,,when ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,is ,,come4 ,,by ,,colonel ,s4 ,l4 ,,brengle1 ,edited by ,,bramwell ,,booth4 ,,foreword4 ,the ,salvation ,army1 contrary to what has often been thought by surface observers1 has owed its existence1 its strength1 and its success chiefly to our careful attention to the profoundest questions of the soul4 ,and still1 as always1 we wish to urge upon all the study of those great practical truths1 without the proclamation of which our work for men would cease to have any abiding value4 ,we glory in the knowledge of ,christ as a perfect ,saviour just as much for this1 our own time1 as for any past generation1 or for any generation yet to come4 ,the pretence that this age has reached some superior development1 whether mental or moral1 for which a new kind of ,saviour is needed1 seems to us absurd4 ,and we do not believe it can long endure where ,christ is really known4 ,to the most thoughtful1 therefore1 as well as to those who have the least time for thought1 ,i earnestly commend the words of devout and practical men upon those great questions1 which ,i hope to see reproduced in the series of which the present volume is the first4 ,prayerful reading of their messages cannot but lead to immediate action1 to a complete self-abandonment to ,god1 and to a realizing faith in ,his power to use every one of ,his sons and daughters for the healing of the world's open sores and the triumph of ,his ,rule4 ,,bramwell ,,booth4 ,,london1 ,january1 #aiji4 ,,contents4 ,,preface ,i4 ,,who ,,is ,,he8 ,,ii4 ,,preparing ,,his ,,house ,,iii4 ,,is ,,the ,,baptism ,,with ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,a ,,third ,,blessing8 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,witness ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,v4 ,,purity ,,vi4 ,,power ,,vii4 ,,trying ,,the ,,spirits ,,viii4 ,,guidance ,,ix4 ,,the ,,meek ,,and ,,lowly ,,heart ,x4 ,,hope ,,xi4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit',s ,,substitute ,,for ,,gossip ,,and ,,evil-,,speaking ,,xii4 ,,the ,,sin ,,against ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,xiii4 ,,offences ,,against ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,and ,,sound ,,doctrine ,,xv4 ,,praying ,,in ,,the ,,spirit ,,xvi4 ,,characteristics ,,of ,,the ,,anointed ,,preacher ,,xvii4 ,,preaching ,,xix4 ,,the ,,sheathed ,,sword3 ,a ,,law ,,of ,,the ,,spirit ,,xx4 ,,victory ,,through ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,over ,,suffering ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,overflowing ,,blessing ,,xxii4 ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,and ,,experience ,,of ,,holiness ,,to ,,spiritual ,,leaders ,,xxiii4 ,,victory ,,over ,,evil ,,temper ,,by ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,preface4 ,it is no small pleasure to me to commend this book to all who love ,god1 and in particular to those who are labouring to serve ,him in the ranks of ,the ,salvation ,army4 ,i believe that it will prove useful in the most important ways--in its bearing1 that is1 upon many of the practical difficulties and problems of daily life4 ,the writer1 ,colonel ,brengle1 gives us not only of the fruit of an orderly and well-stored mind on the great subject before us1 but--and this is the more important--he tells us of the actual work of the ,holy ,spirit in the lives of ordinary men and women1 as he has witnessed the results of that work amidst his many labours for the ,salvation and ,holiness of the people4 ,it is for them he writes4 ,it is to them1 living the common life1 bound to others by the obligations of ordinary social intercourse1 toiling at their secular occupations1 and rubbing shoulders with the multitude in the market-place1 that his message comes4 ,i venture to hope that his words will make it plain to some of them that the highest intercourse with the ,divine is their privilege2 that the special province of the ,holy ,ghost is to lead men into the truest devotion to ,god1 and to the advancement of ,his ,kingdom on earth1 even while they are carrying on the common avocations associated with earning their daily bread4 ,the only purpose of ,god having a practical bearing on our lives is ,his purpose to save men from sin and its awful consequences1 and make them conform to ,his will in this world as in the next4 ,the work of the ,holy ,spirit is to help us to achieve that purpose4 ,without ,his help we are unable to overcome the difficulties that are in the way1 whether we consider them from the standpoint of the world or of the individual4 ,if anyone could have looked at the state of the world at the time of our ,lord's death he would surely have regarded the work which the ,apostles were commissioned to attempt as the most utterly wild and impracticable enterprise that the human mind could conceive4 ,and it was so1 but for one fact4 ,that fact was the promise of the ,comforter1 the ,holy ,spirit1 to be the great ,helper in the undertaking4 ,and equally in the work of uniting the individual soul with ,god's purpose that ,spirit is our ,helper4 ,in the work of righteousness ,he is a ,partner with us4 ,in the life of faith and prayer ,he is our unwavering ,prompter and ,guide4 ,in the submission of our wills to ,god and the chastening of our spirits ,he is the great ,co-worker with us4 ,in the bearing of burdens and the enduring of trial and sorrow ,he joins hands with us to lead us on4 ,in the purifying of every power from the taint of sin ,he is our ,sanctifier4 ,all this is practical4 ,it has to do with to-day--with every bit of to-day4 ,in fact1 so far from the sphere of the ,holy ,spirit being limited to the pulpit or the platform1 or to the inward experiences of the religious life1 ,he is just as truly and properly concerned with the affairs of the shop and the street1 the nursery and the kitchen1 the chamber of suffering and the home of penury1 as with preaching the ,gospel or healing the sick4 ,now it is to lead its readers to a personal experience of all this that this book has been written4 ,no mere intellectual assent to the truth it sets forth can satisfy its author1 any more than it can benefit his readers4 ,what he seeks1 and what ,i join him in devoutly asking of ,god1 is that you1 dear friend1 who may take this little volume into your hands1 may see what an infinite privilege is yours1 and may begin to act with ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 and to open your whole being to ,him1 that ,he may work with you4 ,,bramwell ,,booth4 ,,london1 ,january1 #aiji4 ,i4 ,,who ,,is ,,he8 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,on that last eventful evening in the upper room1 just after the ,passover feast1 ,jesus spoke to ,his disciples about ,his departure1 and1 having commanded them to love one another1 ,he besought them not to be troubled in heart1 but to hold fast their faith in ,him1 assuring them that1 though ,he was to die and leave them1 ,he was but going to the ,father's many-mansioned house to prepare a place for them4 ,but already they were troubled1 for what could this death and departure mean but the destruction of all their hopes1 of all their cherished plans8 ,jesus had drawn them away from their fishing-boats1 their places of custom and daily employment1 and inspired them with high personal and patriotic ambitions1 and encouraged them to believe that ,he was the ,seed of ,david1 the promised ,messiah2 and they hoped that ,he would cast out ,pilate and his hated ,roman garrison1 restore the kingdom to ,israel1 and sit on ,david's throne1 a ,king1 reigning in righteousness and undisputed power and majesty for ever4 ,and then1 were they not to be ,his ,ministers of ,state and chief men in ,his ,kingdom8 ,he was their ,leader1 directing their labours2 their ,teacher1 instructing their ignorance and solving their doubts and all their puzzling problems2 their ,defence1 stilling the stormy sea and answering for them when questioned by wise and wily enemies4 ,they were poor and unlearned and weak4 ,in ,him was all their help1 and what would they do1 what could they do1 without ,him8 ,they were without social standing1 without financial prestige1 without learning or intellectual equipment1 without political or military power4 ,he was their ,all1 and without ,him they were as helpless as little children1 as defenceless as lambs in the midst of wolves4 ,how could their poor hearts be otherwise than troubled8 ,but then ,he gave them a strange1 wonderful1 reassuring promise3 ,he said1 ,if ye love ,me1 keep ,my commandments4 ,and ,i will pray the ,father1 and ,he shall give you another ,comforter1 that ,he may abide with you for ever 7,john xiv4 #ae1 #af74 ,i am going away1 but ,another shall come1 who will fill ,my place4 ,he shall not go away1 but abide with you for ever1 and ,he shall be in you4 ,and later ,he added3 ,it is expedient for you--that is1 better for you--that ,i go away2 for if ,i go not away1 the ,comforter will not come4 ,who is this other ,one--this ,comforter8 ,he must be some august ,divine ,person1 and not a mere influence or impersonal force1 for how else could ,he take and fill the place of ,jesus8 ,how else could it be said that it was better to have ,him than to have ,jesus remaining in the flesh8 ,he must be strong and wise1 and tender and true1 to take the place of the ,blessed ,one who is to die and depart4 ,who is ,he8 ,john1 writing in the ,greek language1 calls ,him ,paraclete1 but we in ,english call ,him ,comforter4 ,but ,paraclete means more1 much more than ,comforter4 ,it means one called in to help3 an advocate1 a helper4 ,the same word is used of ,jesus in i ,john ii4 i3 ,we have an ,advocate1 a ,paraclete1 a ,helper1 with the ,father1 ,jesus ,christ the righteous4 ,just as ,jesus had gone to be the disciples' ,advocate1 their ,helper in the ,heavens1 so this other ,paraclete was to be their ,advocate1 their ,helper on earth4 ,he would be their ,comforter when comfort was needed2 but ,he would be more2 ,he would be also their ,teacher1 ,guide1 ,strengthener1 as ,jesus had been4 ,at every point of need there would ,he be as an ever-present and all-wise1 almighty ,helper4 ,he would meet their need with ,his sufficiency2 their weakness with ,his strength2 their foolishness with ,his wisdom2 their ignorance with ,his knowledge2 their blindness and short-sightedness with ,his perfect1 all-embracing vision4 ,hallelujah6 ,what a ,comforter6 ,why should they be troubled8 ,they were weak1 but ,he would strengthen them with might in the inner man 7,eph4 iii4 #af74 ,they were to give the world the words of ,jesus1 and teach all nations 7,matthew xxviii4 #ai1 #bj72 and ,he would teach them all things1 and bring to their remembrance whatsoever ,jesus had said to them 7,john xiv4 #bf74 ,they were to guide their converts in the right way1 and ,he was to guide them into all truth 7,john xvi4 #ac74 ,they were to attack hoary systems of evil1 and inbred and actively intrenched sin1 in every human heart2 but ,he was to go before them1 preparing the way for conquest1 by convincing the world of sin1 of righteousness1 and of judgment 7,john xvi4 #h74 ,they were to bear heavy burdens and face superhuman tasks1 but ,he was to give them power 7,acts i4 #h74 ,indeed1 ,he was to be a ,comforter1 a ,strengthener1 a ,helper4 ,jesus had been external to them4 ,often they missed ,him4 ,sometimes ,he was asleep when they felt they sorely needed ,him4 ,sometimes ,he was on the mountains1 while they were in the valley vainly trying to cast out stubborn devils1 or wearily toiling on the tumultuous1 wind-tossed sea4 ,sometimes ,he was surrounded by vast crowds1 and ,he entered into high disputes with the doctors of the law1 and they had to wait till ,he was alone to seek explanations of ,his teachings4 ,but they were never to lose this other ,helper in the crowd1 nor be separated for an instant from ,him1 for no human being1 nor untoward circumstance1 nor physical necessity1 could ever come between ,him and them1 for1 said ,jesus1 ,he shall be in you4 ,from the words used to declare the sayings1 the doings1 the offices and works of the ,comforter1 the ,holy ,spirit1 we are forced to conclude that ,he is a ,divine ,person4 ,out of the multitude of ,scriptures which might be quoted1 note this passage1 which1 as nearly as is possible with human language1 reveals to us ,his personality3 ,now there were in the ,church that was at ,antioch certain prophets and teachers444 ,as they ministered to the ,lord1 and fasted1 the ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate ,me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them4 ,and when they had fasted and prayed1 and laid their hands on them1 they sent them away4 ,so they1 being sent forth by the ,holy ,ghost1 departed into ,seleucia 7,acts xiii4 #a-d74 ,further on we read that they were forbidden of the ,holy ,ghost to preach the word in ,asia2 and when they would have gone into ,bithynia1 the ,spirit suffered them not 7,acts xvi4 #f1 #g74 ,again1 when the messengers of ,cornelius1 the ,roman centurion1 were seeking ,peter1 the ,spirit said unto him1 ,behold1 three men seek thee4 ,arise1 therefore1 and get thee down1 and go with them1 doubting nothing3 for ,i have sent them 7,acts x4 #ai1 #bj74 ,these are but a few of the passages of ,scripture that might be quoted to establish the fact of ,his personality--,his power to think1 to will1 to act1 to speak2 and if ,his personality is not made plain in these ,scriptures1 then it is impossible for human language to make it so4 ,indeed1 ,i am persuaded that if an intelligent heathen1 who had never seen the ,bible1 should for the first time read the four ,gospels and the ,acts of the ,apostles1 he would say that the personality of the ,holy ,spirit is as clearly revealed in the ,acts as is the personality of ,jesus ,christ in the ,gospels4 ,in truth1 the ,acts of the ,apostles are in a large measure the acts of the ,holy ,spirit1 and the disciples were not more certainly under the immediate direction of ,jesus during the three years of ,his earthly ministry than they were under the direct leadership of the ,spirit after ,pentecost4 ,but1 while there are those that admit ,his personality1 yet in their loyalty to the ,divine ,unity they deny the ,trinity1 and maintain that the ,holy ,spirit is only the ,father manifesting ,himself as ,spirit1 without any distinction in personality4 ,but this view cannot be harmonised with certain ,scriptures4 ,while the ,bible and reason plainly declare that there is but one ,god1 yet the ,scriptures as clearly reveal that there are three ,persons in the ,godhead--,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost4 ,the form of ,paul's benediction to the ,corinthians proves the doctrine3-- ,the grace of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and the love of ,god1 and the communion of the ,holy ,ghost1 be with you all4 ,amen 7#b ,cor4 xiii4 #ad74 ,again1 it is taught in the promise of ,jesus1 already quoted1 ,and ,i will pray the ,father1 and ,he shall give you another ,comforter444 the ,spirit of ,truth 7,john xiv4 #af1 #ag74 ,here the three ,persons of the ,godhead are clearly revealed4 ,the ,son prays2 the ,father answers2 the ,spirit comes4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is another ,comforter1 a second ,comforter succeeding the first1 who was ,jesus1 and both were given by the ,father4 ,do you say1 ,i cannot understand it8 ,neither do ,i4 ,who can understand it8 ,god does not expect us to understand it4 ,nor would ,he have us puzzle our heads and trouble our hearts in attempting to understand it or harmonise it with our knowledge of arithmetic4 ,note this3 it is only the fact that is revealed2 how there can be three ,persons in one ,godhead is not revealed4 ,the how is a mystery1 and is not a matter of faith at all2 but the fact is a matter of revelation1 and therefore a matter of faith4 ,i myself am a mysterious trinity of body1 mind1 and spirit4 ,the fact ,i believe1 but the how is not a thing to believe4 ,it is at this point that many puzzle and perplex themselves needlessly4 ,in the ordinary affairs of life we grasp facts1 and hold them fast1 without puzzling ourselves over the how of things4 ,who can explain how food sustains life2 how light reveals material objects1 how sound conveys ideas to our minds8 ,it is the fact we know and believe1 but the how we pass by as a mystery unrevealed4 ,what ,god has revealed1 we believe4 ,we cannot understand how ,jesus turned water into wine2 how ,he multiplied a few loaves and fishes and fed thousands2 how ,he stilled the stormy sea2 how ,he opened blind eyes1 healed lepers1 and raised the dead by a word4 ,but the facts we believe4 ,wireless telegraphic messages are sent over the vast wastes of ocean4 ,that is a fact1 and we believe it4 ,but how they go we do not know4 ,that is not something to believe4 ,it is a matter of pure speculation1 and is unexplained4 ,an old servant of ,god has pointed out that it is the fact of the ,trinity1 and not the manner of it1 which ,god has revealed1 and made a subject for our faith4 ,but while the ,scriptures reveal to us the fact of the personality of the ,holy ,spirit1 and it is a subject for our faith1 to those in whom ,he dwells this fact may become a matter of sacred knowledge1 of blessed experience4 ,how else can we account for the positive and assured way in which the ,apostles and disciples spoke of the ,holy ,ghost on and after the day of ,pentecost1 if they did not know ,him8 ,immediately after the fiery baptism1 with its blessed filling1 ,peter stood before the people1 and said3 ,this is that which was spoken by the prophet ,joel3 ,and it shall come to pass in the last days1 saith ,god1 ,i will pour out ,my ,spirit upon all flesh2 then he exhorted the people and assured them that if they would meet certain simple conditions they should receive the gift of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he said to ,ananias1 ,why hath ,satan filled thine heart to lie to the ,holy ,ghost8 ,he declared to the ,high ,priest and ,council that he and his fellow-,apostles were witnesses of the resurrection of ,jesus3 and added1 ,and so is also the ,holy ,ghost1 whom ,god hath given to them that obey ,him4 ,without any apology or explanation1 or think so or hope so1 they speak of being filled 7not simply with some new1 strange experience or emotion1 but7 with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,certainly they must have known ,him4 ,and if they knew ,him1 may not we8 ,paul says3 ,now we have received1 not the spirit of the world1 but the ,spirit which is of ,god2 that we might know the things that are freely given to us of ,god4 ,which things also we speak1 not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth1 but which the ,holy ,ghost teacheth 7,i ,cor4 ii4 #ab1 #ac74 ,and if we know the words1 may we not know the ,teacher of the words8 ,john ,wesley says3-- ,the knowledge of the ,three-,one ,god is interwoven with all true ,christian faith1 with all vital religion4 ,i do not say1 he adds1 that every real ,christian can say1 with the ,marquis de ,renty1 ',i bear about with me continually an experimental verity1 and a fullness of the ever-blessed ,trinity4 ,i apprehend that this is not the experience of babes1 but rather fathers in ,christ4' ,but ,i know not how anyone can be a ,christian believer till he 'hath the witness in himself1' till 'the ,spirit of ,god witnesses with his spirit that he is a child of ,god'2 that is1 in effect1 till ,god the ,holy ,ghost witnesses that ,god the ,father has accepted him through the merits of ,god the ,son4 ,not that every ,christian believer adverts to this2 perhaps1 at first1 not one in twenty2 but1 if you ask them a few questions1 you will easily find it is implied in what he believes4 ,i shall never forget my joy1 mingled with awe and wonder1 when this dawned upon my consciousness4 ,for several weeks ,i had been searching the ,scriptures1 ransacking my heart1 humbling my soul1 and crying to ,god almost day and night for a pure heart and the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost1 when one glad1 sweet day 7it was ,january #ith1 #ahhe7 this text suddenly opened to my understanding3 ,if we confess our sins1 ,he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins1 and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness2 and ,i was enabled to believe without any doubt that the precious blood cleansed my heart1 even mine1 from all sin4 ,shortly after that1 while reading these words of ,jesus to ,martha3 ,i am the resurrection and the life2 he that believeth on ,me1 though he were dead1 yet shall he live2 and he that liveth and believeth on ,me shall never die1 instantly my heart was melted like wax before fire2 ,jesus ,christ was revealed to my spiritual consciousness1 revealed in me1 and my soul was filled with unutterable love4 ,i walked in a heaven of love4 ,then one day1 with amazement1 ,i said to a friend3 ,this is the perfect love about which the ,apostle ,john wrote2 but it is beyond all ,i dreamed of2 in it is personality2 this love thinks1 wills1 talks with me1 corrects me1 instructs and teaches me4 ,and then ,i knew that ,god the ,holy ,ghost was in this love1 and that this love was ,god1 for ,god is love4 ,oh1 the rapture mingled with reverential1 holy fear--for it is a rapturous1 yet divinely fearful thing--to be indwelt by the ,holy ,ghost1 to be a temple of the ,living ,god6 ,great heights are always opposite great depths1 and from the heights of this blessed experience many have plunged into the dark depths of fanaticism4 ,but we must not draw back from the experience through fear4 ,all danger will be avoided by meekness and lowliness of heart2 by humble1 faithful service2 by esteeming others better than ourselves1 and in honour preferring them before ourselves2 by keeping an open1 teachable spirit2 in a word1 by looking steadily unto ,jesus1 to whom the ,holy ,spirit continually points us3 for ,he would not have us fix our attention exclusively upon ,himself and ,his work in us1 but also upon the ,crucified ,one and ,his work for us1 that we may walk in the steps of ,him whose blood purchases our pardon1 and makes and keeps us clean4 ,great ,paraclete6 to ,thee we cry3 ,o highest ,gift of ,god most high6 ,o ,fount of life6 ,o ,fire of love6 ,and sweet ,anointing from above6 ,our senses touch with light and fire2 ,our hearts with tender love inspire2 ,and with endurance from on high ,the weakness of our flesh supply4 ,far back our enemy repel1 ,and let ,thy peace within us dwell2 ,so may we1 having ,thee for ,guide1 ,turn from each hurtful thing aside4 ,oh1 may ,thy grace on us bestow ,the ,father and the ,son to know1 ,and evermore to hold confessed ,thyself of ,each the ,spirit blest4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,ii4 ,,preparing ,,his ,,house4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,jesus said1 ,verily1 verily1 ,i say unto thee1 ,except a man be born of water and of the ,spirit1 he cannot enter into the ,kingdom of ,god4 ,that which is born of the flesh is flesh2 and that which is born of the ,spirit is spirit4 ,and ,paul wrote to the ,romans that1 ,if any man have not the ,spirit of ,christ1 he is none of ,his4 ,so it must be that every child of ,god1 every truly converted person1 has the ,holy ,spirit in some gracious manner and measure1 else he would not be a child of ,god2 for it is only as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god that are the sons of ,god4 ,it is the ,holy ,spirit who convicts us of sin1 who makes us feel how good and righteous1 and just and patient ,god is1 and how guilty we are1 and how unfit for ,heaven1 and how near to ,hell4 ,it is the ,holy ,spirit who leads us to true repentance and confession and amendment of life2 and when our repentance is complete1 and our surrender is unconditional1 it is ,he who reasons with us1 and calms our fears1 and soothes our troubled hearts1 and banishes our darkness1 and enables us to look to ,jesus1 and believe on ,him for the forgiveness of all our sins and the salvation of our souls4 ,and when we yield and trust1 and are accepted of the ,lord1 and are saved by grace1 it is ,he who assures us of the ,father's favour1 and notifies us that we are saved4 ,the ,spirit ,himself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of ,god4 ,he is the ,spirit of adoption1 whereby we cry1 ,abba1 ,father4 ,and ,his that gentle voice we hear1 ,soft as the breath of even2 ,that checks each thought1 that calms each fear1 ,and speaks of ,heaven4 ,it is ,he who strengthens the new convert to fight against and overcome sin1 and it is ,he who begets within him a hope of fuller righteousness through faith in ,christ4 ,and every virtue we possess1 ,and every victory won1 ,and every thought of holiness1 ,are ,his alone4 ,blessed be ,god for this work of the ,holy ,spirit within the heart of every true child of ,his6 ,but1 great and gracious as is this work1 it is not the fiery pentecostal baptism with the ,spirit which is promised2 it is not the fullness of the ,holy ,ghost to which we are exhorted4 ,it is only the clear dawn of the day1 and not the rising of the day-star4 ,this is only the initial work of the ,spirit4 ,it is perfect of its kind1 but it is preparatory to another and fuller work1 about which ,i wish to write4 ,jesus said to ,his disciples1 concerning the ,holy ,spirit1 that the world 7the unsaved1 unrepentant7 cannot receive ,him1 because it seeth ,him not1 neither knoweth ,him2 because they resist ,him1 and will not permit ,him to work in their hearts4 ,and then ,jesus added1 but ye know ,him2 for ,he dwelleth with you4444 ,he had begun ,his work in them1 but there was more to follow1 for ,jesus said1 and shall be in you4 ,when a man is building himself a house1 he is in and out of it and round about it4 ,but we do not say he lives in it until it has been completed4 ,and it is in that sense that ,jesus said1 ,he dwelleth with you4 ,but when the house is finished1 the owner sweeps out all the chips and saw-dust1 scrubs the floor1 lays down his carpets1 hangs up his pictures1 arranges his furniture1 and moves in with his family4 ,then he is in the fullest sense within it4 ,he abides there4 ,now1 it is in that sense that ,jesus meant that the ,holy ,spirit should be in them4 ,this is fitly expressed in one of our songs3-- ,holy ,spirit1 come1 ,oh1 come6 ,let ,thy work in me be done6 ,all that hinders shall be thrown aside2 ,make me fit to be ,thy dwelling4 ,previous to ,pentecost ,he was with them1 using the searching preaching of ,john the ,baptist1 and the life1 the words1 the example1 the sufferings1 and the death and resurrection of ,jesus as instruments with which to fashion their hearts for ,his indwelling4 ,as the truth was declared to them in the words of ,jesus1 pictured to them in ,his doings1 exemplified in ,his daily life1 and fulfilled in ,his death and ,his rising from the dead1 the ,holy ,spirit wrought mightily within them2 but ,he could not yet find perfect rest in their hearts2 therefore ,he did not yet abide within them4 ,they had forsaken all to follow ,christ4 ,they had been commissioned to preach the ,gospel1 to heal the sick1 to cleanse the lepers1 to raise the dead1 to cast out devils4 ,their names were written in ,heaven4 ,they were not of the world1 even as ,jesus was not of the world1 for they belonged to ,him and to the ,father4 ,they knew the ,holy ,spirit1 for ,he was with them1 working in them1 but not yet living in them1 for they were yet carnal2 that is1 they were selfish1 each seeking the best place for himself4 ,they disputed among themselves as to which should be the greatest4 ,they were bigoted1 wanting to call down fire from ,heaven to consume those who would not receive ,jesus1 and forbidding those who would not follow them to cast out devils in ,his name4 ,they were positive and loud in their professions of devotion and loyalty to ,jesus when alone with ,him4 ,they declared they would die with ,him4 ,but they were fearful1 timid1 and false to ,him when the testing time came4 ,when the mocking crowd appeared1 and danger was near1 they all forsook ,him1 and fled2 while ,peter cursed and swore1 and denied that he knew ,him4 ,but the ,holy ,spirit did not forsake them4 ,he still wrought within them1 and1 no doubt1 used their very mistakes and miserable failures to perfect within them the spirit of humility and perfect self-abasement in order that they might safely be exalted4 ,and on the day of ,pentecost ,his work of preparation was complete1 and ,he moved in to abide for ever4 ,hallelujah6 ,and this experience of theirs before ,pentecost is the common experience of all true converts4 ,every child of ,god knows that the ,holy ,spirit is with him2 realises that ,he is working within1 striving to set the house in order4 ,and with many who are properly taught and gladly obedient1 this work is done quickly1 and the heavenly ,dove1 the ,blessed ,one1 takes up his constant abode within them2 the toil and strife with inbred sin is ended by its destruction1 and they enter at once into the sabbath of full salvation4 ,surely this is possible4 ,the disciples could not receive the ,holy ,spirit till ,jesus was glorified2 because not until then was the foundation for perfect1 intelligent1 unwavering faith laid4 ,but since the day of ,pentecost1 ,he may be received immediately by those who have repented of all sin1 who have believed on ,jesus1 and been born again4 ,some have assured me that they were sanctified wholly and filled with the ,spirit within a few hours of their conversion4 ,i have no doubt that this was so with many of the three thousand who were converted under ,peter's preaching on the day of ,pentecost4 ,but often this work is slow1 for ,he can only work effectually as we work with ,him1 practising intelligent and obedient faith4 ,some days the work prospers and seems almost complete1 and then peace and joy and comfort abound in the heart2 at other times the work is hindered1 and oftentimes almost or quite undone1 by the strivings and stirrings of inbred sin1 by fits of temper1 by lightness and frivolity1 by neglect of watchfulness and prayer1 and the patient1 attentive study of ,his word2 by worldliness1 by unholy ambitions1 by jealousies and envyings1 by uncharitable suspicions and harsh judgments and selfish indulgences1 and slowness to believe4 ,the flesh lusteth against the ,spirit1 seeks to bring the soul back under the bondage of sin again1 while the ,spirit wars against the flesh1 which is the old man1 the carnal mind4 ,the ,spirit seeks to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of ,christ1 to lead the soul to that point of glad1 whole-hearted consecration to its ,lord1 and that simple1 perfect faith in the merits of ,his blood which shall enable ,him to cast out the old man1 destroy the carnal mind1 and1 making the heart ,his temple1 enthrone ,christ within4 ,here on earth a temple stands1 ,temple never built with hands2 ,there the ,lord doth fill the place ,with the glory of ,his grace4 ,cleansed by ,christ's atoning blood1 ,thou art this fair house of ,god4 ,thoughts1 desires1 that enter there1 ,should they not be pure and fair8 ,meet for holy courts and blest1 ,courts of stillness and of rest1 ,where the soul1 a priest in white1 ,singeth praises day and night2 ,glory of the love divine1 ,filling all this heart of mine4 ,my brother1 my sister1 what is your experience just now8 ,are you filled with the ,spirit8 ,or is the old man still warring against ,him in your heart8 ,oh1 that you may receive ,him fully by faith just now6 ,have ye received the ,holy ,ghost since ye believed8 ,,iii4 ,,is ,,the ,,baptism ,,with ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,a ,,third ,,blessing8 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,there is much difference of opinion among many of ,god's children as to the time and order of the baptism with the ,holy ,spirit1 and many who believe that entire cleansing is subsequent to salvation1 ask if the baptism with the ,spirit is not subsequent to cleansing1 and1 therefore1 a third blessing4 ,there are four classes of teachers whose views appear to differ about this subject4 ,there are3-- #a4 ,those who emphasise cleansing2 who say much of a clean heart1 but little1 if anything1 about the fullness of the ,holy ,spirit and power from on ,high4 #b4 ,those who emphasise the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost and fullness of the ,spirit1 but say little or nothing of cleansing from inbred sin and the destruction of the carnal mind4 #c4 ,those who say much of both1 but separate them into two distinct experiences1 often widely separated in time4 #d4 ,those who teach that the truth is in the union of the two1 and that1 while we may separate them in their order1 putting cleansing first1 we cannot separate them as to time1 since it is the baptism that cleanses1 just as the darkness vanishes before the flash of the electric light when the right button is touched2 just as the ,augean stables were cleansed1 in the fabled story of ,grecian mythology1 when ,hercules turned in the floods of the ,river ,arno2 the refuse went out as the rushing waters poured in4 ,there are three very blessed portions of ,scripture which show us that this is ,god's order1 and two that plainly show us that cleansing and the baptism are not separate in time4 ,in ,psalm li4 #aj and #ab1 ,david prays1 ,create in me a clean heart1 ,o ,god1 and renew a right spirit within me4444 ,uphold me with ,thy free ,spirit4 ,first the cleansing1 then the filling that upholds3 for as it is my spirit within me that upholds my body1 so it is ,god's ,spirit within that upholds my soul4 ,in ,ezekiel xxxvi4 #be and #bg1 the ,lord says1 ,then will ,i sprinkle clean water upon you1 and ye shall be clean3 from all your filthiness1 and from all your idols1 will ,i cleanse you4444 ,and ,i will put ,my ,spirit within you4 ,here again1 the order is first cleansing1 then filling4 ,in ,john xvii4 #ae-bf1 ,jesus prays for ,his disciples1 and says3 ,i pray not that ,thou shouldst take them out of the world1 but that ,thou shouldst keep them from the evil4444 ,sanctify them2444 that they all may be one2 as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 and ,i in ,thee2 that they also may be one in ,us2444 ,i in them1 and ,thou in ,me1 that they may be made perfect in one2444 that the love wherewith ,thou hast loved ,me may be in them1 and ,i in them4 ,here1 again1 it is first