commenced trickling4 ,it is a miniature4 ,you and ,i may furnish the life-size if we will4 ,it is the story of a woman2 not a man1 but a woman4 ,one of the weaker sex1 so called4 ,she was ignorant1 prejudiced1 and without social standing4 ,she was a woman of no reputation4 ,aye1 worse than that1 of bad reputation4 ,she probably had less moral influence in her town than any one here has in his circle4 ,could a more unlikely person have been used8 ,but she came in touch with the ,lord ,jesus4 ,she yielded herself to that touch4 ,there lies the secret of what follows4 ,that contact radically changed her4 ,she went back to her village and commenced speaking about ,jesus to those she knew4 ,she could not preach2 she simply told plainly and earnestly what she knew and believed about ,him4 ,and the result is startling4 ,there are hundreds of ministers who are earnestly longing for what came so easily to her4 ,what modern people call a revival began at once4 ,we are told in the simple language of the ,gospel record that many believed on ,him because of the word of the woman4 ,they had not seen ,jesus yet4 ,he was up by the well4 ,they were down in the village4 ,she was an ignorant woman1 of formerly sinful life4 ,but there is the record of the wonderful result of her simple witnessing--they believed on ,jesus because of the word of that woman4 ,there is only one way to account for such results4 ,only the ,holy ,spirit speaking through her lips could have produced them4 ,she had commenced drinking of the living water of which ,jesus had been talking to her1 and now already the rivers were flowing out to others4 ,what ,jesus did with her1 ,he longs to do with you1 and far more1 if you will let ,him2 though his plan for using you may be utterly different from the one ,he had for her1 and so the particular results different4 ,now let me ask very frankly why have we not all such power for our ,master as she8 ,the ,master's plan is plain4 ,he said ye shall have power4 ,but so many of us do not have6 ,why not8 ,well1 possibly some of us are like ,nicodemus--there is no power because of timidity1 cowardice1 fear of what they will think1 or say4 ,possibly some of us are in the same condition spiritually that ,lazarus was in physically4 ,we are tied up tight1 hands and feet and face4 ,some sin1 some compromise1 some hushing of that inner voice1 something wrong4 ,some little thing1 you may say4 ,humph6 as though anything could be little that is wrong6 ,sin is never little6 ,a ,clogged ,channel4 ,out in ,colorado they tell of a little town nestled down at the foot of some hills--a sleepy-hollow village4 ,you remember the rainfall is very slight out there1 and they depend much upon irrigation4 ,but some enterprising citizens ran a pipe up the hills to a lake of clear1 sweet water4 ,as a result the town enjoyed a bountiful supply of water the year round without being dependent upon the doubtful rainfall4 ,and the population increased and the place had quite a western boom4 ,one morning the housewives turned the water spigots1 but no water came4 ,there was some sputtering4 ,there is apt to be noise when there is nothing else4 ,the men climbed the hill4 ,there was the lake full as ever4 ,they examined around the pipes as well as possible1 but could find no break4 ,try as they might1 they could find no cause for the stoppage4 ,and as days grew into weeks1 people commenced moving away again1 the grass grew in the streets1 and the prosperous town was going back to its old sleepy condition when one day one of the town officials received a note4 ,it was poorly written1 with bad spelling and grammar1 but he never cared less about writing or grammar than just then4 ,it said in effect3 ,ef you'll jes pull the plug out of the pipe about eight inches from the top you'll get all the water you want4 ,up they started for the top of the hill1 and examining the pipe1 found the plug which some vicious tramp had inserted4 ,not a very big plug--just big enough to fill the pipe4 ,it is surprising how large a reservoir of water can be held back by how small a plug4 ,out came the plug2 down came the water freely2 by and by back came prosperity again4 ,why is there such a lack of power in our lives8 ,the reservoir up yonder is full to overflowing1 with clear1 sweet1 life-giving water4 ,and here all around us the earth is so dry1 so thirsty1 cracked open--huge cracks like dumb mouths asking mutely for what we should give4 ,and the connecting pipes between the reservoir above and the parched plain below are there4 ,why then do not the refreshing waters come rushing down8 ,the answer is very plain4 ,you know why4 ,there is a plug in the pipe4 ,something in us clogging up the channel and nothing can get through4 ,how shall we have power1 abundant1 life-giving1 sweetening our own lives1 and changing those we touch8 ,the answer is easy for me to give--it will be much harder for us all to do--pull out the plug4 ,get out the thing that you know is hindering4 ,i am going to ask every one who will1 to offer this simple prayer--and ,i am sure every thoughtful1 earnest man and woman here will4 ,just bow your head and quietly under your breath say to ,him3 ,lord ,jesus1 show me what there is in my life that is displeasing to ,thee2 what there is ,thou wouldst change4 ,you may be sure ,he will4 ,he is faithful4 ,he will put ,his finger on that tender spot very surely4 ,then add a second clause to that prayer--,by ,thy grace helping me1 ,i will put it out whatever it may cost1 or wherever it may cut4 ,shall we bow our heads and offer that prayer1 and hew close to that line1 steadily1 faithfully8 ,it will open up a life of marvelous blessing undreamed of for you and everyone you touch4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,john #c3a4 #g3ej4 #ab3db with #i3bb4 #ai3ch1 #ci4 #b ,rom4 #e3e4 ,,the ,,olivet ,,message4 ,searchlight ,sights4 ,coming into ,cleveland harbor one evening1 just after nightfall1 a number of passengers were gathered on the upper deck eagerly watching the colored breakwater lights and the city lights beyond4 ,suddenly a general curiosity was aroused by a small boat of some sort1 on the left1 scudding swiftly along in the darkness like a blacker streak on the black waters4 ,a few of us who chanced to be near the captain on the smaller deck above1 heard him quietly say1 ,turn on the searchlight4 ,almost instantly an intense white light shone full on the stranger-boat1 bringing it to view so distinctly that we could almost count the nail-heads1 and the strands in her cordage4 ,if some of us here to-night have made the prayer suggested in our last talk together--,lord ,jesus1 show me what there is in my life that is displeasing to ,thee1 that ,thou wouldst change--we will appreciate something of the power of that ,lake ,erie searchlight4 ,there is a searchlight whiter1 intenser1 more keenly piercing than any other4 ,into every heart that desires1 and will hold steadily open to it1 the ,lord ,jesus will turn that searching light4 ,then you will begin to see things as they actually are4 ,and that sight may well lead to discouragement4 ,many a hidden thing1 which you are glad enough to have hidden1 will be plainly seen4 ,how is it possible1 you will be ready to ask1 for me to lead the life the ,master's ambition has planned for me1 with such mixed motives1 selfish ambitions1 sinfulness and weakness as ,i am beginning to get a glimpse of--how is it possible8 ,there is one answer to that intense heart-question1 and only one4 ,we must have power1 some supernatural power1 something outside of us1 and above us1 and far greater than we1 to come in and win the victory within us and for us4 ,if that young man whose inner life is passion-swept1 one tidal wave of fierce temptation1 hot on the heels of the last1 until all the moorings are snapped1 and he driven rudderless out to sea--if he is to ride masterfully upon that sea he must have power4 ,if that young woman is to be as attractive1 and womanly winsome in the society circle where she moves1 as she is meant to be1 and yet able to shape her lips into a gently uttered1 but rock-ribbed no when certain well-understood questionable matters come up1 she must have power4 ,if society young people are to remain in the world1 and yet not be swayed by its spirit3 on one side not prudish1 nor fanatical1 nor extreme1 but cheery1 and radiant1 and full-lived1 and yet free of those compromising entanglements that are common to society everywhere1 they must have a rare pervasive power4 ,for that business man down in the sharp competition of the world where duty calls him1 to resist the sly temptations to overreach1 to keep keenly alert not to be overreached2 and through all to preserve an uncensorious spirit1 unhurt by the selfishness of the crowd--tell me1 some of you men--will that not take power8 ,aye1 more power than some of us know about1 yet4 ,for that same man to go through his store and remove from shelf or counter some article which yields a good profit1 but which he knows his ,master would not have there--,ah6 that'll take power4 ,it takes power to keep the body under control3 the mouth clean and sweet1 both physically and morally3 the eye turned away from the thing that should not be thought about3 the ear closed to what should not enter that in-gate of the heart3 to allow no picture to hang upon the walls of your imagination that may not hang upon the walls of your home3 to keep every organ of the body pure for nature's holy function only--that takes mighty power4 ,for that young man to be wide-awake1 a pusher in business1 and yet steadily1 determinedly to hold back any crowding of the other side of his life3 the inner side1 the outer-helpful side1 the ,bible-reading- and secret-prayer- and quiet personal-work-side of his life1 that will take real power4 ,it will take a power that some of us have not known to let that glass go untouched1 and that quieting drug untasted and unhandled4 ,if the rear end of some pharmacies could speak out1 many a story would startle our ears of struggles and defeats that tell sadly of utter lack of power4 ,it takes power for the man of ,god in the pulpit to speak plainly about particular sins before the faces of those who are living in them2 and still more power to do it with the rare tactfulness and tenderness of the ,galilean preacher4 ,it takes power to stick to the ,gospel story and the old book1 when literature and philosophy present such fine opportunities for the essays that are so enjoyable and that bring such flattering notice4 ,it takes power to leave out the finely woven rhetoric that you are disposed to put in for the sake of the compliment it will bring from that literary woman down yonder1 or that bright1 brainy young lawyer in the fifth pew on the left aisle4 ,it takes power to see that the lips that speak for ,god are thoroughly clean lips1 and the life that stands before that audience a pure life4 ,it takes power to keep sweet in the home1 where1 if anywhere1 the seamy side is apt to stick out4 ,how many wooden oaths could kicked chairs and slammed doors tell of6 ,after all the home-life comes close to being the real test of power1 does it not8 ,it takes power to be gracious and strong1 and patient and tender1 and cheery1 in the commonplace things1 and the commonplace places1 does it not8 ,now1 ,i have something to tell you to-night that to me is very wonderful1 and constantly growing in wonder4 ,it is this--the ,master has thought of all that6 ,he has thought into your life4 ,yes1 ,i mean your particular life1 and made an arrangement to fully cover all your need of power4 ,he stands anew in our midst to-day1 and putting ,his pierced hand gently upon your arm1 ,his low1 loving1 clear voice says quietly1 but very distinctly1 ,you--you shall have power4 ,for every subtle1 strong temptation1 for every cry of need1 for every low moan of disappointment1 for every locking of the jaws in the resolution of despair1 for every disheartened look out into the morrow1 for every yearningly ambitious heart there comes to-night that unmistakable ringing promise of ,his--ye shall have power4 ,the ,olivet ,message4 ,our needs argue the necessity of power4 ,and the argument is strengthened by the peculiar emphasis of the ,master's words4 ,do you remember that wondrous ,olivet scene8 ,in the quiet twilight of a ,sabbath evening a group of twelve young men stand yonder on the brow of ,olives4 ,the last glowing gleams of the setting sun fill all the western sky1 and shed a halo of yellow glory-light over the hilltop1 through the trees1 in upon that group4 ,you instantly pick out the leader4 ,no mistaking ,him4 ,and around ,him group the eleven men who have lived with ,him these months past1 now eagerly gazing into that marvelous face1 listening for ,his words4 ,he is going away4 ,they know that4 ,coming back soon1 they understand4 ,but in ,his absence the work ,he has begun is to be entrusted to their hands4 ,and so with ears and eyes they listen intently for the good-bye word--,his last message4 ,it will mean so much in the coming days4 ,two things the ,master says4 ,the first is that ringing go ye so familiar to every true heart4 ,the second is a very decisive1 distinct but tarry ye4 ,what1 wait still longer6 ,tarry1 now1 when your great work is done6 ,listen again1 while ,his parting words cut the air with their startling distinctness but tarry ye--until ye be endued with power4 ,i could readily imagine impulsive ,peter quickly saying1 ,what6 shall we tarry when the whole world is dying6 ,do we not know enough now8 ,and the ,master's answer would come in that clear1 quiet voice of ,his1 yes1 tarry3 you have knowledge enough1 but knowledge is not enough1 there must be power4 ,there is knowledge enough within the christian church of every land--aye1 knowledge enough within the walls of this building to-night to convert the world1 if knowledge would do it4 ,into many a life1 through home training1 and school1 and college1 has come knowledge1 while power lingers without--a stranger4 ,knowledge--the twin idol with gold to ,american hearts--is essential1 but1 let it be plainly said1 is not the essential4 ,knowledge is the fuel piled up in the fireplace4 ,the mantel is of carved oak1 and the fenders so highly polished they seem almost to send out warmth1 but the thermometer is working down toward zero1 and the people are shivering4 ,the spark of living fire is essential4 ,then how all changes6 ,there must be fire from above to kindle our knowledge and ourselves before any of the needed results will come4 ,there is no language strong enough to tell how absolutely needful it is that every follower of ,jesus ,christ from the one most prominent in leadership down to the very humblest disciple1 shall receive this promised power4 ,look at these men ,jesus is talking to4 ,there is ,peter1 the man of rock1 and ,john and ,james1 the sons of thunder4 ,they were with the ,lord on the ,transfiguration ,mount1 and when ,he raised the dead4 ,they were near by during the awful agony of ,gethsemane4 ,they were admitted nearer to the ,master's inner life than any others4 ,there is quiet matter-of-fact ,andrew1 who had a reputation for bringing others to ,jesus4 ,there is ,nathanael1 in whom is no guile4 ,it is to these men that there comes that positive command to tarry4 ,if they needed such a command1 do not we8 ,yes1 someone says1 ,i understand that this power you speak of is something the leaders and preachers must have1 but you scarcely mean that there is the same necessity for us people down in the ranks1 and that we are to expect the same power as these others1 do you8 ,will you please call to mind that original ,pentecost company8 ,there were one hundred and twenty of them4 ,and while there was a ,peter being prepared to preach that tremendous sermon1 and a ,john to write five books of the ,new ,testament and probably a ,james to preside over the affairs of the ,jerusalem ,church1 and possibly a ,stephen1 and a ,philip1 yet these are only a few4 ,by far the greater number1 both men and women1 are unnamed and unknown4 ,just the common1 every-day folk1 the filling-in of society2 aye1 the very foundation of all society4 ,they had no prominent part to play4 ,but they accepted the ,master's promise of power1 and ,his command to wait1 as made to them4 ,and as a result they1 too1 were filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 that wonderful morning4 ,i think1 very likely1 the good man of the house whose guest ,jesus was that last night was there1 and all the ,marys1 including the ,bethany ,mary1 who simply sat at ,his feet1 and the ,magdalene ,mary1 and housekeeper ,martha1 and maybe that little lad whose loaves and fishes had been used about a year before4 ,that was the sort of company that prayerfully1 with one accord1 not only waited but received that never-to-be-forgotten filling of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,certainly1 as some of you think1 the preacher must have this power peculiarly for his leadership4 ,but just as really he needs it because he is a man for his living1 to make him sweet and gentle and patient down in his home3 to make him sympathetic and strong in his constant contact with the hungry hearts he must meet4 ,that young mechanic must have this promised power if he is to live an earnest1 manly life in that shop4 ,that school girl1 whose home duties crowd her time so2 that keen-minded student working for honors amid strong competition2 these society young people2 these all need1 above all else1 this promised power that in1 and through1 and around and above all of their lives may be a wholesomely sweet1 earnest ,christliness1 pervading the life even as the odor of flowers pervades a room4 ,do you remember ,paul's list of the traits of character that mark a christian life--love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 meekness1 faithfulness1 self-control8#c ,suppose for a moment you think through a list of the opposites of those nine characteristics--bitterness1 envy1 hate1 low-spiritedness1 sulkiness1 chafing1 fretting1 worrying1 short-suffering1 quick-temper1 hot-temper1 high-spiritedness1 unsteadiness1 unreliability1 lack of control of yourself4 ,may ,i ask1 have you any personal acquaintance with some of these qualities8 ,is there still some need in your life for the other desirable traits8 ,well1 remember that it is only as the ,holy ,spirit has control that this fruit of ,his is found4 ,for notice that it is not we that bear this fruit1 but ,he in us4 ,we furnish the soil4 ,he must have free swing in its cultivation if ,he is to get this harvest4 ,and notice1 too1 that it does not say the fruits of the ,spirit1 as though you might have one or more1 and ,i have some others4 ,but it is fruit--that is1 it is all one fruit and all of it is meant to be growing up in each one of us4 ,and let the fact be put down as settled once for all that only as we tarry and receive the ,master's promise of power can we live the lives ,he longs to have us live down here among men for ,him4 ,if that father is so to live at home before those wide-awake1 growing boys that he can keep up the family altar1 and instead of letting it become a mere irksome form1 make it the green1 fresh spot in the home life1 he must have this promised power1 for he cannot do it of himself4 ,i presume some of you fathers know that4 ,there is that mother1 living in what would be reckoned a humble home1 one of a thousand like it1 but charged with the most sacred trust ever committed to human hands--the molding of precious lives4 ,if there be hallowed ground anywhere surely it is there1 in the life of that home4 ,what patience and tirelessness1 and love and tact and wisdom and wealth of resource does that woman not need6 ,ah1 mothers6 if any one needs to tarry and receive the power promised by the ,son of that ,mary1 who was filled with the ,holy ,spirit from before ,his birth for her sacred trust1 surely you do4 ,here sits one whose life plans seem to have gone all askew4 ,the thing you love to do1 and had fondly planned over1 removed utterly beyond your reach and you compelled to fit in to something for which you have no taste4 ,it will take nothing less than the power the ,master promised for you to go on faithfully1 cheerfully just where you have been placed1 no repining1 no complaining1 even in your innermost soul1 but1 instead1 a glad1 joyous fitting into the ,father's plan with a radiant light in the face4 ,only ,his power can accomplish that victory6 ,but ,his can4 ,and ,his may be yours for the tarrying and the taking4 ,let me repeat then with all the emphasis possible that as certainly as you need to trust ,jesus ,christ for your soul's salvation1 you also need to receive this power of the ,holy ,spirit to work that salvation out in your present life4 ,a ,double ,center4 ,it has helped me greatly in understanding the ,master's insistent emphasis upon the promise of power to keep clearly in mind that the christian system of truth revolves around a double center4 ,it is illustrated best not by a circle with its single center1 but by an ellipse with its twin centers4 ,there are two central truths--not one1 but two4 ,the first of the two is grained deep down in the common ,christian teaching and understanding4 ,if ,i should ask any group of ,sabbath school children in this town1 next ,sabbath morning1 the question3 ,what is the most important thing we christians believe8 ,amid the great variety in the form of answer would come1 in substance1 without doubt1 this reply3 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ cleanseth from all sin4 ,and they would be right4 ,but there is a second truth--very reverently and thoughtfully let me say--of equal importance with that2 namely1 this3 the ,holy ,spirit empowereth against all sin1 and for life and service4 ,these two truths are co-ordinate4 ,they run in parallel lines4 ,they belong together4 ,they are really two halves of the one great truth4 ,but this second half needs emphasis1 because it has not always been put into its proper place beside the other4 ,jesus died on the cross to make freedom from sin possible4 ,the ,holy ,spirit dwells within me to make freedom from sin actual4 ,the ,holy ,spirit does in me what ,jesus did for me4 ,the ,lord ,jesus makes a deposit in the bank on my account4 ,the ,spirit checks the money out and puts it into my hands4 ,jesus does in me now by ,his ,spirit what ,he did for me centuries ago on the cross1 in ,his person4 ,now these two truths1 or two parts of the same truth1 go together in ,god's plan1 but1 with some exceptions1 have not gone together in men's experience4 ,that explains why so many christian lives are a failure and a reproach4 ,the ,church of ,christ has been gazing so intently upon the hill of the cross with its blood-red message of sin and love1 that it has largely lost sight of the ,ascension ,mount with its legacy of power4 ,we have been so enwrapt with that marvelous scene on ,calvary--and what wonder6--that we have allowed ourselves to lose the intense significance of ,pentecost4 ,that last victorious shout--,it is finished--has been crowding out in our ears its counterpart--the equally victorious cry of ,olivet--,all power hath been given unto ,me4 ,the christian's range of vision must always take in two hill-tops--,calvary and ,olivet4 ,calvary--sin conquered through the blood of ,jesus1 a matter of history4 ,olivet--sin conquered through the power of ,jesus1 a matter of experience4 ,when the subject is spoken of1 we are apt to say3 ,yes1 that is correct4 ,i understand that4 ,but do we understand it in our experience8 ,so certainly as ,i must trust ,jesus as my ,saviour so certainly must ,i constantly yield my life to the control of the ,spirit of ,jesus if ,i am to find real the practical power of ,his salvation4 ,as surely as men are now urged to accept ,jesus as the great step in life1 so surely should they be instructed to yield themselves to the ,holy ,spirit's control that ,jesus' plan for their lives may be carried through4 ,you remember in the olden time the ,hebrew men were required to appear before ,god in the appointed place three times during the year4 ,at the ,passover1 and at ,pentecost1 and again at the harvest home feast of ,tabernacles4 ,so it is required of every man of us who would fit his life into ,god's plan that he shall first of all come to the ,passover feast1 where ,christ our ,passover is sacrificed for us4 ,and then that he shall as certainly come to the great ,pentecost feast1 or feast of first fruits where a glorified ,passover ,lamb breathes down ,his ,spirit of power into the life4 ,and then he is sure to have a constant attendance at a first-fruits feast all his days1 with a great harvest home festival at the end4 ,i said there were two central truths4 ,will you notice that the gospels put it also in this way1 that ,jesus came to do two things--not one thing1 but two things--in working out our salvation4 ,that the first is dependent for its practical power upon the second1 and the second is the completing or carrying into effect of the power of the first4 ,that the first--let me say it with great reverence--is valueless without the second4 ,what was ,jesus' mission8 ,would you not expect ,his forerunner to understand it8 ,listen1 then1 to his words4 ,when questioned specifically by the official deputation sent from the national leaders at ,jerusalem1 he pointed to ,jesus1 and declared that ,he had come for a two-fold purpose4 ,listen3 ,behold the ,lamb of ,god who beareth away the sin of the world2 and then he added1 and the word comes to us with the peculiar emphasis of repetition by each of the four gospel scribes--this is ,he that baptizeth with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,that was spoken to them originally without doubt in a national sense4 ,it just as surely applies to every one of us in a personal sense4 ,mark also the emphasis of ,jesus' own teachings regarding this second part of ,his mission4 ,at the very beginning ,he spoke the decided words about the necessity of being born of the ,spirit4 ,and we are all impressed with that fact4 ,but observe that several times1 in the brief gospel record1 ,he refers the disciples to the overshadowing importance of the ,spirit's control in the life4 ,and that ,he devotes a large part of that last long confidential talk which ,john records1 to this special subject1 pointing out the new experiences to come with the coming of the ,spirit1 and holding out to them as the greatest evidence of ,his own love the promise of power4 ,it adds intense emphasis to all this to note that ,jesus ,himself1 very ,son of ,god1 was in that wonderful human life of ,his utterly dependent upon the ,holy ,spirit4 ,at the very outset1 before venturing upon a single act or word of ,his appointed ministry1 ,he waits at the ,jordan waters1 until the promised anointing of power came4 ,what a picture does that prayerfully waiting ,jesus present to powerless men to-day6 ,from that moment every bit and part of ,his life was under the control of that ,holy ,spirit4 ,impelled into the wilderness for that fierce set-to with ,satan1 coming back to ,galilee within the power of the ,spirit1 ,he himself clearly stated more than once1 that it was through this anointing that ,he preached1 and taught1 and healed1 and cast out demons4 ,the writer to the ,hebrews assures us that it was through the power of the ,eternal ,spirit that ,he was enabled to go through the awful experiences of ,gethsemane and ,calvary4 ,and ,luke adds that it was through the same empowering ,spirit that ,he gave commandment to the apostles for the stupendous task of world-wide evangelization4 ,and then at the very last referring them to that life of ,his1 ,he said3 ,as the father hath sent ,me even so send ,i you4 ,let me ask if ,he1 very ,god of very ,god1 yet in ,his earthly life intensely human1 needed that anointing1 do not we8 ,if ,he waited for that experience before venturing upon any service1 shall not you and ,i8 ,but we must turn to the book of ,acts to get fully within the grip of this truth4 ,for it1 with the epistles fitting into it1 is peculiarly the ,holy ,spirit book1 even as the ,old ,testament is the ,jehovah book and the gospels with ,revelation the ,jesus book4 ,the climax of the gospels is in the ,acts4 ,what is promised in the gospels is experienced in the ,acts4 ,jesus is dominant in the gospels2 the ,spirit of ,jesus in the ,acts4 ,he is the only continuous personality from first to last4 ,he is the common denominator of the book4 ,the first twelve chapters group about ,peter1 the remaining sixteen about ,paul1 but distinctly above both they all group about the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he is the one dominant factor throughout4 ,the first fourth of the book is fairly aflame with ,his presence at the center--,jerusalem4 ,thence out to ,samaria1 and through the ,cornelius door to the whole outer non-,jewish world2 at ,antioch the new center1 and thence through the uttermost parts of the ,roman empire into its heart1 ,his is the presence recognized and obeyed4 ,he is ceaselessly guiding1 empowering1 inspiring1 checking1 controlling clear to the abrupt end4 ,his is the one mastering personality4 ,and everywhere ,his presence is a transforming presence4 ,nothing short of startling is the change in ,peter1 in the attitude of the ,jerusalem thousands1 in the persecutor ,saul1 in the spirit of these disciples1 in the unprecedented and unparalleled unselfishness shown4 ,it is revolutionary4 ,ah6 it was meant to be so4 ,this book is the living illustration of what ,jesus meant by ,his teaching regarding ,his successor4 ,it becomes also an acted illustration of what the personal christian life is meant to be4 ,the ,spirit's presence and the necessity of ,his control is deep-grained in the consciousness of the leaders in this book4 ,leaving the stirring scenes at the capital the eighth chapter takes us down to ,samaria4 ,multitudes have been led to believe through the preaching of a man who has been chosen to look after the business matters of the church4 ,peter and ,john are sent down to aid the new movement4 ,note that their very first concern is to spend time in prayer that this great company may receive the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the next chapter shifts the scene to ,damascus4 ,a man unknown save for this incident is sent as ,god's messenger to ,saul4 ,as he lays his hand upon this chosen man and speaks the light-giving words he instinctively adds1 and be filled with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,that is not recorded as a part of what he had been told to do4 ,but plainly this humble man of ,god believes that that is the essential element in ,saul's preparation for his great work4 ,in the tenth chapter the ,holy ,spirit's action with ,cornelius completely upsets the life-long1 rock-rooted ideas of these intensely national1 and intensely exclusive ,jews4 ,yet it is accepted as final4 ,with what quaint simplicity does the thirteenth chapter tell of the ,holy ,spirit's initiation of those great missionary journeys of ,paul from the new center of world evangelization8 the ,holy ,spirit said1 etc4 ,and how like it is the language of ,james in delivering the judgment of the first church council3--it seemed good to the ,holy ,spirit and to us4 ,paul's conviction is very plain from numerous