SUNDAY READING.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11650, 11 May 1901, Page 4 (Supplement)

SUNDAY READING.

THE COMFORTER. [DT MRS. JESSIE sage KOBKRTSON.] "I will pray the Father, and Ho shall send you another Comforter, that He may abidewith you forever, even tiio Spirit of Truth, whom fcho world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knowoth Him: but yo know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall bo in you." (John xiv. 16, 17).

Beloved, do you know the Spirit a3 a power with you, or do you know Him as the personal Comiortcr dwelling in you? There is a difference. I pray that my simple testimony shall be used of Him to make some of the differences clear to you. I had been an active Christian worker in my Master's vineyard for 15 years before I knew there was any difference. 1 know that He was with mo through all these years of bright, useful, Christian experience. And I believe my experience is similar to that of thousands of consecrated, saved ones to-day.

During all those years He was with mo in power. But now Ho is in me in greater power; this I know, "for by their fruits ye shall know them." I would that you might see the difference between the fruit now borne, as the Holy Spirit uses me to help Him, and tiie fruit borne when I used Him to help me; although I was unconscious at that time that this was what I was doing. But I came to the place, brought there by tho Holy Ghost Himself, where I had to face the question Paul put to the disciples at Ephesus, " Have yo' received tho Holy Ghost since ye believed?" What was my answer to be? There were those 15 years of consecrated service. There were those souls saved through the faithful work and prayer of that service so gladly given to my Master. What did it mean, any way? Was it possible I could do acceptable work in His vineyard without having received (as this question undoubtedly implied) the Holy Ghost as a subsequent experience, by a single definite act of faith? I saw plainly, too, that others had a power with God and man and a perception of God's Word I had not. Was this the secret? Was it possible that all those years came short of the real power' of the indwelling Holy Spirit through me? And so I prayed that I might know of a truth whether or no I had received the Holy Ghost as Paul hero plainly indicated. When I prayed, I prayed in deep humility; I prayed honestly that God would show me the truth, at any cost. And He did. I saw plainly that up to that time tho Holy Spirit had been to me raor.: as an influence emanating from God the Father than as an actual person in " tho God-head." And to be received as such—co-equal with the Father and Son, and co-eternal. This was like a marvellous revelation to me. For tip to this time I never remembered to have heard of His personality, as related to my personality in this' sense. And I remember that it came to my mind, very forcibly, that the Holy Spirit was generally spoken of as "it;" and hence I had come to the conclusion, unconsciously, I expect, that tho Holy Spirit was simply an influence ; or the influence of God the Father upon the hearts of men. This was a startling revelation to me, and I saw plainly that I had never received the Holy Ghost in His personality. I had received of His influence but not Himself. This was a great step for me towards answering Paul's question. That I stood justified before God I knew; but what did it mean to he " sanctified"— this sanctification of which I heard so constantly in connection with the baptism of the Holy Ghost? Ami again, in deep humility, I sought the Lord to know what it meant; for 1 saw plainly that if the testimonies of these men and women of God were true, I had only taken the first and simplest step in the Christian life. It did mean a humbling to me, I assure you ; because I had considered myself of some consequence in the Lord's service; arid especially among the workers in His vineyard. And was it possible that I was after all only a mere toddler in Christian experience? If what I had been hearing day after day was true, then it must be equally true that 1 had not yet reached the pinnacle of my privileges in Christ. Was there an actual experience, called " Sanctification?" I had heard of " sanctified cranks" until the very word soared me. And I had no desire to be numbered among such an undesirable company. What was I to do? Oh, how longingly I waited on the Lord, to have all this tangle of doubts and yearnings straigtcnod out.

And He did it, praise Him, and I saw plainly the whole scheme of sanctification. I saw plainly that I had been trying to do this very work for myself. I saw that only the Holy Spirit could sanctify me. I saw how I had been striving, honestly and conscientiously striving, to be like Christ, with indifferent success.

i( I saw, too, that I had been tving on the "fruits of the Spirit" with good'-for-nothing strings of my own manufacture—self effort at every knot. In this I had succeeded tolerably well; for some of the fruit was quite respectable to look at, and it stayed in place fairly well for tied-on fruit. Of course 1 fastened the best fruit in the most conspicuous position, as was evident from tho flattering testimony of many of God's children whose opinions I had learned to respect. Oh, I saw all this and lots more that humbled me to the very dust. What did all my striving to be like Christ avail me. so far as the vital living power was concerned? I saw that it was worse than rubbish, for it was a ladder to perfection and holiness of my own building. And ] saw that I was unwittingly robbing the Holy Spirit of tho glory that belonged to Him.