sanctification 7cleansing1 being made holy71 then filling1 divine union with the ,father and the ,son through the ,holy ,spirit4 ,these ,scriptures make plain the order of ,god's work1 and if we looked at them alone1 without diligently comparing ,scripture with ,scripture1 as ,god would have us do1 we might perhaps conclude that the cleansing and filling were as distinct and separate in time as they are in this order of statement4 ,but other ,scriptures give us abundant light on that side of the subject4 ,in ,isaiah vi4 #a-h1 we have the record of the prophet's sanctification1 and we notice that the cleansing and the filling were not separate in time4 ,the cleansing was not before the baptism1 but by the baptism4 ,the live coal was laid upon his mouth1 and touched his lips2 and by this fiery baptism his iniquity was taken away and his sin was purged4 ,in ,acts x4 #dd1 we read of ,peter's preaching ,jesus to ,cornelius1 the ,roman centurion1 and his household2 and while ,peter yet spake these words1 the ,holy ,ghost fell on all them which heard the word2 and in ,acts xv4 #g-i1 at the first ,council in ,jerusalem1 we have ,peter's rehearsal of the experience of ,cornelius and his household4 ,peter says3 ,men and brethren1 ye know how that a good while ago ,god made choice among us1 that the ,gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the ,gospel1 and believe4 ,and ,god1 which knoweth the hearts1 bare them witness1 giving them the ,holy ,ghost1 even as ,he did unto us2 and put no difference between us and them1 purifying their hearts by faith4 ,here we see that their believing1 and the sudden descent of the ,holy ,ghost with cleansing power into their hearts1 constitute one blessed experience4 ,what patient1 waiting1 expectant faith reckons done1 the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost actually accomplishes4 ,between the act of faith by which a man begins to reckon himself dead indeed unto sin1 but alive unto ,god through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord 7,romans vi4 #aa71 and the act of the ,holy ,spirit1 which makes the reckoning good1 there may be an interval of time1 a little while 7,hebrews x4 #cg72 but the act and state of steadfastly1 patiently1 joyously1 perfectly believing1 which is man's part1 and the act of baptising with the ,holy ,ghost1 cleansing as by fire1 which is ,god's part1 bring about the one experience of entire sanctification1 and must not and cannot be logically looked upon as two distinct blessings1 any more than the act of the husband and the act of the wife can be separated in the one experience of marriage4 ,there are two works and two workers3 ,god and man4 ,just as my right arm and my left arm work when my two hands come together1 but the union of the two hands constitute one experience4 ,if my left arm acts quickly1 my right arm will surely respond4 ,and so1 if the soul1 renouncing self and sin and the world1 with ardour of faith in the precious blood for cleansing1 and in the promise of the gift of the ,holy ,spirit1 draws nigh to ,god1 ,god will draw nigh to that soul1 and the blessed union will be effected suddenly3 and in that instant1 what faith has reckoned done will be done1 the death-stroke will be given to the old man1 sin will die1 and the heart will be clean indeed1 and wholly alive toward ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,it will not be a mere make-believe experience1 but a gloriously real one4 ,it is possible that some have been led into confusion of thought on this subject by not considering all the ,scriptures bearing on it4 ,what is it that cleanses or sanctifies1 and how8 ,jesus prays3 ,sanctify them through ,thy truth3 ,thy word is truth4 ,here it is the word1 or truth1 that sanctifies4 ,john says3 ,the blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son cleanseth us from all sin4 ,here it is the blood4 ,peter says3 ,god444put no difference between us and them1 purifying their hearts by faith4 ,and ,paul says3 ,that they may receive forgiveness of sins1 and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith4 ,here it is by faith4 ,again1 ,paul writes3 ,god hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the ,spirit 7#b ,thess4 ii4 #ac74 ,and again1 ,that the offering up of the ,gentiles might be acceptable1 being sanctified by the ,holy ,ghost 7,romans xv4 #af74 ,and ,peter writes3 ,to the strangers444 elect444 through sanctification of the ,spirit 7#a ,peter i4 ,i1 #b74 ,here it is the ,spirit that sanctifies or makes clean and holy4 ,is there1 then1 confusion here8 ,jesus says1 the truth2 ,john says1 the blood2 ,paul and ,peter say1 faith1 and the ,holy ,ghost4 ,can these be reconciled8 ,let us see4 ,here is a child in a burning house4 ,a man at the peril of his life rushes to the spot above which the child stands in awful danger1 and cries out1 ,jump1 and ,i will catch you6 ,the child hears1 believes1 leaps1 and the man receives him2 but just as he turns and places the boy in safety1 a falling timber smites him to the ground wounded to death1 and his flowing blood sprinkles the boy whom he has saved4 ,a breathless spectator says3 ,the child's faith saved him4 ,another says3 ,how quick the lad was6 ,his courageous leap saved him4 ,another says3 ,bless the child6 ,he was in awful danger1 and he just barely saved himself4 ,another says3 ,that man's word just reached the boy's ear in the nick of time1 and saved him4 ,another says3 ,god bless that man6 ,he saved that child4 ,and yet another says3 ,that boy was saved by blood2 by the sacrifice of that heroic man6 ,now1 what saved the child8 ,without the man's presence and promise there would have been no faith2 and without faith there would have been no saving action1 and the boy would have perished4 ,the man's word saved him by inspiring faith4 ,faith saved him by leading to proper action4 ,he saved himself by leaping4 ,the man saved him by sacrificing his own life in order to catch him when he leaped out4 ,not the child himself alone1 nor his faith1 nor his brave leap1 nor his rescuer's word1 nor his blood1 nor the man himself saved the boy1 but they all together saved him2 and the boy was not saved till he was in the arms of the man4 ,and so it is faith and works1 and the word and the blood and the ,holy ,ghost that sanctify4 ,the blood1 the sacrifice of ,christ1 underlies all1 and is the meritorious cause of every blessing we receive1 but the ,holy ,spirit is the active ,agent by whom the merits of the blood are applied to our needs4 ,during the ,american ,civil ,war certain men committed some dastardly and unlawful deeds1 and were sentenced to be shot4 ,on the day of the execution they stood in a row confronted by soldiers with loaded muskets1 waiting the command to fire4 ,just before the command was given1 the commanding officer felt a touch on his elbow1 and1 turning1 saw a young man by his side1 who said1 ,sir1 there in that row1 waiting to be shot1 is a married man4 ,he has a wife and children4 ,he is their bread-winner4 ,if you shoot him1 he will be sorely missed4 ,let me take his place4 ,all right1 said the officer2 take his place1 if you wish2 but you will be shot4 ,i quite understand that1 replied the young man2 but no one will miss me2 and1 going to the condemned man1 he pushed him aside1 and took his place4 ,soon the command to fire was given4 ,the volley rang out1 and the young hero dropped dead with a bullet through his heart1 while the other man went free4 ,his freedom came to him by blood4 ,had he1 however1 neglected the great salvation1 and1 despising the blood shed for him1 and refusing the sacrifice of the friend and the righteous claims of the law1 persisted in the same evil ways1 he1 too1 would have been shot4 ,the blood1 though shed for him1 would not have availed to set him free4 ,but he accepted the sacrifice1 submitted to the law1 and went home to his wife and children2 but it was by the blood2 every breath he henceforth drew1 every throb of his heart1 every blessing he enjoyed1 or possibly could enjoy1 came to him by the blood4 ,he owed everything from that day forth to the blood1 and every fleeting moment1 every passing day1 and every rolling year but increased his debt to the blood which had been shed for him4 ,and so we owe all to the blood of ,christ1 for we were under sentence of death--,the soul that sinneth it shall die2 and we have all sinned1 and ,god1 to be holy1 must frown upon sin1 and utterly condemn it1 and must execute ,his sentence against it4 ,but ,jesus suffered for our sins4 ,he died for us4 ,he was wounded for our transgressions1 ,he was bruised for our iniquities2444 and with ,his stripes we are healed4 ,ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things1 as silver and gold444 but with the precious blood of ,christ 7i ,peter i4 #ah1 #ai72 ,who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me 7,gal4 ii4 #bj74 ,and now every blessing we ever had1 or ever shall have1 comes to us by the ,divine ,sacrifice1 by the precious blood4 ,and ,how shall we escape1 if we neglect so great salvation8 ,his blood is the meritorious cause not only of our pardon1 but of our cleansing1 our sanctification2 but the ,holy ,spirit is the ever-present1 living1 active ,cause4 ,the truth or word which sanctifies is the record ,god has given us of ,his will and of that ,divine ,sacrifice1 that precious blood4 ,the faith that purifies is that sure confidence in that word which leads to renunciation of all self-righteousness1 that utter abandonment to ,god's will1 and full dependence on the merits of the precious blood1 the faith that works by love1 for faith without works is dead4 ,and thus we draw nigh to ,god1 and ,god draws nigh to us1 and the ,holy ,ghost falls upon us1 comes into us1 and cleanses our hearts by the destruction of sin1 and the shedding abroad within us of the love of ,god4 ,the advocates of entire sanctification as an experience wrought in the soul by the baptism with the ,spirit subsequent to regeneration call it the second blessing4 ,but many good people object to the term1 and say that they have received the first1 second1 third1 and fiftieth blessing2 and no doubt they have2 and yet the people who speak of the second blessing are right1 in the sense in which they use the term2 and in that sense there are but the two blessings4 ,some years ago a man heard things about a lady that filled him with admiration for her1 and made him feel that they were of one mind and heart4 ,later1 he met her for the first time1 and fell in love with her4 ,after some months1 following an enlarged acquaintance and much consideration and prayer1 he told her of his love1 and asked her to become his wife2 and after due consideration and prayer on her part she consented1 and they promised themselves to each other2 they plighted their faith1 and in a sense gave themselves to each other4 ,that was the first blessing1 and it filled him with great peace and joy1 but not perfect peace and joy4 ,now1 there were many blessings following that before the great second blessing came4 ,every letter he received1 every tender look1 every pressure of the hand1 every tone of her voice1 every fresh assurance of enduring and increasing affection was a blessing2 but it was not the second blessing4 ,but one day1 after patient waiting1 which might have been shortened by mutual consent1 if they had thought it wise1 and after full preparation1 they came together in the presence of friends and before a man of ,god1 and in the most solemn and irrevocable manner gave themselves to each other to become one1 and were pronounced man and wife4 ,that was the second blessing1 an epochal experience1 unlike anything which preceded1 or anything to follow4 ,and now their peace and joy and rest were full4 ,there had to be the first and second blessings in this relationship of man and wife1 but there is no third4 ,and yet in the sense of those who say they have received fifty blessings from the ,lord1 there have been countless blessings in their wedded life2 indeed1 it has been a river of blessing1 broadening and deepening in gladness and joy and sweet affections and fellowship with the increasing years4 ,but let us not confuse thought by disputing over terms and wrangling about words4 ,the first blessing in ,jesus ,christ is salvation1 with its negative side of remission of sins and forgiveness1 and its positive side of renewal or regeneration--the new birth--one experience4 ,and the second blessing is entire sanctification1 with its negative side of cleansing1 and its positive side of filling with the ,holy ,ghost--one whole1 rounded1 glorious1 epochal experience4 ,and while there may be many refreshings1 girdings1 illuminations1 and secret tokens and assurances of love and favour1 there is no third blessing in this large sense1 in this present time4 ,but when time is no more1 when the ever-lasting doors have lifted up1 and the ,king of ,glory comes in with ,his ,bride1 and1 for ever redeemed and crowned1 ,he makes us to sit down with ,him on ,his throne1 then in eternity we shall have the third blessing--we shall be glorified4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,witness ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,how shall ,i know that ,i am accepted of ,god8--that ,i am saved or sanctified8 ,the ,bible declares ,god's love and pity for sinners1 including me1 and reveals ,his offer of mercy to me in ,jesus ,christ1 on condition that ,i fully repent of my sins1 and yielding myself to ,him1 believe on ,jesus ,christ1 and taking up my cross1 follow ,him4 ,but how shall ,i know that ,i have met these conditions in a way to satisfy ,him1 and that ,i am myself saved8 #a4 ,the ,bible cannot tell me this4 ,it tells me what to do1 but it does not tell me when ,i have done it1 any more than the sign-board at the country cross-roads1 pointing out the road leading to the city1 tells me when ,i have got to the city4 #b4 ,my religious teachers and friends cannot tell me1 for they cannot read my heart1 nor the mind of ,god toward me4 ,how can they know when ,i have in my heart repented and believed1 and when ,his righteous anger is turned away8 ,they can encourage me to repent1 believe1 obey1 and can assure me that1 if ,i do1 ,he will accept me1 and ,i shall be saved2 but beyond that they cannot go4 #c4 ,my own heart1 owing to its darkness and deceitfulness and liability to error1 is not a safe witness previous to the assurance ,god ,himself gives4 ,if my neighbour is justly offended with me1 it is not my own heart1 but his testimony that first assures me of his favour once more4 ,how1 then1 shall ,i know that ,i am justified or wholly sanctified8 ,there is but one way1 and that is by the witness of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,god must notify me1 and make me to know it2 and this ,he does1 when1 despairing of my own works of righteousness1 ,i cast my poor soul fully and in faith upon ,jesus4 ,for ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear1 says ,paul1 but ye have received the spirit of adoption1 whereby we cry1 ,abba1 ,father4 ,the ,spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit1 that we are the children of ,god 7,romans viii4 #ae1 #af74 ,and because ye are sons1 ,god hath sent forth the ,spirit of ,his ,son into your hearts1 crying1 ,abba1 ,father 7,gal4 iv4 #f74 ,unless ,he ,himself assures me1 ,i shall never know that ,he accepts me1 but must continue in uncertainty all my days4 ,come1 ,holy ,ghost1 ,thyself impress ,on my expanding heart3 ,and show that in the ,father's grace ,i share a filial part4 ,the ,general says3 ,assurance is produced by the revelation of forgiveness and acceptance made by ,god ,himself directly to the soul4 ,this is the witness of the ,spirit4 ,it is ,god testifying in my soul that ,he has loved me1 and given ,himself for me1 and washed me from my sins in ,his own blood4 ,nothing short of this actual revelation1 made by ,god ,himself1 can make anyone sure of salvation4 ,john ,wesley says3 ,by the testimony of the ,spirit1 ,i mean an inward impression of the soul1 whereby the ,spirit of ,god immediately and directly witnesses to my spirit that ,i am a child of ,god2 that ',jesus hath loved me1 and given ,himself for me'2 that all my sins are blotted out1 and ,i1 even ,i1 am reconciled to ,god4 ,this witness of the ,spirit addressed to my consciousness enables me to sing with joyful assurance3-- ,my ,god is reconciled2 ,his pardoning voice ,i hear3 ,he owns me for ,his child2 ,i can no longer fear3 ,with confidence ,i now draw nigh1 ,and1 ',father1 ,abba1 ,father1' cry4 ,when the ,holy ,spirit witnesses to me that ,i am saved and adopted into ,god's family as ,his child1 then other evidences begin to abound also4 ,for instance3-- #a4 ,my own spirit witnesses that ,i am a new creature4 ,i know that old things have passed away1 and all things have become new4 ,my very thoughts and desires have been changed4 ,love and joy and peace reign within me4 ,my heart no longer condemns me4 ,pride and selfishness1 and lust and temper1 no longer control my thoughts nor lead captive my will4 ,i am a new creature1 and ,i know it1 and ,i infer without doubt that this is the work of ,god in me4 #b4 ,my conscience bears witness that ,i am honest and true in all my purposes and intentions2 that ,i am without guile2 that my eye is single to the glory of ,god1 and that with all simplicity and sincerity of heart ,i serve ,him2 and1 since by nature ,i am only sinful1 ,i again infer that this sincerity of heart is ,his blessed work in my soul1 and is a fruit of salvation4 #c4 ,the ,bible becomes a witness to my salvation4 ,in it are accurately portrayed the true characteristics of the children of ,god2 and as ,i study it prayerfully1 and find these characteristics in my heart and life1 ,i again infer that ,i am saved4 ,this is true self-examination1 and is most useful4 ,these evidences are most important to guard us against any mistake as to the witness of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the witness of the ,spirit is not likely to be mistaken for something else1 just as the sun is not likely to be mistaken for a lesser light1 a glow-worm or a moon4 ,but one who has not seen the sun might mistake some lesser light for the sun4 ,so an unsaved man may mistake some flash of fancy1 some pleasant emotion1 for the witness of the ,spirit4 ,but if he is honest1 the absence of these secondary evidences and witnesses will correct him4 ,he must know that so long as sin masters him1 reigns within him1 and he is devoid of the tempers1 graces1 and dispositions of ,god's people1 as portrayed in the ,bible1 that he is mistaken in supposing that he has the witness of the ,spirit4 ,the ,holy ,spirit cannot witness to what does not exist4 ,he cannot lie4 ,not until sin is forgiven does ,he witness to the fact4 ,not until we are justified from our old sins and born again does ,he witness that we are children of ,god2 and when ,he does so witness1 these secondary evidences always follow4 ,charles ,wesley expresses this in one of his matchless hymns3-- ,how can a sinner know ,his sins on earth forgiven8 ,how can my gracious ,saviour show ,my name inscribed in ,heaven8 ,we who in ,christ believe ,that ,he for us hath died1 ,we all ,his unknown peace receive1 ,and feel ,his blood applied4 ,his love1 surpassing far ,the love of all beneath1 ,we find within our hearts1 and dare ,the pointless darts of death4 ,stronger than death and hell ,the mystic power we prove2 ,and conquerors of the world1 we dwell ,in ,heaven1 who dwell in love4 ,the witness of the ,spirit is far more comprehensive than many suppose4 ,multitudes do not believe that there is any such thing1 while others confine it to the forgiveness of sins and adoption into the family of ,god4 ,but the truth is that the ,holy ,spirit witnesses to much more than this4 ,he witnesses to the sinner that he is guilty1 condemned before ,god1 and lost4 ,this we call conviction2 but it is none other than the witness of the ,spirit to the sinner's true condition2 and when a man realises it1 nothing can convince him to the contrary4 ,his friends may point out his good works1 his kindly disposition1 and try to assure him that he is not a bad man2 but1 so long as the ,spirit continues to witness to his guilt1 nothing can console him or reassure his quaking heart4 ,this convicting witness may come to a sinner at any time1 but it is usually given under the searching preaching of the ,gospel1 or the burning testimony of those who have been gloriously saved and sanctified2 or in time of danger1 when the soul is awed into silence1 so that it can hear the still small voice of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,again1 the ,holy ,spirit not only witnesses to the forgiveness of sins and acceptance with ,god1 but ,he also witnesses to sanctification4 ,for by one offering1 says the ,apostle1 ,he 7that is1 ,jesus7 hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified4 ,whereof the ,holy ,ghost also is a witness to us 7,hebrews x4 #ad1 #ae74 ,indeed1 one who has this witness can no more doubt it than a man with two good eyes can doubt the existence of the sun when he steps forth into the splendour of a cloudless noon-day4 ,it satisfies him1 and he cries out exultingly1 ,we know1 we know6 ,hallelujah6 ,paul seems to teach that the ,holy ,spirit witnesses to every good thing ,god works in us1 for he says3 ,we have received1 not the spirit of the world1 but the ,spirit which is of ,god2 that we might know the things that are freely given to us of ,god 7#a ,cor4 ii4 #ab74 ,it is for our comfort and encouragement to know our acceptance of ,god and our rights1 privileges1 and possessions in ,jesus ,christ1 and the ,holy ,spirit is given for this purpose1 that we may know4 ,but it is important to bear in mind ,god's plan of work in this matter4 #a4 ,the witness of the ,spirit is dependent upon our faith4 ,god does not give it to those who do not believe in ,jesus2 and if our faith wavers1 the witness will become intermittent2 and if faith fails1 it will be withdrawn4 ,owing to the unsteadiness of their faith1 many young converts get into uncertainty4 ,happy are they at such times if some one is at hand to instruct and encourage them to look steadfastly to ,jesus4 ,but1 alas6 many old ,christians through unsteady faith walk in gloom and uncertainty1 and1 instead of encouraging the young1 they discourage them4 ,steadfast faith will keep the inward witness bright4 #b4 ,we must not get our attention off ,jesus1 and the promises of ,god in ,him1 and fix it upon the witness of the ,spirit4 ,the witness continues only while we look unto ,jesus1 and trust and obey ,him4 ,when we take our eyes off ,him1 the witness is gone4 ,many people fail here4 ,instead of quietly and confidently looking unto ,jesus1 and trusting ,him1 they are vainly looking for the witness2 which is as though a man should try to realise the sweetness of honey1 without receiving it in his mouth2 or the beauty of a picture1 while having his eyes turned inward upon himself instead of outward upon the picture4 ,jesus saves4 ,look to ,him1 and ,he will send the ,spirit to witness to ,his work4 #c4 ,the witness may be brightened by diligence in the discharge of duty1 by frequent seasons of glad prayer1 by definite testimony to salvation and sanctification1 and by stirring up our faith4 #d4 ,the witness may be dulled by neglect of duty1 by sloth in prayer1 by inattention to the ,bible1 by indefinite1 hesitating testimony1 and by carelessness1 when we should be careful to walk soberly and steadfastly with the ,lord4 #e4 ,i dare not say that the witness of the ,spirit is dependent upon our health1 but there are some forms of nervous and organic disease that seem to so distract or becloud the mind as to interfere with the clear discernment of the witness of the ,spirit4 ,i knew a nervous little child who would be so distracted with fear by an approaching carriage1 when being carried across the street in her father's arms1 that she seemed to be incapable of hearing or heeding his reassuring voice4 ,it may be that there are some diseases that for the time prevent the sufferer from discerning the reassuring witness of the ,heavenly ,father4 ,dr4 ,asa ,mahan told me of an experience of this kind which he had in a very dangerous sickness4 ,and ,dr4 ,daniel ,steele had a similar experience while lying at the point of death with typhoid fever4 ,but some of the happiest ,christians the world has seen have been racked with pain and tortured with disease4 ,and so there may be seasons of fierce temptation when the witness is not clearly discerned2 but we may rest assured that if our hearts cleave to ,jesus ,christ and duty1 ,he will never leave or forsake us4 ,blessed be ,god6 #f4 ,but the witness will be lost if we wilfully sin1 or persistently neglect to follow where ,he leads4 ,this witness is a pearl of great price1 and ,satan will try to steal it from us2 therefore1 we must guard it with watchful prayer continually4 #g4 ,if lost1 it may be found again by prayer and faith and a dutiful taking up of the cross which has been laid down4 ,thousands who have lost it have found it again1 and often they have found it with increased brightness and glory4 ,if you have lost it1 my brother1 look up in faith to your loving ,god1 and ,he will restore it to you4 ,it is possible to live on the right side of plain duty without the witness1 but you cannot be sure of your salvation1 joyful in service1 or glad in ,god1 without it2 and since it is promised to all ,god's children1 no one who professes to be ,his should be without it4 ,if you have it not1 my brother or sister1 seek it now by faith in ,jesus4 ,go to ,him1 and do not let ,him go till ,he notifies you that you are ,his4 ,listen to ,charles ,wesley3-- ,from the world of sin1 and noise1 ,and hurry1 ,i withdraw2 ,for the small and inward voice ,i wait with humble awe2 ,silent am ,i now and still1 ,dare not in ,thy presence move2 ,to my waiting soul reveal ,the secret of ,thy love4 ,do you want the witness to abide8 ,then study the word of ,god1 and live by it2 sing and make melody in your heart to the ,lord2 praise the ,lord with your first waking breath in the morning1 and thank ,him with your last waking breath at night2 flee from sin2 keep on believing2 look to ,jesus1 cleave to ,him1 follow ,him gladly1 trust the efficacy of ,his blood1 and the witness will abide in your heart4 ,be patient with the ,lord4 ,let ,him mould you1 and ,he will save1 ,he will rejoice over thee with joy2 ,he will rest in ,his love1 ,he will joy over thee with singing 7,zeph4 iii4 #ag72 and you shall no longer doubt1 but know that you are ,his4 ,hallelujah6 ,there are in this loud stunning tide ,of human care and crime1 ,with whom the melodies abide ,of th' everlasting chime2 ,who carry music in their heart ,through dusky lane and wrangling mart1 ,plying their task with busier feet ,because their secret souls a holy strain repeat4 ,and that holy strain is but the echo of the ,lord's song in their heart1 which is the witness of the ,spirit4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,v4 ,,purity4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,a ,,minister of the ,gospel1 after listening to an eminent servant of ,god preaching on entire sanctification through the baptism with the ,spirit1 wrote to him1 saying3 ,i like your teaching on the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i need it1 and am seeking it2 but ,i do not care much for entire sanctification or heart-cleansing4 ,pray for me that ,i may be filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the brother knew him well1 and immediately replied3 ,i am so glad you believe in the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost1 and are so earnestly seeking it4 ,i join my prayer with yours that you may receive that gift4 ,but let me say to you1 that if you get the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 you will have to take entire sanctification with it1 for the first thing the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost does is to cleanse the heart from all sin4 ,thank ,god1 he humbled himself1 permitted the ,lord to sanctify him1 and he was filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 and mightily empowered to work for ,god4 ,many have looked at the promise of power when the ,holy ,ghost is come1 the energy of ,peter's preaching on the day of ,pentecost1 and the marvellous results which followed1 and they have hastily and erroneously jumped to the conclusion that the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost is for work and service only4 ,it does bring power--the power of ,god1 and it does fit for service1 probably the most important service to which any created beings are commissioned1 the proclamation of salvation and the conditions of peace to a lost world2 but not that alone1 nor primarily4 ,the primary1 the basal work of the baptism1 is that of cleansing4 ,you may turn a flood into your millrace1 but until it sweeps away the logs and brushwood and dirt that obstruct the course1 you cannot get power to turn the wheels of your mill4 ,the flood first washes out the obstructions1 and then you have power4 ,the great hindrance in the hearts of ,god's children to the power of the ,holy ,ghost is inbred sin--that dark1 defiant1 evil something within that struggles for the mastery of the soul1 and will not submit to be meek and lowly1 and patient and forbearing and holy1 as was ,jesus2 and when the ,holy ,spirit comes1 ,his first work is to sweep away that something1 that carnal principle1 and make free and clean all the channels of the soul4 ,peter was filled with power on the day of ,pentecost2 but evidently the purifying effect of the baptism made a deeper and more lasting impression upon his mind than the empowering effect2 for years after1 in that first ,council in ,jerusalem1 recorded in the fifteenth chapter of ,acts1 he stood up and told about the spiritual baptism of ,cornelius1 the ,roman centurion1 and his household1 and he said3 ,and ,god1 which knoweth the hearts1 bare them witness1 giving them the ,holy ,ghost1 even as ,he did unto us2 and put no difference between us and them1 purifying their hearts by faith4 ,here he calls attention not to power1 but to purity1 as the effect of the baptism4 ,when the ,holy ,ghost comes in to abide1 the old man goes out4 ,praise the ,lord6 ,this destruction of inbred sin is made perfectly plain in that wonderful ,old ,testament type of the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost and fire recorded in the sixth chapter of ,isaiah4 ,the prophet was a most earnest preacher of righteousness 7see ,isaiah i4 #aj-bj71 yet he was not sanctified wholly4 ,but he had a vision of the ,lord upon ,his ,throne1 and the seraphims crying one to another3 ,holy1 holy1 holy is the ,lord of ,hosts3 the whole earth is full of ,his glory4 ,and the very posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried2 and how much more should the heart of the prophet be moved6 ,and so it was2 and he cried out3 ,woe is me6 for ,i am undone2 because ,i am a man of unclean lips1 and ,i dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips3 for mine eyes have seen the ,king1 the ,lord of ,hosts4 ,when unsanctified men have a vision of ,god1 it is not their lack of power1 but their lack of purity1 their unlikeness to ,christ1 the ,holy ,one1 that troubles them4 ,and so it was with the prophet4 ,but he adds3 ,then flew one of the seraphims unto me1 having a live coal in his hand1 which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar4 ,and he laid it upon my mouth1 and said1 ,lo1 this hath touched thy lips2 and thine iniquity is taken away1 and thy sin purged4 ,here again1 it is purity rather than power to which our attention is directed4 ,again1 in the thirty-sixth chapter of ,ezekiel1 we have another type of this spiritual baptism4 ,in ,isaiah the type was that of fire1 but here it is that of water2 for water and oil1 and the wind and rain and dew1 are all used as types of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,the ,lord says1 through ,ezekiel3 ,then will ,i sprinkle clean water upon you1 and ye shall be clean2 from all your filthiness1 and from all your idols1 will ,i cleanse you4 ,a new heart also will ,i give you1 and a new spirit will ,i put within you3 and ,i will take away the stony heart out of your flesh1 and ,i will give you an heart of flesh4 ,and ,i will put ,my ,spirit within you1 and cause you to walk in ,my statutes1 and ye shall keep ,my judgments1 and do them4 ,here again1 the incoming of the ,holy ,spirit means the outgoing of all sin1 of all your filthiness1 and of all your idols4 ,how plainly it is taught6 ,and yet1 many of ,god's dear children do not believe it is their privilege to be free from sin and pure in heart in this life4 ,but1 may we not8 ,let us consider this4 #a4 ,it is certainly desirable4 ,every sincere ,christian--and none can be a ,christian who is not sincere--wants to be free from sin1 to be pure in heart1 to be like ,christ4 ,sin is hateful to every true child of ,god4 ,the ,spirit within him cries out against the sin1 the wrong temper1 the pride1 the lust1 the selfishness1 the evil that lurks within the heart4 ,surely1 it is desirable to be free from sin4 ,he wills that ,i should holy be3 ,that holiness ,i long to feel2 ,that full ,divine conformity ,to all my ,saviour's righteous will4 #b4 ,it is necessary1 for without holiness no man shall see the ,lord4 ,sometime1 somehow1 somewhere1 sin must go out of our hearts--all sin--or we cannot go into ,heaven4 ,sin would spoil ,heaven just as it spoils earth2 just as it spoils the peace of hearts and homes1 of families and neighbourhoods and nations here4 ,why ,god in ,his wisdom allows sin in the world1 ,i do not know1 ,i cannot understand4 ,but this ,i understand3 that ,he has one world into which ,he will not let sin enter4 ,he has notified us in advance that no sin1 nothing that defiles1 can enter ,heaven1 can mar the blessedness of that holy place4 ,who shall ascend into the hill of the ,lord8 or who shall stand in ,his holy place8 ,he that hath clean hands1 and a pure heart2 who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity1 nor sworn deceitfully ,we must get rid of sin to get into ,heaven1 to enjoy the full favour of ,god4 ,it is necessary4 ,choose ,i must1 and soon must choose ,holiness1 or ,heaven lose4 ,if what ,heaven loves ,i hate1 ,shut for me is ,heaven's gate6 ,endless sin means