references in those wonderful heart-searching and heart-revealing letters of his4 ,but one instance in this ,book of ,acts will serve as a fair illustration of his teaching and habit4 ,it is in the nineteenth chapter4 ,in his travels he has come as far as to ,ephesus1 and finds there a small company of earnest disciples4 ,they are strangers to him4 ,he longs to help them1 but must first find their need4 ,at once he puts a question to them4 ,a question may be a great revealer4 ,this one reveals his own conception of what must be the pivotal experience of every true follower of ,jesus4 ,he asks3 ,did ye receive the ,holy ,spirit when ye believed8 ,but they had been poorly instructed1 like many others since1 and were not clear just what he meant4 ,they had received the baptism of ,john--a baptism of repentance2 but not the baptism of ,jesus--a baptism of power4 ,and ,paul at once gives himself up to instructing and then praying with them until the promised gift is graciously bestowed4 ,that is the last we hear of those twelve persons4 ,some of them may have been women4 ,some may have come to be leaders in that great ,ephesian ,church4 ,but of that nothing is said4 ,the emphasis remains on the fact that in ,paul's mind because they were followers of the ,lord ,jesus they must have this empowering experience of the ,holy ,spirit's infilling4 ,plainly in this ,book of ,acts the pivot on which all else rests and turns is the unhindered presence of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,five ,essentials4 ,if you will stop a while to think into it you will find that a rightly rounded christian life has five essential characteristics4 ,i mean essential in the same sense as that light is an essential to the eye4 ,the eye's seeing depends wholly on light4 ,if it does not see light1 by and by1 it cannot see light4 ,the ear that hears no sound loses the power to hear sound4 ,light is essential to the healthful eye3 sound to the ear3 air to the lungs3 blood to the heart4 ,just as really are these five things essential to a strong healthful christian life4 ,the second of these is a heart-love for the old ,book of ,god4 ,not reading it as a duty--taking a chapter at night because you feel you must4 ,i do not mean that just now4 ,but reading it because you love to2 as you would a love letter or a letter from home4 ,thinking about it as the writer of the one hundred and nineteenth psalm did4 ,listen to him for a moment in that one psalm1 talking about this book3 ,i delight1 ,i will delight1 ,my delight--in all nine times4 ,i love1 ,oh6 how ,i love1 ,i do love1 ,consider how ,i love1 ,i love exceedingly1 again nine times in all4 ,i have longed1 ,my eyes fail1 ,my soul breaketh1 speaking of the intensity of his desire to get alone with the book4 ,sweeter than honey1 ,as great spoil1 ,as much as all riches1 ,better than thousands of gold1 ,above gold1 yea1 above fine gold4 ,and all that packed into less than two leaves4 ,do you love this ,book like that8 ,would you like to8 ,wait a moment4 ,the third essential is right habits of prayer4 ,living a veritable life of prayer4 ,making prayer the chief part not alone of your life1 but of your service4 ,having answers to prayer as a constant experience4 ,being like the young man in a conference in ,india1 who said1 ,i used to pray three times a day3 ,now ,i pray only once a day1 and that is all day4 ,feet busy all the day1 hands ceaselessly active1 head full of matters of business1 but the heart never out of communication with ,him4 ,has prayer become to you like that8 ,would you have it so8 ,wait a moment4 ,the fourth essential is a pure1 earnest1 unselfish life4 ,our lives are the strongest part of us--or else the weakest4 ,a man knows the least of the influence of his own life4 ,life is not mere length of time but the daily web of character we unconsciously weave4 ,our thoughts1 imaginations1 purposes1 motives1 love1 will1 are the under threads3 our words1 tone of voice1 looks1 acts1 habits are the upper threads3 and the passing moment is the shuttle swiftly1 ceaselessly1 relentlessly1 weaving those threads into a web1 and that web is life4 ,it is woven1 not by our wishing1 or willing1 but irresistibly1 unavoidably1 woven by what we are1 moment by moment1 hour after hour4 ,what is your life weaving out8 ,is it attractive because of the power in it of ,his presence8 ,would you have it so8 ,would you know the secret of a life marked by the strange beauty of humility1 and fragrant with the odor of ,his presence8 ,wait just a moment4 ,the fifth essential is a passion for winning others one by one to the ,lord ,jesus4 ,a passion1 ,i say4 ,i may use no weaker word than that4 ,a passion burning with the steady flame of anthracite4 ,a passion for winning3 not driving1 nor dragging1 but drawing men4 ,i am not talking about preachers just now1 as preachers1 but about every one of us4 ,do you know the peculiar delight there is in winning the fellow by your side1 the girl in your social circle1 to ,jesus ,christ8 ,no8 ,ah1 you have missed half your life6 ,would you have such an intense passion as that1 thrilling your heart1 and inspiring your life1 and know how to do it skillfully and tactfully8 ,let me tell you with my heart that the secret not only of this1 but of all four of these essentials ,i have named lies in the first one which ,i have not yet named1 and grows out of it4 ,given the first the others will follow as day follows the rising sun4 ,what is the first great essential8 ,it is this--the unrestrained1 unhindered1 controlling presence in the heart of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is allowing ,jesus' other ,self1 the ,holy ,spirit1 to take full possession and maintain a loving but absolute monopoly of all your powers4 ,tarry4 ,my friend1 have you received this promised power8 ,is there a growing up of those four things within you by ,his grace8 ,does the ,holy ,spirit have freeness of sway in you8 ,are you conscious of the fullness of ,his love and power--conscious enough to know how much there is beyond of which you are not conscious8 ,does your heart say1 ,no4 ,well1 things may be moving smoothly in that church of which you are pastor1 and in that school over which you preside4 ,business may be in a satisfactory condition4 ,your standing in society may be quite pleasing4 ,your plans working out well4 ,the family may be growing up around you as you had hoped4 ,but let me say to you very kindly but very plainly your life thus far is a failure4 ,you have been succeeding splendidly it may be in a great many important matters1 but they are the details and in the main issue you have failed utterly4 ,and to you to-night ,i bring one message--the ,master's ,olivet message--tarry ye4 ,no need of tarrying1 as with these disciples1 for ,god to do something4 ,his part has been done1 and splendidly done4 ,and ,he waits now upon you4 ,but tarry until you are willing to put out of your life what displeases ,him1 no matter what that may mean to you4 ,tarry until your eyesight is corrected2 until your will is surrendered4 ,tarry that you may start the habit of tarrying1 for those two ,olivet words1 ,go and tarry1 will become the even-balancing law of your new life4 ,a constant going to do ,his will2 a continual tarrying to find out ,his will4 ,tarry to get your ears cleared and quieted so you can learn to recognize that low voice of ,his4 ,tarry earnestly1 steadily until that touch of power comes to change1 and cleanse1 and quiet1 and to give you a totally new conception of what power is4 ,then you can understand the experience of the one who wrote3-- ,my hands were filled with many things ,that ,i did precious hold1 ,as any treasure of a king's-- ,silver1 or gems1 or gold4 ,the ,master came and touched my hands1 7,the scars were in ,his own7 ,and at ,his feet my treasures sweet ,fell shattered1 one by one4 ',i must have empty hands1' said ,he1 ',wherewith to work ,my works through thee4' ,my hands were stained with marks of toil1 ,defiled with dust of earth2 ,and ,i my work did ofttimes soil1 ,and render little worth4 ,the ,master came and touched my hands1 7,and crimson were ,his own7 ,but when1 amazed1 on mine ,i gazed1 ,lo6 every stain was gone4 ',i must have cleansed hands1' said ,he1 ',wherewith to work ,my works through thee4' ,my hands were growing feverish ,and cumbered with much care6 ,trembling with haste and eagerness1 ,nor folded oft in prayer4 ,the ,master came and touched my hands1 7,with healing in ,his own7 ,and calm and still to do ,his will ,they grew--the fever gone4 ',i must have quiet hands1' said ,he1 ',wherewith to work ,my works for ,me4' ,my hands were strong in fancied strength1 ,but not in power divine1 ,and bold to take up tasks at length1 ,that were not ,his but mine4 ,the ,master came and touched my hands1 7,and might was in ,his own67 ,but mine since then have powerless been1 ,save ,his are laid thereon4 ',and it is only thus1' said ,he1 ',that ,i can work ,my works through thee4' ,,footnotes3 #c ,gal41 #e3bb4 ,,the ,,channel ,,of ,,power4 ,a ,word that ,sticks and ,stings4 ,i suppose everyone here can think of three or four persons whom he loves or regards highly1 who are not christians4 ,can you8 ,perhaps in your own home circle1 or in the circle of your close friends4 ,they may be nice people1 cultured1 lovable1 delightful companions1 fond of music and good books1 and all that2 but this is true of them1 that they do not trust and confess ,jesus as a personal ,savior4 ,can you think of such persons in your own circle8 ,i am going to wait a few moments in silence while you recall them to mind1 if you will--,can you see their faces8 ,are their names clear to your minds8 ,now ,i want to talk with you a little while to-night1 not about the whole world1 but just about these three or four dear friends of yours4 ,i am going to suppose them lovely people in personal contact1 cultured1 and kindly1 and intelligent1 and of good habits even though all that may not be true of all of them4 ,and1 ,i want to ask you a question--,god's question--about them4 ,you remember ,god put ,his hand upon ,cain's arm1 and1 looking into his face1 said3 ,where is ,abel1 thy brother8 ,i want to ask you that question4 ,where are these four friends8 ,not where are they socially1 nor financially1 nor educationally4 ,these are important questions4 ,but they are less important than this other question3 ,where are they as touching ,him8 ,where are they as regards the best life here1 and the longer life beyond this one8 ,and ,i shall not ask you what you think about it4 ,for ,i am not concerned just now with what you think4 ,nor shall ,i tell you what ,i think4 ,for ,i am not here to tell you what ,i think1 but to bring a message from the ,master as plainly and kindly as ,i can4 ,so ,i shall ask you to notice what this old book of ,god says about these friends of yours4 ,it is full of statements regarding them4 ,i can take time for only a few4 ,turn1 for instance1 to the last chapter of ,mark's ,gospel1 and the sixteenth verse1 and you will find these words3 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved2 he that believeth not shall be--4 ,you know the last word of that sentence4 ,it is an ugly word4 ,i dislike intensely to think it1 much less repeat it4 ,it is one of those blunt1 sharp1 ,anglo-,saxon words that stick and sting4 ,i wish ,i had a tenderer tone of voice1 in which to repeat it1 and then only in a low whisper--it is so awful--damned4 ,let me ask you very gently3 ,does the first part of that sentence--he that believeth--trusteth--not1 does that describe the four friends you are thinking of now8 ,and please remember that that word believeth does not mean the assent of the mind to a form of creed3 never that3 but the assent of the heart to a person3 always that4 ,yes1 you say ,i'm afraid it does3 that is just the one thing4 ,he is thoughtful and gentlemanly2 she is kind and good2 but they do not trust ,jesus ,christ personally4 ,then let me add1 very kindly1 but very plainly1 if the first part is an accurate description of your friends1 the second part is meant to apply to them1 too1 would you not say8 ,and that is an awful thing to say4 ,what a strange book this ,bible is6 ,it makes such radical statements1 and uses such unpleasant words that grate on the nerves1 and startle the ear4 ,no man would have dared of himself to write such statements4 ,i remember one time visiting a friend in ,boston1 engaged in christian work there2 an earnest man4 ,we were talking one day about this very thing and ,i recall saying3 ,do you really believe that what the ,bible says about these people can be true8 ,because if it is you and ,i should be tremendously stirred up over it4 ,and ,i recall distinctly his reply1 after a moment's pause1 ,well1 their condition certainly will be unfortunate4 ,unfortunate6 ,that is the ,bostonese of it4 ,that is a much less disagreeable word4 ,it has a smoother finish--a sort of polish--to it4 ,it does not jar on your feelings so4 ,but this book uses a very different word from that1 a word that must grate harshly upon every ear here4 ,i know very well that some persons have associated that ugly word with a scene something like this3 ,they have imagined a man standing with fist clenched1 and eyes flashing fire1 and the lines of his face knotted up hard1 as he says in a harsh voice1 ,he that believeth not shall be damned1 as though he found pleasure in saying it4 ,if there is one person here to-night who ever had such a conception1 will you kindly cut it out of your imagination at once8 ,for it is untrue4 ,and put in its place the true setting of the word4 ,have you ever noticed what a difference the manner1 and expression of face1 and tone of voice1 yes1 and the character of a person make in the impression his words leave upon your mind8 ,now mark3 ,it is ,jesus talking here4 ,jesus--the tenderest-hearted1 the most mother-hearted man this world ever listened to4 ,look at ,him1 standing there on that hilltop1 looking out toward the great world ,he has just died for1 with the tears coming into ,his eyes1 and ,his lips quivering with the awfulness of what ,he was saying--he that believeth not shall be damned1 as though it just broke his heart to say it4 ,and it did break ,his heart that it might not be true of us4 ,for ,he died literally of a broken heart1 the walls of that great1 throbbing muscle burst asunder by the strain of soul4 ,that is the true setting of that terrific statement4 ,please notice it does not say that ,god damns men4 ,you will find that nowhere within the pages of this book4 ,but it is love talking2 love that sees the end of the road and speaks of it4 ,and true love tells the truth at all risks when it must be told4 ,and ,jesus because of ,his dying and undying love seeks to make men acquainted with the fact which ,he sees so plainly1 and they do not4 ,now turn for a moment to a second statement4 ,you will find it in ,galatians1 third chapter1 tenth verse4 ,paul is quoting from the book of ,deuteronomy these words3 ,cursed--there is another ugly word--cursed is everyone who continueth not in all the words of the book of this law to do them4 ,let me ask3 ,does that describe your friends8 ,well1 ,i guess it describes us all1 does it not8 ,who is there here that has continued in all the words of the book of this law to do them8 ,if there is some one ,i think perhaps you would better withdraw1 for ,i have no message for you to-night4 ,the sole difference between some of us1 and these friends you have in your mind is that we are depending upon ,another who bore the curse for us4 ,but these friends decline to come into personal touch with ,him4 ,do they not8 ,and this honest spoken book of ,god tells us plainly of that word cursed which has been written1 and remains written1 over their faces and lives4 ,the ,bible is full of such statements4 ,there is no need of multiplying them4 ,and ,i am sure ,i have no heart in repeating any more of them4 ,but ,i bring you these two for a purpose4 ,this purpose3 of asking you one question--whose fault is it8 ,who is to blame8 ,some one is at fault4 ,there is blame somewhere4 ,this thing is all wrong4 ,it is no part of ,god's plan1 and when things go wrong1 some one is to blame4 ,now ,i ask you3 ,who is to blame8 ,a ,mother-,heart4 ,well1 there are just four persons1 or groups of persons concerned4 ,there is ,god2 and ,satan2 and these friends we are talking about2 and1 ourselves1 who are not a bit better in ourselves than they--not a bit--but who are trusting some ,one else to see us through4 ,somewhere within the lines of those four we must find the blame of this awful state of affairs4 ,well1 we can say very promptly that ,satan is to blame4 ,he is at the bottom of it all4 ,and that certainly is true1 though it is not all of the truth4 ,then it can be added1 and added in a softer voice because the thing is so serious1 and these friends are dear to us1 that these people themselves are to blame4 ,and that is true1 too4 ,because they choose to remain out of touch with ,him who died that it might not be so4 ,for there is no sin charged where there is no choice made4 ,sin follows choice4 ,only where one has known the wrong and has chosen it is there sin charged4 ,but that this awful condition goes on unchanged1 that those two ugly words remain true of our dear friends1 day after day1 while we meet them1 and live with them1 is there still blame8 ,there are just two left out of the four3 ,god1 and ourselves who trust ,him4 ,let me ask very reverently1 but very plainly3 ,is it ,god's fault8 ,you and ,i have both heard such a thing hinted at1 and sometimes openly said4 ,i believe it is a good thing with reverence to ask1 and attempt to find the answer1 to such a question as that4 ,and for answer let me first bring to you a picture of the ,god of the ,old ,testament whom some people think of as being just1 but severe and stern4 ,away back in the earliest time1 in the first book1 ,genesis1 the sixth chapter1 and down in verses five and six are these words3 ,and the ,lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth1 and--listen to these words--that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually4 ,what an arraignment6 ,every imagination1 evil1 only evil2 no mixture of good at all2 only evil continually1 no occasional spurts of good even--the whole fabric bad1 and bad clear through1 and all the time4 ,is not that a terrific arraignment8 ,but listen further3 ,and it repented the ,lord that ,he had made man on the earth1 and--listen to these last pathetic words--it grieved ,him at ,his heart4 ,will you please remember that grieve is always a love word8 ,there can be no grief except where there is love4 ,you may annoy a neighbor1 or vex a partner1 or anger an acquaintance1 but you cannot grieve except where there is love1 and you cannot be grieved except wherein you love4 ,i have sometimes1 more often than ,i could wish1 seen a case like this4 ,a young man of good family sent away to college4 ,he gets in with the wrong crowd1 for they are not all angels in colleges yet1 quite4 ,gets to smoking and drinking and gambling1 improper hours1 bad companions1 and all that4 ,his real friends try to advise him1 but without effect4 ,by and by the college authorities remonstrate with him1 and he tries to improve1 but without much success after the first pull4 ,and after a while1 very reluctantly1 he is suspended1 and sent home in disgrace4 ,he feels very bad1 and makes good resolutions and earnest promises1 and when he returns he does do much better for a time4 ,but it does not last long4 ,soon he is in with the old crowd again1 the old round of habits and dissipations1 only now it gets worse than before2 the pace is faster4 ,and the upshot of it all is that he is called up before the authorities and expelled1 sent home in utter disgrace1 not to return4 ,and here is his chum who roomed with him1 ate with him1 lived with him4 ,he says1 ,well1 ,i declare1 ,i am all broken up over ,jim4 ,it's too bad6 ,he was hail-fellow1 well met1 and now he has gone like that4 ,i'm awfully sorry4 ,it's too bad6 too bad66 ,and by and by he forgets about it except as an unpleasant memory roused up now and then4 ,and here is one of his professors who knew him best perhaps1 and liked him4 ,well1 he says1 it is too bad about young ,collins4 ,strange1 too1 he came of good family2 good blood in his veins2 and yet he seems to have gone right down with the ragtag4 ,it's too bad6 too bad66 ,i am so sorry4 ,and the matter passes from his mind in the press of duties and is remembered only occasionally as one of the disagreeable things to be regretted1 and perhaps philosophized over4 ,and there is the boy's father's partner1 down in the home town4 ,well1 he soliloquizes1 it is too bad about ,collins' boy4 ,he is all broken up over it1 and no wonder4 ,doesn't it seem queer8 ,that boy has as good blood as there is3 good father1 lovely mother1 and yet gone clean to the bad1 and so young4 ,it is too bad6 ,i am awfully sorry for ,collins4 ,and in the busy round of life he forgets1 save as a bad dream which will come back now and then4 ,but down in that boy's home there is a woman--a mother1 heart-broken--secretly bleeding her heart out through her eyes4 ,she goes quietly1 faithfully about her round of life1 but her hair gets thinner1 and the gray streaks it plainer1 her form bends over more1 and the lines become more deeply bitten in her face1 as the days come and go4 ,and if you talk with her1 and she will talk with you1 she will say1 ,oh1 yes1 ,i know other mothers' boys go wrong2 some of them going wrong all the time2 but to think of my ,jim--that ,i've nursed1 and loved so1 and done everything for--to think that my ,jim-- and her voice chokes in her throat1 and she refuses to be comforted4 ,she grieves at her heart4 ,ah6 that is the picture of ,god in that ,genesis chapter4 ,he saw that the world ,he had made and lavished all the wealth of ,his love upon had gone wrong1 and it grieved ,him at ,his heart4 ,this world is ,god's prodigal son1 and ,he is heartbroken over it4 ,and what has ,he done about it4 ,ah6 what has ,he done6 ,turn to ,mark's twelfth chapter1 and see there ,jesus' own picture of ,his ,father as ,he knew ,him4 ,in the form of a parable ,he tells how ,his ,father felt about things here4 ,he sent man after man to try and win us back1 but without effect1 except that things got worse4 ,then ,jesus represents ,god talking with ,himself4 ,what shall ,i do next1 to win them back8--there is ,my son--,my only boy--,jesus--,i believe--yes1 ,i believe ,i'll send ,him--then they'll see how badly ,i feel1 and how much ,i love them2 that'll touch them surely2 ,i'll do it4 ,you remember just how that sixth verse goes1 ,he had yet one1 a beloved ,son2 ,he sent ,him last unto them1 saying1 they will reverence my ,son4 ,and you know how they treated ,god's ,son1 ,his love gift4 ,and ,i want to remind you to-night that1 speaking in our human way--the only way we can speak--,god suffered more in seeing ,his ,son suffer than though ,he might have suffered ,himself4 ,ask any mother here3 ,would you not gladly suffer pain in place of your child suffering if you could8 ,and every mother-heart answers quickly1 ,aye1 ten times over1 if the child could be spared pain4 ,where did you get that marvelous mother-heart and mother-love8 ,ah1 that mother-heart is a bit of the ,god-heart transferred4 ,that is what ,god is like4 ,let me repeat very reverently that ,god suffered more in giving ,his ,son to suffer than though ,he had ,himself suffered4 ,and that is the ,god of the ,old ,testament6 ,let me ask3 ,is ,he to blame8 ,has ,he not done ,his best8 ,let it be said as softly as you will1 and yet very plainly1 that those awful words1 damned and cursed1 whatever their meaning may be1 are true of your friends4 ,then add3 ,it is not so because of ,god's will in the matter1 but in spite of ,his will4 ,remember that ,god exhausted all the wealth of ,his resource when ,he gave ,his ,son4 ,there can come nothing more after that4 ,your ,personality ,needed4 ,then there is a second question from ,god's side to ask about those ugly words3 thoughtfully1 and yet plainly--,is it the fault of ,jesus1 the ,son of ,god8 ,and let anyone here listen to ,him speaking in that tenth chapter of ,john4 ,i lay down ,my life for the sheep4 ,no man taketh it from ,me4 ,i lay it down of ,myself4 ,i have power to lay it down and power to take it again4 ,and then go out yonder to that scene just outside the ,jerusalem wall4 ,there hangs ,jesus upon that cross1 suspended by nails through hands and feet4 ,he is only thirty-three4 ,he is intensely human4 ,life was just as sweet to ,him that day as it is to you and me to-night4 ,aye1 more sweet3 for sin had not taken the edge off his relish of life4 ,plainly ,he could have prevented them4 ,for many a time had ,he held the murderous mob in check by the sheer power of ,his presence alone4 ,yet there ,he hangs from nine until noon and until three--six long hours4 ,and ,he said ,he did it for you1 for me4 ,do not ask me to tell how ,his dying for us saves4 ,i do not know4 ,no one statement seems to tell all the truth4 ,when ,i study into it ,i always get clear beyond my depth4 ,in a tremendous way it tells a double story2 of the damnable blackness of sin2 and of the intensity of love4 ,i do know that ,he said ,he did it for us1 and for our salvation1 and that it had to be done4 ,but as we look to-day on that scene1 again the question3 does any of the blame of the awful statements this book makes regarding your friends belong to ,him1 do you think8 ,and ,i think ,i hear your hearts say surely not4 ,well1 the ,father has done ,his best4 ,no blame surely attaches there4 ,the ,son has gone to the utmost limit4 ,no fault can be found there4 ,there is just one other left up yonder1 of the divine partnership--the ,holy ,spirit4 ,what about ,him4 ,listen4 ,just as soon as the ,son went back home with face and form all scarred from ,his brief stay upon the earth1 ,he and the ,father said1 now ,we will send down the last one of ,us1 the ,holy ,spirit1 and ,he will do ,his best to woo men back1 and so it was done4 ,the last supreme effort to win men back was begun4 ,the ,holy ,spirit came down for the specific purpose of telling the world about ,jesus4 ,his work down here is to convict men of their terrible wrong in rejecting ,jesus1 and of ,his righteousness1 and of the judgment passed upon ,satan4 ,only ,he can convince men's minds and consciences4 ,a thousand preachers with the logic of a ,paul and the eloquence of an ,isaiah could not convince one man of sin4 ,only the ,spirit can do that4 ,but listen to me as ,i say very thoughtfully--and this is the one truth ,i pray ,god to burn into our hearts to-night--that to do ,his work among men ,he needs to use men4 ,he needs you4 ,oh6 you say1 it is hardly possible that you mean that3 ,i am not a minister3 ,i have no special ability for christian work3 ,i am just an obscure1 humble christian3 ,i have no gift in that direction4 ,listen with your heart while ,i remind you that ,he needs not your special abilities or gifts1 though ,he will use all you have1 and the more the better1 but ,he needs your personality as a human channel through which to touch the men you touch4 ,and ,i want to say just as kindly and tenderly as ,i can and yet with great plainness that if you are refusing to let ,him use you as ,he chooses--shall ,i say the unpleasant truth8--the practical blame for those ugly words1 and the uglier truth back of them come straight home to you4 ,that is a very serious thing to say1 and so ,i must add a few words to make it still more clear and plain4 ,the ,spirit of ,god in working among men seeks embodiment in men1 through whom ,he acts4 ,the amazing truth is that not only is ,he willing to enter into and fill you with ,his very presence1 but ,he seeks for1 ,he wants1 yes1 ,he needs your personality as a channel or medium1 that living in you ,he may be able to do ,his work among the men you touch even though you may not be conscious of much that ,he is doing through you4 ,is not that startling8 ,he wants to live in your body1 and speak through your lips1 and look out of your eyes1 and use your hands1 really1 actually4 ,have you turned your personality over to ,him as completely as that8 ,remember the law of ,god's communication with men2 namely1 ,he speaks to men through men4 ,run carefully through the ,bible1 and you will find that since the ,cain disaster1 which divided all men into two great groups1 whenever ,god has a message for a man or a nation out in the world ,he chooses and uses a man in touch with ,himself as ,his messenger4 ,listen to ,jesus' own words in that last night's long talk in ,john's ,gospel1 chapter fourteen1 verse seventeen4 ,speaking about the coming ,spirit1 ,he says1 ,whom the world cannot receive4 ,that is a strange statement4 ,though an important part of the ,spirit's great mission is to the world yet it cannot receive ,him4 ,but chapter sixteen1 verses seven and eight gives the explanation3 ,i will send ,him unto you1 and ,he when ,he is come 7unto you7 will convince1 and so on4 ,that is to say1 a message from ,god to one who has come within the circle of personal relation with ,jesus--that message comes along a straight line without break or crook4 ,but a message to one who remains outside that circle comes along an angled line--two lines meeting at an angle--and the point of that angle is in some christian heart4 ,the message ,he sends out to the outer circle passes through some one within the inner circle4 ,to make it direct and personal3 ,he needs to use you to touch those whom you touch4 ,god's ,sub-,headquarters4 ,let me bring you a few illustrations of how ,god uses men1 though the fact of ,his using them is on almost every page of this ,bible4 ,back in the old book of ,judges is a peculiar expression which is not brought out as clearly as it might be in our ,english ,bibles4 ,the sixth chapter and thirty-fourth verse might properly read3 the ,spirit of ,jehovah clothed ,himself with ,gideon4 ,it was a time of desperate crisis in the nation4 ,god chose this man for leadership among his fellows4 ,if you take his life throughout you will not think him an ideal character4 ,but he seems to be the best available stuff there was4 ,he became the general guiding an army in what1 to human eyes1 was a perfectly hopeless struggle4 ,men saw ,gideon moving about giving orders4 ,but this strangely significant phrase lets us into the secret of his wise strategy and splendid victory4 ,the ,spirit of ,jehovah clothed ,himself with ,gideon4 ,gideon's personality was merely a suit of clothes which ,god wore that day in achieving that tremendous victory for ,his people4 ,the same expression is used of ,amasai1 one of ,david's mighty chieftains1#d and of ,zechariah1 one of the priests during ,joash's reign4#e ,a ,new ,testament illustration is found in the book of ,acts in the account of ,philip and the ,ethiopian stranger4 ,this devout ,african official had a copy of the old ,hebrew ,scriptures1 but needed an interpreter to make plain their newly acquired significance4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 the interpreter of ,scripture1 longs to help him4 ,for that purpose ,he seeks out a man1 of whom ,he has control1 named ,philip4 ,he is directed to go some distance over toward the road where this man