'

.A^#^

"^

PRINCETON, N.

Presented

by \

-'-'t-

***
J.

Si

T<5y^\d\iS^x^h \^0\Wo'<^^

BV 4832 .M37 1890

Matheson, George, 1842-1906.
Voices of the Spirit

Voices of the

Spirit.

BV

GEORGE MATHESON,

M.A., D.D.

MINISTER OF THE PARISH OF ST. Bf:RNARu's,

EDINUU'RGH
;

AUTHOB OF "moments ON THE MOUNT," " MY ASPIRATIONS," BTC

NEW YORK
A. C.

ARMSTRONG &
iSyo.

SON.

PREFACE.
HIS

^f^-'

book

IS

offered to the relieious public

moments of

ss an attempt to aid the

%ii JM,

devotional hfe.

do not believe how-

ever that moments of devotion are moments of

mental vacancy

the wings on which the spirit

soars must always be wings of thought.

fore in
tried

There-

every one of these meditations

to

express

deavoured

distinct

idea.

to exhibit in their fulness

have

have en-

and

in their

variety the different phases of the spiritual

and the

different

by them.

life

emotions which are awakened

have not sought out these phases

have allowed them

to

find me.

the task with no previous system in

have come to

my mind

have just walked beside the stream and taken

my

impressions from

b}'

which

its

have walked

windings.
is

The stream

the Bible.

have

followed in the order of our books from Genesis

PREFACE.

vi

to

Revelation the track of those inutlences wliich

are
ei

attributed

deavoured

devotio

Christian

life

the

result

and have

Spirit,

photograph them

as

If

\.

Divine

the

to

to

in the

has been revealed

Hght

whole

of the

of
the

in a nuikiplicitv

which has constituted an appeal

of aspects

many and

varied

minds,

the

must

effect

tc

be

credited to the photograph and not to the photo-

grapher

minds

have only recorded

If but

found.
to

whom

shall find in its

strength or joy,

what

have

one of those many and varied

this

book would seek

to appeal

pages some moment of help or

I

shall

not think

it

has been

written wholly in vain.

GEORGE MATHESON.
St Bernard's, Edindurgh,

CONTENTS.
I.

CONTENTS.
XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.

XXIX.

XXX.
XXXI.

XXXIL
XXXIIL
XXXIV.

XXXV.
XXXVI.

XXXVn.
XXXVIII.

XXXIX.

THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE

THE SPIRIT
strength to a nation
spirit's MODE OF REGENERATION
HEROISM OF THE SPIRIT
QUALIFICATION FOR THE SPIRIT
POWER OF THE SPIRIT
MISSION OF THE SPIRIT.
.
SPIRIT SEEKING THE VALLEYS
,
ELEVATION OF THE SPIRIT
.
RETROSPECT OF THE SPIRIT
.
COMPULSION OF THE SPIRIT
LONELINESS OF THE SPIRIT
SPIRIT THE FASHION OF THE NEW AGE
VICTORY OF THE SPIRIT.

89

SPIRIT AS IN CHRIST

91

EXPULSIVE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

93

I'EACE OF

spirit's

62

64

69

71

73

76
78

80

82

84
86

PLACE IN MISSIONARY PREACH

ING

THE
XLI. THE
XLII. THE
XLIIL THE
XLIV, THE
XLV. THE
XL.

66

spirit's

59

95

PURPOSE OF THE

SPIRIT'S ULESSING

COMFORT OF THE SPIRIT

FIRE OF THE SPIRIT
SPIRIT IN GALILEE

97

99

....

PRAYER FOR THE SPIRIT

UNMEASUREDNESS OF THE SPIRIT IN
.

CHRIST

lOI

103

105

107

THE spirit's GLORIFICATION OF CHRIST

XLVII. THE spirit's GLORIFICATION OF THE PAST
XLVIIL THE ROAD TO THE SPIRIT'S PEACE
XLIX. THE PENTECOST OF THE SPIRIT
THE PRODUCT OF JOY
L. THE SPIRIT
LI. LYING TO THE SPIRIT
"iU. THE spirit's WITNESS TO OLIVET
XLVI.

no
112

"S
117

119
121

123

co:-;TE:-iTS.

LIX.

THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE

LX.

Till',

LIII.
1,1V.

LV.

LVI.
LVII.
LVIII.

THE
LNII. THE
IXIII. THE
LXIV. THE
LXV. THE
LXVI. THE
LXVII. THE
LXVIII. THE
LXIX. THE
LXX. THE
LXXI, THE
LXXII. THE
LXXIII. THE
LXXIV. THE
LXXV. THE
LXI.

VISION OF

THE

spirit's USE

SPIRIT

FOR WEALTH

.
,

PROHIUITIONS OF THE SPIRIT

UNCONSCIOUS WORKING OF THE SPIRIT

FETTERS OF THE SPIRIT

MASTERSHIP OF THE SPIRIT

spirit's EXPULSION OF FALSE SHAME
.

LIKERTY OF THE SPIRIT

SPIRIT AS A HARPjTNGER

ABSTINENCE OF THE SPIRIT

THE BODY
INTERCESSION OF THE SPIRIT
CHARITY OF THE SPIRIT
SPIRIT SEEKING

spirit's

SOLUTION OF MYSTERIES

MODE OF DISCERNING THE

SPIRIT

spirit's RECOGNITION OF CHRIST

CONTINUITY OF THE SPIRIT
spirit's GIFT OF COUNSEL

spirit's GIFT

OF HEALING

EARNEST OF THE SPIRIT

spirit's ABOLITION OF THE LAW
.

spirit's

ABOLITION OF THE SENSE OF

THE
LXXIX. THE
LSXX, THE
XXXI. THE
IXXXII. THE
I.XXXIII. THE

SEPARATIONS OF THE SPIRIT

MERIT
LXXVI. THE PATIENCE OF THE SPIRIT
LXXVII, THE MOTIVE OF THE SPIRIT
LXXVIII.

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT

FIRST MESSAGE OF

THE

SPIRIT

UNITY OF THE SPIRIT

SEAT OF THE SPIRIT

GRIEF OF THE SPIRIT

SUPPLICATIONS OF THE SPIRIT

crtT'rSNTS.
LXXXIV.

Zhc precedence
" The

Spirit of

of tbe Spirit*

God moved upon

the face of the waters."

Gen.

i.

2.

I'^gEFORE
I ^u|

He

human

soul.

*^^"^^*

until

not

God said "Let there be light,"

said " Let there be Spirit."
It was

the key-note of
It

is

all

no use

you have brought the

make

the waters of

of joy has already

life

His voices
to

to

the

bring the light

Spirit.

Light

will

glad unless the spirit

moved them.

Light

is

only

outward and the joy of the soul has its seat

It is in vain you promise me the herb
within.
of the field and the bird of the air and the fish
of the sea.

me

It is

in vain

into contact with

image

of

God.

my

even that you bring

fellow-men made

If the Spirit has not

in the

moved on

the face of the waters there can be no gladness

That whicfi makes me glad is not

in jny face.
what I get but what I am, and what I am depends
on the Spirit.
Therefore it was well that the
Spirit should come before all His gifts
before

the light, before the firmament, before the herb

THE PRECEDENCE OF THE

of the
licart
It

It

field.

should

was

well

Spirit should

was well

the joy in the

that

precede the joy

SPIRIT.

in

the universe.

that ere the light could

move on

Thou Divine

rise,

the

the face of the waters.

Spirit

whose breath preceded

am seeking to invert the order of

Thy work. I am asking for other things before
Thee.
I am crying for light, for sun and moon
all

things,

and

for

star,

heaven.

am

the

green herb, for the bird of

forgetting that without

Thee

the

would not charm, the grass would not

grow, the bird would not sing.
Come Thyself
fu-st of all and move upon the face of the waters.
Come and give to the light its charm, to the
light

herb

its

greenness, to the bird

its

song.

Come

and let me see the image of God in my brotherman, that I may learn to love him as my other
self and in the joy of love may find universal
joy.
Without Thee the days of my creation
are evenings without mornings
the nightless
Sabbath shall have dawned when Thou shalt
move upon the waters.
;

II.

Zbc
"My

Spirit shall not

C^^O,
li(>!

1l3ope of the Spirit.

not always
the last.

xH'l

always

strive with

man."

Gen.

vi. 3.

be peace at

there shall

not possible that there

It is

.-s>\e>*i4

Q^Yi be two eternal powers

one must
conquer and be all in all.
Shall it be the flesh
;

or

shall

it

be

stroyed

all

The deluge

the Spirit ?

answer that question.

carnality

All

flesh

shall

be

shall

shall

be de-

drowned

all

worldly lust shall be buried in the waves and

love shall reigii supreme.

glorious prophecy,

thou redeemest the darkness of the flood.

art already the
tellest

of a

Thou

tellest

Thou

dove upon the waters, but thou

higher rest
of a time

than

when

that

of

Ararat.

there shall be no

Thou
no more passion, no more sin.
summers without storm, of mornings
without cloud, of moments without fear.
Thou
more

tellest

sea,

of

better than the rainbow set for a covenant

amid the waters.
Thai only promised a freedom
thine is the pledge of
from future punishment
a freedom from future sin. Thy pledge shall be
art

THE HOPE OF THE

SPIRIT.

redeemed when the vUion of Patmos shall be

" The kingdoms of this world have
fulfilled
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His
:

Christ."
Spirit Divine,

Thee

Nothing

speak of the
nature

why

is it

we do
Thy law

nature and

lazvs of

Thy law and

is

I am at war with
war with Thee. We

that

else is at

keeps

done."

am myself

this heart

of mine has alone refused to say "

All

well.

Thy

will

be

the miracle of the universe,

the violation of the order of nature.

am

the

only thing in creation which strives with Thee,

which needs

They say

to be reconciled to Thee.

that to believe in

Thee

contradicts reason

believe in

is to

no,

it

is

to

which
something

th.'it

find

which destroys the contradiction.

am now

the contradiction to reason, the miracle in nature,

the one exception to the reign of universal law.

Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the heavenly Father,

conquer
stro3'ed.

my

will, that

Reconcile

more

there ma}' be no

my

purpose

harmony with
work together
the

first

when

all

heart to

violation of law.

purpose, that

things and that

for

my

good.

may

dethat

Unite
be in

things may
me know for

all

Let

time the joy of being no anomaly in the

universe of
nature.

Thy

to

may be
Thy heart,

the miracle

my

li^e,

no interruption

in

the order of

All things shall be subject unto

have ceased

to strive.

Thee

III.

Zbc pxacticalnc53
"And
this

is,

Pharaoh said unto

man

in

whom

of tbe Spirit

his servants,

the Spirit of

God

Can we
is ?

"

find such a

Gen.

one as

xU. 38.

^NE

would have thought the fact would

have been a disqualification in the eyes
Pharaoh was a worldling;
of Pharaoh.
which was unworldly ?
that
he
respect
could
how
All his motives were guided by the interests of
how could he welcome a man who
the hour
belonged to the immensities and eternities? It
,

is

because eternity includes the present hour,

He who has the spirit of eternity has also

and

the spirit of the time.

Think you

that an atheist

master would consent to have an atheist servant?

Nay, he would know that the temporal work
He who would do
would not be well done.

work must be beyond

well the temporal

No man
life

can steer his

whose

thou be

fit

higher than

much

e3'e

is

way through

not on the stars.

for thy service ?

thy service.

for thee

if

the time.

the ocean of

Wouldst

then must thou be

Life

would

be

thou didst not see ahead of

too
it

THE PRACTICALNESS

peace

canst not be

man

With.out

it

IVitli

of the time than those

abreast of the age

the age

at

God's

peace.
is

it

some-

thou art but half

unfit for Egypt, unfit for Pharaoh, unfit

coming famine.

for the

man

mind

is

not something to die with

is

thing to live by.

SPIRIT.

of the world without a balanced mind, and

a balanced m.ind

THE

Thou

thou art saved by hope.

man

CI"

he

thou art more

it,

who

call

who would

themselves

be abreast of

must already have outrun it, for the

now is, is lighted by the world to

world that
come.

Spirit of Christ,
I

dwell.

me
me

used

life.

make me ready
and eternal

fit

me

used

to

for the

on which

for the earth

ask that

Thy main

for dcatli ;
for

to

Thou wouldst prepare

province
pra}' that

is

to

prepare

Thou wouldst

things that are unseen

Thy summer

is

the ripeness for the

J am growing
more impressed with the solemnity of living than
of dying.
am growing more impressed with
I
the need of Thee in things common than in things
transcendental.
I
am in want of Thee not to

things that are seen and temporal.

help

me

out of the world but to help

me

/;/

the

need Thee both for the seven years

of plenty and for the seven 3'ears of famine.
Without Thee I cannot bear either the one or
world.

the other.

be

Thou my

Be Thou my
pillar of fire

by day
Teach me my

pillar of cloud

by night.

THE PRACTICALNESS OF THE

nothingness

me

in

my

Thee.

and

my

in the

my

hour of

adversity

that

Redeem from

dust

mornings that

may

SPIRIT.

prosperity

tell

am something
ahke

my

claim as

to

evenings

Thy

gifts

not only angels and principalities but the world

and

life

as well.

The day of common work shall

when I can say like the man

be the Lord's day,

of Patmos, "

was

in the Spirit."

