SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7383, 18 July 1885, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

FILLED WITH THE HOLY GHOST. All true disciples of the Lord Jesus have the Spirit, who leads them into the faith, and reveals to them the things of Christ, and causes them to know the ordinary life of a saint of God. But all Christians have not the special gifk of tho Holy Ghost, the gift of power. To be full of the Holy Ghost is to be full of the Spirit of God, to be full of the power of God. The Holy Ghost ie not only the gift of life, but of life more abundantly. He is the power to speak effectually ; the power to work effectually the works of God. For the Holy Ghost is God in the man, and God Himself working through the man as He pleases, and showing that tho words and the works are indeed of God, though through man as the medium. Those who are baptised of the Spirit, who aro full of the Holy Ghost, aro manifestly the chosen of the Lord for Borne special service, and they are in His hands as tools are in the hands of a workman, though the works are varied through different individuals, according to the will and working of the Lord (see 1 Cor. xii. 4-11, 28, and Eph. iv. 11). Every man and woman full of the Holy Ghost is wholly yielded up to the Lord, who is in thom, aud they know what He would have them to do in His name. They are simply the willing and honoured instruments of the will aud word and work of the Lord Himself; and all is of the Spirit and not of the flesh. When the Spirit was given to tho seventy eldera in the wilderness, " they prophesied and did not cease ; and, though two of them wore not in their appointed place at tho Tabernacle, but in the camp, tbey also prophesied" (Numbers xi. 25, 20). All the prophetH " spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Peter i. 21). And on tho day of Pentecost, when the disciples of Christ "were all filled with tho Holy Ghost," they spake "as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts ii. 4). When "the Holy Ghost fell on all them who heard the word," in the house of Cornelius, they "spake with tongues, aud magnified God' (Acts x. 44 4G). In all them* instances we see the result of the Holy Ghost being in them ; the work was seen to be marvellous and beyond the power of man. It is written thac such results were to follow tho gift of the Holy Ghost (Joel ii, 2S). Not that we are to seek to do marvels, for sometimes a quiet smile is owned of the Lord to effect great things. If we aro true to the Lord in little things we are ready to be employed by Him in greater matters it He will. Those who are full of the Holy Ghost know that "Jesus is the Lord" (I Cor. xii. 3), and they yield themselves entirely to Him. They seek only His pleasure, and do it -without saying a, word, having real delight in Him and Hia will (Isaiah lviii. 13, 14). They have no plan of their own, but are willing to be anything and to do anything that Hβ may please. If occupied in some great work they are not angry should their attention aud service be required in soma little thing; like Philip, they can leave tho city at the word of the Lord, aud go into the wilderness to speak to one man (Acts viii. 5-40). They are living creatures watchful to know the Lord's will, and they do it immediately, like the cherubim mentioned in Ezekiel i. IS 25 and x. 17. They know that there is a time to " let down their wings" and listen to tho voico of the Lord, as well as a time to fly and carry the word to those to whom Ho may send them. They never go till He says "Go," and when He says " Go ,, He always goes with them ; and then the Lord's work is easy to them, and pleasant, and His word is spoken in freedom, for through such "flow rivers of living water" (John vii. 38). It is a great honour when the Holy Ghost makes uso of anyone in order to manifet His love and power, and teach and save and bless the children of men. When the Holy Ghost dwells in any person, Ho does not excite the one in whom Ho dwell?, but keeps him calm ; He does not move him to speak and act in ignorance, but He reveals truth, and works effectually ; nor does He exalt the creature, but Christ the Lord. The prophets and apostles of old were "nothing," and the people who knew the Lord regarded the words and the works as from the Lord Himself; they honoured the speakers, but only as instrumente of the Lord.

Some of us need to ask ourselves, as individuals, "Have I received the Holy Ghost? If not, why have I not?" We nued to examine ourselves, to see if the cause bo in ourselves. We cannot say thafc wo are full of the Holy Ghost till wo have Him aa our all and we aro entirely yielded up to Him, every faculty of ours being His : He ours, to do all for us ; aud we His, that Ho may do what Hβ pleases with us and by us. When we really desire the t,ift of the Holy Ghost, really lone; to bo chosen of the Lord, and are truly willing to bo wholly His, for His service altogether, as He pleases, then lot us, like the first disciples, wait for Him to take full possession of up, and make nse of us as Ho will. There sceme to be no uniform way of obtaining the gift of the Holy Ghost. The ordinary mode in tho days of the apostles was by the laying on of hands, though God did not confine Himself to any one course in imparting His Spirit of power. The Holy Ghost " fell" cm those in the house of Cornelius without any prayer, and even before they wore baptised ; but the disciples at Ephusu*, who had been baptised of John, were re-baptised in the name of the Lord ; then " when Paul haul laid his hands upon them, tho Holy Ghost came on them ; and they spake with tongues and prophesied" (Acts xix. 1-7). If we know of any hindrance that wo can remove, we are to seek grace to remove it. We are called on to "cleanse ourselves from all tilthinesß of tho fleeh and spirit" (2 Cor. vii. 1) ; each to be "a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work" (2 Tim. ii. 21). We are not to seek for any feeling of the Spirit within ourselves, but always to live in His presence by faith, and expect Him to make use of us, to speak His own words through us, and to do Hie own work by ub whim and where anil as Ho pleases. Wβ must know that wo can do nothing, and yet believe in Him to do everything. And when He doee any great thing by us we must give to Him all. the glory, for we are simply His instruments, prepared by Himself for idis service. Do we really desire the Holy Ghost ? If so, He has given to us that desire ; and let us remember that God has promised the Holy Ghosit; the passages are numerous, and the promise ia fulfilled to ub in the Lord Jesua Christ.