is journeying4 ,we are told of ,philip that he was full of the ,spirit4 ,and a reading of that eighth chapter makes plain the controlling presence of the ,spirit in ,philip's personality4 ,in the beginning ,he gives very explicit direction4 ,the ,spirit 7within ,philip7 said1 go near1 join thyself to this chariot4 ,and at the close the ,spirit of the ,lord caught away ,philip4 ,these are a few illustrations of what seems to be a common law of ,god's intercourse with men4 ,the language of the ,bible throughout fits in with this same conception4 ,strikingly enough the same seems to be true in the opposing camp1 among the forces of the ,evil ,one4 ,repeatedly in the gospels we come across the startling expressions--possessed with demons1 possessed of demons1 evidently speaking of men whom demons had succeeded in getting possession of1 and clothing themselves with4 ,it seems to be a law of spirit life that a spirit needs to be embodied in dealing with embodied beings4 ,and ,god conforms to this law in ,his dealings with men4 ,my friend1 will you ask your heart1 has the ,holy ,spirit gotten possession of you like that8 ,with reverence ,i repeat that ,he is seeking for men in whom ,he may set up a sort of sub-headquarters1 from which ,he may work out as ,he pleases4 ,has ,he been able to do that with you8 ,or1 have you been holding back from ,him1 fearing ,he might make some changes in you or your plans8 ,if that is so1 may ,i say just as kindly as these lips can speak it1 but also as plainly1 that then the practical blame for those cutting words about your friends comes straight back to you4 ,hugh ,mc,allister ,beaver1 son of the former governor of ,pennsylvania1 and one of the rarest christian young men that ever lived1 felt impelled at a conference of students at ,northfield1 in '#ig1 to tell this bit of his inner experience1 though naturally reluctant to do so4 ,while at college1 arrangements were made for a series of meetings every night for a week4 ,one day going down the hallway of the college building1 he said1 ,i met a boy we all called ,dutchy1 one of the toughest fellows in school4 ,i said to him1 ',dutch1 come to the meeting to-night4' ,instead of laughing or swearing1 to ,beaver's surprise1 he paused a moment as though such a thing was possible1 and ,beaver said1 ,i prayed quietly to myself1 and urged him to come4 ,and he said1 ,well1 ,i guess ,i will4 ,and that night to every one's surprise ,dutch came to the meeting4 ,when ,beaver rose to speak1 to his surprise this fellow was not simply intensely interested but his eyes were full of tears4 ,and ,beaver said a voice as distinct as an audible voice said to me1 ',speak to ,dutchy6' ,but ,i did not4 ,again the next night ,dutchy came of his own accord1 and one of the boys putting his arm on ,beaver's shoulder said1 ,speak to ,dutchy4 ,we boys never saw him like this before4 ,and he said he would4 ,but he did not4 ,and some time after he had a dream and thought he would not walk this earth any more4 ,it did not trouble him except that his brother was crying4 ,but he thought he met the ,master1 who looked into his face1 and said1 ,hugh1 do you remember1 ,i asked you to speak to ,dutchy8 ,yes4 ,and you did not4 ,no4 ,would you like to go back the earth and win him8 ,and he finished the story by saying1 it's hard work1 but he's coming now4 ,i wonder if the ,master has ever tried to use your lips like that1 and you have refused8 ,a prominent clergyman in ,new ,england tells this experience of his4 ,in the course of his pastoral work he was called to conduct the funeral service of a young woman who had died quite unexpectedly4 ,as he entered the house he met the minister in charge of the mission church1 where the family attended1 and asked him1 ,was ,mary a christian8 ,to his surprise a pained look came into the young man's face as he replied1 ,three weeks ago ,i had a strong impulse to speak to her1 but ,i did not2 and ,i do not know4 ,a moment later he met the girl's ,sunday school teacher and asked her the same question4 ,quickly the tears came1 as she said1 ,two weeks ago1 ,doctor1 a voice seemed to say to me1 ',speak to ,mary1' and ,i knew what it meant1 and ,i intended to1 but ,i did not1 and ,i do not know4 ,deeply moved by these unexpected answers1 a few minutes later he met the girl's mother1 and thinking doubtless to give her an opportunity to speak a word that would bring comfort to her own heart1 he said quietly1 ,mary was a christian girl8 ,the tears came quick and hot to the mother's eyes1 as she sobbed out1 ,one week ago a voice came to me saying1 ',speak to ,mary1' and ,i thought of it1 but ,i did not at the time1 and you know how unexpectedly she went away and ,i do not know4 ,well1 please understand me1 ,i am not saying a word about that girl4 ,i do not know anything to say4 ,i would hope much and can understand that there is ground for hope4 ,but this is what ,i say3 ,how pathetic1 beyond expression1 that the ,spirit tried to get the use of the lips of three persons1 a pastor1 a teacher1 aye1 a mother6 to speak the word that evidently ,he longed to have spoken to her1 and ,he could not6 ,has ,he tried to use you like that8 ,the ,highest ,law of ,action4 ,but these two illustrations are narrower than the truth4 ,they speak of the lips4 ,he wants to use your lips2 but1 even more1 ,he wants to use your life4 ,much as ,he may use your lips1 ,he will use your personality1 your presence1 your life ten times more1 when you are wholly unconscious of it4 ,he loves men so much4 ,he longs to save them4 ,but ,he needs us--you and me--as channels through which ,his power shall flow to touch and mightily influence those whom we touch4 ,how often has ,he turned away disappointed because the channel had broken connections1 or could not be used8 ,he was not willing that any should perish2 ,jesus1 enthroned in the glory above1 ,saw our poor fallen world1 pitied our sorrows1 ,poured out ,his life for us1 wonderful love4 ,perishing1 perishing1 thronging our pathway1 ,hearts break with burdens too heavy to bear2 ,jesus would save1 but there's no one to tell them1 ,no one to save them from sin and despair4 ,someone says3 ,you are putting an awful responsibility upon us4 ,would you have us go out and begin speaking to everyone we meet8 ,no1 that is not what ,i am saying just now4 ,though there is a truth there4 ,but this3 ,surrender yourself to ,jesus as your ,master1 for ,him to take possession4 ,turn the channel over to ,him1 that ,he may tighten the connections1 upward and outward1 and clean it out1 and then use as ,he may choose4 ,he has a passion for winning men1 and ,he has marvelous tact in doing it4 ,let ,him have ,his way in you4 ,keep quiet and close to ,him1 and obey ,him1 gladly1 cheerily1 constantly1 and ,he will assume all responsibility for the results4 ,there is a law of personal service4 ,it is this3 ,contact means opportunity2 opportunity means responsibility4 ,to come into personal contact with a man gives an opportunity of influencing him for ,christ1 and with opportunity goes its twin partner--responsibility4 ,there is another law--a higher law--the highest law of the christian life4 ,it is this3 ,in everything hold yourself subject to the ,holy ,spirit's leading4 ,whenever these two laws come into conflict remember that the lower law always yields to the higher4 ,it is a law of life that where two laws come into conflict the lower law always gives way to the higher4 ,that is a supreme law both of nature and in legislation4 ,now1 the highest law of the christian life is to yield constantly to the leading of our ,companion--the ,holy ,spirit4 ,then quiet time alone with the ,master daily over ,his word for the training of the ear1 and the training of the judgment1 and the training of the tongue becomes the great essential4 ,but to-night the great question is3 ,have you turned the channel of power--your personality--over to ,him to be flushed and flooded with ,his power8 ,will you8 ,only a smile1 yes1 only a smile1 ,that a woman o'erburdened with grief ,expected from you2 'twould have given relief1 ,for her heart ached sore the while4 ,but1 weary and cheerless1 she went away1 ,because1 as it happened that very day1 ,you were out of touch with your ,lord4 ,only a word1 yes1 only a word1 ,that the ,spirit's small voice whispered1 ',speak'2 ,but the worker passed onward1 unblessed and weak1 ,whom you were meant to have stirred ,to courage1 devotion and love anew1 ,because1 when the message came to you1 ,you were out of touch with your ,lord4 ,only a note1 yes1 only a note1 ,to a friend in a distant land2 ,the ,spirit said1 ',write1' but then you had planned ,some different work1 and you thought ,it mattered little4 ,you did not know ',twould have saved a soul from sin and woe-- ,you were out of touch with your ,lord4 ,only a song1 yes1 only a song1 ,that the ,spirit said1 ',sing to-night2 ,thy voice is thy ,master's by purchased right4' ,but you thought1 '',mid this motley throng1 ,i care not to sing of the ,city of ,god'2 ,and the heart that your words might have reached grew cold-- ,you were out of touch with your ,lord4 ,only a day1 yes1 only a day1 ,but oh6 can you guess1 my friend1 ,where the influence reaches and where it will end ,of the hours that you frittered away8 ,the ,master's command is1 ',abide in ,me'2 ,and fruitless and vain will your service be ,if out of touch with your ,lord4 ,,footnotes3 #d #a ,chron4 xii3 #ah4 #e #b ,chron4 xxiv3 #bj4 ,,the ,,price ,,of ,,power4 ,law of ,exchange4 ,every man needs power4 ,every earnest man covets power4 ,every willing man has the ,master's promise of power4 ,but every man does not possess the promised power4 ,and many1 it is to be feared1 never will4 ,many a man's life to-day is utterly lacking in power4 ,some of us will look back at the close of life with a sense of keen disappointment and of bitter defeat4 ,and the reason is not far to seek1 nor hard to see through4 ,if we do not have power it is because we are not willing to pay the price4 ,everything costs4 ,there is a law of exchange that rules in every sphere of life4 ,it is this1 to get1 you must give4 ,it rules in the business world4 ,if ,i want a house or a hat ,i must give the sum agreed upon4 ,it rules in the intellectual world4 ,if a young man wants a disciplined mind he must give time1 and close application1 and some real1 hard work4 ,it holds true in the spirit realm4 ,if you and ,i wish to have business transactions in this upper world of spirit-life we must be governed by this same law4 ,to have power in our lives over sin and selfishness1 and passion1 and appetite2 over tongue1 and temper1 and self-seeking ambition2 to have power in prayer1 and in winning others over from sin to ,jesus ,christ1 one must first lay down the required price4 ,what is the price of power8 ,turn to ,jesus' talk with ,peter and the others in the latter part of the sixteenth chapter of ,matthew's gospel4 ,jesus has been telling them of the awful cross-experiences which ,he clearly saw ahead4 ,peter probably fearful that whatever came to his ,master might possibly come to himself also1 and shrinking back in horror from that1 has the hardihood to rebuke ,jesus4 ,the ,master1 recognizing the suggestion as coming from a far subtler individual than ,peter1 who is using ignorant ,peter's selfishness to repeat the suggestion of the wilderness1 again bids him begone4 ,then in a few simple words of far-reaching significance1 ,he states first the standard of power1 and then the price to be paid by one who would reach that standard4 ,listen to ,him3 ,if any man would come after ,me1 let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow ,me4 ,in the ,footprints of ,jesus4 ,let us look a little into these familiar words4 ,if any man would come after ,me--that is the standard set before us4 ,not to be regarded as a pillar in the church1 a leader in religious circles1 a good ,bible student1 a generous giver1 an earnest speaker1 an energetic worker1 a spiritually minded person1 but1 what may not be coupled with any or all of these admirable things1 to tread in the footprints of ,jesus4 ,think back into that marvelous life4 ,a human life1 remember4 ,for though ,he was ,son of ,god ,he lived ,his life down here as a son of man4 ,think of ,his power over temptation1 not alone at the outset in the fierce wilderness struggle1 but through those succeeding years of intense conflict2 ,his power over ,satan1 over man-possessing demons1 over disease2 ,his power in dealing with the subtle schoolmen trying their best to trip ,him up1 as well as over ,his more violent enemies who would have dashed ,him over yon ,nazareth precipice1 or later stoned the life out of ,his body in ,jerusalem4 ,recall the power of ,his rare unselfishness2 ,his combined plainness and tenderness of speech in dealing with men2 ,his unfailing love to all classes2 ,his power as a soul winner1 as a man of prayer1 as a popular preacher1 lovingly wooing men while unsparingly rebuking their sins4 ,there is the suggestion of ,jesus' standard of power4 ,would you go after ,him8 ,you may4 ,for as the ,father sent ,him even so sends ,he us1 to do the same work and live the same life4 ,but wait a moment before answering that question4 ,there is another side in ,his life to that come-after-me4 ,opposites brought into contact produce a violent disturbance4 ,such a life as that of ,jesus1 down in the atmosphere of this world will of necessity provoke bitter enmities1 both then and now4 ,listen4 ,he was criticized and slandered4 ,they said ,he was peculiar and fanatical4 ,his friends thought ,him beside ,himself1 swept off ,his feet by excessive1 hot-headed enthusiasm4 ,they laughed ,him to scorn1 and reviled ,him4 ,they picked ,his words1 and nagged ,his kindliest acts1 and dogged ,his steps4 ,repeated attempts were made upon ,his life1 both at ,nazareth and by stoning at ,jerusalem4 ,a determined conspiracy against ,his life was planned by the ,jerusalem officials six months before the end actually came4 ,he was practically a fugitive for those months4 ,at the last ,he was arrested and mocked and spit upon1 struck with open hand and clenched fist1 derisively crowned with thorns1 and finally killed--a cruel1 lingering1 tortured death4 ,if any man would come after ,me4 ,plainly this language of ,jesus put back into its original setting begins to assume a new significance4 ,a ,fixed ,purpose4 ,but look at these words a little more closely4 ,if--it is an open question1 this matter of following ,jesus4 ,it is kept open by many people who want to be known as christian1 but who hesitate over what a plain understanding of ,jesus' words may involve4 ,some of us may be disposed to shrink back from the simple meaning these words will yet disclose4 ,if any man would--would is the past tense of will4 ,the word will is one of the strongest in our language4 ,a man's will is the imperial part of him4 ,it is the autocrat upon the throne2 the judge upon the bench of final appeal4 ,jesus is getting down to the root of matters here4 ,he is appealing to the highest authority4 ,no mere passing sentiment is this4 ,not attending a meeting and being swept along with the crowd by the hour's influence4 ,but a fixed purpose1 calmly1 resolutely settled upon1 rooted away down deep in the very vitals of the will to follow ,jesus absolutely1 no matter what it may cost or where it may cut4 ,i wonder how many of us would form such a purpose1 to follow ,jesus blindly1 utterly regardless of what it might be found to mean as the days come and go8 ,oh1 well1 ,i hear some one say1 why talk like that4 ,nobody is required to suffer to-day as ,he did4 ,do you think not8 ,i am not so sure about that4 ,there is a young man in ,southern ,india1 bright fellow1 full of power1 of high class family1 who heard of ,jesus1 and felt the personal appeal to himself of that marvelous story4 ,he thought a good while of what it meant1 and what it might involve1 and at length resolutely formed his decision to accept and follow ,jesus4 ,as he had anticipated1 his dear ones remonstrated with him1 coaxed1 pleaded1 threatened1 and finally1 his own father violently put him out of his life-long home1 and he has remained since an outcast from home and loved ones4 ,these words of ,jesus surely are full of significance to him4 ,but that was in ,india1 far off1 heathen ,india1 you say4 ,well1 here is something of a similar sort at home4 ,i knew a young woman in a certain ,new ,england town visiting away from home4 ,she attended some meetings where she was visiting1 and decided to be a christian4 ,she was betrothed to a young man1 not a christian1 in her home town4 ,at once she wrote him explaining her new step thinking1 doubtless how glad he would be4 ,for most men seem very willing to have their wives christian4 ,but he wrote back that if she were determined to be a christian that must put an end to their engagement4 ,he was not a christian and did not want his wife to be one4 ,every one here must know how serious a question that brought up for decision4 ,for she was a true woman1 and love's tendrils twine with wondrous tenacity about a woman's heart4 ,and ,i presume1 too1 that everyone of you has already thought while ,i am speaking1 of the temptation that1 quick as a flash1 went through her mind4 ,you need not make a public matter of this4 ,just be a true christian in heart and life1 and in that way you'll win him over afterwards4 ,i imagine some of you have heard something like that before4 ,but she remembered that her new ,master said ,confess as well as believe4 ,it was a crisis2 a severe struggle of soul4 ,but she felt she must follow her ,master's leading regardless of what it involved4 ,and so she decided4 ,you are not surprised to know that she was ill for a time4 ,the intense strain of spirit affected her body4 ,if--any--man--would--come--after--,me meant much to her4 ,did it not8 ,without doubt if some of us listening to-day were to follow ,jesus quietly1 but absolutely1 in all things as ,his own ,spirit plainly led1 we would find as sharp a line of separation drawn against us1 as did ,he in ,palestine1 and these young people in ,india and ,america4 ,many a social door would be shut in our faces4 ,o1 shut politely of course6 ,society thinks it in very bad form to get unduly excited about mere matters of religious opinion4 ,but the door is shut1 and barred1 too4 ,some of us would possibly be searching for other business positions before to-morrow's light faded away if we were determined to go only where ,he clearly pointed the way4 ,but we have only begun to get at the meaning of ,jesus' words4 ,is there still a fixed purpose to follow regardless of what meaning these words may yet disclose8 ,not impossibly the company of those willing to go straight through this verse with a calm1 determined yes to every word of ,jesus1 will grow smaller as we go on4 ,a ,character ,sketch4 ,let us go a little farther4 ,if any man would come after ,me let him deny himself4 ,deny himself--what does that mean8 ,well1 deny means to say no1 plainly and positively4 ,himself is the smoother ,english word for his self4 ,let him say no to his self4 ,please notice that ,jesus is not speaking of what is commonly called self-denial4 ,that is1 repressing some desire for a time1 sacrificing something temporarily in order to gain an advantage later4 ,that sort of thing is not peculiar to the christian life1 but is practiced by all classes1 even among the lowest4 ,he is not speaking of that1 but of something far more radical4 ,reading the verse through again1 it will be seen that there are three distinct persons referred to by ,jesus4 ,first1 the any man ,he speaks of1 and then the two others represented by these words himself and ,me1 either one or the other of whom is influencing this any man's life4 ,say no to his self is coupled with follow ,me4 ,and the opposite is implied--if any man will not do as ,i desire1 he will continue to do as he is now doing1 namely1 deny ,me and follow his self4 ,these two persons self and ,jesus are placed here in sharpest contrast4 ,an uncompromising antagonism exists between them4 ,they are sworn foes1 and every man must decide to which he will yield his allegiance4 ,to agree with either one is to oppose the other one4 ,for a man to settle some matter that comes up for decision by saying yes to the desires or demands of his self involves his saying no to ,jesus4 ,and on the other hand his yielding assent to the plans and wishes of this me1 namely ,jesus1 is plainly equivalent to saying no to his self4 ,what is this self in each of us that ,jesus sets in such antagonism to ,himself1 and instructs us to say a hard1 uncompromising1 unceasing no to8 ,there are a few words in common use that give some suggestion of its character4 ,there is the word selfish1 that is1 being absorbed in one's own self2 in getting every stream to flow by his own door4 ,that is commonly regarded1 even in absolutely worldly circles1 as a detestable trait4 ,its opposite1 self-forgetful1 being full of forgetting one's self in thinking of others1 is as commonly regarded in all circles as a charming1 winsome trait of character4 ,the words self-centered1 and self-willed1 are as familiar and suggestive4 ,the fact is1 there is an individual living inside each one of us whom ,jesus refers to1 by this word his self4 ,this individual takes on the degree of intensity and other local coloring of the person it inhabits4 ,it may be polished1 scholarly1 cultured2 or1 coarse1 ignorant and ill-mannered4 ,but scratch a ,russian and you find a ,tartar4 ,scratch through the veneering here and1 whether coarse or highly polished1 you will find the same individual--self4 ,there are some quite marked characteristics by which its presence may be recognized4 ,they may not all be noticeable together in any one person4 ,but one or more will be found in every person whom it succeeds in influencing and dominating4 ,one characteristic is this3 it covets praise4 ,it feeds and fattens on commendation4 ,it constantly seeks to be highly esteemed1 to have its worth properly appraised4 ,it is immensely impressed with its own importance1 its value to society1 its keenness1 wisdom or aptness1 and wishes others to be so impressed also4 ,it is fond of a mirror1 especially one made to magnify4 ,it seeks recognition4 ,it presses forward1 rudely or politely1 according as its habitat has been trained in rude or polite circles4 ,it may put on the garb of humility1 and use the language of depreciation4 ,but its ear is none the less keenly alert to hear the agreeable things and to cherish them4 ,another characteristic1 which really is simply the other side of this first named one1 is this3 it shrinks from criticism4 ,how it writhes and twists at the least touch of unfavorable criticism6 ,it is always on the defensive4 ,the cheek colors at the suggestion of its being wrong1 or having blundered1 or of being peculiar4 ,how quickly it explains and defends and brings evidence of its being in the right4 ,it is extremely sensitive4 ,it is that touchy thing in you4 ,it is chronically troubled with the disease of touchiness4 ,its feelings are readily hurt4 ,it is easily slighted4 ,it remembers grievances4 ,it has an interrogation point constantly on sentinel duty1 namely1 ,what will they think8 ,what will they say8 ,it lives in constant fear1 under the lash of that huge1 vague1 awful they4 ,i remember knowing a ,sunday school teacher who had a mission class of rather rough boys from non-christian homes4 ,i asked one day how she was getting along with them4 ,going to give them up1 she replied4 ,is that so8 ,they have all become christians8 ,no1 none of them were christians1 and they liked her1 and said they would not come if she gave them up1 but she felt discouraged1 and anyway she had decided to give them up4 ,lawyers and women do not always give their reasons1 very wisely4 ,i ventured to suggest that before giving them up1 she have the boys come up to her home1 one at a time1 perhaps for tea2 have a pleasant chatty time at tea and afterwards1 and then before the boy left have a quiet friendly talk with him by himself about being a christian1 and1 a few words of prayer with him4 ,wouldn't she try that before giving them up8 ,and ,i remember distinctly that her face blushed as red as a bright red rose1 as she replied1 ,why1 ,mr4 ,gordon1 he'd laugh at me6 ,and she could not bear the possible chance of being laughed at for the other more likely possibility of winning a soul--a man--a life4 ,that was self in her1 shrinking back from a laugh2 dreading that look of possibly contemptuous surprise that might come4 ,another person1 speaking about certain recreations very common in society1 and which he was in the habit of joining1 though freely questioning the propriety of so doing1 said1 ,o1 ,i don't care much for those things4 ,i could easily give them up1 but people think you are so queer if you decline1 and you feel as if you were a back number4 ,ah6 there was the rub4 ,the desire to be thought well of2 the dislike of being considered peculiar2 the fear of that thinly veiled sneering curl on the lip--that was self in him asserting its presence1 and even more1 ruling his action4 ,do you recognize the individual inside of you that ,jesus is speaking of8 ,there is a third tell-tale ear-mark of self that is difficult to conceal--it is assertive4 ,it dearly loves to have its own way4 ,it has plans and ambitions1 and proposes to carry them through regardless of man1 or--let the plain truth be spoken softly--of ,god4 ,its opinions are held tenaciously4 ,its favorite pronoun is ,i1 capitalized1 with variations of my and me4 ,the personal equation is extremely powerful and persuasive4 ,the true follower of ,jesus holds every plan subject to change from above4 ,but this self1 if allowed to rule1 takes the bit in its tightly-shut teeth1 and drives determinedly ahead1 reckless of either man's or ,god's preferences1 even though religious phraseology may be upon its tongue4 ,still another trait of character of this self whose closer acquaintance we are making is this3 ,it has an insatiable appetite4 ,it grows hungrier by that on which it feeds4 ,its capacity is beyond the measuring line4 ,if given free rein it will debase the holiest functions of the body1 and degrade the highest powers of the mind to appease its gnawing1 passion-bitten hunger4 ,the noblest gifts1 the purest emotions1 the most sacred relationships1 are dragged down to the slimy gutter to tempt and temporarily stay its jaded palate4 ,unmasked4 ,that is something of a suggestion of the character of this other master than ,jesus1 who seeks to get control of us1 and from whose relentless1 vise-like grip ,jesus would fain free us4 ,he says there is only one thing to do with it4 ,no half-way compromise--the great ,american expedient--will do here4 ,the ,master says plainly it is to be denied1 repressed1 put determinedly down1 starved1 strangled4 ,to every suggestion or demand there is to be a prompt1 positive1 jaw-locked no4 ,there is war to the knife1 and the knife clear up to the hilt1 between these two claimants for the control of our powers--self and ,jesus4 ,paul understood this antagonism thoroughly4 ,it comes out repeatedly in his writings4 ,his name for this inner enemy1 by an accidental turn in ,english1 is ,jesus' word self spelled backwards with the letter h added--f-l-e-s-h4 ,his remarks in ,romans1 eighth chapter1 verses four to eight1 and twelve to thirteen1 are simply an enlargement of these words in the sixteenth of ,matthew's gospel4 ,if one will read these verses1 substituting ,jesus' word self for ,paul's word he will be surprised to find how strikingly ,paul is expressing this very thought of ,jesus4 ,a free translation of part of these verses would read like this3 ,verse five--,they that choose to walk after self 7as a slave walked after1 or behind1 his master7 will show their choice by obeying the desires of self1 and they that choose to walk after the ,spirit will obey the desires of the ,spirit4 ,verse seven--,for the purposes of self are opposed to ,god's purposes2 for it does not hold itself subject to ,god's wishes2 indeed1 in its very nature it cannot2 and they that choose to obey self cannot please ,god4 ,verse thirteen--,if by the ,holy ,spirit's aid ye kill off the plans and doings of self1 ye shall therein find real true life1 and only so4 ,plainly1 the deep searching experiences of ,paul's great soul1 and his wide observation of others1 in his ceaseless travels1 confirm the statements already made1 that there is the intensest hatred1 the bitterest antagonism1 between these two personalities represented by ,jesus' words1 himself and me4 ,there can be no patched-up truce here4 ,the only way the lion and the lamb can lie down together in this case is for the one to lie down underneath the other--conquered2 or inside the other--devoured4 ,in his other letters ,paul sometimes uses still another name1 the old man1 and names the characteristics of this omnipresent self1 which crop out with varying degrees of prominence1 in different persons1 and under different circumstances4 ,notice only a few of these3 ,in ,galatians1 fifth chapter1 nineteenth verse3 ,the deeds of self are 444 improper sexual intercourse1 impurity1 shameless looseness4444 ,it will1 wherever possible1 debase the holiest functions of the body4 ,in ,colossians1 third chapter1 fifth verse1 speaking of the old man3 ,and covetousness1 which is reckoning of highest worth that which is less worthy than ,god4 ,that is to say1 the ambitious longings of self1 will if unchecked become the ruling passion1 thrusting all else ruthlessly aside and degrading the highest powers of the mind to satisfying its feverish desire4 ,in ,ephesians1 fourth chapter1 thirty-first verse3 ,bitterness1 passion1 anger1 loud disputing1 evil-speaking 444 malice4 ,its assertiveness1 and demand for a due recognition of its worth1 its rights1 its opinions1 its proper place1 bring bitterest burnings1 and worse4 ,it will not be needful to review congressional1 and political1 and society life for illustrations4 ,they may be found much nearer one's own door4 ,was there ever such a list8 ,such a being whose heart begets and nurses such progeny6 ,this being has the smell of hell1 and of the evil one himself4 ,ah6 now we are getting at the straight truth4 ,self is ,satan's personal representative in every human heart4 ,its door of entrance is the door of disobedience4 ,it can have control only where one allows himself to get out of intelligent sympathy with ,god4 ,the self in ,peter was recoiling from that cross of which ,jesus spoke4 ,how keen ,jesus was in recognizing the suggestor of the thought that found expression through ,peter's lips--,get thee behind me1 ,satan4 ,self is ,satan1 condensed into each man's life1 though in some he dare not exhibit his coarser traits2 and in others he is being constantly conquered by that power of the ,spirit of ,jesus which comes through absolute1 glad surrender to ,him4 ,this sly ,satan-self may often be recognized by a favorite question it asks among christian people about a great many so-called unimportant matters3--,what's the harm8 ,but a true follower of ,jesus never lives down upon the plane of what's-the-harm8 ,he lives up in a higher sphere with his ,master1 who pleased not ,himself1 but made it the steady1 unfaltering aim of ,his life to do always those