IV.

Zbc Condescension
"

have

hiin.wilh the Si>irit of

tilled

standing, and

in

knowledge, and

devise cunning works, to

work

of tbe Spirit.
in wisdom, and in undermanner of wuiknianship, to
and in silver, and in brass."
EXOD. xxxi. 3-4.

God,

in all

in gold,

|^f^|HAT
^'^

IvmI?
'-^^'^'^

base a purpose as

for so

^'^

m^n

that?

with the Spirit for the

sake of devising cunning works, to in-

him with wisdom and with understanthng

and with ah knowledge for no other end than
that he may work in brass and iron
it seems
I
could
a most lame and impotent conclusion.
spire

man being

understand a

inspired

to

teach,

could understand him being inspired to prophesy,

I

could understand him being inspired to live a

life

of unworldliness

but to

sake of

Spirit for the

life's

him with the

fill

common

round, to

him with a view to perform duties seemingly the most menial and the most undivine,

inspire

is

not this a degradation of the fountain of living

waters
of

every

No

spirit

it

is

is

its

an elevation.

power

to

The

glory

manifest itself

THE CONDESCENSION OF Tim

the smallest

in

When

things.

r,PIRIT.

is

the

poet

poet?
It is when he can weave the
spirit of beauty into everything, get sermons
from stones and books from the running brooks.

perfect

Even so

is it

triumph

is its

men.
It
appears in

with

Thy

Spirit,

lowest sphere

m.y GckI.

Its

shining before

its

never so manifested as when

is

it

seeming opposite.
The heavenly
treasure never proves its omnipotence so strongly

when

as

its

lies in

it

the earthen vessel

revealed in deformity,

storm,
is life

Spirit of Christ,
in

come
Thee

Thee.

to

is

and iron of

Unto whom can

that which I need

power

Thou

to

work

in

toils

if

it

suffice.

the world, strength to

common

There-

day.

Spirit of the Incarnation, inspire

for the labours of the flesh.

me

this world,

Brahman would

serve in the duties of the

fore,

it

go but unto
That which

not seclusion from the world

were, the spirit of the

is

beauty

hast incarnated

Spirit that

the brass

to find

need

It

it is

maniiested in death.

Thyself

peace subsisting in

strength perfected in weakness,

is

it

is

it

Quicken me

of dusty lane and bustling mart.

me

for the

Nerve

for the troubles of the exchange, the counting-

house, and the workshop.

Fit

me

to

bear the

crosses and the losses that await the dealings

between man and man.

my

Help me

to consecrate

gains to the service of love, to the lifting of

10

THE CONDESCENSION OF THE

humanity, to the setting

are

bound.

Mammon

So

shall

SPIRIT.

at liberty of those
I

make

of unrighteousness,

friends

so shall

that

of
I

the

claim

Thee what the world has claimed for its

The incarnation of Christ shall be completed when Thou hast filled the brass, the
for

own.

silver,

and the gold.

V.

Zbc /IDcMuin
"The

IvOrd

took of the
elders."

of tbc Spirit

came down

S]3iiit

that

Numbers

^S^^OD

xi.

in a cloud, and spake unto him, and

was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy

25.

speaks to me in a cloud
Himself
through that which
*,l'ffH
vJfc!!iic:
seems an absence of revelation.
The
hour of sorrow becomes my hour of communion,
and the silence of earth is vocal with songs of
But the great advantage of my cloud
heaven.
It seems beforeis that it breaks my solitude.
hand to be a source of solitude.
It threatens
to be something which will hide me from the
e3''es of my brother man and drive me within
often

reveals

the temple of
the opposite
to

me

my own

effect.

through

message

for

the

In reality

soul.

cloud,

humanity.

It

comes
first

the spirit of peace, and then

it

it

lias

The message which comes

has put upon me, and puts

it
it

to

me

clothes

as

me

a
in

takes the spirit

on

my

fellow-

THE MEDIUM OF THE

labourers.

It

enables

me

to

SPIRIT.

feel

that

have

one common burden with those

who work by

my

never so

side.

It

tells

me

that

am

under the shadow of the night.

meet under the sunbeam, but we
the cloud.

The

cloud

is

little

mass of mankind, as

alone, never so near to the

We
all

do not all
meet under

the true conductor of

the electric spark of love.

carries

It

my

life

into

your thought, my
heart into your heart.
an entrance
It finds
through the walls which prosperity has reared
between man and man and unites the soul of
Da\ id to the soul of Jonathan.
Son of Man, let Thy cross be my medium of

your

life,

my

thought

into

Under the shadow of Thy

me meet face to face with the soul of
my fellow-man. May we be bound together in
the spirit of sacrifice,
the unity of Thy Spirit
May we be
the spirit of self-surrendering love.

human brotherhood.
cloud

let

by the fellowship of the mystery the

mystery of suffering.
We have failed to be
united by the fellowship of prosperity, the
participation in a common joy.
Join us by
Thy cross, O Son of Man unite us by Thy
Bring our
sacrifice
connect us by Thy cloud.
hearts into sympathy by the contact of a kindred
experience, by the touch of a common cross, by
the pain of a united martyrdom.
Let us walk
through the furnace not one by one but three by
united

THE MEDIUM OF THE

SPIRIT.

three and seeing ever the form of a fourth

likeness of Thyself.

have met Thee

Thou

humanity.

in

the

worth while to
the spirit which

It shall be

in the cloud if

there shalt give

13

me

shall be the spirit of

VI.

Xlbe Secret ot the Spirit's IRepelatlon,

"And

it

came

when the

to pass, that,

they prophesied."

vHEN

Spirit rested

NUMU.

the Spirit rested

prophesied
activity.

revelation are
" Be still, and

not

upon them they

was mental

" spiritual rest

It

times of

times of mental

that

Why

of spiritual insight.

My

ever so.

is

my

know

upon them,

xi. 25.

am God,"
did the

see heaven opened and hear

its

is

flutter.

the law

Son of man

voice of com-

mendation ?
It was
because the Spirit was
"abiding upon Him."
It was not a momentary
flash, it was not a sudden ebulition, it was not
it was the conviction of
an excited rhapsody
There are a hundred things
a dove-like calm.
lying at my feet which I cannot see for want of
calmness
want of the dove-like rest.
Why ia
Hagar in such distress in the desert ? There
is a well of water before her very eyes if she
would only look at it.
But she cannot look at
;

THE SECRET OF THE

It

it.

SPIRIT'S REVELATION.

not want of siglit

is

that

15

prevents her

want of spiritual rest.

If
she were only calm she would get a revelation,
I'rom

seeing

it

is

it

a revelation that has been waiting for her a long

on the desert sands.

time, written

Her

not calm.

her soul

motion,

in

heart

is

is

on
ill

But she

She

ease.

at

is

stranger to spiriiuai rest, and therefore she

a
is

the actual outward comforts that

a stranger to

are

is

her nerves are

fire,

scattered

at

her

door.

has rested on her she

will

When

the

Spirit

prophesy her own

deliverance.

Thy
Thy

Spirit of rest, in

In the absence of
is

darkness.

Is

light

we

light

even our sunshine

shall see light.

not written that

it

in

order to

give a knowledge of the glorious light in the

face of Jesus Christ, Thou hadst to shine "in
our hearts?'^
If even the face of Christ could

only have
shining,

its

universe ?
of Floreb

I
;

sunbeams.
all

glory seen through Thine inward

what

power

shall

we

say of the face of the

r,m like Elijah

under the shadows

underrate the number of

It is

to

stihness that

stand

and gaze on

am more

my own

want most of

my

actual

by the
earthquake than either by the thunder or by the
fire.
Speak peace to my soul, that I may awake
to the melodies that float around me.
Speak
peace to my soul, that in the hour of its rest I
surroundings.

disturbed

i6

THE SECRET OF THE

may

SPIRIT'S

REVELATION.

see the ladder between earth and heaven.

know that there are yet seven thousand

who have not bowed the knee to Baal when
Thou hast inspired my spirit with Thy still
I

shall

small voice.

VII.

XTbe Secular influences ot the Spirit.

"And when

they

came

prophets met liim (Saul)

and

lie

ihither to the

and the

among them." i SAM.

prophesied

^^^IHEN

behold a company

hill,

Spirit of

God came upon

of

him,

x. lo.

were come thither to the

company
of prophet.s met him."
Sv/' VlS
A^^s^Ji
There were tlven two influences under
which the Spirit of God came to him- the inthey
a

hill,

fluence of outward

nature, and the influence of

human brotherhood.

Might not the Spirit have

What had the vici?
nity of the hill, what had the company of the
prophets to do with the mighty breath of God's
Spirit ?
Does the Spirit need the help of such
poor allies as a physical scene and a human soul?
dispensed with these aids

No

Ihe

it

does not need the help, but

Spirit uses

quire;

it

many

loves to

aids which

it

it

takes

it.

does not re-

work through sacraments.

It

consecrates the hill-top and makes the traveller

a worshipper

it

consecrates a

human companion-

ship and makes the social hour an hour

in the

THE SECULAR INFLUENCES OF THE

i8

temple of God.
fies,

The scene
unheeded

home

not the

It is

not the

is

it

human

top that sancti-

voice that transforms.

you to-day was perhaps

the words that struck

that melts

yesterday

hill

SPIRIT.

at

night were perhaps powerless in the

morning,

God chooses His own sacraments,

own objects to make sacra-

and

He

chooses His

Only, be thou ready, be thou reverent,

mental.

that to-day is commonplace may

to-morrow be inspiring, and the W'Ords which
the morning despised may at evening time be
for,

the

thy

light.

hill

Spirit of Christ, consecrate the scenes amidst

which
where

move.

my

soul

Consecrate the lonely hill-top

communes with nature

secrate the crowded thoroughfare

where

con-

meet

company of my fellow-men. Thou art not

made with hands, nor art
Thou limited to the sacrament of bread and wine.
the

confined to temples

Reveal to me the holiness of common

Teach me the sacredness of what I call

Show me

the sacramental glory of the

Open mine eyes

field.

that universe

me

to the divine

whose miracles

things.
secular.

lily

of the

wonder of

have forgotten.

Thy glory,
Thy goodness, that the
tempest itself is the echo of Thy voice.
Tell me
above all that Thy voice speaks to me through the
heart of my brother man, that Thou sendest now
Tell

again that the heavens declare

that the earth is

full

of

THE SECULAR INFLUENCES OF THE

Thy messages

SPHilT.

19

not by angels but by human souls.

whole life shall be a sacrament when Thuu
slialt meet me
alike in the company and on

My

the

hill.

VIII.

Xlbe Biujcr of tbe Spirit

"

And

the Spirit of

tidings, find his

^^^^HAT
WimM^siM

God

j_j^^^j.

"

when

lie

Sam.

heard those

xi. 6,

strange effect of the Spirit

would have looked

meant love

for

anything

but

thought the Spirit of Christ

here

am

told that its mission

was

Yes, but have you never heard

to create anger.

of an

cunie upon Saul

anger was kindled greatly.

anger which

Have you never

is

compatible with love

" the

wrath of the
Lamb " ? Think you that the Lamb had lost
the Divine Spirit when He burst into wrath ?
read

of

Nay, it was the presence of that Spirit that

There is an anger which
gave Him His wrath.
is human, and there is an anger which is Divine.
Human anger resents the hurt; Divine anger
resents the zvrong.
in

its

heart.

Human

pride; Divine anger

Human

is wounded
wounded in its

anger
is

anger laments the injury to self;

Divine anger laments the injury to God.

anger cries out for revenge

out for atonement.

Human

Divine anger cries

THE ANGER OE THE SPHUT.

who

Spirit of Christ,

my

hast

come

to consecrate

whole human nature, consecrate

Thou

too.

come

art not

my

my

do well

mistaken these times.

because

it

cause of

withers

its

There are
I have
the gourd

be angry, but

to

am angry

at

should be angry with the

withering.

an individual offence, but

am eager to revenge
am regardless of the

principle from which the offence springs.

within

mc Thine own
"

Rouse me

the hate of hate."

of the spirit

whose

into that groaning

tears are born not of

ness but of holy passion

Wake me

zeal

into

all

uncharitable-

sympathy with

which burned with indignation

temple desecrated.

The

now

Mammon

belong

to the

weak-

the passion against

malice and hatred and envy and

ness.

Create

Divine horror of that which

Inspire me with that "love

which implies " the scorn of scorn and

blights the gourd.

of love

fullil.

present powers

but to redeem them from mutilation.

I

anger

to destroy but to

Tliou art not sent to mutilate

times in which

jr

that

fiery

to see life's

passions of

my

heart

of unrighteousness

transport them into the service of righteousness,

and they
fire
is to

shall

shall

become Thy

baptize

my

soul

friends.
I

shall

" be angry, and sin not."

When Thy
know what it

IX.

Zbc 2)anoer5

of the Spirit.

" Lest pcradventure the Spirit of

and cast him upon some mountain

up,

the

Lord hath taken

some valley."

