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diff --git a/33341.txt b/33341.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7bf8c3c --- /dev/null +++ b/33341.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3787 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Secret Power, by Dwight L. Moody + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Secret Power + or the Secret of Success in Christian Life and Work + +Author: Dwight L. Moody + +Release Date: August 3, 2010 [EBook #33341] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SECRET POWER *** + + + + +Produced by Keith G. Richardson + + + + + + + +SECRET POWER + + +OR THE + + +SECRET OF SUCCESS IN CHRISTIAN + +LIFE AND WORK. + + +By D. L. MOODY + + +FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY + +NEW YORK : : CHICAGO : : TORONTO + +_Publishers of Evangelical Literature_ + + + +Copyrighted 1881, by FLEMING H. REVELL. + + + +PREFACE. + + +One man may have "zeal without knowledge," while another may have +knowledge without zeal. If I could have only the one, I believe I +should choose the first; but, with an open Bible, no one need be +without knowledge of God's will and purpose; and the object of this +book is to help others to know the source of true power, that both +their zeal and their knowledge may be of increased service in the +Master's work. + +Paul says, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is +profitable;" but I believe one portion, and that the subject of this +book, has been too much overlooked, as though it were not practical, +and the result is lack of power in testimony and work. If we would +work, "not as one that beateth the air," but to some definite purpose, +we must have this power from on high. Without this power, our work +will be drudgery. With it, it becomes a joyful task, a refreshing +service. + +May God make this book a blessing to many. This is my prayer. + + +D. L. MOODY. + + +NORTHFIELD, MASS., May 1st, 1881. + + + +CHAPTER I. + + +POWER--ITS SOURCE + + +In vain do the inhabitants of London go to their conduits for supply +unless the man who has the master-key turns the water on; and in vain +do we think to quench our thirst at ordinances, unless God +communicates the living water of His Spirit.--_Anon_. + +It was the custom of the Roman emperors, at their triumphal entrance, +to cast new coins among the multitudes; so doth Christ, in His +triumphal ascension into heaven, throw the greatest gifts for the good +of men that were ever given.--_T. Goodwin_. + +To unconverted persons, a great part of the Bible resembles a letter +written in cipher. The blessed Spirit's office is to act as God's +decipherer, by letting His people into the secret of celestial +experience, as the key and clew to those sweet mysteries of grace +which were before as a garden shut up, or as a fountain sealed, or as +a book written in an unknown character.--_Toplady_. + +The greatest, strongest, mightiest plea for the Church of God in the +world is the existence of the Spirit of God in its midst, and the +works of the Spirit of God are the true evidences of Christianity. +They say miracles are withdrawn, but the Holy Spirit is the standing +miracle of the Church of God to-day. I will not say a word against +societies for Christian evidences, nor against those weighty and +learned brethren who have defended the outworks of the Christian +Church. They have done good service, and I wish them every blessing, +but as to my own soul, I never was settled in my faith in Christ by +Paley's Evidences, nor by all the evidence ever brought from history +or elsewhere; the Holy Spirit has taken the burden off my shoulders, +and given me peace and liberty. This to me is evidence, and as to the +externals which we can quote to others, it was enough for Peter and +John that the people saw the lame man healed, and they needed not to +speak for themselves.--_Spurgeon_. + + +POWER--ITS SOURCE. + + +"Without the soul, divinely quickened and inspired, the observances of +the grandest ritualism are as worthless as the motions of a galvanized +corpse."--_Anon_. + +I QUOTE this sentence, as it leads me at once to the subject under +consideration. What is this quickening and inspiration? What is this +power needed? From whence its source? I reply: The Holy Spirit of God. +I am a full believer in "The Apostles' Creed," and therefore "I +believe in the Holy Ghost." + +A writer has pointedly asked: "What are our souls without His grace?--as +dead as the branch in which the sap does not circulate. What is the +Church without Him?--as parched and barren as the fields without the +dew and rain of heaven." + +There has been much inquiry of late on the subject of the Holy Spirit. +In this and other lands thousands of persons have been giving +attention to the study of this grand theme. I hope it will lead us all +to pray for a greater manifestation of His power upon the whole Church +of God. How much we have dishonored Him in the past! How ignorant of +His grace, and love and presence we have been? True, we have heard of +Him and read of Him, but we have had little intelligent knowledge of +His attributes, His offices and His relations to us. I fear He has not +been to many professed Christians an actual existence, nor is He known +to them as a personality of the Godhead. + +The first work of the Spirit is to give life; spiritual life. He gives +it and He sustains it. If there is no life, there can be no power; +Solomon says: "A living dog is better than a dead lion." When the +Spirit imparts this life, He does not leave us to droop and die, but +constantly fans the flame. He is ever with us. Surely we ought not to +be ignorant of His power and his work. + + +IDENTITY AND PERSONALITY. + + +In John v, 7, we read: "There are three that bear record in heaven, +the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one." By +the Father is meant the first Person, Christ, the Word is the second, +and the Holy Spirit, perfectly fulfilling His own office and work in +union with the Father and the Son, is the third. I find clearly +presented in my Bible, that the One God who demands my love, service +and worship, has there revealed Himself, and that each of those three +names of Father, Son and Holy Ghost has personality attached to them. +Therefore we find some things ascribed to God as Father, some to God +as Saviour, and some to God as Comforter and Teacher. It has been +remarked that the Father plans, the Son executes, and the Holy Spirit +applies. But I also believe they plan and work together. The +distinction of _persons_ is often noted in Scripture. In Matt. iii, +16-17, we find JESUS submitting to baptism, the SPIRIT descending upon +Him, while the FATHER'S voice of approval is heard saying: "This is my +Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Again in John xiv, 16, we +read: "I (_i. e._ Jesus) will pray the Father, and He shall give you +another Comforter." Also in Eph. i, 18: "Through Him (_i. e._ Christ +Jesus) we both (Jews and Gentiles) have access by one Spirit unto the +Father." Thus we are taught the distinction of persons in the Godhead, +and their inseparable union. From these and other scriptures also we +learn the identity and actual existence of the Holy Spirit. + +If you ask do I _understand_ what is thus revealed in Scripture, I say +"no." But my faith bows down before the inspired Word and I +unhesitatingly believe the great things of God when even reason is +blinded and the intellect confused. + +In addition to the teaching of God's Word, the Holy Spirit in His +gracious work in the soul declares His own presence. Through His +agency we are "born again," and through His indwelling we possess +superhuman power. Science, falsely so called, when arrayed against the +existence and presence of the Spirit of God with His people, only +exposes its own folly to the contempt of those who have become "new +creatures in Christ Jesus." The Holy Spirit who inspired prophets, and +qualified apostles, continues to animate, guide and comfort all true +believers. To the actual Christian, the personality of the Holy Spirit +is more real than any theory science has to offer, for so-called +science is but calculation based on human observation, and is +constantly changing its inferences. But the existence of the Holy +Spirit is to the child of God a matter of Scripture revelation and of +actual experience. + +Some skeptics assert that there is no other vital energy in the world +but physical force, while contrary to their assertions, thousands and +tens of thousands who can not possibly be deceived have been quickened +into spiritual life by a power neither physical or mental. Men who +were dead in sins--drunkards who lost their will, blasphemers who lost +their purity, libertines sunk in beastliness, infidels who published +their shame to the world, have in numberless instances become the +subjects of the Spirit's power, and are now walking in the true +nobility of Christian manhood, separated by an infinite distance from +their former life. Let others reject, if they will, at their own +peril, this imperishable truth. I believe, and am growing more into +this belief, that divine, miraculous creative power resides in the +Holy Ghost. Above and beyond all natural law, yet in harmony with it, +creation, providence, the Divine government, and the upbuilding of the +Church of God are presided over by the Spirit of God. His ministration +is the ministration of life more glorious than the ministration of +law, (2 Cor. iii, 6-10). And like the Eternal Son, the Eternal Spirit +having life in Himself, is working out all things after the counsel of +His own will, and for the everlasting glory of the Triune Godhead. + +The Holy Spirit has all the qualities belonging to a person; the power +to understand, to will, to do, to call, to feel, to love. This can not +be said of a mere influence. He possesses attributes and qualities +which can only be ascribed to a person, as acts and deeds are +performed by Him which can not be performed by a machine, an +influence, or a result. + + +AGENT AND INSTRUMENT. + + +The Holy Spirit is closely identified with the words of the Lord +Jesus. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing, +the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." +The Gospel proclamation can not be divorced from the Holy Spirit. +Unless He attend the word in power, vain will be the attempt in +preaching it. Human eloquence or persuasiveness of speech are the mere +trappings of the dead, if the living Spirit be absent; the prophet may +preach to the bones in the valley, but it must be the breath from +Heaven which will cause the slain to live. + +In the third chapter of the First Epistle of Peter, it reads, "For +Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that +He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but +quickened by the Spirit." + +Here we see that Christ was raised up from the grave by this same +Spirit, and the power exercised to raise Christ's dead body must raise +our dead souls and quicken them. No other power on earth can quicken a +dead soul, but the same power that raised the body of Jesus Christ out +of Joseph's sepulcher. And if we want that power to quicken our +friends who are dead in sin, we must look to God, and not be looking +to man to do it. If we look alone to ministers, if we look alone to +Christ's disciples to do this work, we shall be disappointed; but if +we look to the Spirit of God and expect it to come from Him and Him +alone, then we shall honor the Spirit, and the Spirit will do His +work. + + +SECRET OF EFFICIENCY. + + +I can not help but believe there are many Christians who want to be +more efficient in the Lord's service, and the object of this book is +to take up this subject of the Holy Spirit, that they may see from +whom to expect this power. In the teaching of Christ, we find the last +words recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, the 28th chapter and 19th +verse, "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the +name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Here we +find that the Holy Spirit and the Son are equal with the Father--are +one with Him, "teaching them in the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Christ was now handing His commission +over to His Apostles. He was going to leave them. His work on earth +was finished, and He was now just about ready to take His seat at the +right hand of God, and He spoke unto them and said: "All power is +given unto Me in heaven and on earth." All power, so then He had +authority. If Christ was mere man, as some people try to make out, it +would have been blasphemy for Him to have said to the disciples, go +and baptize all nations in the name of the Father, and in His own +name, and in that of the Holy Ghost, making Himself equal with the +Father. + +There are three things: _All power_ is given unto Me; go _teach all_ +nations. Teach them what? To _observe all_ things. There are a great +many people now that are willing to observe what they like about +Christ, but the things that they don't like they just dismiss and turn +away from. But His commission to His disciples was, "Go teach all +nations to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." And +what right has a messenger who has been sent of God to change the +message? If I had sent a servant to deliver a message, and the servant +thought the message didn't sound exactly right--a little harsh--and +that servant went and changed the message, I should change servants +very quickly; he could not serve me any longer. And when a minister or +a messenger of Christ begins to change the message because he thinks +it is not exactly what it ought to be, and thinks he is wiser than +God, God just dismisses that man. + +They haven't taught "all things." They have left out some of the +things that Christ has commanded us to teach, because they didn't +correspond with man's reason. Now we have to take the Word of God just +as it is; and if we are going to take it, we have no authority to take +out just what we like, what we think is appropriate, and let dark +reason be our guide. + +It is the work of the Spirit to impress the heart and seal the +preached word. His office is to take of the things of Christ and +reveal them unto us. + +Some people have got an idea that this is the only dispensation of the +Holy Ghost; that He didn't work until Christ was glorified. But Simeon +felt the Holy Ghost when he went into the temple. In 2d Peter, i. 21, +we read: "Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." +We find the same Spirit in Genesis as is seen in Revelation. The same +Spirit that guided the hand that wrote Exodus inspired also the +epistles, and we find the same Spirit speaking from one end of the +Bible to the other. So holy men in all ages have spoken as they were +moved by the Holy Ghost. + + +HIS PERSONALITY. + + +I was a Christian a long time before I found out that the Holy Ghost +was a person. Now this is something a great many don't seem to +understand, but if you will just take up the Bible and see what Christ +had to say about the Holy Spirit, you will find that He always spoke +of Him as a person--never spoke of Him as an influence. Some people +have an idea that the Holy Spirit is an attribute of God, just like +mercy--just an influence coming from God. But we find in the +fourteenth chapter of John, sixteenth verse, these words: "And I will +pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter that He may +abide with you forever." That _He_ may abide with you forever. And, +again, in the same chapter, seventeenth verse: "Even the Spirit of +Truth, whom the world can not receive, because it seeth Him not, +neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you and +shall be in you." Again, in the twenty-sixth verse of the same +chapter: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father +will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all +things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." + +Observe the pronouns "He" and "Him." I want to call attention to this +fact that whenever Christ spoke of the Holy Ghost He spoke of Him as a +person, not a mere influence; and if we want to honor the Holy Ghost, +let us bear in mind that He is one of the Trinity, a personality of +the Godhead. + + +THE RESERVOIR OF LOVE. + + +We read that the fruit of the Spirit is love. God is love, Christ is +love, and we should not be surprised to read about the love of the +Spirit. What a blessed attribute is this. May I call it the dome of +the temple of the graces. Better still, it is the crown of crowns worn +by the Triune God. Human love is a natural emotion which flows forth +towards the object of our affections. But Divine love is as high above +human love as the heaven is above the earth. The natural man is of the +earth, earthy, and however pure his love may be, it is weak and +imperfect at best. But the love of God is perfect and entire, wanting +nothing. It is as a mighty ocean in its greatness, dwelling with and +flowing from the Eternal Spirit. + +In Romans v, 5, we read: "And hope maketh not ashamed, because the +love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is +given to us." Now if we are co-workers with God, there is one thing we +must possess, and that is love. A man may be a very successful lawyer +and have no love for his clients, and yet get on very well. A man may +be a very successful physician and have no love for his patients, and +yet be a very good physician; a man may be a very successful merchant +and have no love for his customers, and yet he may do a good business +and succeed; but no man can be a co-worker with God without love. If +our service is mere profession on our part, the quicker we renounce it +the better. If a man takes up God's work as he would take up any +profession, the sooner he gets out of it the better. + +We can not work for God without love. It is the only tree that can +produce fruit on this sin-cursed earth, that is acceptable to God. If +I have no love for God nor for my fellow man, then I can not work +acceptably. I am like sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. We are +told that "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy +Ghost." Now, if we have had that love shed abroad in our hearts, we +are ready for God's service; if we have not, we are not ready. It is +so easy to reach a man when you love him; all barriers are broken down +and swept away. + +Paul when writing to Titus, second chapter and first verse, tells him +to be sound in faith, in charity, and in patience. Now in this age, +ever since I can remember, the Church has been very jealous about men +being unsound in the faith. If a man becomes unsound in the faith, +they draw their ecclesiastical sword and cut at him; but he may be +ever so unsound in love, and they don't say anything. He may be ever +so defective in patience; he may be irritable and fretful all the +time, but they never deal with him. Now the Bible teaches us, that we +are not only to be sound in the faith, but in charity and in patience. +I believe God can not use many of his servants, because they are full +of irritability and impatience; they are fretting all the time, from +morning until night. God can not use them; their mouths are sealed; +they can not speak for Jesus Christ, and if they have not love, they +can not work for God. I do not mean love for those that love me; it +don't take grace to do that; the rudest Hottentot in the world can do +that; the greatest heathen that ever lived can do that; the vilest man +that ever walked the earth can do that. It don't take any grace at +all. I did that before I ever became a Christian. Love begets love; +hatred begets hatred. If I know a man loves me first, I know my love +will be going out towards him. Suppose a man comes to me, saying, "Mr. +Moody, a certain man told me to-day that he thought you were the +meanest man living." Well, if I didn't have a good deal of the grace +of God in my heart, then I know there would be hard feelings that +would spring up in my heart against that man, and it would not be long +before I would be talking against him. Hatred begets hatred. But +suppose a man comes to me and says, "Mr. Moody, do you know that such +a man that I met to-day says that he thinks a great deal of you?" and +though I may never have heard of him, there would be love springing up +in my heart. Love begets love; we all know that; but it takes the +grace of God to love the man that lies about