things that were pleasing to ,his ,father4 ,men thought ,him narrow and fanatical1 but ,he cared not so long as ,he could daily hear that clear1 sweet voice saying ,this is ,my beloved ,son1 in whom ,i am well pleased4 ,the final touchstone which the follower of ,jesus applies to every matter is this3 ,would it please ,him8 ,let everyone here who earnestly desires to fit into1 and to fill out1 ,jesus' plan for his life1 take paper and pencil and make a list of his personal habits2 such as his eating1 what he eats and how2 his drinking1 other things he puts into his mouth1 his dress1 the use and care of his body1 his recreations1 his reading1 his conversation1 his use of money1 his use of time1 his life plans and his daily plans1 his social engagements2 and regarding each ask plainly the question--what is the motive that controls me in this8 ,is it my own preference or enjoyment8 ,or1 is it to please and honor ,jesus8 ,let him further go through the list of his business methods1 his friendships1 the various organizations he belongs to1 with the same question4 ,if he will do thorough work he will probably have some stiff fighting on hand both at the start and afterwards4 ,many a life would thereby be radically changed4 ,for example1 ,i know a christian storekeeper who has on his shelves a certain article bearing the label of a tonic medicine1 but he knows perfectly well1 as does anyone who stops to think about it1 that the stuff back of the label is one form of an intoxicant4 ,there can be no question of what the ,master would say about it4 ,but it brings a good profit4 ,and his money-fevered self asserts its mastery and carries the day4 ,and the man tightly grips the profits1 while ,satan chuckles with unholy glee1 and souls are being damned by this christian man's aid4 ,certainly there can be none of the power of ,god in such a life4 ,let us rather speak the truth and say that this man is exerting a positive power for ,satan and for hell4 ,all this is included in these few simple words1 let him deny himself4 ,is there still a fixed purpose to follow ,jesus without regard to what it may cost us1 or where the keen edge of separation may cut in8 ,the ,battle of the ,forks4 ,here is a forking of the road4 ,i bring this whole company up to this dividing1 and therefore deciding1 point4 ,let each choose his own road deliberately1 prayerfully1 with open eyes4 ,this road to the left has as its law1 yielding to self2 saying yes to the desires and demands of self2 with some modifications possibly1 here and there1 for ,i am talking to professing christian people4 ,yes to ,jesus sometimes1 but at other times1 when it suits circumstances and inclinations better to do otherwise--well1 a pushing of the troublesome question aside4 ,and that means a decided yes to self1 with as positive a negative to ,jesus' desires implied thereby4 ,that is the left-hand fork4 ,this right-hand road knows only one law to which exception is never made1 namely3 ,yes to ,jesus1 everywhere1 always1 regardless of consequences1 though it may entail loss of friendships1 or money1 or position1 or social standing1 or personal preference1 or radical change of plans1 or1 what not4 ,judas assented to the cravings of his ambitious self and said no to his ,master1 thinking possibly1 with his worldly shrewdness1 thereby to force ,jesus to assert ,his power4 ,he little knew what a time of crisis it was1 and what terrific results would follow4 ,peter stood on the side of his cowardly1 shrinking self in the court-yard that dark night1 and against his ,master4 ,and though with matchless love he was forgiven1 he never forgave himself1 nor was able to get that night's doings out of his memory4 ,judas and ,peter were brothers in action that night1 and there are evidences that many other disciples are standing over in the same group4 ,are you8 ,which road do you choose to-night3 this--to the left8 ,or1 this--to the right8 ,i knew a young man who was deeply attached to an admirable young woman1 both refined christian persons1 much above the average in native ability1 and in culture4 ,he made known to her his feelings4 ,but as many a woman who does not trust her best ,friend in such matters is apt to do she held him off1 testing him repeatedly1 to find out just how real his attachment was4 ,finally revealing indirectly her own feeling she still withheld the consent he pleaded for1 until he would yield acquiescence in a certain plan of hers for him4 ,the plan1 proper enough in itself1 was an ambitious one1 and tended decidedly toward swinging him away from the high1 tenderly spiritual ideals that had swayed his life in college and afterwards1 though he probably was not clearly conscious of this tendency4 ,the only safe thing to do under such strong circumstances was to take time1 aside1 alone1 for calm1 poised1 thought and prayer1 to learn if her plan was also the ,master's plan for him4 ,but the personal element proved too strong for such deliberation4 ,the possibility of losing her swung him off of his feet4 ,it was no longer a question between her plan and the ,master's plan4 ,the latter dropped out of view1 probably half-unconsciously because hurriedly4 ,he must have her1 he thought4 ,that rose before his eyes above all else4 ,and so the decision was made4 ,with what result8 ,he is to-day prominent in christian service1 an earnest speaker1 a tireless worker1 with a most winsome personality4 ,but his inner spiritual life has perceptibly dwarfed4 ,his ideals1 still high and noble1 are distinctly lower than in his earlier life4 ,intellectual ideals1 admirable in themselves1 but belonging in second place in a christian life1 now command the field4 ,his conceptions and understanding of spiritual truth have undergone a decided change4 ,the proposal of the self-life came in very fascinating guise to him4 ,he hastily said yes to it3 that meant as decided a refusal of ,another's plan for him1 which had once been clearly recognized1 and accepted1 but was now set aside1 be it sadly said1 as he swung quickly off to the left fork of the road4 ,there is an incident told of a ,european pastor1 an earnest1 eloquent man4 ,the realization came in upon him that he had not been fully following the ,master4 ,in much of his life self was still ruling4 ,he came to this forking of the road1 and the battle was a fierce one1 for self dies hard4 ,but finally by the ,spirit1 he got the victory1 as every one may1 and calmly stepped off to the right4 ,he has vividly described that battle of the forks in language1 the accuracy of which will be recognized by others who have been in action on that field4 ,oh1 the bitter shame and sorrow1 ,that a time could ever be ,when ,i let the ,saviour's pity ,plead in vain1 and proudly answered3 ',all of self1 and none of ,thee4' ,yet ,he found me3 ,i beheld him ,bleeding on the accursed tree2 ,heard ,him pray1 'forgive them1 ,father1' ,and my wistful heart said faintly3 ',some of self and some of ,thee4' ,day by day1 ,his tender mercy1 ,healing1 helping1 full and free1 ,sweet and strong1 and oh1 so patient1 ,brought me lower1 while ,i whispered3 ',less of self and more of ,thee4' ,higher than the highest heaven1 ,deeper than the deepest sea1 ,lord1 thy love at last has conquered2 ,grant me now my soul's desire1 ',none of self and all of ,thee4' ,is there still a fixed purpose8 ,will you take this right fork8 ,let those who will1 and those who linger reluctantly listen to the further word that ,jesus adds3 ,let him deny himself and take up his cross4 ,take up his cross--what does that mean8 ,the cross has come to be regarded in these days as a fine ornament4 ,it looks beautiful bejeweled2 on the end of a sword2 or worked into regalia4 ,it makes such an artistic finish to a church building1 finely chiseled in stone1 or enwreathed with ivy4 ,it looks pretty in jewelry and flowers4 ,but to ,jesus and the men of ,his time it had a grim1 hard1 painful significance4 ,in ,roman usage a man condemned to this death was required to take up the crude wooden cross provided1 carry it out to the place of execution1 and there be transfixed upon it4 ,plainly to these men listening1 ,jesus' words meant3 ,let him say no to his self1 and then nail it up on the cross and leave it there to die4 ,paul understood this thoroughly4 ,to help the young christians in ,galatia he explains his own experience by saying3 ,i have been crucified with ,christ2 and to the unknown friends in ,rome he writes3 if ye by the ,spirit put to death the doings of the self life ye shall live4 ,the only thing to do with this self is to kill it4 ,in ,luke's account an intensely practical word is added to ,jesus' remark3 ,let him take up his cross daily4 ,a cat is said to have nine lives1 because it is so hard to kill4 ,i do not know what your experience may have been1 but1 judged by this rule1 the self in me is tougher-lived than that4 ,it has about ninety-nine1 or nine hundred and ninety-nine lives4 ,i put it on the cross to-day in the purpose of my will by the power of the ,spirit1 and ,i find it trying to sneak down and step into active control again to-morrow through some sly1 subtle suggestion which it hopes may get past the vigilance of my sentinel4 ,that word daily becomes1 of necessity1 my constant keynote--a daily conflict1 a daily sleepless vigilance1 and1 thank ,god1 a daily victory4 ,every man's heart is a battlefield4 ,if self has possession1 ,jesus is lovingly striving to get possession4 ,if possession has been yielded to ,jesus1 there is a constant besieging by the forces of self4 ,and self is a skilled strategist4 ,in every heart there is a cross1 and a throne1 and each is occupied4 ,if ,jesus is on the throne1 ruling1 self is on the cross1 dying4 ,but if self is being obeyed1 and so is ruling1 then it is on the throne4 ,and self on the throne means that ,jesus has been put on the cross4 ,and it seems to be only too pathetically true that not only in ,new ,testament times1 but in these times1 there are numbers of professing christians1 who1 in the practice of daily life1 are crucifying the ,son of ,god afresh1 and openly exposing ,him to shame before the eyes of the crowd4 ,suppose that to-night ,i determine to make this absolute surrender to ,jesus as my ,master4 ,to-morrow in some matter1 possibly a small matter--speaking a word to some one--asking a silent blessing at the meal--making a change in some personal habit--or some other apparently trivial matter--the ,spirit quietly makes clear ,his wish as to what ,i should do4 ,but ,i hesitate3 it seems hard4 ,i do not say that ,i will not obey1 but actually ,i do not4 ,let me plainly understand that in such a single failure to obey1 self is again mounting the throne1 and ,jesus is being dethroned and put over yonder on the cross4 ,do some of us still hesitate at this forking of the roads1 irresolute8 ,a crowned ,christ is attractive4 ,but self's tendrils1 though small1 are tenaciously tough1 and twine into so many corners and around some hidden things4 ,and the uprooting and outcutting mean sharp pain4 ,is that so8 ,and you hesitate8 ,please take another frank look4 ,lock-,step4 ,these two forks differ radically4 ,they differ in direction4 ,one is to the left2 the other to the right4 ,and these two words are significant of more than direction4 ,they differ in grade4 ,this left-hand road does not seem to have any grade4 ,it is smooth and level1 and straightaway1 apparently4 ,but a keener look reveals a slant down1 very slight at first1 but steadily increasing1 not only in its downward grade1 but in the proportionate grade down4 ,this right-hand road has a decided grade up from the beginning1 a steep slant1 that causes many to avoid it1 though they feel impelled to take it4 ,those who take it say that after the first decided step into it the slant does not seem nearly so hard as before starting1 and that climbing it makes splendid muscle and gives an inspiring sense of exhilaration from the very start4 ,the atmosphere is rare and purifying and invigorating4 ,it is not traveled by so many1 though the number keeps increasing4 ,but such rare companionship1 hitherto unknown1 they afford6 ,the striking peculiarity of this road1 however1 is this1 that each one keeps lock-step with a certain ,one who leads the way4 ,this ,one is remarkable in appearance4 ,his face combines all the strength and resolution of the strongest man's with all the fineness and gentleness of the finest woman's4 ,but ,he bears peculiar marks as though ,he had been through some terrible experience4 ,his face has a number of small scars as though it had been torn by thorns and cut by thongs4 ,his hands and feet look as though huge spikes had been forced through them4 ,but the glory-light of another world is in ,his eyes1 and illumines ,his face radiantly1 and a glad ring is in ,his low1 musical1 singularly clear voice4 ,the walking in step with ,him is so close that one can feel the tender throbbing of ,his heart1 and can talk confidentially with ,him in low1 quiet tones1 and can hear distinctly ,his gentle still-like voice in reply4 ,as one steps off quietly1 determinedly to the right from the battle of the forks he hears the closing words of ,jesus' remarks to ,peter--and follow ,me4 ,jesus sends no one ahead alone4 ,he blazes out every path through the unknown1 unbroken forest1 and asks us simply to come along after ,him4 ,he did what ,he asks us to do4 ,the self-life was alluringly and repeatedly presented to ,him by ,satan1 in the wilderness1 in the remark of ,peter1 by the visit of the ,greeks1 in ,gethsemane where the struggle of soul almost broke the tie that held body and spirit together1 and many other times4 ,in many a hard battle--for the divine ,jesus was intensely human in ,his earthly life--,he repeatedly said a never-varying no to the self-life1 and lived a constant victory until the very last triumphant shout of victory on ,calvary4 ,it was a life of constant conflict1 but of splendid1 calming1 scarce-broken peace within1 and of marvelous power without4 ,earnestly1 lovingly1 gently1 yet passionately1 ,he stands just ahead in that path now1 with pierced hands outstretched in open invitation1 with a heart-yearning in the depths of ,his great eyes1 wooing us on to follow where ,he goes on before4 ,let us follow4 ,it may be1 it will be1 in some measure1 through the experiences of the wilderness temptation1 and of ,gethsemane1 and of ,calvary1 but it will also be to share the victory which was always coupled with every testing ,he met4 ,it will as certainly be following ,him in power1 and victory1 on past ,calvary to the new life of the resurrection morning1 that saw the greatest display of power4 ,and even past that1 to the upper chamber where ,his words burn their way into our hearts--as the ,father sent ,me 7clothed with power unconquerable7 even so send ,i you4 ,and then to ,olivet where the victorious words ring out1 ,all power hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth1 therefore go ye and make disciples4 ,if any man would come alter me1 let him say no to his self1 and nail it to the cross daily1 and follow me4 ,jesus1 ,master1 by the ,holy ,spirit's help1 ,i will4 ,,the ,,personality ,,of ,,power4 ,a ,personally ,conducted ,journey4 ,everyone enjoys the pleasure of travel2 but nearly all shrink back from its tiresomeness and drudgery4 ,the transportation companies are constantly scheming to overcome this disagreeable side for both pleasure and business travel4 ,one of the popular ways of pleasure travel of late is by means of personally conducted tours4 ,a party is formed1 often by the railroad company1 and is accompanied by a special agent to attend to all the business matters of the trip4 ,a variation of this is to arrange for a group of congenial people to accompany some well-known accomplished gentleman4 ,this gives the trip1 not alone the convenience of having all business matters cared for1 but also the decided enjoyment which this gentleman's wide knowledge and experience1 and personal contact incidentally give4 ,there are some criticisms however of such parties1 from the standpoint of greatest comfort and of freedom in moving about4 ,probably the very pleasantest way--the ideal way1 to travel anywhere1 either in our own home land1 or abroad--is to form a party of only a very few persons1 mutually congenial1 and personally agreeable1 one of whom is an experienced traveler1 to whom checking baggage1 buying tickets1 studying timetables1 planning connections and all the rest of that sort of thing which1 to most1 is disagreeable drudgery1 to whom all that is mere pleasant detail2 and who in addition knows all the ground you will cover1 the best hotels1 the inconveniences to avoid1 the desirable places and things1 and who finds rare enjoyment in making the trip delightful and inspiring1 and restful too1 to these dear friends of his4 ,for instance if the trip is a foreign one beginning with a run through ,great ,britain it would add immensely to have such a friend in ,london who knew that great whirling world-metropolis1 as you know your own home4 ,after a bit you may slip over the ,channel to ,holland4 ,it is only a few hours away1 but the strange language1 new custom-house rules1 new usages1 new sights1 different sort of people1 all make it a totally different world4 ,a few hours will bring you into ,sweden1 or west from the hollow-landed ,dutch to the higher-landed ,germans1 or south through ,belgium into sunny ,france1 and so on4 ,and in each place the customs1 and language1 and sights1 and people1 the food1 the sleeping arrangements1 and apparently everything1 especially to a stranger1 are totally different4 ,it is this very variety--the constant change of surroundings--that constitutes much of the charm of it all4 ,there is nothing so refreshing and invigorating as that4 ,but on the other hand to an entire stranger who has no guide1 it is apt to be confusing and wearisome4 ,and the tiresome side often overcomes the pleasant side4 ,now this is what ,i am saying1 that1 if there are just a few together1 and this experienced traveler1 who is also a dear friend1 is one of them1 the trip is radically changed4 ,you move in a new world4 ,he can talk ,dutch in ,holland1 and ,german in ,germany1 ,swedish in ,scandinavia1 and ,french in ,switzerland4 ,he sees the baggage past the customs officials1 and provides restful stopping places1 and keeps the disagreeables away from you4 ,he knows the places to visit1 and is familiar with the historic occurrences1 and is a quiet1 cheery companion1 and if with it all he has an unlimited letter-of-credit1 and makes you feel that somehow you are favoring him by letting him help you out when you run short--that1 ,i say1 would be the ideal way of traveling4 ,now why take so much time speaking about all that8 ,listen6 ,i will tell you why4 ,living is like traveling4 ,life is a journey4 ,it is a trip through a strange land where you have never been before1 and you never know a moment ahead where you are going next4 ,strange languages1 strange scenes1 strange dilemmas2 new tangles1 new experiences1 and some old ones with new faces so you do not know them4 ,it is just as chock-full of pleasure and enjoyment as it can be1 if you could only make some provision for the drudgery and hard things that seem to crowd in so thick and fast sometimes1 as to make people forget the gladness of it4 ,now ,i have something to tell you that seems too utterly good to be believed1 and yet keeps getting better all the way along4 ,it is this3 the ,master has planned that your life journey shall be a personally conducted one on this ideal plan4 ,it was said a night or two ago that the ,master has thought into your life and made arrangement for all its needs4 ,let me add to-night this further fact3 ,he has arranged with ,his best friend1 who is an experienced traveler1 to go with you and devote ,himself wholly to your interests4 ,some of you1 ,i am afraid1 will smile1 and think that ,i am just indulging in a fancy sketch--drawing on my imagination4 ,and so ,i pray our ,master to burn into our hearts that it is plain1 matter-of-fact truth1 for every day life4 ,i would say that it is cold fact were it not that such a fact can never be cold4 ,power is a ,person4 ,each of these talks1 you have noticed1 has led up to the one idea of surrender4 ,that word surrender stands for one side only of a transaction--our side4 ,as in all transactions1 there is another side--,his side to whom the surrender is made4 ,to-night we want to take a step in advance and talk about the part which ,jesus has in this surrender-transaction4 ,all truth goes in pairs4 ,the partnership word with surrender is mastery4 ,surrender on my part is followed by mastery on ,his part4 ,there are two personalities in this transaction4 ,you are one3 an important one1 but only one4 ,to-night we shall try to get a better acquaintance with the other ,one4 ,the ,one who assumes control of the surrendered life1 who is to be our personal guide and friend4 ,will you recall again the ,master's good-bye ,olivet message1 and notice just what it means8 ,listen to the very words3 ,ye shall receive power4 ,let me ask you--what is power8 ,will some one give a simple definition of that word8 ,there are four words1 four of the commonest1 most familiar in our language1 for which ,i have not been able to find a definition4 ,if some one here can help me ,i will be grateful4 ,they are the words life1 light1 love1 and power4 ,what do they mean8 ,i can find plenty of statements about them1 descriptions of what each of these is like1 but no definitions4 ,what is life8 ,recently ,i looked into the statement regarding life made by three of the most famous ,english scientists of the nineteenth century1 whose names are household words4 ,i read them carefully4 ,the wisdom and keenness of observation they show are amazing4 ,but when ,i had studied and read them repeatedly ,i found myself asking--what is life8 ,they have described rarely the functions and characteristics of life1 but have not told what it is4 ,they do not seem to know4 ,do you8 ,what is light8 ,will some one tell me8 ,the corpuscular theory1 which the famous ,newton advocated1 is long since abandoned4 ,the later wave theory is pretty generally accepted1 and yet they can not all agree upon that4 ,these people say that light is a part of the kind of energy called radiant energy4 ,now1 we all know what light is6 ,the sun of course is not light1 only a light-holder and distributer4 ,according to the oldest record we have of the creation1 light existed before these light-holders1 the sun and moon and stars4 ,what is love8 ,well1 you all know1 ,i hope4 ,pity the poor man who does not know by experience what love is4 ,but you cannot tell what it is4 ,oh6 you say1 it is emotion4 ,yes1 so is hate1 its very opposite4 ,well1 love is affection4 ,yes4 ,what is affection8 ,well1 it is a pleasurable feeling1 or regard1 which may be very intense1 and which leads us to unlimited sacrifice if need be4 ,it is a devotion that grips the soul tremendously4 ,that is true2 yet that is only telling what love is like4 ,no simple1 plain definition of love1 or light or life has ever been formed yet by man so far as ,i can learn4 ,what is power8 ,you may say it is force4 ,and what is force8 ,well1 force is a form of energy4 ,what is energy8 ,well1 you reply1 it is a strong inward movement whose strength is very impressive4 ,some one says power is ability4 ,and ability8 ,well1 that is the innate power to do something4 ,and so we get to use our word in the attempted definition itself1 which is simply talking in a circle4 ,we can find good descriptive words1 but no defining words4 ,now mark a singular fact4 ,in the writings of ,john1 in this old book ,i have here1 you will find a few statements regarding these things which combine wondrous simplicity of language with marvelous1 yes1 unfathomable1 depth of meaning4 ,first1 about life3 in chapter one1 verse four1 of the gospel3--in ,him was life1 being an evident allusion to the remarkable ,genesis statement3 the ,lord ,god breathed into his nostrils the breath of life1 and man became a living soul4 ,then1 about love3 in chapter four1 verse seven1 of his first epistle3--love is of ,god2 coupled with the twice spoken words ,god is love in the same chapter4 ,about light3 in chapter one1 verse five1 of the same epistle1 ,god is light4 ,i know some of you1 perhaps some skilled theologian here1 is saying to himself1 ,those are statements of moral truths4 ,and ,i understand that that is the common conception4 ,but ,i want to state here my own profound conviction1 based on the ,spirit-breathed words of ,john1 that some day1 when we shall know about all these deep things1 we shall be finding that there is a basis not only of moral truth1 but of far more than moral truth underlying those profoundly simple statements4 ,and ,i believe in that day we shall find that life--all life--is1 in some actual1 marvelous way1 the outbreathing of ,god's own being4 ,and that light is the inherent radiance of ,his person and face1 and that the universal passion of love is the throbbing pulse-beat of ,his own great heart4 ,now why take time to speak about these things to-night when we are talking about power8 ,i will tell you why4 ,because they give the intensest practical significance to a similar statement about that word power with which we are greatly concerned just now4 ,mark the language ,luke uses in describing that memorable ,olivet scene in which we are so deeply interested in these talks together4 ,the old ,king ,james version reads3 ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,spirit is come upon you4 ,the revised version puts it in this way1 ye shall receive power when the ,holy ,spirit is come upon you4 ,some of you have probably noticed that some editions give a marginal note1 which1 in this case1 proves to be the literal reading namely3 ye shall receive power the ,holy ,spirit coming upon you4 ,not after1 nor when1 but simply the ,holy ,spirit coming1 etc4 ,that is to say1 the ,holy ,spirit is power4 ,that you will observe fits in with the form of statement ,john uses4 ,the ,holy ,spirit in control1 unhindered1 unhampered1 means power manifest in the life4 ,that is the profound truth of ,god's book4 ,and as a bit of side evidence it is striking to observe that all ,scripture statements throughout fit in with that conception4 ,power is a person4 ,not some thing1 nor influence1 nor sentiment1 nor some working upon our hearts at a distance by ,god seated up yonder on the throne4 ,that were wonderful indeed4 ,but a person1 called the ,holy ,spirit1 living in me--shall ,i make it very definite by saying1 living in my body8--that is power4 ,if restrained by sin1 or disobedience1 or ignorance1 or wilfulness of any sort1 then power restrained1 held in check1 not evident4 ,if utterly unrestrained1 given free sway and control--ah6 then power manifest1 limitless1 wonderful1 all exercised in carrying out ,god's will in1 and with1 and through me4 ,and the marvelous message ,i bring you from the old book of ,god is this3 ,the ,master has sent a dear friend of ,his1 and of yours1 who is experienced1 and strong1 and loving1 personally to conduct you through your daily life1 and ,his presence unrestrained1 means power unlimited4 ,a ,significant ,name4 ,do you remember that heart-to-heart talk that ,jesus had with the eleven disciples that last night they spent together in the upper room8 ,john tells us about it in chapters thirteen to sixteen4 ,the ,master talks a great deal that night1 about some ,one else1 who was coming to take ,his place with them4 ,they did not understand what ,he meant till afterwards4 ,he packs more into that one evening's talk about this coming ,one than all ,he had said before put together4 ,notice that now ,he gives a name1 a new name1 to this person1 repeated four times that night4 ,it is an intensely significant name--the ,comforter4 ,will you remember1 and keep constantly in mind1 the actual meaning of that new name8 it is simply this3 one called alongside to help4 ,let me attempt to suggest a little of its practical meaning4 ,here is a little girl standing on the curbstone down town on ,broadway in ,new ,york1 with a bundle in her arms4 ,she has been sent on an errand1 and wants to get across the street4 ,but the electric cars are whizzing past in both directions1 and wagons1 and carriages1 and omnibuses1 and horses jam the street from curb to curb1 and she cannot get across4 ,she stands there gripping her bundle1 watching eagerly for a chance1 and yet afraid to venture4 ,but the jam seems endless1 and she grows very tired1 and by and by the corners of her mouth begin to twitch down suspiciously1 and a big tear is just starting in each eye4 ,just then a big policeman steps up1 one of the finest1 six feet tall1 and heavy and broad4 ,he seems like a giant to her4 ,he stoops down4 ,would you imagine he had such a gentle voice8 ,what's the matter8 ,can't--get--'cross4 ,oh6 is that all2 he'll fix that4 ,and he takes her little hand in his with a reassuring come along4 ,and along she goes1 past cars1 under horses' heads1 close up to big wheels4 ,she is just as small as before1 and just as weak4 ,but though her eyes stay pretty big1 the tears are gone1 and there is an air of confidence1 because this big1 kind-hearted giant by her side is walking across the street as though he owned the whole place1 and he is devoting his entire attention to her4 ,that policeman is a comforter in the strict meaning of the word4 ,here is a boy in school1 head down close to the desk1 puzzling over a sum4 ,it won't come out4 ,he figures away1 and his brow is all knitted up1 and a worried look is coming into his face for he is a conscientious little fellow4 ,but he cannot seem to get it right and the clouds gather thicker4 ,by and by the teacher comes up and sits down by his side4 ,it awes him a little to have her quite so close4 ,but her kindliness of manner mellows the awe4 ,how are you getting along8 ,won't come out right--in a very despondent tone4 ,let me see1 did you subtract that4448 ,oh-h-h6 ,i forgot that1 and a little light seems to break1 as he scratches away for a few moments2 then pauses4 ,and this figure here1 should it be4444 ,oh-h-h1 ,i see4 ,more scratching1 and a soft sigh of relief1 and the knitting brows unravel1 and the face brightens4 ,the teacher did not do the problem for him4 ,she did better4 ,she let him feel her kindly interest first of all1 and gave just the light1 experienced touch that showed him the way out1 and yet allowed him the peculiar pleasure of getting through himself4 ,that is what ,comforter means4 ,one summer a friend suggested to me spending a week on ,lake ,chautauqua4 ,i did not have the money to spare1 and so told him ,i was not sure ,i could arrange to get away4 ,but he seemed to divine the basis of my objection1 and insisted on my going along4 ,we went4 ,i had very little money with me4 ,i got on the train without a ticket1 took a seat in the parlor car1 stopped at the best hotel1 had a choice room on the ground floor1 patronized the well-ordered dining-room regularly1 and made free use of the place4 ,and all the time ,i had practically no money with me4 ,but would you believe me ,i was not a particle concerned about paying for those privileges4 ,never felt less concern about anything in my life4 ,you know why4 ,i had a trustworthy friend1 with me who