2
||^gf TRANGE that
S\i^^ attributed to
ml^^js^^
Spirit.
And
The man who has got
of two extremes

He may

be

lifted

Kings

such dangers

should be

the Spirit has to beware

valle\'.

such a height of ecstasy

to

he

may

man without

down

be cast

into such a depth of self-abasement as to

i6.

yet the dangers are true.

as to become unpractical

morbid.

ii.

the possession of God's

the mountain and the

up

h'.m

or into

the Spirit

is

become

in neither

he has neither the sight of the

divine to elevate nor the contrast of the human
of these dangers

is easy for hi'jit to keep on the

it
But the man of the Spirit has like Paul
both his third heaven and his thorn.
He may
be exalted above mcrsure or he may be sunk

to depress

plain.

in

depths that

are fathomless

the actual perils of the

the bitterness of his
that

am

"
!

way

Sipul,

he

or he
"

may
may

forget

cry in

wretched

man

THE DANGERS OF THE

Thy

Spirit of Christ, let

SPIRIT.

chariot of

23

fire lift nic

above both the valley and the mountain.

Thee alone

shall

own

dangers.

that

is

It is

In
the refuge from Thine

find

my

knowledge of Thee
If my fiight were
no fear from either
Both would dwindle

little

a dangerous thing.

only higher

I would be in
the mountain or the valley.

into insignificance before the contemplation of a

heavenly glory.

I would cease. to think of myjoyously or despondently

I
would
lose myself in the brightness of Thy sunshine.

self either

would be independent of the variations of my

alike of my exaltation and of my
despair
viewed from the height of Thy heaven
my mountain of pride and my valley of tears
would look equally small.
Therefore, Thou
I

feeling

Spirit,

lift

me

from

the

knowledge of Thyself.

partial

Lift

me

into

full

enough

me

so near

to lose sight of all but Thee.

Lift

heaven that I shall forget

heights and depths of earth.

to

to

the

high

measure the
Raise

me

so

communion with Thyself, that I shall

be unable any longer to commune with ;;/rself,
that my lights and my shadows alike shall pale
rlose into

before

Thy

Thy

fulness

splendour.
I

When

shall reach

Thy

have reached

peace

when

have entered Thy chariot of fire I shall steer the

middle way between the mountain and the vale.

Zbc Couraoe
" Then the

ot tbe Spirit

came upon Amasa

who was chief of the

Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou
soil of Jesse
peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine
helpers for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and
made them captains of the band." i Chron. xii. i8.
captains,

Spirit

and he

said,

^^^^ HERE
3^1

The

!?;^[

is

something very remarkable here.

God comes upon a soldier

Spirit of

'm^-^

in the moment of his enlistment, comes

upon him that he may be helped to enlist. Why
The only thing which justifies any man
not
!

in

being brave

is

just.

There

is

the

which knov/s not

motive of the
age which

is

a feeling that a cause is

is

a courage

beast of the field

life's

Spirit.

which belongs

value

But there

that is not
is

is

the

the

another cour-

consistent with the love of

That alone

to

courage of recklessness

therefore consistent with fear

of duty.

The

the motive of the Spirit.

motive of the Spirit

it is

life,

and

the courage

the garb for the soldier

THE COURAGE OF THE SPHUT.

that alone

is

the gift of the Spirit.

2|5

It

is

no

you are weary of life it is

no heroism to be courageous if you are a stranger
But if you deem life precious, if
to human ties.
you hold ties dear, then it costs something to
costs what only the Spirit of God can
be brave
nothing
but the sense of duty can make
pay
a
soldier.
good
man
the
virtue to be brave

if

Spirit of Christ,

soldiers for the

who

make men
make me now a
The days of war

of old didst

times of war,

soldier for the times of peace.

are ended and the days of peace are come, but

our citizens
we cannot disband our soldiers
Give me for the city
must now all be soldiers.
those same qualities which Thou wert wont to
;

give for the

camp

need them for the city

more than

for the

discipline,

the soldier's

chivalry, the

camp.

soldier's

the battle of peace,

Give

me

sacrifice.

the soldier's

the

fortitude,

soldier's

Nerve me

more hard than the

for

battle of

Nerve me for the trials of the marketmore arduous tlian the marches of the field.
Nerve me, not by drugging my sensibilities, but
by giving me a new sense the perfected sense

war.

place,

of dut}^

Make me

by intensifying

Make me
lessness,

my

brave, not

conviction

by lessening but
of

life's

glory.

strong, not with the strength of reck-

but with that strength which

from an increased burden of care.

comes

Inspire

me

THE COURAGE OF THE

26

with

Thy

sacrificial love,

to selfish fear
all

things

band.

when

shall
I

and

SPIRIT.

shall be a stranger

have the courage

am made

to dare

captain in

Thy

XI.

Z\jc 3Beaut^ ot the Spirit.

"Tlie pattern of

all

that he

had by the

house of the Lord."

fW^^HAT

could

the

Spirit

condescend to

^'-'^^

imagination of an architect

it

became

God

of

Spirit

the

Was

xxviii. 12.

Could it stoop
^ S^^^ ^^ *-'^'*^ '^
so low as to inspire a man with the

%^mwI
''^'^"'^'
not

Spirit, of the courts of the

Chron.

not

the

the

inspirer

not ?

Is

of beauty ?

spirit

of

inspirer

Why

the

beauty before

of goodness ?

Did

it

not

its glory and the firmament

handiwork ere ever it had breathed

the heavens declare

show
into

was

forth its

man

the breath of

there chaos

beauty be not

the

life

Divine

the

life ?

Spirit

a gift of the Spirit ?

the Spirit moved, did

light," if

its

before

God

say,

Why

moved if
Why, when

" Let there be

the vision of material glory be alien to

divine ?

rot that beauty

Say not
is

that matter

is vile,

say

sensuous, say not that the

forms of earth are the antithesis of the kingdom

THE BEAUTY OF THE

2%

There

of God.

which God has

callest

it

is

SPIRIT.

room within

thy

heart

dedicated to the beautiful

the imagination.

thou

Let the Spirit furnish

Let it say to this inner chamber,

" Let there be light," " Let there be a firmament,"

that room.

Let it
there be herb and plant and tree.
hang upon the walls the brightest and fairest
forms too bright and fair ever to be
forms
So shah thou know that thy
seen below.
let

imagination had

its

birth

heaven, that

in

fountain of the stream of beauty has

its

the

home

above.
of Christ,

Spirit
lovely," in
beautiful.

heart to whicii

The

answers.

Spirit

of

the

" altogether

Thee alone is realised my ideal of the

There are patterns hung up in my
I

can find nothing outside that

light within

my

soul

is

a light

All attempts
on sea or land.
There are spots in every
are vain.

that never shone

copy it
sunbeam, there are thorns

to

are crosses in every

life.

every rose, there

have never seen the

in
I

I have never beheld the cloudhave never looked upon the faultBut
Never till I found Thee.
less human soul.
Thou hast answered to the pattern in my heart,

perfect landscape,

less

day.

Thou

hast realised the ideal in

art the spotless

rose.

Thou

faultless

art

life.

sunbeam, Thou

my spirit.

the cloudless day.

My

Thou

art the thornless

Thou

art the

imagination cannot transcend

THE BEAUTY OF THE

Thee
I

though

shut

can fancy nothing

my

SPIRIT.

29

eyes a hundred times,

more

beautiful.

In the

Thee I have received the fulfilment

of my dream
Thou hast realised my pattern for
vision of

the courts of the house of the Lord.

XII.

Zhc

lP>i*ospei1ti^

ot the Spiiit

"And the Spirit of God came upon Azarinh the son of Oded
and he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa,
and all Judah and Benjamin The Lord is with you, while ye be
;

with

Him." 2

'^WfP

Ciiron. xv. 1-2.

THOUGHT

i^ 1^^

tion

^'*^"""**

should

before.

Why

tell

7iczv.

while

3'e

then send the Spirit to a

be with

The Lord

Him?"

It

is

these words are only a truism to him

received the Spirit.
the Spirit would

He would

rcvela-

thousht

it

knew
man to

us something nobody

utter such a truism as this, "

30U,

was the

inspiration

of somethinsT

He who

deem them

men

is

with

because

who has

has not received

the wildest paradox.

of God, and say,

them the promise of His coming ? "
He would say to the Son of man, " Come down
from the O'oss and we will believe in Thee."
He would ask if the favour of God was consistent with being mocked, and scourged, and
crucified, with being despised and rejected of
men, with having not where to lay the weary
"

Where

look at the

is to

THE PROSPERITY OF THE

licad.

know
we have

JJ^c

l;ccause

that

it

is

may be

31

why

consistent, but

We

the fruits of the Spnit.

have learned by Christian

valley

SPIRIT.

experience that the

exalted, that the crooked rnay be

made straight, and the rough places plain. We

have learned by Christian experience that there
is a peace which passeth understanding, which
the world cannot give and never can take away.
But that knowledge is itself a gift of the Spirit.
Is

"The secret of the Lord

Him " ? To all outside it

not written,

it

with them that fear

a secret.

song

desert, a light
flood

these

of the soul

the valley, a rainbow in

the Spirit alone can

with us while

know

light

the

not the truisms of the natural

we

Thy

to

us that

God

inspiration can

Seen

that the righteous prosper.

of the world,

appear

tell

Him.

are with

Spirit of Christ, only in

1

is

the night, a stream in the

in

Inspiration alone can reveal the prosperity

mind.

is

in

ai'e

is

those that are

have the worst of

in the

with Thee

But the

it.

light

of the world cannot reveal the glories of Geth-

semane.

It

can disclose

suppliant

is

It

can reveal the

pouring forth His petition with the

voice of strong crying.

prayer

sweatdrops and

the

the tears and the darkness.

can

It

show

that the

seemingly unanswered, and the pass-

ing of the cup denied.

the peace that comes

But
zvi/h

it

cannot disclose

the cup.

It

cannot

32

THE PROSPERITY OF THE

detect

the

angel

surrendered

and the

It

staff that

shadow enable
me."

of strength

will.

Create

Lord

the joy

even
to

which

say,

Usher me

valley

"Thou

the

of
art

with

vision,

into the joy of

my

that could speak of its fulness at

the very foot of Calvary.

peace

the

in

Thyself that sublime

Spirit of the Cross.

the

follows

that

cannot photograph the rod

man

SPIRIT.

is

Inspire

independent

me

with the

of circumstances,

which in the hour of death can sa}', "Let not

your heart be troubled."
Then and not till then
shall the paradox become a truism, then and not
till then shall I understand the promise,
"The
Lord is with you, while ye be with Him."

XIII.

XTbe Sustenance ot the Spirit

"Thou

Thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withThy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water
thirst." Neh. ix. 20.
gavest also

heldest not
for their

fe*^|OD

said

is

the Spirit

! C^*^

^^^^^^

wards.

reverse

order.

to

have sustained Israel by

and by the manna after-

first

We should liave looked for the

We should have thought that

of the Heavenl}' Father would have

by strengthening the gn/es and then
proceeded to strengthen the citadel.
But the
Heavenly Father knows better what is /;/ man.
He knows that no amount of manna will permanently quell hunger as long as there is a
hunger of the spirit.
It is in vain to provide
a couch of down if there is an unrest within the
It is in vain to supply strains of music
/learf.

the

care

begun

a discord in the soul.

if

there

to

spread the banquet

is

the spirit.
it

will

find

But

if

if

there

it

vain

a burden on

the heart be already rested

peace everywhere,

already tuned

in

It is

is

will

find

if

the

soul

music everywnere,
c

be
if

THE SUSTENANCE OF THE

34

the spirit be already fed,

everywhere.

Israel's

manna but her mind

sustained

her

the

in

will find

it

own
it

SPIRIT.

a banquet

was not her

was her mind that
glory

poverty of her

manna.

Not without cause does the prophet thank God

for this, that His first boon to Israel was the
gift of the good Spirit.

O Thou

w^ho hast taught us to seek

"

Thy

Thy

its

bread."

daily

first

righteousness, teach me to say

will be done " before I say " give me my

kingdom and

Teach me

the foundation of

as only

its

my

to accept

superstructure.

mandate that says

Thy

will as

happiness, and other things

to

my

Teach me that the

soul

" thy

sins

be

more abiding miracle than

the mandate which sa3's to my body "arise and
forgiven thee"

walk."

is

am often disappointed that Thou

much more to the spirit than to
I am more afraid of the hunger of

promisest so
the flesh.

the body than of the hunger of the spirit, more

anxious for the strength of the outer man than
Convince me that
for the health of the heart.
it
would not profit a man to gain the whole
world and lose his own soul. Show me that it

is

only the possession of

my

soul that

makes

Impress
the possession of the world any gain.
can
give
me joy
with
that
no
lliing
me
the truth
if

m3'self

am

not already joyful.

Inspire

with the knowledare that the issues of

life

me
are

THE SUSTENANCE OF THE

not from without but from

SPH^IT.

vvitliin.

into the discovery that the pleasures at

hand are the only things

for cvcniiore."

He

that are

35

Guide mc

Thy

right

" pleasures

that tasteth the earthly

manna

hunger again, but he that has received Thy

bread of life shall subsist even amidst its failure.
In Thy new creation tliat must be first whicli is
spiritual, afterward that which is natural.
Before
shall

Thou
Spirit.

sendest the

mann.'^

give

me Thy good

XIV.

Ubc
"Yet many

Cbastiseincut of tbe Spirit,

years didst

Thou

them by Thy

^^^^S

forbear them, and testifiedst agai

Neii.