endless woe2 ,into endless sin ,i go ,if my soul1 from reason rent1 ,takes from sin its final bent4 ,as the stream its channel grooves1 ,and within that channel moves2 ,so does habit's deepest tide ,groove its bed and there abide4 ,light obeyed increaseth light2 ,light resisted bringeth night2 ,who shall give me will to choose ,if the love of light ,i lose8 ,speed1 my soul1 this instant yield2 ,let the light its sceptre wield4 ,while thy ,god prolongs ,his grace1 ,haste thee to ,his holy face4 #c4 ,this purification from sin is promised4 ,nothing can be plainer than the promise of ,god on this point4 ,then will ,i sprinkle clean water upon you1 and ye shall be clean2 from all your filthiness and from all your idols will ,i cleanse you4 ,when all is removed1 nothing remains4 ,when all filthiness and all idols are taken away1 none are left4 ,but where sin abounded1 grace did much more abound2 that as sin hath reigned unto death1 even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by ,jesus ,christ our ,lord 7,romans v4 #bj1 #ba74 ,grace reigns1 not through sin1 but through righteousness which has expelled sin4 ,grace brings in righteousness and sin goes out4 ,if we walk in the light1 as ,he is in the light1 we have fellowship one with another1 and the blood of ,jesus ,christ ,his ,son cleanseth us from all sin 7#a ,john i4 #g74 ,hallelujah6 ,being then made free from sin1 ye became the servants of righteousness 7,romans vi4 #ah74 ,these are sample promises and assurances any one of which is sufficient to encourage us to believe that our ,heavenly ,father will save us from all sin1 if we meet ,his conditions4 #d4 ,and that deliverance is possible4 ,it was for this that ,jesus ,christ1 the ,father's ,son1 came into the world1 and suffered and died1 that ,he might save ,his people from their sins 7,matthew i4 #ba74 ,it was for this that ,he shed ,his precious blood3 to cleanse us from all sin4 ,it was for this that the word of ,god1 with its wonderful promises1 was given3 ,that by these ye might be partakers of the ,divine nature1 having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust 7#b ,peter i4 #d72 by which is meant1 escape from inbred sin4 ,it was for this that ministers of the ,gospel--,salvation ,army ,officers--are given1 for the perfecting of the saints 7,eph4 iv4 #ab71 for the saving and sanctifying of men 7,acts xxvi4 #ah74 ,it is primarily for this that the ,holy ,ghost comes as a baptism of fire3 that sin might be consumed out of us1 so that we might be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light2 that so we might be ready without a moment's warning to go into the midst of the heavenly hosts in white garments1 washed in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,glory be to ,god for ever and ever6 ,and shall all these mighty agents and this heavenly provision1 and these gracious purposes of ,god1 fail to destroy sin out of any obedient1 believing heart8 ,is sin omnipotent8 ,no6 ,if you1 my brother1 my sister1 will look unto ,jesus just now1 trusting the merits of ,his blood1 and receive the ,holy ,spirit into your heart1 you shall be made free from sin2 it shall not have dominion over you4 ,hallelujah6 ,under the fiery touch of ,his holy presence1 your iniquity shall be taken away1 and your sin shall be purged4 ,and you yourself shall burn as did the bush on the mount of ,god which ,moses saw2 yet you1 like the bush1 shall not be consumed2 and by this holy fire1 this flame of love1 that consumes sin1 you shall be made proof against that unquenchable fire that consumes sinners4 ,come1 ,holy ,ghost1 ,thy mighty aid bestowing2 ,destroy the works of sin1 the self1 the pride2 ,burn1 burn in me1 my idols overthrowing3 ,prepare my heart for ,him1 for my ,lord crucified4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,vi4 ,,power4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,just before ,his ascension1 ,jesus met ,his disciples for the last time1 and repeated ,his command that they should not depart from ,jerusalem1 but wait for the promise of the ,father1 and reiterated ,his promise that they should be baptised with the ,holy ,ghost not many days hence4 ,then they asked of ,him1 saying1 ,lord1 wilt ,thou at this time restore again the kingdom to ,israel8 ,they were still eager for an earthly kingdom4 ,but ,he said unto them1 ,it is not for you to know the time or the seasons1 which the ,father hath put in ,his own power1 or authority4 ,and then ,he added1 ,but ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,they wanted power1 and ,he assured them that they should have it1 but said nothing of its nature1 or the work and activities into which it would thrust them1 and for which it would equip them1 beyond the fact that they should be witnesses unto ,him in ,jerusalem and ,samaria1 and unto the uttermost parts of the earth4 ,after that the ,holy ,ghost ,himself was henceforth to be their ,teacher4 ,and then ,jesus left them4 ,earth lost its power to hold ,him1 and while they beheld ,him ,he began to ascend2 a cloud bent low from ,heaven1 receiving ,him out of sight1 and they were left alone1 with ,his promise of power ringing in their ears1 and ,his command to wait for the promise of the ,father checking any impatience that might lead them to go a-fishing1 as ,peter had done some days before1 or cause an undue haste to begin their life-work of witnessing for ,him before ,god's appointed time4 ,for ten days they waited1 not listlessly1 but eagerly1 as a maid for her mistress1 or a servant for his master1 who is expected to come at any moment2 they forgot their personal ambitions2 they ceased to judge and criticise one another1 and in the sweet unity of brotherly love1 with one accord they rejoiced1 they prayed1 they waited2 and then on the day of ,pentecost1 at their early morning prayer meeting1 when they were all present1 the windows of ,heaven were opened1 and such a blessing as they could not contain was poured out upon them4 ,and suddenly there came a sound from ,heaven as of a rushing mighty wind1 and it filled all the house where they were sitting4 ,and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire1 and it sat upon each of them4 ,and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,this was the inaugural day of the ,church of ,god3 the dawn of the dispensation of the ,holy ,spirit2 the beginning of the days of power4 ,in the morning of that day there were only a few ,christians in the world2 the ,new ,testament was not written1 and it is doubtful if they had among them all a copy of the ,old ,testament2 they had no church buildings1 no colleges1 no religious books and papers2 they were poor and despised1 unlearned and ignorant2 but before night they had enrolled three thousand converts from among those who1 a few weeks before1 had crucified their ,lord1 and they had aroused and filled all ,jerusalem with questionings and amazement4 ,what was the secret8 ,power4 ,what was the secret8 ,god the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he had come1 and this work was ,his work1 and they were ,his instruments4 ,when ,jesus came1 a body was prepared for ,him 7,hebrews x4 #e71 and through that body ,he wrought ,his wondrous works2 but when the other ,comforter comes1 ,he takes possession of those bodies that are freely and fully presented to ,him1 and ,he touches their lips with grace2 ,he shines peacefully and gloriously on their faces2 ,he flashes beams of pity and compassion and heavenly affection from their eyes2 ,he kindles a fire of love in their hearts1 and lights the flame of truth in their minds4 ,they become ,his temple1 and their hearts are a holy of holies in which ,his blessed presence ever abides1 and from that central citadel ,he works1 enduing the man who has received ,him with power4 ,if you ask how the ,holy ,spirit can dwell within us and work through us without destroying our personality1 ,i cannot tell4 ,how can the electric fluid fill and transform a dead wire into a live one1 which you dare not touch8 ,how can a magnetic current fill a piece of steel1 and transform it into a mighty force which by its touch can raise tons of iron1 as a child would lift a feather8 ,how can fire dwell in a piece of iron until its very appearance is that of fire1 and it becomes a fire-brand8 ,i cannot tell4 ,now1 what fire and electricity and magnetism do in iron and steel1 the ,holy ,spirit does in the spirits of men who believe on ,jesus1 follow ,him wholly1 and trust ,him intelligently4 ,he dwells in them1 and inspires them1 till they are all alive with the very life of ,god4 ,the transformation wrought in men by the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost1 and the power that fills them1 are amazing beyond measure4 ,the ,holy ,spirit gives-- #a4 ,power over the world4 ,they become ,dead to the world and all its toys1 ,its idle pomps and fading joys4 ,the world masters and enslaves people who have not the ,holy ,spirit4 ,to one man it offers money1 and he falls down and worships2 sells his conscience and character for gold4 ,to another it offers power1 and he falls down and worships and sacrifices his principles and sears his conscience for power4 ,to another it offers pleasure2 to another learning2 to another fame1 and they fall down and worship1 and sell themselves for these things4 ,but the man filled with the ,holy ,ghost is free4 ,he can turn from these things without a pang1 as he would from pebbles2 or1 he can take them and use them as his servants for the glory of ,god and the good of men4 ,what did ,peter and ,james and ,john care for the great places in the kingdoms of this world after they were filled with the ,holy ,ghost8 ,they would not have exchanged places with ,herod the king or with ,caesar himself4 ,for the gratification of any personal ambition these things were no more attractive to them now than the lordship over a tribe of ants on their tiny hill4 ,they were now kings and priests unto ,god1 and theirs was an everlasting kingdom1 and its glory exceeds the glory of the kingdoms of this world as the splendour of the sun exceeds that of the glow-worm4 ,the head of some great business enterprises was making many thousands of dollars every year2 but when the ,holy ,spirit filled him money lost its power over him4 ,he still retained his position1 and made vast sums2 but1 as a steward of the ,lord1 he poured it into ,god's work1 and has been doing so for more than thirty years4 ,the disciples in ,jerusalem after ,pentecost held all their possessions in common1 so completely were they freed from the power and love of money4 ,a rising young lawyer got filled with the ,spirit1 and the next day said to his client3 ,i cannot plead your case4 ,i have a retainer from the ,lord ,jesus2 and he became one of the mightiest preachers the world has ever seen4 ,a popular lad got the fiery baptism1 and went to his baseball team1 and said3 ,boys1 you swear1 and ,i am now a ,christian1 and ,i cannot play with you any more2 and ,god made him the wonder of all his old friends1 and a happy winner of souls4 ,a fashionable woman got the baptism1 and ,god gave her power to break away from her worldly set and surroundings1 live wholly for ,him1 and gave her an influence that girdled the globe4 ,paul said3 ,the world is crucified unto me1 and ,i unto the world4 ,men could whip1 and stone1 and imprison his body1 and cut off his head1 but his soul was free4 ,it was enslaved and driven by no unholy or inordinate ambition1 by no lust for gold1 by no desire for power or fame1 by no fear of man1 by no shame of worldly censure or adverse public opinion4 ,he had power over the world1 and this same power is the birthright of every converted man1 and the present possession of every one who is wholly sanctified by the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost4 #b4 ,power over the flesh4 ,the body which ,god intended for a house beautiful for the soul1 and a temple holy unto ,himself1 is often reduced to a sty1 where the imprisoned soul wallows in lusts and passions1 and degrades itself below the level of beasts4 ,but this baptism gives a man power over his body4 ,god has given to man such desires and passions as are necessary to secure his continued existence1 and not one is in itself evil1 but good and only good2 and when controlled and used1 but not abused1 will help to develop and maintain the purest and highest manhood4 ,the appetites for food and drink are necessary to life4 ,another desire is intended to secure the continuance of the human race4 ,and so all the desires and appetites of the body have useful ends1 and were given to us in love by our ,heavenly ,father for high and essential purposes1 and are necessary to us as human beings4 ,but the soul1 cut off from fellowship with ,god1 by sin1 seeks satisfaction in sensual excesses1 and the unlawful gratification of these appetites1 and so sinks to depths of degradation to which no beast ever falls4 ,thus man becomes a slave2 swollen and raging passion takes the place of innocent appetites and desires4 ,now1 when the ,holy ,spirit enters the heart and sanctifies the soul1 ,he does not destroy these desires1 but ,he purifies and regulates them4 ,he reinforces the soul with the fear and love of ,god1 and gives it power1 complete power1 over the fleshly appetites4 ,he restores it to its full fellowship with ,god and its kingship over the body4 ,but while these appetites and desires are not in themselves sinful1 but are necessary for our welfare and our complete manhood1 and while their diseased and abnormal power is cured when we are sanctified1 they are still avenues through which we may be tempted4 ,therefore1 they must be guarded with care and ruled in wisdom4 ,many people stumble at and reject the doctrine of entire sanctification1 because they do not understand these things4 ,they mistake that which is natural and essential to a human being for the diseased and abnormal propensity caused by sin1 and so miss the blessed truth of full salvation4 ,i knew a doctor1 who had used tobacco for over sixty years1 delivered from the abnormal appetite instantly through sanctification of the ,spirit4 ,i knew an old man1 who had been a drunkard for over fifty years1 similarly delivered4 ,i knew a young man1 the slave of a vicious habit of the flesh1 who was set free at once by the fiery baptism4 ,the electric current cannot transform the dead wire into a live one quicker than the ,holy ,spirit can flood a soul with light and love1 destroy the carnal mind1 and fill a man with power over all sin4 #c4 ,power over the ,devil4 ,the indwelling presence of the ,holy ,spirit destroys all doubt as to the personality of the ,devil4 ,he is discerned1 and his malice is felt and known as never before4 ,in the dark a man may be so skilfully attacked that his enemy is not discovered1 but not in the day4 ,many people in these days deny that there is any ,devil1 only evil2 but they are in the dark1 so much in the dark that they not only say that there is no ,devil1 but that there is no personal ,god1 only good4 ,but the day comes with the ,holy ,spirit's entrance1 and then ,god is intimately known and the ,devil is discovered4 ,and as he assailed ,jesus after ,his baptism with the ,spirit1 so he does to-day all who receive the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he comes as an angel of light to deceive1 and as a roaring lion to devour and overcome with fear2 but the soul filled with the ,spirit outwits the ,devil1 and1 clad in the whole armour of ,god1 overcomes the old enemy4 ,power over all the power of the enemy is ,god's purpose for all ,his children4 ,power to do the will of ,god patiently and effectively1 with naturalness and ease1 or to suffer the will of ,god with patience and good cheer1 comes with this blessed baptism4 ,it is power for service or sacrifice1 according to ,god's will4 ,have you this power8 ,if not1 it is for you4 ,yield yourself fully to ,christ just now1 and if you ask in faith you shall receive4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,vii4 ,,trying ,,the ,,spirits4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,those who have not the ,holy ,spirit1 or who do not heed ,him1 fall easily and naturally into formalism1 substituting lifeless ceremonies1 sacraments1 genuflections1 and ritualistic performances for the free1 glad1 living worship inspired by the indwelling ,spirit4 ,they sing1 but not from the heart4 ,they say their prayers1 but they do not really pray4 ,i prayed last night1 mother1 said a child4 ,why1 my child1 you pray every night6 replied the mother4 ,no1 said the child1 ,i only said prayers1 but last night ,i really prayed4 ,and his face shone4 ,he had opened his heart to the ,holy ,spirit1 and had at last really talked with ,god and worshipped4 ,but those who receive the ,holy ,spirit may fall into fanaticism1 unless they follow the command of ,john to try the spirits1 whether they are of ,god4 ,we are commanded to despise not prophesyings1 but at the same time we are commanded to prove all things4 ,many false prophets are gone out into the world1 and1 if possible1 will lead us astray4 ,so we must beware4 ,as some one has written1 we must ,believe not every spirit2 regard not1 trust not1 follow not1 every pretender to the ,spirit of ,god1 or every professor of vision1 or inspiration1 or revelation from ,god4 ,the higher and more intense the life1 the more carefully must it be guarded1 lest it be endangered and go astray4 ,it is so in the natural world1 and likewise in the spiritual world4 ,when ,satan can no longer rock people to sleep with religious lullabys1 or satisfy them with the lifeless form1 then he comes as an angel of light1 probably in the person of some professor or teacher of religion1 and seeks to usurp the place of the ,holy ,spirit2 but instead of leading into all truth1 he leads the unwary soul into deadly error2 instead of directing him on to the highway of holiness1 and into the path of perfect peace1 where no ravenous beast ever comes1 he leads him into a wilderness where the soul1 stripped of its beautiful garments of salvation1 is robbed and wounded and left to die1 if some good ,samaritan1 with patient pity and ,christlike love1 come not that way4 #a4 ,when the ,holy ,spirit comes in ,his fullness1 ,he strips men of their self-righteousness and pride and conceit4 ,they see themselves as the chief of sinners1 and realise that only through the stripes of ,jesus are they healed2 and ever after1 as they live in the ,spirit1 their boast is in ,him and their glory is in the cross4 ,remembering the hole of the pit from which they were digged1 they are filled with tender pity for all who are out of the way2 and1 while they do not excuse or belittle sin1 yet they are slow to believe evil1 and their judgments are full of charity4 ,judge not2 the workings of his brain ,and of his heart thou canst not see3 ,what looks to thy dim eyes a stain1 ,in ,god's pure light may only be ,a scar1 brought from some well-won field1 ,where thou wouldst only faint and yield4 ,but the man who has been thus snared by ,satan forgets his own past miserable state1 and boasts of his righteousness1 and thanks ,god that he was never as other men1 and he begins to beat his fellow-servants with heavy denunciations1 and thrust them through with sharp criticisms1 and pelt them with hard words4 ,he ceases to pity1 and begins to condemn2 he no longer warns and entreats men in tender love1 but is quick to believe evil1 and swift to pass judgment1 not only upon their actions1 but upon their motives as well4 ,true charity has no fellowship with deeds of darkness4 ,it never calls evil good1 it does not wink at iniquity1 but it is as far removed from this sharp1 condemning spirit as light is from darkness1 as honey is from vinegar4 ,it is quick to condemn sin1 but is full of saving1 long-suffering compassion for the sinner4 #b4 ,a humble1 teachable mind marks those in whom the ,holy ,spirit dwells4 ,they esteem very highly in love those who are over them in the ,lord1 and are glad to be admonished by them4 ,they submit themselves one to the other in the fear of the ,lord1 welcome instruction and correction1 and esteem open rebuke better than secret love 7,proverbs xxvii4 #e74 ,they believe that the ,lord has yet many things to say unto them1 and they are willing and glad for ,him to say them by whom ,he will1 but especially by their leaders and their brethren4 ,while they do not fawn and cringe before men1 nor believe everything that is said to them1 without proving it by the word and ,spirit of ,god1 they believe that ,god gave some1 apostles2 and some1 prophets2 and some1 evangelists2 and some1 pastors and teachers2 for the perfecting of the saints1 for the work of the ministry1 for the edifying of the body of ,christ2 and1 like ,cornelius1 they are ready to hear these appointed ministers1 and receive the word of the ,lord from them4 ,but ,satan seeks to destroy all this lowliness of spirit and humbleness of mind4 ,those in whom his deadly work has begun are wiser in their own conceit than seven men that can render a reason4 ,they are wiser than all their teachers1 and no man can instruct them4 ,one of these deluded souls1 who had previously been marked by modesty and humility1 declared of certain of ,god's chosen leaders whose spiritual knowledge and wisdom were everywhere recognised1 that the whole of them knew no more about the ,holy ,ghost than an old goose4 ,paul1 ,luther1 and ,wesley were much troubled1 and their work greatly hurt1 by some of these misguided souls1 and every great spiritual awakening is likely to be marred more or less by such people2 so that we cannot be too much on our guard against false spirits who would counterfeit the work and leadings of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,it is this huge conceit that has led some men to announce themselves as apostles and prophets to whom all men must listen1 or fall under the wrath of ,god2 while others have declared that they were living in resurrection bodies and should not die2 and yet others have reached that pitch of fanaticism where they could calmly proclaim themselves to be the ,messiah1 or the ,holy ,ghost in bodily form4 ,such people will be quick to deny the infallibility of the ,pope1 while they assume their own infallibility1 and denounce all who dispute it4 ,the ,holy ,spirit may lead to a holy rivalry in love and humility and brotherly kindness and self-denial and good works1 but ,he never leads men into the swelling conceit of such exclusive knowledge and superior wisdom that they can no longer be taught by their fellow-men4 #c4 ,again1 the man who is filled with the ,spirit is tolerant of those who differ from him in opinion1 in doctrine4 ,he is firm in his own convictions1 and ready at all times with meekness and fear to explain and defend the doctrines which he holds and is convinced are according to ,god's word1 but he does not condemn and consign to damnation all those who differ from him4 ,he is glad to believe that men are often better than their creed1 and may be saved in spite of it2 that1 like mountains whose bases are bathed with sunshine and clothed with fruitful fields and vineyards1 while their tops are covered with dark clouds1 so men's hearts are often fruitful in the graces of charity1 while their heads are yet darkened by doctrinal error4 ,anyway1 as the servant of the ,lord1 he will not strive2 but be gentle unto all men1 apt to teach1 patient1 in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves2 if ,god peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth2 and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the ,devil 7#b ,timothy ii4 #bd-bf74 ,but when ,satan comes as an angel of light he will1 under guise of love for and loyalty to the truth1 introduce the spirit of intolerance4 ,it was this spirit that crucified ,jesus2 that burned ,huss and ,cranmer at the stake2 that strangled ,savonarola2 that inspired the massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew and the horrors of the ,inquisition2 and it is the same spirit1 in a milder but possibly more subtle form1 that blinds the eyes of many professing ,christians to any good in those who differ from them in doctrine1 forms of worship or methods of government4 ,they murder love to protect what they often blindly call truth4 ,what is truth without love8 ,a dead thing1 an encumbrance1 the letter that killeth6 ,the body is necessary to our life in this world1 but life can exist in a deformed and even mutilated body2 and such a body with life in it is better than the most perfect body that is only a corpse4 ,so1 while truth is most precious1 and sound doctrine to be esteemed more than silver and gold1 yet love can exist where truth is not held in its most perfect and complete forms1 and love is the one thing needful4 ,the love of ,god is broader ,than the measure of man's mind3 ,and the heart of the ,eternal ,is most wonderfully kind4 #d4 ,the ,holy ,ghost begets a spirit of unity among ,christians4 ,people who have been sitting behind their sectarian fences in self-complacent ease1 or proud indifference1 or proselytising zeal1 or grim defiance1 are suddenly lifted above the fence1 and find sweet fellowship with each other1 when ,he comes into their hearts4 ,they delight in each other's society2 they each esteem others better than themselves1 and in honour they prefer one another before themselves4 ,they fulfil the ,psalmist's ideal3 ,behold1 how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity4 ,here is a picture of the unity of ,christians in the beginning in ,jerusalem3 ,and they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost1 and they spake the word of ,god with boldness4 ,and the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul2 neither said any of them that aught of the things which he possessed was his own2 but they had all things common4 ,what an ideal is this6 ,and since it has been attained once1 it can be attained again and retained1 but only by the indwelling of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,it was for this that ,jesus poured out ,his heart in ,his great intercessory prayer1 recorded in ,john xvii41 just before ,his arrest in the ,garden of ,gethsemane4 ,he says1 ,i pray for them4444 ,neither pray ,i for these alone1 but for them also which shall believe on ,me through their word2 that they all may be one4 ,and what was the standard of unity to which ,he would have us come8 ,listen6 ,as ,thou1 ,father1 art in ,me1 and ,i in ,thee2 that they also may be one in ,us2 that the world may believe that ,thou hast sent ,me4 ,such unity has a wondrous power to compel the belief of worldly men4 ,and the glory which ,thou gavest ,me ,i have given them2 that they may be one1 even as ,we are one2 ,i in them1 and ,thou in ,me1 that they may be perfect in one2 and that the world may know that ,thou hast sent ,me1 and hast loved them1 as ,thou hast loved ,me4 ,wondrous unity6 ,wondrous love6 ,it is for this ,his blessed heart eternally yearns1 and it is for this that the ,holy ,spirit works in the hearts of those who receive ,him4 ,but ,satan ever seeks to destroy this holy love and divine unity4 ,when he comes1 he arouses suspicions1 he stirs up strife1 he quenches the spirit of intercessory prayer1 he engenders backbitings1 and causes separations4 ,after enumerating various ,christian graces1 and urging the ,colossians to put them on1 ,paul adds3 ,and above all these things1 put on charity1 or love1 which is the bond of perfectness 7,col4 iii4 #ad74 ,these graces were garments1 and love was the girdle which bound and held them together2 and so love is the bond that holds true ,christians together4 ,divine love is the great test by which we are to try ourselves and all teachers and spirits4 ,love is not puffed up4 ,love is not bigoted4 ,love is not intolerant4 ,love is not schismatic4 ,love is loyal to ,jesus and to all ,his people4 ,if we have this love shed abroad in our hearts by the ,holy ,ghost1 we shall discern the voice of our ,good ,shepherd1 and we shall not be deceived by the voice of the stranger2 and so we shall be saved from both formalism and fanaticism4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,viii4 ,,guidance4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,it is the work of the ,holy ,spirit to guide the people of ,god through the uncertainties and dangers and duties of this life to their home in ,heaven4 ,when ,he led the children of ,israel out of ,egypt1 by the hand of ,moses1 ,he guided them through the waste1 mountainous wilderness1 in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night1 thus assuring their comfort and safety4 ,and this was but a type of ,his perpetual spiritual guidance of ,his people4 ,but how may ,i certainly know what ,god wants of me8 is sure to become the earnest and1 oftentimes1 the agonising cry of every humble and devoutly zealous young ,christian4 ,how may ,i know the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit8 is asked again and again4 #a4 ,it is well for us to get it fixed in our minds that we need to be guided always by ,him4 ,a ship was wrecked on a rocky coast far out of the course that the captain thought he was taking4 ,on examination1 it was found that the compass had been slightly deflected by a bit of metal that had lodged in the box4 ,but the voyage of life on which we each one sail is beset by as many dangers as the ship at sea1 and how shall we surely steer our course to our heavenly harbour without ,divine guidance8 ,there is a wellnigh infinite number of influences to deflect us from the safe and certain course4 ,we start out in the morning1 and we know not what person we may meet1 what paragraph we may read1 what word may be spoken1 what letter we may receive1 what subtle temptation may assail or allure us1 what immediate decisions we may have to make during the day1 that may turn us almost imperceptibly1 but none the less surely1 from the right way4 ,we need the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit4 #b4 ,we not only need ,divine guidance1 but we may have it4 ,god's word assures us of this4 ,oh6 how my heart was comforted and assured one morning by these words3 ,and the ,lord shall guide thee continually 7,isaiah lviii4 #aa74 ,not occasionally1 not spasmodically1 but continually4 ,hallelujah6 ,the ,psalmist says3 ,this ,god is our ,god for ever and ever3 ,he will be our ,guide even unto death 7,psalm xlviii4 #ad74 ,again1 he says3 ,the meek will ,he guide in judgment3 and the meek will ,he teach ,his way 7,psalm xxv4 #i74 ,and again1 ,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go3 ,i will guide thee with ,mine eye 7,psalm xxxii4 #h74 ,and again1 ,thou shalt guide me with ,thy counsel 7,psalm lxxiii4 #bd74 ,jesus said of the ,holy ,spirit3 ,howbeit when ,he1 the ,spirit of ,truth1 is come1 ,he will guide you into all truth 7,john xvi4 #ac74 ,and ,paul wrote3 ,as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god1 they are the sons of ,god 7,romans viii4 #ad74 ,these ,scriptures establish the fact that the children of ,god may be guided always by the ,spirit of ,god4 ,guide me1 ,o ,thou great ,jehovah1 ,pilgrim through this barren land6 ,i am weak1 but ,thou art mighty3 ,hold me with ,thy powerful hand4 #c4 ,how does ,god guide us8 ,paul says3 ,we walk by faith1 not by sight1 and1 ,the just shall live by faith1 so we may conclude3-- 7a7 ,that the guidance of the ,holy ,spirit is such as still to demand the exercise of faith4 ,god never leads us in such a way as to do away with the necessity of faith4 ,when ,god warned ,noah1 we read that it was by faith that ,noah was led to build the ark4 ,when ,god told ,abraham to go to a land which ,he would show him1 it was by faith that ,abraham went 7,hebrews xi4 #g1 #h74 ,if we believe1 we shall surely be guided2 but if we do not believe1 we shall be left to ourselves4 ,without faith it is impossible to please ,god1 or to follow where ,he leads4 ,again1 the ,psalmist says1 ,the meek will ,he guide in judgment1 from which we gather3-- 7b7 ,that the ,spirit guides us in such manner as to demand the exercise of our best judgment4 ,he enlightens our understanding and directs our judgment by sound reason and sense4 ,i knew a man who was eager to obey ,god1 and to be led by the ,spirit1 but who had the mistaken idea that the ,holy ,spirit sets aside human judgment and common sense1 and speaks directly upon the most minute and commonplace matters4 ,he wanted the ,holy ,spirit to direct him just how much to eat at each meal1 and he has been known to take food out of his mouth at what he supposed to be the ,holy ,spirit's notification that he had eaten enough1 and that if he swallowed that mouthful1 it would be in violation of the leadings of the ,spirit4 ,no doubt1 the ,spirit will help an honest man to arrive at a safe judgment even in matters of this kind1 but it will doubtless be through the use of his sanctified common sense4 ,otherwise1 he is reduced to a state of mental infancy1 and kept in intellectual swaddling clothes4 ,he will guide us in judgment2 but it is only as we resolutely1 and in the best light we have1 exercise judgment4 ,john ,wesley said that ,god usually guided him by presenting reasons to his mind for any given course of action4 7c7 ,the ,psalmist says1 ,thou shalt guide me with ,thy counsel1 and ,i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go4 ,now1 counsel1 instruction1 and teaching not only imply effort upon the part of the teacher1 but also study and close attention on the part of the one being taught4 ,so this guidance of the ,holy ,spirit is such as will require us to attentively listen1 diligently study1 and patiently learn the lessons ,he would teach us4 ,and so we see that the ,holy ,spirit does not set aside our powers and faculties1 but seeks to awaken and stir them into full activity1 and develop them into well-rounded perfection1 and thus make them channels through which ,he can intelligently influence and direct us4 ,what ,he seeks to do is to illuminate our whole spiritual being1 as the sun illuminates our physical being1 and bring us into such union and sympathy1 such oneness of thought1 desire1 affection1 and purpose with ,god1 that we shall1 by a kind of spiritual instinct1 know at all times the mind of ,god concerning us1 and never be in doubt about ,his will4 #d4 ,the ,holy ,spirit guides us-- 7a7 ,by opening up to our minds the deep1 sanctifying truths of the ,bible1 and especially by revealing to us the character and