was concerned for me4 ,now these are simple suggestions1 illustrating partly the meaning of that marvelous name ,jesus gave to the ,holy ,spirit4 ,i will send another ,comforter1 one who will be right by your side to help1 sympathetic1 experienced1 strong2 and ,he will stay with you all the time4 ,in the kitchen1 in the sitting-room1 the sick-room1 with the children1 when work piles up1 when things jangle or threaten to1 when the baby's cross1 and the patching and sweeping and baking1 and all the rest of it seem endless1 on the street1 in the office1 on the campus1 in the store1 when tempted--almost slipped1 when opportunity opens for a quiet personal word1 everywhere1 every time1 in every circumstance1 one alongside to help4 ,is not that wonderful8 ,a ,pictorial ,illustration4 ,there is one bother about illustrations3 they never do tell all the truth4 ,they never are as vivid1 nor as good as the truth1 that is when you are talking about our ,master1 or ,his arrangements4 ,the very best illustrations of ,bible truth are ,bible illustrations4 ,now there is a striking pictorial illustration back in the ,old ,testament of the meaning of this name of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is in the story of a most remarkable journey from ,egypt to the border line of ,palestine4 ,the journey was remarkable for two things4 ,first1 for the sort of country it was through4 ,it is a trackless waste of sand1 that spreads over thousands of square miles4 ,it was infested with venomous serpents and scorpions1 and is described as all that great and terrible wilderness1 a waste howling wilderness1 and a land of deserts and pits1 of drought and of the shadow of death1 that none passed through1 and where no man dwelt4 ,think of taking a trip through a country like that6 ,but it was even more remarkable because of the transformation that took place in the travelers4 ,for a mob of four millions of people was changed into a well-organized nation4 ,the explanation given is fully as remarkable as the trip1 and the transformation4 ,it must strike very strangely on the cold1 matter-of-fact ears of this materialistic world we dwell in4 ,it is this3 that the ,lord ,god ,himself actually went with them in person1 and lived with them1 and took immediate charge of everything4 ,he had promised ,moses1 their leader1 that ,he would do this4 ,just how definite or indefinite a thing that meant to ,moses' mind we cannot know4 ,but it became very definite and tangible that memorable night of departure from the iron furnace of ,egypt4 ,for there was a real physical evidence of ,his presence4 ,there appeared a column or pillar of fleecy-like cloud which came down close to the ground1 and which every one could plainly see4 ,at night time it shone and flamed as a pillar full of partly concealed fire4 ,god's voice spake out of it in their hearing4 ,and that presence-cloud never left them4 ,in spite of complaints1 and criticisms1 and rebellions of the most mean and exasperating kind1 it never left them until they had safely arrived at the border line of the promised ,palestine4 ,now it is extremely fascinating in tracing that journey to notice just what that cloud came to mean to them4 ,if you will run rapidly through the three wilderness books1 ,exodus1 ,leviticus and ,numbers1 you will find there twenty distinct incidents#f which illustrate how ,god's actual presence in that cloud was made very real to them in practical affairs4 ,in those incidents there are ten different ways in which they were made to feel that powerful ,presence4 ,at the outset it is mentioned that the chief purpose was to lead them the way1 and1 by night to give them light4 ,five incidents speak of bodily nourishment1 including fresh food daily1 with occasional extras1 and a full supply of pure living water4 ,five speak of protection from bodily harm4 ,two tell of the defeat of an enemy4 ,once there is chiding for ingratitude4 ,six times rebuke or punishment for sin4 ,in four they are held back when dead-set on a very wrong course4 ,twice there is instruction in their leader's plan for them4 ,three times a fuller manifestation of ,himself1 and each time this is preceded by obedience on their part in some particular matter4 ,once there is a special plan suggested for relief in managing the nation's affairs4 ,and then the fact is stated that whenever ,moses went apart to talk with ,god the cloud descended lower1 that is1 ,god came nearer when ,moses desired to talk with ,him4 ,so you see1 the cloud meant guidance through that trackless desert1 food supplies1 protection1 defeat for the enemy1 chiding1 restraint1 punishment1 instruction1 help in business matters1 a more intimate manifestation of the glorious personality of their ,guide1 and a gracious coming nearer whenever desired4 ,was not that a real practical presence of the great ,god with them all those days8 ,now that is the ,bible's own graphic illustration of the meaning of that new name given to the ,holy ,spirit1 by ,him who knew ,him best1 ,comforter--one alongside to help4 ,on a ,higher ,level4 ,before we leave that illustration we must notice a very significant thing which is no small part of the truth illustrated4 ,though the cloud appeared the very night of that sudden going out of ,egypt1 and was never absent from them1 by day or by night1 yet a full year afterwards there was a new experience4 ,by ,god's direction a special tent was made and set up in which ,he said ,he would dwell4 ,it was known as ,god's dwelling place1 the tent of meeting1 the tabernacle1 the tent of testimony4 ,when everything concerning its setting up had been fully done as specified then there was an experience the most remarkable they had yet had with ,god4 ,it was a new manifestation of the glorious presence of their unseen ,friend-,guide4 ,it is twice said that the tent was filled with ,his glory4 ,and this nearer disclosure1 which ,god gave of ,himself1 was so marvelously glorious and overpowering that even ,moses1 who had spent almost twelve weeks in that mount with ,god1 in closer intimacy than any one else--even ,moses was not able to enter into the tent1 so over-awing was that ,presence4 ,now it is of intensest interest to mark four things about that experience4 ,first of all1 before it came1 there was obedience to ,god's instructions4 ,eighteen times within the narrow limits of the last two pages of the ,exodus record1 it is said that ,moses and the people did everything1 in every particular1 just exactly as the ,lord commanded ,moses4 ,there was explicit obedience before anything else4 ,then followed the wondrous infilling of the tent with ,god's presence4 ,the third thing is particularized very carefully3 all their movements were directed and controlled by that ,presence4 ,clearly the only safe rule for living in that terrible desert1 was to plan to live a planless life so far as their own planning was concerned4 ,besides the last two verses of ,exodus which emphasize this1 ,i find that in my revised ,oxford edition forty-five lines in the ninth chapter of ,numbers are given to telling how exactly they were guided1 and how explicitly they followed their ,guide4 ,it seems almost at first reading as though there was a decidedly needless repetition4 ,you seem to understand the thing easily enough without that4 ,but as one reads it again1 and yet again1 slowly1 it begins to dawn upon the mind that the purpose is to put marked emphasis on this feature of their new life in the wilderness4 ,the people would rise in the morning1 and probably the first thing done was to look out toward the cloud to learn if there was to be any change that day4 ,and so during the day there would come to be an instinctive habit of watching that cloud4 ,they might remain in a new camping place for months1 or only for a few weeks1 or1 possibly only for a few days4 ,they never knew a day ahead4 ,they lived literally a day at a time4 ,it was certainly a hand-to-mouth existence so far as the daily manna was concerned4 ,but then it was from ,his hand to their mouths and that made a great difference4 ,it was equally so in their movements and in all of their new life4 ,when1 one morning as thousands of heads peep out1 the cloud is seen to have lifted up from over the tent1 the next question was--which direction8 ,it might be toward the west1 or it might be just the opposite1 toward the east4 ,both the time of going1 and the direction1 and the pace were regulated by the presence of their ,friend in that cloud4 ,their life was a life of obedience to the will of their wise1 loving ,companion4 ,the fourth thing was intimacy of intercourse4 ,it is a little unfortunate that in reading our ,bibles we sometimes allow the gaps that come in the printing to break the continuity of thought4 ,there is a break for instance between the last verse of ,exodus and the first verse of ,leviticus4 ,the reading is meant to be continuous1 and shows that after the infilling1 and the explanation about guidance1 that ,god called ,moses to ,him and commenced talking about their new life4 ,now in connection with that call1 and all their after talks1 notice a remarkable statement in the last verse of that long seventh chapter of ,numbers4 ,it explains just how ,god talked with ,moses4 ,listen3 ,whenever ,moses went into the tent of meeting to speak with ,him1 then he heard the voice speaking unto him from above the mercy-seat that was upon the ark of the testimony1 from between the two cherubim2 and ,he speaketh unto him4 ,there was the living1 loving voice of their ,companion-,god1 which ,moses could plainly hear1 and which others heard1 talking familiarly and intimately about all their affairs4 ,several times when in doubt what to do ,moses promptly went off into the tent1 then the cloud would come down nearer1 and ,moses would state his difficulty1 and back would come that clear distinct voice with an answer4 ,group up those four things--obedience2 the never-to-be-forgotten infilling2 the controlling guidance2 and intimate companionship4 ,that is the very best illustration ,i can find of the meaning of that word which ,jesus now chooses out and uses as the new name which would most vividly tell what the ,holy ,spirit was to be to all believers after ,his own departure4 ,all that the presence of ,god in that pillar was to those people1 and to ,moses personally1 all that the ,holy ,spirit will be to you4 ,and my own conviction is that ,jesus had that ,old ,testament scene in ,his mind4 ,for if you will turn again to that last night's talk you will find a striking repetition of the steps or peculiarities of that wilderness experience4 ,though here the whole experience is on a much higher1 finer plane4 ,there is a closeness of personal regard1 a depth of that deepest of all loves1 friendship love1 that is not found in the ,old ,testament story1 except perhaps between ,moses himself and ,god4 ,but now read the twenty-first verse of the fourteenth chapter of ,john3 ,he that hath ,my commandments and keepeth them1 he it is that loveth ,me2 and he that loveth ,me shall be loved of ,my ,father and ,i will love him1 and will manifest ,myself unto him4 ,and the twenty-third verse adds to it3 ,if a man love ,me1 he will keep ,my word3 and ,my ,father will love him1 and ,we will come unto him and make ,our abiding place with him4 ,notice3 there is obedience2 it is accepted as an evidence of love3 there is a return love--a new1 higher1 reciprocal love3 then there is a revealing of ,himself2 and1 constant abiding4 ,now run your eye through the remaining part of that evening's conversation and you can quickly pick out these words3 teach1 bring to your remembrance1 guide1 bear witness of me1 tell you coming things1 tell you about me4 ,does that not parallel remarkably the wilderness experience8 ,only it is all put on such a higher plane4 ,there is a fullness1 and richness1 and tenderness1 of personal intimacy here4 ,the ,presence in the wilderness was for the national life3 here it is peculiarly for the personal life4 ,there ,he dwelt actually in the heart of the nation4 ,here ,he dwells actually in one's own very person4 ,and then1 too1 now ,he can do so much more in us because so much more has been done for us through the person of ,jesus4 ,how to ,find the ,meaning4 ,may ,i say right here plainly3 there seems to be even yet in some quarters a hazy idea about the ,holy ,spirit being a person4 ,it is extremely common1 even among people of excellent christian training1 to find ,him referred to1 both in prayer and speech as it4 ,could anything be more disrespectful or insulting1 if it were intentional instead of being thoughtless or1 in ignorance1 as ,i am sure it really is4 ,imagine my speaking of the pastor of this church in that way4 ,it is a good preacher4 ,it is a helpful pastor4 ,you smile1 and he smiles4 ,but if ,i said it repeatedly1 and in sober earnest1 you know how insulted he would be4 ,i suppose that the use of the word itself for the ,holy ,spirit in the eighth chapter of ,romans is largely responsible for this4 ,the revisers have properly substituted the word himself4 ,that very usage so common has doubtless accustomed many persons to a vague idea of the personality of the ,spirit4 ,and yet apart from that1 there is without doubt much mistiness1 and uncertainty1 in some minds1 because of the difficulty of thinking of a person without a form4 ,it seems impossible for our minds to grasp the idea of existence without bodily shape1 yet of course we believe in a personal ,god4 ,probably another reason is that the ,holy ,spirit's work is not to speak of ,himself but of ,another--of ,jesus4 ,he is ,jesus' representative1 and is constantly absorbed in filling us with thoughts of ,his ,chief4 ,and when our minds are most deeply stirred with thoughts of ,jesus then it is that in that very fact of being so stirred we have clearest evidence of the ,holy ,spirit's presence within us4 ,his very faithfulness to ,his mission has led to ,himself suffering depreciation at our hands1 through our ignorance4 ,i am sure it must help us all decidedly in getting a clear-cut1 sharply defined idea of ,his personality to notice the language ,jesus uses in speaking of ,him that night4 ,for instance1 notice that in our ,english version the personal pronouns he1 whom1 him1 which 7used in the sense of who as is common with the ,british translators71 occur twenty-four times4 ,a study of the actual words used would prove helpful and interesting4 ,one of them1 used several times1 is peculiarly emphatic1 its meaning being equivalent to the expression that person there4 ,and then notice the words used to describe what this person will do3 ,he shall teach1 bring to your remembrance1 bear witness of ,me1 convict the world of three distinct things1 shall guide1 shall hear1 shall speak1 shall declare1 shall glorify ,me1 shall take of ,mine and declare it unto you4 ,everyone of these ten different expressions imply intelligence and discrimination1 and therefore of course personality4 ,and then added to this is the name given to ,him here of which so much has been said4 ,may we take just another look at that name--,the ,comforter--as we close our talk together8 ,i wish with my whole heart1 and ,i pray1 that a vivid sense of the meaning of that name may be one result of this evening's meeting4 ,i was traveling alone in ,germany one hot ,july day on a train going down to the city of ,worms4 ,it was quite hot and ,i was very tired1 and my head aching1 ,i distinctly remember4 ,the conductor came along and objected to my ticket4 ,before leaving this country1 ,i thought ,i knew a little of ,german1 enough to worry through on4 ,my ideas on that subject changed a trifle over there1 however4 ,that day my tired ears refused to recognize any familiar sounds on the conductor's lips1 and my tired tongue refused to utter anything satisfactory to him4 ,and there ,i was1 a complete stranger in a strange land too tired to think or have any mental resources1 not knowing but ,i might be put off at the next station4 ,in fact just tired enough for fine worrying4 ,it looked blue for a few moments4 ,but not for long4 ,a young man by my side1 a ,jew1 spoke to me in excellent ,english4 ,was any sound ever so welcome6 ,he straightened the conductor out1 and then we fell to talking together4 ,he proved to be a very intelligent1 agreeable companion4 ,i found his home was in the city where ,i was going4 ,so we got off there together1 and he simply devoted himself to me for the day4 ,he took me up to a good hotel1 and while ,i was eating dinner1 went and got his brother who had been in ,america1 and who entertained me while ,i ate4 ,then he took me to his father's home1 a large old mansion1 overlooking the famous ,luther monument where ,i rested a while4 ,and then a quick run to a few interesting points1 and finally when leaving time came1 he insisted on accompanying me to the station1 and making sure ,i had a good seat1 and then bade me a gracious good-bye4 ,that day lingers in my memory as one of the green spots of that trip4 ,it touched me to think that my ,master graciously sent one of ,his own despised race to be my friend4 ,do you not think that that man1 experienced where ,i was ignorant1 and so sympathetic1 was a living illustration to me of ,jesus' name for the ,holy ,spirit--one called alongside to help8 ,one day recently1 riding on a ,lake ,shore train in ,ohio1 ,i chanced to notice the conductor stopping to speak to a little girl sitting behind me4 ,then ,i noticed that she was alone and crying a little1 quietly4 ,she did not answer his questions1 but he must have been a father1 ,i thought1 because he seemed to understand so well4 ,speaking to a kind-faced motherly looking woman in the next seat he had the little girl go back and sit beside her1 next the window4 ,they did not talk much1 if any1 ,i noticed4 ,but the girl was snuggled up close1 and ,i knew from her face that she felt the warm sympathy of that friendly presence1 and that the terrible feeling of loneliness had gone4 ,is not that woman another illustration of that name ,comforter8 ,her mere presence was all that was needed to clear the skies and change the atmosphere for the little lone and lonely traveler4 ,but ,jesus ,himself has a very striking way of making clear just what ,he meant1 by coupling another word with that new name the first time ,he used it4 ,he says1 ,i will send another ,comforter4 ,the comparison is with ,himself4 ,he is one comforter4 ,the ,holy ,spirit another one4 ,the only other time this word is used is by ,john in his first epistle1 and is translated by our word advocate1 and refers to ,jesus4 ,jesus practically says3 ,you know what ,i have been to you these months past4 ,and they would think through1 the close intimacy of nearly two years4 ,how ,he had spoken with unmistakable plainness when they were in the wrong1 but also how loving with a strong love ,he had been1 how patient1 and gentle1 and resourceful1 and how ,he seemed to yearn over them that they might grow into ,his ideal for them4 ,now1 ,he says1 ,i am going away1 but ,i will send you another one who will be to you all that ,i have been--and more4 ,and more6 ,that comparative more1 either spoken or implied1 runs all through this last long confidential talk4 ,more1 much more1 because ,i go unto the ,father4 ,jesus crucified1 risen1 glorified can do much more by far in us by ,his other self1 the ,holy ,spirit1 than ,he could in person on the earth those years4 ,and the wondrous meaning of that another comforter to you and me1 my friends1 to-night is simply this3 it is the same as though the ,lord ,jesus had actually come back again and you had ,him all to yourself--and more4 ,but ,i cannot tell you the meaning of that wonderful name4 ,nor yet the wondrous charm of ,him who1 for our sakes1 embodies it4 ,you may put together all these illustrations in the attempt to get a real1 close-up1 idea of what ,jesus meant in that love-gift of ,his to you4 ,and then you will not know4 ,there is really only one way to gain that knowledge4 ,it is this3 take the step which belongs to your side of the transaction between you and the ,master4 ,surrender yourself to ,him to be changed and cleansed and used as ,he may choose4 ,then ,he will begin at once working out the side that belongs to ,him4 ,you shall be filled with ,his presence4 ,then you will begin to know4 ,then you can sing-- ,i have a wonderful guest1 ,who speeds my feet1 who moves my hands1 ,who strengthens1 comforts1 guides1 commands1 ,whose presence gives me rest4 ,he dwells within my soul1 ,he swept away the filth and gloom2 ,he garnished fair the empty room1 ,and now pervades the whole4 ,and you shall go on knowing more and better until the day dawn and the shadows flee away4 ,,footnotes3 #f ,see note at the end4,a ,transcriber's ,note ,a3 ,the note in question follows immediately below1 as the footnote was moved to the end4 ,of the twenty incidents referred to three do not directly mention the cloud1 and in two others it is over the mount1 with its characteristics much intensified4 ,the references are given for those who will want to get closer up to this famous illustration4 ,guidance3 ,ex4 xiii3 #ba-bb1 with ,numbers xiv3 #ad4 ,bodily nourishment4 ,ex4 xv3 #be2 xvi3 #ac-ad1 #de2 xvii3 #f4 ,numbers xi3 #ca-cb4 xx3 #a-ab4 ,protection from bodily harm3 ,the nation--,ex4 xiv3 #ai-bj4 ,the leaders--,num4 xiv3 #aj and on4 xvi3 #ai and on4 xvi3 #db and on4 xx3 #a-ab4 ,defeat of an enemy3 ,ex4 xiv3 #bd-ca1 xvii3 #h-af4 ,chiding3 ,ex4 xvi3 #d-g1 #aj-ab4 ,rebuke or punishment for sin3 ,numbers xi3 #cc2 xii3 #a-aj2 xiv3 #aj and on2 xvi3 #ai and on2 #db and on2 xx3 #a-ab4 ,held back from wrong3 ,numbers xiv3 #aj and on2 xvi3 #ai and on2 #db and on2 xx3 #a-ab4 ,instruction and training3 ,ex4 xix3 #i1 #af and on2 xxiv3 #ae-ah4 ,fuller manifestation3 ,ex4 xxxiv3 #e and on2 xi3 #cd-ch4 ,lev4 ix3 #f1 #bc4 ,special plan of relief in managment3 ,numbers xi3 #af1 #ag1 #be4 ,coming nearer3 ,ex4 xxxiii3 #g-aa1 revised version4 ,,making ,,and ,,breaking ,,connections4 ,many ,experiences1 but ,one ,law4 ,in mechanics power depends on good connections4 ,a visit to any great machine shop makes that clear4 ,there must be good connections in two directions--inward toward the source of power1 and outward for use4 ,the same law holds true in spiritual power as in mechanical4 ,there must be good connections4 ,these nights we have been together a few things have seemed clear4 ,we have seen that from the standpoint of our lives there is need of power1 as well as from the standpoint of the ,master's use of us among others4 ,jesus' promise and insistent words make plain the necessity of our having power if ,his plan for us is not to fail4 ,his words about the price of power have set many of us to doing some honest thinking and heart-searching4 ,and we have gotten some suggestion1 too1 of the meaning of that word power1 and of the personality back of the word4 ,to-night ,i want to talk with you a little about how to secure good connections between the source of power and the channel through which it is to flow out to others2 and1 once secured1 how to preserve the connections unbroken4 ,it has been one of the peculiar characteristics of recent years in religious circles that much has been spoken and written about the ,holy ,spirit4 ,thousands of persons have been led into a clearer understanding of ,his personality and mission1 and into intimate relationship with ,himself4 ,and yet1 may ,i say frankly1 that ,i read much and listened to much without being able to get a simple workable understanding of how ,i was to receive the much-talked-of baptism of power4 ,that may quite likely have been due to my own dullness of comprehension4 ,but whatever the cause1 my failing to understand led to a rather careful study of the old ,book itself until somewhat clearer light has come4 ,and now in this convention ,i am anxious to put the truth as simply as ,i may that others may not blunder and bungle along and lose precious time as ,i have done4 ,many an earnest heart1 conscious of weakness and failure1 is asking1 how may ,i have power to resist temptation1 and live a strong1 useful1 christian life8 ,in the search for an answer some of us have run across two difficulties4 ,one of these is in other people's experiences4 ,it is very natural to try to find out how someone else has succeeded in getting what we are after4 ,many a godly man has told of his experience of waiting and pleading with ,god before the thing he sought came4 ,personal experiences are intensely interesting1 and often helpful4 ,but there are apt to be as many different sorts of experiences as there are persons4 ,yet there is one unchanging law of ,god's dealing with men underlying them all4 ,but unless one is more skilled than many of us are in analyzing experiences and discovering the underlying law1 these experiences of others are often misleading4 ,we are so likely to think at once of the desirability of having the same experience as someone else1 rather than trying to find ,god's law of spirit life in them all4 ,and so1 some of the written experiences have clouded rather than cleared the sky4 ,we should rather try first to get something of a clear understanding of ,god's law of dealing with men as a sort of basis to build upon4 ,and then fit into that1 even though it may develop differently in our circumstances4 ,we may then get much help from others' experiences4 ,if possible1 we want to-night to get something of an inkling of that law4 ,another difficulty that has bothered some of us is in the great variety of language used in speaking of this life of power2 a variety that seems confusing to some of us4 ,the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit1 the induement1 the filling1 refilling1 many fillings1 special anointings--these terms are familiar1 though just the distinctive meaning of each is not always clear4 ,let us look a little at the language of the ,book at this point4 ,a run through the ,new ,testament brings out five leading words used,b in speaking of the ,holy ,spirit's relation to us4 ,these words are baptized1 filled1 anointed1 sealed1 and earnest4 ,it seems to take all five words to tell all of the truth4 ,each gives a different side4 ,transcriber's note ,b3 ,original had word sused ,the word baptized is the distinctive word always used before the day of ,pentecost1 in speaking of what was to occur then4 ,it is not used afterward except in referring back to that day4 ,it belongs peculiarly to the day of ,pentecost4 ,each of the gospels tells that ,john the ,baptist said that ,jesus was to baptize with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,jesus ,himself uses the word1 during the forty days1 in ,acts1 first chapter4 ,peter1 in ,acts1 eleventh chapter1 recalls this remark4 ,paul uses it once in referring back to ,pentecost4#g ,these seem to be the only instances where the word is used in speaking of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,one other word is used once in advance of ,pentecost4 ,tarry until ye be endued or clothed upon4#h ,we shall see in a few moments that the meaning of this fits in with the meaning of baptized1 emphasizing one part of its meaning4 ,baptized may be called the historical word4 ,it describes an act done once for all on that great day of ,pentecost1 with possibly four accessory repetitions to make clear that additional classes and groups were included4#i ,it tells ,god's side4 ,in this connection it will be helpful to note the significance of the word baptize4 ,of course you will understand that ,i am not speaking now of the matter or mode of water baptism4 ,but ,i am supposing that originally or historically the word means a plunging or dipping into4 ,we commonly think of the act of immersion-baptism from the side of the object immersed because the action is on the side of the thing or person which is plunged down into the immersing flood4 ,but in the historical baptism of the ,holy ,spirit at ,pentecost the standpoint is reversed4 ,instead of a plunging down into there is a coming down upon1 exactly reversing the order with which we are familiar1 but with the same result--submersion4 ,notice the phrases in ,acts used in describing the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit on that historical ,pentecost3 ,coming upon you1 pour out1 poured forth1 fallen upon1 fell upon1 poured out1 fell on them1 came upon1#aj all suggesting an act from above4 ,a ,four-,sided ,truth4 ,now notice that the word used at the time of the actual occurrence and afterwards is another word--filled and full1 which occurs eleven times in the first nine chapters of ,acts4 ,it tells what was experienced by those persons at ,pentecost and afterwards4 ,it describes their side4 ,baptism was the act2 filling was the result4 ,if you plunge a book into water you are submerging the book3 that is your side4 ,the leaves of the book quickly become soaked1 filled with the water3 that is the other side4 ,when a baby is born it is plunged out into the atmosphere4 ,that is an immersion into air4 ,it begins at once to cry and its lungs become filled with the air into which it has been plunged4 ,so here filled is the experience word2 it tells our side4 ,the third word1 anointed1 indicates the purpose of this filling2 it is to qualify for living and for service4 ,it is the word commonly used in the ,old ,testament for the setting apart of the tabernacle to its holy use2 and of priests and kings1 and sometimes prophets for service and leadership4 ,in the ,new ,testament it is four times used of ,jesus1 each time in connection with ,his public ministry4#aa ,paul uses it of himself in answering those who had criticised his work and leadership at ,corinth4#ab ,and ,john uses it twice in speaking of ability to discern and teach the truth4#ac ,it is the power word1 indicating that the ,holy ,spirit's coming is for the specific purpose of setting us apart1 and to qualify us for right living1 and for acceptable and helpful service4 ,the fourth word1 sealed1 explains our personal connection with the ,lord ,jesus4 ,it is used once by ,paul in writing to his friends at ,corinth1 and twice in the ,ephesian epistle4#ad ,the seal was used1 and still is to mark ownership4 ,in our lumber regions up in the ,northwest it is customary to clear a small spot on a log and strike it with the blunt end of a hatchet containing the initials of the owner1 and then send it adrift down the stream with hundreds of others1 and though it may float miles unguarded1 that mark of ownership is respected4 ,on the ,western plains it is common to see mules with an initial branded on the flank4 ,in both cases the initial is the owner's seal1 recognized by law as sufficient evidence of ownership4 ,so the ,holy ,spirit is ,jesus' ownership mark stamped upon us to indicate that we belong to ,him4 ,he is our sole ,owner4 ,and if any of us are not allowing ,him to have full control of ,his property1 we are dealing dishonestly4 ,sealed is the property or ownership word4 ,the last one of these words1 earnest1 is a peculiarly interesting one4 ,it is found three times in ,paul's epistles4#ae ,an earnest is a pledge given in advance as an evidence of good faith4 ,we are familiar with the usage of paying down a small part of the price agreed upon to make a business transaction binding4 ,in old ,english it is called caution money4 ,my mother has told me of seeing her