Spirit."

ix.

st

30.

there not something strangely incongru-

^p ^%

ous here

***^^^

God's Spirit is said at one

?
and the same time both to bear with

man and

to testily against him.

How

can these

Can the Spirit

bear with me at the very moment when it is
Yes it can its
uttering an adverse testimony ?
two

reconciled ?

be

attitudes

adverse testimony may be

There

forbearance.

proves that
Father

am

carried

the

is

it

is

pain

proof of

itself the

chastisement
in

the

its

which

bosom of the

of conscience.

am

by the adverse testimony of

my conscience it seems to say that I have
been cast out from the presence of the Lord.
it
tells
In truth what it says is the contrary
often

distressed
;

me

that

am

the Father.

conscious of

getting

nearer

When
was
my distance,

near, the distance

seems

to

the //cari of

far

away

but

now

illimitable.

as

was undraw
I

Before the

THE CHASTISEMENT OF THE

Spirit

came

had perfect peace

SPIRIT.

37

the peace of

Dead Sea.
But now that the -Spirit has come, the lake has
become a waving ocean and the Dead Sea is

the stagnant lake, the peace of the

ruffled

with storms.

It

that has brought the

the increase of Hfe

is

waves

the breath of

is

it

the Spirit that has stirred the face of the waters.

It is

ness
that
it is

me

the
;

dawn

of day that has revealed

dark-

makes

the mountains of earth

seem small
Son of man that has caused
abhor the shadow of myself.
;

the vision of the

to

Spirit of Christ,

glory that

me

my

the sight of the Delectable Mountains

it is

lies

me

teach

my own

in

the promise of love that

by the weight of conscience,

weight which oppresses me

When

a Father's care.
impurities of

my

past

hid in the rebuke

is

When

of a heavenly Father.

tell

tell

am oppressed
me that the

the

is

am

life,

prophecy of
Reveal to

the

unrest.

burden of

appalled by the

me

that the e^^e

which reads the impurity has received its light

frcim Thee.
When I am overwhelmed with the
conviction that I am growing more sinful day by
day, tell me that the breath which dims the
n;irror
ni}'

off

is

dust

breath

living

and beat upon

unclean,"
I

Thy
a

tell

go down

soul.

my

the

breath that

When

makes

stand

afar

breast and say " Unclean,

mc that this is the

my house justified.

to

time in which

Thou never

3S

THE CHASTISEMENT OF THE

lovest

me more

never

boldest

SPIRIT.

than when Thou chidest, Thou

me dearer than when Thou
chastisest.
Thou hidest the heart of Calvary
when Thou testibeneath the armour of Sinai
fiest against me I know that Thou art bearing
;

with me.

XV.
TTbe (Bospel of tbe Spirit in HAature.
"By

His

He

Spirit

hath garnibhed the heavens,"

Job

xxvi. 13.

^7^^^^ HE heavens are garnished by the Spirit

man the Spirit of the

The beauty of the heavens is the
beauty of sacrifice.
Nothing shines by its own
light.
The radiance of everything is a borrowed
W^^ \^M,

^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^

^^^^*^

Cross.

radiance

One

all

things live by the

life

of others.

star diftereth from another star in

yet the one cannot say to the other, "

glor^-,

have no
The universe depends on each
need of thee."
one as much as each one depends on the universe.
If

one of the least of these should perish there

would be a crash of all worlds.

What is that
law which I call gravitation but the sign of the
Son of man in heaven.
It is the gospel of selfsurrender in nature.
It is the inability of any
world to be

its

own

all

centre, the necessity of every

something else. The eyes of

wait upon the Father, and He gives thcni

W(jrld to centre in

THE GOSPEL OF THE

40

meat

their
it

is

in

SPIRIT IN NATURE.

due season, but

He

takes care that

not the interest of any to receive

alone.

The Power

heavens

is

the

Him whose

of

Spirit

its

bread

garnished

has

that

the

many

members constitute one body.

O Thou that tellest the number of the stars,
help me to realise that Thou callest them all by
Thy name the name that is above every name.

Help me

to see in the unity of the starry

a picture of that higher unity

in

Thee.

glory
glory

Is

blending

of

heavens

membership

speak of the heavens declaring

what do

our

it

mean

b}'

What

that ?

is

Thy
Thy

splendour of lights and the

the

colours ?

Is

the

it

flashing

of

Is it the
comets and the radiance of suns ?
vastness of spaces and the immeasurableness of

All this is but a mechanician's giory.

distances ?

Thou

art

glory

of a

Thy glory must be the

The glory of a Spirit is

a Spirit, and
Spirit.

and it is by telling of sacrifice that the

When I look up at
heavens declare Thy glory.
the stars, it sometimes seems as if Thy gospel
were a contradiction to nature I say " What is
sacrifice,

man

that

Thou

art

mindful of him

? "

Teach me

that these stars are themselves the promise of

Thy mindfulness. Teach me that the heavens

themselves

declare

the wonders of the Cross.

Inspire

me

which

see in nature

with

the

thought that the beauty

is

the

same beauty which

THE GOSPEL OF THE

I

in

SPIRIT IN NATURE.

Reveal

behold in Calvary.

to

me

made one by giving

shall I know that

that,

ahke

the one for the

many
many

Thy

that

the firmament as on the earth, the

it

garnished the heavens.

is

Spirit

41

aic
;

so

has

XVI.

Ube
" The

Spirit of

If^ercMti^ ot the

God hath made me, and

hath givan nie Hfe."

^^^VERY
^ij^^
J-ar^ss*^

man ought

ancestry

acteristic

qualities

of

my

xxxiii. 4.

be proud of a good

of an ancestry whose char-

The value
The

was goodness.

not in the origin, but

lies

the breath of the Almighty

JOB
to

Spirit

ar.ccitors

in the heredity.

would be nothing

they did not tend to be transmitted

it

is

if

the

present and not the past that gives them weight.

Our

life is

always the breath of the

has made us
in

spirit

which

the traits of the fathers re-appear

the children.

splendid ancestry.

On one side we
On the side of

have

all

our Mother

Nature we have much to bear; we are children

But we
of the flesh, and the flesh is weak.
have also an origin from our Father, and our
Father is a Spirit.. We have an ancestry which
goes back beyond Nature, beyond maternity,
We have a pedigree which is
beyond the flesh.
older than the mountains, older than the stars,

older than the universe.

We

are

come from a

THE HEREniTY OF THE

good Stock
tree

we

we

is

are branches of a high family

hands, eternal in the heavens.

the parent of our flesh, but the Divine

is

the Father of our spirits

has made
given us

My

the Spirit of

God

and the breath of the Almighty has

us,
life.

thou within thyself the traces of

soul, hast

thy heavenly origin

canst

43

are scions of a noble house, a house

not made with

Nature

SPIRIT.

prove

it

It is

not enough that thou

from a register book

there

is

nothing to be proud of in any ancestry which

not

in thee.

It is

is

not enough to quote a text of

the Bible in proof of thy Divine descent

if

thy

lineage be of any value, that which descends to

thee must be not a text but a quality.

Hast

thou within thyself the qualities of thy Father

Canst thou point to aught in thy being which

never could have come to thee from thy Mother
Nature ?
Hast thou moments higher than the

moments of

physical
of

prayer

Hast

kingdoms of

faith,

thou

of aspiration, of love,

times

in

which

the

world have no glory by reason

of an all-excelling glory ?
Hast thou glimpses
from the summit of Nebo in which thy youth is

renewed
ceases to
still

this

like

the

eagle's,

in

which thine eye

be dim, and thy natural strength

unabated

immortality,

Then thou hast

and thy prophecy

The premonition

of thy future

is

is

a prophecy of
is

memory.

the voice of thy

THE HEREDITY OF THE

44

SPIRIT.

The promise of thy destiny is the echo of

Thou canst not rise too high for
thou shalt go to God because thou
th}' source
Thy hope of everlastinghast come from God.

p.ast.

tliy

origin.

ness

is

the knowledge that thy

of the Almighty, and thy

Almighty because the

thee.

life is

life is

the breath

the breath of the

Spirit of

God has made

XVII.
xrbe MorlDl-o IMccessitv^ of tbe Spirit
"

He

If

gather unto Himself His Spirit and His breath

shall perish together,

and man

all flesh

shall turn again unto dust."

Job xxxiv.

14, 15.

so
I never knew that man was
so
dependent on the Spirit of God.
I
always knew indeed that the Spirit was
necessary to man's salvation, but it never occurred
to me that it was required even to keep up the
flesh.
I understood well enough that its removal
would shut out a man from the other world, but
make it
I never thought that its removal would
impossible to live in this.
Yet this is what the

i^Wri^^

it

mm

"MW^

Bible says.
is

It

tells

me

necessary even to the

tells

me

that

if

that

the Spirit of

the Divine Spirit

of the human.

life

It

God were gathered

back to Himself, there would be a simultaneous

of the world called secular, that the
products of materiili^m would disappear with the
collapse

death

of spiritualisTn,

that

the

institutions

of

earth would fade in the vanishing of the breath of

heaven, that
"

all flesh

in the extinction

of grace supreme

would perish together."

46

THE WORLDLY NECESSITY OF THE

O Thou

divine Spirit,

sumed by

the world

fact that I

am

a proof that

not con-

Thou

art iw

have never seen anything at its

Bad men would be infinitely more bad

the world.
worst.

The

but for Thee.

is

is

would be unbearable

life

The very

without Thee.

SPIRIT.

anchored.

ship of

life is

tossing but

it

often complain of the storm, and

say "Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself."

If Thou didst hide Thyself even for a moment I

would know what it is to have a storm. My very

complaining shows that the storm is not natural
to me, that there is more good than evil in Thy
Thou art Thyself the good that outuniverse.
Thou art the balance of all
weighs the evil.
discords

Thou

Thou

art the

compensation of all losses

art the restraint of all violence

the limit of

Thou

all vices.

troubled water

Thou

Thou

art the oil of

art

every

art the still small voice of

every rolling thiuider Thou art the bow of promise in every threatening cloud. Without Thee
we can do nothing even in our own department
only in Thy life does our life become endurable.
Abide with us, for our natural strength fades
;

into evening

if

Thou

take

flesh shall perish together.

away Thy

breath,

all

XVIII.
TLbc %\m\viC5 ot the Spirit.
" Restore unto me

the joy of

Thy
a

lI'IEN

Thy

free Spirit."

salvation

Ps.

man commits

and uphold me with

12.

li.

sin

and

is

forgiven,

he finds the old peace but he does not

once find the old joy, he does not

at
at

once regain the old freedom.

with the angel of his

upon

wise ?
is

it

his thigh.

The Divine

a hadil of

time.

Jacob wrestles

conscience and pre-

but as he returns from the battle-field he

vails,

halts

own

If

life,

my

How

and a habit

soul casts off

can easily put

it

should

it

be other-

Spirit like every other spirit

is

its

onl^ acquired by
old

habit to-day,

on again to-morrow, but

it

must not expect it to fit so well as it did yesterday.

David has slain Uriah, and his conscience
has pursued him.
He has struggled for pardon,
he has wrestled for peace he has conquered,
but he has come back with the shrunk sinew.
He has received the forgiveness, he has obtained
the blessing, he has paid the exacted penalty, but
he misses the old elasticity, he wants the former
;

THE LUXURIES OF THE

4S

joy.

He

is

afraid to put

vigour of other 3'ears

down

SPIRIT.

the foot with the

the breaking of the habit

has broken his confidence, and so

He

his freedom.

has broken

it

has returned

safety from

in

the midnight struggle, but he wants something

me the joy of Th}''

me by Thy free Spirit."
My Father, give me back the luxuries of Thy
not conits freedom and its joy.
I am
Spirit
I
am not satisfied with
tent with mere pardon
am not comforted with
bare redemption.
I

more than

safety

"

Restore to

salvation and uphold

simple salvation
It is
it
I

not enough

want the

that

am
am

joy of

at peace

reconciled
is not enough that I
must be able to be glad in Thee.

perfect

joy

shall

Thee
Only in

to

freedom.

perfect

find

salvation.

with Thee,
;

would not like to be always in tremor lest by

any word I should oflfend Thee prayer would
die on the threshold of my heart if it were not
shall never lose my
winged by fearlessness.
I
fear until I have felt myself akin to Thee, and I
;

shall never feel that kinship until

come.

shall

Thy

Spirit has

never meet Thee face to face until

will is my will, until I have realised that

between Thee and me there exists an equality of
soul.
I tremble before Thee because I look up
teach me to feel that I am
to Thee as a master

Thy

not a servant but a son.

crumbs

that

fall

ask piteously for the

from Thy table

make me

to

THE LUXURIES OF THE

know

that

liave a right to

S: IRIT.

the fatted calf and

the best ring and the fairest robe.

my
my

ing of

reh'gious duties;

49

inspire

am speakme with a

sense of

religious privileges, of the ease that

comes from

living

grace

become

shall

reached

\.\\e

joy of

on the lap of luxury.

my

Thy

nature

salvation.

when

Thy
have

XIX.

Ubc

Spirit in tbe

" These wait

all

upon Thee

they are created."

Fj^HO
l^'W/

whole
creatures

the

are

They
of

Hnimal MorlD,
Thou

Ps.