me, the man that slanders +me, the man that is trying to tear down my character; it takes the +grace of God to love that man. You may hate the sin he has committed; +there is a difference between the sin and the sinner; you may hate the +one with a perfect hatred, but you must love the sinner. I can not +otherwise do him any good. Now you know the first impulse of a young +convert is to love. Do you remember the day you were converted? Was +not your heart full of sweet peace and love? + + +THE RIGHT OVERFLOW. + + +I remember the morning I came out of my room after I had first trusted +Christ, and I thought the old sun shone a good deal brighter than it +ever had before; I thought that the sun was just smiling upon me, and +I walked out upon Boston Common, and I heard the birds in the trees, +and I thought that they were all singing a song for me. Do you know I +fell in love with the birds? I never cared for them before; it seemed +to me that I was in love with all creation. I had not a bitter feeling +against any man, and I was ready to take all men to my heart. If a man +has not the love of God shed abroad in his heart, he has never been +regenerated. If you hear a person get up in prayer-meeting, and he +begins to speak and find fault with everybody, you may know that his +is not a genuine conversion; that it is counterfeit; it has not the +right ring, because the impulse of a converted soul is to love, and +not to be getting up and complaining of every one else, and finding +fault. But it is hard for us to live in the right atmosphere all the +time. Some one comes along and treats us wrongly, perhaps we hate him; +we have not attended to the means of grace and kept feeding on the +word of God as we ought; a root of bitterness springs up in our +hearts, and perhaps we are not aware of it, but it has come up in our +hearts; then we are not qualified to work for God. The love of God is +not shed abroad in our hearts as it ought to be by the Holy Ghost. + +But the work of the Holy Ghost is to impart love. Paul could say, "The +love of Christ constraineth me." He could not help going from town to +town and preaching the Gospel. Jeremiah at one time said: "I will +speak no more in the Lord's name; I have suffered enough; these people +don't like God's word." They lived in a wicked day, as we do now. +Infidels were creeping up all around him, who said the word of God was +not true; Jeremiah had stood like a wall of fire, confronting them, +and he boldly proclaimed that the word of God was true. At last they +put him in prison, and he said: "I will keep still; it has cost me too +much." But a little while after, you know, he could not keep still. +His bones caught fire; he had to speak. And when we are so full of the +love of God, we are compelled to work for God, then God blesses us. If +our work is sought to be accomplished by the lash, without any true +motive power, it will come to nought. + +Now the question comes up, have we the love of God shed abroad in our +hearts, and are we holding the truth in love? Some people hold the +truth, but in such a cold stern way that it will do no good. Other +people want to love everything, and so they give up much of the truth; +but we are to hold the truth in love; we are to hold the truth even if +we lose all, but we are to hold it in love, and if we do that, the +Lord will bless us. + +There are a good many people trying to get this love; they are trying +to produce it of themselves. But therein all fail. The love implanted +deep in our new nature will be spontaneous. I don't have to learn to +love my children. I can not help loving them. I said to a young miss +some time ago, in an inquiry meeting, who said that she could not love +God; that it was very hard for her to love Him--I said to her, "Is it +hard for you to love your mother? Do you have to learn to love your +mother?" And she looked up through her tears, and said, "No; I can't +help it; that is spontaneous." "Well," I said, "when the Holy Spirit +kindles love in your heart, you can not help loving God; it will be +spontaneous." When the Spirit of God comes into your heart and mine, +it will be easy to serve God. + +The fruit of the Spirit, as you find it in Galatians, begins with +love. There are nine graces spoken of in the sixth chapter, and of the +nine different graces Paul puts love at the head of the list; love is +the first thing--the first in that precious cluster of fruit. Some one +has put it in this way: that all the other eight can be put in the +word love. Joy is love exulting; peace is love in repose; long +suffering is love on trial; gentleness is love in society; goodness is +love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love at +school; and temperance is love in training. So it is love all the way; +love at the top; love at the bottom, and all the way along down these +graces; and if we only just brought forth the fruit of the Spirit, +what a world we would have; there would be no need of any policemen; a +man could leave his overcoat around without some one stealing it; men +would not have any desire to do evil. Says Paul, "Against such there +is no law;" you don't need any law. A man who is full of the Spirit +don't need to be put under law; don't need any policemen to watch him. +We could dismiss all our policemen; the lawyers would have to give up +practicing law, and the courts would not have any business. + + +THE TRIUMPHS OF HOPE. + + +In the fifteenth chapter of Romans, thirteenth verse, the Apostle +says: "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in +believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy +Ghost." The next thing then is hope. + +Did you ever notice this, that no man or woman is ever used by God to +build up His kingdom who has lost hope? Now, I have been observing +this throughout different parts of the country, and wherever I have +found a worker in God's vineyard who has lost hope, I have found a man +or woman not very useful. Now, just look at these workers. Let your +mind go over the past for a moment. Can you think of a man or woman +whom God has used to build His kingdom who has lost hope? I don't know +of any; I never heard of such an one. It is very important to have +hope in the Church; and it is the work of the Holy Ghost to impart +hope. Let Him come into some of the churches where there have not been +any conversions for a few years, and let Him convert a score of +people, and see how hopeful the Church becomes at once. He imparts +hope; a man filled with the Spirit of God will be very hopeful. He +will be looking out into the future, and he knows that it is all +bright, because the God of all grace is able to do great things. So it +is very important that we have hope. + +If a man has lost hope, he is out of communion with God; he has not +the Spirit of God resting upon him for service; he may be a son of +God, and disheartened so that he can not be used of God. Do you know +there is no place in the Scriptures where it is recorded that God ever +used even a discouraged man. Some years ago, in my work I was quite +discouraged, and I was ready to hang my harp on the willow. I was very +much cast down and depressed. I had been for weeks in that state, when +one Monday morning a friend, who had a very large Bible class, came +into my study. I used to examine the notes of his Sunday-school +lessons, which were equal to a sermon, and he came to me this morning +and said, "Well, what did you preach about yesterday?" and I told him. +I said, "What did you preach about?" and he said that he preached +about Noah. "Did you ever preach about Noah?" "No, I never preached +about Noah." "Did you ever study his character?" "No, I never studied +his life particularly." "Well," says he, "he is a most wonderful +character. It will do you good. You ought to study up that character." +When he went out, I took down my Bible, and read about Noah; and then +it came over me that Noah worked 120 years and never had a convert, +and yet he did not get discouraged; and I said, "Well, I ought not to +be discouraged," and I closed my Bible, got up and walked down town, +and the cloud had gone. I went down to the noon prayer-meeting, and +heard of a little town in the country where they had taken into the +church 100 young converts; and I said to myself, I wonder what Noah +would have given if he could have heard that; and yet he worked 120 +years and didn't get discouraged. And then a man right across the +aisle got up and said, "My friends, I wish you to pray for me; I think +I'm lost;" and I thought to myself, "I wonder what Noah would have +given to hear that." He never heard a man say, "I wish you to pray for +me; I think I am lost," and yet he didn't get discouraged! Oh, +children of God, let us not get discouraged; let us ask God to forgive +us, if we have been discouraged and cast down; let us ask God to give +us hope, that we may be ever hopeful. It does me good sometimes to +meet some people and take hold of their hands; they are so hopeful, +while other people throw a gloom over me because they are all the time +cast down, and looking at the dark side, and looking at the obstacles +and difficulties that are in the way. + + +THE BOON OF LIBERTY. + + +The next thing the Spirit of God does is to give us liberty. He first +imparts love; He next inspires hope, and then gives liberty, and that +is about the last thing we have in a good many of our churches at the +present day. And I am sorry to say there must be a funeral in a good +many churches before there is much work done, we shall have to bury +the formalism so deep that it will never have any resurrection. The +last thing to be found in many a church is liberty. + +If the Gospel happens to be preached, the people criticise, as they +would a theatrical performance. It is exactly the same, and many a +professed Christian never thinks of listening to what the man of God +has to say. It is hard work to preach to carnally-minded critics, but +"Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." + +Very often a woman will hear a hundred good things in a sermon, and +there may be one thing that strikes her as a little out of place, and +she will go home and sit down to the table and talk right out before +her children and magnify that one wrong thing, and not say a word +about the hundred good things that were said. That is what people do +who criticise. + +God does not use men in captivity. The condition of many is like +Lazarus when he came out of the sepulcher bound hand and foot. The +bandage was not taken off his mouth, and he could not speak. He had +life, and if you had said Lazarus was not alive, you would have told a +falsehood, because he was raised from the dead. There are a great many +people, the moment you talk to them and insinuate they are not doing +what they might, they say: "I have life. I am a Christian." Well, you +can't deny it, but they are bound hand and foot. + +May God snap these fetters and set His children free, that they may +have liberty. I believe He comes to set us free, and wants us to work +for Him, and speak for Him. How many people would like to get up in a +social prayer-meeting to say a few words for Christ, but there is such +a cold spirit of criticism in the Church that they dare not do it. +They have not the liberty to do it. If they get up, they are so +frightened with these critics that they begin to tremble and sit down. +They can not say anything. Now, that is all wrong. The Spirit of God +comes just to give liberty, and wherever you see the Lord's work going +on, you will see that Spirit of liberty. People won't be afraid of +speaking to one another. And when the meeting is over they will not +get their hats and see how quick they can get out of the church, but +will begin to shake hands with one another, and there will be liberty +there. A good many go to the prayer-meeting out of a mere cold sense +of duty. They think "I must attend because I feel it is my duty." They +don't think it is a glorious privilege to meet and pray, and to be +strengthened, and to help some one else in the wilderness journey. + +What we need to-day is love in our hearts. Don't we want it? Don't we +want hope in our lives? Don't we want to be hopeful? Don't we want +liberty? Now, all this is the work of the Spirit of God, and let us +pray God daily to give us love, and hope, and liberty. We read in +Hebrews, "Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the +holiest by the blood of Jesus." If you will turn to the passage and +read the margin--it says: "Having, therefore, brethren, liberty to +enter into the holiest." We can go into the holiest, having freedom of +access, and plead for this love and liberty and glorious hope, that we +may not rest until God gives us the power to work for Him. + +If I know my own heart to-day, I would rather die than live as I once +did, a mere nominal Christian, and not used by God in building up His +kingdom. It seems a poor empty life to live for the sake of self. + +Let us seek to be useful. Let us seek to be vessels meet for the +Master's use, that God, the Holy Spirit, may shine fully through us. + + "Know, my soul, thy full salvation; + Rise o'er sin, and fear, and care; + Joy to find, in every station, + Something still to do or bear. + + Think what Spirit dwells within thee; + Think what Father's smiles are thine; + Think that Jesus died to win thee: + Child of heaven, canst thou repine? + + Haste thee on from grace to glory, + Armed by faith, and winged by prayer, + Heaven's eternal day's before thee: + God's own hand shall guide thee there. + + Soon shall close thy earthly mission, + Soon shall pass thy pilgrim days, + Hope shall change to glad fruition, + Faith to sight, and prayer to praise." + + + "I AM so weak, dear Lord! I can not stand + One moment without Thee; + But oh, the tenderness of Thy enfolding, + And oh, the faithfulness of Thine upholding, + And oh, the strength of Thy right hand! + That strength is enough for me. + + I am so needy, Lord! and yet I know + All fullness dwells in Thee; + And hour by hour that never-failing treasure + Supplies and fills in overflowing measure + My last and greatest need. And so + Thy grace is enough for me. + + It is so sweet to trust Thy word alone! + I do not ask to see + The unveiling of Thy purpose, or the shining + Of future light on mysteries untwining; + Thy promise-roll is all my own-- + Thy word is enough for me. + + There were strange soul-depths, restless, vast, and broad, + Unfathomed as the sea, + An infinite craving for some infinite stilling; + But now Thy perfect love is perfect filling! + Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, + Thou, Thou art enough for me!" + + + +CHAPTER II. + + +POWER "IN" AND "UPON." + + +You remember that strange, half-involuntary "forty years" of Moses in +the "wilderness" of Midian, when he had fled from Egypt. You remember, +too, the almost equally strange years of retirement in "Arabia" by +Paul, when, if ever, humanly speaking, instant action was needed. And +pre-eminently you remember the amazing charge of the ascending Lord to +the disciples, "Tarry at Jerusalem." Speaking after the manner of men, +one could not have wondered if out-spoken Peter, or fervid James had +said: "Tarry, Lord! How long?" "Tarry, Lord! is there not a perishing +world, groaning for the 'good news?'" "Tarry! did we hear Thee aright, +Lord? Was the word not haste?" "Nay;" "Being assembled together with +them, He commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, +but wait for the promise of the Father." (Acts 1:4.)--_Grosart_. + + + +POWER--"IN" AND "UPON." + + +THE Holy Spirit dwelling in us, is one thing; I think this is clearly +brought out in Scripture; and the Holy Spirit upon us for service, is +another thing. Now there are only three places we find in Scripture +that are dwelling-places for the Holy Ghost. + +In the 40th chapter of Exodus, commencing with the 33d verse, are +these words: + +"And he (that is Moses) reared up the court round about the tabernacle +and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses +finished the work. + +Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of +the Lord filled the tabernacle. + +And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, +because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the +tabernacle." + +The moment that Moses finished the work, the moment that the +tabernacle was ready, the cloud came, the Shekinah glory came and +filled it so that Moses was not able to stand before the presence of +the Lord. I believe firmly, that the moment our hearts are emptied of +pride and selfishness and ambition and self-seeking, and everything +that is contrary to God's law, the Holy Ghost will come and fill every +corner of our hearts; but if we are full of pride and conceit, and +ambition and self-seeking, and pleasure and the world, there is no +room for the Spirit of God; and I believe many a man is praying to God +to fill him when he is full already with something else. Before we +pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray Him to empty +us. + +There must be an emptying before there can be a filling; and when the +heart is turned upside down, and everything is turned out that is +contrary to God, then the Spirit will come, just as He did in the +tabernacle, and fill us with His glory. We read in 2d Chronicles, 5th +chapter and 13th verse: "It came even to pass, as the trumpeters and +singers were as one to make one Sound, to be heard in praising and +thanking the Lord, and when they lifted up their voice with the +trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, +saying, For He is good; for His mercy endureth forever; that then the +house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord. So that the +priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the +glory of the Lord had filled the house of God." + + +PRAISING WITH ONE HEART. + + +We find, the very moment that Solomon completed the Temple, when all +was finished, they were just praising God with one heart--the +choristers and the singers and the ministers were all one; there was +not any discord; they were all praising God, and the glory of God came +and just filled the Temple as the Tabernacle. Now, as you turn over +into the New Testament, you will find, instead of coming to +Tabernacles and Temples, believers are now the Temple of the Holy +Ghost. When, on the day of Pentecost, before Peter preached that +memorable sermon, as they were praying, the Holy Ghost came, and came +in mighty power. We now pray for the Spirit of God to come, and we +sing: + + "Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly dove, + With all thy quickening power; + Kindle a flame of heavenly love + In these cold hearts of ours," + +I believe, if we understand it, it is perfectly right; but if we are +praying for Him to come out of heaven down to earth again, that is +wrong, because He is already here; He has not been out of this earth +for 1800 years; He has been in the Church, and He is with all +believers; the believers in the Church are the called-out ones; they +are called out from the world, and every true believer is a Temple for +the Holy Ghost to dwell in. In the 14th chapter of John, 17th verse, +we have the words of Jesus: + +"The Spirit of Truth, whom the world can not receive, because it seeth +Him not, neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him, for He dwelleth in +you." + +"Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world." If we +have the Spirit dwelling in us, He gives us power over the flesh and +the world, and over every enemy. "He is dwelling with you, and shall +be in you." + +Read 1st Corinthians iii, 16: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of +God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" + +There were some men burying an aged saint some time ago, and he was +very poor, like many of God's people, poor in this world, but they are +very rich, they have all the riches on the other side of life--they +have them laid up there where thieves can not get them, and where +sharpers can not take them away from them, and where moth can not +corrupt--so this aged man was very rich in the other world, and they +were just hastening him off to the grave, wanting to get rid of him, +when an old minister, who was officiating at the grave, said, "Tread +softly, for you are carrying the temple of the Holy Ghost." Whenever +you see a believer, you see a temple of the Holy Ghost. + +In 1 Cor. vi, 19, 20, we read again: "Know ye not that your body