mother many a time pay a shilling in the ,belfast market-house to insure the delivery of a bag of potatoes1 paying the remainder on its delivery4 ,now here the ,holy ,spirit is called the earnest of our inheritance unto the redemption of the purchased possession4 ,that means two things to us3 ,first--that the ,holy ,spirit now filling us is ,jesus' pledge that ,he has purchased us1 and that some day ,he is coming back to claim ,his possessions2 and then that the measure of the ,spirit's presence and power now is only a foretaste of a greater fullness at the time of coming back2 a sort of partial advance payment which insures a payment in full when the transaction is completed4 ,paul speaks of this to the ,romans as the first fruits of the ,spirit4#af ,so1 if you will take all five words you will get all of the truth about our friend the ,holy ,spirit1 and just what ,his coming into one's life means4 ,the first word1 baptism1 is the historical word1 pointing us back to the day of ,pentecost4 ,the other four words1 taken together1 tell us the four sides of the ,holy ,spirit's relation to us now4 ,filled is the experience word1 pointing us inward to what actually takes place there4 ,anointed is the power word1 pointing us outward to the life and service among men to which we are set apart4 ,sealed is the personal-relation word1 pointing us upward to our ,owner and ,master4 ,earnest is the prophetic word1 pointing us forward to the ,master's coming back to claim ,his own1 and to bestow the full measure of the ,spirit's presence4 ,and to-night we want to get some hint of how to have this infilling1 which shall also be an anointing of power and a seal of ownership and an earnest of greater things at ,jesus' return4 ,broken ,couplings4 ,but perhaps some one is saying1 ,have not we all received the ,holy ,spirit if we are christians8 ,yes1 that is quite true4 ,it is the ,holy ,spirit's presence in us that makes us christians4 ,his work begins at conversion4 ,conversion and regeneration are the two sides of the same transaction4 ,conversion1 the human side3 regeneration1 the divine side4 ,my turning clear around to ,god is my side1 and instantly ,his ,spirit enters and begins ,his work4 ,but here is a distinction to be made3 the ,holy ,spirit is in every christian1 but in many ,he is not allowed free and full control1 and so there is little or none of ,his power felt or seen4 ,only as ,he has full sway is ,his power manifest4 ,if at the time of conversion or decision there is clear instruction and a whole-hearted surrender1 there will be evidence of the ,spirit's presence at once4 ,and if the new life goes on without break there will be a continuance of that power in ever-increasing measure4 ,but many a time1 through ignorance1 or through some disobedience or failure to obey1 there has come a break1 a slipping of a cog somewhere1 and so an interruption of the flow of power4 ,many a time lack of instruction regarding the cultivation of the ,spirit's friendship has resulted in just such a break4 ,and so a new start is necessary4 ,then a full surrender is followed by a new experience or1 shall ,i better say1 a re-experience of the ,spirit's presence4 ,and this new experience sometimes is so sharply marked as to begin a new epoch in the life4 ,some of the notable leaders of the ,church have gone through just such an experience4 ,yet1 ,i know a man--have known him somewhat intimately for years--one of the most saintly men it has been my privilege to know4 ,for some years he was a missionary abroad1 but now is preaching in this country4 ,his private personal life is fragrant1 and his public speech is always accompanied with rare power4 ,in conversation with a young minister at a summer conference1 he said he had never known this second blessing or experience on which such stress was being laid there4 ,and ,i think ,i can readily understand that he had not4 ,for1 apparently1 so far as one can see1 his first surrender or decision had been a whole-hearted one4 ,he had followed simply1 fully1 as he saw the way4 ,there had been no break1 but a steady going on and up1 and an ever-increasing manifestation of the ,spirit's presence from the time of that first decision4 ,so that it may be said1 quite accurately1 ,i think1 that in ,god's plan there is no need of any second stage1 but in our actual experience there has been a second stage1 and sometimes more than a second1 too1 because with so many of us the connections have been broken1 making a fresh act on our part a necessity4 ,the ,real ,battlefield4 ,but now the main topic we are to talk about is making and breaking connections4 ,first1 making connections with the source of power4 ,how may one who has been willing to go thus far in these talks go a step further and have power in actual conscious possession8 ,there are many passages in this old ,book that answer that question4 ,but let me turn you to one which puts the answer in very simple shape4 ,john's gospel1 seventh chapter1 verses thirty-seven to thirty-nine4 ,listen3 ,now1 on the last day1 the great day of the feast1 ,jesus stood and cried1 saying1 if any man thirst1 let him come unto me and drink4 ,he that believeth on me1 as the ,scripture hath said1 out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,then ,john1 writing some fifty years or so afterwards1 adds what he himself did not understand at the time3 ,but this spake ,he of the ,spirit who they that believed on ,him were to receive2 for not yet was the ,spirit given1 because not yet was ,jesus glorified4 ,there are four words here which tell the four steps into a new life of power4 ,sometimes these steps are taken so quickly that they seem in actual experience like only one4 ,but that does not matter to us just now1 for we are after the practical result4 ,four words--thirst1 glorified1 drink1 believe--tell the whole story4 ,thirst means desire1 intense desire4 ,there is no word in our language so strong to express desire as the word thirst4 ,physical thirst will completely control your actions4 ,if you are very thirsty1 you can do nothing till that gnawing desire is satisfied4 ,you cannot read1 nor study1 nor talk1 nor transact business4 ,you are in agony when intensely thirsty4 ,to die of thirst is extremely painful4 ,jesus uses that word thirst to express intensest desire4 ,let me ask you--,are you thirsty for power8 ,is there a yearning down in your heart for something you have not8 ,that is the first step4 ,no good to offer food to a man without appetite4 ,blessed are they that hunger and thirst4 ,pitiable are they that need and do not know their need4 ,physicians find their most difficult work in dealing with the man who has no desire to live4 ,he is at the lowest ebb4 ,are you thirsty8 ,there is a special promise for thirsty ones4 ,i will pour water on him that is thirsty4 ,if you are not thirsty for the ,master's power1 are you thirsty to be made thirsty8 ,if you are not really thirsty in your heart for this new life of power1 you might ask the ,master to put that thirst in you4 ,for there can be nothing before that4 ,the second word is the one added long afterwards by ,john1 when the ,spirit had enlightened his understanding--glorified4 ,for not yet was the ,spirit given1 because not yet was ,jesus glorified4 ,that word has two meanings here3 the first meaning a historical one1 the second a personal or experimental one4 ,the historical meaning is this3 when ,jesus returned home all scarred in face and form from ,his trip to the earth1 ,he was received back with great enthusiasm1 and was glorified in the presence of myriads of angel beings by being enthroned at the ,father's right hand4 ,then the glorified ,jesus sent the ,holy ,spirit down to the earth as ,his own personal representative for ,his new peculiar mission4 ,the presence of the ,spirit in our hearts is evidence that the ,jesus whom earth despised and crucified is now held in highest honor and glory in that upper world4 ,the ,spirit is the gift of a glorified ,jesus4 ,peter lays particular stress upon this in his ,pentecost sermon1 telling to those who had so spitefully murdered ,jesus that ,he being at the right hand of ,god exalted 444 hath poured forth this4 ,that is the historical meaning--the first meaning--of that word glorified4 ,it refers to an event in the highest heaven after ,jesus' ascension4 ,the personal meaning is this3 when ,jesus is enthroned in my life the ,holy ,spirit shall fill me4 ,the ,father glorified ,jesus by enthroning ,him4 ,i must glorify ,him by enthroning ,him4 ,but the throne of my heart was occupied by another who did not propose to resign1 nor to be deposed without resistance4 ,so there had to be a dethronement as well as an enthronement4 ,i must quietly but resolutely place the crown of my life1 my love1 my will upon ,jesus' brow for ,him henceforth to control me as ,he will4 ,that act of enthroning ,him carries with it the dethronement of self4 ,let me say plainly that here is the searching test of the whole matter4 ,why do you want power8 ,for the rare enjoyment of ecstatic moods8 ,for some hidden selfish purpose1 like ,simon of ,samaria1 of which you are perhaps only half conscious1 so subtly does it lurk underneath8 ,that you may be able to move men8 ,these motives are all selfish4 ,the streams turn in1 and that means a dead sea4 ,better stop before you begin4 ,for thy heart is not right before ,god4 ,but if the uppermost and undermost desire be to glorify ,jesus and let ,him do in you1 and with you what ,he chooses1 then you shall know the flooding of the channel-ways of your life with a new stream of power4 ,jesus ,himself1 when down here as ,son of ,man1 met this test4 ,with reverence be it said that ,his highest purpose in coming to earth was not to die upon the cross1 but to glorify ,his ,father4 ,that memorable passage opening the sixty-first chapter of ,isaiah1 which ,jesus applied to ,himself in the ,nazareth synagogue1 contains eight or nine statements of what ,he was to do1 but closes with a comprehensive statement of the underlying purpose--that ,he might be glorified4 ,as it turned out1 that could best be done by yielding to the awful experiences through which ,he passed4 ,but the supreme thought of pleasing ,his ,father was never absent from ,his thought4 ,it drove ,him to the wilderness1 and to ,gethsemane1 and to ,calvary4 ,is that the one purpose in your heart in desiring power8 ,he might send some of us out to the far-off foreign mission field4 ,he might send some down to the less enchanted field of the city slums to do salvage service night after night among the awful social wreckage,c thrown upon the strand there2 or possibly it would mean an isolated post out on the frontier1 or down in the equally heroic field of the mountains of the ,south4 ,he might leave some of you just where you are1 in a commonplace1 humdrum spot1 as you think1 when your visions had been in other fields4 ,he might make you a seed-sower1 like lonely ,morrison in ,china1 when you wanted to be a harvester like ,moody4 ,here is the real battlefield4 ,the fighting and agonizing are here4 ,not with ,god but with yourself1 that the old self in you may be crucified and ,jesus crowned in its place4 ,transcriber's ,note ,c3 ,original had weckage ,will you in the purpose of your heart make ,jesus absolute monarch whatever that may prove to mean8 ,it may mean great sacrifice2 it will mean greater joy and power at once4 ,may we have the simple courage to do it4 ,master1 help us6 ,thou wilt help us4 ,thou art helping some of us now as we talk and listen and think4 ,power ,manifest in ,action4 ,well1 then1 if you have won on that field of action1 the rest is very simple4 ,indeed1 after a victory there1 your whole life moves up to a new level4 ,the third word is drink4 ,let him come unto ,me and drink4 ,drinking is one of the easiest acts imaginable4 ,i wish ,i had a glass of water here just to let you see how easy a thing it is4 ,tip up the glass and let the water run in and down4 ,drink simply means take4 ,it is saying1 ,lord ,jesus1 ,i take from ,thee the promised power4444 ,i thank ,thee that the ,spirit has taken full control4 ,but you say1 ,is that all8 ,yes4 ,why1 ,i do not feel anything4 ,do you remember saying something like that when you were urged to take ,jesus as your ,savior8 ,and some kind friend told you not to wait for feeling1 but to trust1 and that when you did that1 the light came8 ,now1 the fourth word is believe4 ,the law of ,god's dealing with you has not changed4 ,jesus says1 ,out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,you are to believe ,his word4 ,but1 you say1 how shall ,i know ,i have this power8 ,well1 first1 by believing that ,jesus has done what ,he agreed4 ,he promised the ,spirit to them that obey ,him4 ,the ,holy ,spirit fills every surrendered heart4 ,then there is a second way--you will experience the power as need arises4 ,how do you know anything8 ,here is this chair4 ,suppose ,i tell you ,i have power to pick it up and hold it out at arm's length4 ,well1 you think1 ,i look as though ,i might have that much power in my arm4 ,but you do not know4 ,perhaps my arm is weak and does not show it4 ,but now ,i pick it up and hold it out--7holding chair out at arm's length7--now you know ,i have at least that much power in my arm4 ,power is always manifest in action4 ,that is a law of power4 ,how did that man by the pool of ,bethesda in ,jerusalem1 who had not walked for thirty-eight years--how did he know that he had received power to walk8 ,he got up and walked6 ,he did not know he had received the power till he got up4 ,power is shown in action always4 ,faith acts4 ,it pushes out1 in obedience to command4 ,and when you go out of here to-day1 as the need arises you will find the power rising within you to meet it4 ,when the hasty word comes hot to your lips1 when that old habit asserts itself1 when the actual test of sacrifice comes1 when the opportunity for service comes1 as surely as the need comes1 will come the sense of ,his power in control4 ,believe means expect4 ,thirst1 glorify1 drink1 believe--desire1 enthrone1 accept1 expect--that is the simple story4 ,are you thirsty8 ,will you put ,jesus on the throne8 ,then accept1 and go out with your eyes open1 expecting1 expecting1 expecting1 and ,he will never fail to reveal ,his power4 ,shall we bow in silence a few moments and settle the matter1 each of us1 with the ,master direct8 ,three ,laws of ,continuous ,power4 ,power depends on good connections4 ,in mechanics3 the train with the locomotive2 the machinery with the engine2 the electrical mechanism with the power house4 ,in the body3 the arm with the socket2 the brain with the heart4 ,in the christian life the follower of ,jesus with the ,spirit of ,jesus4 ,we have been talking together about making connections1 and ,i believe some of us have made the vital connection this hour1 which means new inflow and outflow of power4 ,now there will be time for only a brief word about breaking connections4 ,but1 you say1 we do not want to break connections4 ,no1 you do not4 ,but there is someone else who does4 ,since you have put yourself into intimate contact with ,jesus this someone else has become intensely interested in breaking that contact4 ,and this enemy of ours1 this ,satan1 the hater1 is subtle and deep and experienced and more than a match for any of us4 ,but greater is ,he that is now in you than he that is in the world4 ,satan will do his best by bold attack and cunning deceit to tamper with your couplings4 ,one of the saddest sights1 and yet a not uncommon one1 is to see a man who has been mightily used of ,god1 but whose usefulness is now wholly gone4 ,one can run back through only recent years and recall1 one after another1 those through whom multitudes were blessed1 but who1 yielding to some subtle temptation1 have utterly and forever lost their opportunity ,of service4 ,the same is true of scores in more secluded circles whose lives1 spiritually blighted and dwarfed1 tell the same sad story4 ,these recent instances are but repetitions of older ones4 ,three times the writer of ,judges tells of ,samson that the spirit of the ,lord came mightily upon him1 and then is added the pathetic sentence--but he wist not that the ,lord was departed from him4 ,and between the two occurs the story of an act of disobedience4 ,twice the same thing is recorded of ,king ,saul1 the spirit of ,god came mightily upon him1 and the same sequel follows1 the spirit of the ,lord had departed4 ,and between the two is found an act of disobedience to ,god's command4 ,the ninth of ,luke tells a similar story4 ,the disciples had been given power2 had used the power for others2 were requested to relieve a demonized boy2 had tried to2 had expected to2 but utterly failed1 to their own chagrin1 and the father's disappointment1 amid the surprise and criticism of the crowd4 ,the ,master explains that a slipshod connection with ,god was at the bottom of their failure4 ,power is not stored in us apart from ,god's presence4 ,it merely passes through as ,he has sway4 ,once the connection between ,him and you is disturbed1 the flow of power is interrupted4 ,we do not run on the storage battery plan1 but on the trolley plan4 ,constant communication with the source of power is absolutely essential4 ,the spirit of ,god never leaves us4 ,we do not lose ,his presence4 ,but whatever grieves ,him prevents ,his presence being manifest4 ,the evidence of ,his presence may be lost through wrongdoing4 ,so ,i want to give you in very brief compass the three laws of the life of power--continued and increasing power4 ,i wish some one had given them to me long ago4 ,it might have saved me many a bad break4 ,the first law can be put in a single word--obey4 ,obedience is the great foundation law of the christian life4 ,indeed it is the common fundamental law of all organization1 in nature1 in military1 naval1 commercial1 political and domestic circles4 ,obedience is the great essential to securing the purpose of life4 ,disobedience means disaster4 ,if you turn to scripture you must read almost every page if you would get all the statements and illustrations of obedience and its opposite4 ,begin with the third of ,genesis1 where the first disastrous act of disobedience brought a ruin still going on4 ,run through the three wilderness books1 where the new nation is grouped about the smoking mountain4 ,listen in ,deuteronomy to the old man ,moses talking during the thirty days' conference they had in ,moab's plains before he was taken away4 ,then into ,joshua's book of victory and the ,judges' dark story of defeats1 through the kingdom books1 and the prophecies1 and you will find the changes rung more frequently upon obedience than anything else4 ,the same is true of the ,new ,testament clear to the last column of the last page4 ,the fact is1 every heart is a battlefield whose possession is being hotly contested4 ,if ,jesus is in possession ,satan is trying his best by storm or strategy to get in4 ,if ,satan be in possession whether as a coarse or a cultured ,satan1 then ,jesus is lovingly storming the door4 ,satan can not get in without your consent1 and ,jesus will not4 ,an act of obedience to ,god is slamming the door in ,satan's face1 and opening it wider for ,jesus' control4 ,listen with your heart6 ,an act of disobedience1 however slight1 as you think1 is slamming the door of your heart in ,jesus' face and flinging it open to ,satan's entrance4 ,is that mere rhetoric8 ,it is cold fact4 ,no1 it is hot fact4 ,the first great simple law is obedience4 ,but someone asks1 ,how shall ,i know what--whom1 to obey8 ,sometimes the voices coming to my ear seem to be jarring voices2 they do not agree4 ,pastors do not all agree3 churches are not quite agreed on some matters3 my best friends think differently3 how shall ,i know8 ,here comes in the second law1 ,obey the book of ,god as interpreted by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,not the book alone4 ,that will lead into superstition4 ,not to say the ,spirit without the book ,he has indited4 ,that will lead to fanaticism4 ,but the book as interpreted by the ,spirit1 and the ,spirit as ,he speaks through ,his book4 ,there is a voice of ,god1 and a ,spirit of ,god and a book of ,god4 ,god speaks by ,his ,spirit through ,his word ,sometimes ,he speaks directly without the written word4 ,but very1 very rarely4 ,the mental impressions by which the ,spirit guides are frequent4 ,but ,i am speaking now1 not of that but of ,his audible inner voice4 ,he is chary in the use of that4 ,and when he so speaks the test is that1 of necessity1 the voice of ,god always agrees with itself4 ,the spoken word is never out of harmony with the written word4 ,and as ,he has given us the written word1 it becomes our standard of ,his will4 ,this book of ,god was inspired4 ,it is inspired4 ,god spoke in it4 ,he speaks in it to-day4 ,you will be surprised to find how light on every sort of question will come through this in-,spirited book4 ,but someone with a practical turn of mind is thinking3 but it is such a big book4 ,i do not know much about it4 ,i read the psalms some1 and some chapters in ,isaiah1 and the gospels and some in the epistles1 but ,i have no grasp of the whole book2 and your second law seems a little beyond me4 ,then you listen to the third law1 namely3 time alone with the book daily4 ,it should be unhurried time4 ,time enough not to think about time4 ,at least a half hour every day1 ,i would suggest1 and preferably the first half hour of the morning1 rising at least early enough to get this bit of time before any duty can claim you4 ,it may seem very difficult for some4 ,but it is an absolute essential1 for the first two laws depend on this one for their practical force4 ,when ,joshua1 trembling1 was called upon to assume the stupendous task of being ,moses' successor1 ,god came and had a quiet talk with him4 ,in that talk ,he emphasized just one thing as the secret of his new leadership4 ,listen3 ,this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth1 but thou shalt meditate therein day and night1 that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein4 ,there are the three laws straight from the lips of ,god1 packed into a single sentence4 ,let us plan to get alone with the ,master daily over ,his word1 with the door shut1 other things shut out1 and ourselves shut in1 that we may learn ,his will1 and get strength to do it4 ,and when in doubt wait4 ,,footnotes3 #g #a ,cor4 xii4 #ac4 #h ,luke xxiv4 #di4 #i ,that is to make perfectly plain that this experience was for all3 a very difficult fact for these intensely ,jewish disciples to grasp4 7#a7 ,not limited to the original one hundred and twenty1 but for the whole body of ,jewish disciples--,acts iv4 7#b7 ,for the hated half-breed ,samaritans--,acts viii4 7#c7 ,for the dogs of ,gentiles--,acts x4 7#d7 ,for individual disciples anywhere1 and at any distance in time from ,pentecost--,acts xix4 #aj ,acts i3 #h2 ii3 #ag1 #cc2 viii3 #ae2 x3 #de2 xix3 #f4 #aa 7#a7 ,luke iv4 #ah1 quo4 from ,isa4 lxi3 #a4 7#b7 ,acts iv3 #bg4 7#c7 ,acts x3 #ch4 7#d7 ,heb4 i3 #i1 quotation from ,ps4 xlv3 #g4 #ab #b ,cor4 i3 #ba4 #ac #a ,john i3 #bj1 #bg4 #ad #b ,cor4 i3 #bb4 ,eph4 i3 #ac2 iv3 #cj4 #ae #b ,cor4 i3 #bb2 v3 #e4 ,eph4 i3 #ad4 #af ,romans viii3 #bc4 ,,the ,,flood-,,tide ,,of ,,power4 ,god's ,highest ,ideal4 ,a flood-tide is a rising tide4 ,it flows in and fills up and spreads out4 ,wherever it goes it cleanses and fertilizes and beautifies4 ,for untold centuries ,egypt has depended for its very life upon the yearly flood-tide of the ,nile4 ,the rich bottom lands of the ,connecticut ,valley are refertilized every spring by that river's flood-tide4 ,the green beauty and rich fruitage of some parts of the ,sacramento ,valley1 whose soil is flooded by the artificial irrigation-rivers1 are in sharp contrast with adjoining unwatered portions4 ,the flood-tide is caused by influences from above4 ,in the ocean and the portions of rivers under its influence by the heavenly bodies4 ,in the rivers by the fall of rain and snow swelling successively the upper streams and lakes4 ,god's highest ideal for men is frequently expressed under the figure of a river running at flood-tide4 ,ezekiel's vision of the future capital of ,israel gives prominence to a wonderful river gradually reaching flood-tide and exerting untold influence4 ,john's companion vision of the future church in the closing chapters of ,revelation finds its radiating center in an equally wonderful river of water of life4 ,when ,jesus would give a picture of a christian man up to ,his ideal ,he exclaims1 ,out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water4 ,john's explanation years after was that ,he was speaking of the ,holy ,spirit's presence in the human life4 ,jesus' ideal would put our lives at the flood-tide4 ,no ebb-tide there4 ,no rise and fall4 ,but a constant flowing in and filling up and flooding out4 ,love is ambitious4 ,god is love4 ,and therefore ,god is ambitious for us4 ,in the best sense of the word ,he is ambitious for our lives4 ,the old impression has been that salvation is for the soul1 and for heaven4 ,well1 it is for the soul1 and it is for heaven1 but it is for the present life and for this earth4 ,some of ,god's most far-reaching plans have to do with this earth4 ,to-night we want to get a glimpse of ,god's ambitious ideal for our lives down here2 something of an understanding of the results of the unrestrained presence within us of ,his ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is not surprising that there have been some mistaken ideas about the results4 ,it has been a common supposition that somehow the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit is always connected with an evangelistic gift and1 further1 connected with marked success in soul-winning4 ,men have thought of ,mr4 ,moody facing great crowds1 who were swayed and melted at his words1 and of people in great multitudes accepting ,christ4 ,probably the world has never had a finer illustration of a ,spirit-filled man than in dear old ,moody4 ,and it is not to be wondered at that the rare evangelistic gift of service with which he was endowed and the great results attending it should be so closely allied in our minds with the ,spirit-filled life which he exemplified so unusually4 ,in sharp contrast however with that conception will you note that we are told over here in ,exodus of a man named ,bezalel#ag who was filled with the ,spirit of ,god that he might have skill in carpentry1 in metal working1 and weaving of fine fabrics1 for the construction of the old tent of ,god4 ,will you note further that a company of seventy men#ah were filled in a like manner that they might be skilled in conducting the business affairs of the nation2 and that ,luke tells of ,elizabeth#ai being filled that she might become a true mother for ,john4 ,a second misconception has been that marked success always accompanies the ,spirit's control4 ,in contrast with that will you please note the results in some of the ,spirit-swayed men whom ,god used in ,bible times4 ,isaiah was called to a service that was to be barren of results1 though long continued2 and ,jeremiah's was not only fruitless but with great personal peril4 ,jesus' public work led through a rough path to a crown of thorns and a cross4 ,stephen's testimony brought him a storm of stones4 ,and ,paul passed through great danger and distress to a cell1 and beyond1 a keen-edged ax4 ,these are leaders among ,spirit-filled men4 ,paul's teaching in the ,corinthian epistle helps one to a clear understanding about results4 ,he explains that while it is one ,spirit dwelling in all who acknowledge ,jesus as ,lord1 yet the evidence of ,his presence differs widely in different persons4 ,it is one ,god working all things in all persons1 but with great variety in the gifts bestowed1 in the service with which they are intrusted1 and in the inner experiences they are conscious of4#bj ,what results then may be expected to follow the filling of the ,holy ,spirit8 ,it may be said in a sentence that ,jesus fills us with the same ,spirit that filled ,himself that ,he may work out in us ,his own image and ideal1 and make use of us in ,his passionate reaching out after others4 ,if we attempt to analyze these results we shall find them falling into three groups4 ,first--results in the life1 that is in the inner experiences1 and the habits4 ,second--results in the personality1 that is in the appearance1 and the mental faculties4 ,third--results in service4 ,let us look a little at each of these4 ,a ,transfigured ,life4 ,first regarding the inner experiences4 ,without doubt the first result experienced will be a new sense of peace3 a glad1 quiet stillness of spirit which nothing seems able to disturb4 ,the heart will be filled with a peace still as the stars1 calm as the night1 deep as the sea1 fragrant as the flowers4 ,how many thousands of lips have lovingly lingered over those sweet strong words3 ,the peace of ,god1 which passeth all understanding1 shall guard your heart and thought in ,christ ,jesus4 ,it is ,god's peace4 ,it acts as an armed guard drawn up around heart and thoughts to keep unrest out4 ,it is too subtle for intellectual analysis1 but it steals into and steadies the heart4 ,you cannot understand it but you can feel it4 ,you cannot get hold of it with your head1 but you can with your heart4 ,you do not get it4 ,it gets you4 ,you need not understand in order to experience4 ,blessed are they that have not understood and yet have yielded and experienced4 ,peace beginning to be ,deep as the sleep of the sea ,when the stars their faces glass ,in its blue tranquillity3 ,hearts of men upon earth ,that rested not from their birth ,to rest1 as the wild waters rest1 ,with the colors of heaven on their breast4 ,with that will come a new intense longing to do the ,master's will2 to please ,him4 ,as the days come and go this will come to be the master-passion of this new life4 ,it will drive one with a new purpose and zest to studying the one book which tells ,his will4 ,that book becomes literally the book of books to the ,spirit-dominated man4 ,with that will come a new desire to talk with this new ,master1 who talks to you in ,his word1 and is ever at your side sympathetically listening4 ,his book reveals ,himself4 ,and better acquaintance with ,him will draw you oftener aside for a quiet talk4 ,the pleasure of praying will grow by leaps and bounds4 ,nothing so inspires to prayer as reverent listening to ,his voice4 ,frequent use of the ears will result in more frequent use of the voice in prayer and praise4 ,and more3 ,prayer will come to be a part of service4 ,intercession will become the life mission4 ,but ,i must be frank enough to tell you of another result1 which is as sure to come as these--there will be conflict4 ,you will be tempted more than ever4 ,temptations will come with the subtlety of a snake2 with the rush of a storm2 with the unexpected swiftness of a lightning flash4 ,you see the act of surrender to ,jesus is a notice of fight to another4 ,you have changed masters1 and the discarded master does not let go easily4 ,he is a trained1 toughened fighter4 ,you will think that you never had so many temptations1 so strong1 so subtle1 so trying1 so unexpected4 ,but listen--there will be victory6 ,truth goes in pairs4 ,you will be tempted4 ,the