"all"

Thy

sendest forth

here

spoken

are the living creatures

What

earth.

the

animal

Spirit,

civ. 27, 30,

you

world

of?

of

the

say,

the

can these

said to be in possession of God's Spirit ?

be
can

understand very well how man should be thus

privileged.
I can understand why a being of
such nobleness as the

human

soul should lay

claim to a distinctive pre-eminence.

not a bold thing to say that the

in contact

with the beast of the

a degradation of

my

But

human

field ?

Is

is

it

soul

is

it

not

nature to affirm that the

which created me created also the

No, my brother if you
shall find in God's Spirit the missing link between
yourself and the animal world you will reach a
Darwinism where there is nothing to degrade.
You are not come from them, but you and thej'
Would 3'ou
together are the offspring of God.

same

Spirit

tenants of the deep ?

THE

SPIRIT IN

THE ANIMAL WORLD,

51

have preferred to have had no such link between

?
It is your forgetfulness of that link that

you

You

has made you cruel to the creatures below.

do not oppress your brother man, because you

know him to be your brother; but 3'ou think
the beast of the field has no contact with the
sympathy of your soul.
It has a contact, an
indestructible

irrefragable,

You

contact.

are

bound together by one Spirit of creation you

you are
sit at one communion table of nature
members of one body of natural life. The glory
;

of being united to thy Father

is

thou shalt be united to everything.

be allied

not only to the highest

in

Him

Thou

shalt

that

but

to

the

lowest, thou shalt be able not only to go up but

to

go down.

thy Lord had

Thou

shalt

the

power

the lowermost, to the

feel

that

thou owest

when thou

hast

have the power that

to empty thyself to

uttermost.
all

recognised

through the same divine

Thou

shalt

things thy sympathy

Spirit.

this

relationship

XX.
Z\}c ipervaMnoness ot tbe Spirit.
"Whither

go from Thy Spirit?

Thy presence?" Ps.

shall

or whither shall

from

1 flee

cxxxix. 7.

GLORIOUS imprisonment, O splendid

bondage, O divine wall of enclosure
!

am

shut in by Thee.

by Thee than

Eden was

the presence of the Lord.

am more

shut in

In the days of old,

used to be.

to be driven out of

to be driven

Thy
Thou

But

from

presence

is

hast filled
no longer limited to Eden.
with Thy glory the things that once were outthe harp and the organ, the brass
side of Thee^
and the iron, the tents and tabernacles of daily
The ark of Thy presence was once shut in
life.
to keep out the flood, but now it is opened to take
The seer of Patmos said of
in the flood itself.
Thy regenerated world, " I beheld no temple

therein."
shall

No wonder

be seen

special

in

place sacred

whether we see
everywhere.

when Thy presence

every place, there shall be no

We

it

unto Thee.
or

build

not,

Thou

And

indeed,

art

already

churches to Thee and

THE PERVADINGNESS OF THE

consecrate them,

SPIRIT.

53

but the site was consecrated

was any church.

In Thine eyes
no difference between secular and sacred.
All work is Thy work, all service is Thy service,
I
call my moral duties
all days are Thy day.
mere morality to distinguish them from my
Why should I seek thus to go from
religion.
Thy Spirit, why should I strive thus to flee from
Thy presence ? The wall is of my own making,

before there

here

is

not Thine.

worship.

names.

Thou claimcst all my duties as Thy

Thou callest all my acts by sacred
speak of my aspirations Thou callest
;

joys
1 hou
speak of my hopes
them psalms.
I
Help me to
Thou callest them acts of faith.
consecrate the daily life.
Help me to write Thy
Help me to exname on the commonplace.
perience Thy presence in the region which men
Help me to taste the
have styled " the world,

them

pra^'ers.

speak

of

ni}'

callest

bread of

Thy communion

in

every act of kindness

Thy cup the

cup of earthly water, even though bestowed only
in a disciple's name.
I shall serve Thee day and
given or received, to reverence as

night in
shall

Thy

temple

go from Thy

when

Spirit."

can say " Whither

XXI.

Ube Goo^ne55

of tbe Spirit

" Teach me to do Thy will for Thou art my God Thy Spirit
good lead me into the land of uprightness." Ps. cxliii. lo.
:

is

^P^^HAT a

^^m
^^
"

difference from the

He

prayer.

He

will."

Mohammedan's
Teach me Thy
God would lead

too prays "

too asks that

him

But the resemblance

to a destined land.
Tke Mohammedan wants to be
ends there.
the
taught God's will because it is destiny
To the Psalmist
Psalmist because it is good.
It is not
God's will is not an arbitrary thing.
the product of caprice, it is not the impulse of a
;

passing hour

it

is

the voice of a character that

has no choice but righteousness, "Thy Spirit is

He would not say " Thy will be done,"
good."
It is not will which
power behind the will
He would not allow himself to
the Spirit.
be led by a blind fate that knows not where it
He attaches
steers and cares not where it tends.

to evejy object of worship.

he reverences

no value

to

it

is

the

submission for the sake of submission

what he wajits

is

submission to the

n'g/it.

He

THE GOODNESS OF THE

SPIRIT.

only obey a will which comes

will

spirit,"

and which, because

it

55

froin a

"good

comes from a good

a land of uprightness.

spirit, leads to

My

Father, help me as a follower of Christ

to say " Thy will be done."
As a follower of
Christ

is

it

Mohammed.

Thy

easy to say

it

What am

that

as

a
I

follower of

should resist

decrees or refuse to bend beneath

But

dates ?

do not wish

Thy man-

bend
Thou dost
not wish me to bend.
Thou wouldest not have
me accept Thy will because I must but because
I may.
Thou wouldest have me take it, not
I

to

with resignation, but with joy, not with the

absence of murmur, but with the song of praise.

How

shall

reach this goal ?

shall only reach

by feeling what the Psalmist felt that Thy

will comes from a "good Spirit" and goes towards a land of uprightness.
Teach me that
it

Thy
wise.
eyes.

will

is

and before
to

love

teach

me

that

Thy

love

is

Guide me not blindfold, but with open

Grant me the power to look both behind

" the

behind to "

land

Thy good

of uprightness."

Spirit," before

Give

me

the

man whose delight is in Thy

law, who can tell of Thy statutes rejoicing the
heart.
I shall obey Thy will in perfect freedom
when I can say " Thy Spirit is good."
blessedness of the

XXII.
trbe ^Uumination of tbe Spirit.
" Behold

I will

my

HE

my Spirit unto you, I will make known

words unto you." Pkov. i. 23.

pour out

words of a man are no revelation

thee until thou hast received his

It is
it

the

is

not the words that speak to thee;

common
if

experience between thyself and

In vain will he talk

the speaker.

sorrow

thou hast not

to

thee of

known sorrow;

in vain

will he discourse to thee of

not

felt

to

spirit.

beauty.

beauty

if

come from

All thy revelations

the spirit within thee.

thou hast

If thy spirit

is

not on

same mental height with him who walks by

thy side his words will to thee be the accents of
Even so is it with the words
a foreign tongue.
The reading of all the chapters in the
of God.
the

Bible will not reveal

witness with thy

revelation.

God

spirit.

Before

to thee until

they bear

Creation must precede

God can speak

to thee

He

up to His own level.

The
divine alone can understand the divine.
There
are words lying in thy memory which are not

must

raise

thee

THE ILLUMINATION OF THE

yet revealed to thee

holy words,

SPIRIT.

57

sacred words,

words learned at a mother's knee, but whose

When
beauty is by thee as yet unfelt, unseen.
the Spirit comes the old words will come to thee
Thou shalt rharvcl at what
as something new.
thou hast passed by unnoticed on the way.
Thou shalt wonder at the richness of the Lord's
Prayer, at the power of the Sermon on the Mount,
at the tenderness of the story of a prodigal son.

Thou

shalt be

surprised at the melody of old

psalms, thrilled by the novelty of familiar incidents,

things are
to the

by the freshness of well-known

stirred

passages.

To him who is a new creature old

the mine that was empty
all made new
;

eye of sense, to the

Thou

Show me

of the Lord.
lies

spirit reveal 3 gold.

divine Spirit illuminate to

me

beneath the old familiar stories.

the depth of meaning that

Zion.

Raise

me

the words

the wealth of glory that

is

Teach me

hid in the songs of

to the height of aspiration that

compassed by the wings of the prophet. Lift

me to the summit of faith that is trod by the
" Open thou mine eyes, that
feet of the Apostle.
I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."
The wonders are in Thy law already they do
But until Thou comest
not need to be put there.
my eyes are in want of a lens by which to see
them.
They are like the well of water which
is

Hagar did not

behold, like the

ram caught

in the

58

THE ILLUMINATION OF THE

SPIRIT.

which Abraham did not discern, like the

fire which Ehjah did not
recognise.
We need angels to tell us these
things though they lie on our daily path.
Shine
in our hearts, Thou better Sun, and glorify the
ancient message.
Light up the old texts, irradiate the time-worn phrases, deepen the bygone meanings, revise the inadequate readings,
thicket

cake prepared on the

reveal the latent applications, unlock the hidden

doors.

vessels

shall find the treasures in

when Thou

of the Lord.

hast

my

made known

earthen

the

words

XXIII.

peace of tbe Spirit

XTbe
"And

Lord

the Spirit of the

^Sr^LONE among
/^W'

came

x"^

^'^^'^

the sons of

Him

to

upon Him."

in the

IsA.

men

xi. 2.

the Spirit

form of

To

rest.

always comes in the form of

The begininngs of new life ever make
us

'

unrest.

own

it

We

us restless.
of our

shall rest

vision,

are disquieted

we

Why

It

its

unlikeness

youth the time

because youth carries in its

to our present selves.

of unrest

by the novelty

are pained by

is

is

its own
the germ
whose coming it is not
God's Spirit also comes as a germ
yet ready.
in the bosom of a life not its own.
It comes

bosom

than

higher

life

of that coming

man

for

into the heart while the heart is yet in winter

it

sings as a swallow in the cold.

for its environment,

surroundings

so

it

it

struggles to be free.

with Him.

came
for

it.

to

When

It is

too

big

has seen too much for

its

beats against the bars and

But

far

the Spirit

otherwise was

it

came

it

to

Hivn

His heart was ready

no foreign soil
There was no struggle between the year
;

THE PEACE OF THE

6o

that

was coming and

SPIRIT.

was going;

the year that

the dove from heaven rested in the pure waters

already prepared soul.

There was no
between the breath of the divine Spirit
and the atmosphere of the earthly wilderness

of an
strife

was the Spirit that led Him into the wilderIt was the underlying rest that conquered
for Him the outward tempest.
It made the

it

ness.

bread

stones

the

in

through the sea

desert land.

garden

cross.

it

It

It

it

it gave calm.ness
smoothed a passage

valley

on the dizzy height.

It

multiplied

sustenance in a

bore the solitary burden of the

endured the universal burden of the

was

peace eternal, a peace

tinuous, a peace independent of

on Him.
Son of man,

war; the

conSpirit

res/cd

peace.

let

me Thy

Fulfil to
I

often

me

latest

get

enter into

Thy rest.
me Thy

promise, send

Thy

Spirit

flashes

in

in

moments of transfiguration, in heights of Pisgah.

But I want more than its flashes I want its
abiding rest.
I want it to come to me as a
;

permanent power, to be with me alway even

unto the end of the world.
I want it to be
something which the world can neither give nor
take avva3^, which the hosannahs of Jerusalem
cannot create nor the tears of Gethsemane destroy.
That is what Thou hast promised me,
Nothing less will make
that is what I wait for.

THE PEACE OF THE

life

tolerable to

make

it

perfect.

give

6l

me nothing more remains to

Thy peace passeth all un;

derstanding because

changing;

SPIRIT.

it

is

me abo

unchanged amid the

fadeless

this

bloom.

Grant me too the power to pass from the opened

heavens into the clouded wilderness and to hear

undimmed the voice " This is my beloved Son."

The dove that lighted on me at the Jordan must
abide with me in the desert
the desert will
be a Paradise when Thy Spirit has rested
;

upon me.

XXIV.
XTbe Spirit's Streiiotb to a IRation.
" Becausi; the palaces shall be forsaken
be left the forts and towers shall be

shall

wild asses, a pasture of flocks

from on high."

ISA.

jHREE
|a|S

ro^'alty

ship

things

are here said

the tower.

The

all.

The

The

God's sense

strength

to be a soldier in

ness which

is

the glory of
is to

be the

is to

be the

Spirit is the root of warlike

all.

all

Spirit

God's sense

Spirit is the secret of citizen-

to be a citizen in

depend

to

the palace, the city, and

brother of

the defender of

dens for ever, a joy of

be poured upon us

xxxii. 14, 15.

on the Spirit

servant of

the multitude of the city

for

until the Spirit

to be a king in

God's sense

is to

be

the defender of that righteous-

is at last

the universal interest.

God's

man,
and these three are the blessings of the nation.
What else can I ask for my country than this
trinity of privileges
that her court shall be
always pure, that her cities shall be always
flourishing, and that in the cause of righteousness
her towers shall be always strong.
Let
Lord of nations, bless our native land.
Spirit is for the nation as well as for the

THE
Thy
life

SPIRIT'S

vSTRENGTH TO A NATION.

divine Spirit be incarnated in

63

threefold

its

in its rulers, in its citizens, in its soldiers.