is +the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, +and ye are not your own for ye are bought with a price, therefore +glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." Thus +are we taught that there is a divine resident in every child of God. + +I think it is clearly taught in the Scripture that every believer has +the Holy Ghost dwelling in him. He may be quenching the Spirit of God, +and he may not glorify God as he should, but if he is a believer on +the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost dwells in him. But I want to +call your attention to another fact. I believe to-day, that though +Christian men and women have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, yet He +is not dwelling within them in power; in other words, God has a great +many sons and daughters without power. + + +WHAT IS NEEDED. + + +Nine-tenths, at least, of the church members never think of speaking +for Christ. If they see a man, perhaps a near relative, just going +right down to ruin, going rapidly, they never think of speaking to him +about his sinful course and of seeking to win him to Christ. Now +certainly there must be something wrong. And yet when you talk with +them you find they have faith, and you can not say they are not +children of God; but they have not the power, they have not the +liberty, they have not the love that real disciples of Christ should +have. A great many people are thinking that we need new measures, that +we need new churches, that we need new organs, and that we need new +choirs, and all these new things. That is not what the Church of God +needs to-day. It is the old power that the Apostles had; that is what +we want, and if we have that in our churches, there will be new life. +Then we will have new ministers--the same old ministers renewed with +power; filled with the Spirit. I remember when in Chicago many were +toiling in the work, and it seemed as though the car of salvation +didn't move on, when a minister began to cry out from the very depths +of his heart, "Oh, God, put new ministers in every pulpit." On next +Monday I heard two or three men stand up and say, "We had a new +minister last Sunday--the same old minister, but he had got new +power," and I firmly believe that is what we want to-day all over +America. We want new ministers in the pulpit and new people in the +pews. We want people quickened by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit +coming down and taking possession of the children of God and giving +them power. + +Then a man filled with the Spirit will know how to use "the sword of +the Spirit." If a man is not filled with the Spirit, he will never +know now to use the Book. We are told that this is the sword of the +Spirit; and what is an army good for that does not know how to use its +weapons? Suppose a battle going on, and I were a general and had a +hundred thousand men, great, able-bodied men, full of life, but they +could not one of them handle a sword, and not one of them knew how to +use his rifle, what would that army be good for? Why, one thousand +well-drilled men, with good weapons, would rout the whole of them. The +reason why the Church can not overcome the enemy is, because she don't +know how to use the sword of the Spirit. People will get up and try to +fight the devil with their experiences, but he don't care for that, he +will overcome them every time. People are trying to fight the devil +with theories and pet ideas, but he will get the victory over them +likewise. What we want is to draw the sword of the Spirit. It is that +which cuts deeper than anything else. + +Turn in your Bibles to Eph. vi, 14: "Stand, therefore, having your +loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of +righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel +of peace; above all (or over all), taking the shield of faith, +wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the +wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, +which is the Word of God." + + +THE GREATEST WEAPON. + + +The sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, and what we need specially +is to be filled with the Spirit, so we shall know how to use the Word. +There was a Christian man talking to a skeptic, who was using the +Word, and the skeptic said, "I don't believe, sir, in that Book." But +the man went right on and he gave him more of the Word; and the man +again remarked, "I don't believe the Word," but he kept giving him +more, and at last the man was reached. And the brother added, "When I +have proved a good sword which does the work of execution, I would +just keep right on using it." That is what we want. Skeptics and +infidels may say they don't believe in it. It is not our work to make +them believe in it; that is the work of the Spirit. Our work is to +give them the Word of God; not to preach our theories and our ideas +about it, but just to deliver the message as God gives it to us. We +read in the Scriptures of the sword of the Lord and Gideon. Suppose +Gideon had gone out without the Word, he would have been defeated. But +the Lord used Gideon; and I think you find all through the Scriptures, +God takes up and uses human instruments. You can not find, I believe, +a case in the Bible where a man is converted without God calling in +some human agency--using some human instrument; not but what He can do +it in His independent sovereignty; there is no doubt about that. Even +when by the revealed glory of the Lord Jesus, Saul of Tarsus was +smitten to the earth, Annanias was used to open his eyes and lead him +into the light of the Gospel. I heard a man once say, if you put a man +on a mountain peak, higher than one of the Alpine peaks, God could +save him without a human messenger; but that is not His way; that is +not His method; but it is "the sword of the Lord and Gideon"; and the +Lord and Gideon will do the work; and if we are just willing to let +the Lord use us, He will. + + +"NONE OF SELF." + + +Then you will find all through the Scriptures, when men were filled +with the Holy Spirit, they preached Christ and not themselves. They +preached Christ and Him crucified. It says in the first chapter of +Luke, 67th verse, speaking of Zacharias, the father of John the +Baptist: + +"And his father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Ghost, and +prophesied, saying: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He hath +visited and redeemed His people, and hath raised up an horn of +salvation for us in the house of His servant David. As He spake by the +mouth of His Holy prophets, which have been since the world began." + +See, he is talking about the Word. If a man is filled with the Spirit, +he will magnify the Word; he will preach the Word, and not himself; he +will give this lost world the Word of the living God. "And thou, +child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go +before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways. To give knowledge of +salvation unto His people by the remission of their sins, through the +tender mercy of our God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath +visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the +shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And the +child grew and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the +day of his showing unto Israel." And so we find again that when +Elizabeth and Mary met, they talked of the Scriptures, and they were +both filled with the Holy Ghost, and at once began to talk of their +Lord. + +We also find that Simeon, as he came into the temple and found the +young child Jesus there, at once began to quote the Scriptures, for +the Spirit was upon him. And when Peter stood up on the day of +Pentecost, and preached that wonderful sermon, it is said he was +filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to preach the Word to the +multitude, and it was the Word that cut them. It was the sword of the +Lord and Peter, the same as it was the sword of the Lord and Gideon. +And we find it says of Stephen, "They were not able to resist the +spirit and wisdom by which he spake." Why? Because he gave them the +Word of God. And we are told that the Holy Ghost came on Stephen, and +none could resist his word. And we read, too, that Paul was full of +the Holy Spirit, and that he preached Christ and Him crucified, and +that many people were added to the Church. Barnabas was full of faith +and the Holy Ghost; and if you will just read and find out what he +preached, you will find it was the Word, and many were added to the +Lord. So that when a man is full of the Spirit, he begins to preach, +not himself, but Christ, as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. + +The disciples of Jesus were all filled with the Spirit, and the Word +was published; and when the Spirit of God comes down upon the Church, +and we are anointed, the Word will be published in the streets, in the +lanes, and in the alleys; there will not be a dark cellar nor a dark +attic, nor a home where the Gospel will not be carried by some loving +heart, if the Spirit comes upon God's people in demonstration and in +power. + + +SPIRITUAL IRRIGATION. + + +It is possible a man may just barely have life and be satisfied; and I +think that a great many are in that condition. In the 3d chapter of +John we find that Nicodemus came to Christ and that he received life. +At first this life was feeble. You don't hear of him standing up +confessing Christ boldly, and of the Spirit coming upon him in great +power, though possessing life through faith in Christ. And then turn +to the 4th chapter of John, and you will find it speaks of the woman +coming to the well of Samaria, and Christ held out the cup of +salvation to her and she took it and drank, and it became in her "a +well of water springing up into everlasting life." That is better than +in the 3d chapter of John; here it came down in a flood into her soul; +as some one has said, it came down from the throne of God, and like a +mighty current carried her back to the throne of God. Water always +rises to its level, and if we get the soul filled with water from the +throne of God it will bear us upward to its source. + +But if you want to get the best class of Christian life portrayed, +turn to the 7th chapter and you will find that it says he that +receiveth the Spirit, through trusting in the Lord Jesus, "out of him +shall flow rivers of living water." Now there are two ways of digging +a well. I remember, when a boy, upon a farm, in New England, they had +a well, and they put in an old wooden pump, and I used to have to pump +the water from that well upon wash-day, and to water the cattle; and I +had to pump and pump and pump until my arm got tired, many a time. But +they have a better way now; they don't dig down a few feet and brick +up the hole and put the pump in, but they go down through the clay and +the sand and the rock, and on down until they strike what they call a +lower stream, and then it becomes an artesian well, which needs no +labor, as the water rises spontaneously from the depths beneath. + +Now I think God wants all His children to be a sort of artesian well; +not to keep pumping, but to flow right out. Why, haven't you seen +ministers in the pulpit just pumping, and pumping and pumping? I have, +many a time, and I have had to do it, too. I know how it is. They +stand in the pulpit and talk and talk and talk, and the people go to +sleep, they can't arouse them. What is the trouble? Why, the living +water is not there; they are just pumping when there is no water in +the well. You can't get water out of a dry well; you have to get +something in the well, or you can't get anything out. I have seen +these wooden pumps where you had to pour water into them before you +could pump any water out, and so it is with a good many people; you +have to get something in them before you can get any out. People +wonder why it is that they have no Spiritual power. They stand up and +talk in meeting, and don't say anything; they say they haven't +anything to say, and you find it out soon enough; they need not state +it; but they just talk, because they feel it is a duty, and say +nothing. + +Now I tell you when the Spirit of God is on us for service, resting +upon us, we are anointed, and then we can do great things. "I will +pour water on him that is thirsty," says God. O, blessed thought--"He +that hungers and thirsts after righteousness shall be filled!" + + +OUTFLOWING STREAMS. + + +I would like to see some one just full of living water; so full that +they couldn't contain it; that they would have to go out and publish +the Gospel of the grace of God. When a man gets so full that he can't +hold any more, then he is just ready for God's service. + +When preaching in Chicago, Dr. Gibson remarked in the inquiry meeting, +"Now, how can we find out who is thirsty?" Said he, "I was just +thinking how we could find out. If a boy should come down the aisle, +bringing a good pail full of clear water, and a dipper, we would soon +find out who was thirsty; we would see thirsty men and women reach out +for water; but if you should walk down the aisle with an empty bucket, +you wouldn't find it out. People would look in and see that there was +no water, and say nothing." So said he, "I think that is the reason we +are not more blessed in our ministry; we are carrying around empty +buckets, and the people see that we have not anything in them, and +they don't come forward." I think that there is a good deal of truth +in that. People see that we are carrying around empty buckets, and +they will not come to us until they are filled. They see we haven't +any more than they have. We must have the Spirit of God resting upon +us, and then we will have something that gives the victory over the +world, the flesh, and the devil; something that gives the victory over +our tempers, over our conceits, and over every other evil, and when we +can trample these sins under our feet, then people will come to us and +say, "How did you get it? I need this power; you have something that I +haven't got; I want it." O, may God show us this truth. Have we been +toiling all night? let us throw the net on the right side; let us ask +God to forgive our sins, and anoint us with power from on high. But +remember, He is not going to give this power to an impatient man; He +is not going to give it to a selfish man; He will never give it to an +ambitious man whose aim is selfish, till first emptied of self; +emptied of pride and of all worldly thoughts. Let it be God's glory +and not our own that we seek, and when we get to that point, how +speedily the Lord will bless us for good. Then will the measure of our +blessing be full. Do you know what heaven's measure is? Good measure, +pressed down, shaken together, and running over. If we get our heart +filled with the Word of God, how is Satan going to get in? How is the +world going to get in, for heaven's measure is good measure, full +measure, running over. Have you this fullness? If you have not, then +seek it; say by the grace of God you will have it, for it is the +Father's good pleasure to give us these things. He wants us to shine +down in this world; He wants to lift us up for His work; He wants us +to have the power to testify for His Son. He has left us in this world +to testify for Him. What did He leave us for? Not to buy and sell and +to get gain, but to glorify Christ. How are you going to do it without +the Spirit? That is the question. How are you to do it without the +power of God? + + +WHY SOME FAIL. + + +We read in John xx, 22: "And when He had said this, He breathed on +them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost." + +Then see Luke xxiv, 49: "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father +upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued +with power from on high." + +The first passage tells us He had raised those pierced and wounded +hands over them and breathed upon them and said, "Receive ye the Holy +Ghost." And I haven't a doubt they received it then, but not in such +mighty power as afterward when qualified for their work. It was not in +fullness that He gave it to them then, but if they had been like a +good many now, they would have said, "I have enough now; I am not +going to tarry; I am going to work." + +Some people seem to think they are losing time if they wait on God for +his power, and so away they go and work without unction; they are +working without any anointing, they are working without any power. But +after Jesus had said "Receive ye the Holy Ghost," and had breathed on +them, He said: "Now you tarry in Jerusalem until you be endued with +power from on high." Read in the 1st chapter of Acts, 8th verse: "But +ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." + +Now, the Spirit had been given them certainly or they could not have +believed, and they could not have taken their stand for God and gone +through what they did, and endured the scoffs and frowns of their +friends, if they had not been converted by the power of the Holy +Ghost. But now just see what Christ said: + +"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; +and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, +and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." + +Then, the Holy Spirit IN US is one thing, and the Holy Spirit ON US is +another; and if these Christians had gone out and went right to +preaching then and there, without the power, do you think that scene +would have taken place on the day of Pentecost? Don't you think that +Peter would have stood up there and beat against the air, while these +Jews would have gnashed their teeth and mocked him? But they tarried +in Jerusalem; they waited ten days. What! you say. What, the world +perishing and men dying! Shall I wait? Do what God tells you. There is +no use in running before you are sent; there is no use in attempting +to do God's work without God's power. A man working without this +unction, a man working without this anointing, a man working without +the Holy Ghost upon him, is losing his time after all. So we are not +going to lose anything if we tarry till we get this power. That is the +object of true service, to wait on God, to tarry till we receive this +power for witness-bearing. Then we find that on the day of Pentecost, +ten days after Jesus Christ was glorified, the Holy Spirit descended +in power. Do you think that Peter and James and John and those +apostles doubted it from that very hour? They never doubted it. +Perhaps some question the possibility of having the power of God now, +and that the Holy Spirit never came afterward in similar +manifestation, and will never come again in such power. + + +FRESH SUPPLIES. + + +Turn to Acts iv, 31, and you will find He came a second time, and at a +place where they were, so that the earth was shaken, and they were +filled with this power. The fact is, we are leaky vessels, and we have +to keep right under the fountain all the time to keep full of Christ, +and so have a fresh supply. + +I believe this is a mistake a great many of us are making; we are +trying to do God's work with the grace God gave us ten years ago. We +say, if it is necessary, we will go on with the same grace. Now, what +we want is a fresh supply, a fresh anointing and fresh power, and if +we seek it, and seek it with all our hearts, we will obtain it. The +early converts were taught to look for that power. Philip went to +Samaria, and news reached Jerusalem that there was a great work being +done in Samaria, and many converts; and John and Peter went down, and +they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost for +service. I think that is what we Christians ought to be looking for--the +Spirit of God for service--that God may use us mightily in the +building up of His Church and hastening His glory. In Acts xix we read +of twelve men at Ephesus, who, when the inquiry was made if they had +received the Holy Ghost since they believed, answered: "We have not so +much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost." I venture to say there +are very many, who, if you were to ask them, "Have you received the +Holy Ghost since you believed?" would reply, "I don't know what you +mean by that." They would be like the twelve men down at Ephesus, who +had never understood the peculiar relation of the Spirit to the sons +of God in this dispensation. I firmly believe that the Church has just +laid this knowledge aside, mislaid it somewhere, and so Christians are +without