spirit of ,jesus and ,his ,apostles1 and leading us to follow in their footsteps--the footsteps of their faith and love and unselfish devotion to ,god and man1 even unto the laying down of their lives4 7b7 ,by the circumstances and surroundings of our daily life4 7c7 ,by the counsel of others1 especially of devout1 and wise1 and experienced men and women of ,god4 7d7 ,by deep inward conviction1 which increases as we wait upon ,him in prayer and readiness to obey4 ,it is by this sovereign conviction that men are called to preach1 to go to foreign fields as missionaries1 to devote their time1 talents1 money1 and lives to ,god's work for the bodies and souls of men4 #e4 ,why do people seek for guidance and not find it8 7a7 ,because they do not diligently study ,god's word1 and seek to be filled with its truths and principles4 ,they neglect the cultivation of their minds and hearts in the school of ,christ1 and so miss ,divine guidance4 ,one of the mightiest men of ,god now living used to carry his ,bible with him into the coal mine when only a boy1 and spent his spare time filling his mind and heart with its heavenly truths1 and so prepared himself to be divinely led in mighty labours for ,god4 7b7 ,they do not humbly accept the daily providences1 the circumstances1 and conditions of their everyday life as a part of ,god's present plan for them2 as ,his school in which ,he would train them for greater things2 as ,his vineyard in which ,he would have them diligently labour4 ,a young woman imagined she was called to devote herself entirely to saving souls2 but under the searching training through which she had to pass saw her selfishness1 and she said she would have to return home1 and live a holy life there1 and seek to get her family saved--something which she had utterly neglected--before she could go into the work4 ,if we are not faithful at home1 or in the shop1 or mill1 or store where we work1 we shall miss ,god's way for us4 7c7 ,because they are not teachable1 and are unwilling to receive instruction from other ,christians4 ,they are not humble-minded4 7d7 ,because they do not wait on ,god1 and listen and heed the inner leadings of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,they are self-willed2 they want their own way4 ,some one has said1 ,that which is often asked of ,god is not so much ,his will and way1 as ,his approval of our way4 ,and another has said3 ,god's guidance is plain1 when we are true4 ,if we promptly and gladly obey1 we shall not miss the way4 ,paul said of himself1 ,i was not disobedient to the heavenly vision4 ,he obeyed ,god at all costs1 and so the ,holy ,spirit could guide him4 7e7 ,because of fear and unbelief4 ,it was this fearfulness of unbelief that caused the ,israelites to turn back1 and not go into ,canaan when ,caleb and ,joshua assured them that ,god would help them to possess the land4 ,they lost sight of ,god1 and feared the giants and walled cities1 and so missed ,god's way for them and perished in the wilderness4 7f7 ,because they do not take everything promptly and confidently to ,god in prayer4 ,paul tells us to be instant in prayer2 and ,i am persuaded that it is slowness and delay to pray1 and sloth and sleepiness in prayer1 that rob ,god's children of the glad assurance of ,his guidance in all things4 7g7 ,because of impatience and haste4 ,some of ,god's plans for us unfold slowly1 and we must patiently and calmly wait on ,him in faith and faithfulness1 assured that in due time ,he will make plain ,his way for us1 if our faith fail not4 ,it is never ,god's will that we should get into a headlong hurry2 but that1 with patient steadfastness1 we should learn to stand still when the pillar of cloud and fire does not move1 and that with loving confidence and glad promptness we should strike our tents and march forward when ,he leads4 ,when we cannot see our way1 ,let us trust and still obey2 ,he who bids us forward go1 ,cannot fail the way to show4 ,though the sea be deep and wide1 ,though a passage seem denied2 ,fearless1 let us still proceed1 ,since the ,lord vouchsafes to lead4 ,finally1 we may rest assured that the ,holy ,spirit never leads ,his people to do anything that is wrong1 or that is contrary to the will of ,god as revealed in the ,bible4 ,he never leads anyone to be impolite and discourteous4 ,be courteous is a ,divine command4 ,he would have us respect the minor graces of gentle1 kindly manners1 as well as the great laws of holiness and righteousness4 ,he may sometimes lead us in ways that are hard for flesh and blood1 and that bring to us sorrow and loss in this life4 ,he led ,jesus into the wilderness to be sore tried by the ,devil1 and to ,pilate's judgment hall1 and to the cross4 ,he led ,paul in ways that meant imprisonment1 stonings1 whippings1 hunger and cold1 and bitter persecution and death4 ,but ,he upheld ,paul until he cried out3 ,i take pleasure in infirmities1 in reproaches1 in necessities1 in persecutions1 in distresses for ,christ's sake4 ,yea1 said he1 ,i glory in my infirmities1 that the power of ,christ may rest upon me4 ,hallelujah6 ,oh1 to be thus led by our ,heavenly ,guide6 ,he leadeth me6 ,oh1 blessed thought6 ,oh1 words with heavenly comfort fraught6 ,whate'er ,i do1 where'er ,i be1 ,still 'tis ,god's hand that leadeth me4 ,sometimes 'mid scenes of deepest gloom1 ,sometimes where ,eden's bowers bloom1 ,by waters still1 o'er troubled sea1 ,still 'tis ,god's hand that leadeth me4 ,lord1 ,i will clasp ,thy hand in mine1 ,nor ever murmur nor repine1 ,content1 whatever lot ,i see1 ,since 'tis my ,god that leadeth me4 ,and when my task on earth is done1 ,when by ,thy grace the victory's won1 ,e'en death's cold wave ,i will not flee1 ,since ,god through ,jordan leadeth me4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,meek ,,and ,,lowly ,,heart4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,i know a man whose daily prayer for years was that he might be meek and lowly in heart as was his ,master4 ,take ,my yoke upon you1 and learn of ,me1 said ,jesus2 for ,i am meek and lowly in heart4 ,how lowly ,jesus was6 ,he was the ,lord of life and glory4 ,he made the worlds1 and upholds them by ,his word of power 7,john i41 ,hebrews i474 ,but ,he humbled ,himself1 and became man1 and was born of the ,virgin in a manger among the cattle4 ,he lived among the common people1 and worked at the carpenter's bench4 ,and then1 anointed with the ,holy ,spirit1 ,he went about doing good1 preaching the ,gospel to the poor1 and ministering to the manifold needs of the sick and sinful and sorrowing4 ,he touched the lepers2 ,he was the ,friend of publicans and sinners4 ,his whole life was a ministry of mercy to those who most needed ,him4 ,he humbled ,himself to our low estate4 ,he was a ,king who came lowly1 and riding upon an ass1 and upon a colt1 the foal of an ass 7,zech4 ix4 #i74 ,he was a ,king1 but ,his crown was of thorns1 and a cross was ,his throne4 ,what a picture ,paul gives us of the mind and heart of ,jesus6 ,he exhorts the ,philippians1 saying1 ,let nothing be done through strife or vainglory2 but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves2 and then he adds1 ,let this mind be in you1 which was also in ,christ ,jesus3 who1 being in the form of ,god1 thought it not robbery to be equal with ,god2 but made ,himself of no reputation1 and took upon ,him the form of a servant1 and was made in the likeness of men3 and being found in fashion as a man1 ,he humbled ,himself1 and became obedient unto death1 even the death of the cross4 ,now1 when the ,holy ,spirit finds ,his way into the heart of a man1 the ,spirit of ,jesus has come to that man1 and leads him to the same meekness of heart and lowly service that were seen in the ,master4 ,ambition for place and power and money and fame vanishes1 and in its place is a consuming desire to be good and do good1 to accomplish in full the blessed1 the beneficent will of ,god4 ,some time ago ,i met a woman who1 as a trained nurse in ,paris1 nursing rich1 ,english-speaking foreigners1 received pay that in a few years would have made her independently wealthy2 but the spirit of ,jesus came into her heart1 and she is now nursing the poor1 and giving her life to them1 and doing for them service the most loathsome and exacting1 and doing it with a smiling face1 for her food and clothes4 ,some able men in one of our largest ,american cities lost their spiritual balance1 cut themselves loose from all other ,christians1 and made for a time quite a religious stir among many good people4 ,they were very clear and powerful in their presentation of certain phases of truth1 but they were also very strong1 if not bitter1 in their denunciations of all existing religious organisations4 ,they attacked the churches and ,the ,salvation ,army1 pointing out what they considered wrong so skilfully1 and with such professions of sanctity1 that many people were made most dissatisfied with the churches and with ,the ,army4 ,an ,army ,captain listened to them1 and was greatly moved by their fervour1 their burning appeals1 their religious ecstasy1 and their denunciations of the lukewarmness of other ,christians1 including ,the ,army4 ,she began to wonder if after all they were not right1 and whether or not the ,holy ,spirit was amongst us4 ,her heart was full of distress1 and she cried to ,god4 ,and then the vision of our ,slum ,officers rose before her eyes4 ,she saw their devotion1 their sacrifice1 their lowly1 hidden service1 year after year1 among the poor and ignorant and vicious1 and she said to herself1 ,is not this the ,spirit of ,jesus8 ,would these men1 who denounce us so1 be willing to forgo their religious ecstasies and spend their lives in such lowly1 unheralded service8 ,and the mists that had begun to blind her eyes were swept away1 and she saw ,jesus still amongst us going about doing good in the person of our ,slum ,officers and of all who for ,his name's sake sacrifice their time and money and strength to bless and save their fellow-men4 ,you who have visions of glory and rapturous delight1 and so count yourselves filled with the ,spirit1 do these visions lead you to virtue and to lowly1 loving service8 ,if not1 take heed to yourselves1 lest1 exalted like ,capernaum to ,heaven1 you are at last cast down to ,hell4 ,thank ,god for the mounts of transfiguration where we behold ,his glory6 but down below in the valley are children possessed of devils1 and to them ,he would have us go with the glory of the mount on our faces1 and lowly love and vigorous faith in our hearts1 and clean hands ready for any service4 ,he would have us give ourselves to them2 and if we love ,him1 if we follow ,him1 if we are truly filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 we will4 ,a ,captain used to slip out of bed early in the morning to pray1 and then black his own and his ,lieutenant's boots1 and ,god mightily blessed him4 ,recently ,i saw him1 now a ,commissioner1 with thousands of ,officers and ,soldiers under his command1 at an outing in the woods by the lake shore1 looking after poor and forgotten ,soldiers1 and giving them food with his own hand4 ,like the ,lord1 his eyes seemed to be in every place beholding opportunities to do good1 and his feet and hands always followed his eyes2 and this is the fruit of the indwelling ,holy ,spirit4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,x4 ,,hope4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,are you ever cast down and depressed in spirit8 ,listen to ,paul3 ,now1 the ,god of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing1 that ye may abound in hope1 through the power of the ,holy ,ghost 7,romans xv4 #ac74 ,what cheer is in those words6 ,they ring like the shout of a triumph4 #a4 ,god ,himself is the ,god of hope4 ,there is no gloom1 no depression1 no wasting sickness of deferred hope in ,him4 ,he is a brimming fountain and ocean of hope eternally1 and ,he is our ,god4 ,he is our ,hope4 #b4 ,out of ,his infinite fullness ,he is to fill us2 not half fill us1 but fill us with joy1 all joy1 hallelujah6 and peace4 #c4 ,and this is not by some condition or means that is so high and difficult that we cannot perform our part1 but it is simply in believing --something which the little child or the aged philosopher1 the poor man and the rich man1 the ignorant and the learned can do4 ,and the result will be3-- #d4 ,abounding hope through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and what power is that8 ,if it is physical power1 then the power of a million ,niagaras and flowing oceans and rushing worlds is as nothing compared to it4 ,if it is mental power1 then the power of ,plato and ,bacon and ,milton and ,shakespeare and ,newton is as the light of a fire-fly to the sun when compared to it4 ,if it is spiritual power1 then there is nothing with which it can be compared4 ,but suppose it is all three in one1 infinite and eternal6 ,this is the power1 throbbing with love and mercy1 to which we are to bring our little hearts by living faith1 and ,god will fill us with joy and peace and hope by the incoming of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,god's people are a hopeful people4 ,they hope in ,god1 with whom there is no change1 no weakness1 no decay4 ,in the darkest night and the fiercest storm they still hope in ,him1 though it may be feebly4 ,but ,he would have ,his people abound in hope so that they should always be buoyant1 triumphant4 ,but how can this be in a world such as this8 ,we are surrounded by awful1 mysterious1 and merciless forces1 that at any moment may overwhelm us4 ,the fire may burn us1 the water may drown us1 the hurricane may sweep us away1 friends may desert us1 foes may master us4 ,there is the depression that comes from failing health1 from poverty1 from overwork and sleepless nights and constant care1 from thwarted plans1 disappointed ambitions1 slighted love1 and base ingratitude4 ,old age comes on with its grey hairs1 failing strength1 dimness of sight1 dullness of hearing1 tottering step1 shortness of breath1 and general weakness and decay4 ,the friends of youth die1 and a new1 strange1 pushing generation that knows not the old man1 comes elbowing him aside and taking his place4 ,under some blessed outpouring of the ,spirit the work of ,god revives1 vile sinners are saved1 ,zion puts on her beautiful garments1 reforms of all kind advance1 the desert blossoms as the rose1 the waste place becomes a fruitful field1 and the millennium seems just at hand2 and then the spiritual tide recedes1 the forces of evil are emboldened1 they mass themselves and again sweep over the heritage of the ,lord1 leaving it waste and desolate1 and the battle must be fought over again4 ,how can one be always hopeful1 always abounding in hope1 in such a world8 ,well1 hallelujah6 it is possible through the power of the ,holy ,ghost1 but only through ,his power2 and this power will not fail so long as we fix our eyes on eternal things and believe4 ,the ,holy ,spirit1 dwelling within1 turns our eyes from that which is temporal to that which is eternal2 from the trial itself to ,god's purpose in the trial2 from the present pain to the precious promise4 ,i am now writing in a little city made rich by vast potteries4 ,if the dull1 heavy clay on the potter's wheel and in the fiery oven could think and speak1 it would doubtless cry out against the fierce agony2 but if it could foresee the purpose of the potter1 and the thing of use and beauty he meant to make it1 it would nestle low under his hand and rejoice in hope4 ,we are clay in the hand of the ,divine ,potter1 but we can think and speak1 and in some measure understand ,his high purpose in us4 ,it is the work of the ,holy ,spirit to make us understand4 ,and if we will not be dull and senseless and unbelieving1 ,he will illuminate us and fill us with peaceful1 joyous hope4 #a4 ,he would reveal to us that our ,heavenly ,potter has ,himself been on the wheel and in the fiery furnace1 learning obedience and being fashioned into the ,captain of our salvation by the things which ,he suffered4 ,when we are tempted and tried1 and tempest-tossed1 ,he raises our hope by showing us ,jesus suffering and sympathising with us1 tempted in all points as we are1 and so able and wise and willing to help us in our struggle and conflict 7,hebrews ii4 #i-ah74 ,he assures us that ,jesus1 into whose hands is committed all power in ,heaven and earth1 is our elder ,brother1 touched with the feeling of our infirmities 7,hebrews iv4 #ae71 and ,he encourages us to rest in ,him and not be afraid2 and so we abound in hope1 through ,his power as we believe4 #b4 ,he reveals to us the eternal purpose of ,god in our trials and difficulties4 ,listen to ,paul3 ,all things work together for good to them that love ,god4 ,we know this1 says ,paul 7,romans viii4 #bh74 ,but how can this be8 ,ah6 there is where faith must be exercised4 ,it is in believing that we abound in hope through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,god's wisdom and ability to make all things work together for our good are not to be measured by our understanding1 but to be firmly held by our faith4 ,my child is in serious difficulty and does not know how to help himself2 but ,i say1 ,leave it to me4 ,he may not understand how ,i am to help him1 but he trusts me1 and rejoices in hope4 ,we are ,god's dear children1 and ,he knows how to help us1 and make all things work together for our good1 if we will only commit ourselves to ,him in faith4 ,thou art as much ,his care as if beside ,nor man nor angel lived in ,heaven or earth2 ,thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide1 ,to light up worlds1 or wake an insect's mirth4 ,again1 afflictions overtake us1 and now the ,holy ,spirit encourages our hope and makes it to abound by such promises as these3 ,our light affliction1 which is but for a moment1 worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory2 while we look not at the things which are seen1 but at the things which are not seen3 for the things which are seen are temporal1 but the things which are not seen are eternal 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #ag1 #ah74 ,but such a promise as that only mocks us if we do not believe4 ,in all their affliction ,he was afflicted1 and the angel of ,his presence saved them3 in ,his love and in ,his pity ,he redeemed them2 and ,he bare them1 and ,he carried them all the days of old 7,isaiah lxiii4 #i74 ,and ,he is just the same to-day4 ,to some ,he says3 ,i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction 7,isaiah xlviii #aj71 and nestling down into ,his will and believing1 they abound in hope through the power of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,he turns our eyes back upon ,job in his loss and pain2 upon ,joseph sold into ,egyptian slavery2 ,daniel in the lions' den2 the three ,hebrews in the burning fiery furnace1 and ,paul in prison and shipwreck and manifold perils2 and1 showing us their steadfastness and their final triumph1 ,he prompts us to hope in ,god4 ,when weakness of body overtakes us1 ,he encourages us with such assurances as these3 ,my flesh and my heart faileth2 but ,god is the strength of my heart1 and my portion for ever 7,psalm lxxiii4 #bf71 and the words of ,paul3 ,though our outward man perish1 yet the inward man is renewed day by day 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #af74 ,when old age comes creeping on apace1 ,he has promised to meet the need that our hope fail not4 ,listen to ,david6 ,he prays3 ,cast me not off in the time of old age2 forsake me not when my strength faileth4444 ,now also when ,i am old and greyheaded1 ,o ,god1 forsake me not2 until ,i have showed ,thy strength unto this generation1 and ,thy power to every one that is to come 7,psalm lxxi4 #i1 #ah74 ,and through ,isaiah the ,lord replies3 ,even to your old age ,i am ,he2 and even to hoar hairs will ,i carry you3 ,i have made1 and ,i will bear2 even ,i will carry1 and will deliver you 7,isaiah xlvi4 #d74 ,and ,david cries out1 ,the righteous shall flourish like the palm tree3 he shall grow like a cedar in ,lebanon4 ,those that be planted in the house of the ,lord shall flourish in the courts of our ,god4 ,they shall still bring forth fruit in old age2 they shall be fat and flourishing1 to show that the ,lord is upright 7,psalm xcii4 #ab-ae74 ,these are sample promises of which the ,bible is full1 and which have been adapted by infinite wisdom and love to meet us at every point of doubt and fear and need1 that1 in believing them1 we may have a steadfast and glad hope in ,god4 ,he is pledged to help us4 ,he says3 ,fear thou not2 for ,i am with thee3 be not dismayed2 for ,i am thy ,god3 ,i will strengthen thee2 yea1 ,i will help thee2 yea1 ,i will uphold thee with the right hand of ,my righteousness 7,isaiah xli4 #aj74 ,when all ,god's waves and billows seemed to sweep over ,david1 and his soul was bowed within him1 three times he cried out3 ,why art thou cast down1 ,o my soul8 and why art thou disquieted in me8 ,hope thou in ,god3 for ,i shall yet praise ,him for the help of ,his countenance 7,psalm xlii4 #e74 ,and ,jeremiah1 remembering the wormwood and the gall1 and the deep mire of the dungeon into which they had plunged him1 and from which he had scarcely been delivered1 said3 ,it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the ,lord 7,lam4 iii4 #bf74 ,when the ,holy ,spirit is come1 ,he brings to remembrance these precious promises1 and makes them living words2 and1 if we believe1 the whole heaven of our soul shall be lighted up with abounding hope4 ,hallelujah6 ,it is only through ignorance of ,god's promises1 or through weak and wavering faith1 that hope is dimmed4 ,oh1 that we may heed the still small voice of the ,heavenly ,comforter1 and steadfastly1 joyously believe6 ,my hope is built on nothing less ,than ,jesus' blood and righteousness2 ,when all around my soul gives way1 ,he then is all my ,hope and ,stay4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit',s ,,substitute ,,for ,,gossip ,,and ,,evil-,,speaking4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,the other day ,i heard a man of ,god say3 ,we cannot bridle the tongues of the people among whom we live3 they will talk2 and by talk he meant gossip and criticism and fault-finding4 ,you never can tell when you send a word-- ,like an arrow shot from a bow ,by an archer blind--be it cruel or kind1 ,just where it will chance to go4 ,it may pierce the breast of your dearest friend1 ,tipped with its poison or balm3 ,to a stranger's heart in life's great mart ,it may carry its pain or its calm4 ,the wise mother1 when she finds her little boy playing with a sharp knife1 or the looking-glass1 or some dainty dish1 does not snatch it away with a slap on his cheek or harsh words1 but quietly and gently substitutes a safer and more interesting toy1 and so avoids a storm4 ,a sensible father who finds his boy reading a book of dangerous tendency1 will kindly point out its character and substitute a better book that is equally interesting4 ,when children want to spend their evenings on the street1 thoughtful and intelligent parents will seek to make their evenings at home more healthfully attractive4 ,when a man seeks to rid his mind of evil and hurtful thoughts1 he will find it wise to follow ,paul's exhortation to the ,philippians3 ,brethren1 whatsoever things are true1444 honest1444 just1444 pure1444 lovely1444 of good report2444 if there be any praise1 think on these things 7,phil4 iv4 #h74 ,any man who faithfully1 patiently1 and persistently accepts this programme of ,paul's will find his evil thoughts vanishing away4 ,and this is the ,holy ,spirit's method3 ,he has a pleasant and safe substitute for gossip and fault-finding and slander4 ,here it is3 ,be filled with the ,spirit3 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs1 singing and making melody in your heart to the ,lord2 giving thanks always for all things unto ,god and the ,father in the name of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ 7,eph4 v4 #ah-bj74 ,this is certainly a fruit of being filled with the ,spirit4 ,many years ago the ,lord gave me a blessed revival in a little village in which nearly every soul in the place1 as well as farmers from the surrounding country1 were converted4 ,one result was that they now had no time for gossip and doubtful talk about their neighbours4 ,they were all talking about religion and rejoicing in the things of the ,lord4 ,if they met each other on the street1 or in some shop or store1 they praised the ,lord1 and encouraged each other to press on in the heavenly way4 ,if they met a sinner1 they tenderly besought him to be reconciled to ,god1 to give up his sins1 flee from the wrath to come1 and start at once for ,heaven4 ,if they met in each other's houses1 they gathered around the organ or the piano and sang hymns and songs1 and did not part till they had united in prayer4 ,there was no criticising of their neighbours1 no grumbling and complaining about the weather1 no fault-finding with their lot in life1 or their daily surroundings and circumstances4 ,their conversation was joyous1 cheerful1 and helpful to one another4 ,nor was it forced and out of place1 but rather it was the natural1 spontaneous outflow of loving1 humble1 glad hearts filled with the ,spirit1 in union with ,jesus1 and in love and sympathy with their fellow-men4 ,and this is1 ,i think1 our ,heavenly ,father's ideal of social and spiritual intercourse for ,his children on earth4 ,he would not have us separate ourselves from each other and shut ourselves up in convents and monasteries in austere asceticism on the one hand1 nor would ,he have us light and foolish1 or fault-finding and censorious on the other hand1 but sociable1 cheerful1 and full of tender1 considerate love4 ,on the day of ,pentecost1 when they were all filled with the ,holy ,ghost and a multitude were converted1 we read that they1 continuing daily with one accord in the temple1 and breaking bread from house to house1 did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart1 praising ,god1 and having favour with all the people 7,acts ii4 #df1 #dg74 ,this is a sample of the brotherly love and unity which our ,heavenly ,father would have throughout the whole earth2 but how the breath of gossip and evil-speaking would have marred this heavenly fellowship and separated these chief friends6 ,lord6 subdue our selfish will2 ,each to each our tempers suit ,by ,thy modulating skill1 ,heart to heart1 as lute to lute4 ,let no one suppose1 however1 that the ,holy ,spirit accomplishes this heavenly work by some overwhelming baptism which does away with the need of our co-operation4 ,he does not override us1 but works with us2 and we must intelligently and determinedly work with ,him in this matter4 ,people often fall into idle and hurtful gossip and evil-speaking1 not so much from ill-will1 as from old habit1 as a wagon falls into a rut4 ,or they drift into it with the current of conversation about them4 ,or they are beguiled into it by a desire to say something1 and be pleasant and entertaining4 ,but when the ,holy ,spirit comes1 ,he lifts us out of the old ruts1 and we must follow ,him with care lest we fall into them again1 possibly never more to escape4 ,he gives us life and power to stem the adverse currents about us1 but we must exercise ourselves not to be swept downward by them4 ,he does not destroy the desire to please1 but ,he subordinates it to the desire to help and bless1 and we must stir ourselves up to do this4 ,when ,miss ,havergal was asked to sing and play before a worldly company1 she sang a sweet song about ,jesus1 and1 without displeasing anybody1 greatly blessed the company4 ,at a breakfast party ,john ,fletcher told his experience so sweetly and naturally that all hearts were stirred1 the ,holy ,ghost fell upon the company1 and they ended with a glorious prayer meeting4 ,william ,bramwell used at meals to steadily and persistently turn the conversation into spiritual channels to the blessing of all who were present1 so that they had two meals--one for the body and one for the soul4 ,to do this wisely and helpfully requires thought and prayer and a fixed purpose1 and a tender1 loving heart filled with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,i know a mother who seeks to have a brief season of prayer and a text of ,scripture just before going to dinner to prepare her heart to guide the conversation along spiritual highways4 ,are you careful and have you victory in this matter1 my comrade8 ,if not1 seek it just now in simple1 trustful prayer1 and the ,lord who loves you will surely answer1 and will be your helper from this time forth4 ,he surely will4 ,believe just now1 and henceforth let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of ,christ4 ,i ask ,thee1 ever blessed ,lord1 ,that ,i may never speak a word1 ,of envy born1 or passion stirred4 ,first1 true to ,thee in heart and mind1 ,then always to my neighbour kind1 ,by ,thy good hand to good inclined4 ,oh1 save from words that bear a sting1 ,that pain to any brother bring3 ,inbreathe ,thy calm in everything4 ,let love within my heart prevail1 ,to rule my words when thoughts assail1 ,that1 hid in ,thee1 ,i may not fail4 ,i know1 my ,lord1 ,thy power within ,can save from all the power of sin2 ,in ,thee let every word begin4 ,should ,i be silent8 ,keep me still1 ,glad waiting on my ,master's will3 ,thy message through my lips fulfil4 ,give me ,thy words when ,i should speak1 ,for words of ,thine are never weak1 ,but break the proud1 but raise the meek4 ,into ,thy lips all grace is poured1 ,speak ,thou through me1 ,eternal ,word1 ,of thought1 of heart1 of lips the ,lord4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xii4 ,,the ,,sin ,,against ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,god is love1 and the ,holy ,spirit is ceaselessly striving to make this love known in our hearts1 work out ,god's purposes of love in our lives1 and transform and transfigure our character by love4 ,and so we are solemnly warned against resisting the ,spirit1 and almost tearfully and always tenderly exhorted to quench not the ,spirit1 and to grieve not the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 whereby1 says the ,apostle1 ye are sealed unto the day of redemption4 ,there is one great sin against which ,jesus warned the ,jews1 as a sin never to be forgiven in this world nor in that which is to come4 ,that was blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,that there is such a sin1 ,jesus teaches in ,matthew xii4 #ca1 #cb1 ,mark iii4 #bh-cj1 and ,luke xii4 #aj4 ,and it may be that this is the sin referred to in ,hebrews vi4 #d-f2 x4 #bi4 ,since many of ,god's dear children have fallen into dreadful distress through fear that they had committed this sin1 it may be helpful for us to study carefully as to what constitutes it4 ,jesus was casting out devils1 and ,mark tells us that the scribes which came down from ,jerusalem said1 ,he hath ,beelzebub1 and by the prince of the devils casteth ,he out devils4 ,to this ,jesus replied with gracious kindness and searching logic3 ,how can ,satan cast out ,satan8 ,and if a kingdom be divided against itself1 that kingdom cannot stand4 ,and if a house be divided against itself1 it cannot stand4 ,and if ,satan rise up against himself and be divided1 he cannot stand1 but hath an end4 ,no man can enter into a strong man's house and spoil his goods1 except he will first bind the strong man2 and then he will spoil his house4 ,in this quiet reply we see that ,jesus does not rail against them1 nor flatly deny their base assertion that ,he does ,his miracles by the power of the ,devil1 but shows how logically false must be their statement4 ,and then1 with grave authority1 and1 ,i think1 with solemn tenderness in ,his voice and in ,his eyes1 ,he adds1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 ,all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men1 and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme3 but he that shall blaspheme against the ,holy ,ghost hath never forgiveness1 but is in danger of eternal damnation2 or1 as the ,revised ,version puts it1 is guilty of an eternal sin2 and then ,mark adds1 because they said1 ,he hath an unclean spirit 7,mark iii4 #bb-cj74 ,jesus came into the world to reveal ,god's truth and love to men1 and to save them1 and men are saved by believing in ,him4 ,but how could the men of ,his day1 who saw ,him working at the carpenter's bench1 and living the life of an ordinary man of humble toil and daily temptation and trial1 believe ,his stupendous claim to be the only-begotten ,son of ,god1 the ,saviour of the world1 and the final ,judge of all men8 ,any wilful and proud impostor could make such a claim4 ,but men could not and ought not to believe such an assertion unless the claim were supported by ungainsayable evidence4 ,this evidence ,jesus began to give1 not only in the holy life which ,he lived and the pure ,gospel ,he preached1 but in the miracles ,he wrought1 the blind eyes ,he opened1 the sick ,he healed1 the hungry thousands ,he fed1 the seas ,he stilled1 the dead ,he raised to life again1 and the devils ,he cast out of bound and harassed souls4 ,the ,scribes and ,pharisees witnessed these miracles1 and were compelled to admit these signs and wonders4 ,nicodemus1 one of their number1 said to ,jesus1 ,rabbi1 we know that ,thou art a teacher come from ,god3 for no man can do these miracles that ,thou doest1 except ,god be with him 7,john iii4 #b74 ,would they now admit ,his claim to be the ,son of ,god1 their promised and long-looked-for ,messiah8 ,they were thoughtful men and very religious1 but not spiritual4 ,the ,gospel ,he preached was ,spirit and life2 it appealed to their conscience and revealed their sin1 and to acknowledge ,him was to admit that they themselves were wrong4 ,it meant submission to ,his authority1 the surrender of their wills1 and a change of front in their whole inner and outer life4 ,this meant moral and spiritual revolution in each man's heart and life1 and to this they would not submit4 ,and so to avoid such plain inconsistency1 they must discredit ,his miracles2 and since they could not deny them1 they declared that ,he wrought them by the power of the ,devil4 ,jesus worked these signs and wonders by the power of the ,holy ,spirit1 that he might win their confidence1 and that they might reasonably believe and be saved4 ,but they refused to believe1 and in their malignant obstinacy heaped scorn