Impress

its

rulers with the responsibility of being

great, the weightedness of being ministers to

Impress

its

citizens with

all.

the multitude of their

claims, the vastness of that brotherhood of

wh'ch

they are members.

Impress its soldiers with the

that
fearlessness
is born of duty, the courage
comes
from
devotion
to the just and true.
that
Purify
its

its

palaces, cleanse

bulwarks.

be done,"

Teach

its citizens

its

its streets,

strengthen

rulers to say "

to cry "

Thy

will

hallowed be Thy

name," its soldiers to pray " Thy kingdom come."

Let its kings be priests unto Thee let its citizens
let its soldiers be
be fathers to the multitude
peacemakers to the world. May Thine altars not
;

be removed from the high places

may Thy word

not be silent in the homes of industrious

may Thy banner be unfurled in

on the field. Then shall our land

the

be

toil

camp and
full

of

Thy

glory, a universal priesthood, a holy convocation.

Then

shall

we be numbered amongst

those

nations which stand already at the right hand

Thy judgment seat and receive from Thee

the blessing of the ministrant, " Enter ye into the
of

Thy Spirit shall be poured

on us from on high when Thou hast exalted our
palaces, our cities, and our towers.

joy of your Lord."

"

XXV.
ITbe Spirit's
"

The

mobe

of IReoeneration*

grass vvithereth, the flower fadeth

Lord bloweth upon

IM

HAT

it

surely the people

is

because the Spirit of the

grass."

ISA.

the Spirit a destroyer

was the source of

xl. 7.

thought

would
have expected it to have been written,
"The grass withcreth because the Spirit of the
Lord doth iwt blow upon it."
Here for the first
it

time the breath of the Spirit

life

Yes, but

but death.

lude to

life ?

is

is

life.

said to give not

not death the pre-

" That which thou sowest

quickened except

die."

it

among

used

to

is

not

think

it

gods of the Hindoos

;
there was one worshipped as " the Destroyer
is not the Spirit here worshipped as the destroyer
strange that

the

the witherer of the grass.

And

that the grass should wither ?

is it

not well

Is not grass the

very emblem of fadingness, the very principle of

death.

Is not to say that the grass shall wither,

equivalent to saying that death shall die.

flowering of the flesh

Lord within me

if

is

that

killing the

word

is

The

word of the

to

endure for

THE

SPIRIT'S

MODE OF REGENERATION.

65

must fade.
What
what but the Spirit
Shall the breath that gave life to the

ever, the flowering of the flesh

power

shall

divine ?

make

it

fade,

waters do otherwise than destroy the adversary

own

gift ?
Shall it not blow upon the
impedes the immortal life, shall it not
breathe upon the grass that buries the word of
the Lord ?

of

its

flesh that

O Thou
sin.

Thou

divine

Destroyer,

abolisher of death,

Thou crucifier of
we worship Thee.

Spirit of Calvary, Spirit of the redeeming Christ,

blow upon our deadness that it may die. Wither
all in my heart that would wither Thy word.
Wither its pride, its self-seeking, its vanity.

Wither

its

malice,

uncharitableness.

its

hatred,

Wither

its

envy,

its

all

preference for the

its

seen and temporal, its estimation of the dross

above the gold. Wither its hopes of being happy
through the love of self, its prospects of avoiding
misery through forgetfulness of others.
Wither
the gourd that shuts out the larger view, that
prevents me from seeing the woes of Nineveh.
When Thou blowest upon the grass, mortality
shall be swallowed up of life
when the flower
;

of the flesh shall fade,

for ever.

Thy word

shall

endure

XXVI.

Ube
"

IfDeroism ot the Spirit

my Spirit upon Him He shall bring forth judgment

He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause His voice
A bruised reed shall He not break, and
to be heard in the street.
the smoking flax shall He not quench." Is A. xlii. 1-3.
I

have put

to the Gentiles.

[HAT

strange

judgment

mode

What

of bringing forth

a strange

pecially of bringing forth

the Gentiles."

mode

es-

judgment "

to

Gentile's evidence for a man's

possession of the divine Spirit was just the contrary

it

was

his

voice, to let his

power

to

to

cry,

anger be heard

in

lift

up his

the street, to

break the bruised reed and quench the smoking

flax

it

Roman
is

was

for

gifts

such as

these that the

But here
Here is a
the power to
Spirit which

raised his heroes to the skies.

new and unheard-of

heroism.

heroism whose strength consists in

suffer and not cry.
Here is a

claims to be divine on the ground not of breaking

but of being broken, not of bruising, but of being

bruised.

The

Gentiles

standard of strength

They

are judged

the

by a new

standard of patience.

are no longer measured by what they can

THE HEROISM OF THE

do,

SPIRIT.

67

They

but by what they can bear.

arc no

longer vahied by the burdens they can impose,

They
burdens they can sustain.
how many towers they have
pulled down, how many victims they have slain,
how many homes they have made desolate.
They are asked how many defeats they have
borne undismayed, how many crosses they have
but by the

are no longer asked

received unmurmuring,

how many

obloquies they

have endured unavenged. The valley has become

The
a mountain, and the mountain a valley.
gentleness which was a mark of contempt has
made its possessor great, and the testimonial for

new army

admission into the

is this

"

He

shall

not strive nor cry."

Son of Man, teach me the new ideal of manliTeach me the divinity of patience, the

ness.

the strength of endur-

glory of long-suftering,
ance, the majesty

of self-restraint.

Teach me

the heroism as well as the blessedness of being

poor in

Thou

of God."
shall

spirit,

meek,

merciful,

peace-making.

hast said " they shall be called the children

Thou

hast promised that

come when the peace-makers

be God's children,

the reputation of

but shall be called

it

in

Hasten that happy time.

the garland shall
passion,

when

the

the time

shall not
it

only

have

the eyes of the world.

Hasten the day when

be woven for the restraint of

brow

shall

be wreathed for

THE HEROISM OF THE

the suhjugaiion of temper,

SPIRIT.

when

shall be raised for the refusal to

the

lift

monument

up the

voice.

when we shall prize the tenderbeared, when we shall reverence the forbearing,
whent we shall bow down before the power to
forgive.
Bring in the new judgment-day when
Ring

we

in

the age

measure our strength by our capacity

weakness by our inability to
bear.
The Gentiles shall judge themselves by
Thy standaid of power when they learn that
Thy spirit of siknce is the Spirit of God.
shall

for endurance, our

XXVII.
XTbe (Slualification tov tbe Spirit.
" For

I will

pour water upon him that

the dry ground

will

is

my Spirit upon

pour

thirsty,

and floods upon

thy seed."

ISA.

^^^Y qualification for being made divine

M^P thirstiness, my sense of want.
^^'^^^

xliv. 3,

is

my

That

which makes me capable of receiving

God's Spirit

my

is

not

my

feeling of boundlessness,

That which
makes me greater than the beasts of the field is
but

not
into

struggle with limitations.

my superior strength,
my own weakness.

but

sense of needs unsatisfied.

which makes me human

speculation

My
is

love

the

is

my

my

of

my

spirit.

my

longings are

is

my

heart.

My

my
me

My

a form of thirst.

fanc}'.

not long for anything

Why
Why

is

superior insight

greatness

Everything about

the thirst of

the thirst of

thirst

thirst of

and

is

my

My

understanding.

My

aspiration

prayer

is

the

am

a bundle of longings,

all

prophecies.

if I

had reached

could

finality.

do I seek so many things that arc not here ?

do I not sing through the world as tlie
bird sings through the firmament ?
It is because

THE QUALIFICATION FOR THE

5-0

tlie

firmament

world

is

not

is

my

the

bird's

SPIRIT.

environment

environment.

If

were,

it

the

too

But there is that within me which

My eye is not
is not met by aught around me.
satisfied with its seeing, nor my ear with its

would

sing.

hearing.

My

knowledge, nor
a

perfect

intellect

my

beauty,

is

not

heart with

perfect

with

filled

its love.

music,

its

seek

perfect

wisdom, a perfect soul.

My thirst is the proI long for
phecy of an environment yet to be
Thy Spirit, O Lord, and thereby I know that.
Thou too longest for me.
Nothing but Thyself
can enclose the aspirations of my heart, because
;

nothing but

;;7)'sclf

can meet the desires of Thine,

am incomplete without Thee, because without

me Thy fulness has not come. Come to my
heart and we shall dwell together, I in Thee and
Thou in me. Come to my heart and its hungering shall be filled, and Thy love shall be satisfied,
Come to my heart and
and we shall be one.
I

day
and night shall meet together, omnipotence and
I hope for Thy
frailty shall embrace each other.
there shall be a union of earth and heaven

Spirit because I thirst for Thee.

XXVIII.
XTbc povvec of tbc Spirit

"When

the

Lord

enemy shall come in like a flood,

lift up a standard against him."

the Spirit of the

ISA.

shall

lix.

19.

v^ BEAUTIFUL contrast here the gentle

^^W\ Spirit standing against the tempestuous

&m

flood.
It would seem as if the calm
would be a feeble standard-bearer in the
But in truth it is
face of the rushing waters.
Have you ever measured the strength
not so.

Spirit

that lies in

being conscious of the right?

has doubled the power of armies.

What

is

It

the

reason that nations going to war are so eager to

impress the world with the justice of their cause

It is

because they

know

that to feel the justice

is to have half the battle won.

There
power in the sense of right which covers
there is a weakness in the
much weakness
sense of wrong that destroys much power.
I
am not fully armed till I am armed with the
whole armour of God.
have not raised a
I

of a cause
is

perfect

embankmen.t against the flood until the

Lord has planted Ilis standard there.

Spirit of the

THE POWER OF THE

72

Spirit of Clirist, help

No

ill."

When

become

Thy

hear

" It is I,"

me

armour equals

SPIRIT.

to

the

say "

it

Thy
duty.

voice on the waters saying

and
Nothing can make me

the waters themselves subside

a great

calm.

calm amid the waters but that duty-call.

the

is

sense of

enemy comes

in

like

my

a flood,

When
heart

is

overwhelmed within me and I cry to be saved

But when duty says, "it is I,"
from the storm.
the storm
I no longer wish to be saved from
My strength to meet it is
I go out to meet it.
the one new
still the same, no less and no more
But that is
thing is Thy voice of conscience.
rebukes the
it
the addition of omnipotence
Thy standard is
waves it makes me strong.
when that is lifted up I fear
a moral standard
Lift up that standard, Thou Spirit of
no foe.
Say " It is I, be not afraid." Say to my
iruth.
;

trembling soul,
is

thy

It is

Say

call.

to

thy duty,

my

it is

thy mission,

fainting heart.

The

it

voice

upon the waters, the standard

Say to my
" Lo
/
faltering will. The right is on thy side
eT.m with you alway, even unto the end of the
Though the waters rise up to the brim
world."

of the Lord

is

of the Lord shall be thy rearward.

they shall not overflow me, if only Thy voice

shall say " Well done," if only there shall gleam

behind

me

that

standard of rectitude which

the lifting up of the banner of

Thy

power.

is

XXIX.
Tlbc /ir^ission ot tbc Spivtt
" The
anointed

me

Spirit of the

me

to bind

Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath

good tidings unto the meek He hath sent
;

to preach

up

the broken-hearted."

^\Cv GREAT

thinker

ISA.

for

things

The

foundly true.

i.

has said

man

tianity first taught

^t^^'\
^^^"^^

Ixi.

beneath

that

Chris-

the reverence

him.

It

is

pro-

Spirit of Christ can say dis-

tinctively, "

He

heart."

has come through other channels for

It

hath sent

Jiie

to bind the

other purposes, but through this channel

broken

it

has

Sometimes its mission

had but one purpose.
has been to teach me God's majesty, sometimes
to reveal His beaut}'^, sometimes to proclaim His
law.

But here

of the Spirit

God's power

The

is

in the heart of

to

show me

His

power of

Jesus the mission

exhibition of

new

infinite

stooping.

divine majesty has ceased to dwell in the

It
heavens it has begun to bend downwards.
has refused to admit any longer that it is outside
the world of suffering
if it be infinite it must
include the cross as well as the crown.
Men
;

THE MISSION OF THE

74

SPIRIT.

have sought to honour it by denying it a home

amid the sorrowful it repudiates such a hniit
It demands admission
to its universal presence.
;

lowly

into

things.

It

homes of

hearts and

door of the

claims

child-life.

the cares and

in

toils

the

at the

It solicits participation

of manhood.

glory of incarnation

the

is

into

knocks

It

asks an entrance into

It

the struggles of youth.

glory

access

the sad.

Its latest
it

empties

itself.
.

Thou

divine Spirit,

have found

in

the

Son of man a new test of Thy presence. I used

to see Thee by the vision of the eye, by the light
of stars and S3'stems, by the beauty of wood and
But now I have lost somewhat of that
field.
Science has stolen the splendour

ancient glory.

of the stars, destroyed the spontaneity of the

woods and
spoke of

modern

Thou

fields

will.

Thou

life,

speak of law where once

Art Thou gone then from

Spirit of the

the stars into the soul.

cioss, in the tidings

brought

binding of wounded hearts.

from

to the
I

see

reverence for things beneath me,

for

pain,

Thee

in

No;

Highest?

new channel
see Thee now

only gone into a

art

in

the

my sympathy
elevation

my

in

meek,

Thee

my

in the
in the

in

my

interest

with tears.

see

of every valley,

in

the

depression

of every mountain, in the crooked

ways made

straight

and the rough places

plain.