power. Sometimes you can take one hundred members into the +Church, and they don't add to its power. Now that is all wrong. If +they were only anointed by the Spirit of God, there would be great +power if one hundred saved ones were added to the Church. + + +GREEN FIELDS. + + +When I was out in California, the first time I went down from the +Sierra Nevada Mountains and dropped into the Valley of the Sacramento, +I was surprised to find on one farm that everything about it was +green--all the trees and flowers, everything was blooming, and +everything was green and beautiful, and just across the hedge +everything was dried up, and there was not a green thing there, and I +could not understand it; I made inquiries, and I found that the man +that had everything green, irrigated; he just poured the water right +on, and he kept everything green, while the fields that were next to +his were as dry as Gideon's fleece without a drop of dew; and so it is +with a great many in the Church to-day. They are like these farms in +California--a dreary desert, everything parched and desolate, and +apparently no life in them. They can sit next to a man who is full of +the Spirit of God, who is like a green bay tree, and who is bringing +forth fruit, and yet they will not seek a similar blessing. Well, why +this difference? Because God has poured water on him that was thirsty; +that is the difference. One has been seeking this anointing, and he +has received it; and when we want this above everything else God will +surely give it to us. + +The great question before us now is, _Do_ we want it? I remember when +I first went to England and gave a Bible reading, I think about the +first that I gave in that country, a great many ministers were there, +and I didn't know anything about English theology, and I was afraid I +should run against their creeds, and I was a little hampered, +especially on this very subject, about the gift of the Holy Spirit for +service. I remember particularly a Christian minister there who had +his head bowed on his hand, and I thought the good man was ashamed of +everything I was saying, and of course that troubled me. At the close +of my address he took his hat and away he went, and then I thought, +"Well, I shall never see him again." At the next meeting I looked all +around for him and he wasn't there, and at the next meeting I looked +again, but he was absent; and I thought my teaching must have given +him offense. But a few days after that, at a large noon prayer +meeting, a man stood up and his face shone as if he had been up in the +mountain with God, and I looked at him, and to my great joy it was +this brother. He said he was at that Bible reading, and he heard there +was such a thing as having fresh power to preach the Gospel; he said +he made up his mind that if that was for him he would have it; he said +he went home and looked to the Master, and that he never had such a +battle with himself in his life. He asked that God would show him the +sinfulness of his heart that he knew nothing about, and he just cried +mightily to God that he might be emptied of himself and filled with +the Spirit, and he said, "God has answered my prayer." I met him in +Edinburgh six months from that date, and he told me he had preached +the Gospel every night during that time, that he had not preached one +sermon but that some remained for conversation, and that he had +engagements four months ahead to preach the Gospel every night in +different churches. I think you could have fired a cannon ball right +through his church and not hit any one before he got this anointing; +but it was not thirty days before the building was full and aisles +crowded. He had his bucket filled full of fresh water, and the people +found it out and came flocking to him from every quarter. I tell you, +you can't get the stream higher than the fountain. What we need very +specially is power. There was another man whom I have in my mind, and +he said, "I have heart disease, I can't preach more than once a week," +so he had a colleague to preach for him and do the visiting. He was an +old minister, and he couldn't do any visiting. He had heard of this +anointing, and said, "I would like to be anointed for my burial. I +would like before I go hence to have just one more privilege to preach +the Gospel with power." He prayed that God would fill him with the +Spirit, and I met him not long after that, and he said, "I have +preached on an average eight times a week, and I have had conversions +all along." The Spirit came on him. I don't believe that man broke +down at first with hard work, so much as with using the machinery +without oil, without lubrication. It is not the hard work breaks down +ministers, but it is the toil of working without power. Oh, that God +may anoint His people! Not the ministry only, but every disciple. Do +not suppose pastors are the only laborers needing it. There is not a +mother but needs it in her house to regulate her family, just as much +as the minister needs it in the pulpit or the Sunday-school teacher +needs it in his Sunday-school. We all need it together, and let us not +rest day nor night until we possess it; if that is the uppermost +thought in our hearts, God will give it to us if we just hunger and +thirst for it, and say, "God helping me, I will not rest until endued +with power from on high." + + +MASTER AND SERVANT. + + +There is a very sweet story of Elijah and Elisha, and I love to dwell +upon it. The time had come for Elijah to be taken up, and he said to +Elisha, "You stay here at Gilgal, and I will go up to Bethel." There +was a theological seminary there, and some young students, and he +wanted to see how they were getting along; but Elisha said, "As the +Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee." And so +Elisha just kept close to Elijah. They came to Bethel, and the sons of +the prophets came out and said to Elisha, "Do you know that your +master is to be taken away?" And Elisha said, "I know it; but you keep +still." Then Elijah said to Elisha, "You remain at Bethel until I go +to Jericho." But Elisha said, "As the Lord liveth and my soul liveth, +I will not leave thee." "You shall not go without me," says Elisha; +and then I can imagine that Elisha just put his arm in that of Elijah, +and they walked down together. I can see those two mighty men walking +down to Jericho, and when they arrived there, the sons of the prophets +came and said to Elisha, "Do you know that your master is to be taken +away?" "Hush! keep still," says Elisha, "I know it." And then Elijah +said to Elisha, "Tarry here awhile; for the Lord hath sent me to +Jordan." But Elisha said, "As the Lord liveth and my soul liveth, I +will not leave thee. You shall not go without me." And then Elisha +came right close to Elijah, and as they went walking down, I imagine +Elisha was after something; when they came to the Jordan, Elijah took +off his mantle and struck the waters, and they separated hither and +thither, and the two passed through like giants, dry-shod, and fifty +sons of the prophets came to look at them and watch them. They didn't +know but Elijah would be taken up right in their sight. As they passed +over Jordan, Elijah said to Elisha, "Now, what do you want?" He knew +he was after something. "What can I do for you. Just make your request +known." And he said, "I would like a double portion of thy Spirit." I +can imagine now that Elijah had given him a chance to ask; he said to +himself, "I will ask for enough." Elisha had a good deal of the +Spirit, but, says he, "I want a double portion of thy Spirit." "Well," +says Elijah, "if you see me when I am taken up, you shall have it." Do +you think you could have enticed Elisha from Elijah at that moment? I +can almost see the two arm in arm, walking along, and as they walked, +there came along the chariot of fire, and before Elisha knew it, +Elijah was caught up, and as he went sweeping towards the throne, the +servant cried, "My Father! My Father! The chariot of Israel and the +horsemen thereof!" Elisha saw him no more. He picked up Elijah's +fallen mantle, and returning with that old mantle of his master's, he +came to the Jordan and cried for Elijah's God, and the waters +separated hither and thither, and he passed through dry-shod. Then the +watching prophets lifted up their voices and said, "The Spirit of +Elijah is upon Elisha;" and so it was, a double portion of it. + +May the Spirit of Elijah, beloved reader, be upon us. If we seek for +it we will have it. Oh, may the God of Elijah answer by fire, and +consume the spirit of worldliness in the churches, burn up the dross, +and make us whole-hearted Christians. May that Spirit come upon us; +let that be our prayer in our family altars and in our closets. Let us +cry mightily to God that we may have a double portion of the Holy +Spirit, and that we may not rest satisfied with this worldly state of +living, but let us, like Sampson, shake ourselves and come out from +the world, that we may have the power of God. + + + +CHAPTER III. + + +WITNESSING IN POWER. + + +A man may as well hew marble without tools, or paint without colors or +instruments, or build without materials, as perform any acceptable +service without the graces of the Spirit, which are both the materials +and the instruments in the work.--_Alleine_. + +If we do not have the Spirit of God, it were better to shut the +churches, to nail up the doors, to put a black cross on them, and say, +"God have mercy on us!" If you ministers have not the Spirit of God, +you had better not preach, and you people had better stay at home. I +think I speak not too strongly when I say that a church in the land +without the Spirit of God is rather a curse than a blessing. If you +have not the Spirit of God, Christian worker, remember that you stand +in somebody else's way; you are as a tree bearing no fruit standing +where another fruitful tree might grow. This is solemn work; the Holy +Spirit or nothing, and worse than nothing. Death and condemnation to a +church that is not yearning after the Spirit, and crying and groaning +until the Spirit has wrought mightily in her midst. He is here; He has +never gone back since He descended at Pentecost. He is often grieved +and vexed, for He is peculiarly jealous and sensitive, and the one sin +never forgiven has to do with His blessed person; therefore let us be +very tender towards Him, walk humbly before Him, wait on Him very +earnestly, and resolve that about us there should be nothing knowingly +continued which should prevent Him dwelling in us, and being with us +henceforth and for, ever. Brethren, peace be unto you and your +spirit!--_Spurgeon_. + + + +WITNESSING IN POWER. + + +THE subject of witness-bearing in the power of the Holy Ghost is not +sufficiently understood by the Church. Until we have more intelligence +on this point we are laboring under great disadvantage. Now, if you +will take your Bible and turn to the 15th chapter of John and the 26th +verse, you will find these words: "But when the Comforter is come, +whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of Truth, +which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me; and ye also +shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning." +Here we find what the Spirit is going to do, or what Christ said He +would do when He came; namely, that He should testify of Him. And if +you will turn over to the second chapter of Acts you will find that +when Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost, and testified of what +Christ had done, the Holy Spirit came down and bore witness to that +fact, and men were convicted by hundreds and by thousands. So then man +can not preach effectively of himself. He must have the Spirit of God +to give ability, and study God's Word in order to testify according to +the mind of the Spirit. + + +WHAT IS THE TESTIMONY? + + +If we keep back the Gospel of Christ and do not bring Christ before +the people, then the Spirit has not the opportunity to work. But the +moment Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost and bore testimony to +this one fact, that Christ died for sin, and that He had been raised +again, and ascended into heaven--the Spirit came down to bear witness +to the Person and Work of Christ. + +He came down to bear witness to the fact that Christ was in heaven, +and if it was not for the Holy Ghost bearing witness to the preaching +of the facts of the Gospel, do you think that the Church would have +lived during these last eighteen centuries? Do you believe that +Christ's death, resurrection and ascension would not have been +forgotten as soon as His birth, if it had not been for the fact that +the Holy Spirit had come? Because it is very clear, that when John +made his appearance on the borders of the wilderness, they had +forgotten all about the birth of Jesus Christ. Just thirty short +years. It was all gone. They had forgotten the story of the Shepherds; +they had forgotten the wonderful scene that took place in the temple, +when the Son of God was brought into the temple and the older prophets +and prophetesses were there; they had forgotten about the wise men +coming to Jerusalem to inquire where He was that was born King of the +Jews. That story of His birth seemed to have just faded away; they had +forgotten all about it, and when John made his appearance on the +borders of the wilderness it was brought back to their minds. And if +it had not been for the Holy Ghost coming down to bear witness to +Christ, to testify of His death and resurrection, these facts would +have been forgotten as soon as His birth. + + +GREATER WORK. + + +The witness of the Spirit is the witness of power. Jesus said, "The +works that I do shall ye do also, and greater works than these shall +ye do because I go to the Father." I used to stumble over that. I +didn't understand it. I thought, what greater work could any man do +than Christ had done? How could any one raise a dead man who had been +laid away in the sepulcher for days, and who had already begun to turn +back to dust; how with a word could he call him forth? But the longer +I live the more I am convinced it is a greater thing to influence a +man's will; a man whose will is set against God; to have that will +broken and brought into subjection to God's will--or, in other words, +it is a greater thing to have power over a living, sinning, God-hating +man, than to quicken the dead. He who could create a world could speak +a dead soul into life; but I think the greatest miracle this world has +ever seen was the miracle at Pentecost. Here were men who surrounded +the Apostles, full of prejudice, full of malice, full of bitterness, +their hands, as it were, dripping with the blood of the Son of God, +and yet an unlettered man, a man whom they detested, a man whom they +hated, stands up there and preaches the Gospel, and three thousand of +them are immediately convicted and converted, and become disciples of +the Lord Jesus Christ, and are willing to lay down their lives for the +Son of God. It may have been on that occasion that Stephen was +converted, the first martyr, and some of the men who soon after gave +up their lives for Christ. This seems to me the greatest miracle this +world has ever seen. But Peter did not labor alone; the Spirit of God +was with him; hence the marvelous results. + +The Jewish law required that there should be two witnesses, and so we +find that when Peter preached there was a second witness. Peter +testified of Christ, and Christ says when the Holy Spirit comes He +will testify of Me. And they both bore witness to the verities of our +Lord's incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection, and the result +was that a multitude turned as with one heart unto the Lord. Our +failure now is, that preachers ignore the Cross, and veil Christ with +sapless sermons and superfine language. They don't just present Him to +the people plainly, and that is why, I believe, that the Spirit of God +don't work with power in our churches. What we need is to preach +Christ and present Him to a perishing world. The world can get on very +well without you and me, but the world can not get on without Christ, +and therefore we must testify of Him, and the world, I believe, to-day +is just hungering and thirsting for this divine, satisfying portion. +Thousands and thousands are sitting in darkness, knowing not of this +great Light, but when we begin to preach Christ honestly, faithfully, +sincerely and truthfully; holding Him up, not ourselves; exalting +Christ and not our theories; presenting Christ and not our opinions; +advocating Christ and not some false doctrine; then the Holy Ghost +will come and bear witness. He will testify that what we say is true. +When He comes He will confirm the Word with signs following. This is +one of the strongest proofs that our Gospel is Divine; that it is of +Divine origin; that not only did Christ teach these things, but when +leaving the world He said, "He shall glorify Me," and "He will testify +of Me." If you will just look at the second chapter of Acts--to that +wonderful sermon that Peter preached--the thirty-sixth verse, you read +these words: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly +that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye crucified, both Lord and +Christ." And when Peter said this the Holy Ghost descended upon the +people and testified of Christ--bore witness in signal demonstration +that all this was true. And again, in the fortieth verse, "And with +many other words did He testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves +from this untoward generation." With many other words did He testify, +not only these words that have been recorded, but many other words. + + +THE SURE GUIDE. + + +Turn to the sixteenth chapter of John, in the thirteenth verse, and +read: "Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide +you into all truth; for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever +He shall hear that shall He speak; and He will show you things to +come." He will guide you into all truth. Now there is not a truth that +we ought to know but the Spirit of God will guide us into it if we +will let Him; if we will yield ourselves up to be directed by the +Spirit, and let Him lead us, He will guide us into all truth. It would +have saved us from a great many dark hours if we had only been willing +to let the Spirit of God be our counsellor and guide. + +Lot never would have gone to Sodom if he had been guided by the Spirit +of God. David never would have fallen into sin and had all that +trouble with his family if he had been guided by the Spirit of God. + +There are many Lots and Davids now-a-day. The churches are full of +them. Men and women are in total darkness, because they have not been +willing to be guided by the Spirit of God. "He shall guide you into +all truth. He shall not speak of Himself." He shall speak of the +ascended glorified Christ. + +What would be thought of a messenger, entrusted by an absent husband +with a message for his wife or mother who, on arrival, only talked of +himself, and his conceits, and ignored both the husband and the +message? You would simply call it outrageous. What then must be the +crime of the professed teacher who speaks of himself, or some insipid +theory, leaving out Christ and His Gospel? If we witness according to +the Spirit, we must witness of Jesus. + +The Holy Spirit is down here in this dark world to just speak of the +Absent One, and He takes the things of Christ and brings them to our +mind. He testifies of Christ; He guides us into the truth about Him. + + +RAPPINGS IN THE DARK. + + +I want to say right here, that I think in this day a great many +children of God are turning aside and committing a grievous sin. I +don't know as they think it is a sin, but if we examine the +Scriptures, I am sure we will find that it is a great sin. We are told +that the Comforter is sent into the world to "guide us into all +truth," and if He is sent for that purpose, do we need any other +guide? Need we hide in the darkness, consulting with mediums, who +profess to call up the spirits of the dead? Do you know what the Word +of God pronounces against that fearful sin? I believe it is one of the +greatest sins we have to contend with at the present day. It is +dishonoring to the Holy Spirit for me to go and summon up the dead and +confer with them, even if it were possible. + +I would like you to notice the 10th chapter of 1st Chronicles, and +13th verse: "So Saul died for