upon ,him1 accusing ,him of being in league with the ,devil2 and how could they be saved8 ,this was the sin against the ,holy ,spirit against which ,jesus warned them4 ,it was not so much one act of sin1 as a deep-seated1 stubborn rebellion against ,god that led them to choose darkness rather than light1 and so to blaspheme against the ,spirit of truth and light4 ,it was sin full and ripe and ready for the harvest4 ,some one has said that this sin cannot be forgiven1 not because ,god is unwilling to forgive1 but because one who thus sins against the ,holy ,spirit has put himself where no power can soften his heart or change his nature4 ,a man may misuse his eyes and yet see2 but whosoever puts them out can never see again4 ,one may misdirect his compass1 and turn it aside from the ,north ,pole by a magnet or piece of iron1 and it may recover and point right again2 but whosoever destroys the compass itself has lost his guide at sea4 ,many of ,god's dear children1 honest souls1 have been persuaded that they have committed this awful sin4 ,indeed1 ,i once thought that ,i myself had done so1 and for twenty-eight days ,i felt that1 like ,jonah1 ,i was in the belly of hell4 ,but ,god1 in love and tender mercy1 drew me out of the horrible pit of doubt and fear1 and showed me that this is a sin committed only by those who1 in spite of all evidence1 harden their hearts in unbelief1 and to shield themselves in their sins deny and blaspheme the ,lord4 ,dr4 ,daniel ,steele tells of a ,jew who was asked1 ,is it that you cannot1 or that you will not believe8 ,the ,jew passionately replied1 ,we will not1 we will not believe4 ,this was wilful refusal and rejection of light1 and in that direction lies hardness of heart beyond recovery1 fullness of sin1 and final impenitence1 which are unpardonable4 ,doubtless many through resistance to the ,holy ,spirit come to this awful state of heart2 but those troubled1 anxious souls who think they have committed this sin are not usually among the number4 ,an ,army ,officer in ,canada was in the midst of a glorious revival1 when one night a gentleman arose and with deep emotion urged the young people present to yield themselves to ,god1 accept ,jesus as their ,saviour1 and receive the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he told them that he had once been a ,christian1 but that he had not walked in the light1 and1 consequently1 had sinned against the ,holy ,spirit1 and could never more be pardoned4 ,then1 with all earnest tenderness1 he exhorted them to be warned by his sad state1 and not to harden their hearts against the gracious influences1 and entreated them to yield to the ,saviour4 ,suddenly the scales of doubt dropped from his eyes1 and he saw that he had not in his inmost heart rejected ,jesus2 that he had not committed the unpardonable sin2 that ,the love of ,god is broader ,than the measure of man's mind3 ,and the heart of the ,eternal ,is most wonderfully kind4 ,and in an instant his heart was filled with light and love and peace1 and sweet assurance that ,christ ,jesus was his ,saviour1 even his4 ,in one meeting1 ,i have known three people who thought they had committed this sin1 and were bowed with grief and fear1 to come to the penitent-form and find deliverance4 ,the poet ,cowper was plunged into unutterable gloom by the conviction that he had committed this awful sin2 but ,god tenderly brought him into the light and sweet comforts of the ,holy ,spirit again1 and doubtless it was in the sense of such lovingkindness that he wrote3 ,there is a fountain filled with blood1 ,drawn from ,emanuel's veins2 ,and sinners plunged beneath that flood ,lose all their guilty stains4 ,john ,bunyan was also afflicted with horrible fears that he had committed the unpardonable sin1 and in his little book entitled1 ,grace ,abounding to the ,chief of ,sinners 7a book which ,i would earnestly recommend to all soul-winners71 he tells how he was delivered from his doubts and fears and was filled once more with the joy of the ,lord4 ,there are portions of his ,pilgrim's ,progress which are to be interpreted in the light of this grievous experience4 ,those who think they have committed this sin may generally be assured that they have not4 #a4 ,their hearts are usually very tender1 while this sin must harden the heart past all feeling4 #b4 ,they are full of sorrow and shame for having neglected ,god's grace and trifled with the ,saviour's dying words1 but such sorrow could not exist in a heart so fully given over to sin that pardon was impossible4 #c4 ,god says1 ,whosoever will may come2 and if they find it in their hearts to come1 they will not be cast out1 but freely pardoned and received with loving kindness through the merits of ,jesus' blood4 ,god's promise will not fail1 ,his faithfulness is established in the heavens4 ,bless ,his holy name6 ,those who have committed this sin are full of evil1 and do not care to come1 and will not1 and1 therefore1 are never pardoned4 ,their sin is eternal4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xiii4 ,,offences ,,against ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,one day1 in a fit of boyish temper1 ,i spoke hot words of anger1 somewhat unjustly1 against another person1 and this deeply grieved my mother4 ,she said but little1 and though her sweet face has mouldered many years beneath the ,southern daisies1 her look of grief ,i can still see across the years of a third of a century4 ,and that is the one sad memory of my childhood4 ,a stranger might have been amused or incensed at my words1 but mother was grieved--grieved to her heart by my lack of generous1 self-forgetful1 thoughtful love4 ,we can anger a stranger or an enemy1 but it is only a friend we grieve4 ,the ,holy ,spirit is such a ,friend1 more tender and faithful than a mother2 and shall we carelessly offend ,him1 and estrange ourselves from ,him in spite of ,his love8 ,there is a sense in which every sin is against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,of course1 not every such sin is unpardonable1 but the tendency of all sin is in that direction1 and we are only safe as we avoid the very beginnings of sin4 ,only as we walk in the ,spirit are we free from the law of sin and death 7,romans viii4 #b74 ,therefore1 it is infinitely important that we beware of offences against the ,spirit1 lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin 7,hebrews iii4 #ac74 ,grieving the ,holy ,spirit is a very common and a very sad offence of professing ,christians1 and it is to this that must be attributed much of the weakness and ignorance and joylessness of so many followers of ,christ4 ,and ,he is grieved1 as was my mother1 by the unloving speech and spirit of ,god's children4 ,in his letters to the ,ephesians1 ,paul says1 ,let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth1 but that which is good to the use of edifying1 that it may minister grace unto the hearers4 ,and then he adds3 ,and grieve not the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption4 ,let all bitterness1 and wrath1 and anger1 and clamour1 and evil-speaking1 be put away from you1 with all malice4 ,and be ye kind one to another1 tender-hearted1 forgiving one another1 even as ,god for ,christ's sake hath forgiven you4 ,be ye therefore followers of ,god1 as dear children2 and walk in love1 as ,christ also hath loved us1 and hath given ,himself for us 7,eph4 iv4 #bi-v4 #b74 ,what does ,paul teach us here8 ,that it is not by some huge wickedness1 some ,judas-like betrayal1 some tempting and lying to the ,holy ,ghost1 as did ,ananias and ,sapphira 7,acts v4 #a-i71 that we grieve ,him1 but by that which most people count little and unimportant2 by talk that corrupts instead of blessing and building up those that hear1 by gossip1 by bitterness1 and uncharitable criticisms and fault-findings4 ,this was the sin of the elder son when the prodigal returned1 and it was by this he pierced with grief the kind old father's heart4 ,by getting in a rage1 by loud1 angry talking and evil-speaking and petty malice1 by unkindness and hard-heartedness and an unforgiving spirit1 we grieve ,him4 ,in a word1 by not walking through the world as in our ,father's house1 and among our neighbours and friends as among ,his dear children2 by not loving tenderly and making kindly sacrifices for one another1 ,he is grieved4 ,and this is not a matter of little importance4 ,it may have sadly momentous consequences4 ,it is a bitter1 cruel1 and often an irreparable thing to trifle with a valuable earthly friendship4 ,how much more when the friendship is heavenly8 when the ,friend is our ,lord and ,saviour1 our ,creator and ,redeemer1 our ,governor and ,judge1 our ,teacher1 ,guide1 and ,god8 ,when we trifle with a friend's wishes--especially when such wishes are all in perfect harmony with and for our highest possible good--we may not estrange the friend from us1 but we estrange ourselves from our friend4 ,our hearts grow cold toward him1 though his heart may be breaking with longing toward us4 ,the more ,saul ill-treated ,david1 the more he hated ,david4 ,such estrangement may lead1 little by little1 to yet greater sin1 to strange hardness of heart1 to doubts and unbelief1 and backslidings and denial of the ,lord4 ,the cure for all this is a clean heart full of sweet and gentle1 self-forgetful1 generous love4 ,then we shall be followers of ,god as dear children1 then we shall walk in love as ,christ loved us1 and gave ,himself for us4 ,but there is another offence1 that of quenching the ,spirit1 which accounts for the comparative darkness and deadness of many of ,god's children4 ,in ,i ,thess4 v4 #af-ai the ,apostle says3 ,rejoice evermore4 ,pray without ceasing4 ,in everything give thanks3 for this is the will of ,god in ,christ ,jesus concerning you4 ,quench not the ,spirit4 ,when will the ,lord's dear children learn that the religion of ,jesus is a lowly thing1 and that it is the little foxes that spoil the vines8 ,does not the ,apostle here teach that it is not by some desperate1 dastardly deed that we quench the ,spirit1 but simply by neglecting to rejoice and pray1 and give thanks at all times and for all things8 ,it is not necessary to blot the sun out of the heavens to keep the sunlight out of your house--just close the blinds and draw the curtains2 nor do you pour barrels of water on the flames to quench the fire--just shut off the draught2 nor do you dynamite the city reservoir and destroy all the mains and pipes to cut off your supply of sparkling water1 but just refrain from turning on the main4 ,so you do not need to do some great evil1 some deadly sin1 to quench the ,spirit4 ,just cease to rejoice1 through fear of man and of being peculiar2 be prim and proper as a white and polished gravestone2 let gushing joy be curbed2 neglect to pray when you feel a gentle pull in your heart to get alone with the ,lord2 omit giving hearty thanks for all ,god's tender mercies1 faithful discipline and loving chastenings1 and soon you will find the ,spirit quenched4 ,he will no longer spring up joyously like a well of living water within you4 ,but give the ,spirit a vent1 an opening1 a chance1 and ,he will rise within you and flood your soul with light and love and joy4 ,some years ago a sanctified woman of clear experience went alone to keep her daily hour with ,god2 but1 to her surprise1 it seemed that she could not find ,him1 either in prayer or in ,his word4 ,she searched her heart for evidence of sin1 but the ,spirit showed her nothing contrary to ,god in her mind1 heart1 or will4 ,she searched her memory for any breach of covenant1 any broken vows1 any neglect1 any omission1 but could find none4 ,then she asked the ,lord to show her if there were any duty unfulfilled1 any command unnoticed1 which she might perform1 and quick as thought came the often-read words1 ,rejoice evermore4 ,have you done that this morning8 ,she had not4 ,it had been a busy morning1 and a well-spent one1 but so far there had been no definite rejoicing in her heart1 though the manifold riches and ground for joy of all ,christians were hers4 ,at once she began to count her blessings and thank the ,lord for each one1 and rejoice in ,him for all the way ,he had led her1 and the gifts ,he had bestowed1 and in a very few minutes the ,lord stood revealed to her spiritual consciousness4 ,she had not committed sin1 nor resisted the ,spirit1 but a failure to rejoice in ,him who had daily loaded her with benefits 7,psalm lxviii4 #ai7 had in a measure quenched the ,spirit4 ,she had not turned the main1 and so her soul was not flooded with living waters4 ,she had not remembered the command3 ,thou shalt rejoice before the ,lord thy ,god in all that thou puttest thine hand unto4 ,but that morning she learned a lifelong lesson1 and she has ever since safeguarded her soul by obeying the many commands to ,rejoice in the ,lord4 ,grieving and quenching the ,spirit will not only leave barren and desolate an individual soul1 but it will do so for a ,corps1 a church1 a community1 a whole nation or continent4 ,we see this illustrated on a large scale by the long and weary ,dark ,ages1 when the light of the ,gospel was almost extinguished1 and only here and there was the darkness broken by the torch of truth held aloft by some humble1 suffering soul that had wept and prayed1 and through painful struggles had found the light4 ,we see it also in those ,corps1 churches1 communities1 and countries where revivals are unknown1 or are a thing of the past1 where souls are not born into the ,kingdom1 and where there is no joyous shout of victory among the people of ,god4 ,grieving and quenching the ,spirit may be done unintentionally by lack of thought and prayer and hearty devotion to the ,lord ,jesus2 but they prepare the way and lead to intentional and positive resistance to the ,spirit4 ,to resist the ,spirit is to fight against ,him4 ,the sinner who1 listening to the ,gospel invitation1 and convicted of sin1 refuses to submit to ,god in true repentance and faith in ,jesus1 is resisting the ,holy ,spirit4 ,we have bold and striking historical illustrations of the danger of resisting the ,holy ,spirit in the disasters which befell ,pharaoh1 and the terrible calamities which came upon ,jerusalem1 and have for twenty centuries followed the ,jews4 ,the ten plagues that came upon ,pharaoh and his people were ten opportunities and open doors into ,god's favour and fellowship1 which they themselves shut by their stubborn resistance1 only to be overtaken by dreadful catastrophe4 ,to the ,jews1 ,stephen said3 ,ye do always resist the ,holy ,ghost 7,acts vii4 #ea72 and the siege and fall of ,jerusalem1 and the butchery and banishment and enslavement of its inhabitants1 and all the woes that came upon the ,jews1 followed their rejection of ,jesus and the hardness of heart and spiritual blindness which swiftly overtook them when they resisted all the loving efforts and entreaties of ,his disciples baptised with the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and what on a large scale befalls nations and people1 on a small scale also befalls individuals4 ,those that receive and obey the ,lord are enlightened and blessed and saved2 those that resist and reject ,him are sadly left to themselves and surely swallowed up in destruction4 ,likewise the professing ,christian who hears of heart-holiness and cleansing from all sin as a blessing he may now have by faith1 and1 convicted of his need of the blessing and of ,god's desire and willingness to bestow it upon him now1 refuses to seek it in whole-hearted affectionate consecration and faith1 is resisting the ,holy ,spirit4 ,and such resistance imperils the soul beyond all possible computation4 ,we see an example of this in the ,israelites who were brought out of ,egypt with signs and wonders1 and led through the ,red ,sea and the wilderness to the borders of ,canaan1 but1 forgetting1 refused to go over into the land4 ,in this they resisted the ,holy ,spirit in ,his leadings as surely as did ,pharaoh1 and with quite as disastrous results to themselves1 perishing in their evil way4 ,for their sin was as much greater than his as their light exceeded his4 ,hundreds of years later1 ,isaiah1 writing of this time1 says3 ,in all their affliction ,he was afflicted1 and the angel of ,his presence saved them2 in ,his love and in ,his pity ,he redeemed them2 and ,he bare them1 and carried them all the days of old4 ,but they rebelled1 and vexed ,his ,holy ,spirit2 therefore ,he was turned to be their enemy1 and ,he fought against them 7,isaiah lxiii4 #i1 #aj74 ,we see from this that ,christians must beware and watch and pray and walk softly with the ,lord in glad obedience and childlike faith1 if they would escape the darkness and dryness that result from grieving and quenching the ,spirit1 and the dangers that surely come from resisting ,him4 ,arm me with jealous care1 ,as in ,thy sight to live2 ,and1 ,oh1 ,thy servant1 ,lord1 prepare1 ,a strict account to give4 ,help me to watch and pray1 ,and on ,thyself rely1 ,assured if ,i my trust betray1 ,i shall for ever die4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xiv4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,and ,,sound ,,doctrine4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,is ,jesus ,christ divine8 ,is the ,bible an inspired ,book8 ,is man a fallen creature who can be saved only through the suffering and sacrifice of the ,creator8 ,will there be a resurrection of the dead1 and a day in which ,god will judge all the world by the ,man ,christ ,jesus8 ,is ,satan a personal being1 and is there a ,hell in which the wicked will be for ever punished8 ,these are great doctrines which have been held and taught by ,his followers since the days of ,jesus and ,his ,apostles1 and yet they are ever being attacked and denied4 ,are they true8 ,or are they only fancies and falsehoods1 or figures of speech and distortions of truth8 ,how can we find truth and know it8 ,jesus said1 ,when ,he1 the ,spirit of ,truth1 is come1 ,he will guide you into all truth 7,john xvi4 #ac74 ,what truth8 ,not the truth of the multiplication table1 or of physical science1 or art1 or secular history1 but spiritual truth--the truth about ,god and ,his will and character1 and our relations to ,him in ,christ--that truth which is necessary to salvation and holiness--into all this truth the ,holy ,spirit will guide us4 ,he shall teach you all things1 said ,jesus 7,john xiv4 #bf74 ,how1 then1 shall we escape error and be sound in doctrine8 ,only by the help of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,how do we know ,jesus ,christ is divine8 ,because the ,bible tells us so8 ,infinitely precious and important is this revelation in the ,bible2 but not by this do we know it4 ,because the ,church teaches it in her creed1 and we have heard it from the catechism8 ,nothing taught in any creed or catechism is of more vital importance2 but neither by this do we know it4 ,how then8 ,listen to ,paul3 ,no man can say that ,jesus is the ,lord1 but by the ,holy ,ghost 7,i ,cor4 xii4 #c74 ,no man1 says ,paul4 ,then learning it from the ,bible or catechism is not to know it except as the parrot might know it2 but every man is to be taught this by the ,holy ,spirit1 if he is to really know it4 ,then it is not a revelation made once for all1 and only to the men who walked and talked with ,jesus1 but it is a spiritual revelation made anew to each believing heart that in penitence seeks ,him and so meets the conditions of such a revelation4 ,then the poor1 degraded1 ignorant outcast at ,the ,army penitent-form in the slums of ,london or ,chicago1 who never heard of a creed1 and the ebony ,african and dusky ,indian1 who never saw the inside of a ,bible1 may have ,christ revealed in him1 and know by the revelation of the ,holy ,spirit that ,jesus is ,lord4 ,it pleased ,god444 to reveal ,his ,son in me1 wrote ,paul 7,gal4 i4 #ae1 #af72 and again1 ,christ liveth in me 7,gal4 ii4 #bj72 and again1 ,my little children1 of whom ,i travail in birth again until ,christ be formed in you 7,gal4 iv4 #ai72 as though ,christ is to be spiritually formed in the heart of each believer by the operation of the ,holy ,spirit1 as ,he was physically formed in the womb of ,mary by the same ,spirit 7,luke i4 #ce72 and again1 ,the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations1 but now is made manifest to ,his saints1444 which is ,christ in you1 the hope of glory 7,col4 i4 #bf1 #bg72 ,that ,christ may dwell in your hearts by faith 7,eph4 iii4 #ag72 ,examine yourselves1 whether ye be in the faith2 prove your own selves4 ,know ye not your own selves1 how that ,jesus ,christ is in you1 except ye be reprobates 7#b ,cor4 xiii4 #e78 ,at that day1 said ,jesus1 when making ,his great promise of the ,comforter to ,his disciples1 ,at that day ye shall know that ,i am in ,my ,father1 and ye in ,me1 and ,i in you 7,john xiv4 #bj72 and again1 in ,his great prayer1 ,he said3 ,i have declared unto them ,thy name1 and will declare it3 that the love wherewith ,thou hast loved ,me may be in them1 and ,i in them4 ,it is this ever-recurring revelation to penitent1 believing hearts1 by the agency of the ever-present ,holy ,spirit1 that makes faith in ,jesus ,christ living and invincible4 ,i know ,he is ,lord1 for ,he saves my soul from sin1 and ,he saves me now1 is an argument that rationalism and unbelief cannot answer nor overthrow1 and so long as there are men in the world who can say this1 faith in the divinity of ,jesus ,christ is secure2 and this experience and witness come by the ,holy ,ghost4 ,i worship ,thee1 ,o ,holy ,ghost1 ,i love to worship ,thee2 ,my risen ,lord for aye were lost ,but for ,thy company4 ,and so it is by the guidance and teaching of the ,holy ,spirit that all saving truth becomes vital to us4 ,it is ,he that makes the ,bible a living ,book2 it is ,he that convinces the world of judgment 7,john xvi4 #h-aa72 it is ,he that makes men certain that there is a ,heaven of surpassing and enduring glory and joy1 and a ,hell of endless sorrow and woe for those who sin away their day of grace and die in impenitence4 ,who have been the mightiest and most faithful preachers of the gloom and terror and pain of a perpetual ,hell8 those who have been the mightiest and most effective preachers of ,god's compassionate love4 ,in all periods of great revival1 when men seemed to live on the borderland1 and in the vision of eternity1 ,hell has been preached4 ,the leaders in these revivals have been men of prayer and faith and consuming love1 but they have been men who knew the terrors of the ,lord1 and1 therefore1 they preached the judgments of ,god1 and they proved that the law with its penalties is a schoolmaster to bring men to ,christ 7,gal4 iii4 #bd74 ,fox1 the ,quaker2 ,bunyan1 the ,baptist2 ,baxter1 the ,puritan2 ,wesley and ,fletcher1 and ,whitefield and ,caughey1 the ,methodists2 ,finney1 the ,presbyterian2 ,edwards and ,moody1 the ,congregationalists2 and ,general ,booth1 the ,salvationist1 have preached it1 not savagely1 but tenderly and faithfully1 as a mother might warn her child against some great danger that would surely follow careless and selfish wrong-doing4 ,what men have loved and laboured and sacrificed as these men8 ,their hearts have been a flaming furnace of love and devotion to ,god1 and an over-flowing fountain of love and compassion for men2 but just in proportion as they have discovered ,god's love and pity for the sinner1 so have they discovered ,his wrath against sin and all obstinate wrong-doing2 and as they have caught glimpses of ,heaven and declared its joys and everlasting glories to men1 so they have seen ,hell1 with its endless punishment1 and with trembling voice and overflowing eyes have they warned men to flee from the wrath to come4 ,were these men1 throbbing with spiritual life and consumed with devotion to the ,kingdom of ,god and the everlasting well-being of their fellowmen1 led to this belief by the ,spirit of ,truth1 or were they misled8 ,is it the prophet1 weeping and praying and preaching and fighting for ,god and men1 to whom the ,spirit has always first spoken and revealed the things of ,god8 ,or is it the philosopher1 or dry-as-dust theologian1 or the popular preacher of smooth things1 sitting in his study and among his books1 spinning out of his own mind his conceits concerning ,god's plan and purpose in the universe8 ,does ,seneca or the ,psalmist1 ,plato or ,paul1 ,rousseau or ,wesley1 the idolised1 high-salaried1 soft-raimented preacher of a wide gate and broad way to life and ,heaven1 or the veteran soul-winner1 ,general ,booth1 more clearly make known the mind of ,god in matters that are spiritual8 ,the things of the ,spirit444 are spiritually discerned 7,i ,cor4 ii4 #ad71 says ,paul4 ,it is not by searching and philosophising that these things are found out1 but by revelation4 ,flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee1 said ,jesus to ,peter1 but ,my ,father which is in ,heaven 7,matthew xvi4 #ag74 ,the great teacher of truth is the ,spirit of ,truth1 and the only safe expounders and guardians of sound doctrine are men filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,study and research have their place1 and an important place2 but in spiritual things they will be no avail unless prosecuted by spiritual men4 ,as well might men blind from birth attempt to study the starry heavens1 and men born deaf undertake to expound and criticise the harmonies of ,bach and ,beethoven4 ,men must see and hear to speak and write intelligently on such subjects4 ,and so men must be spiritually enlightened to understand spiritual truth4 ,the greatest danger to any religious organisation is that a body of men should arise in its ranks1 and hold its positions of trust1 who have learned its great fundamental doctrines by rote out of the catechism1 but have no experimental knowledge of their truth inwrought by the mighty anointing of the ,holy ,ghost1 and who are destitute of an unction from the ,holy ,one1 by which1 says ,john1 ye know all things 7#a ,john ii4 #bj1 #bg74 ,why do men deny the divinity of ,jesus ,christ8 ,because they have never placed themselves in that relation to the ,spirit1 and met those unchanging conditions that would enable ,him to reveal ,jesus to them as ,saviour and ,lord4 ,why do men dispute the inspiration of the ,scriptures8 ,because the ,holy ,ghost1 who inspired holy men of ,god to write the ,book 7#b ,peter i4 #ba71 hides its spiritual sense from unspiritual and unholy men4 ,why do men doubt a ,day of ,judgment1 and a state of everlasting doom8 ,because they have never been bowed and broken and crushed beneath the weight of their sin1 and by a sense of guilt and separation from a holy ,god that can only be removed by faith in ,his dying ,son4 ,a sportsman lost his way in a pitiless storm on a black and starless night4 ,suddenly his horse drew back and refused to take another step4 ,he urged it forward1 but it only threw itself back upon its haunches4 ,just then a vivid flash of lightning revealed a great precipice upon the brink of which he stood4 ,it was but an instant1 and then the pitchy blackness hid it again from view4 ,but he turned his horse and anxiously rode away from the terrible danger4 ,a distinguished professor of religion said to me some time ago1 ,i dislike1 ,i abhor1 the doctrine of ,hell2 and then after a while added1 ,but three times in my life ,i have seen that there was eternal separation from ,god and an everlasting ,hell for me1 if ,i walked not in the way ,god was calling me to go4 ,into the blackness of the sinner's night the ,holy ,spirit1 who is patiently and compassionately seeking the salvation of all men1 flashes a light that gives him a glimpse of eternal things which1 heeded1 would lead to the sweet peace and security of eternal day4 ,for when the ,holy ,spirit is heeded and honoured1 the night passes1 the shadows flee away1 the day dawns1 the ,sun of ,righteousness arises with healing in ,his wings1 and1 saved and sanctified1 men walk in ,his light in safety and joy4 ,doctrines which before were repellent to the carnal mind1 and but foolishness1 or a stumbling-block to the heart of unbelief1 now become precious and satisfying to the soul2 and truths which before were hid in impenetrable darkness1 or seen only as through dense gloom and fog1 are now seen clearly as in the light of broad day4 ,hold thou the faith that ,christ is ,lord1 ,god over all1 who died and rose2 ,and everlasting life bestows ,on all who hear the living word4 ,for thee ,his life-blood ,he out-poured1 ,his ,spirit sets thy spirit free2 ,hold thou the faith--,he dwells in thee1 ,and thou in ,him1 and ,christ is ,lord6 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xv4 ,,praying ,,in ,,the ,,spirit4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,an important work of the ,holy ,spirit is to teach us how to pray1 instruct us what to pray for1 and inspire us to pray earnestly1 without ceasing1 and in faith1 for the things we desire and the things that are dear to the heart of the ,lord4 ,in a familiar verse1 the poet ,montgomery says3 ,prayer is the burden of a sigh1 ,the falling of a tear1 ,the upward glancing of the eye1 ,when none but ,god is near4 ,and no doubt he is right4 ,prayer is exceedingly simple4 ,the faintest cry for help1 a whisper for mercy1 is prayer4 ,but when the ,holy ,spirit comes and fills the soul with ,his blessed presence1 prayer becomes more than a cry2 it ceases to be a feeble request1 and often becomes a strife 7,romans xv4 #cj2 ,col4 iv4 #ab7 for greater things1 a conflict1 an invincible argument1 a wrestling with ,god1 and through it men enter into the ,divine councils and rise into a blessed and responsible fellowship in some important sense with the ,father and the ,son in the moral government of the world4 ,it was in this spirit and fellowship that ,abraham prayed for ,sodom 7,genesis xviii4 #bc-cb72 that ,moses interceded for ,israel1 and stood between them and ,god's hot displeasure 7,exodus xxxii4 #g-ad72 and that ,elijah prevailed to shut up the heavens for three years and six months1 and then again prevailed in his prayer for rain4 ,god would have us come to ,him not only as a foolish and ignorant child comes1 but as an ambassador to his home government2 as a full-grown son who has become of age and entered into partnership with his father2 as a bride who is one in all interests and affections with the bridegroom4 ,he would have us come boldly to the throne of grace with a well-reasoned and ,scriptural understanding of what we desire1 and with a purpose to ask1 seek1 and knock till we get the thing we wish1 being assured that it is according to ,his will2 and this boldness is not inconsistent with the profoundest humility and a sense of utter dependence2 indeed1 it is always accompanied by self-distrust and humble reliance upon the merits of ,jesus1 else it is but presumption and unsanctified conceit4 ,this union of assurance and humility1 of boldness and dependence1 can be secured only by the baptism with the ,holy ,spirit1 and only so can one be prepared and fitted for such prayer4 ,three great obstacles hinder mighty prayer3 #a4 selfishness2 #b1 unbelief2 #c1 the darkness of ignorance and foolishness4 ,the baptism with the ,spirit sweeps away these obstacles and brings in the three great essentials to prayer--#a1 faith2 #b1 love1 ,divine love2 #c1 the light of heavenly knowledge and wisdom4 #a4 ,selfishness must be cast out by the incoming of love4 ,the ambassador must not be seeking personal ends1 but the interests of his government and the people he represents2 the son must not be seeking private gain1 but the common prosperity of the partnership in which he will fully and lawfully share2 the bride must not forget him to whom she belongs1 and seek separate ends1 but in all ways identify herself with her husband and his interests4 ,so the child of ,god must come in prayer1 unselfishly4 ,it is the work of the ,holy ,spirit1 with our co-operation and glad consent1 to search and destroy selfishness out of our hearts1 and fill them with pure love to ,god and man4 ,and when this is done we shall not then be asking for things amiss to consume them upon our lusts1 to gratify our appetites1 or pride1 or ambition1 or ease1 or vain-glory4 ,we shall seek only the glory of our ,lord and the common good of our fellow-men1 in which1 as co-workers and partners1 we shall have a common share4 ,if we ask for success1 it is not that we may be exalted1 but that ,god may be glorified2 that ,jesus may secure the purchase of ,his blood2 that men may be saved1 and the ,kingdom of ,heaven be established upon earth4 ,if we ask for daily bread1 it is not that we may be full1 but that we may be fitted for daily duty4 ,if we ask for health1 it is not alone that we may be free from pain and filled with physical comfort1 but that we may be spent in publishing the sinner's ,friend1 in fulfilling the work for which ,god has placed us here4 #b4 ,unbelief must be destroyed4 ,doubt paralyzes prayer4 ,unbelief quenches the spirit of intercession4 ,only as the eye of faith sees our ,father ,god upon the ,throne guaranteeing to us rights and privileges by the blood of ,his ,son1 and inviting us to come without fear1 and make our wants known1 does prayer rise from the commonplace to the sublime2 does it cease to be a feeble1 timid cry1 and become a mighty spiritual force1 moving ,god ,himself in the interests which it seeks4 ,men1 wise with the wisdom of this world1 but poor and naked and blind and foolish in matters of faith1 ask3 ,will ,god change ,his plans at the request of man8 ,and we answer1 ,yes1 since many of ,god's plans are made contingent upon the prayers of ,his people1 and ,he has ordered that prayer offered in faith1 according to ,his will1 revealed in ,his word1 shall be one of the controlling factors in ,his government of men4 ,is it ,god's will that the tides of the ,atlantic and ,pacific should sweep across the ,isthmus of ,panama8 ,that men should run under the ,alps8 ,that thoughts and words should be winged across the ocean without any visible or tangible medium8 ,yes2 it is ,his will1 if men will it1 and work to these ends in harmony with ,his great physical laws4 ,so in the spiritual world there are wonders wrought by prayer1 and ,god wills the will of ,his people when they come to ,him in faith and love4 ,what else is meant by such promises and assurances as these3 ,therefore ,i say unto you1 ,what things soever ye desire1 when ye pray1 