THE MISSION OF THE

I

see

Thee

hopeth,

SPIRIT.

75

in the charity that bearetli, believeth,

cndureth

seeketh not her

all

own

things

in the

mercy

in

the love that

that rejoices

against judgment, in the forgiveness that wel-

comes even from the grave.

tests

of

of

Thy

Thy

presence.

These

are

The heavens may

the
tell

glory in more broken accents than of

yore, but the strain has been taken up by loftier

harps than
of those

theirs.

who

It

has passed into the hands

preach good tidings to the meek.

;;

XXX.

Zbc

Spirit scckiuG tbe DaUe\?5.

" As a beast goeth down into the

caused him to rest." ISA. Ixiii. 14.

valley, the Spirit of the

Lord

" As the cattle

Loid caused them to

that

[Revised Version.
the Spirit of the

go down into the

valley,

rest."]

|HE

Spirit gives us rest by abasing our

animal nature, " as a beast goeth down

fM. [Sh

into the valley."

the cattle go
it is

The

it

process by which

into the valley is not restful

the descent of a steep.

by unrest
is

down

Their rest

by movement downward.

with thy spiritual

rest.

It

is

reached

is

Even so

only in the

valley of humiliation that thou canst find

nature thou art on the mountains.

standing on the hilltop of vanity
;

nothing above thee

And

By
art

thou seest

thou art a law unio thyself.

Thou
communion
hast come to

that is the secret of thine unrest.

art too near to thyself, too

with thine

view

it.

Thou

own shadow.

thyself

as

the

much
Thou

centre

therefore thou art spiritually

fretted

of

in

the

sick.

universe

Thou

by every breeze that does not

art

regale

THE

SPIRIT SEEKING

THE VALLEYS.

77

by every sunbeam that

But hast thou forgotten that
thou art but one of a vast family every one of
whom must be ministered unto even as thou ?
Hast thou forgotten that joy comes only by selfthee, thou art disturbed

does not cheer.

forgetfulness, that he
lose

it

Thou

art in

who

loveth

need of

his

life

humilit};,

shall

thou art

want of the valley, O my soul.

God's Spirit
must lead thee down as the cattle are led down.
Thou must be brought into a lowly place where
thy pride shall die.
Thou must be crucified tothou
gether with Christ that thou mayest live
must be buried in the shadows ot evening that
there may be light.
O glorious shadows that
in

hide

me from my own shadow, O

me from the mountain

that divides

gentle valley

of

my

pride,

wondrous evening that shelters me from the

burden and heat of my selfish care, O rest of
love that means the awakening of all that is
noble,
1

it

is

worth while

may repose

in thee.

to

be brought down that

XXXI.

Ube
" And the

]levation of tbe Spirit

me and

Spirit entered into

set

heard him that spake unto nie."

EXALTATION
I

will not

must precede

must

set

me

Before

my

en

if

my

revelation.

Him

that

is

grovelling

Him

the Spirit

soul

can hear

feet,

feet, that I

2.

ii.

hear the words of

speaks to nie
in the dust.

me upon my

EzEK.

must cause me

to stand

must impress me with the dignity of

Consider, my soul, when is it
being a man.
that thou hearest most clearly the voice of duty ?
Is it not when thou art most conscious of thine
own responsibility, most alive to thine own
upright,

deathless greatness?

It is

when thou standest

on thy feet in the sense of immortalit}' that thou

art most inspired by the message of revelation.
Before all things the Spirit must lift thee up,
raise thee into the level of the sunbeams.
It is
in vain that the

lying on
until
it

its

its

face

face

with thee,

is

my

mirror exists in the room

if it is

sunbeams cannot reach it

upturned to them.
Even so is
Heaven lies about thee
soul.

the

'THE ELEVATION OF

THE

SPIRIT.

not only in thine infancy, but at

not enough

is

it

all

that a place

79

times.

\li\t

prepared for

is

thee; thou must be prepared for the place.

is

come

not enough that thy light has

It

thou as

the Prophet says must arise thyself and shine.

No outward

shining can reveal unless thou art

thyself a reflector of

charm
Society

thee

if

cannot

not

thee

delight

Nature cannot
happy.

glory.

art

already
if

thou

not

art

Goodness cannot gladden thee

already social.
if

its

thou

thou art not already good.

If

thou wouldst

see thy Father running to meet thee, thou must

first say within thyself, " I will arise and go to

my

What

Father."

thy Father runs to meet

thy separation, thy want, thy need.

to thee because thou canst not live without

and the moment thou

He

waits

until

swine-husks,
living,

until

Him,

feelest that thou canst not.

thou art dissatisfied

until

is

He comes

thou hast

with

the

art

weary of riotous

lifted

thine eyes out of

thou

and then He flies to greet thee

with the ring and the robe.
When the Spirit has
set thee on thy feet thou shalt hear the words of
the miry clay

thy Father.

XXXII.
TIbe IRctrospect of tbe Spirit
"Then the Spirit took (R. V.
me a voice of a great rushing,
Lord from His

HEN
the
I

the

"^oi^^

K7}v

Ezek.

place."

lifted)

me

past

life

heard behind

12.

iii.

Spirit

me up

lifts

hear the

From

of blessings behind me.

my

of

place

spiritual

see the glory of the things

My

up, and

faying, Blessed be the glory of the

elevation

have passed by.

looks resplendent in the light of

new present. When I saw it in advance it

seemed dark, but the moment it becomes a retro-

the

spect, the

moment

see

it

best thing possible,

say of

it,

me

behind

lies

it

of a higher experience,

in the light

have been the

" Blessed be the

to

glory of the Lord."

Spirit divine, reveal

me the glory of the

me the providence of

to

things behind me, teach

the events that have gone by.

while they were gohig by

by

faith

Tliy goal for

that

should

murmured

mc

feel

it

not.

is sight.

Thee

trusted

was content

to be

But

faith

It is

my

Thee
walk

to
is

not

not enough

king

must

THE RETROSPECT OF THE

see the king in
that

his

bcanty.

should experience

It

Thy

SPIRIT.

Si

not enough

is

strength

the

in

must be made to
blossom as the rose.
It is not enough that an
Gethangel should support me in Gethsemane
semane itself must be glorified in the light of
Olivet.
I
have not asked to trace Thee while
Thy chariot wheels were passing but now that
wilderness

wilderness

the

they are past,

Let

me

see

Spirit,

me

let

see

Thee as Jacob saw Thee

Thy

face.

at Peniel

as a vindication of his struggle, as an explanation

of his

Thee

Let

grief.

at

Tarsus

me

see

Thee

the disguise of present darkness.

Thee

as

as Saul

saw

sending the future sunshine

Let

me

in

see

revealing
John saw Thee at Patmos
were themselves but modes

that the clouds of life

of

Thy

coming.

shall not

weep

pression of the passing hour,

if

time of Thine uplifting comes,

me

the glory of the Lord.

for

only

the de-

when

shall see

the

behind

XXXIII.
XLbc Compulsion of tbc Spirit,
" So the

Spirit lifted

me up, and
my spirit

bitterness, in the heat of

strong upon me."

Ezek.

^^^"^ OD'S

^^^fl
^^^'"*'^

^'^^
in

spirit

^^^^

obedience

mightier Hand.

me

away, and

went In

14.

iii.

Spirit often

took

but the hand of the Lord was

How

to

me

leads
;

go

the

often do

against

pressure
I

the

bitterness

in

of

say " a sense

duty compels me."

It is a wonderful consomething in me which

is higher than myself, something which uses me
as an instrument, which commands me as a
How many places have I visited as
servant.
and how
a sacrifice just because I ought to go
many times have I reaped from the sacrifice an
unlooked-for harvest
I went in bitterness, in
the heat of the spirit, in enforced submission to
the call of right, and I found in the scene of my
expected torment the turning-point of my destiny;
under the dust-heap was gold.

oi

fession

that

there

is

Spirit of Christ,

constraineth me.

thank Thee that

thank Thee that

Thy

love

in the trreat

THE COMPULSION OF THE

SPIRIT.

83

Thou waitest not for my consent

thank Thee that Thou leadcst me
way which I know not, by a way which is

labyrinth of
to lead

life

me.

by a
above the level of my poor understanding.
thank Thee that Thou art not repelled by
bitterness, that

my

heat of

Thou

art not turned aside

There

spirit.

is

no force

by the
in

me

fetters,

it

servitude,

this

Thy love it
me with golden

universe so glorious as the force of

compels

my

come in. It binds

draws me with silver cords. O divine
O slavery that makes me free, O love
to

me only to set my feet in a larger

me more and more within thy folds.
against myself
against my own

that imprisons

room, enclose

Shut me

in

bitterness, against the heat of

me from
desires

Ask me

my

spirit.

the impetuous desires of

as

short-lived

where

not

my

as they are

would

like

Protect

nature

impetuous.
to

go

tell

me where to go lead me in Thine own way

hold me in Thine own light.
I may go in the
bitterness of my soul, I may journey in the heat
;

of

my

spirit,

pleasantness

if

but
the

shall

hand of

reach the

my God

paths of

be upon me.

XXXIV.

Zhc XoncUness
"Then

of the Spirit.

the Spirit entered into me,

and

set

me upon my

my

nouse.

amidst a crowd.
into new scenes
a

new

them
I

am

It
;

it

is

is

leel

iii.

and
24.

my;

not that

am ushered

that the old scenery yields

Yesterday

result.

feet,

EzEK.

said unto me, Go, shut thyself within thine house."

was

quite

filled

by

to-day, even while in contact with them,

miles beyond them.

Is

not this a hard

Why

price to pay for being a Christian ?

the Spirit of Christ

Avhy should

Why

shut

it

indeed ?

such a solitude

me

bring

me up

within

this

should

asceticism,

my own

house

Think you the Spirit desires

Think you the Son of Man
?

would not have been glad

winepress

if

He

company

could

the

alone?

Think you that the goal of the

anything else than

in

have

instead

trodden

of

Spirit is

communion with humanity,

that the will of the Spirit

is

the attainment of this sroal ?

anything else than

Do

not blame the

THE LONELINESS OF THE

SPIRIT.

makes thee

Spin'/ that its entrance into thy heart

solitary

The

Spirit longs to be in every

house
a

the world that thou shouldst blame.

it is

As

in thine.
it

spirit

long as

in

solitude

thirst.

Its

O my

soul.

is

is

but

Thy house
a moment,

for

His Son

in

munest not with

immediately,

not

thee,

to Jerusalem, to

there shall be no

the grey
*'

dawn

thy

isolation

pleases

and blood

but

Thou

ultimately.

the

in

God

to

is

only

shalt

not

it

thou shalt return to

Thou

shalt

the time will

come

Rome.

not dwell for ever in Patmos

when

thine,

is

home

immediately thou com-

linger for ever in Arabia

Damascus,

so

Thine

it

//lee

itself

becomes thy
;

and shall melt

When

flesh

makes

share

not thy

is

the house of humanity.

brotherhood of man.
reveal

cross

its

it

to

panting

its

is

and

pants

It

and

with the world,

home

prison,

prison.

house as well as

shut up within thy

is

it

a spirit in

is

85

more

sea.

It is

only at

of morning that the Spirit says

Shut thyself within thine house."

XXXV.
TLbc Spirit: tbc jfasbion of tbe
TFlew Uqc,
"And

it

upon

come

shall

to pass afterward that

pour out

will

my

and your sons and your daughters shall

prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men
shall see visions
and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit," JOEL ii. 28, 29.
Spirit

flesh

all

^A^i^ND
^m]%\
^'^^^

so the Spirit

worldly,
flesh.

to
I

am

is

at

poured

be

told

last

become
upon all

to

out

that the fashion

of

but into what does it

world passeth away
the fashion of the
Into another fashion
pass ?
this

There is a time coming when there shall

There is a time
be no such word as secular.
coming when the Spirit shall claim not only the
churches but the streets and openings of the
Spirit.

gates,

not only the feebleness of old age but

of youth, not only the gravity of

the visions

fathers but the mirth of sons and daughters, not

only the service

domestic service

in

the house of the Lord but the

in the

houses of men.

THE

THE FASHION OF THE NEW

SPIRIT;

Thou

Thou

divine

we

Spirit,

not complete until

is

the lowest earth.

hast touched

87

long for this hour of

Thine incarnation

Thine.

AGE.

It is

not

enough that Thou shouldst be a joy forever

Thou must be a universal joy. It is not enough
Thou
that Thou art beautiful on the mountains
must be resplendent in the valley. Thy triumph
is the conquest of my lesser moments, the moments
I consecrate to Thee the
which I call secular.
;

walls of
to

my

temple, but

Thee the

consecrated
city.

Thee

to

The exchange

ing-house

"

is

Thee

limit

fear to

bringing Thee

my

spirit

down

but not

content with

my
my

is

pleasure are
are apart

life

have not yet suffered Thee to

things."

all

native

workshop

the

of

magnifying Thee.

fill

my

unconsccrated, the countr

the trifles of

the streets of

The scenes

Thee

from Thee

have never consecrated

I have never

dwelling

unconsecrated,

is

unconsccrated.
outside of

my

walls of

my

to

my

spirit.

bj'

too

much

degrade Thee by

the plain

give

Thee

But Thou art not

flesh.