his transgression which he had committed +against the Lord, even against the Word of the Lord, which he kept +not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to +inquire of it; and inquired not of the Lord: therefore He slew him, +and turned the kingdom unto David the son of Jesse." + +God slew him for this very sin. Of the two sins that are brought +against Saul here, one is that he would not listen to the Word of God, +and the second is that he consulted a familiar spirit. He was snared +by this great evil, and sinned against God. + +Saul fell right here, and there are a great many of God's professed +children to-day who think there is no harm in consulting a medium who +pretends to call up some of the departed to inquire of them. + +But how dishonoring it is to God who has sent the Holy Spirit into +this world to guide us "into all truth." There is not a thing that I +need to know, there is not a thing that is important for me to know; +there is not a thing that I ought to know but the Spirit of God will +reveal it to me through the Word of God, and if I turn my back upon +the Holy Spirit, I am dishonoring the Spirit of God, and I am +committing a grievous sin. You know we read in Luke, where that rich +man in the other world wanted to have some one sent to his father's +house to warn his five brothers, Christ said They have Moses and the +prophets, and if they will not hear them, they will not hear one +though he rose from the dead. Moses and the prophets, the part of the +Bible then completed, that is enough. But a great many people now want +something besides the Word of God, and are turning aside to these +false lights. + + +SPIRITS THAT PEEP AND MUTTER. + + +There is another passage which reads, "And when they shall say unto +you, seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that +peep and mutter: Should not a people seek unto their God? for the +living to the dead?" What is that but table-rapping, and cabinet-hiding? +If it was a message from God, do you think you would have to +go into a dark room and put out all the lights? In secret my Master +taught nothing. God is not in that movement, and what we want, as +children of God, is to keep ourselves from this evil. And then notice, +the verse following, quoted so often out of its connection. "To the +law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it +is because there is no light in them." Any man, any woman, who comes +to us with any doctrine that is not according to the law and the +testimony, let us understand that they are from the evil one, and that +they are enemies of righteousness. They have no light in them. Now you +will find these people who are consulting familiar spirits, first and +last, attack the Word of God. They don't believe it. Still a great +many people say, you must hear both sides--but if a man should write +me a most slanderous letter about my wife, I don't think I would have +to read it; I should tear it up and throw it to the winds. Have I to +read all the infidel books that are written, to hear both sides? Have +I to take up a book that is a slander on my Lord and Master, who has +redeemed me with His blood? Ten thousand times No; I will not touch +it. + +"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some +shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and +doctrines of devils." 1 Tim., iv, 1. That is pretty plain language, +isn't it? "Doctrines of devils." Again, "speaking lies in hypocrisy; +having their consciences seared with a hot iron." There are other +passages of Scripture warning against every delusion of Satan. Let us +ever remember the Spirit has been sent into the world to guide us into +all truth. We don't want any other guide; He is enough. Some people +say, "Is not conscience a safer guide than the Word and the Spirit?" +No, it is not. Some people don't seem to have any conscience, and +don't know what it means. Their education has a good deal to do with +conscience. There are persons who will say that their conscience did +not tell them that they had done wrong until after the wrong was done; +but what we want, is something to tell us a thing is wrong before we +do it. Very often a man will go and commit some awful crime, and after +it is done his conscience will wake up and lash and scourge him, and +then it is too late, the act is done. + + +THE UNERRING GUIDE. + + +I am told by people who have been over the Alps, that the guide +fastens them, if they are going in a dangerous place, right to +himself, and he just goes on before; they are fastened to the guide. + +And so should the Christian be linked to His unerring Guide, and be +safely upheld. Why, if a man was going through the Mammoth Cave, it +would be death to him if he strayed away from his guide--if separated +from him, he would certainly perish; there are pitfalls in that cave +and a bottomless river, and there would be no chance for a man to find +his way through that cave without a guide or a light. So there is no +chance for us to get through the dark wilderness of this world alone. +It is folly for a man or woman to think that they can get through this +evil world without the light of God's Word and the guidance of the +Divine Spirit. God sent Him to guide us through this great journey, +and if we seek to work independent of Him, we shall stumble into the +deep darkness of eternity's night. + +But bear in mind the _Words_ of the Spirit of God; if you want to be +guided, you must study the Word; because the Word is the light of the +Spirit. In the 14th chapter of John and 26th verse, we read: + +"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send +in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to +your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." + +Again in John xvi, 13: + +"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of Truth is come, He will guide you into +all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall +hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come." + +"He will show you things to come." A great many people seem to think +that the Bible is out of date, that it is an old book, and they think +it has passed its day. They say it was very good for the dark ages, +and that there is some very good history in it; but then it was not +intended for the present time; that we are living in a very +enlightened age, and that men can get on very well without the old +book; that we have outgrown it. They think we have no use for it, +because it is an old book. Now you might just as well say that the +sun, which has shone so long, is now so old that it is out of date, +and that whenever a man builds a house he need not put any windows in +it, because we have got a newer light and a better light; we have +gaslight and this new electric light. These are something new; and I +would advise people, if they think the Bible is too old and worn out, +when they build houses, not to put any windows in them, but just to +light them with this new electric light; that is something new, and +this is what they are anxious for. People talk about this Book as if +they understood it; but we don't know much about it yet. The press +gives us the daily news of what has taken place. This Bible, however, +tells us what is about to take place. This _is_ new; we have the news +here in this Book; this tells us of the things that will surely come +to pass; and that is a great deal newer than anything in the +newspapers. It tells us that the Spirit shall teach us all things; not +only guide us into all truth, but teach us all things; He teaches us +how to pray, and I don't think there has ever been a prayer upon this +sin-cursed earth that has been indicted by the Holy Spirit but was +answered. There is much praying that is not indicted by the Holy +Spirit. In former years I was very ambitious to get rich; I used to +pray for one hundred thousand dollars; that was my aim, and I used to +say, "God does not answer my prayer; He does not make me rich." But I +had no warrant for such a prayer; yet a good many people pray in that +way; they think that they pray, but they do not pray according to the +Scriptures. The Spirit of God has nothing to do with their prayers, +and such prayers are not the product of His teaching. + +It is the Spirit who teaches us how to answer our enemies. If a man +strikes me, I should not pull out a revolver and shoot him. The Spirit +of the Lord don't teach me revenge; He don't teach me that it is +necessary to draw the sword and cut a man down in order to defend my +rights. Some people say, You are a coward if you don't strike back. +Christ says, turn the other cheek to him who smites. I would rather +take Christ's teaching than any other. I don't think a man gains much +by loading himself down with weapons to defend himself. There has been +life enough sacrificed in this country to teach men a lesson in this +regard. The Word of God is a much better protection than the revolver. +We had better take the Word of God to protect us, by accepting its +teaching, and living out its precepts. + + +AN AID TO MEMORY. + + +It is a great comfort to us to remember that another office of the +Spirit is to bring the teaching of Jesus to our remembrance. This was +our Lord's promise, "He shall teach you all things, and bring all +things to your remembrance." Jno. xiv, 26. + +How striking that is. I think there are many Christians who have had +that experience. They have been testifying, and found that while +talking for Christ the Spirit has just brought into mind some of the +sayings of the Lord Jesus Christ, and their mind was soon filled with +the Word of God. When we have the Spirit resting upon us, we can speak +with authority and power, and the Lord will bless our testimony and +bless our work. I believe the reason why God makes use of so few in +the Church, is because there is not in them the power that God can +use. He is not going to use our ideas, but we must have the Word of +God hid in our hearts, and then, the Holy Spirit inflaming us, we will +have the testimony which will be rich, and sweet, and fresh, and the +Lord's Word will vindicate itself in blessed results. God wants to use +us; God wants to make us channels of blessing; but we are in such a +condition He does not use us. That is the trouble; there are so many +men who have no testimony for the Lord; if they speak, they speak +without saying anything, and if they pray, their prayer is powerless; +they do not plead in prayer; their prayer is just a few set phrases +that you have heard too often. Now what we want, is to be so full of +the Word, that the Spirit coming upon us shall bring to mind--bring to +our remembrance--the words of the Lord Jesus. + +In 1 Cor. ii, 9, it is written: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, +neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath +prepared for them that love Him." + +We hear that quoted so often in prayer--many a man weaves it into his +prayer and stops right there. And the moment you talk about Heaven, +they say, "Oh, we don't know anything about Heaven it hath not entered +into the heart of man; eye hath not seen; it is all speculation; we +have nothing to do with it; and they say they quote it as it is +written." "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard; neither have entered into +the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love +Him." What next--"but God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit." +You see the Lord hath revealed them unto us: "For the Spirit searches +all things--yea, the deep things of God." That is just what the Spirit +does. + + +LONG AND SHORT SIGHT. + + +He brings to our mind what God has in store for us. I heard a man, +some time ago, speaking about Abraham. He said "Abraham was not +tempted by the well-watered plains of Sodom, for Abraham was what you +might call a long-sighted man; he had his eyes set on the city which +had foundation--'whose Builder and Maker is God.'" But Lot was a +short-sighted man; and there are many people in the Church who are +very short-sighted; they only see things right around them they think +good. Abraham was long-sighted; he had glimpses of the celestial city. +Moses was long-sighted, and he left the palaces of Egypt and +identified himself with God's people--poor people, who were slaves; +but he had something in view yonder; he could see something God had in +store. Again there are some people who are sort of long-sighted and +shortsighted, too. I have a friend who has one eye that is long-sighted +and the other is short-sighted; and I think the Church is full of this +kind of people. They want one eye for the world and the other for the +Kingdom of God. Therefore, everything, is blurred, one eye is long and +the other is short, all is confusion, and they "see men as trees +walking." The Church is filled with that sort of people. But Stephen +was long-sighted; he looked clear into heaven; they couldn't convince +him even when he was dying, that Christ had not ascended to heaven. +"Look, look yonder," he says, "see Him over there; He is on the throne, +standing at the right hand of God;" and he looked clear into heaven; +the world had no temptation for him; he had put the world under his feet. +Paul was another of those long-sighted men; he had been caught up and +seen things unlawful for him to utter; things grand and glorious. I tell +you when the Spirit of God is on us the world looks very empty; the +world has a very small hold upon us, and we begin to let go our hold of +it. When the Spirit of God is on us we will just let go the things of +time and lay hold of things eternal. This is the Church's need to-day; +we want the Spirit to come in mighty power, and consume all the vile +dross there is in us. Oh! that the Spirit of fire may come down and +burn everything in us that is contrary to God's blessed Word and Will. + +In John xiv, 16, we read of the Comforter. This is the first time He +is spoken of as the Comforter. Christ had been their Comforter. God +had sent Him to comfort the sorrowing. It was prophesied of Him, "The +Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach +the Gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted." +You can't heal the brokenhearted without the Comforter; but the world +would not have the first Comforter, and so they rose up and took Him +to Calvary and put him to death; but on going away He said, "I will +send you another Comforter; you shall not be comfortless; be of good +cheer, little flock; it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the +kingdom." All these sweet passages are brought to the remembrance of +God's people, and they help us to rise out of the fog and mist of this +world. O, what a comforter is the Holy Spirit of God! + + +THE FAITHFUL FRIEND. + + +The Holy Spirit tells a man of his faults in order to lead him to a +better life. In John xvi, 8, we read: "He is to reprove the world of +sin." Now, there are a class of people who don't like this part of the +Spirit's work. Do you know why? Because He convicts _them_ of sin; +they don't like that. What they want is some one to speak comforting +words and make everything pleasant; keep everything all quiet; tell +them there is peace when there is war; tell them it is light when it +is dark, and tell them everything is growing better; that the world is +getting on amazingly in goodness; that it is growing better all the +time; that is the kind of preaching they seek for. Men think they are +a great deal better than their fathers were. That suits human nature, +for it is full of pride. Men will strut around and say, "Yes, I +believe that; the world is improving; I am a good deal better man than +father was; my father was too strict; he was one of those old +Puritanical men who was so rigid. O, we are getting on; we are more +liberal; my father wouldn't think of going out riding on Sunday, but +we will; we will trample the laws of God under our feet; we are better +than our fathers." + +That is the kind of preaching which some dearly love, and there are +preachers who tickle such itching ears. When you bring the Word of God +to bear upon them, and when the Spirit drives it home, then men will +say: "I don't like that kind of preaching; I will never go to hear +that man again;" and sometimes they will get up and stamp their way +out of church before the speaker gets through; they don't like it. But +when the Spirit of God is at work he convicts men of sin. "When He +comes He will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness and of +judgment; of sin"--not because men swear and lie and steal and get +drunk and murder--"of sin because they believe not on Me." + + +THE CLIMAX SIN. + + +That is the sin of the world. Why, a great many people think that +unbelief is a sort of misfortune, but do not know, if you will allow +me the expression, it is the damning sin of the world to-day; that is +what unbelief is, the mother of all sin. There would not be a drunkard +walking the streets, if it were not for unbelief; there would not be a +harlot walking the streets, if it were not for unbelief; there would +not be a murderer, if it was not for unbelief; it is the germ of all +sin. Don't think for a moment that it is a misfortune, but just bear +in mind it is an awful sin, and may the Holy Spirit convict every +reader that unbelief is making God a liar. Many a man has been knocked +down on the streets because some one has told him he was a liar. +Unbelief is giving God the lie; that is the plain English of it. Some +people seem to boast of their unbelief; they seem to think it is quite +respectable to be an infidel and doubt God's Word, and they will +vainly boast and say, "I have intellectual difficulties; I can't +believe." Oh that the Spirit of God may come and convict men of sin! +That is what we need--His convicting power, and I am so thankful that +God has not put that into our hands. We have not to convict men; if we +had I would get discouraged, and give up preaching, and go back to +business within the next forty-eight hours. It is my work to preach +and hold up the Cross and testify of Christ; but it is His work to +convict men of sin and lead them to Christ. One thing I have noticed, +that some conversions don't amount to anything; that if a man +professes to be converted without conviction of sin, he is one of +those stony-ground hearers who don't bring forth much fruit. The first +little wave of persecution, the first breath of opposition, and the +man is back in the world again. Let us pray, dear Christian reader, +that God may carry on a deep and thorough work, that men may be +convicted of sin so that they can not rest in unbelief. Let us pray +God it may be a thorough work in the land. I would a great deal rather +see a hundred men thoroughly converted, truly born of God, than to see +a thousand professed conversions where the Spirit of God has not +convicted of sin. Don't let us cry "Peace, peace, when there is no +peace." Don't go to the man who is living in sin, and tell him all he +has to do is to stand right up and profess, without any hatred for +sin. Let us ask God first to show every man the plague of his own +heart, that the Spirit, may convict them of sin. Then will the work in +our hands be real, and deep, and abide the fiery trial which will try +every man's labor. + +Thus far, we have found the work of the Spirit is to impart life, to +implant hope, to give liberty, to testify of Christ, to guide us into +all truth, to teach us all things, to comfort the believers, and to +convict the world of sin. + + "Holy Spirit, faithful guide, + Ever near the Christian's side; + Gently lead us by the hand, + Pilgrims in a desert land; + Weary souls for e'er rejoice, + While they hear that sweetest voice, + Whisp'ring softly, wanderer come! + Follow Me, I'll guide thee home. + + Ever present, truest Friend, + Ever near Thine aid to lend, + Leave us not to doubt and fear, + Groping on in darkness drear, + When the storms are raging sore, + Hearts grow faint, and hopes give o'er; + Whisp'ring softly, wanderer come! + Follow Me, I'll guide thee home. + + When our days of toil shall cease, + Waiting still for sweet release, + Nothing left but heaven and prayer, + Wond'ring if our names were there, + Wading deep the dismal flood, + Pleading nought but Jesus' blood; + Whisp'ring softly, wanderer come! + Follow Me, I'll guide thee home." + + + "OH! Spirit of God, whose voice I hear, + Sweeter than sweetest music, appealing + In tones of tenderness and love; + Whose comforts delight my soul, and + Fills the temple of my heart with joy beyond compare. + I need Thee day by day, and each day's moment, Lord. + I sigh for greater likeness + To Him who loved me unto death, and loves me still. + 'Tis Thine to lead me to Him; 'tis Thine to ope the eye, + To manifest His royal glories to my longing heart; + 'Tis Thine the slumbering saint to waken + And discipline this blood-touched ear + To hearken to my heavenly Lover's voice, + And quickly speed His summons to obey. + Oh! Spirit of the Mighty God, uplift my faith + Till heaven's precious light shall flood my soul, + And the shining of my face declare + That I have seen the face of God." + + + +CHAPTER IV. + + +POWER IN OPERATION. + + +"Ye are not your own." "Your bodies are the temples of the Holy +Ghost." Is that an unmeaning metaphor, or an over-worded expression? +When the Holy Spirit enters the soul, heaven enters with Him. The +heart is compared to a temple. God never enters without His +attendants; _repentance_ cleanses the house; _faith_ provides for the +house; _watchfulness_, like the porter, takes care of it; _prayer_ is +a lively messenger, learns what is wanted, and then goes for it; +_faith_ tells him where to go, and he never goes in vain; _joy_ is the +musician of this temple, tuning to the praises of God and the Lamb; +and this terrestrial temple shall be removed to the celestial world, +for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised.--_Rowland +Hill._ + + +POWER IN OPERATION. + + +THE power we have been considering is the Presence of the Holy Spirit. +He is omnipotent. Power in operation is the actions of the Spirit or +the fruit of the Spirit. This we shall now consider. Paul writes in +Gal. v, 16, etc.: + +"This I say then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the +lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the +Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary, the one to the +other; so that ye can not do the things that ye would. But if ye be +led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law." * * * "But the fruit of +the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, +faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law. And they +that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and +lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let +us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one +another." + +Now there is a life of perfect peace, perfect joy, and perfect love, +and that ought to be the aim of every child of God; that ought to be +their standard; and they should not rest until having attained to that +position. That is God's standard, where He wants all His children. +These nine graces mentioned in this chapter in Galatians can be +divided in this way: Love and peace and joy are all to God. God looks +for that fruit from each one of His children, and that is the kind of +fruit which is acceptable with Him. Without that we can not please +God. He wants, above everything else that we possess, love, peace and +joy. And then the next three--goodness, long-suffering and gentleness--are +towards man. That is our outward life to those that we are coming +in contact with continually--daily, hourly. The next three--faith, +temperance, meekness--are in relation to ourselves; and in that way we +can just take the three divisions, and it will be of some help to us. + +The first thing that meets us as we enter the kingdom of God, you +might say are these first three graces, + + +LOVE, PEACE, AND JOY. + + +When a man who has been living in sin turns from his sins, and turns +to God with all his heart, he is met on the threshold of the divine +life by these sister graces. The love of God is shed abroad in his +heart by the Holy Ghost. The peace of God comes at the same time, and +also the joy of the Lord. We can all put the test to ourselves, if we +have them. It is not anything that we can make. The great trouble with +many is that they are trying to make these graces. They are trying to +make love; they are trying to make peace; they are trying to make joy. +But they are not creatures of human planting. To produce them of +ourselves is impossible. That is an act of God. They come from above. +It is God who speaks the word and gives the love; it is God who gives +the peace; it is God who gives the joy, and we possess all by +receiving Jesus Christ by faith into the heart; for when Christ comes +by faith into the heart, then the Spirit is there, and if we have the +Spirit, we will have the fruit. + +If the whole Church of God could live as the Lord would have them +live, why Christianity would be the mightiest power this world has +ever seen. It is the low standard of Christian life that is causing so +much trouble. There are a great many stunted Christians in the Church; +their lives are stunted; they are like a tree planted in poor soil--the +soil is hard and stony, and the roots can not find the rich loamy soil +needed. Such believers have not grown in these sweet graces. Peter, in +his second epistle, 1st chapter and 5th verse, writes: + +"And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and +to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance +patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly +kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be +in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor +unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." + +Now, if we have these things in us, I believe that we will be +constantly bringing forth fruit that will be acceptable with God. It +won't be just a little every now and then, when we spur ourselves up +and work ourselves up into a certain state of mind or into an excited +condition, and work a little while and then become cold, and +discouraged, and disheartened, but we shall be neither unfruitful nor +barren, bringing forth fruit constantly, we will grow in grace and be +filled with the Spirit of God. + + +WHAT WINS. + + +A great many parents have inquired of me how to win their children. +They say they have talked with them, and sometimes they have scolded +them and have lectured them, and signally failed. I think there is no +way so sure to win our families and our neighbors, and those about +whom we are anxious, to Christ, than just to adorn the doctrine of +Jesus Christ in our lives, and grow in all these graces. If we have +peace and joy and love and gentleness and goodness and temperance; not +only being temperate in what we drink, but in what we eat, and +temperate in our language, guarded in our expressions; if we just live +in our homes as the Lord would have us, an even Christian life day by +day, we shall have a quiet and silent power proceeding from us, that +will constrain them to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. But an uneven +life, hot to-day and cold tomorrow, will only repel. Many are watching +God's people. It is just the very worst thing that can happen to those +whom we want to win to Christ, to see us, at any time, in a cold, +backslidden state. This is not the normal condition of the Church; it +is not God's intention; He would have us growing in all these graces, +and the only true, happy, Christian life is to be growing, constantly +growing in the love and favor of God, growing in all those delightful +graces of the Spirit. + +Even the vilest, the most impure, acknowledge the power of goodness; +they recognize the fruit of the Spirit. It may condemn their lives and +cause them to say bitter things at times, but down deep in their +hearts they know that the man or woman who is living that kind of +life, is superior to them. The world don't satisfy them, and if we can +show the world that Jesus Christ does satisfy us in our present life, +it will be more powerful than the eloquent words of professional +reformers. A man may preach with the eloquence of an angel, but if he +don't live what he preaches, and act out in his home and his business +what he professes, his testimony goes for naught, and the people say +it is all hypocrisy after all; it is all a sham. Words are very empty, +if there is nothing back of them. Your testimony is poor and +worthless, if there is not a record back of that testimony consistent +with what you profess. What we need is to pray to God to lift us up +out of this low, cold, formal state that we have been living in, that +we may live in the atmosphere of God continually, and that the Lord +may lift upon us the light of his countenance, and that we may shine +in this world, reflecting His grace and glory. + +The first of the graces spoken of in Galatians, and the last mentioned +in Peter, is charity or love. We can not serve God, we can not work +for God unless we have love. That is the key which unlocks the human +heart. If I can prove to a man that I come to him out of pure love; if +a mother shows by her actions that it is pure love that prompts her +advising her boy to lead a different life, not a selfish love, but +that it is for the glory of God, it won't be long before that mother's +influence will be felt by that boy, and he will begin to think about +this matter, because true love touches the heart quicker than anything +else. + + +POWER OF LOVE. + + +Love is the badge that Christ gave His disciples. Some put on one sort +of badge and some another. Some put on a strange kind of dress, that +they may be known as Christians, and some put on a crucifix, or +something else, that they may be known as Christians. But love is the +only badge by which the disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ are known. +"By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love +one toward another." + +Therefore, though a man stand before an audience and speak with the +eloquence of a Demosthenes, or of the greatest living orator, if there +is no love back of his words, it is like sounding brass and a tinkling +cymbal. I would recommend all Christians to read the thirteenth +chapter of First Corinthians constantly, abiding in it day and night, +not spending a night or a day there, but just go in there and spend +all our time--summer and winter, twelve months in the year, then the +power of Christ and Christianity would be felt as it never has been in +the history of the world. See what this chapter says: + +"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not +charity, I am become _as_ sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. And +though I have _the gift_ of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, +and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove +mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing." + +A great many are praying for faith; they want extraordinary faith; +they want remarkable faith. They forget that love exceeds faith. The +CHARITY spoken of in the above verses, is LOVE, the fruit of the +Spirit, the great motive-power of life. What the Church of God needs +to-day is love--more love to God and more love to our fellow-men. If +we love God more, we will love our fellow-men more. There is no doubt +about that. I used to think that I should like to have lived in the +days of the prophets; that I should like to have been one of the +prophets, to prophesy, and to see the beauties of heaven and describe +them to men; but, as I understand the Scriptures now, I would a good +deal rather live in the thirteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians and have +this love that Paul is speaking of, the love of God burning in my soul +like an unquenchable flame, so that I may reach men and win them for +heaven. + +A man may have wonderful knowledge, that may unravel the mysteries of +the Bible, and yet be as cold as an icicle. He may glisten like the +snow in the sun. Sometimes you have wondered why it was that certain +ministers who have had such wonderful magnetism, who have such a +marvelous command of language, and who preach with such mental +strength, haven't had more conversions. I believe, if the truth was +known, you would find no divine love back of their words, no pure love +in their sermons. You may preach like an angel, Paul says, "with the +tongues of men and of angels," but if you have not love, it amounts to +nothing. "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor,"--a man +may be very charitable, and give away all his goods; a man may give +all he has, but if it is not the love of God which prompts the gift, +it will not be acceptable with God. "And though I give my body to be +burned, and have not charity"--have not love--"it profiteth me +nothing." A man may go to the stake for his principles; he may go to +the stake for what he believes, but if it is not love to God which +actuates him, it will not be acceptable to God. + + +LOVE'S WONDERFUL EFFECTS. + + +"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity +vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. + +Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily +provoked, thinketh no evil." + +That's the work of love. It is not easily provoked. Now if a man has +no love of God in his heart, how easy it is to become offended; +perhaps with the church because some members of the church don't treat +him just right, or some men of the church don't bow to him on the +street, he takes offense, and that is the last you see of him. Love is +long-suffering. If I love the Lord Jesus Christ, these little things +are not going to separate me from His people. They are like the dust +in the balance. Nor will the cold, formal treatment of hypocrites in +the church quench that love I have in my heart for Him. If this love +is in the heart, and the fire is burning on the altar, we will not be +all the time finding fault with other people and criticising what they +have done. + + +CRITICS BEWARE. + + +Love will rebuke evil, but will not rejoice in it. Love will be +impatient of sin, but patient with the sinner. To form the habit of +finding fault constantly, is very damaging to spiritual life; it is +about the lowest and meanest position that a man can take. I never saw +a man who was aiming to do the best work, but there could have been +some improvement; I never did anything in my life, I never addressed +an audience, that I didn't think I could have done better, and I have +often upbraided myself that I had not done better; but to sit down and +find fault with other people when we are doing nothing ourselves, not +lifting our hands to save some one, is all wrong, and is the opposite +of holy, patient, divine love. + +Love is forbearance; and what we want is to get this spirit of +criticism and fault finding out of the Church and out of our hearts +and let each one of us live as if we had to answer for ourselves, and +not for the community, at the last day. If we are living according to +the 13th chapter of Corinthians, we will not be all the time finding +fault with other people. "Love suffereth long, and is kind." Love +forgets itself, and don't dwell upon itself. The woman who came to +Christ with that alabaster box, I venture to say, never thought of +herself. Little did she know what an act she was performing. It was +just her love for the Master. She forgot the surroundings, she forgot +everything else that was there; she broke that box and poured the +ointment upon Him, and filled the house with its odor. The act, as a +memorial, has come down these 1800 years. It is right here--the +perfume of that box is in the world today. That ointment was worth $40 +or $50; no small sum of those days for a poor woman. Judas sold the +Son of God for about $15 or $20. But what this woman gave to Christ +was everything that she had, and she became so occupied with Jesus +Christ that she didn't think what people were going to say. So when we +act with a single eye for the glory of our Lord, not finding fault +with everything about us, but doing what we can in the power of this +love, then will our deeds for God speak, and the world will +acknowledge that we have been with Jesus, and that this glorious love +has been shed abroad in our hearts. + +If we don't love the Church of God, I am afraid it won't do us much +good; if we don't love the blessed Bible, it will not do us much good. +What we want, then, is to have love for Christ, to have love for His +word, and to have love for the Church of God, and when we have love, +and are living in that spirit, we will not be in the spirit of finding +fault and working mischief. + + +AFTER LOVE, WHAT? + + +After love comes peace. I have before remarked, a great many people +are trying to make peace. But that has already been done. God has not +left it for us to do; all that we have to do is to enter into it. It +is a condition, and instead of our trying to make peace and to work +for peace, we want to cease all that, and sweetly enter into peace. + +If I discover a man in the cellar complaining because there is no +light there, and because it is cold and damp, I say: "My friend, come +up out of the cellar. There is a good warm sun up here, a beautiful +spring day, and it is warm, it is cheerful and light; come up, and +enjoy it." Would he reply, "O, no, sir; I am trying to see if I can +make light down here; I am trying to work myself into a warm feeling." +And there he is working away, and he has been at it for a whole week. +I can imagine my reader smile; but you may be smiling at your own +picture; for this is the condition of many whom I daily meet who are +trying to do this very thing--they are trying to work themselves into +peace and joyful feelings. Peace is a condition into which we enter; +it is a state; and instead of our trying to make peace, let us believe +what God's Word declares, that peace has already been made by the +blood of the Cross. Christ has made peace for us, and now what He +desires is that we believe it and enter into it. Now, the only thing +that can keep us from peace is sin. God turneth the way of the wicked +upside down. There is no peace for the wicked, saith my God. They are +like the troubled sea that can not rest, casting up filth and mire all +the while; but peace with God by faith in Jesus Christ--peace through +the knowledge of forgiven sin, is like a rock; the waters go dashing +and surging past it, but it abides. When we find peace, we shall not +find it on the ground of innate goodness; it comes from without +ourselves, but into us. In the 16th chapter of John and the 33d verse +we read: "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might +have peace." In me ye might have peace. Jesus Christ is the author of +peace. He procured peace. His gospel is the gospel of peace. "Behold I +bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be unto all people; +for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour," and +then came that chorus from heaven "Glory to God in the highest; peace +on earth." He brought peace. "In the world ye shall have tribulation, +but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." + +How true that in the world we have tribulation. Are you in +tribulation? Are you in trouble? Are you in sorrow? Remember this is +our lot. Paul had tribulation, and others shared in grief. Nor shall +we be exempt from trial. But within, peace may reign undisturbed. If +sorrow is our lot, peace is our legacy. Jesus gives peace; and do you +know there is a good deal of difference between His peace and our +peace? Any one can disturb our peace, but they can't disturb His +peace. That is the kind of peace He has left us. Nothing can offend +those who trust in Christ. + + +NOT EASILY OFFENDED. + + +In the 119th Psalm and the 165th verse, we find "Great peace have they +who love Thy law; and nothing shall offend them." The study of God's +Word will secure peace. You take those Christians who are rooted and +grounded in the Word of God, and you find they have great peace; but +it is these who don't study their Bible, and don't know their Bible, +who are easily offended when some little trouble comes, or some little +persecution, and their peace is all disturbed; just a little breath of +opposition, and their peace is all gone. + +Sometimes I am amazed to see how little it takes to drive all peace +and comfort from some people. Some slandering tongue will readily +blast it. But if we have the peace of God, the world can not take that +from us. It can not give it; it can not destroy it. We have to get it +from above the world; it is peace which Christ gives. "Great peace +have they which love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them." Christ +says "blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me." Now, if +you will notice, wherever there is a