This gift; is of grace, and ie through Christ, as Peter said on the Day of Pentecost (Acta ii. 33). Our Lord Himself said, " Hβ that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivere of living water" (John vii. 38). Are we, then, really believing on Jesus Christ, really yielding ourselves up to Him a3 our Lord, and expecting Him to fulfil the promise in our experience? If not, why are we not believing ? Christ once said to some in His preiience, " How can ye believe, who receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that oomoth from God only ?" (John v. 14 ) So few seem really honestly willing to give to God all the glory, and to receive glory from Him alone. Alas ! such know not what they do ; they know not what they lose. I have just been reading the following dream ; it was written and published many years ago : — " I sat down in an arm-chair, wearied with my work ; my toil had been severe and protracted; many were seeking the pearl of great price, and many had found what they sought, "The Church wore an aspeot of thrift and prosperity; joy, and hope, and courage were the prevailing sentiments on every hand. As for myself, I was joyous in my work. My brethren were united, my sermons and my exhortations were constantly telling on my hearers. My church was crowded with listeners. The whole community was more or less moved with the prevailing excitement, and, as the work went on, I had been led into exhausting labour for its promotion. "Tirod with my work, I soon lost myself in a sort of half-forgetful state, though I seemed fully aware of my place and my surroundings. Suddenly a stranger entered the room, without any preliminary tap or ' Come in. , I saw in his face benignity, intelligence, and weight of character; but, though he was passably well attired, he carried suspended about his person measures and chemical agents and implements, which gave him a strange appearance. "The stranger came towards me, and, extending bis hand, aaid, ' How ie your zeal V

' I supposed when he began his question that the query was for my health, but was pleased to hear hie final word; for I was quite well pleased with my zeal, and doubted not the stranger would smile when he should know its proportions. Instantly I concaived of it as physical quantity, and put my hand into my bosom, and brought it forth, and presented it to him tor inspection. He took it and placed it in his scale, and weighed it carefully. I heard him say, 'One hundred pounds.' I could scarce suppress my audible tone of satisfaction, but I caught his earnest look as he noted down tbe weight, and I saw at once that he had drawn no final conclusion, but was intent on pursuing his investigation. He broke the mass to atoms, and put the crucible into the fire. When it was thoroughly fused he took it out and set it down to cool. It congealed in cooling, and when turned out on the hearth exhibited a series of layers or strata, which all, at the touch of the hammer, fell apart, and were severally tested or weighed, the stranger making minute notes as the process went on. When he had finished he presented the notes to me, and gave me a look of mingled sorrow and compassion, as, without a word, except, ' May God save you, , he left the room. I opened the 'notes, , and read as follows :—

"I had become troubled at the peculiar manner of the stranger, and especially at his parting look and words ; but when I looked at the figures my heart sank as lead within me. I made a mental effort to dispute the correctness of the record, but I was suddenly startled into a more honest mood by an audible sigh—almost a groan—from the stranger, who had passed into the hall, and by a sudden darkness that had fallen upon me, by which the record became at once obscured and nearJy illegible. 1 suddenly cried out, ' Lord, save me!' and knelt at my cfeair with the paper in my hand and my eyes fixed upon it. At once it became a mirror, and I saw my heart reflected in it. The record was true. I saw it, I felt it, I confessed it, I deplored it, and I beaought God, with many tears, to save me from myself, and at length, with a loud and irrepressible cry of anguish, I awoke.

" I had prayed in years gone by to be saved from hell, but my prayer to be saved from myselt was now immeasurably more fervent and distressful. Nor did I rest or pause till the retrning fire came down and went through my heart, searching, probing, melting, burning, filling its chambers with light, and hallowing my whole heart to God,

" That light and that love are in my heart to-day, and when the trials and tears of my pilgrimage shall be at an end, lexpeot to kneel down in Heaven, at the feet of the Divine Alchemist, and bless Him for the revelations of that day, that showed me where I stood, and turned my feet into a better, higher, narrower path.

"That day was the crisis of my history ; and if there shall prove to have been in after years some depth and earnestness in my convictions, and iome searching and saving pungency in my words, I doubt not eternity will show their connection with the visit of the Searcher of Hearts, at whose coming my sins went to judgment beforehand, and I was weighed in the balances, and found wanting."

"Seekesfc thou great thiDga for thyself? seek them not" (Jer. xlv. 5). "Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God" (Col. iii. 1). And, while on earth, seek to save poor sinners; and "seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the Church" (1 Cor. xiv. 12). In order to do all this efleotually, seek to be filled with the Holy Ghost!

Analysis of the zesA of Junius, a candidate for a crown of glory. Weil-lit in mass, lOOlbs.; of this, on analysis, there prove to be :— Bigotry .. .. „. 10 parts Personal ambition .. - S3 „ Love of salary .. .. 19 ,, Pride of denomination «. 15 „ „ t.lent .. .. 14 „ Love of authority .. «. 12 „ Love to God—pure .. .. 4 ,, „ roan—zeal .. ._ 3 „ 1001 bs.