believe that ye receive them1 and ye shall have them 7,mark xi4 #bd72 ,the supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working4 ,elijah was a man of like passions with us1 and he prayed fervently that it might not rain2 and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months4 ,and he prayed again1 and the heavens gave rain and the earth brought forth her fruit 7,james v4 #af-ah4 ,american ,revision74 ,the ,holy ,spirit dwelling within the heart helps us to understand the things we may pray for1 and the heart that is full of love and loyalty to ,god only wants what is lawful4 ,this is mystery to people who are under the dominion of selfishness and the darkness of unbelief1 but it is a soul-thrilling fact to those who are filled with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,what wilt thou that ,i shall do unto thee8 asked ,jesus of the blind man 7,luke xviii4 #da74 ,he had respect to the will of the blind man1 and granted his request1 seeing he had faith4 ,and ,he still has respect to the vigorous1 sanctified will of ,his people--the will that has been subdued by consecration and faith into loving union with ,his will4 ,the ,lord answered ,abraham on behalf of ,sodom till he ceased to ask4 ,the ,lord has had ,his way so long with ,hudson ,taylor1 said a friend1 that now1 ,hudson ,taylor can have his way with the ,lord4 ,adoniram ,judson lay sick with a fatal illness in far-away ,burmah4 ,his wife read to him an account of the conversion of a number of ,jews in ,constantinople through some of his writings4 ,for a while the sick man was silent1 and then he spoke with awe1 telling his wife that for years he had prayed that he might be used in some way to bless the ,jews1 yet never having seen any evidence that his prayers were answered2 but now1 after many years and from far away1 the evidence of answer had come4 ,and then1 after further silence1 he spoke with deep emotion1 saying that he had never prayed a prayer for the glory of ,god and the good of men but that1 sooner or later1 even though for the time being he had forgotten1 he found that ,god had not forgotten1 but had remembered and patiently worked to answer his prayer4 ,oh1 the faithfulness of ,god6 ,he means it when ,he makes promises and exhorts and urges and commands us to pray4 ,it is not ,his purpose to mock us1 but to answer and to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think4 ,bless ,his holy ,name6 #c4 ,knowledge and wisdom must take the place of foolish ignorance4 ,paul says1 ,we know not what we should pray for as we ought1 and then adds1 ,but the ,spirit ,himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered 7,romans viii4 #bf74 ,if my little child asks for a glittering razor1 ,i refuse its request2 but when my full-grown son asks for one ,i grant it4 ,so ,god cannot wisely answer some prayers1 for they are foolish or untimely4 ,hence1 we need not love and faith only1 but wisdom and knowledge1 that we may ask according to the will of ,god4 ,it is this that ,paul has in mind when he says that he will not only pray with the ,spirit1 but ,i will pray with the understanding also 7,i ,cor4 xiv4 #ae74 ,men should think before they pray1 and study that they may pray wisely4 ,now1 when the ,holy ,spirit comes there pours into the soul not only a tide of love and simple faith1 but a flood of light as well1 and prayer becomes not only earnest1 but intelligent also4 ,and this intelligence increases1 as1 under the leadership of the ,holy ,spirit1 the word of ,god is studied1 and its heavenly truths and principles are grasped and assimilated4 ,it is thus men come to know ,god and become ,his friends1 whose prayers ,he will assist and will not deny4 ,such men talk with ,god as friend with friend1 and the ,holy ,spirit helps their infirmities2 encourages them to urge their prayer in faith2 teaches them to reason with ,god2 enables them to come boldly in the name of ,jesus1 when oppressed with a sense of their own insignificance and unworthiness2 and1 when words fail them and they scarcely know how to voice their desires1 ,he intercedes within them with unutterable groanings1 according to the will of ,god 7,romans viii4 #bf1 #bg2 #a ,cor4 ii4 #aa74 ,a young man felt called to mission work in ,china1 but his mother offered strong opposition to his going4 ,an agent of the mission1 knowing the need of the work1 and vexed with the mother1 one day laid the case before ,hudson ,taylor4 ,mr4 ,taylor1 said he1 listened patiently and lovingly to all ,i had to say1 and then gently suggested our praying about it4 ,such a prayer ,i have never heard before6 ,it seemed to me more like a conversation with a trusted friend whose advice he was seeking4 ,he talked the matter over with the ,friend from every point of view--from the side of the young man1 from the side of ,china's needs1 from the side of the mother1 and her natural feelings1 and also from my side4 ,it was a revelation to me4 ,i saw that prayer did not mean merely asking for things1 much less asking for things to be carried out by ,god according to our ideas2 but that it means communion1 fellowship1 partnership1 with our ,heavenly ,father4 ,and when our will is really blended with ,his1 what liberty we may have in asking for what we want6 ,hallelujah6 ,my soul1 ask what thou wilt1 ,thou canst not be too bold2 ,since ,his own blood for thee ,he spilt1 ,what else can ,he withhold8 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xvi4 ,,characteristics ,,of ,,the ,,anointed ,,preacher4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,since ,god saves men by the foolishness of preaching1 the preacher has an infinitely important work1 and he must be fitted for it4 ,but what can fit a man for such sacred work8 ,not education alone1 not knowledge of books1 not gifts of speech1 not winsome manners1 nor a magnetic voice1 nor a commanding presence1 but only ,god4 ,the preacher must be more than a man--he must be a man plus the ,holy ,ghost4 ,paul was such a man4 ,he was full of the ,holy ,spirit1 and in studying his life and ministry we get a life-sized portrait of an anointed preacher living1 fighting1 preaching1 praying1 suffering1 triumphing1 and dying in the power and light and glory of the indwelling ,spirit4 ,in the second chapter of the ,first of ,thessalonians he gives us a picture of his character and ministry which were formed and inspired by the ,holy ,spirit1 a sample of ,his workmanship1 and an example for all ,gospel preachers4 ,at ,philippi he had been terribly beaten with stripes on his bare back1 and roughly thrust into the inner dungeon1 and his feet were made fast in the stocks2 but that did not break nor quench his spirit4 ,love burned in his heart1 and his joy in the ,lord brimmed full and bubbled over1 and at midnight1 in the damp1 dark1 loathsome dungeon1 he and ,silas1 his comrade in service and suffering1 prayed and sang praises unto ,god4 ,god answered with an earthquake1 and the jailer and his household got gloriously converted4 ,paul was set free and went at once to ,thessalonica1 where1 regardless of the shameful way he had been treated at ,philippi1 he preached the ,gospel boldly1 and a blessed revival followed with many converts2 but persecution arose1 and ,paul had again to flee4 ,his heart1 however1 was continually turning back to these converts1 and at last he sat down and wrote them this letter4 ,from this we learn that-- #a4 ,he was a joyful preacher4 ,he was no pessimist1 croaking out doleful prophecies and lamentations and bitter criticisms4 ,he was full of the joy of the ,lord4 ,it was not the joy that comes from good health1 a pleasant home1 plenty of money1 wholesome food1 numerous and smiling friends1 and sunny1 favouring skies2 but a deep1 springing fountain of solemn1 gladdening joy that abounded and overflowed in pain and weariness1 in filthy1 noisome surroundings1 in loneliness and poverty1 and danger and bitter persecutions4 ,no earth-born trial could quench it1 for it was ,heaven-born2 it was the joy of the ,lord poured into his heart with the ,holy ,spirit4 #b4 ,he was a bold preacher4 ,worldly prudence would have constrained him to go softly at ,thessalonica1 after his experience at ,philippi1 lest he arouse opposition and meet again with personal violence2 but1 instead1 he says3 ,we were bold in our ,god to speak unto you the ,gospel of ,god with much contention4 ,personal considerations were all forgotten1 or cast to the winds1 in his impetuous desire to declare the ,gospel and save their souls4 ,he lived in the will of ,god1 and conquered his fears4 ,the wicked are fearful1 and flee when no man pursueth2 but the righteous are as bold as a lion4 ,this boldness is a fruit of righteousness1 and is always found in those who are full of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,they forget themselves1 and so lose all fear4 ,this was the secret of the martyrs when burned at the stake or thrown to the wild beasts4 ,fear is a fruit of selfishness4 ,boldness thrives when selfishness is destroyed4 ,god esteems it1 commands ,his people to be courageous1 and makes spiritual leaders only of those who possess courage 7,joshua i4 #i74 ,moses feared not the wrath of the king1 refused to be called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter1 and boldly espoused the cause of his despised and enslaved people4 ,joshua was full of courage4 ,gideon fearlessly attacked one hundred and twenty thousand ,midianites1 with but three hundred unarmed men4 ,jonathan and his armour-bearer charged the ,philistine garrison and routed hundreds singlehanded4 ,david faced the lion and the bear1 and inspired all ,israel by battling with and killing ,goliath4 ,the prophets were men of the highest courage1 who fearlessly rebuked kings1 and at the risk of life1 and often at the cost of life1 denounced popular sins1 and called the people back to righteousness and the faithful service of ,god4 ,these men feared ,god1 and so lost the fear of man4 ,they believed ,god1 and so obeyed ,him1 and found ,his favour1 and were entrusted with ,his high missions and everlasting employments4 ,fear thou not1 for ,i am with thee1 saith the ,lord2 and this ,paul believed1 and so says1 ,we were bold in our ,god4 ,god was his high tower1 his strength and unfailing defence1 and so he was not afraid4 ,his boldness toward man was a fruit of his boldness toward ,god1 and that1 in turn1 was a fruit of his faith in ,jesus as his ,high ,priest1 who had been touched with the feeling of his infirmities1 and through whom he could come boldly to the ,throne of ,grace1 and obtain mercy1 and find grace to help in every time of need4 ,it is the timidity and delicacy with which men attempt ,god's work that often accounts for their failure4 ,let them speak out boldly like men1 as ambassadors of ,heaven1 who are not afraid to represent their ,king1 and they will command attention and respect1 and reach the hearts and consciences of men4 ,i have read that quaint old ,bishop ,latimer1 who was afterwards burned at the stake1 having preached a sermon before ,king ,henry ,,viii1 which greatly displeased the monarch1 was ordered to preach again on the next ,sunday1 and make apology for the offence given4 ,the day came1 and with it a crowded assembly anxious to hear the bishop's apology4 ,reading his text1 he commenced thus3 ',hugh ,latimer1 dost thou know before whom thou art this day to speak8 ,to the high and mighty monarch1 the king's most excellent majesty1 who can take away thy life if thou offendest4 ,therefore1 take heed that thou speakest not a word that may displease4 ,but1 then1 consider well1 ,hugh1 dost thou not know from whence thou comest8 ,upon whose message thou art sent8 ,even by the great and mighty ,god1 who is all-present1 and who beholdeth all thy ways1 and who is able to cast thy soul into ,hell6 ,therefore1 take care that thou deliver thy message faithfully4' ,he then repeated the sermon of the previous ,sunday1 word for word1 but with double its former energy and emphasis4 ,the ,court was full of excitement to learn what would be the fate of this plain-dealing and fearless bishop4 ,he was ordered into the king's presence1 who1 with a stern voice1 asked3 ,how dared you thus offend me8 ,i merely discharged my duty1 was ,latimer's reply4 ,the king arose from his seat1 embraced the good man1 saying1 ,blessed be ,god ,i have so honest a servant4 ,he was a worthy successor of ,nathan1 who confronted ,king ,david with his sin1 and said1 ,thou art the man4 ,this ,divine courage will surely accompany the fiery baptism of the ,spirit4 ,what is it but the indwelling of the ,holy ,spirit that gives courage to ,salvation ,army ,officers and ,soldiers1 enabling them to face danger and difficulty and loneliness with joy1 and attack sin in its worst forms as fearlessly as ,david attacked ,goliath8 ,not by might nor by power1 but by ,my ,spirit1 saith the ,lord4 ,shall ,i1 for fear of feeble man1 ,the ,spirit's course in me restrain8 ,awed by a mortal's frown1 shall ,i ,conceal the word of ,god most high8 ,shall ,i1 to soothe the unholy throng1 ,soften ,thy truth1 or smooth my tongue8 ,how then before ,thee shall ,i dare ,to stand1 or how ,thine anger bear8 ,yea1 let men rage2 since ,thou wilt spread ,thy shadowing wings around my head2 ,since in all pain ,thy tender love ,will still my sure refreshment prove4 #c4 ,he was without guile4 ,for our exhortation was not of deceit1 nor of uncleanness1 nor in guile2 but as we were allowed of ,god to be put in trust with the ,gospel1 even so we speak2 not as pleasing men1 but ,god1 which trieth our hearts4 ,he was frank and open4 ,he spoke right out of his heart4 ,he was transparently simple and straightforward4 ,since ,god had honoured him with this infinite trust of preaching the ,gospel1 he sought to so preach it that he should please ,god regardless of men4 ,and yet that is the surest way to please men4 ,people who listen to such a man feel his honesty1 and realise that he is seeking to do them good1 to save them rather than to tickle their ears and win their applause1 and in their hearts they are pleased4 ,but1 anyway1 whether or not they are pleased1 he is to deliver his message as an ambassador1 and look to his home government for his reward4 ,he gets his commission from ,god1 and it is ,god who will try his heart and prove his ministry4 ,oh1 to please ,jesus6 ,oh1 to stand perfect before ,god after preaching ,his ,gospel6 #d4 ,he was not a time-server nor a covetous man4 ,neither at any time used we flattering words1 as ye know1 nor a cloak of covetousness2 ,god is witness1 he adds4 ,there are three ways of reaching a man's purse3 7#a7 ,directly4 7#b7 ,by way of his head with flattering words4 7#c7 ,by way of his heart with manly1 honest1 saving words4 ,the first way is robbery4 ,the second way is robbery1 with the poison of a deadly1 but pleasing1 opiate added1 which may damn his soul4 ,the third reaches his purse by saving his soul and opening in his heart an unfailing fountain of benevolence to bless himself and the world4 ,it were better for a preacher to turn highwayman1 and rob men with a club and a strong hand1 than1 with smiles and smooth words and feigned and fawning affection1 to rob them with flattery1 while their poor souls1 neglected and deceived1 go down to ,hell4 ,how will he meet them in the ,day of ,judgment1 and look into their horrorstricken faces1 realising that he played and toyed with their fancies and affections and pride to get money1 and1 instead of faithfully warning them and seeking to save them1 with flattering words fattened their souls for destruction6 ,not so did ,paul4 ,i seek not yours1 but you1 he wrote the ,corinthians4 ,it was not their money1 but their souls he wanted4 ,but such faithful love will be able to command all men have to give4 ,why1 to some of his converts he wrote3 ,i bear you record1 that if it had been possible1 ye would have plucked out your own eyes1 and have given them to me 7,gal4 iv4 #ae74 ,but he sought not to please them with flattering words1 only to save them4 ,so faithful was he in this matter1 and so conscious of his integrity1 that he called ,god ,himself into the witness-box4 ,god is witness1 says he4 ,blessed is the man who can call on ,god to witness for him2 and that man in whom the ,holy ,spirit dwells in fullness can do this4 ,can you1 my brother8 #e4 ,he was not vain-glorious1 nor dictatorial1 nor oppressive4 ,some men care nothing for money1 but they care mightily for power and place and the glory that men give4 ,but ,paul was free from this spiritual itching4 ,listen to him3 ,nor of men sought we glory1 neither of you1 nor yet of others1 when we might have been burdensome 7or used authority7 as the ,apostles of ,christ4 ,said ,solomon1 ,for men to seek their own glory is not glory1 it is only vain-glory4 ,how can ye believe1 which receive honour one of another1 and seek not the honour that cometh from ,god only8 asked ,jesus4 ,from all this ,paul was free1 and so is every man who is full of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and it is only as we are thus free that with the whole heart and with a single eye we can devote ourselves to the work of saving men4 #f4 ,with all his boldness and faithfulness he was gentle4 ,we were gentle among you1 he says1 as a nurse cherisheth her children4 ,the fierce hurricane which casts down the giant trees of the forest is not so mighty as the gentle sunshine1 which1 from tiny seeds and acorns1 lifts aloft the towering spires of oak and fir on a thousand hills and mountains4 ,the wild storm that lashes the sea into foam and fury is feeble compared to the gentle1 yet immeasurably powerful influence1 which twice a day swings the oceans in resistless tides from shore to shore4 ,and as in the physical world the mighty powers are gentle in their vast workings1 so it is in the spiritual world4 ,the light that falls on the lids of the sleeping infant and wakes it from its slumber1 is not more gentle than the still small voice that brings assurance of forgiveness or cleansing to them that look unto ,jesus4 ,oh1 the gentleness of ,god6 ,thy gentleness hath made me great1 said ,david4 ,i beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of ,christ 7#b ,cor4 x4 #a71 wrote ,paul4 ,and again1 ,the fruit of the ,spirit is love1 joy1 peace1 longsuffering1 gentleness 7,gal4 v4 #bb74 ,and as the ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost are gentle1 so will be the servant of the ,lord who is filled with the ,spirit4 ,i shall never forget the gentleness of a mighty man of ,god whom ,i well knew1 who on the platform was clothed with zeal as with a garment1 and in his overwhelming earnestness was like a lion or a consuming fire2 but when dealing with a wounded or broken heart1 or with a seeking soul1 no nurse with a little babe could be more tender than he4 #g4 ,finally1 ,paul was full of self-forgetful1 self-sacrificing love4 ,so being affectionately desirous of you1 we were willing to have imparted unto you1 not the ,gospel of ,god only1 but also our own souls1 because ye were dear unto us4 ,no wonder he shook those heathen cities1 overthrew their idols1 had great revivals1 that his jailer was converted1 and that his converts would have gladly plucked out their eyes for him6 ,such tender1 self-sacrificing love compels attention1 begets confidence1 enkindles love1 and surely wins its object4 ,this burning love led him to labour and sacrifice1 and so live and walk before them that he was not only a teacher1 but an example of all he taught1 and could safely say1 ,follow me4 ,this love led him to preach the whole truth1 that he might by all means save them4 ,he kept back no truth because it was unpopular1 for it was their salvation and not his own reputation and popularity he sought4 ,he preached not himself1 but a crucified ,christ1 without the shedding of whose blood there is no remission of sins2 and through that precious blood he preached present cleansing from all sin1 and the gift of the ,holy ,spirit for all who obediently believe4 ,and this love kept him faithful and humble and true to the end1 so that at last in sight of the martyr's death1 he saw the martyr's crown1 and cried out3 ,i am now ready to be offered1444 ,i have fought a good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 ,i have kept the faith2 henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the righteous ,judge1 shall give me at that day4 ,he had been faithful1 and now at the end he was oppressed with no doubts and harassed with no bitter regrets1 but looked forward with eager joy to meeting his ,lord and beholding the blessed face of ,him he loved4 ,hallelujah6 ,have you received the ,holy ,ghost8 ',twill fit you for the fight1 ',twill make of you a mighty host1 ,to put your foes to flight4 ,have you received the ,holy ,power8 ',twill fall from ,heaven on you1 ,from ,jesus' throne this very hour1 ',twill make you brave and true4 ,oh1 now receive the ,holy ,fire6 ',twill burn away all dross1 ,all earthly1 selfish1 vain desire1 ',twill make you love the ,cross4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xvii4 ,,preaching4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,where is the wise8 ,where is the scribe8 ,where is the disputer of this world8 ,hath not ,god made foolish the wisdom of this world8 asks ,paul4 ,and then he declares3 ,after that in the wisdom of ,god the world by wisdom knew not ,god1 it pleased ,god by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe4 ,what kind of preaching is this8 ,he does not say1 foolish preaching1 but the foolishness of such a way as that of preaching4 ,certainly1 it is not the moral essay1 or the intellectual1 or semi-intellectual1 kind of preaching that is most generally heard throughout the world to-day1 that is to save men2 for thousands of such sermons move and convert no one3 nor is it a mere noisy declamation called a sermon--noisy because empty of all earnest thought and true feeling2 but it must be the kind of which ,peter speaks when he writes of them that preached the ,gospel 444 with the ,holy ,ghost sent down from ,heaven 7#a ,peter i4 #ab74 ,no man is equipped to rightly preach the ,gospel1 and undertake the spiritual oversight and instruction of souls1 till he has been anointed with the ,holy ,ghost4 ,the disciples had been led to ,jesus by ,john the ,baptist1 whose mighty preaching laid a deep and broad foundation for their spiritual education1 and then for three years they had listened to both the public and private teachings of ,jesus2 they had been eye-witnesses of ,his glory1 of ,his life and death and resurrection1 and yet ,he commanded them to tarry in ,jerusalem1 and wait for the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he was to fit them for their ministry4 ,and if they1 trained and taught by the ,master ,himself1 had need of the ,holy ,spirit to enable them to preach and testify with wisdom and power1 how much more do you and ,i need ,his presence6 ,without ,him they could do nothing4 ,with ,him they were invincible1 and could continue the work of ,jesus4 ,the mighty energy of ,his working is seen in the preaching of ,peter on the day of ,pentecost4 ,the sermon itself does not seem to have been very remarkable2 indeed1 it is principally composed of testimony backed up and fortified by ,scripture quotations1 followed by exhortation1 just as are the sermons that are most effective to-day in the immediate conversion and sanctification of men4 ,true preaching1 said ,horace ,bushnell1 is a testimony4 ,peter's ,scripture quotations were apt1 fitting the occasion and the people to whom they were addressed4 ,the testimony was bold and joyous1 the rushing outflow of a warm1 fresh throbbing experience2 and the exhortation was burning1 uncompromising in its demands1 and yet tender and full of sympathy and love4 ,but a ,divine ,presence was at work in that vast1 mocking1 wondering throng1 and it was ,he who made ,peter's simple words search like fire1 and carry such overwhelming conviction to the hearts of the people4 ,and it is still so that whenever and wherever a man preaches with the ,holy ,ghost sent down from ,heaven1 there will be conviction4 ,under ,peter's sermon they were pricked in their hearts4 ,the truth pierced them as a sword until they said1 ,what shall we do8 ,they had been doubting and mocking a short time before1 but now they were earnestly inquiring the way to be saved4 ,the speech may be without polish1 the manner uncouth1 and the matter simple and plain2 but conviction will surely follow any preaching in the burning love and power and contagious joy of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,a few years ago a poor black boy in ,africa1 who had been stolen for a slave1 and most cruelly treated1 heard a missionary talking of the indwelling of the ,holy ,spirit1 and his heart hungered and thirsted for ,him4 ,in a strange manner he worked his way to ,new ,york to find out more about the ,holy ,spirit1 getting the captain of the ship and several of the crew converted on the way4 ,the brother in ,new ,york to whom he came took him to a meeting the first night he was in the city1 and left him there1 while he went to fulfil another engagement4 ,when he returned at a late hour1 he found a crowd of men at the penitent-form1 led there by the simple words of this poor black fellow4 ,he took him to his ,sunday-school1 and put him up to speak1 while he attended to some other matters4 ,when he turned from these affairs that had occupied his attention for only a little while1 he found the penitent-form full of teachers and scholars1 weeping before the ,lord4 ,what the black boy had said he did not know2 but he was bowed with wonder and filled with joy1 for it was the power of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,men used to fall as though cut down in battle under the preaching of ,wesley1 ,whitefield1 ,finney1 and others4 ,and while there may not be the same physical manifestation at all times1 there will surely be the same opening of eyes to spiritual things1 breaking of hearts1 and piercing of consciences4 ,the ,spirit under the preaching of a man filled with the ,holy ,ghost will often come upon a congregation like a wind1 and heads will droop1 eyes will brim with tears1 and hearts will break under ,his convicting power4 ,i remember a proud young woman who had been mercilessly criticising us for several nights smitten in this way4 ,she was smiling when suddenly the ,holy ,spirit winged a word to her heart1 and instantly her countenance changed1 her head drooped1 and for an hour or more she sobbed and struggled while her proud heart broke1 and she found her way with true repentance and faith to the feet of ,jesus1 and her ,heavenly ,father's favour4 ,how often have we seen such sights as this under the preaching of ,the ,general6 ,and it ought to be a common sight under the preaching of all servants of ,god1 for what are we sent for but to convict men of their sin and their need1 and by the power of the ,spirit to lead them to the ,saviour8 ,and not only will there be conviction under such preaching1 but generally1 if not always1 there will be conversion and sanctification4 ,three thousand people accepted ,christ under ,peter's ,pentecostal sermon1 and later five thousand were converted1 and a multitude of the priests were obedient to the faith4 ,and it was so under the preaching of ,philip in ,samaria1 of ,peter in ,lydda and ,saron and in ,caesarea1 and of ,paul in ,ephesus and other cities4 ,to be sure1 the preaching of ,stephen in its immediate effect only resulted in enraging his hearers until they stoned him to death2 but it is highly probable that the ultimate result was the conversion of ,paul1 who kept the clothes of those who stoned him1 and through ,paul the evangelisation of the ,gentiles4 ,one of the greatest of ,american evangelists sought with agonising prayers and tears the baptism with the ,holy ,spirit1 and received it2 and then he said he preached the same sermons2 but where before it had been as one beating the air1 now hundreds were saved4 ,it is this that has made ,salvation ,army ,officers successful4 ,young1 inexperienced1 without special gifts1 and without learning1 but with the baptism1 they have been mighty to win souls4 ,the hardest hearts have been broken1 the darkest minds illuminated1 the most stubborn wills subdued1 and the wildest natures tamed by them4 ,their words have been with power1 and have convicted and converted and sanctified men1 and whole communities have been transformed by their labours4 ,but without this ,presence great gifts and profound and accurate learning are without avail in the salvation of men4 ,we often see men with great natural powers1 splendidly trained1 and equipped with everything save this fiery baptism1 and they labour and preach year after year without seeing a soul saved4 ,they have spent years in study2 but they have not spent a day1 much less ten days1 fasting and praying and waiting upon ,god for ,his anointing that should fill them with heavenly wisdom and power for their work4 ,they are like a great gun loaded and primed1 but without a spark of fire to turn the powder and ball into a resistless lightning bolt4 ,it is fire men need1 and that they get from ,god in agonising1 wrestling1 listening prayer that will not be denied2 and when they get it1 and not till then1 will they preach with the ,holy ,ghost sent down from ,heaven1 and surely men shall be saved4 ,such preaching is not foolish4 ,the ,holy ,spirit makes the word alive4 ,he brings it to the remembrance of the preachers in whom ,he abides1 and ,he applies it to the heart of the hearers1 lightening up the soul as with a sun until sin is seen in all its hideousness1 or cutting as a sharp sword1 piercing the heart with resistless conviction of the guilt and shame of sin4 ,peter had no time to consult the ,scriptures and prepare a sermon on the morning of ,pentecost2 but the ,holy ,spirit quickened his memory1 and brought to his mind the ,scriptures appropriate to the occasion4 ,hundreds of years before1 the ,holy ,spirit1 by the mouth of the prophet ,joel1 had foretold that in the last days the ,spirit should be poured out upon all flesh1 and that their sons and daughters should prophesy4 ,and the same ,spirit that spoke through ,joel now made ,peter to see and declare that this ,pentecostal baptism was that of which ,joel spoke4 ,by the mouth of ,david ,he had said3 ,thou wilt not leave ,my soul in hell1 neither wilt ,thou suffer ,thy ,holy ,one to see corruption2 and now ,peter1 by the inspiration of the same ,spirit1 applies this ,scripture to the resurrection of ,jesus1 and so proves to the ,jews that the ,one they had condemned and killed was the ,holy ,one foretold in prophecy and psalm4 ,and so to-day the ,holy ,spirit inspires men who receive ,him to use the ,scriptures to awaken1 convict1 and save men4 ,when ,finney was a young preacher1 he was invited to a country school-house to preach4 ,on the way there he became much distressed in soul1 and his mind seemed blank and dark1 when all at once this text1 spoken to ,lot in ,sodom by the angels1 came to his mind3 ,up1 get you out of this place2 for the ,lord will destroy this city4 ,he explained the text1 told the people about ,lot1 and the wickedness of ,sodom1 and applied it to them4 ,while he spoke they began to look exceedingly angry1 and then1 as he earnestly exhorted them to give up their sins and seek the ,lord1 they began to fall from their seats as though stricken down in battle1 and to cry to ,god for mercy4 ,a great revival followed2 many were converted1 and a number of the converts became ministers of the ,gospel4 ,to ,finney's amazement1 he learned afterwards that the place was called ,sodom1 because of its extreme wickedness1 and the old man who had invited him to preach was called ,lot1 because he was the only ,god-fearing man in the place4 ,evidently the ,holy ,spirit worked through ,finney to accomplish these results4 ,and such inspiration is not uncommon with those who are filled with the ,spirit4 ,but this reinforcement of the mind and memory by the ,holy ,spirit does not do away with the need of study4 ,the ,spirit quickens that which is already in the mind and memory1 as the warm sun and rains of spring quicken the sleeping seeds that are in the ground1 and only those4 ,the sun does not put the seed in the soil1 nor does the ,holy ,spirit without our attention and study put the word of ,god in our minds4 ,for that we should prayerfully and patiently study4 ,we will give ourselves continually to prayer1 and to the ministry of the word1 said the ,apostles4 ,study to show thyself approved of ,god1 a workman that needeth not to be ashamed2 rightly dividing the word of truth1 wrote ,paul to ,timothy4 ,those men have been best able to rightly divide the word1 and have been most mightily used by the ,holy ,spirit1 who have most carefully and prayerfully studied the word of ,god1 and most constantly and lovingly meditated upon it4 #d4 ,this preaching is healing and comforting4 ,preaching with the ,holy ,ghost sent down from ,heaven is indescribably searching in its effects4 ,but it is also edifying1 strengthening1 comforting to those who are wholly the ,lord's4 ,it cuts1 but only to cure4 ,it searches1 but only to save4 ,it is constructive1 as well as destructive4 ,it tears down sin and pride and unbelief1 but it builds up faith and righteousness and holiness and all the graces of a ,christian character4 ,it warms the heart with love1 strengthens faith1 and confirms the will in all holy purposes4 ,every preacher baptised with the ,holy ,ghost can say with ,jesus3 ,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon ,me2 because the ,lord hath anointed ,me to preach good tidings unto the meek2 ,he hath sent ,me to bind up the broken-hearted1 to proclaim liberty to the captives1 and the opening of the prison to them that are bound2 to proclaim the acceptable year of the ,lord1 and the day of vengeance of our ,god2 to comfort all that mourn4 ,seldom is there a congregation in which there are only those who need to be convicted4 ,there will also be meek and gentle ones to whom should be brought a message of joy and good tidings2 broken-hearted ones to be bound up2 wounded ones to heal2 tempted ones to be delivered2 and those whom ,satan has bound by some fear or habit to be set free2 and the ,holy ,spirit who knows all hearts will inspire the word that shall bless these needy ones4 ,the preacher filled with the ,holy ,spirit1 