Bible-taught Christian, one who +has the Bible well marked, and daily feeds upon the Word by prayerful +meditation, he will not be easily offended. + +Such are the people who are growing and working all the while. But it +is these people who never open their Bibles, these people who never +study the Scriptures, who become offended, and are wondering why they +are having such a hard time. They are the persons who tell you that +Christianity is not what it has been recommended to them; that they +have found it was not all that we claim it to be. The real trouble is, +they have not done as the Lord has told them to do. They have +neglected the Word of God. If they had been studying the Word of God, +they would not be in that condition. If they had been studying the +Word of God, they would not have wandered these years away from God, +living on the husks of the world. But the trouble is, they have +neglected to care for the new life; they haven't fed it, and the poor +soul, being starved, sinks into weakness and decay, and is easily +stumbled or offended. + +I met a man who confessed his soul had fed on nothing for forty years. +"Well," said I, "that is pretty hard for the soul--giving it nothing +to feed on!" And that man is but a type of thousands and tens of +thousands to-day; their poor souls are starving. This body that we +inhabit for a day, and then leave, we take good care of; we feed it +three times a day, and we clothe it, and take care of it, and deck it, +and by and by it is going into the grave to be eaten up by the worms; +but the inner man, that is to live on and on, and on forever, is lean +and starved. + + +SWEET WORDS. + + +In the 6th chapter of Numbers and 22d verse we read: + +"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron and unto his +sons, saying, on this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, +saying unto them: The Lord bless thee and keep thee. The Lord make His +face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee. The Lord lift up His +countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." + +I think these are about as sweet verses as we find in the Old +Testament. I marked them years ago in my Bible, and many times I have +turned over and read them. "The Lord lift up His countenance upon +thee, and give thee peace." They remind us of the loving words of +Jesus to his troubled disciples, "Peace, be still." The Jewish +salutation used to be, as a man went into a house, "Peace be upon this +house," and as he left the house the host would say, "Go in peace." + +Then again, in the 14th chapter of John and the 27th verse, Jesus +said: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the +world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither +let it be afraid." This is the precious legacy of Jesus to all His +followers. Every man, every woman, every child, who believes in Him, +may share in this portion. Christ has willed it to them, and His peace +is theirs. + +This then is our Lord's purpose and promise. My peace I give unto you. +I give it, and I am not going to take it away again; I am going to +leave it to you. "Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not +your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." But you know, when +some men make their wills and deed away their property, there are some +sharp, shrewd lawyers who will get hold of that will and break it all +to pieces; they will go into court and break the will, and the jury +will set the will aside, and the money goes into another channel. Now +this will that Christ has made, neither devil nor man can break it. He +has promised to give us peace, and there are thousands of witnesses +who can say: "I have my part of that legacy. I have peace; I came to +Him for peace, and I got it; I came to Him in darkness; I came to Him +in trouble and sorrow; I was passing under a deep cloud of affliction, +and I came to Him and He said, 'Peace, be still.' And from that hour +peace reigned in my soul." Yes, many have proved the invitation true, +"Come unto Me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give +you rest." They found rest when they came. He is the author of rest, +He is the author of peace, and no power can break that will; yea, +unbelief may question it, but Jesus Christ rose to execute His own +will, and it is in vain for man to contest it. Infidels and skeptics +may tell us that it is all a myth, and that there isn't anything in +it, and yet the glorious tidings is ever repeated, "Peace on earth, +good will to man," and the poor and needy, the sad and sorrowful, are +made partakers of it. + +So, my reader, you need not wait for peace any longer. All you have to +do is to enter into it to-day. You need not try to make peace. It is a +false idea; you can not make it. Peace is already made by Jesus +Christ, and is now declared unto you. + + +PEACE DECLARED. + + +When France and England were at war, a French vessel had gone off on a +long voyage, a whaling voyage; and when they came back, the crew were +short of water, and being now near an English port, they wanted to get +water; but they were afraid that they would be taken if they went into +that port; and some people in the port saw them, saw their signal of +distress, and sent word to them that they need not be afraid, that the +war was over, and peace had been declared. But they couldn't make +those sailors believe it, and they didn't dare to go into port, +although they were out of water; but at last they made up their minds +that they had better go in and surrender up their cargo and surrender +up their lives to their enemies than to perish at sea without water; +but when they got in, they found out that peace had been declared, and +that what had been told them was true. So there are a great many +people who don't believe the glad tidings that peace has been made. +Jesus Christ made peace on the Cross. He satisfied the claims of the +law; and this law which condemns you and me has been fulfilled by +Jesus Christ. He has made peace, and now He wants us just to enjoy it, +just to believe it. Nor is there a thing to hinder us from doing it, +if we will. We can enter into that blessing now, and have perfect +peace. The promise is: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind +is stayed on Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord +Jehovah is everlasting strength." Now, as long as our mind is stayed +on our dear selves, we will never have peace. Some people think more +of themselves than of all the rest of the world. It is self in the +morning, self at noon, and self at night. It is self when they wake +up, and self when they go to bed; and they are all the time looking at +themselves and thinking about themselves, instead of "looking unto +Jesus." Faith is an outward look. Faith does not look within; it looks +without. It is not what I think, nor what I feel, nor what I have +done, but it is what Jesus Christ is and has done, and so we should +trust in Him who is our strength, and whose strength will never fail. +After Christ rose from the grave, three times, John tells us, He met +His disciples and said unto them, "Peace be unto you." There is peace +for the conscience through His blood, and peace for the heart in His +love. + + +SECRET OF JOY. + + +Remember, then, that love is power, and peace is power; but now I will +call attention to another fruit of the Spirit, and this too is power--the +grace of JOY. It is the privilege, I believe, of every Christian to +walk in the light, as God is in the light, and to have that peace +which will be flowing unceasingly as we keep busy about His work. And +it is our privilege to be full of the joy of the Lord. We read, that +when Philip went down to Samaria and preached, there was great joy in +the city. Why? Because they believed the glad tidings. And that is the +natural order, joy in believing. When we believe the glad tidings, +there comes a joy into our souls. Also we are told that our Lord sent +the seventy out, and that they went forth preaching salvation in the +name of Jesus Christ, and the result was that there were a great many +who were blessed; and the seventy returned, it says, with great joy, +and when they came back they said that the very devils were subject to +them, through His name. The Lord seemed to just correct them in this +one thing when He said, "Rejoice not that the devils are subject to +you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." There is +assurance for you. They had something to rejoice in now. God don't ask +us to rejoice over nothing, but He gives us some ground for our joy. +What would you think of a man or woman who seemed very happy to-day +and full of joy, and couldn't tell you what made them so? Suppose I +should meet a man on the street, and he was so full of joy that he +should get hold of both my hands and say, "Bless the Lord, I am so +full of joy!" "What makes you so full of joy?" "Well, I don't know." +"You don't know?" "No, I don't; but I am so joyful that I just want to +get out of the flesh." "What makes you feel so joyful?" "Well, I don't +know." Would we not think such a person unreasonable? But there are a +great many people who feel--who want to feel--that they are Christians +before they are Christians; they want the Christian's experience +before they become Christians; they want to have the joy of the Lord +before they receive Jesus Christ. But this is not the Gospel order. He +brings joy when He comes, and we can not have joy apart from Him; +there is no joy away from Him; He is the author of it, and we find our +joy in Him. + + +JOY IS UNSELFISH. + + +Now, there are three kinds of joy; there is the joy of one's own +salvation. I thought, when I first tasted that, it was the most +delicious joy I had ever known, and that I could never get beyond it. +But I found, afterward, there was something more joyful than that, +namely, the joy of the salvation of others. Oh, the privilege, the +blessed privilege, to be used of God to win a soul to Christ, and to +see a man or woman being led out of bondage by some act of ours toward +them. To think that God should condescend to allow us to be co-workers +with Him. It is the highest honor we can wear. It surpasses the joy of +our own salvation, this joy of seeing others saved. And then John +said, He had no greater joy than to see His disciples walking in the +truth. Every man who has been the means of leading souls to Christ +understands what that means. Young disciples, walk in the truth and +you will have joy all the while. + +I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is +caused by things which happen around me, and circumstances will mar +it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the +dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all +through persecution and opposition; it flows right along, for it is an +unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring which the +world can't see and don't know anything about; but the Lord gives His +people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him. + +This joy is fed by the Divine Word. Jeremiah says in chapter xv, 16: +"Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy Word was unto me +the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Thy name, O +Lord." + +He ate the words, and what was the result? He said they were the joy +and rejoicing of his heart. Now people should look for joy in the +Word, and not in the world; they should look for the joy which the +Scriptures furnish, and then go work in the vineyard; because a joy +that don't send me out to some one else, a joy that don't impel me to +go and help the poor drunkard, a joy that don't prompt me to visit the +widow and the fatherless, a joy that don't cause me to go into the +Mission Sunday-school or other Christian work, is not worth having, +and is not from above; a joy that does not constrain me to go and work +for the Master, is purely sentiment and not real joy. + + +JOY IN PERSECUTION. + + +Then it says in Luke vi, 22: "Blessed are ye when men shall hate you, +and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall +reproach you and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's +sake. Rejoice ye in that day and leap for joy, for behold your reward +is great in heaven for in like manner did their fathers unto the +prophets." + +Christians do not receive their reward down here. We have to go right +against the current of the world. We may be unpopular, and we may go +right against many of our personal friends if we live godly in Christ +Jesus; and at the same time, if we are persecuted for the Master's +sake, We will have this joy bubbling up; it just comes right up in our +hearts all the while--a joy that is unceasing--that flows right on. +The world can not choke that fountain. If we have Christ in the heart, +by and by the reward will come. The longer I live the more I am +convinced that godly men and women are not appreciated in our day. But +their work will live after them, and there will be a greater work done +after they are gone, by the influence of their lives, than when they +were living. Daniel is doing a thousand times more than when he was +living in Babylon. Abraham is doing more to-day than he did on the +plain with his tent and altar. All these centuries he has been living, +and so we read, "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, from +henceforth; yea saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their +labors, and their works do follow them." Let us set the streams +running that shall flow on after we have gone. If we have to-day +persecution and opposition, let us press forward, and our reward will +be great by and by. Oh! think of this; the Lord Jesus, the Maker of +heaven and earth, who created the world, says, "Great shall be thy +reward." He calls it great. If some friend should say it is great, it +might be very small; but when the Lord, the great and mighty God, says +it is great, what must it be? Oh! the reward that is in store for +those who serve Him! We have this joy, if we serve Him. A man or woman +is not fit to work for God who is cast down, because they go about +their work with a tell-tale face. "The joy of the Lord is your +strength." What we need to-day is a joyful church. A joyful church +will make inroads upon the works of Satan, and we will see the Gospel +going down into dark lanes and dark alleys, and into dark garrets and +cellars, and we will see the drunkards reached and the gamblers and +the harlots come pressing into the kingdom of God. It is this carrying +a sad countenance, with so many wrinkles on our brows, that retards +Christianity. Oh may there come great joy upon believers everywhere, +that we may shout for joy and rejoice in God day and night. A joyful +church--let us pray for that, that the Lord may make us joyful, and +when we have joy, then we will have success; and if we don't have the +reward we think we should have here, let us constantly remember the +rewarding time will come hereafter. + +Some one has said, if you had asked men in Abraham's day who their +great man was, they would have said Enoch, and not Abraham. If you had +asked in Moses' day who their great man was, they would not have said +it was Moses; he was nothing, but it would have been Abraham. If you +had asked in the days of Elijah or Daniel, it wouldn't have been +Daniel or Elijah; they were nothing; but it would have been Moses. And +in the days of Jesus Christ--if you had asked in the days of Jesus +Christ about John the Baptist or the apostles, you would hear they +were mean and contemptible in the sight of the world, and were looked +upon with scorn and reproach; but see how mighty they have become. And +so we will not be appreciated in our day, but we are to toil on and +work on, possessing this joy all the while. And if we lack it, let us +cry: "Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and uphold me with Thy +free Spirit; then will I teach transgressors Thy ways, and sinners +shall be converted unto Thee." + +Again, the 15th chapter of John, and 11th verse, reads: "These things +have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your +joy might be full." And in the 16th chapter and 22d verse: "And ye now +therefore have sorrow; but I will see you again, and your heart shall +rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." + +I am so thankful that I have a joy that the world can not rob me of; I +have a treasure that the world can not take from me; I have something +that it is not in the power of man or devil to deprive me of, and that +is the joy of the Lord. "No man taketh it from you." In the second +century, they brought a martyr before a king, and the king wanted him +to recant and give up Christ and Christianity, but the man spurned the +proposition. But the king said: "If you don't do it, I will banish +you." The man smiled and answered: "You can't banish me from Christ, +for He says He will never leave me nor forsake me." The king got +angry, and said: "Well, I will confiscate your property and take it +all from you." And the man replied: "My treasures are laid up on high; +you can not get them." The king became still more angry, and said: "I +will kill you." "Why," the man answered, "I have been dead forty +years; I have been dead with Christ; dead to the world, and my life is +hid with Christ in God, and you can not touch it." And so we can +rejoice, because we are on resurrection ground, having risen with +Christ. Let persecution and opposition come, we can rejoice +continually, and remember that our reward is great, reserved for us +unto the day when He who is our Life shall appear, and we shall appear +with Him in glory. + + "THE Spirit, oh, sinner, + In mercy doth move + Thy heart, so long hardened, + Of sin to reprove; + _Resist_ not the Spirit, + Nor longer delay; + God's gracious entreaties may end with to-day. + + Oh, child of the kingdom, + From sin service cease; + Be filled with the Spirit, + With comfort and peace. + Oh, _grieve_ not the Spirit, + Thy Teacher is He, + That Jesus, thy Saviour, may glorified be. + + Defiled is the temple, + Its beauty laid low, + On God's holy altar + The embers faint glow, + By love yet rekindled, + A flame may be fanned; + Oh, _quench_ not the Spirit, _the Lord is at hand!_" + +--_P. P. Bliss._ + + + +CHAPTER V. + + +POWER HINDERED. + + +The strokes of the "Sword of the Spirit" alight only on the +conscience, and its edge is anointed with a bairn to heal every wound +it may inflict.--_Dr. J. Harris_. + +Every vain thought and idle word, and every wicked deed, is like so +many drops to quench the Spirit of God. Some quench Him with the lust +of the flesh; some quench Him with cares of the mind; some quench Him +with long delays, that is, not plying the motion when it cometh, but +crossing the good thoughts with bad thoughts, and doing a thing when +the Spirit saith not. The Spirit is often grieved before He be +quenched.--_H. Smith_. + +In times when vile men held the high places of the land, a roll of +drums was employed to drown the martyr's voice, lest the testimony of +truth from the scaffold should reach the ears of the people,--an +illustration of how men deal with their own consciences, and seek to +put to silence the truth-telling voice of the Holy Spirit.