How vain and foolish all my striving looked to me in this new light. How glad I was to stop and let the Holy Spirit do in me that which I had so long striven to do for myself Oh, what rest the very thought brought! And that fruit of mine He disowned at the outset, and showed me that there was no real fruit of the Spirit save that which is begotten of the Spirit Himself. And all my tied-on specimens were only fit for the rubbish heap to be burned, together with every other form of self-made righteousness. Oh, what a revelation of myself! but I had prayed God to show me the truth at any cost; and this was the cost. I utterly abhorred myself, and my heart went out in a great longing to'be nothing:

'Oh to be nothing, nothing; Only to lie at His i'eet, A broken and emptied vessel For the Master's use made meet, Emptied that He might fill me As forth to His service I go; Broken, that so unhindered, His life through me might flow." Before this I wanted to be " something." " Somebody," some big evangelist loved and honoured; but the Holy Spirit took it all out of me. And I longed to be nothing and nobody, Yes, a fool if need be, for Christ's

I ! " Oh to be nothing, nothing ' | Painful the humbling may 09— I (is wis to mo). i Yel low in the dust I'd lay me '.That the world my Saviour might sea. \iA so it came to pass that I received the ' Hoi* Spirit, definitely, and by a definite art of fith. as my Sanotifier; as my Teacher; ! and bis my Guide into " all truth And I , compiled myself to Him, to be filled with '• Him.vlf. and to all the consequences of His ; indwiliing. . . va weeks I was not conscious of any differi one-in my life or in my experience : but this (Id not concern me in the least, as 1 had not boked for any manifestation. 1 had taken' Him "by faith" in, and on God s word alone 1 needed no sign, nor did ' seek any. 1 knev Cod would keep Mis promise to me if I mot the conditions He had laid down m His WWI: this 1 did and left the results with Him 'After « few weeks, however, the Holy ! Spirit made His presence manifest in a quiet, I simple way. A sweetness passing all words I to expie<s pervaded my whole being. And I knew that Cod had verified His promise to ma and tint the Comforter had come. His vord is illuminated to men a way that seems to transform its whole import I have a filings of experience of which I never dreamed, this side of heaven. And through it all 1 know that it is in no way of myself or bv anv self effort. I realise that it is only a fowtake of His power as He works in me, and works out through ine, that which is for Gods glory- There have been Gethsomanos all oil" til" line, to be sure: but. there must be death always before we can have the resurrection life. 'Calvary before glory is God s order. "For wind cause we faint not: but though our outwaid man perish, yet the inward nan is relieved day by day. tor our light aHietion, which is but for a moment, workethfor us a fa: more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at ' things vhieh art seen, but at things which are not seen; for the thnurs which are seen are temporal; but the ! things w'lieh aro not seen are eternal.' Oh, j how real the unseen become'. More real than the seen. ' Howbeit when H<», the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you 1 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. II? shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and will show it unto you. All ! things that the Father hath are mine; therefore said I that He shall take of mine and show it unto you." Oh, how precious to be in living touch with "the living Cod." You cease all effort. He causes you to glorify the Father and Son. You lose your identity in Him. 0, whit a gain is this loss. Then, and not till then can Christ be " All and in all." 1 feel that lam only just inside the promised land—that cay after day will reveal heights and depths of His love that as yet I have not known Dear ones, may you " receive the Holy (.-host," and with Him all that is yours in Christ, purchased not only by His death, but by virtue of His resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father, where He low is. and from whence He shall soon return to take to Himself His Bride, whom the Holy Spirit is now and has been making rc.tly for His coming; (hat she may bo presented " faultless before the presence of His glor» with exceeding joy."