who is instant in prayer1 constant in the study of ,god's word1 and steadfast and active in faith1 will surely be so helped that he can say with ,isaiah3 ,the ,lord ,god hath given me the tongue of the learned1 that ,i should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary 7,isaiah i4 #d74 ,and as with little ,samuel1 the ,lord will let none of his words fall to the ground 7#a ,samuel iii4 #ai74 ,he will expect results1 and ,god will make them follow his preaching as surely as corn follows the planting and cultivating of the farmer4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit',s ,,call ,,to ,,the ,,work4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,the ,spirit of the ,lord ,god is upon ,me2 because the ,lord hath anointed ,me to preach good tidings unto the meek2 ,he hath sent ,me 7,isaiah lxi4 #a71 is the testimony of the workman ,god sends4 ,god chooses ,his own workmen1 and it is the office of the ,holy ,spirit to call whom ,he will to preach the ,gospel4 ,i doubt not ,he calls men to other employments for ,his glory1 and would still more often do so1 if men would but listen and wait upon ,him to know ,his will4 ,he called ,bezaleel and ,aholiab to build the tabernacle4 ,he called and commissioned the ,gentile king1 ,cyrus1 to rebuild ,jerusalem and restore ,his chastised and humbled people to their own land4 ,and did ,he not call ,joan of ,arc to her strange and wonderful mission8 ,and ,washington and ,lincoln8 ,and1 no doubt1 ,he leads most men by ,his providence to their life-work2 but the call to preach the ,gospel is more than a providential leading2 it is a distinct and imperative conviction4 ,bishop ,simpson1 in his ,lectures on ,preaching1 says3-- ,even in its faintest form there is this distinction between a call to the ministry and a choice of other professions3 a young man may wish to be a physician2 he may desire to enter the navy2 he would like to be a farmer2 but he feels he ought to be a minister4 ,it is this feeling of ought1 or obligation1 which in its feeblest form indicates the ,divine call4 ,it is not in the aptitude1 taste1 or desire1 but in the conscience1 that its root is found4 ,it is the voice of ,god to the human conscience1 saying1 ',you ought to preach4' ,sometimes the call comes as distinctly as though a voice had spoken from the skies into the depths of the heart4 ,a young man who was studying law was converted4 ,after a while he was convicted for sanctification1 and while seeking he heard1 as it were1 a voice1 saying1 ,will you devote all your time to the ,lord8 ,he replied3 ,i am to be a lawyer1 not a preacher1 ,lord4 ,but not until he had said1 ,yes1 ,lord1 could he find the blessing4 ,a thoughtless1 godless young fellow was working in the corn-field when a telegram was handed him announcing the death of his brother1 a brilliant and devoted ,salvation ,army ,field ,officer2 and there and then1 unsaved as he was1 ,god called him1 showed him a vast ,army with ranks broken1 where his brother had fallen1 and made him to feel that he should fill the breach in the ranks4 ,fourteen months later he took up the sword1 and entered the ,fight from the same platform from which his brother fell1 and is to-day one of our most successful and promising ,field ,officers4 ,again1 the call may come as a quiet suggestion1 a gentle conviction1 as though a gossamer bridle were placed upon the heart and conscience to guide the man into the work of the ,lord4 ,the suggestion gradually becomes clearer1 the conviction strengthens until it masters the man1 and if he seeks to escape it1 he finds the silken bridle to be one of stoutest thongs and firmest steel4 ,it was so with me4 ,when but a boy of eleven1 ,i heard a man preaching1 and ,i said to myself1 ,oh1 how beautiful to preach6 ,two years later ,i was converted1 and soon the conviction came upon me that ,i should preach4 ,later1 ,i decided to follow another profession2 but the conviction increased in strength1 while ,i struggled against it1 and turned away my ears and went on with my studies4 ,yet in every crisis1 or hour of stillness1 when my soul faced ,god1 the conviction that ,i must preach burned itself deeper into my conscience4 ,i rebelled against it4 ,i felt ,i would almost rather 7but not quite7 go to ,hell than to submit4 ,then at last a great ,woe is me1 if ,i preach not the ,gospel1 took possession of me1 and ,i yielded1 and ,god won4 ,hallelujah6 ,the first year ,he gave me three revivals1 with many souls2 and now ,i would rather preach ,jesus to poor sinners and feed ,his lambs than to be an archangel before the ,throne4 ,some day1 some day1 ,he will call me into ,his blessed presence1 and ,i shall stand before ,his face1 and praise ,him for ever for counting me worthy1 and calling me to preach ,his glad ,gospel1 and share in ,his joy of saving the lost4 ,the woe is lost in love and delight through the baptism of the ,spirit and the sweet assurance that ,jesus is pleased4 ,occasionally1 the call comes to a man who is ready and responds promptly and gladly4 ,when ,isaiah received the fiery touch that purged his life and purified his heart1 he heard the voice of the ,lord1 saying1 ,whom shall ,i send1 and who will go for ,us8 ,and in the joy and power of his new experience1 he cried out1 ,here am ,i2 send me6 7,isaiah vi4 #e-h74 ,when ,paul received his call1 he says1 ,immediately ,i conferred not with flesh and blood 7,gal4 i4 #af71 and he got up and went as the ,lord led him4 ,but more often it seems the ,lord finds men preoccupied with other plans and ambitions1 or encompassed with obstacles and difficulties1 or oppressed with a deep sense of unworthiness or unfitness4 ,moses argued that he could not talk4 ,o ,lord6 he said1 ,i am not eloquent1 neither heretofore nor since ,thou hast spoken unto ,thy servant2 but ,i am slow of speech1 and of a slow tongue4 ,and then the ,lord condescended1 as ,he always does1 to reason with the backward man4 ,who hath made man's mouth8 ,he asks1 or who maketh the dumb1 or deaf1 or the seeing1 or the blind8 have not ,i the ,lord8 ,now1 therefore1 go1 and ,i will be with thy mouth1 and teach thee what thou shalt say 7,exodus iv4 #aj-ab74 ,when the call of ,god came to ,jeremiah1 he shrank back1 and said1 ,ah1 ,lord ,god6 behold1 ,i cannot speak3 for ,i am a child4 ,but the ,lord replied1 ,say not1 ,i am a child3 for thou shalt go to all that ,i shall send thee1 and whatsoever ,i command thee thou shalt speak4 ,be not afraid of their faces1 for ,i am with thee to deliver thee 7,jeremiah i4 #f-h74 ,and so the call of ,god comes to-day to those who shrink and feel that they are the most unfit1 or most hedged in by insuperable difficulties4 ,i know a man1 who1 when converted1 could not tell ,a from ,b4 ,he knew nothing whatever about the ,bible1 and stammered so badly that1 when asked his own name1 it would usually take him a minute or so to tell it2 added to this1 he lisped badly1 and was subject to a nervous affliction which seemed likely to unfit him for any kind of work whatever4 ,but ,god poured light and love into his heart1 called him to preach1 and to-day he is one of the mightiest soul-winners in the whole round of my acquaintance4 ,when he speaks the house is always packed to the doors1 and the people hang on his words with wonder and joy4 ,he was converted at a ,camp meeting1 and sanctified wholly in a cornfield4 ,he learned to read2 but1 being too poor to afford a light in the evening1 he studied a large-print ,bible by the light of the full moon4 ,to-day1 he has the ,bible almost committed to memory1 and when he speaks he does not open the ,book1 but reads his lesson from memory1 and quotes proof texts from ,genesis to ,revelation without mistake1 and gives chapter and verse for every quotation4 ,when he talks his face shines1 and his speech is like honey for sweetness1 and like bullets fired from a gun for power4 ,he is one of the weak and foolish ones ,god has chosen to confound the wise and mighty 7#a ,cor4 i4 #bg74 ,if ,god calls a man1 ,he will so corroborate the call in some way1 that men may know that there is a prophet among them4 ,it will be with him as it was with ,samuel4 ,and ,samuel grew1 and the ,lord was with him1 and did let none of ,his words fall to the ground4 ,and all ,israel1 from ,dan even to ,beersheba1 knew that ,samuel was established to be a prophet of the ,lord 7#a ,samuel iii4 #ai1 #bj74 ,if the man himself is uncertain about the call1 ,god will deal patiently with him1 as ,he did with ,gideon1 to make him certain4 ,his fleece will be wet with dew when the earth is dry1 or dry when the earth is wet2 or he will hear of some tumbling barley cake smiting the tents of ,midian1 that will strengthen his faith1 and make him to know that ,god is with him 7,judges vi4 #cf-dj2 vii4 #i-ae74 ,if the door is shut and difficulties hedge the way1 ,god will go before the man ,he calls1 and open the door and sweep away the difficulties 7,isaiah xlv4 #b1 #c74 ,if others think the man so ignorant and unfit that they doubt his call1 ,god will give him such grace or such power to win souls that they shall have to acknowledge that ,god has chosen him4 ,it was in this way that ,god made a whole ,national ,headquarters1 from the ,commissioner downwards1 to know that ,he had chosen the elevator boy for ,his work4 ,the boy got scores of his passengers on the elevator saved1 and then he was commissioned and sent into the ,field to devote all his time to saving men4 ,the ,lord will surely let the man's comrades and brethren know1 as surely as ,he did the ,church at ,antioch1 when the ,holy ,ghost said1 ,separate ,me ,barnabas and ,saul for the work whereunto ,i have called them 7,acts xiii4 #b74 ,sometimes the one who is called will try to hide it in his heart1 and then ,god stirs up some ,officer or minister1 some ,soldier or mother in ,israel1 to lay a hand on his shoulders1 and ask1 ,are you not called to the work8 and he finds he cannot hide himself nor escape from the call1 any more than could ,adam hide himself from ,god behind the trees of the garden1 or ,jonah escape ,god's call by taking ship for ,tarshish4 ,happy is the man who does not try to escape1 but1 though trembling at the mighty responsibility1 assumes it1 and1 with all humility and faithfulness1 sets to work by prayer and patient1 continuous study of ,god's word1 to fit himself for ,god's work4 ,he will need to prepare himself1 for the call to the work is also a call to preparation1 continuous preparation of the fullest possible kind4 ,the man whom ,god calls cannot safely neglect or despise the call4 ,he will find his mission on earth1 his happiness and peace1 his power and prosperity1 his reward in ,heaven1 and probably ,heaven itself1 bound up with that call and dependent upon it4 ,he may run away from it1 as did ,jonah1 and find a waiting ship to favour his flight2 but he will also find fierce storms and bellowing seas overtaking him1 and big-mouthed fishes of trouble and disaster ready to swallow him4 ,but if he heeds the call1 and cheerfully goes where ,god appoints1 ,god will go with him2 he shall nevermore be left alone4 ,the ,holy ,spirit will surely accompany him1 and he may be one of the happiest men on earth1 one of the gladdest creatures in ,god's universe4 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world1 said ,jesus1 as ,he commissioned ,his disciples to go to all nations and preach the ,gospel4 ,my presence shall go with thee1 said ,jehovah to ,moses1 when sending him to face ,pharaoh and free ,israel1 and lead them to the ,promised ,land4 ,and to the boy ,jeremiah1 ,he said1 ,be not afraid of their faces3 for ,i am with thee to deliver thee4444 ,and they shall fight against thee2 but they shall not prevail against thee2 for ,i am with thee 7,jeremiah i4 #h1 #ai74 ,i used to read these words with a great and rapturous joy1 as ,i realised by faith that they were also meant for me1 and for every man sent of ,god1 and that ,his blessed presence was with me every time ,i spoke to the people or dealt with an individual soul1 or knelt in prayer with a penitent seeker after ,god2 and ,i still read them so4 ,has ,he called you into the work1 my brother8 ,and are you conscious of ,his helpful1 sympathising1 loving presence with you8 ,if so1 let no petty offence1 no hardship1 nor danger1 nor dread of the future1 cause you to turn aside or draw back4 ,stick to the work till ,he calls you out1 and when ,he so calls you can go with open face and a heart abounding with love1 joy1 and peace1 and ,he will still go with you4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xix4 ,,the ,,sheathed ,,sword3 ,a ,,law ,,of ,,the ,,spirit4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,just as the moss and the oak are higher in the order of creation than the clod of clay and the rock1 the bird and beast than the moss and the oak1 the man than the bird and the beast1 so the spiritual man is a higher being than the natural man4 ,the sons of ,god are a new order of being4 ,the ,christian is a new creation4 ,just as there are laws governing the life of the plant1 and other and higher laws that of the bird and beast1 so there are higher laws for man1 and still higher for the ,christian4 ,it was with regard to one of these higher laws that govern the heavenly life of the ,christian that ,jesus said to ,peter1 ,put up thy sword4 ,jesus said to ,pilate1 ,my kingdom is not of this world2 if ,my kingdom were of this world1 then would ,my servants fight4 ,the natural man is a fighter4 ,it is the law of his carnal nature4 ,he fights with fist and sword1 tongue and wit4 ,his kingdom is of this world1 and he fights for it with such weapons as this world furnishes4 ,the ,christian is a citizen of ,heaven1 and is subject to its law1 which is universal1 wholehearted love4 ,in his kingdom he conquers not by fighting1 but by submitting4 ,when an enemy takes his coat1 he overcomes him1 not by going to law1 but by generously giving him his cloak also4 ,when his enemy compels him to go a mile with him1 he vanquishes the enemy by cheerfully going two miles with him4 ,when he is smitten on one cheek1 he wins his foe by meekly turning the other cheek4 ,this is the law of the new life from ,heaven1 and only by recognising and obeying it can that new life be sustained and passed on to others4 ,this is the narrow way which leads to life eternal1 and few there be that find it1 or1 finding it1 are willing to walk in it4 ,a ,russian peasant1 ,sutajeff1 could get no help from the religious teachers of his village1 so he learned to read1 and while studying the ,bible he found this narrow way1 and walked gladly in it4 ,one night neighbours of his stole some of his grain1 but in their haste or carelessness they left a bag4 ,he found it1 and ran after them to restore it1 for1 said he1 fellows who have to steal must be hard up4 ,and by this ,christlike spirit he saved both himself and them1 for he kept the spirit of love in his own heart1 and they were converted and became his most ardent disciples4 ,a beggar woman1 to whom he gave lodging1 stole the bedding and ran away with it4 ,she was pursued by the neighbours1 and was just about to be put in prison when ,sutajeff appeared1 became her advocate1 secured her acquittal1 and gave her food and money for her journey4 ,he recognised the law of his new life and gladly obeyed it1 and so was not overcome of evil1 but persistently and triumphantly overcame evil with good 7,romans xii4 #ba74 ,this is the spirit and method of ,jesus2 and by men filled with this spirit and following this method ,he will yet win the world4 ,he came not to be ministered unto1 but to minister1 and to give ,his life a ransom for many4 ,his spirit is not one of self-seeking1 but of self-sacrifice4 ,some mysterious majesty of ,his presence or voice so awed and overcame ,his foes that they went back and fell to the ground before ,him in the ,garden of ,his agony1 but ,he meekly submitted ,himself to them2 and when ,peter laid to with his sword1 and cut off the ear of the high priest's servant1 ,jesus said to him1 ,put up thy sword into the sheath2 the cup which ,my ,father hath given ,me1 shall ,i not drink it8 ,this was the spirit of ,isaac4 ,when he digged a well1 the ,philistines strove with his servants for it2 so he digged another2 and when they strove for that1 he removed and digged yet another1 and for that they strove not3 and he called the name of it ,rehoboth 7margin1 room73 and he said1 ,for now the ,lord hath made room for us1 and we shall be fruitful in the land4444 ,and the ,lord appeared unto him the same night1 and said1 ,i am the ,god of ,abraham1 thy father3 fear not1 for ,i am with thee1 and will bless thee1 and multiply thy seed 7,genesis xxvi4 #bb1 #bd74 ,this was the spirit of ,david1 when ,saul was hunting for his life2 twice ,david could have slain him1 and when urged to do so1 he said1 ,as the ,lord liveth1 the ,lord shall smite him2 or his day shall come to die2 or he shall descend into battle and perish4 ,the ,lord forbid that ,i should stretch forth my hand against the ,lord's anointed 7#a ,samuel xxvi4 #aj1 #aa74 ,this was the spirit of ,paul4 ,he says1 ,being reviled1 we bless2 being persecuted1 we suffer it2 being defamed1 we intreat 7#a ,cor4 iv4 #ab1 #ac74 ,the servant of the ,lord must not strive1 wrote ,paul to ,timothy1 but be gentle unto all men4 ,this is the spirit of our ,king1 this is the law of ,his ,kingdom4 ,is this your spirit8 ,when you are reviled1 bemeaned and slandered1 and are tempted to retort1 ,he says to you1 ,put up thy sword into the sheath4 ,when you are wronged and illtreated1 and men ride rough-shod over you1 and you feel it but just to smite back1 ,he says1 ,put up thy sword into the sheath4 ,live peaceably with all men4 ,your weapons are not carnal1 but spiritual1 now that you belong to ,him1 and have your citizenship in ,heaven4 ,if you fight with the sword2 if you retort and smite back when you are wronged1 you quench the ,spirit2 you get out of the narrow way1 and your new life from ,heaven will perish4 ,an ,officer went to a hard ,corps1 and after a while found that his predecessor was sending back to friends for money which his own ,corps much needed4 ,he felt it to be an injustice1 and1 losing sight of the ,spirit of ,jesus1 he made a complaint about it1 and the money was returned4 ,but he got lean in his soul4 ,he had quenched the ,spirit4 ,he had broken the law of the ,kingdom4 ,he had not only refused to give his cloak1 but had fought for and secured the return of the coat4 ,he had lost the smile of ,jesus1 and his poor heart was sad and heavy within him4 ,he came to me with anxious inquiry as to what ,i thought of his action4 ,i had to admit that the other man had transgressed1 and that the money ought to be returned1 but that he should have been more grieved over the unchristlike spirit of his brother than over the loss of the five dollars1 and that like ,sutajeff he should have said1 ,poor fellow6 he must be hard up2 ,i will send him five dollars myself4 ,he has taken my coat1 he shall have my cloak too4 ,when ,i told him that story1 he came to himself very quickly1 and was soon back in the narrow way and rejoicing in the smile of ,jesus once again4 ,but will not people walk over us1 if we do not stand up for our rights8 you ask4 ,i do not argue that you are not to stand up for your rights2 but that you are to stand up for your higher rather than your lower rights1 the rights of your heavenly life rather than your earthly life1 and that you are to stand up for your rights in the way and spirit of ,jesus rather than in the way and spirit of the world4 ,if men wrong you intentionally1 they wrong themselves far worse than they wrong you2 and if you have the spirit of ,jesus in your heart you will pity them more than you pity yourself4 ,they nailed ,jesus to the cross and hung ,him up to die2 they gave ,him gall and vinegar to drink2 they cast votes for ,his seamless robe1 and divided ,his garments between them1 while the crowd wagged their heads at ,him and mocked ,him4 ,great was the injustice and wrong they were inflicting upon ,him1 but ,he was not filled with anger1 only pity4 ,he thought not of the wrong done ,him1 but of the wrong they did themselves1 and their sin against ,his ,heavenly ,father1 and ,he prayed not for judgment upon them1 but that they might be forgiven1 and ,he won them1 and is winning and will win the world4 ,bless ,god6 ,by mercy and truth iniquity is purged1 wrote ,solomon4 ,put up thy sword into the sheath1 and take mercy and truth for your weapons1 and ,god will be with you and for you1 and great shall be your victory and joy4 ,hallelujah6 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xx4 ,,victory ,,through ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit ,,over ,,suffering4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,had there been no sin our ,heavenly ,father would have found other means by which to develop in us passive virtues1 and train us in the graces of meekness1 patience1 long-suffering1 and forbearance1 which so beautify and display the ,christian character4 ,but since sin is here1 with its contradictions and falsehoods1 its darkness1 its wars1 brutalities and injustices1 producing awful harvests of pain and sorrow1 ,god1 in wonderful wisdom and lovingkindness1 turns even these into instruments by which to fashion in us beautiful graces4 ,storm succeeds sunshine1 and darkness the light2 pain follows hard on the heels of pleasure1 while sorrow peers over the shoulder of joy2 gladness and grief1 rest and toil1 peace and war1 interminably intermingled1 follow each other in ceaseless succession in this world4 ,we cannot escape suffering while in the body4 ,but we can receive it with a faith that robs it of its terror1 and extracts from it richest blessing2 from the flinty rock will gush forth living waters1 and the carcase of the lion will furnish the sweetest honey4 ,this is so even when the suffering is a result of our own folly or sin4 ,it is intended not only in some measure as a punishment1 but also as a teacher1 a corrective1 a remedy1 a warning2 and it will surely work for good1 if1 instead of repining and vainly regretting the past1 we steadily look unto ,jesus and learn our lesson in patience and thankfulness4 ,if all the skies were sunshine1 ,our faces would be fain ,to feel once more upon them ,the cooling plash of rain4 ,if all the world were music1 ,our hearts would often long ,for one sweet strain of silence ,to break the endless song4 ,if life were always merry1 ,our souls would seek relief ,and rest from weary laughter ,in the quiet arms of grief4 ,doubtless all our suffering is a result of sin1 but not necessarily the sin of the sufferer4 ,jesus was the sinless ,one1 but ,he was also the ,chief of sufferers4 ,paul's great and lifelong sufferings came upon him1 not because of his sins1 but rather because he had forsaken sin1 and was following ,jesus in a world of sin1 and seeking the salvation of his fellows4 ,in this path there is no escape from suffering1 though there are hidden and unspeakable consolations4 ,in the world ye shall have tribulation1 said ,jesus4 ,all that will live godly in ,christ ,jesus shall suffer persecution1 wrote ,paul4 ,sooner or later1 suffering in some form comes to each of us4 ,it may come through broken health1 or pain and weariness of body2 or through mental anguish1 moral distress1 spiritual darkness and uncertainty4 ,it may come through the loss of loved ones1 through betrayal by trusted friends2 or through deferred or ruined hopes1 or base ingratitude2 or perhaps in unrequited toil and sacrifice and ambitions all unfulfilled4 ,nothing more clearly distinguishes the man filled with the ,spirit from the man who is not than the way each receives suffering4 ,one with triumphant faith and shining face and strong heart glories in tribulation1 and counts it all joy4 ,to this class belong the ,apostles1 who1 beaten and threatened1 departed from the council1 rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for ,his ,name 7,acts v4 #da74 ,the other with doubts and fears1 murmurs and complains1 and to his other miseries adds that of a rebellious heart and discontented mind4 ,one sees the enemy's armed host1 and unmixed distress and danger2 the other sees the angel of the ,lord1 with abundant succour and safety 7#b ,kings vi4 #ae-ag74 ,an evangelist of my acquaintance told a story that illustrates this4 ,when a pastor he went one morning to visit two sisters who were greatly afflicted4 ,they were about the same age1 and had long been professing ,christians and members of the ,church4 ,he asked the first one upon whom he called1 ,how is it with you this morning8 ,oh1 ,i have not slept all night1 she replied4 ,i have so much pain4 ,it is so hard to have to lie here4 ,i cannot see why ,god deals so with me4 ,evidently1 she was not filled with the ,spirit1 but was in a controversy with the ,lord about her sufferings1 and would not be comforted4 ,leaving her he called immediately upon the other sister1 and asked1 ,how are you to-day8 ,oh1 ,i had such a night of suffering6 she replied4 ,then1 said he1 there came out upon her worn face1 furrowed and pale1 a beautiful radiance1 and she added1 but ,jesus was so near and helped me so1 that ,i could suffer this way and more1 if my ,father thinks best2 and on she went with like words of cheer and triumph that made the sick room a vestibule of glory4 ,no lack of comfort in her heart1 for the ,comforter ,himself1 the ,holy ,spirit1 had been invited and had come in4 ,one had the ,comforter in fullness1 the other had not4 ,probably1 no man ever suffered more than ,paul1 but with soldier-like fortitude he bore his heavy burdens1 faced his constant and exacting labours1 endured his sore trials1 disappointments1 and bitter persecutions by fierce and relentless enemies2 he stood unmoved amid shipwrecks1 stripes and imprisonments1 cold1 hunger1 and homelessness without a whimper that might suggest repining or discouragement1 or an appeal for pity4 ,indeed1 he went beyond simple uncomplaining fortitude1 and said1 we glory in tribulation 7,romans v4 #c72 ,i am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #d72 ,i take pleasure in infirmities1 in reproaches1 in necessities1 in persecutions1 in distresses for ,christ's sake 7#b ,cor4 xii4 #aj74 ,after a terrible scourging upon his bare back1 he was thrust into a loathsome inner dungeon1 his feet fast in the stocks1 with worse things probably awaiting him on the morrow4 ,nevertheless1 we find him and ,silas1 his companion in suffering1 at midnight praying and singing praises unto ,god 7,acts xvi4 #be74 ,what is his secret8 ,listen to him3 ,because the love of ,god is shed abroad in our hearts by the ,holy ,ghost which is given unto us 7,romans v4 #e74 ,his prayer for his ,ephesian brethren had been answered in his own heart3 ,that ,he would grant you1 according to the riches of ,his glory1 to be strengthened with might by ,his ,spirit in the inner man2 that ,christ may dwell in your hearts by faith4 ,and this inner strength and consciousness1 through faith1 in an indwelling ,christ enabled him to receive suffering and trial1 not stoically as the ,red ,indian1 nor hilariously1 in a spirit of bravado1 but cheerfully and with a thankful heart4 ,arnold of ,rugby has written something about his most dear and blessed sister that illustrates the power flowing from exhaustless fountains of inner joy and strength through the working of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he says3-- ,i never saw a more perfect instance of the spirit and power of love1 and of a sound mind4 ,her life was a daily martyrdom for twenty years1 during which she adhered to her early-formed resolution of never talking about herself2 she was thoughtful about the very pins and ribands of my wife's dress1 about the making of a doll's cap for a child--but of herself1 save only as regarded her ripening in all goodness1 wholly thoughtless1 enjoying everything lovely1 graceful1 beautiful1 high-minded1 whether in ,god's works or man's1 with the keenest relish2 inheriting the earth to the very fullness of the promise1 though never leaving her crib1 nor changing her posture2 and preserved1 through the very valley of the shadow of death1 from all fear or impatience1 and from every cloud of impaired reason1 which might mar the beauty of ,christ's and the ,spirit's work4 ,it is not by hypnotising the soul1 nor by blessing it into a state of ecstatic insensibility1 that the ,lord enables the man filled with the ,spirit to thus triumph over suffering4 ,rather it is by giving the soul a sweet1 constant1 and unshaken assurance through faith3 ,first1 that it is freely and fully accepted in ,christ4 ,second1 that whatever suffering comes1 it is measured1 weighed1 and permitted by love infinitely tender1 and guided by wisdom that cannot err4 ,third1 that however difficult it may be to explain suffering now1 it is nevertheless one of the all things which work together for good to them that love ,god1 and that in a little while it will not only be swallowed up in the ineffable blessedness and glory1 but that in some way it is actually helping to work out a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 7#b ,cor4 iv4 #g74 ,fourth1 that though the furnace has been heated seven times hotter than was wont1 yet the ,form444 like unto the ,son of ,god is walking with us in the fire2 though triumphant enemies have thrust us into the lions' den1 yet the angel of the ,lord arrived first and locked the lions' jaws2 though foes may have formed against us sharp weapons1 yet they cannot prosper1 for ,his shield and buckler defend us2 though all things be lost1 yet ,thou remainest2 and though my flesh and my heart may fail1 ,god is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever4 ,not all ,god's dear children thus triumph over their difficulties and sufferings1 but this is ,god's standard1 and they may attain unto it1 if1 by faith1 they will open their hearts and be filled with the ,spirit4 ,here is the testimony of a ,salvation ,army ,officer up to date3-- ,viewed from the outside1 my life as a sinner was easy and untroubled1 over which most of my friends expressed envy2 while these same friends thought my life as a ,christian full of care1 toil1 hardship1 and immense loss4 ,this1 however1 was only an outside view1 and the real state of the case was exactly the opposite of what they supposed4 ,for in all the pleasure-seeking1 idleness1 and freedom from responsibility of my life apart from ,god1 ,i carried an immeasurable burden of fear1 anxiety1 and constantly recurring disappointment2 trifles weighed upon me1 and the thought of death haunted me with vague terrors4 ,but when ,i gave myself wholly to ,god1 though my lot became at once one of toil1 responsibility1 comparative poverty and sacrifice1 yet ,i could not feel pain in any storm that broke over my head1 because of the presence of ,god4 ,it was not so much that ,i was insensible to trouble1 as sensible of ,his presence and love2 and the worst trials were as nothing in my sight1 nor have been for over twenty-two years4 ,while as for death1 it appears only as a doorway into more abundant life1 and ,i can alter an old ,german hymn1 and sing with joy3 ',oh1 how my heart with rapture dances4 ,to think my dying hour advances6 ,then1 ,lord1 with ,thee6 ,my ,lord1 with ,thee6' ,this is faith's triumph over the worst the world can offer through the blessed fullness of the indwelling ,comforter4 ,bless ,his ,name6 ,here speaks the ,comforter1 ,light of the straying1 ,hope of the penitent1 ,advocate sure1 ,joy of the desolate1 tenderly saying1 ',earth has no sorrow ,my grace cannot cure4' ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xxi4 ,,the ,,overflowing ,,blessing4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,,the children of ,israel were instructed by ,moses to give tithes of all they had to the ,lord1 and in return ,god promised to richly bless them1 making their fields and vineyards fruitful and causing their flocks and herds to safely multiply4 ,but they became covetous and unbelieving1 and began to rob ,god by withholding their tithes1 and then ,god began to withhold ,his blessing from them4 ,but still ,god loved and pitied them1 and sent to them again and again by ,his prophets2 and finally by the prophet ,malachi ,he said3 ,bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse1 that there may be meat in ,mine house1 and prove ,me now herewith1 saith the ,lord of ,hosts1 if ,i will not open you the windows of heaven1 and pour you out a blessing1 that there shall not be room enough to receive it 7,malachi iii4 #aj74 ,he promised to make their barns overflow1 if they would be faithful1 if they would pay their tithes and discharge their obligations to ,him4 ,now1 this overflow of barns and granaries is a type of overflowing hearts and lives when we give ourselves fully to ,god1 and the blessed ,holy ,ghost comes in1 and ,jesus becomes all and in all to us4 ,the blessing is too big to contain1 but just bursts out and overflows through the life1 the looks1 the conversation1 the very tones of the voice1 and gladdens and refreshes and purifies wherever it goes4 ,jesus calls it rivers of living water 7,john vii4 #ch74 ,there is an overflow of love4 ,sin brings in an overflow of hate1 so that the world is filled with wars and murders1 slanders1 oppression1 and selfishness4 ,but this blessing causes love to overflow4 ,schools1 colleges1 and hospitals are built2 shelters1 rescue homes1 and orphanages are opened2 even war itself is in some measure humanised by the ,red ,cross ,society and ,christian commissions4 ,sinners love their own1 but this blessing makes us to love all men--strangers1 the heathen1 and even our enemies4 ,there is an overflow of peace4 ,it settles old quarrels and grudges4 ,it makes a different atmosphere in the home4 ,the children know it when father and mother get the ,comforter4 ,kindly words and sweet goodwill take the place of bitterness and strife4 ,i suspect that even the dumb beasts realise the overflow4 ,i heard a laughable story of a man whose cow would switch her tail in his face1 and then kick over the pail when he was milking her1 after which he would always give her a beating with the stool on which he sat4 ,but he got the blessing1 and his heart was overflowing with peace4 ,the next morning he went to milk that cow1 and when the pail was nearly full1 swish6 came the tail in his face1 and with a vicious kick she knocked