--_Arnot_. + + +POWER HINDERED. + + +ISRAEL, we are told, limited the Holy One of Israel. They vexed and +grieved the Holy Spirit, and rebelled against His authority, but there +is a special sin against Him, which we may profitably consider. The +first description of it is in Matthew xii, 22d verse: + + +THE UNPARDONABLE SIN. + + +"Then was brought unto Him one possessed with a devil, blind and dumb; +and He healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and +saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of +David? But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth +not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. And +Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided +against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house +divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, +he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? And +if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them +out? therefore they shall be your judges. But if I cast out devils by +the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else +how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, +except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. +He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with +me, scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and +blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the +Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a +word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever +speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither +in this world, neither in the world to come." That is Matthew's +account. Now let us read Mark's account in chapter iii, 21, etc.: + +"And when His friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on Him, +for they said: He (that is Christ) is beside Himself. And the scribes +which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the +prince of the devils casteth He out devils." + +The word Beelzebub means the Lord of Filth. They charged the Lord +Jesus with being possessed not only with an evil spirit, but with a +filthy spirit. + +"And He called them unto Him, and said unto them in parables, How can +Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that +kingdom can not stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that +house can not stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be +divided, he can not stand, but hath an end. No man can enter into a +strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the +strong man; and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you, +all sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and blasphemies +wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: But he that shall blaspheme +against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of +eternal damnation." + +Now, if it stopped there, we would be left perhaps in darkness, and we +would not exactly understand what the sin against the Holy Ghost is; +but the next verse of this same chapter of Mark just throws light upon +the whole matter, and we need not be in darkness another minute if we +really want light; for observe, the verse reads: "Because they said, +He hath an unclean spirit." + +Now, I have met a good many atheists and skeptics and deists and +infidels, both in this country and abroad, but I never in my life met +a man or woman who ever said that Jesus Christ was possessed of an +unclean devil. Did you? I don't think you ever met such a person. I +have heard men say bitter things against Christ, but I never heard any +man stand up and say that he thought Jesus Christ was possessed with +the devil, and that he cast out devils by the power of the devil; and +I don't believe any man or woman has any right to say they have +committed the unpardonable sin, unless they have maliciously, and +wilfully and deliberately said that they believe that Jesus Christ had +a devil in Him, and that He was under the power of the devil, and that +He cast out devils by the power of the devil. Because you perhaps have +heard some one say that there is such a thing as grieving the Spirit +of God, and resisting the Spirit of God until He has taken His flight +and left you, then you have said "That is the unpardonable sin." + + +WHAT IT IS NOT. + + +I admit there is such a thing as resisting the Spirit of God, and +resisting till the Spirit of God has departed; but if the Spirit of +God has left any, they will not be troubled about their sins. The very +fact that they are troubled, shows that the Spirit of God has not left +them. If a man is troubled about his sins, it is the work of the +Spirit; for Satan never yet told him he was a sinner. Satan makes us +believe that we are pretty good; that we are good enough without God, +safe without Christ, and that we don't need salvation. But when a man +wakes up to the fact that he is lost, that he is a sinner, that is the +work of the Spirit; and if the Spirit of God had left him, he would +not be in that state; and just because men and women want to be +Christians, is a sign that the Spirit of God is drawing them. + +If resisting the Spirit of God is an unpardonable sin, then we have +all committed it, and there is no hope for any of us; for I do not +believe there is a minister, or a worker in Christ's vineyard, who has +not, some time in his life, resisted the Holy Ghost; who has not some +time in his life rejected the Spirit of God. To resist the Holy Ghost +is one thing, and to commit that awful sin of blasphemy against the +Holy Ghost, is another thing; and we want to take the Scripture and +just compare them. Now, some people say, "I have such blasphemous +thoughts; there are some awful thoughts that come into my mind against +God," and they think that is the unpardonable sin. We are not to blame +for having + + +BAD THOUGHTS + + +come into our minds. If we harbor them, then we are to blame. But if +the devil comes and darts an evil thought into my mind, and I say, +"Lord help me," sin is not reckoned to me. Who has not had evil +thoughts come into his mind, flash into his heart, and been called to +fight them! + +One old divine says, "You are not to blame for the birds that fly over +your head, but if you allow them to come down and make a nest in your +hair, then you are to blame. You are to blame if you don't fight them +off." And so with these evil thoughts that come flashing into our +minds; we have to fight them, we are not to harbor them; we are not to +entertain them. If I have evil thoughts come into my mind, and evil +desires, it is no sign that I have committed the unpardonable sin. If +I love these thoughts and harbor them, and think evil of God, and +think Jesus Christ a blasphemer, I am responsible for such gross +iniquity; but if I charge Him with being the prince of devils, then I +am committing the unpardonable sin. + + +THE FAITHFUL FRIEND. + + +Let us now consider the sin of "Grieving the Spirit." _Resisting_ the +Holy Ghost is one thing, _grieving_ Him is another. Stephen charged +the unbelieving Jews in the 7th chapter of Acts, "Ye do always resist +the Holy Ghost as your fathers did, so do ye." The world has always +been resisting the Spirit of God in all ages. That is the history of +the world. The world is to-day resisting the Holy Spirit. + +"Faithful are the wounds of a friend." The Divine Spirit as a friend +reveals to this poor world its faults, and the world only hates Him +for it. He shows them the plague of their hearts. He convinces or +convicts them of sin, therefore they fight the Spirit of God. I +believe there is many a man resisting the Holy Ghost; I believe there +is many a man to-day fighting against the Spirit of God. + +In the 4th chapter of Ephesians, in the 30th, 31st, and 32d verses, we +read: + +"And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the +day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and +clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And +be ye kind, one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, +even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." + +Now, mark you, that was written to the Church at Ephesus. "Grieve not +the Holy Spirit, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." I +believe today the Church all over Christendom is guilty of grieving +the Holy Spirit. There are a good many believers in different churches +wondering why the work of God is not revived. + + +THE CHURCH GRIEVES THE SPIRIT. + + +I think that if we search, we will find something in the Church +grieving the Spirit of God; it may be a mere schism in the church; it +may be some unsound doctrine; it may be some division in the Church. +There is one thing I have noticed as I have traveled in different +countries; I never yet have known the Spirit of God to work where the +Lord's people were divided. There is one thing that we must have if we +are to have the Holy Spirit of God to work in our midst, and that is +unity. If a church is divided, the members should immediately seek +unity. Let the believers come together and get the difficulty out of +the way. If the minister of a church can not unite the people, if +those that were dissatisfied will not fall in, it would be better for +that minister to retire. I think there are a good many ministers in +this country who are losing their time; they have lost, some of them, +months and years; they have not seen any fruit, and they will not see +any fruit, because they have a divided church. Such a church can not +grow in divine things. The Spirit of God don't work where there is +division, and what we want to-day is the spirit of unity amongst God's +children, so that the Lord may work. + + +WORLDLY AMUSEMENTS. + + +Then, another thing, I think, that grieves the Spirit, is the +miserable policy of introducing questionable entertainments. There are +the lotteries, for instance, that we have in many churches. If a man +wants to gamble, he doesn't have to go to some gambling den; he can stay +in the church. And there are fairs--bazaars, as they call them--where +they have rafflings and grab-bags. And if he wants to see a drama, he +don't need to go to the theater, for many of our churches are turned +into theaters; he may stay right in the church and witness the acting. +I believe all these things grieve the Spirit of God. I believe when we +bring the Church down to the level of the world to reach the world, we +are losing all the while and grieving the Spirit of God. + +But some say, if we take that standard and lift it up high, it will +drive away a great many members from our churches. I believe it, and I +think the quicker they are gone the better. The world has come into +the Church like a flood, and how often you find an ungodly choir +employed to do the singing for the whole congregation; the idea that +we need an ungodly man to sing praises to God! It was not long ago I +heard of a church where they had an unconverted choir, and the +minister saw something about the choir that he didn't like, and he +spoke to the chorister, but the chorister replied: "You attend to your +end of the church, and I will attend to mine." You can not expect the +Spirit of God to work in a church in such a state as that. + + +UNCONVERTED CHOIRS. + + +Paul tells us not to speak in an unknown tongue, and if we have choirs +who are singing in an unknown tongue, why is not that just as great an +abomination? I have been in churches where they have had a choir, who +would rise and sing, and sing, and it seemed as if they sung five or +ten minutes, and I could not understand one solitary word they sung, +and all the while the people were looking around carelessly. There +are, perhaps, a select few, very fond of fine music, and they want to +bring the opera right into the church, and so they have opera music in +the church, and the people, who are drowsy and sleepy, don't take part +in the singing. They hire ungodly men, unconverted men, and these men +will sometimes get the Sunday paper, and get back in the organ loft, +and the moment the minister begins his sermon, they will take out +their papers and read them all the while that the minister is +preaching. The organist, provided he does not go out for a walk--if he +happens to keep awake, will read his paper, or, perhaps, a novel, +while the minister is preaching; and the minister wonders why God +don't revive His work; he wonders why he is losing his hold on the +congregation; he wonders why people don't come crowding into the +church; why people are running after the world instead of coming into +the church. The trouble is that we have let down the standard; we have +grieved the Spirit of God. One movement of God's power is worth more +than all our artificial power, and what the Church of God wants to-day +is to get down in the dust of humiliation and confession of sin, and +go out and be separated from the world; and then see if we do not have +power with God and with man. + + +WHAT IS SUCCESS? + + +The Gospel has not lost its power; it is just as powerful to-day as it +ever has been. We don't want any new doctrine. It is still the old +Gospel with the old power, the Holy Ghost power; and if the churches +will but confess their sins and put them away, and lift the standard +instead of pulling it down, and pray to God to lift us all up into a +higher and holier life, then the fear of the Lord will come upon the +people around us. + +It was when Jacob put away strange gods and set his face toward Bethel +that the fear of God fell upon the nations around. And when the +churches turn towards God, and we cease grieving the Spirit, so that +He may work through us, we will then have conversions all the while. +Believers will be added to the Church daily. It is sad when you look +over Christendom and see how desolate it is, and see how little +spiritual life, spiritual power, there is in the Church of God to-day, +many of the church members not even wanting this Holy Ghost power. +They don't desire it; they want intellectual power; they want to get +some man who will just draw; and a choir that will draw; not caring +whether any one is saved. With them that is not the question. Only +fill the pews, have good society, fashionable people, and dancing; +such persons are found one night at the theater and the next night at +the opera. They don't like the prayer-meetings; they abominate them; +if the minister will only lecture and entertain, that would suit them. +I said to a man some time ago, "How are you getting on at your +church?" "Oh, splendid." "Many conversions?" "Well--well, on that side +we are not getting on so well. But," he said, "we rented all our pews +and are able to pay all our running expenses; we are getting on +splendidly." That is what the godless call "getting on splendidly;" +because they rent the pews, pay the minister, and pay all the running +expenses. Conversions! that is a strange thing. There was a man being +shown through one of the cathedrals of Europe; he had come in from the +country, and one of the men belonging to the cathedral was showing him +around, when he inquired, "Do you have many conversions here?" "Many +what?" "Many conversions here?" "Ah, man, this is not a Wesleyan +chapel." The idea of there being conversions there! And you can go +into a good many churches in this country and ask if they have many +conversions there, and they would not know what it meant, they are so +far away from the Lord; they are not looking for conversions, and +don't expect them. + + +SHIPWRECKS. + + +Alas! how many young converts have made shipwreck against such +churches. Instead of being a harbor of delight to them, they have +proved false lights, alluring them to destruction. Isn't it time for +us to get down on our faces before God and cry mightily to Him to +forgive us our sins. The quicker we own it the better. You may be +invited to a party, and it may be made up of church members, and what +will be the conversation? Oh, I got so sick of such parties that I +left years ago; I would not think of spending a night that way; it is +a waste of time; there is hardly a chance to say a word for the +Master. If you talk of a personal Christ, your company becomes +offensive; they don't like it; they want you to talk about the world, +about a popular minister, a popular church, a good organ, a good +choir, and they say, "Oh, we have a grand organ, and a superb choir," +and all that, and it suits them; but that don't warm the Christian +heart. When you speak of a risen Christ and a personal Saviour, they +don't like it; the fact is, the world has come into the church and +taken possession of it, and what we want to do is to wake up and ask +God to forgive us for "Grieving the Spirit." + +Dear reader, search your heart and inquire, Have I done anything to +grieve the Spirit of God? If you have, may God show it to you to-day; +if you have done any thing to grieve the Spirit of God, you want to +know it to-day, and get down on your face before God and ask Him to +forgive you and help you to put it away. I have lived long enough to +know that if I can not have the power of the Spirit of God on me to +help me to work for Him, I would rather die, than live just for the +sake of living. How many are there in the church to-day, who have been +members for fifteen or twenty years, but have never done a solitary +thing for Jesus Christ? They can not lay their hands upon one solitary +soul who has been blessed through their influence; they can not point +to-day to one single person who has ever been lifted up by them. + + +QUENCH NOT. + + +In 1st Thessalonians, 5th chapter, we are told not to Quench the Spirit. +Now, I am confident the cares of the world are coming in and quenching +the Spirit with a great many. They say: "I don't care for the world;" +perhaps not the _pleasures_ of the world so much after all as the _cares_ +of this life; but they have just let the cares come in and quench the +Spirit of God. Anything that comes between me and God--between my soul +and God--quenches the Spirit. It may be my family. You may say: "Is +there any danger of my loving my family too much?" Not if we love God +more; but God must have the first place. If I love my family more than +God, then I am quenching the Spirit of God within me; if I love wealth, +if I love fame, if I love honor, if I love position, if I love pleasure, +if I love self, more than I love God who created and saved me, then I am +committing a sin; I am not only grieving the Spirit of God, but quenching +Him, and robbing my soul of His power. + + +EMBLEMS OF THE SPIRIT. + + +But I would further call attention to the emblems of the Holy Spirit. +An emblem is something that represents an object; the same as a +balance is an emblem of justice, and a crown an emblem of royalty, and +a scepter is an emblem of power; so we find in the 17th chapter of +Exodus and 6th verse, that water is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. You +find in the Smitten Rock, in the wilderness, the work of the Trinity +illustrated. + +"Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and +thou shall smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that +the people may drink. And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of +Israel." + +Paul declares, in Corinthians, that the rock was Christ; it +represented Christ. God says: "I will stand upon the rock," and as +Moses smote the rock the water came out, which was an emblem of the +Holy Spirit; and it flowed out along through the camp; and they drank +of the water. Now water is cleansing; it is fertilizing; it is +refreshing; it is abundant, and it is freely given; and so the Spirit +of God is the same: cleansing, fertilizing, refreshing, reviving, and +He was freely given when the smitten Christ was glorified. Then, too, +fire is an emblem of the Spirit; it is purifying, illuminating, +searching. We talk about searching our hearts. We can not do it. What +we want is to have God search them. O that God may search us and bring +out the hidden things, the secret things that cluster there and bring +them to light. The wind is another emblem. It is independent, powerful, +sensible in its effects, and reviving; how the Spirit of God revives +when He comes to all the drooping members of the Church. Then the rain +and the dew--fertilizing, refreshing, abundant; and the dove, gentle--what +more gentle than the dove; and the lamb?--gentle, meek, innocent, a +sacrifice. We read of the wrath of God; we read of the wrath of the Lamb, +but nowhere do we read of the wrath of the Holy Spirit--gentle, innocent, +meek, loving; and that Spirit wants to take possession of our hearts. +And He comes as a voice, another emblem--speaking, guiding, warning, +teaching; and the seal--impressing, securing, and making us as His own. +May we know Him in all His wealth of blessing. This is my prayer for +myself--for you. May we heed the words of the grand Apostle: "My speech +and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in +demonstration of the Spirit, and of power: that your faith should not +stand IN THE WISDOM OF MEN, BUT IN THE POWER OF GOD." + + + +WORKS BY + +D. L. MOODY + + +Moody's Anecdotes. + +Moody's Stories. + +Men of the Bible. + +Weighed and Wanting. + +Short Talks. + +Latest Sermons. + +Thoughts for the Quiet Hour. + +The Overcoming Life. + +Sowing and Reaping. + +Pleasure and Profit in Bible Study. + +Sovereign Grace. + +Bible Characters. + +Prevailing Prayer. + +To the Work! + +The Way to God. + +Heaven. + +Secret Power. + +Select Sermons. + +Moody in Chicago; or The World's Fair Gospel Campaign. + +The Home Work of D. L. Moody. + +The Full Assurance of Faith. + +How to Study the Bible. + +The Way and the Word. + +The Second Coming of Christ. + +Inquiry Meetings. + +Gospel Booklets. + + +FLEMING H. 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