JOY. " WERE you ever in meetings in which thors was so much of heaven?" said Wade Robinson, at the close of the now famous Oxford Convention. "No," was the reply. "And were yen ever in meetings in which there was so much of humour?"* And again the reply wis "No." One came back from that convention to preach from the words :i "There was great joy in that city;" and another about that timo wrote a book on " Gladness in Jesus" (the late Rev. W. Boa rd man D.U.). How diferent from this happy state is the condition of very many Christians, perhaps of some «f the same Christians who were so happy in "the bright Oxford clays!" It might alnost be supposed that some were meditating the issuing of a volume on " Sadness in Jesus," so downcast is their look uniformly. Work is got through, but with a heavy heart and a lowering brow; and sorrow and sighing are heard when there should be songs oi joy. Instead of reminding our readers what God must think of this—the God who visited Israel with the rod "because" they "served not the Lord their God with joyfulness" (Dent, xxviii. 47), let us rather provoke them to jealousy by the memory of that bright event in the religious history of a, quarter of a century ago, or by that sight in tho great days of old (Deut, xii. 12) of a whole people for a whole week given up to praise and thanksgiving «nd every form of sacred joy. It is an animating sight, that of a nation with no houses, no crops, no settled home, yet trusting God so thoroughly as three times a year to give up a week to signs of rejoicing. Only one Fast had Israel then, but she Ind three Feasts; showing that tho God of Israel is the God of joy. The oldest liturgy in the world— —logins with "Blessed" and ends with "Hallelujah." There are sad passages between, to doubt, in which " deep calleth. unto deep;" but how many passages of joy and gladness, ringing like a bridal bell And this is a sample of the whole Bible. It takes eight columns of "Cruden" to give the texts containing "joy" and its analogues. The teaching of Jesus is rung in by beatitudes. He had words to speak of infinite pathos and tenderest sympathy, yet is He again and again found ministering to human joy. Ha Himself, too. "rejoiced in spirit," and He willed for His disciples "that My joy may be in you. that youi joy may be full." And it was. Who has not read, and with admiration, that after their last sight of their ascending Lord. " they returned to Jerusalem; with great joy?" And lator on, in persecution, Acts xiii. 52 tells us they "were filled' with joy," and Hob. x. 34, that they " took joyfully the spoiling of their goods." It is not surprising that St. Peter should regard it as no uncommon experience that there i.i in Christians a " joy unspeakable." "But who would not bo joyful if ha could?" some reader replies. "Emotion cannot be forced. Joy cannot be got to come at will." Quite true. No more can wheat or barley. Yet tho farmer knows that if the land is tilled, and the seed sown, the crops will come. And if we prepare our hearts for joy, joy will come. But then we must seek it whore alone " true joys are to be found." Wo must seek it from heaven. " Delight thyself also in the Lord" said David (Psa. xxxvii. 4). And St. Paul, in the full blaze of Now Testament light, can sav no more. His words are: "Wo joy "In God" (Rom. V, 11). Instead of— Dropping buckets into empty wells. And growing old in drawing nothing tip, let us seek "tho snow of Lebanon;" let lift not forsake " the Fountain of living waters," and tho Fountain of living waters will never forsake us. If wo took but five minutes a day to get away from everything but God, giving ourselves up the while to look Him full in the face —to see His loveliness and to learn His love —it would make such a profound impression upon our hearts as would tinge everything in our lives. Such face-to-face communion would enable us " also to joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the. atonement." Of course, if wo have not " received tho atonement " we cannot have the joy. But if our sins are forgiven us, for Hin name's sake, then we have every reason to expect the joy.

At least, we have such reason if we are walking uprightly. For if ono thin? bo more certain than another it is this, that sire and joy cannot, live in the same soul. Adam and Eve till they sinned were happy as the day: when they sinned fhey were miserable. And we shall fare no better. Let us beware* of any doubtful doing. The moment we dabble with sin, wo lay up a bad " foundation for the time to come.' :

Nature, literature, home, friendship, disposition, health—all these may claim their places in the maintenance of joy; but its primal source is the infinite love of God in Christ, by the Spirit. A joyless temperament robs God, wrongs) OTir neighbours, and weakens ourselves. On the other hand, the joy of the Lord is thy strength." "A morrv heart doeth good like a medicine." " Fie that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast." There is argument enough and to spare. Tn reference to ourselves and in regard to our neighbours we all are fond of saying that joy is contagious. Why not seek, then, to be the centre of this happy contagion? People are perpetual lowers by our want of gladness in Jesus.

And what of Jesus Himself, and our Father? Surely joylessness is a libel on God. It gives a wrong conception of our most holy faith. The religion of Jesus without joy is not the religion of. .Testis! On the other hand, to be joyful in Him will tend to put God right in the eyes of our fellowmen. Only think of it, we have the opportunity by our demeanour of correcting misapprehensions concerning our highest and best Friend, our God and Saviour!, If you are found full of tho jov of the Lord, you will "speak good of His name." If all Christians had been like the first Christians for gladness, as well as for " brotherly love," Christianity—aye, and Christ Himself— would bo valued and sought as never sine* their day. Lot us rememberand there is both dutv and encouragement in the remembrance—that " the fruit of the Spirit is— iov."

* Of course the speaker did not by this word indicate lightness of speech, but simply that cheery, sparkling utterance so often evoked by profound, bright kaupiuesa,