over the pail1 and then ran across the barn-yard4 ,the blessed man picked up the empty pail and stool and went over to the cow1 which stood trembling1 awaiting the usual kicks and beating2 but instead he patted her gently1 and said1 ,you may kick over that pail as often as you please1 but ,i am not going to beat you any more2 and the cow seemed to understand1 for she dropped her head and quietly began to eat1 and never kicked again6 ,that story is good enough to be true1 and ,i doubt not it is1 for certainly when the ,comforter comes a great peace fills the heart and overflows through all the life4 ,there is an overflow of joy4 ,it makes the face to shine2 it glances from the eye1 and bubbles out in thanksgiving and praise4 ,you never can tell when one who has the blessing will shout out1 ,glory to ,god6 ,praise the ,lord6 ,hallelujah6 ,amen6 ,i have sometimes seen a whole congregation wakened up and refreshed and made glad by the joyous overflow from one clean-hearted soul4 ,a ,salvation ,soldier or ,officer with an overflow of genuine joy is worth a whole company of ordinary folks4 ,he is a host within himself1 and is a living proof of the text1 ,the joy of the ,lord is your strength4 ,there is an overflow of patience and long-suffering4 ,a man got this blessing1 and his wicked wife was so enraged that she left him1 and went across the way and lived as the wife of his unmarried brother4 ,he was terribly tempted to take his gun and go over and kill them both4 ,but he prayed about it1 and the ,lord gave him the patience and long-suffering of ,jesus1 who bears long with the backslider who leaves ,him and joins himself with the world2 and he continued to treat them with the utmost kindness1 as though they had done him no wrong4 ,some people might say the man was weak1 but ,i should say he was unusually strong in the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and a neighbour of his told me that all his neighbours believed in his religion4 ,there is an overflow of goodness and generosity4 ,i read the other day of a poor man who supports eight workers in the foreign mission field4 ,when asked how he did it1 he replied that he wore celluloid collars1 did his own washing1 denied himself1 and managed his affairs in order to do it4 ,do you ask1 ,how can ,i get such a blessing8 ,you will get it by bringing in all the tithes1 by giving yourself in love and obedience and wholehearted1 joyous consecration to ,jesus1 as a true bride gives herself to her husband4 ,do not try to bargain with the ,lord and buy it of ,him1 but wait on ,him in never-give-in prayer and confident expectation1 and ,he will give it to you4 ,and then you must not hold it selfishly for your own gratification1 but let it overflow to the hungry1 thirsty1 fainting world about you4 ,god bless you even now1 and do for you exceeding abundantly above all you ask or think6 ,a comrade went from one of my meetings recently with a heart greatly burdened for the blessing1 and for two or three days and nights did little else but read the ,bible1 and pray and cry to ,god for a clean heart filled with the ,spirit4 ,at last the ,comforter came1 and with ,him fullness of peace and joy and soul-rest1 and that day this comrade led a number of others into the blessing4 ,hallelujah6 ,if ye then1 being evil1 know how to give good gifts unto your children1 how much more shall your ,heavenly ,father give the ,holy ,spirit to them that ask ,him 7,luke xi4 #ac74 ,ask1444 seek1444 knock4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xxii4 ,,importance ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,and ,,experience ,,of ,,holiness ,,to ,,spiritual ,,leaders4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,a mighty man inspires and trains other men to be mighty4 ,we wonder and exclaim often at the slaughter of ,goliath by ,david1 and we forget that ,david was the forerunner of a race of fearless1 invincible warriors and giant-killers4 ,if we would in this light but study and remember the story of ,david's mighty men1 it would be most instructive to us4 ,moses inspired a tribe of cowering1 toiling1 sweat-begrimed1 spiritless slaves to lift up their heads1 straighten their backs1 and throw off the yoke2 and he led them forth with songs of victory and shouts of triumph from under the mailed hand and iron bondage of ,pharaoh4 ,he fired them with a national spirit1 and welded and organised them into a distinct and compact people that could be hurled with resistless power against the walled cities and trained warriors of ,canaan4 ,but what was the secret of ,david and ,moses8 ,whence the superiority of these men8 ,david was only a stripling shepherd-boy when he immortalised himself4 ,what was his secret8 ,to be sure1 ,moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the ,egyptians1 and1 doubtless1 had been trained in all the civil1 military1 and scientific learning of his day1 but he was so weak in himself that he feared and fled at the first word of questioning and disparagement that he heard 7,exodus ii4 #ad71 and spent the next forty years feeding sheep for another man in the rugged wilderness of ,sinai4 ,what1 then1 was his secret8 ,doubtless1 they were men cast in a kinglier mould than most men2 but their secret was not in themselves4 ,joseph ,parker declared that great lives are built on great promises1 and so they are4 ,these men had so far humbled themselves that they found ,god4 ,they got close to ,him1 and ,he spoke to them4 ,he gave them promises4 ,he revealed ,his way and truth to them1 and trusting ,him1 believing ,his promises1 and fashioning their lives according to ,his truth--,his doctrine--everything else followed4 ,they became workers together with ,god1 heroes of faith1 leaders of men1 builders of empire1 teachers of the race1 and1 in an important sense1 saviours of mankind4 ,their secret is an open one2 it is the secret of every truly successful spiritual leader from then till now1 and there is no other way to success in spiritual leadership4 #a4 ,they had an experience4 ,they knew ,god4 #b4 ,this experience1 this acquaintance with ,god1 was maintained and deepened and broadened in obedience to ,god's teaching1 or truth1 or doctrine4 #c4 ,they patiently yet urgently taught others what they themselves had learned1 and declared1 so far as they saw it1 the whole counsel of ,god4 ,they were abreast of the deepest experiences and fullest revelations ,god had yet made to men4 ,they were leaders1 not laggards4 ,they were not in the rear of the procession of ,god's warriors and saints2 they were in the forefront4 ,here we discover the importance of the doctrine and experience of holiness through the baptism of the ,holy ,spirit to ,salvation ,army leaders4 ,we are to know ,god and glorify ,him and reveal ,him to men4 ,we are to finish the work of ,jesus1 and fill up that which is behind of the sufferings of ,christ 7,col4 i4 #bd74 ,we are to rescue the slaves of sin1 to make a people1 to fashion them into a holy nation1 and inspire and lead them forth to save the world4 ,how can we do this8 ,only by being in the forefront of ,god's spiritual hosts2 not in name and in titles only1 but in reality2 by being in glad possession of the deepest experiences ,god gives1 and the fullest revelations ,he makes to men4 ,the astonishing military and naval successes of the ,japanese are said to be due to their profound study1 clear understanding1 and firm grasp of the theory1 the principles1 the doctrines of war2 their careful and minute preparation of every detail of their campaigns2 the scientific accuracy and precision with which they carry out all their plans1 and their splendid and utter personal devotion to their cause4 ,our war is far more complex and desperate than theirs1 and its issues are infinitely more far-reaching1 and we must equip ourselves for it2 and nothing is so vital to our cause as a mastery of the doctrine and an assured and joyous possession of the ,pentecostal experience of holiness through the indwelling ,spirit4 ,i4 ,the ,doctrine4--,what is the teaching of ,god's word about holiness8 #a4 ,if we carefully study ,god's word1 we find that ,he wants ,his people to be holy1 and the making of a holy people1 after the pattern of ,jesus1 is the crowning work of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,he commands us to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit1 perfecting holiness in the fear of the ,lord 7#b ,cor4 vii4 #a74 ,it is prayed that we may increase and abound in love one toward another1 and toward all men444 to the end ,he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before ,god 7#a ,thess4 iii4 #ab1 #ac74 ,he says3 ,as ,he which hath called you is holy1 so be ye holy in all manner of conversation2 because it is written1 ,be ye holy1 for ,i am holy 7#a ,peter i4 #ae1 #af74 ,and in the most earnest manner we are exhorted to follow peace with all men1 and holiness1 without which no man shall see the ,lord 7,hebrews xii4 #ad74 #b4 ,as we further study the word1 we discover that holiness is more than simple freedom from condemnation for wrong-doing4 ,a helpless invalid lying on his bed of sickness1 unable to do anything wrong1 may be free from the condemnation of actual wrong-doing1 and yet it may be in his heart to do all manner of evil4 ,holiness on its negative side is a state of heart purity2 it is heart cleanness--cleanness of thought and temper and disposition1 cleanness of intention and purpose and wish2 it is a state of freedom from all sin1 both inward and outward 7,romans vi4 #ah74 ,on the positive side it is a state of union with ,god in ,christ1 in which the whole man becomes a temple of ,god and filled with the fruit of the ,spirit1 which is love1 joy1 peace1 long-suffering1 gentleness1 goodness1 faith1 meekness1 temperance4 ,it is moral and spiritual sympathy and harmony with ,god in the holiness of ,his nature4 ,we must not1 however1 confound purity with maturity4 ,purity is a matter of the heart1 and is secured by an instantaneous act of the ,holy ,spirit2 maturity is largely a matter of the head and results from growth in knowledge and experience4 ,in one1 the heart is made clean1 and is filled with love2 in the other1 the head is gradually corrected and filled with light1 and so the heart is enlarged and more firmly established in faith2 consequently1 the experience deepens and becomes stronger and more robust in every way4 ,it is for this reason that we need teachers after we are sanctified1 and to this end we are exhorted to humbleness of mind4 ,importance of the ,doctrine4 ,with a heart full of sympathy and love for his father my little boy may voluntarily go into the garden to weed the vegetables2 but1 being yet ignorant1 lacking light in his head1 he pulls up my sweet corn with the grass and weeds4 ,his little heart glows with pleasure and pride in the thought that he is helping papa1 and yet he is doing the very thing ,i don't want him to do4 ,but if ,i am a wise and patient father1 ,i shall be pleased with him2 for what is the loss of my few stalks of corn compared to the expression and development of his love and loyalty8 ,and ,i shall commend him for the love and faithful purpose of his little heart1 while ,i patiently set to work to enlighten the darkness of his little head4 ,his heart is pure toward his father1 but he is not yet mature4 ,in this matter of light and maturity holy people often widely differ1 and this causes much perplexity and needless and unwise anxiety4 ,in the fourteenth chapter of ,romans1 ,paul discusses and illustrates the principle underlying this distinction between purity and maturity4 #c4 ,as we continue to study the word under the illumination of the ,spirit1 who is given to lead us into all truth1 we further learn that holiness is not a state which we reach in conversion4 ,the ,apostles were converted1 they had forsaken all to follow ,jesus 7,matthew xix4 #bg-bi71 their names were written in ,heaven 7,luke x4 #bj71 and yet they were not holy4 ,they doubted and feared1 and again and again were they rebuked for the slowness and littleness of their faith4 ,they were bigoted1 and wanted to call down fire from ,heaven to consume those who would not receive ,jesus 7,luke ix4 #ea-ef72 they were frequently contending among themselves as to which should be the greatest1 and when the supreme test came they all forsook ,him and fled4 ,certainly1 they were not only afflicted with darkness in their heads1 but1 far worse1 carnality in their hearts2 they were ,his1 and they were very dear to ,him1 but they were not yet holy1 they were yet impure of heart4 ,paul makes this point very clear in his ,epistle to the ,corinthians4 ,he tells them plainly that they were yet only babes in ,christ1 because they were carnal and contentious 7,i ,cor4 iii4 ,i74 ,they were in ,christ1 they had been converted1 but they were not holy4 ,it is of great importance that we keep this truth well in mind that men may be truly converted1 may be babes in ,christ1 and yet not be pure in heart2 we shall then sympathise more fully with them1 and see the more clearly how to help them and guide their feet into the way of holiness and peace4 ,those who hold that we are sanctified wholly in conversion will meet with much to perplex them in their converts1 and are not intelligently equipped to bless and help ,god's little children4 #d4 ,a continued study of ,god's teaching on this subject will clearly reveal to us that purity of heart is obtained after we are converted4 ,peter makes this very plain in his address to the ,council in ,jerusalem1 where he recounts the outpouring of the ,holy ,spirit upon ,cornelius and his household4 ,after mentioning the gift of the ,holy ,ghost1 he adds1 and put no difference between us and them1 purifying their hearts by faith 7,acts xv4 #i74 ,among other things1 then1 the baptism of the ,holy ,ghost purifies the heart2 but the disciples were converted before they received this ,pentecostal experience1 so we see that heart purity1 or holiness1 is a work wrought in us after conversion4 ,again1 we notice that ,peter says1 purifying their hearts by faith4 ,if it is by faith1 then it is not by growth1 nor by works1 nor by death1 nor by purgatory after death4 ,it is ,god's work4 ,he purifies the heart1 and ,he does it for those1 and only those who1 devoting all their possessions and powers to ,him1 seek ,him by simple1 prayerful1 obedient1 expectant1 unwavering faith through ,his ,son our ,saviour4 ,unless we grasp these truths1 and hold them firmly1 we shall not be able to rightly divide the word of truth1 we shall hardly be workmen that need not be ashamed1 approved unto ,god 7#b ,tim4 ii4 #ae74 ,some one has written that the searcher in science knows that if he but stumble in his hypothesis--that if he but let himself be betrayed into prejudice or undue leaning toward a pet theory1 or anything but absolute uprightness of mind--his whole work will be stultified and he will fail ignominiously4 ,to get anywhere in science he must follow truth with absolute rectitude4 ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit4 ,and is there not a science of salvation1 of holiness1 of eternal life1 that requires the same absolute loyalty to the ,spirit of ,truth8 ,how infinitely important1 then1 that we know what that truth is1 that we may understand and hold that doctrine4 ,a friend of mine who finished his course with joy1 and was called into the presence of his ,lord to receive his crown some time ago1 has pointed out some mistakes which we must carefully avoid4 ,here they are3-- ,it is a great mistake to substitute repentance for ,bible consecration4 ,the people whom ,paul exhorted to full sanctification were those who had turned from their idols to serve the living and true ,god1 and to wait for ,his ,son sent down from ,heaven 7,i ,thess4 i4 #i1 #aj2 iii4 #aj-ac2 v4 #bc74 ,only people who are citizens of ,his kingdom can claim ,his sanctifying power4 ,those who still have idols to renounce may be candidates for conversion1 but not for the baptism with the ,holy ,ghost and fire4 ,it is a mistake in consecration to suppose that the person making it has anything of his own to give4 ,we are not our own1 but we are bought with a price1 and consecration is simply taking our hands off from ,god's property4 ,to wilfully withhold anything from ,god is to be a ,god-robber4 ,it is a mistake to substitute a mere mental assent to ,god's proprietorship and right to all we have1 while withholding complete devotion to ,him4 ,this is theoretical consecration--a rock on which we fear multitudes are being wrecked4 ,consecration which does not embrace the crucifixion of self and the funeral of all false ambitions is not the kind which will bring the ,holy ,fire4 ,a consecration is imperfect which does not embrace the speaking faculty 7the tongue71 and the believing faculty 7the heart71 the imagination1 and every power of mind1 soul1 and body1 and give all absolutely and for ever into the hands of ,jesus1 turning a deaf ear to every opposing voice4 ,reader1 have you made such a consecration as this8 ,it must embrace all this1 or it will prove a bed of quicksand to sink your soul1 instead of a full salvation balloon1 which will safely bear you above the fog and malaria and turmoil of the world1 where you can triumphantly sing3 ',i rise to float in realms of light1 ,above the world and sin4 ,with heart made pure and garments white1 ,and ,christ enthroned within4' ,it is a mistake to teach seekers to 'only believe1' without complete abandonment to ,god at every point1 for they can no more do it than an anchored ship can sail4 ,it is a mistake to substitute mere verbal assent for obedient trust4 ',only believe' is a fatal snare to all who fall into these traps4 ,it is a mistake to believe that the altar sanctifies the gift without the assurance that all is on the altar4 ,if even the end of your tongue1 or one cent of your money1 or a straw's weight of false ambition1 or spirit of dictation1 or one ounce of your reputation1 or will1 or believing powers be left off the altar1 you can no more believe than a bird without wings can fly4 ',only believe' is only for those seekers of holiness who are truly converted1 fully consecrated1 and crucified to everything but the whole will of ,god4 ,teachers who apply this to people who have not yet reached these stations need themselves to be taught4 ,all who have reached them may believe1 and if they do believe1 may look ,god in the face1 and triumphantly sing3 ',the blood1 the blood is all my plea1 ,hallelujah1 for it cleanseth me4' ,,ii4 ,the ,experience4--,simply to be skilled in the doctrine is not sufficient for us as leaders4 ,we may be as orthodox as ,st4 ,paul himself1 and yet be only as sounding brass and clanging cymbals1 unless we are rooted in the blessed experience of holiness4 ,if we would save ourselves and them that follow us1 if we would make havoc of the ,devil's kingdom and build up ,god's kingdom1 we must not only know and preach the truth1 but we must be living examples of the saving and sanctifying power of the truth4 ,we are to be living epistles1 known and read of all men2 we must be able to say with ,paul1 follow me as ,i follow ,christ2 and those things which ye learned and received and heard and saw in me1 do2 and the ,god of peace shall be with you4 ,we must not forget that-- #a4 ,we are ourselves simple ,christians1 individual souls struggling for eternal life and liberty1 and we must by all means save ourselves4 ,to this end we must be holy1 else we shall at last experience the awful woe of those who1 having preached to others1 are yet themselves castaways4 #b4 ,we are leaders upon whom multitudes depend4 ,it is a joy and an honour to be a leader1 but it is also a grave responsibility4 ,james says3 ,we shall receive the heavier judgment 7,james iii4 i1 ,r4,v474 ,how unspeakable shall be our blessedness1 and how vast our reward1 if1 wise in the doctrine1 and rich and strong and clean in the experience of holiness1 we lead our people into their full heritage in ,jesus6 ,but how terrible shall be our condemnation1 and how great our loss1 if1 in spiritual slothfulness and unbelief1 we stop short of the experience ourselves and leave them to perish for want of the gushing waters and heavenly food and ,divine direction we should have brought them6 ,we need the experience for ourselves1 and we need it for our work and for our people4 ,what the roof is to a house1 that the doctrine is to our system of truth4 ,it completes it4 ,what sound and robust health is to our bodies1 that the experience is to our souls4 ,it makes us every whit whole1 and fits us for all duty4 ,sweep away the doctrine1 and the experience will soon be lost4 ,lose the experience1 and the doctrine will surely be neglected1 if not attacked and denied4 ,no man can have the heart1 even if he has the head1 to fully and faithfully and constantly preach the doctrine unless he has the experience4 ,spiritual things are spiritually discerned1 and as this doctrine deals with the deepest things of the ,spirit1 it is only clearly understood and is best recommended1 explained1 defended1 and enforced by those who have the experience4 ,without the experience1 the presentation of the doctrine will be faulty and cold and lifeless1 or weak and vacillating1 or harsh and sharp and severe4 ,with the experience1 the preaching of the doctrine will be with great joy and assurance1 and will be strong and searching1 but at the same time warm and persuasive and tender4 ,i shall never forget the shock of mingled surprise and amusement and grief with which ,i heard a ,captain loudly announce in one of my meetings many years ago that he was going to preach holiness now1 and his people have to get it1 if he had to ram it down their throats4 ,poor fellow6 ,he did not possess the experience himself1 and never pressed into it and soon forsook his people4 ,a man in the clear experience of the blessing will never think of ramming it down people2 but will1 with much secret prayer1 constant meditation and study1 patient instruction1 faithful warning1 loving persuasion1 and burning1 joyful testimony1 seek to lead them into that entire and glad consecration and that fullness of faith that never fail to receive the blessing4 ,again1 the most accurate and complete knowledge of the doctrine1 and the fullest possession of the experience1 will fail us at last unless we carefully guard ourselves at several points1 and unless we watch and pray4 #c4 ,we must not judge ourselves so much by our feelings as by our volitions4 ,it is not my feelings1 but the purpose of my heart1 the attitude of my will1 that ,god looks at1 and it is that to which ,i must look4 ,if our heart condemns us not1 then have we confidence toward ,god4 ,a friend of mine who had firmly grasped this thought1 and walked continually with ,god1 used to testify3 ,i am just as good when ,i don't feel good as when ,i do feel good4 ,another mighty man of ,god said that all the feeling he needed to enable him to trust ,god was the consciousness that he was fully submitted to all the known will of ,god4 ,we must not forget that the ,devil is the accuser of the brethren 7,rev4 xii4 #aj71 and that he seeks to turn our eyes away from ,jesus1 who is our ,surety and our ,advocate1 to ourselves1 our feelings1 our infirmities1 our failures2 and if he succeeds in this1 gloom will fill us1 doubts and fears will spring up within us1 and we shall soon fail and fall4 ,we must be wise as the conies1 and build our nest in the cleft of the ,rock of ,ages4 ,hallelujah6 #d4 ,we must not divorce conduct from character1 or works from faith4 ,our lives must square with our teaching4 ,we must live what we preach4 ,we must not suppose that faith in ,jesus excuses us from patient1 faithful1 laborious service4 ,we must live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god2 that is1 we must fashion our lives1 our conduct1 our conversation by the principles laid down in ,his word1 remembering ,his searching saying1 ,not every one that saith unto ,me1 ,lord1 ,lord1 shall enter into the ,kingdom of ,heaven1 but he that doeth the will of ,my ,father which is in ,heaven4 ,this subject of faith and works is very fully discussed by ,james 7chap4 ii4 #ad-bf71 and ,paul is very clear in his teaching that1 while ,god saves us not by our works1 but by ,his mercy through faith1 yet it is that we may maintain good work 7,titus iii4 #ad72 and we are ,his workmanship1 created in ,christ ,jesus unto good works1 which ,god hath before ordained that we should walk in them 7,eph4 ii4 #h-aj74 ,faith must work by love1 and emotion must be transmitted into action1 and joy must lead to work1 and love to faithful1 self-sacrificing service1 else they become a kind of pleasant and respectable1 but none the less deadly1 debauchery1 and at last ruin us4 #e4 ,however blessed and satisfactory our present experience may be1 we must not rest in it1 but remember that our ,lord has yet many things to say unto us1 as we are able to receive them4 ,we must stir up the gift of ,god that is in us1 and say with ,paul1 ,one thing ,i do1 forgetting the things which are behind1 and stretching forward 7as a racer7 to the things which are before1 ,i press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of ,god in ,christ ,jesus 7,phil4 iii4 #ac1 #ad1 ,r4,v474 ,it is at this point that many fail4 ,they seek the ,lord1 they weep and struggle and pray1 and then they believe2 but1 instead of pressing on1 they sit down to enjoy the blessing1 and1 lo6 it is not4 ,the children of ,israel must needs follow the pillar of cloud and fire4 ,it made no difference when it moved--by day or by night1 they followed2 and when the ,comforter comes we must follow1 if we would abide in ,him and be filled with all the fullness of ,god4 ,and1 ,oh1 the joy of following ,him6 ,finally1 if we have the blessing--not the harsh1 narrow1 unprogressive exclusiveness which often calls itself by the sweet1 heavenly term of holiness1 but the vigorous1 courageous1 self-sacrificing1 tender1 ,pentecostal experience of perfect love--we shall both save ourselves and enlighten the world1 our converts will be strong1 our ,candidates for the work will multiply1 and will be able1 dare-devil men and women1 and our people will come to be like the brethren of ,gideon1 of whom it was said1 ,each one resembled the children of a king4 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8 ,,xxiii4 ,,victory ,,over ,,evil ,,temper ,,by ,,the ,,power ,,of ,,the ,,holy ,,spirit4 ,ye shall receive power after that the ,holy ,ghost is come upon you4 ,two letters recently reached me1 one from ,oregon1 and one from ,massachusetts1 inquiring if ,i thought it possible to have temper destroyed4 ,the comrade from ,oregon wrote3 ,i have been wondering if the statement is correct when one says1 ',my temper is all taken away4' ,do you think the temper is destroyed or sanctified8 ,it seems to me that if one's temper were actually gone he would not be good for anything4 ,the comrade from ,massachusetts wrote3 ,two of our ,corps ,cadets have had the question put to them3 ',is it possible to have all temper taken out of our hearts8' ,one claims it is possible4 ,the other holds that the temper is not taken out1 but ,god gives power to overcome it4 ,evidently these are questions that perplex many people1 and yet the answer seems to me simple4 ,temper1 as usually spoken of1 is not a faculty or power of the soul1 but is rather an irregular1 passionate1 violent expression of selfishness4 ,when selfishness is destroyed by love1 by the incoming of the ,holy ,spirit1 revealing ,jesus to us as an uttermost ,saviour1 and creating within us a clean heart1 of course such evil temper is gone1 just as the friction and consequent wear and heat of two wheels is gone when the cogs are perfectly adjusted to each other4 ,the wheels are far better off without friction1 and just so man is far better off without such temper4 ,we do not destroy the wheels to get rid of the friction1 but we readjust them2 that is1 we put them into just or right relations to each other1 and then noiselessly and perfectly they do their work4 ,so1 strictly speaking1 sanctification does not destroy self1 but it destroys selfishness--the abnormal and mean and disordered manifestation and assertion of self4 ,i myself am to be sanctified1 rectified1 purified1 brought into harmony with ,god's will as revealed in ,his word1 and united to ,him in ,jesus1 so that ,his life of holiness and love flows continually through all the avenues of my being1 as the sap of the vine flows through all parts of the branch4 ,i am the ,vine1 ye are the branches1 said ,jesus4 ,when a man is thus filled with the ,holy ,spirit he is not made into a putty man1 a jelly fish1 with all powers of resistance taken out of him2 he does not have any less force and push and go than before1 but rather more1 for all his natural energy is now reinforced by the ,holy ,spirit1 and turned into channels of love and peace instead of hate and strife4 ,he may still feel indignation in the presence of wrong1 but it will not be rash1 violent1 explosive1 and selfish1 as before he was sanctified1 but calm and orderly1 and holy1 and determined1 like that of ,god4 ,it will be the wholesome1 natural antagonism of holiness and righteousness to all unrighteousness and evil4 ,such a man will feel it when he is wronged1 but it will be much in the same way that he feels when others are wronged4 ,the personal1 selfish element will be absent4 ,at the same time there will be pity and compassion and yearning love for the wrong-doer and a greater desire to see him saved than to see him punished4 ,a sanctified man was walking down the street the other day with his wife1 when a filthy fellow on a passing wagon insulted her with foul words4 ,instantly the temptation came to the man to want to get hold of him and punish him1 but as instantly the indwelling ,comforter whispered1 ,if ye will forgive men their trespasses2 and instantly the clean heart of the man responded1 ,i will1 ,i do forgive him1 ,lord2 and instead of anger a great love filled his soul1 and instead of hurling a brick or hot words at the poor ,devil-deceived sinner1 he sent a prayer to ,god in ,heaven for him4 ,there was no friction in his soul4 ,he was perfectly adjusted to his ,lord2 his heart was perfectly responsive to his ,master's word1 and he could rightly say1 ,my temper is gone4 ,a man must have his spiritual eyes wide open to discern the difference between sinful temper and righteous indignation4 ,many a man wrongs and robs himself by calling his fits of temper righteous indignation2 while1 on the other hand1 there is here and there a timid soul who is so afraid of sinning through temper as to suppress the wholesome antagonism that righteousness1 to be healthy and perfect1 must express towards all unrighteousness and sin4 ,it takes the keen-edged word of ,god1 applied by the ,holy ,spirit1 to cut away unholy temper without destroying righteous antagonism2 to enable a man to hate and fight sin with spiritual weapons 7#b ,cor4 x4 #c-e71 while pitying and loving the sinner2 to so fill him with the mind of ,jesus that he will feel as badly over a wrong done to a stranger as though it were done to himself2 to help him to put away the personal feeling and be as calm and unselfish and judicial in opposing wrong as is the judge upon the bench4 ,into this state of heart and mind is one brought who is entirely sanctified by the indwelling ,holy ,spirit4 ,hallelujah6 ,dr4 ,asa ,mahan1 the friend and co-worker of ,finney1 had a quick and violent temper in his youth and young manhood2 but one day he believed1 and ,god sanctified him1 and for fifty years he said he never felt but one uprising of temper1 and that was but for an instant1 about five years after he received the blessing4 ,for the following forty-five years1 though subjected to many trials and provocations1 he felt only love and peace and patience and good-will in his heart4 ,a ,christian woman was confined to her bed for years with nervous and other troubles1 and was very cross and touchy and petulant4 ,at last she became convinced that the ,lord had a better experience for her1 and she began to pray for a clean heart full of patient1 holy1 humble love2 and she prayed so earnestly1 so violently1 that her family became alarmed lest she should wear her poor1 frail body out in her struggle for spiritual freedom4 ,but she told them she was determined to have the blessing1 if it cost her her life1 and so she continued to pray1 until one glad1 sweet day the ,comforter came2 her heart was purified1 and from that day forth1 in spite of the fact that she was still a nervous invalid1 suffering constant pain1 she never showed the least sign of temper or impatience1 but was full of meekness1 and patient1 joyous thankfulness4 ,love took up the harp of life1 and smote on all the chords with might-- ,smote the chord of ,self1 that1 trembling1 passed in music out of sight4 ,such is the experience of one in whom ,jesus lives without a rival1 and in whom grace has wrought its perfect work4 ,no form of vice1 not worldliness1 not greed of gold1 not drunkenness itself1 does more to un-,christianise society than evil temper1 says a distinguished and thoughtful writer4 ,if this be true1 it must be ,god's will that we be saved from it4 ,and it is provided for in the uttermost salvation that ,jesus offers4 ,do you want this blessing1 my brother1 my sister8 ,if so1 be sure of this3 ,god has not begotten such a desire in your heart to mock you2 you may have it4 ,god is able to do even this for you4 ,with man it is impossible1 but not with ,god4 ,look at ,him just now for it4 ,it is ,his work1 ,his gift4 ,look at your past failures1 and acknowledge them2 look at your present and future difficulties1 count them up and face them every one1 and admit that they are more than you can hope to conquer2 but then look at the dying ,son of ,god1 your ,saviour--the ,man with the seamless robe1 the crown of thorns1 and the nail-prints2 look at the fountain of ,his ,blood2 look at ,his word2 look at the ,almighty ,holy ,ghost1 who will dwell within you1 if you but trust and obey1 and cry out3 ,it shall be done6 ,the mountain shall become a plain2 the impossible shall become possible4 ,hallelujah6 ,quietly1 intelligently1 abandon yourself to the ,holy ,spirit just now in simple1 glad1 obedient faith1 and the blessing shall be yours4 ,glory to ,god6 ,,have ,,ye ,,received ,,the ,,holy ,,ghost ,,since ,,ye ,,believed8