devil will attend to that4 ,that is one truth4 ,its companion truth is this3 you will be victorious over temptation as the new ,master has sway4 ,your new ,master will attend to that4 ,great and cunning and strong is the tempter4 ,do not underrate him4 ,but greater is ,he that is in you4 ,you cannot overrate ,him4 ,he got the victory at every turn during those thirty-three years1 and will get it for you as many years and turns as shall make out the span of your life4 ,your one business will be to let ,him have full control4 ,still another result1 of the surprising sort1 will be a new feeling about sin4 ,there will be an increased and increasing sensitiveness to sin4 ,it will seem so hateful whether coarse or cultured4 ,you will shrink from contact with it4 ,there will also be a growing sense of the sinfulness of that old heart of yours1 even while you may be having constant victory over temptation4 ,then1 too1 there will grow up a yearning1 oh6 such a heart-yearning as cannot be told in words1 to be pure1 really pure in heart4 ,a seventh result will be an intense desire to get others to know your wonderful ,master4 ,a desire so strong1 gripping you so tremendously1 that all thought of sacrifice will sink out of sight in its achievement4 ,he is such a ,master6 so loving1 so kind1 so wondrous6 ,and so many do not know ,him3 have wrong ideas about ,him4 ,if they only knew ,him--that surely would settle it4 ,and probably these two--the desire to please ,him1 and the desire to get others to know ,him will take the mastery of your ambition and life4 ,the ,all-,inclusive ,passion4 ,but all of these and much more is included in one of ,paul's packed phrases which may be read1 the love of ,god hath flooded our hearts through the ,holy ,spirit given unto us4#ba ,the all-inclusive result is love4 ,that marvelous tender passion--the love of ,god--heightless1 depthless1 shoreless1 shall flood our hearts1 making us as gentle and tender-hearted and self-sacrificing and gracious as ,he4 ,every phase of life will become a phase of love4 ,peace is love resting4 ,bible study is love reading its lover's letters4 ,prayer is love keeping tryst4 ,conflict with sin is love jealously fighting for its ,lover4 ,hatred of sin is love shrinking from that which separates from its lover4 ,sympathy is love tenderly feeling4 ,enthusiasm is love burning4 ,hope is love expecting4 ,patience is love waiting4 ,faithfulness is love sticking fast4 ,humility is love taking its true place4 ,modesty is love keeping out of sight4 ,soul-winning is love pleading4 ,love is revolutionary4 ,it radically changes us1 and revolutionizes our spirit toward all others4 ,love is democratic4 ,it ruthlessly levels all class distinctions4 ,love is intensely practical4 ,it is always hunting something to do4 ,paul lays great stress on this outer practical side4 ,do you remember his fruit of the ,spirit8#bb ,it is an analysis of love4 ,while the first three--love1 joy1 peace--are emotions within1 the remaining six are outward toward others4 ,notice1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faithfulness1 meekness1 and then the climax is reached in the last--self-control4 ,and in his great love passage in the first ,corinthian epistle1#bc he picks out four of these last six1 and shows further just what he means by love in its practical working in the life4 ,long-suffering is repeated1 and so is kindness or goodness4 ,faithfulness is reproduced in never faileth4 ,then self-control receives the emphasis of an eight-fold repetition of nots4 ,listen3--,envieth not1 boasteth not1 not puffed up1 not unseemly1 seeketh not 7even7 her own1 is not provoked1 taketh not account of evil 7in trying to help others1 like ,jesus' word despairing of no man#bd71 rejoiceth not in unrighteousness 7that is when the unrighteous is punished1 but instead feels sorry for him74 ,what tremendous power of self-mastery in those nots6 ,then the positive side is brought out in four alls2 two of them--the first and last--passive qualities1 beareth all things1 endureth all things4 ,and in between1 two active hopeth all things1 believeth all things4 ,the passive qualities doing sentinel duty on both sides of the active4 ,these passive traits are intensely active in their passivity4 ,there is a busy time under the surface of those nots and alls4 ,what a wealth of underlying power they reveal6 ,sometimes folks think it sentimental to talk of love4 ,probably it is of some stuff that shuffles along under that name4 ,but when the ,holy ,spirit talks about it1 and fills our hearts with it there is seen to be an intensely practical passion at work4 ,love is not only the finest fruit1 but it is the final test of a christian life4 ,how many splendid men of ,god have seemed to lack here4 ,what a giant of faith and strength ,elijah was4 ,such intense indignation over sin6 ,such fearless denunciation6 ,what tremendous faith gripping the very heavens6 ,what marvelous power in prayer4 ,yet listen to him criticising the faithful remnant whom ,god lovingly defends against his aspersions4 ,there seems a serious lack there4 ,god seems to understand his need4 ,he asks him to slip down to ,horeb for a new vision of his ,master4 ,and then ,he revealed ,himself not in whirlwind nor earthquake nor lightning4 ,he doubtless felt at home among these tempestuous outbreaks4 ,they suit his temper4 ,but something startlingly new came to him in that exquisite sound of gentle stillness1 hushing1 awing1 mellowing1 giving a new conception of the dominant heart of his ,god4 ,some of us might well drop things1 and take a run down to ,horeb4 ,i know an earnest scholarly minister with strong personality1 and fearless in his preaching against sin1 but who seems to lack this spirit of love4 ,he is so cuttingly critical at times4 ,the other ministers of his town whom he might easily lead1 shy off from him4 ,there is no magnetism in the edge of a razor4 ,his critical spirit can be felt when his lips are shut4 ,i recall a woman1 earnest1 winsome when she chooses to be1 an intelligent ,bible student1 keen-scented for error1 a generous giver1 but what a sharp edge her tongue has4 ,one is afraid to get close lest it may cut4 ,when the ,holy ,spirit takes possession there is love1 aye1 more1 a flood of love4 ,have you ever seen a flood8 ,i remember one in the ,schuylkill during my boyhood days and how it impressed me4 ,those who live along the valley of that treacherous mountain stream1 the ,ohio1 know something of the power of a flood4 ,how the waters come rushing down1 cutting out new channels1 washing down rubbish1 tearing valuable property from its moorings1 ruling the valley autocratically while men stand back entirely helpless4 ,would you care to have a flood-tide of love flush the channelways of your life like that8 ,it would clean out something you have preferred keeping4 ,it would with quiet1 ruthless strength1 tear some prized possessions from their moorings and send them adrift down stream and out4 ,its high waters would put out some of the fires on the lower levels4 ,better think a bit before opening the sluice-ways for that flood4 ,but ah6 it will sweeten and make fragrant4 ,it will cut new channels1 and broaden and deepen old ones4 ,and what a harvest will follow in its wake4 ,floods are apt to do peculiar things4 ,so does this one4 ,it washes out the friction-grit from between the wheels4 ,it does not dull the edge of the tongue1 but washes the bitter out of the mouth1 and the green out of the eye4 ,it leaves one deaf and blind in some matters1 but much keener-sighted and quicker-eared in others4 ,strange flood that6 ,would that we all knew more of it4 ,the ,fullness of the ,stature of a ,man4 ,now note some of the changes in the personality which attend the ,spirit's unrestrained presence4 ,without doubt the face will change1 though it might be difficult to describe the change4 ,that ,spirit within changes the look of the eye4 ,his peace within the heart will affect the flow of blood in the physical heart1 and so in turn the clearness of the complexion4 ,the real secret of winsome beauty is here4 ,that new dominant purpose will modulate the voice1 and the whole expression of the face1 and the touch of the hand1 and the carriage of the body4 ,and yet the one changed will be least conscious of it1 if conscious at all4 ,neither ,moses nor ,stephen knew of their transfigured faces4 ,it is of peculiar interest to note the changes in the mental make-up4 ,it may be said positively that the original group of mental faculties remain the same4 ,there seems to be nothing to indicate that any change takes place in one's natural endowment4 ,no faculty is added that nature had not put there1 and certainly none removed4 ,but it is very clear that there is a marked development of these natural gifts1 and that this change is brought about by the putting in of a new and tremendous motive power1 which radically affects everything it touches4 ,regarding this development four facts may be noted4 ,first fact3--,those faculties or talents which may hitherto have lain latent1 unmatured1 are aroused into use4 ,most men have large undeveloped resources1 and endowments4 ,many of us are one-sided in our development4 ,we are strangers to the real possible self within1 unconscious of some of the powers with which we are endowed and intrusted4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 when given a free hand1 works out the fullness of the life that has been put in4 ,the change will not be in the sort but in the size1 and that not by an addition but by a growth of what is there4 ,moses complains that he is slow of speech and of a slow tongue4 ,god does not promise a new tongue but that he will be with him and train his tongue4 ,listen to him forty years after in the ,moab ,plains1 as with brain fired1 and tongue loosened and trained he gives that series of farewell talks fairly burning with eloquence4 ,students of oratory can find no nobler specimens than ,deuteronomy furnishes4 ,the unmatured powers lying dormant had been aroused to full growth by the indwelling ,spirit of ,god4 ,saintly ,dr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,gordon1 whose face was as surely transfigured as was ,moses' or ,stephen's used to say that in his earlier years he had no executive ability4 ,men would say of him1 ,well1 ,gordon can preach but-- intimating that he could not do much else2 not much of the practical getting of things done in his makeup4 ,when he was offered the chairmanship of the missionary committee of the ,baptist ,church1 he promptly declined as being utterly unfit for such a task4 ,finally with reluctance he accepted1 and for years he guided and molded with rare sagacity the entire scheme of missionary operation of the great ,baptist ,church of the ,north4 ,he was accustomed with rare frankness and modesty to speak of the change in himself as an illustration of how the ,spirit develops talents which otherwise had lain unsuspected and unused4 ,the second fact3 ,,all of one's faculties will be developed1 to the highest normal pitch4 ,not only the undeveloped faculties1 but those already developed will know a new life4 ,that new presence within will sharpen the brain1 and fire the imagination4 ,it will make the logic keener1 the will steadier1 the executive faculty more alert4 ,the civil engineer will be more accurate in his measurements and calculations4 ,the scientific man more keenly observant of facts1 better poised in his generalization upon them1 and more convincing in his demonstrations4 ,the locomotive engineer will handle his huge machine more skillfully4 ,the road saves money in having a christian hand on the throttle4 ,the lawyer will be more thorough in his sifting of evidence1 and more convincing in the planning of his cases4 ,the business man will be even more sharply alive to business4 ,the college student can better grasp his studies1 and write with stronger thought and clearer diction4 ,the cook will get a finer flavor into the food4 ,and so on to the end of the list4 ,why8 ,not by any magic1 but simply and only because man was created to be animated and dominated by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,that is his normal condition4 ,the ,spirit of ,god is his natural atmosphere4 ,the machine works best when run under the inventor's immediate direction4 ,only as a man--any man--is swayed by the ,holy ,spirit1 will his powers rise to their best4 ,and a man is not doing his best1 however hardworking and conscientious1 and therefore not fair to his own powers1 who lives otherwise4 ,some one may enter the objection1 that many of the keenest men with finely disciplined powers may be found among non-christian men4 ,but he should remember two facts1 first1 that a like truth holds good in the opposite camp4 ,there are undoubtedly men whose genius is brilliant because inspired by an evil spirit4 ,there are cultured scholarly men1 and keen shrewd business men who have yielded their powers to another than ,god and are greatly assisted by evil spirits1 though it is quite likely that they are not conscious that this is the true analysis of their success4 ,the second fact to note is that no matter how keen or developed a man's powers may be either as just suggested1 or1 by dint of native strength and of his own effort they are still of necessity less than they would be if swayed by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,for man is created to be indwelt and inspired by ,god's ,spirit1 and his powers can not be at their best pitch save as the conditions of their creation are met4 ,the third fact3--,there will be a gradual bringing back to their normal condition of those facilities which have been dwarfed1 or warped1 or abnormally developed through sin and selfishness4 ,sometimes these moral twists and quirks in our mental faculties are an inheritance through one or more generations4 ,the man with excessive egotism often carries the evidence of it in the very shape of his head4 ,but as he yields to the new ,spirit dominant within1 a spirit of humility1 of modesty will gradually displace so much of the other as is abnormal4 ,the man of superficial mind will be deepened in his mental processes4 ,the man of hasty judgment or poor judgment will grow careful in his conclusions4 ,the lazy man will get a new lease of ambition and energy4 ,these results will be gradual1 as all of ,god's processes are4 ,sometimes painfully gradual1 and will be strictly in proportion as the man yields himself unreservedly to the control of the indwelling ,spirit4 ,and the process will be by the injection of a new and mighty motive power4 ,the shallow-minded man will have an intense desire to study ,god's wondrous classic so as to learn ,his will4 ,and though his studies may not get much farther1 yet no one book so disciplines and deepens the mind as that4 ,the lazy man will find a fire kindling in his bones to please his ,master and do something for ,him1 that will burn through and burn up his indolence4 ,the man of hasty judgment will find himself stopping to consider what his ,master would desire4 ,and the mere pause to think is a long step toward more accurate judgment4 ,he will become a reverent student of the word of ,god1 and nothing corrects the judgment like that4 ,the self-willed1 headstrong man will likely have the toughest time of any4 ,to let his own plan utterly go1 and instead fit into a radically different one will shake him up terrifically4 ,but that mighty ,one within will lovingly woo and move him4 ,and as he yields1 and victory comes1 he will be delighted to find that the highest act of the strongest will is in yielding to a higher will when found4 ,he will be charmed to discover that the rarest liberty comes only in perfect obedience to perfect law4 ,and so every sort of man who has gotten some moral twist or obliquity in his mental make-up will be straightened out to the normal standard of his ,maker1 as he allows ,him to take full control4 ,the fourth fact3--,all this growth and development will be strictly along the groove of the man's natural endowment4 ,the natural mental bent will not be changed though the moral crooks will be straightened out4 ,peter's rash1 self-assertive twists are corrected1 but he remains the same ,peter mentally4 ,he does not possess the rare logical powers of ,paul1 nor the judicial administrative temper of ,james1 before the infilling1 and is not endowed with either after that experience4 ,john's intensity which would call down fire to burn up supposed foes is not removed but turned into another channel1 and burns itself out in love4 ,jonathan ,edwards retains and develops his marvelous faculty of metaphysical reasoning and uses it to influence men for ,god4 ,finney's intensely logical mind is not changed but fired and used in the same direction4 ,moody has neither of these gifts1 but has an unusually magnetic presence1 and a great executive faculty which leaves its impress on his blunt direct speech4 ,his faculties are not changed1 nor added to1 but developed wonderfully and used4 ,geo4 ,mueller never becomes a great preacher like these three2 nor an expositor1 but finds his rare development in his marked administrative skill4 ,charles ,studd remains a poor speaker with jagged rhetoric and with no organizing knack1 though the fire of ,god in his presence kindles the flames of mission zeal in the ,british universities1 and melts your heart as you listen4 ,shaftsbury's mental processes show the generations of aristocratic breeding even in his costermonger's cart lovingly winning these men1 or after midnight searching out the waifs of ,london's nooks and docks4 ,clough is refused by the missionary board because of his lack of certain required qualifications1 and when finally he reaches the field none of these qualities appears1 but his skill as an engineer gives him a hold upon thousands whom his presence and ,god-breathed passion for souls win to ,jesus ,christ4 ,carey's unusual linguistic talent1 ,mary ,lyon's teaching gift are not changed but developed and used4 ,the growth produced by the ,spirit's presence is strictly along the groove of the natural gift4 ,but note that in this great variety of natural endowment there is one trait--a moral trait1 not a mental--that marks all alike1 namely a pervading purpose1 that comes to be a passion1 to do ,god's will1 and get men to know ,him1 and that everything is forced to bend to this dominant purpose4 ,is not this glorious unity in diversity8 ,saved and ,sent to ,serve4 ,the third group of results affects our service4 ,we will want to serve4 ,love must act4 ,we must do something for our ,master4 ,we must do something for those around us4 ,there will be a new spirit of service4 ,its peculiar characteristic and charm will be the heart of love in it4 ,love will envelop and undergird and pervade and exude from all service4 ,there will be a fine graciousness1 a patience1 a strong tenderness1 an earnest faithfulness1 a hopeful tirelessness which will despair of no man1 and of no situation4 ,the sort of service and the sphere of service will be left entirely to the direction of the indwelling ,holy ,spirit1 dividing to every man as ,he will4 ,there will be no choosing of a life work but a prayerful waiting till ,his choice is clear1 and then a joyous acceptance of that4 ,there will be no attempt to open doors1 not even with a single touch or twist of the knob1 but only an entering of opened doors4 ,if the work be humble1 or the place lowly1 or both1 there will be a cheery eager using of the highest powers keyed to their best pitch4 ,if higher up1 a steady remembering that there can be no power save as the ,spirit controls1 and a praying to be kept from the dizziness which unaccustomed height is apt to produce4 ,large quantities of paper and ink will be saved4 ,for many letters of application and indorsement will remain unwritten4 ,the ,master's say-so is accepted by ,spirit-led men as final4 ,he chooses ,peter to open the door to the outer nations1 and ,paul to enter the opened door4 ,he chooses not an apostle but ,philip to open up ,samaria1 and ,titus to guide church matters in ,crete4 ,a miner's son is chosen to shake ,europe1 and a cobbler to kindle anew the missionary fires of ,christendom4 ,livingston is sent to open up the heart of ,africa for a fresh infusion of the blood the ,son of ,god4 ,a nurse-maid1 whose name remains unknown1 is used to mold for ,god the child who became the seventh ,earl of ,shaftsbury1 one of the most truly ,spirit-filled men of the world4 ,geo4 ,mueller is chosen for the signal service of re-teaching men that ,god still lives and actually answers prayer4 ,speer is used to breathe a new spirit of devotion among college students1 and ,mott to arouse and organize their service around the world4 ,geo4 ,williams and ,robert ,mc,burney become the leaders1 ,british and ,american1 in an in-,spirited movement to win young men by thousands4 ,an earnest woman is chosen to mother and to shape for ,god the tender years of earth's greatest queen1 who through character and position exerted a greater influence for righteousness than any other woman4 ,the common factor in all is the ,chooser4 ,jesus is the ,chief ,executive of the campaign through ,his ,spirit4 ,the direction of it belongs to ,him4 ,he knows best what each one can do4 ,he knows best what needs to be done4 ,he is ambitious that each of us shall be the best1 and have the best4 ,he has a plan thought out for each life1 and for the whole campaign4 ,his ,spirit is in us to administer ,his plan4 ,he never sleeps4 ,he divideth to every man severally as ,he will4 ,and ,his is a loving1 wise will4 ,it can be trusted4 ,a ,spirit-mastered man slowly comes to understand that service now is apprenticeship-service4 ,he is in training for the time when a ,king shall reign1 and will need tested and trusted and trained servants4 ,he is in college getting ready for commencement day4 ,that may explain in part why some of the workers whom we think can be least spared1 are called away in their prime4 ,their apprentice term is served4 ,school's out4 ,they are moved up4 ,the ,music of the ,wind ,harp4 ,please remember that these are flood-tide results4 ,some good people will never know them except in a very limited way4 ,for they do not open the sluice-gates wide enough to let the waters reach flood-tide4 ,these results will vary in degree with the degree and constancy of the yielding to the ,spirit's control4 ,a full yielding at the start1 and constantly continued will bring these results in full measure and without break1 though the growth will be gradual4 ,for it is a rising flood1 ever increasing in height and depth and sweep and power4 ,partial surrender will mean only partial results2 the largest and finest results come only as the spirit has full control1 for the work is all ,his1 by and with our consent4 ,in one of her exquisite poems ,frances ,ridley ,havergal tells of a friend who was given an olian harp which1 she was told1 sent out unutterably sweet melodies4 ,she tried to bring the music by playing upon it with her hand1 but found the seven strings would yield but one tone4 ,keenly disappointed she turned to the letter sent before the gift and found she had not noticed the directions given4 ,following them carefully she placed the harp in the opened window-way where the wind could blow upon it4 ,quite a while she waited but at last in the twilight the music came3 ,like stars that tremble into light ,out of the purple dark1 a low1 sweet note ,just trembled out of silence1 antidote ,to any doubt2 for never finger might ,produce that note1 so different1 so new3 ,melodious pledge that all ,he promised should come true4 99 99 99 99 99 ,anon a thrill of all the strings2 ,and then a flash of music1 swift and bright1 ,like a first throb of weird ,auroral light1 ,then crimson coruscations from the wings ,of the ,pole-spirit2 then ecstatic beat1 ,as if an angel-host went forth on shining feet4 ,soon passed the sounding starlit march1 ,and then one swelling note grew full and long1 ,while1 like a far-off cathedral song1 ,through dreamy length of echoing aisle and arch ,float softest harmonies around1 above1 ,like flowing chordal robes of blessing and of love4 ,thus1 while the holy stars did shine ,and listen1 the olian marvels breathed2 ,while love and peace and gratitude enwreathed ,with rich delight in one fair crown were mine4 ,the wind that bloweth where it listeth brought ,this glory of harp-music--not my skill or thought4 ,and the listening friend to whom this wondrous experience is told1 who has had a great sorrow in her life1 and been much troubled in her thoughts and plans replies3 444 ,i too have tried ,my finger skill in vain4 ,but opening now ,my window1 like wise ,daniel1 ,i will set ,my little harp therein1 and listening wait ,the breath of heaven1 the ,spirit of our ,god4 ,may we too learn the lesson of the wind-harp4 ,for man is ,god's olian harp4 ,the human-taught finger skill can bring some rare music1 yet by comparison it is at best but a monotone4 ,when the instrument is set to catch the full breathing of the breath of ,god1 then shall it sound out the rarest wealth of music's melodies4 ,as the life is yielded fully to the breathing of the ,spirit we shall find the peace of ,god which passeth all understanding filling the heart2 and the power of ,god that passeth all resisting flooding the life2 and others shall find the beauty of ,god1 that passeth all describing1 transfiguring the face2 and the dewy fragrance of ,god1 that passeth all comparing1 pervading the personality1 though most likely we shall not know it4 ,,footnotes3 #ag ,exodus xxxi3 #a-e4 #ah ,numbers xi3 #af1 #ag4 #ai ,luke i3 #ac-ag1 #da4 #bj #a ,cor4 xii3 #d-f1 #aa4 #ba ,rom4 v3 #e4 #bb ,gal4 v3 #bb-bc4 #bc #a ,cor4 xiii4 #bd ,luke vi3 #ce4 ,r4 ,v41 margin4 ,,fresh ,,supplies ,,of ,,power4 ,as the ,dew4 ,there is another very important bit needed to complete the circle of truth we are going over together in these quiet talks4 ,namely1 the daily life after the act of surrender and all that comes with that act4 ,the steady pull day by day4 ,after the eagle-flight up into highest air1 and the hundred yards dash1 or even the mile run1 comes the steady1 steady walking mile after mile4 ,the real test of life is here4 ,and the highest victories are here1 too4 ,i recall the remark made by a friend when this sort of thing was being discussed3--,i would make the surrender gladly but as ,i think of my home life ,i know ,i cannot keep it4 ,there was the rub4 ,the day-by-day life afterwards4 ,the habitual steady-going when temptations come in1 and when many special aids1 and stimulating surroundings are withdrawn4 ,this last talk together is about this afterlife4 ,what is the plan for that8 ,well1 let us talk it over a bit4 ,have you noticed that the old earth receives a fresh baptism of life daily8 ,every night the life-giving dew is distilled4 ,the moisture rises during the day from ocean1 and lake1 and river1 undergoes a chemical change in ,god's laboratory and returns nightly in dew to refresh the earth4 ,it brings to all nature new life1 with rare beauty1 and fills the air with the exquisite fragrance drawn from flowers and plants4 ,its power to purify and revitalize is peculiar and remarkable4 ,it distils only in the night when the world is at rest4 ,it can come only on clear calm nights4 ,both cloud and wind disturb and prevent its working4 ,it comes quietly and works noiselessly4 ,but the changes effected are radical and immeasurable4 ,literally it gives to the earth a nightly baptism of new life4 ,that is ,god's plan for the earth4 ,and that1 too1 let me say to you1 is ,his plan for our day-by-day life4 ,it hushes one's heart with a gentle awe to go out early in the morning after a clear night when air and flower and leaf are fragrant with an indescribable freshness1 and listen to ,god's voice saying1 ,i will be as the dew unto ,israel4 ,that sentence is the climax of the book where it occurs4#be ,god is trying through ,hosea to woo ,his people away from their evil leaders up to ,himself again4 ,to a people who knew well the vitalizing power of the deep dews of an ,oriental night1 and their own dependence upon them1 ,he says with pleading voice1 ,i will be to you as the dew4 ,the setting of that sentence is made very winsome4 ,the beauty of the lily1 and of the olive-tree2 the strength of the roots of ,lebanon's giant cedars1 and the fragrance of their boughs2 the fruitfulness of the vine1 and the richness of the grain harvest are used to bring graphically to their minds the meaning of ,his words3 as the dew4 ,tenderly as ,he speaks to that nation in which ,his love-plan for a world centered1 more tenderly yet does ,he ever speak to the individual heart4 ,that wondrous ,one who is alongside to help will be by the atmosphere of ,his presence to you and to me as the dew is to the earth--a daily refreshing of new life1 with its new strength1 and rare beauty and fine fragrance4 ,have you noticed how ,jesus ,himself puts ,his ideal for the day-by-day life8 ,at that last ,feast of ,tabernacles ,he said1 ,he that believeth on me out of his inner being shall flow rivers of water of life4#bf ,jesus was fairly saturated with the ,old ,testament figures and language4 ,here ,he seems to be thinking1 of that remarkable river-vision of ,ezekiel's4#bg ,you remember how much space is given there to describing a wonderful river running through a place where living waters had never flowed4 ,the stream begins with a few strings of water trickling out from under the door-step of the temple1 and rises gradually but steadily ankle-deep1 knee-deep1 loin-deep1 over-head1 until flood-tide is reached1 and an ever rising and deepening flood-tide4 ,and everywhere the waters go is life with beauty1 and fruitfulness4 ,there is no drought1 no ebbing1 but a continual flowing in1 and filling up1 and flooding out4 ,in these two intensely vivid figures is given our ,master's carefully1 lovingly thought out plan for the day-by-day life4 ,in actual experience the reverse of this is1 shall ,i say too much if ,i say1 most commonly the case8 ,it seems to be so4 ,who of us has not at times been conscious of some failure that cut keenly into the very tissue of the heart6 ,and even when no such break may have come there is ever a heart-yearning for more than has yet been experienced4 ,the men who seem to know most of ,god's power have had great1 unspeakable longings at times for a fresh consciousness of that power4 ,there is a simple but striking incident told of one of ,mr4 ,moody's ,british campaigns4 ,he was resting a few days after a tour in which ,god's power was plainly felt and seen4 ,he was soon to be out at work again4 ,talking out of his inner heart to a few sympathetic friends1 he earnestly asked them to join in prayer that he might receive a fresh baptism of power4 ,without doubt that very consciousness of failure1 and this longing for more is evidence of the ,spirit's presence within wooing us up the heights4 ,the language that springs so readily to one's lips at such times is just such as ,mr4 ,moody used1 a fresh baptism1 a fresh filling1 a fresh anointing4 ,and the fresh consciousness of ,god's presence and power is to one as a fresh act of anointing on ,his part4 ,practically it does not matter whether there is actually a fresh act upon the ,spirit's part1 or a renewed consciousness upon our part of ,his presence1 and a renewed humble depending wholly upon ,him4 ,yet to learn the real truth puts one's relationship to ,god in the clearer light that prevents periods of doubt and darkness4 ,does it not too bring one yet nearer to ,him8 ,in this case it certainly suggests a depth and a tenderness of ,his unparalleled love of which some of us have not even dreamed4 ,so far as the ,scriptures seem to suggest there is not a fresh act upon ,god's part at certain times in one's experience1 but ,his wondrous love is such that there is a continuous act--a continuous flooding in of all the gracious power of ,his ,spirit that the human conditions will admit of4 ,the flood-tide is ever being poured out from above1 but1 as a rule1 our gates are not open full width4 ,and so only part can get in1 and part which ,he is giving is restrained by us4 ,without doubt1 too1 the incoming flood expands that into which it comes4 ,and so the capacity increases ever more1 and yet more4 ,and1 too1 we may become much more sensitive to the ,spirit's presence4 ,we may grow into better mediums for the transmission of ,his power4 ,as the hindrances and limitations of centuries of sin's warping and stupefying are gradually lessened there is a freer better channel for the through-flowing of ,his power4 ,a ,transition ,stage4 ,such seems to be the teaching of the old ,book4 ,let us look into it a little more particularly4 ,one needs to be discriminating in quoting the ,book of ,acts on this subject4 ,that book marks a transition stage historically in the experience possible to men4 ,some of the older persons in the ,acts lived in three distinct periods4 ,there was the ,old ,testament period when a salvation was foretold and promised4 ,then came the period when ,jesus was on the earth and did a wholly new thing in the world's history in actually working out a salvation4 ,and then followed the period of the ,holy ,spirit applying to men the salvation worked out by ,jesus4 ,all these persons named in the ,book of ,acts lived both before and after the day of ,pentecost1 which marked the descent of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,book of ,acts marks the clear establishing of the transition from the second to the third of these three periods4 ,ever since then men have lived after ,pentecost4 ,the transitional period of the ,book of ,acts is behind us4 ,men in ,old ,testament times both in the ,hebrew nation and outside of it were born of the ,spirit1 and under ,his sway4 ,but there was a limit to what ,he could do1 because there was a limit to what had been done4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is the executive member of the ,godhead4 ,he applies to men what has been worked out1 or achieved for them1 and only that4 ,jesus came and did a new thing which stands wholly alone in history4 ,he lived a sinless life1 and then ,he died sacrificially for men1 and then further1 arose up to a new life after death4 ,the next step necessary was the sending down of the divine executive to work out in men this new achievement4 ,he does in men what ,jesus did for them4 ,he can do much more for us than for the ,old ,testament people because much more has been done for us by ,god through ,jesus4 ,the standing of a saved man before ,pentecost was like that of a young child in a rich family who cannot under the provisions of the family will come into his inheritance until the majority age is reached4 ,after the ,son of ,god came1 men are through ,him reckoned as being as ,he is1 namely in full possession of all rights conferred by being a born son of full age4 ,now note carefully that this ,book of ,acts marks the transition from the one period to the other4 ,and so one needs to be discriminating in applying the experiences of men passing through a transition period to those who live wholly afterwards4 ,the ,after-,teaching4 ,the after-,pentecost teaching1 that is the personal relation to the ,spirit by one who has received ,him to-day1 may best be learned from the epistles4 ,paul's letters form the bulk of the ,new ,testament after the ,book of ,acts is passed4 ,they contain the ,spirit's after-teaching regarding much which the disciples were not yet able to receive from ,jesus' own lips4 ,they were written to churches that were far from ideal4 ,they were composed largely of people dug out of the darkest heathenism4 ,and with the infinite patience and tact of the ,spirit ,paul writes to them with a pen dipped in his own heart4 ,a rather careful run through these thirteen letters brings to view two things about the relation of these people to the ,holy ,spirit4 ,first there are certain allusions or references to the ,spirit1 and then certain exhortations4 ,note first these allusions4#bh ,they are numerous4 ,in them it is constantly assumed that these people have received the ,holy ,spirit4 ,paul's dealing with the twelve disciples whom he found at ,ephesus#bi suggests his habit in dealing with all whom he taught4 ,reading that incident in connection with these letters seems to suggest that in every place he laid great stress upon the necessity of the ,spirit's control in every life4 ,and now in writing back to these friends nearly all the allusions to the ,spirit are in language that assumes that they have surrendered fully and been filled with ,his presence4 ,there are just four exhortations about the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is significant to notice what these are not4 ,they are not exhorted to seek the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit nor to wait for the filling4 ,there is no word about refillings1 fresh baptisms or anointings4 ,for these people1 unlike most of us to-day1 have been thoroughly instructed regarding the ,spirit and presumably have had the great radical experience of ,his full incoming4 ,on the other hand notice what these exhortations are4 ,to the ,thessalonians in his first letter he says1 ,quench not the ,spirit4#cj ,to the disciples scattered throughout the province of ,galatia who had been much disturbed by false leaders he gives a rule to be followed1 ,walk by the ,spirit4#ca ,the other two of these incisive words of advice are found in the ,ephesian letter--,grieve not the ,spirit of ,god1#cb and be ye filled with the ,spirit4#cc ,these exhortations like the allusions assume that they have received the ,spirit1 and know that they have4 ,the last quoted1 be ye filled1 may seem at first flush to be an exception to this1 but ,i think we shall see in a moment that a clearer rendering takes away this seeming1 and shows it as agreeing with the others in the general teaching4 ,this letter to the ,ephesians may perhaps be taken as a fair index of the ,new ,testament teaching on this matter after the descent of the ,spirit2 the after-teaching promised by ,jesus4 ,it bears evidence of being a sort of circular letter intended to be sent in turn to a number of the churches1 and is therefore a still better illustration of the after-teaching4 ,the latter half of the letter is dealing wholly with this question of the day-by-day life after the distinct act of surrender and infilling4 ,here are found two companion exhortations4 ,one is negative3 the other positive4 ,the two together suggest the rounded truth which we are now seeking4 ,on one side is this3--,grieve not the ,spirit of ,god1 and on the other side is this3--be ye filled with the ,spirit4 ,bishop ,h4 ,c4 ,g4 ,moule calls attention to the more nearly accurate reading of this last1--be ye filling with the ,spirit4 ,that suggests two things1 a habitual inflow1 and1 that it depends on us to keep the inlets ever open4 ,now around about these two companion exhortations are gathered two groups of friendly counsels4 ,one group is about the grieving things which must be avoided4 ,the other group is about the positive things to be cultivated4 ,and the inference of the whole passage is that this avoiding and this cultivating result in the habitual filling of the ,spirit's presence4 ,cross-,currents4 ,fresh supplies of power then seem to be dependent upon two things4 ,the first is this3--,keeping the life dear of hindrances4 ,this is the negative side1 though it takes very positive work4 ,it is really the abnormal side of the true life4 ,sin is abnormal1 unnatural4 ,it is a foreign element that has come into the world and into life disturbing the natural order4 ,it must be kept out4 ,the whole concern here is keeping certain things out of the life4 ,the task is that of staying in the world but keeping the world-spirit out of us4 ,we are to remain in the world for its sake1 but to allow nothing in it to disturb our full touch with the other world where our citizenship is4 ,the christian's position in this world is strikingly like that of a nation's ambassador at a foreign court4 ,joseph ,h4 ,choate mingles freely with the subjects of ,king ,edward1 attends many functions1 makes speeches1 grants occasional interviews1 but he is ever on the alert with his rarely keen mind1 and long years of legal training not to utter a syllable which might not properly come from the head of his home government4 ,never for one moment is he off his guard4 ,his whole aim is to keep in perfect sympathy with his home country as represented by its head4 ,he never forgets that he is there as a stranger1 sojourning for a while1 belonging to and representing a foreign country4 ,so1 and only so1 all the authority and power of his own government flows through his person and is in every word and act4 ,such a man invariably provides himself with a home in which is breathed the atmosphere of his far away homeland4 ,now we are strangers1 sojourners1 indeed more1 ambassadors1 representatives of a government foreign to the present prince of this world4 ,it is only as we keep in perfect sympathy with the homeland and its ,head that there can flow into and through us all the immeasurable power of our ,king4 ,whatever interrupts that intercourse with headquarters interrupts the flow of power in our lives and service4 ,we must guard most jealously against such things4 ,electricity helps a man here1 in the similes it suggests4 ,for instance the electric current passing into a building is sometimes mysteriously turned aside and work seriously interrupted4 ,a cross-wire dropping down out of place1 and leaning upon the feed-wire has drawn the power into itself and off somewhere else4 ,the cross is apt to be in some unknown place1 and much searching is frequently necessary before it can be found and fixed4 ,and all the work affected by that feed-wire waits till the fixing is done4 ,the spirit atmosphere in which we live is full1 chock-full1 of cross-currents4 ,and a man has to be keenly alert to keep his feed-wire clear4 ,if it be crossed1 or grounded1 away goes the power1 while he may be wondering why4 ,what are some of the cross-currents that threaten to draw the power of the feed-wire8 ,well1 just like the electric currents some of them seem very trivial4 ,here are a few of the commoner ones3-- ,failure to keep bodily appetites under control4 ,intimate fellowship with those who are enemies of our ,lord1 it may be in some organization1 or otherwise4 ,the absence of a spirit of loving sympathy4 ,the dominance in one's life of a critical spirit which saps the warmth out of everything it touches4 ,jealousy1 and the whole brood which that single word suggests4 ,keeping money which ,god would have out in service for himself4 ,self-seeking4 ,self-assertion4 ,a frivolous spirit1 instead of a joyous winsomeness1 or a sweet seriousness4 ,overworking one's bodily strength1 which grows out of a wrong ambition1 and is trusting one's own efforts more than ,god's power1 and which always involves disobedience of ,his law for the body4 ,over-anxiety which robs the mind of its freshness1 and the spirit of its sweetness1 and whose roots are the same as overwork4 ,the hot hasty word4 ,the uncontrolled temper4 ,the pride that will not confess to having been in the wrong4 ,lack of rugged honesty in speech4 ,carelessness in money matters4 ,lack of reverence for the body4 ,the unholy use between two1 whose relation is the most sacred of earth1 of that hallowed function of nature which has rigidly but one normal use4 ,some personal habit which may be common enough1 and for which plausible arguments can be made1 but which does take the fine edge off of the inner consciousness of the ,master's approval4 ,keen shrewd scheming for position by those in holy service4 ,paul's ,galatian letter supplies these items3--wrangling2 wordy disputes2 passionate outbursts of anger2 wire-pulling or electioneering1 that is1 using the world's methods to attain one's ends by those in ,god's service4 ,these are some of the cross-currents that are surely drawing the power out of many a life to-day4 ,but how may one know surely about the wrong thing8 ,well1 that ,one who resides within the heart is very sensitive and is very faithful4 ,if ,i will jealously keep on good terms1 aye on the best terms1 with ,him1 ever listening1 ever obeying1 ,i will come to know at first touch the thing that disturbs ,his sensitive spirit4 ,and to keep that thing out1 uncompromisingly1 unflinchingly out1 is the only safeguard here4 ,but there will be continual testings and temptings4 ,testings by ,god4 ,temptings by ,satan4 ,there will be testings by ,god that the realness of the surrender may be made clear1 and1 too1 that in these repeated siftings the dross may all go1 and only the pure gold remain4 ,the will must be exercised in rejecting and accepting that its fiber may be toughened4 ,no man knows how deep is his conviction until the test comes4 ,god will test for love's sake to strengthen4 ,satan will tempt for hate's sake to trip up and weaken4 ,god's testings will give strength for ,satan's temptings4 ,and out of this double furnace the gold comes doubly purified4 ,some circumstance arises involving a decision4 ,there is a clear conviction of what the inner ,one prefers but it runs against our plans in which friends or loved ones are concerned who may not see eye-to-eye with us4 ,to follow the conviction means misunderstanding and some sacrifice4 ,and so the test is on4 ,to be tactful1 and gentle in following rigidly the clear conviction will take grace1 and1 will bring a refining of life's strength and fabric4 ,to run through this old ,book and call the names is to bring to mind the men who have gone through just such testings and temptings2 some with splendid victory1 and some with shameful defeat4 ,so it comes to pass that surrender is not simply the initial act into this life of power4 ,it must become the continuous habit4 ,there must be a habitual living up to the act4 ,surrender comes to be an attitude of the will affecting every act and event of life4 ,and by and by the instinctive measuring of everything by its relation to ,jesus comes to be the involuntary habit of the life4 ,friends with ,god4 ,the second thing upon which fresh supplies of power hinge is the cultivation of personal friendship with ,god4 ,this is the positive side of the new life4 ,this is the true natural life4 ,it is the living constantly in the atmosphere of the ,spirit's presence4 ,the highest and closest relation possible between any two is friendship4 ,the basis of friendship is sympathy1 that is1 fellow-feeling4 ,the atmosphere of friendship is mutual unquestioning trust4 ,in the original meaning of the word1 a friend is a lover4 ,a friend is one who loves you for your sake alone1 and steadfastly loves1 regardless of any return1 even return-love4 ,friendship hungers for a closer knowledge1 and for a deeper intimacy4 ,friendship grows with exchange of confidences4 ,friends are confidants4 ,as in a double solitude1 ye think in each other's hearing4 ,a man's friendships shape his life more than aught else1 or all else4 ,now this is the tender relation which ,god ,himself desires with each of us4 ,did ,jesus ever speak more tenderly than on that last ,thursday night when ,he said to those constant companions of two years1 ,i have called you friends1 for all things that ,i heard from ,my ,father ,i have made known unto you8 ,out of his own experience ,david writes1 ,the friendship of the ,lord is with those that reverently love ,him1 and ,he will give evidence of ,his friendship by showing to them ,his covenant1 ,his plans1 and ,his power4 ,and ,david knew4 ,abraham had the reputation of being a friend of ,god4 ,he even trusted his darling boy's life to ,god when he could not understand what ,god was doing4 ,and he found ,god worthy of his friendship4 ,he spared that darling boy even though later ,he spared not ,his own darling boy4 ,it thrills one's heart to hear ,god saying1 ,abraham my friend4 ,friendship with ,god means such oneness of spirit with ,him that ,he may do with us and through us what ,he wills4 ,this and this alone is the true power--,god in us1 and ,god with us free to do as ,he wills4 ,now trust is the native air of friendship4 ,a breath of doubt chills and chokes4 ,if one is filled and surrounded by trust in ,god as the atmosphere of his life his touch with ,god then becomes most intimate4 ,satan cannot breathe in that atmosphere4 ,it chokes him4 ,air is the native element of the bird4 ,away from air it gasps and dies4 ,water is the native element of the fish4 ,out of water it chokes and gasps and dies4 ,trust is the native element of friendship--friendship with ,god4 ,a constant feeling of confidence in ,,god that believes in ,his overruling power1 and in ,his unfailing love1 and rests in ,him in the darkness when the thing you prize most is lying bound on the stony altar4 ,the ,spirit of ,god is a friend1 a lover4 ,he is ever wooing us up the heights4 ,let us climb up4 ,he is every wooing us into the inner recesses of friendship with ,himself4 ,shall we not go along with ,him8 ,this is the secret of a life ever fresh with the presence of ,god4 ,it is the only pathway of increasing youthfulness in the power of ,god4 ,and in old age1 when others fade1 ,they fruit still forth shall bring2 ,they shall be fat1 and full of sap1 ,and aye be flourishing4 ,a ,bunch of ,keys4 ,to those who would enter these inner sacred recesses here is a small bunch of keys which will unlock the doors4 ,three keys in this bunch2 a key-time1 a key-book1 and a key-word4 ,the key-time is time alone with ,god daily4 ,with the door shut4 ,outside things shut outside1 and one's self shut in alone with ,god4 ,this is the trysting-hour with our ,friend4 ,here ,he will reveal ,himself to us1 and reveal our real selves to ourselves4 ,this is going to school to ,god4 ,it is giving ,him a chance to instruct and correct1 to strengthen and mellow and sweeten us4 ,one must get alone to find out that he never is alone4 ,the more alone we are so far as men are concerned the least alone we are so far as ,god is concerned4 ,it must be unhurried time4 ,time enough to forget about time4 ,when the mind is fresh and open4 ,one must use this key if he is to know the sweets of friendship with ,god4 ,the key-book is this marvelous old classic of ,god's ,word4 ,take this book with you when you go to keep tryst with your ,friend4 ,god speaks in ,his ,word4 ,he will take these words and speak them with ,his own voice into the ear of your heart4 ,you will be surprised to find how light on every sort of question will come4 ,it is remarkable what a faithful half-hour daily with a good paragraph#cd ,bible in wide1 swift1 continuous reading will do in giving one a swing and a grasp of this old ,book4 ,in time1 and not long time either1 one will come to be saturated with its thought and spirit4 ,reading the ,bible is listening to ,god4 ,it is fairly pathetic what a hard time ,god has to get men's ears4 ,he is ever speaking but we will not be quiet enough to hear4 ,one always enjoys listening to his friend4 ,what this ,friend says to us will change radically our conceptions of ,himself1 and of life4 ,it will clear the vision1 and discipline the judgment1 and stiffen the will4 ,the key-word is obedience3 a glad prompt doing of what our ,friend desires because ,he desires it4 ,obedience is saying yes to ,god4 ,it is the harmony of the life with the will of ,god4 ,with some it seems to mean a servile bondage to details4 ,it should rather mean a spirit of intelligent loyalty to ,god4 ,it aims to learn ,his will1 and then to do it4 ,god's will is revealed in ,his word4 ,his particular will for my life ,he will reveal to me if ,i will listen1 and1 if ,i will obey1 so far as ,i know to obey4 ,if ,i obey what ,i know1 ,i will know more4 ,obedience is the organ of knowledge in the soul4 ,he that willeth to do ,his will shall know4 ,god's will includes ,his plan for a world1 and for each life in the world4 ,both concern us4 ,he would first work in us1 that ,he may work through us in ,his passionate outreach for a world4 ,his will includes every bit of one's life2 and therefore obedience must also include every bit4 ,a run out in a single direction may serve as a suggestion of many others4 ,the law of my body1 which obeyed brings or continues health is ,god's will1 as much as that which concerns moral action4 ,our bodies are holy because ,god lives in them4 ,overwork1 insufficient sleep1 that imprudent diet and eating which seems the rule rather than the exception1 carelessness of bodily protection in rain or storm or drafts or otherwise3--these are sins against ,god's will for the body1 and no one who is disobedient here can ever be a channel of power up to the measure of ,god's longing for us4 ,and so regarding all of one's life1 one must ever keep an open mind ,godward so as to get a well balanced sense of what ,his will is4 ,practice is the great thing here4 ,this is school work4 ,by persistent listening and practising there comes a mature judgment which avoids extremes in both directions4 ,but the rule is this3 cheery prompt obeying regardless of consequences4 ,disobedience1 failure to obey1 is breaking with our ,friend4 ,these are the three keys which will let us into the innermost chambers of friendship with ,god4 ,and with them goes a key-ring on which these keys must be strung4 ,it is this3--implicit trust in ,god4 ,trust is the native air of friendship4 ,in its native air it grows strong and beautiful4 ,whatever disturbs an active abiding trust in ,god must be driven out of doors1 and kept out4 ,doubt chills the air below normal4 ,anxiety overheats the air4 ,a calm looking up into ,god's face with an unquestioning faith in ,him under every sort of circumstance--this is trust4 ,faith has three elements3 knowledge1 belief and trust4 ,knowledge is acquaintance with certain facts4 ,belief is accepting these facts as true4 ,trust is risking something that is very precious4 ,trust is the life-blood of faith4 ,this is the atmosphere of the true natural life as planned by ,god4 ,if a wren can cling ,to a spray a-swing ,in a mad ,may wind1 and sing1 and sing1 ,as if she'd burst for joy2 ,why cannot ,i1 ,contented lie1 ,in ,his quiet arms1 beneath ,his sky1 ,unmoved by earth's annoy8 ,shall we take these keys1 and this key-ring and use them faithfully8 ,it will mean intimate friendship with ,god4 ,and that is the one secret of power1 fresh1 and ever freshening4 ,there is a simple story told of an old ,german friend of ,god which illustrates all of this with a charming picturesqueness4 ,professor ,johan ,albrecht ,bengal was a teacher in the seminary in ,denkendorf1 ,germany1 in the eighteenth century4 ,he united profound reverence for the ,bible with an acuteness which let nothing escape him4 ,the seminary students used to wonder at the great intellectuality1 and great humility and ,christliness which blended their beauty in him4 ,one night1 one of them1 eager to learn the secret of his holy life1 slipped up into his apartments while the professor was out lecturing in the city1 and hid himself behind the heavy curtains in the deep recess of the old-fashioned window4 ,quite a while he waited until he grew weary and thought of how weary his teacher must be with his long day's work in the class-room and the city4 ,at length he heard the step in the hall1 and waited breathlessly to learn the coveted secret4 ,the man came in1 changed his shoes for slippers1 and sitting down at the study table1 opened the old well-thumbed ,german ,bible and began reading leisurely page by page4 ,a half-hour he read1 three-quarters of an hour1 an hour1 and more yet4 ,then leaning his head down on his hands for a few minutes in silence he said in the simplest most familiar way1 ,well1 ,lord ,jesus1 we're on the same old terms4 ,good-night4 ,if we might live like that4 ,begin the day with a bit of time alone1 a good-morning talk with ,him4 ,and as the day goes on in its busy round sometimes to put out your hand to ,him1 and under your breath say1 let's keep on good terms1 ,lord ,jesus4 ,and then when eventide comes in to go off alone with ,him for a quiet look into ,his face1 and a good-night talk1 and to be able to say1 with reverent familiarity3 ,good-night1 ,lord ,jesus1 we are on the same old terms1 you and ,i1 good-night4 ,ah6 such a life will be fairly fragrant with the very presence of ,god4 ,,footnotes3 #be ,hosea xiv3 #e4 #bf ,john vii3 #cg-ci4 #bg ,ezekiel xlvii3 #a-ab4 #bh #a ,thessalonians iv3 #h #a ,corinthians xii3 #a-aa4 #b ,corinthians xi3 #d ,galatians iii3 #b-e2 iv3 #f2 v3 #e1 #ah1;,d #bb-be4 ,romans viii3 #a-bg1 xv3 #ac4 ,colossians i3 #h4 ,philippians iii3 #c4 ,titus iii3 #e-f4 ,transcriber's ,note ,d3 ,original had #ah1 #ah1 #bi ,acts xix3 #a-g4 #cj #a ,thessalonians v3 #ai4 #ca ,galatians v3 #af4 #cb ,ephesians iv3 #cj4 #cc ,eph4 v3 #ah4 #cd ,one beauty of the revised version is its paragraphing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,works ,,by ,g ,,campbell ,,morgan ,a ,new ,popular ,edition ,,the ,,crises ,,of ,,the ,,christ4 ,,dr4 ,,morgan',s ,,most ,,comprehensive ,,work4 #hvo1 cloth1 #a4ej net4 ,a ,,first ,,century ,,message ,,to ,,twentieth ,,century ,,christians4 ,,addresses ,,upon ,,the ,,seven ,,churches ,,of ,,asia4 ,cloth1 net #a4jj4 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,god4 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4be4 ,,god',s ,,methods ,,with ,,man4 ,,in ,,time--,,past1 ,,present ,,and ,,future4 ,with colored chart4 #abmo1 paper1 #ej cents ,cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,wherein ,,have ,,we ,,robbed ,,god8 ,,malachi',s ,,message ,,to ,,the ,,men ,,of ,,to-,,day4 #abmo1 cloth1 #ge cents4 ,,god',s ,,perfect ,,will4 #afmo1 cloth1 #ej cents net4 ,,life ,,problems4 ,,little ,,books ,,series4 ,long #afmo1 #ej cents4 ,,the ,,ten ,,commandments4 ,,studies ,,in ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,moses ,,and ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,christ4 #abmo1 cloth1 #ej cents net4 ,,discipleship4 ,,little ,,books ,,series4 ,long #afmo1 cloth1 #ej;c4 ,,the ,,hidden ,,years ,,at ,,nazareth4 ,,quiet ,,hour ,,series4 #ahmo1 cloth1 #be cents4 ,,the ,,true ,,estimate ,,of ,,life4 ,,an ,,entirely ,,new1 ,,revised ,,and ,,enlarged ,,edition4 #hj cents net4 ,,all ,,things ,,new4 ,a ,,message ,,to ,,new ,,converts4 #afmo1 paper1 #aj cents net4 ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,,toronto 99 99 99 99 99 ,,works ,,by ,,robert ,e4 ,,speer ,,missionary ,,principles ,,and ,,practice4 ,a ,discussion of ,christian ,missions and some ,criticisms upon them4 #hvo1 cloth1 net #a4ej4 ,,the ,,principles ,,of ,,jesus4 ,as applied to some ,questions of to-day4 #afmo1 cloth1 net #hj;c4 ,,christ ,,and ,,life4 ,papers on the ,practice of the ,christian ,life4 #afmo1 cloth1 net #a4jj4 ,,remember ,,jesus ,,christ4 ,and other talks about ,christ and the ,christian ,life4 ,long #afmo1 cloth1 #ge;c4 ,,studies ,,of ,,the ,,man ,,christ ,,jesus4 ,twelfth ,thousand4 ,long #afmo1 cloth1 #ge;c4 ,,studies ,,of ,,the ,,man ,,paul4 ,uniform with the ,man ,christ ,jesus4 ,long #afmo1 cloth1 #ge;c4 ,,missions ,,and ,,politics ,,in ,,asia4 ,studies of the ,spirit of the ,eastern peoples1 the present making of history in ,asia1 and the part therein of ,christian ,missions4 ,student's ,lectures on ,missions1 ,princeton1 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4jj4 ,a ,,memorial ,,of ,a ,,true ,,life4 ,a ,biography of ,,hugh ,,mcallister ,,beaver4 ,with ,portrait4 #abmo1 cloth1 #a4jj4 ,,gambling ,,and ,,betting4 ,a ,frank ,talk to ,young ,men of ,to-day1 paper1 net #aj;c4 ,,the ,,situation ,,in ,,china4 ,a ,record of ,cause and ,effect1 #abmo1 paper1 net #aj;c4 ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,,toronto 99 99 99 99 99 ,,works ,,by ,,hannah ,,whitall ,,smith ,,the ,,christian',s ,,secret ,,of ,a ,,happy ,,life ,no4 #jb4 ,cloth4 #ge;c4 ,no4 #jc4 ,cloth1 gilt edges4 #a4jj ,no4 #jd4 ,white cloth1 boxed4 #a4be ,popular edition1 #abmo1 cloth4 #ej cents4 ,,the ,,handy ,,classic ,,edition4 #afmo4 ,no4 #c4 ,cloth1 gilt edges4 #he cents4 ,no4 #ca_/b4 ,decorated white vellum1 gilt edges4 #a4jj4 ,no4 #d4 ,french morocco seal4 #a4ej4 ,no4 #ab4 ,best ,german calf1 embossed4 #b4be4 ,no4 #ad4 ,best ,german calf1 padded4 #b4ej4 ,nos4 #d1 #ab and #ad are gilt edges1 round corners1 boxed4 ,,swedish ,,edition4 #abmo1 cloth4 #ge cents4 ,,danish-,,norwegian4 #abmo1 cloth4 #ge cents4 ,,german ,,edition4 #abmo1 cloth4 #ge cents4 ,h4 ,w4 ,s4 ,,library4 #e ,volumes4 #abmo1 cloth4 #d4ej4 ,comprising ,,the ,,christian',s ,,secret ,,of ,a ,,happy ,,life4 ,,the ,,open ,,secret4 ,,every-,,day ,,religion4 ,,old ,,testament ,,types ,,and ,,teaching4 ,,frank3 ,,the ,,record ,,of ,a ,,happy ,,life4 ,,child ,,culture2 ,,or1 ,,the ,,science ,,of ,,motherhood #afmo1 decorated boards1 #cj cents4 ,,envelope ,,series ,,of ,,tracts1 ,,chapters ,,from ,,the ,,christian',s ,,secret ,,of ,a ,,happy ,,life4 ,net1 per dozen1 #bj cents4 ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,,chicago ,,new ,,york ,,toronto ,,publishers ,,of ,,evangelical ,,literature 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,works ,,of ,,hugh ,,black ,,culture ,,and ,,restraint #hvo1 ,decorated1 cloth1 ,gilt ,top1 #a4ej net4 ,it is not an indifferent problem of abstract philosophy1 but an urgent question of every-day life1 and it is not as a pendant1 but as a practical man1 that ,mr4 ,black deals with it1 anxious not to spin plausible theories1 but to give facts their exact weight4 ,his work is that of a critic in the true sense of the word4--,evening ,post4 ,,the ,,dream ,,of ,,youth #abmo1 ,decorated ,boards1 #cj cts4 ,an excellent discourse1 based on ,solomon's choice of wisdom in a dream4444 ,the stress on the relation of what youth aspires to1 and the consequent career1 is enforced with ,scotch vigor4--,the ,s4 ,s4 ,times4 ,,friendship ,with an ,introductory ,note by ,w4 ,robertson ,nicoll1 ,d4,d42 and marginal and other decorations by ,f4 ,berkeley ,smith4 ,printed in two colors4 ,thirty-fifth thousand1 #abmo1 decorated cloth4 gilt top1 boxed4 #a4be4 ,half ,persian ,morocco1 gilt top1 boxed4 #b4jj net4 ,full ,persian ,morocco1 round corners1 red under gold edges4 #b4ej net4 ,mr4 ,black is a man of great spiritual earnestness1 simplicity of nature1 and very fine intellectual quality4 ,this volume1 which is tender and winning1 and at the same time vigorous and incisive1 shows the fine grain of the man's nature4 ,the subject is an old one2 the treatment is fresh1 vivacious1 and genuinely religious4--,the ,outlook4 ,,fleming ,h4 ,,revell ,,company ,,new ,,york ,,chicago ,,toronto