Thou

claimest the right

empty Thyself into my impotence. Thou

desirest again to come in my flesh
to fill with
Thy presence my Canas and my Nazareths and
my Bethanies to glad my marriage feasts and
to

help

hold

my

receipts of

custom and

Thy progress
Thy
downward

fires.

progress

light

like

the

my

housesun is a

beginning

is

the

83

THE

SPIRIT:

THE FASHION OF THE NEW

AGE.

mountain but Thy climax is the dusty plain.

The shepherds again shall sing their " Glory
in the highest "

" upon

all flesh."

when Thy

life

shall be

poured

XXXVI.

Ube

Dictor\? of the Spunt.

" Not by might nor by power, but by my

Hosts." Zech. iv.

g]g|HE

Spirit, saith the

Lord of

6.

Lord of Hosts is here

might and power,
I
*
and rightly so.
The Spirit of the Lord
ot Hosts is love
the sacrifice of might and
power.
The world has been made great by the
gentlest of all its forces.
Man had no dominion
over the beast of the field until the advent of
love.
The animal raged within him unsubdued
until the Christ came.
Thunder, earthquake, and
Spirit of the

di.stinguished

from

fire

the

strove in vain to quell

still

small

voice.

crucifixion

it

it

yielded only to

The Jew proposed

the
the philosopher advised the
of feeling
neither could suppress

terrors of the law

the passions of the soul.

it

It

But when love came,

conquered the old passions by a new passion.
sent not thunder but lightning.
It forbade

nothing,

it crucified nothing, it destroyed

nothing
simply flashed on me the light of a new presence and the old presence died.
There was no
;

it


THE VICTORY OF THE

90

mutilation of the heart, there

of the heart's ancient

SPIRIT.

was no

possessions

destruction
there

was

which made the ancient

they were destroyed " by

just a transcendent glory

possessions valueless

the brightness of His coming."

Son of Man,

let

my

lower nature be con-

by Thy Spirit.
would not have it
I
conquered by the terrors of law these would
bind my hands, but would leave my heart at war.
I would not have it conquered by the death of
feeling
that would save me from stepping into
evil by depriving me of the power to walk at
all.
But I would have it conquered by Thee
a larger, purer love.
I would have Thy beauty
quered

to extinguish all other beauties,

out

all

other lights,

Thy

Thy

light to put

joy to dwarf

all

other

do not want to be converted by mutilation but by expansion

I
do not w'ant to be
made good by being narrowed but by beingenlarged.
Nothing but a higher love will subdue my lower love
subdue it without killijig it.
Might and power would reduce it to ashes in
a moment, but my heart would be ashes too.
Thou alone canst preserve my heart and yet
burn its sin, Thou alone canst enlarge my nature
and yet destroy its impurities.
Thou alone canst
subdue my will and yet sustain its resoluteness
not by might nor by pov.er but by Thy Spirit,

joys.

Lord.

XXXVII.
trbe Spirit as in Cbrist.
"And,

the heavens were opened unto him,

lo,

of

God

descending

lilce

Matt.

|v)i^t1IIE

New

Testament

with the

ij?^p5^(
f^^rsii^

and he saw the

a dove, and lighting upon Him.

ence

in

their

like the

Yet there

Spirit.

beginnings.

Spirit
"

iii.

i6.

Old begins
a

clilfer-

The

Spirit

is

of the Old Testament comes out trom the dark-

ness

has to form the light by wliich

it

we

are

But the Spirit of the New comes

from light already created
it descends from the
opened heavens.
The Spirit of the Old Testament moves on the face of troubled waters the
Spirit of the New alights and reposes on the
calm bosom of the Son of Man.
No wonder
the Spirit of the New Testament is like a dove
it has itself found peace in the heart of its own
to

see

it.

creation

it

Sabbath of

on the

its

we are glad that Thou hast

Long hast Thou waited to find it
bosom of Thy creation. The earth could

Spirit

found

has reached in the soul of Jesus

rest.

divine,

rest.

THE
nut give

it,

the sea could not give

could not give

give

SPIRIT AS IN CHRIST.

it,

it

the plant

the beast of the field could not

if Thou
it seemed as
Eden of humanity, but the
there was no love there sacrificial

For a moment

it.

hadst found

it

in the

dream faded
enough to meet Thy love.
And so Thy way
was still through the sea and Thy path through
the deep
trackless, homeless, friendless.
But
now at last Thou hast found a home. There has
come a pure soul worthy of Thy habitation and
;

Thou

hast entered

Thou

in.

beholdest at length

the mirror of Thyself, the image of

the reflex of

the joy of

Thy

love.

communion

Thou

length

beauty,

a joy that hitherto Thou

hast given but never shared.

at

Thy

receivest at length

the solitude

Thou

hast broken

of unequalled greatness

and hast found the man that is Thy fellow.

Heaven and earth have met together and the
is

destroyed that made

heart so long alone.

Well mayest Thou

middle wall of partition

Thy

form of a dove, for Thou hast found

the olive branch of peace
the Son of Man hath

come

in the

given Thee

rest.

XXXVIII.

power

TEbe Expulsive
" But

if I

God

is

Spirit of

is

tM ^M

^^'^^

^^^

past vices.

by Christ's

^^^^

^^

It is

devils should be cast out

c.xpel

God, then the kingdom of

Matt.

come unto you."

no proof of being

f^'^P^T
f<^^^^

by the

cast out devils

of tbe Spirit,

28,

xii.

God's kingdom
from some of his

in

not enough that the

they must be cast out

Other things than that can

Spirit.

man may lose his passions by

he may grow dead to temptation

them.

becoming cold,
There are two
by growing dead altogether.
kinds of calm in the moral world
there is a
calm of summer heat, and there is a calm of icebound winter.
Both have expelled from their
seas the demon of the storm, but from how
different a cause
The one peace has come
;

from

nature's

barrenness

fulness,

the other from

the one from the

warmth

nature's

of love,

the other from the paralysis of selfishness.

by Thy Spirit alone that I

be expelled.
I would not
be freed from vice by being freed from impulse

Son of Man, it
my demons

wish

is

to

94

THE EXPULSIVE POV/ER OF THE

SPIRIT.

would not be made pure by being made an

Thou art pure not
I would be pure as
by receiving less life, but by getting more.
I
would be holy as Thou art holy not by diminishing the impulses of nature, but by the overmastering strength of one impulse Love. Love,
more love, Thy love, it is that that I want not
life made feebler or more inert, but life more
I

icicle.

abundantly, Life Eternal.

from

in

temptation

be

not

my

pray that
the

prompted by mere iceboundness, mere

to feel.

pray that

my

flight

flight

winter not

may

inability

be in the

of Thy love, that I may be tempted from

Sin is
by the very temptation to goodness.
a spirit and spirit can only be conquered by
The expulsion of Satan from my heart
spirit.
is worthless if he be not expelled by Thee.

summer
evil

Come into my heart, Thou Love unspeakable,

and put Thy chains about him, and lead him
captive at Thy will
if Thy Spirit shall cast him
out, I shall know that the kingdom has come.
;

XXXIX,

Zhc

Spirit'5 BMace In /IDissionar^

pccacbino.
"Go

all nations, baptizing them in the name

and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost."

yc ihereforc and tench

of the Father,

Matt,

xxviii. ig.

trt^^'^^HREE things there are which, each in

their turn, have been the worship of
j^jj m
^^^-^
the form of nature, the
the nations
form of man and the life which has no form.
There are some who have reverenced nature and
there are some who have
called it the Father
reverenced human beings and called them Sons
there are some who have reverenced the
of God
hidden life of the universe and called it the
Christ says that the true worship
Divine Spirit.
must be a baptism into the character of all the

He cries across the mission-field to the

nations seeking light, " O ye that hold the truth

three.

come and behold these fragments

Come and see your
and blended in one
rival creeds reconciled
religion.
Come and recognise that the faith

in fragments,

united in a single temple.


96

SPIRITS PLACE IN MISSIONARY PREACHING.

which you profess

is

not perfect

till

it

is

with the faith professed by your brother.

joined

Within

mine you and your brother can

Within this temple of mine
the three corners of all worship are sanctified
the world above, the world around, and the world
within.
Here stand the children of the Father
those who worship the stars of heaven.
Here
stand the children of the Son
those who reverthis temple of

meet side by

side.

Here stand the

ence the heroes of humanity.

children of the Spirit

the mystery

nothing

in

those who bow down before

You will
own you
your own.
You

of universal

my

life.

temple of your

only add your brother's to

learn a
charity.
first

lose
will

will

the lesson

new lesson in my temple

You and your brother

time worship together

twain,

but one

flesh.

another idolaters

completes

the

Ye

when ye

other,

that

ye

shall

for

shall be

not

shall
shall

see

within

of

the

no more
one

call

that each

my

sacred

Pantheon there is a place for all. The Presence

in the sky, and the Presence in the soul, and the
Great Presence everywhere that can be felt but
never seen shall be united in one glory, and all
flesh shall worship it together
the Father of an
Infinite Majesty, His honourable, true, and only
Son, also the Holy Ghost the Comforter."

XL.
ITbc iPnrpose of tbe Spirit's JOlcssino*
"And

immediately

^i^l^^T seemed

**

into the wilderness."

Mark

i.

13.

a strange proof of divine favour.

"inimediatcly," immediately after what

i$
Wt
fv,^yv>
like

Him

Spirit drivcth

t!io

After the opened heavens and the dove-

peace and the voice of a Father's blessing,

Thou

art

my

beloved Son, in

whom

am

well

no abnormal experience. Thou

Are not
too hast passed through it, O my soul.
pleased.'

the

It is

times

of thy deepest

depression just

moments

that follov/ thy loftiest flight ?

day thou

v/ert soaring far

in

singing in the radiance of the

the

Yester-

the firmament and

morn

to-day thy

wings are folded and thy song is silent.

At
noon thou wert basking in the sunshine of a
Father's smile

" M}'

at

eve Thou art saying in the

way

is hid from
the Lord."
Nay, but, my soul, the very suddenness of the
change is a proof that it is not revolutionary.
Hast thou weighed the comfort of that word
" immediately " ?
Why does it come so soon

v;ilderness

9S

THE PURPOSE OF THE

SPIRIT'S BLESSING.

Just to show that

after the blessing?

sequel of the blessing.

What was

it

is

the

that in Jesus

with which the Father was well pleased

It

was the vision of what was to come, the vision

The
of where the Spirit would drive Him.
Father saw that the dove-like peace which had
fallen on the Son of Man would make Him fit
for the wilderness
He blessed Him for what He
would be able to bear.
The shining on the
banks of Jordan was the hour of His adoption,
but the wilderness was the hour of His inheritance.
Is it not ever so ?
God shines on
;

thee to

make

thee

fit

for

desert-places

life's

for its Calvaries.

He lifts
He may give thee strength to go
further down
He illuminates thee that He may
send thee into the night, that He may make

for its

Gethsemanes,

thee up that

thee a help to the helpless.

Not

thou worthy of the wilderness

at all times art

thou art only

worthy of the wilderness after the splendours of

Nothing but the Son's vision can fit
Jordan.
thee for the Spirit's burden
only the glory
of the baptism can support the hunger of the
;

desert

XLI.

Zhc Comtort
"And

it

ot tbe Spirit.

was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that ho

lie had seen the Lord's Christ."

should not see death before

Luicii
MiT^tiMAT

always

y,'-^ [l^'l

t<^i^-j^

vvhat

say that

lot

see

It

death.

death until

make death

reveals.
false

is

shall

of man.

not

symbol of what the Spirit

is

It

to

never

nature.

to

does not

be exempted from the common

does not promise that I shall
It says that I shall not see

have seen something else that

indiilerent to me.

expect

expect that

am

in

such

my

men

But

freedom.

meet them

their sting.

will

not to be

am

am

to

case these calamities shall be

preceded in the heart by another visitor

shall

me

tells

It

freed from the calamities of other

not

26.

ii.

the door and rob

at

They

hands of Esau, but

who

them of

shall

open the door with the

is

with the voice of Jacob

it

that they shall enter

in,

for their

presence shall

be anticipated by another Presence before whose

power

their

roughness

shall be

smooth.

THE COMFORT OF THE

Spirit divine, reveal

this

to

light

not ask a cure from without

from within.

SPIRIT.

me.

do

ask a remedy

claim not the chariot of

fire,

I
beseech Thee only for the rod and the staff.
pray not for the path of Howers remote from the

human

dwellings of
I

tread the

Hrass.

int

a d

thorns

serve

may be

my

dark valley below

iron

things

that

toil

only desire

work without sense of

toil

and

Help me

meet to-day
Give n>e
the scenes once trato

feared yesterday.

the garment of praise in

versed with the

spirit of heaviness.

shall not

fear to see the inevitable valle}' of death,

sh:ill

behold

Lord's

Clirist.

and

tabernacle on a

much without being cumbered by the

Reveal to me my own possibilities of

doing and of bearing.

the

only ask that ere

of dazzling light while the multitude

fret in the

service.

shoes

seek not to build

ihe strength to
to

care

my

my

if ilrst

inmiurtality in the face of the

XLII.

ZlK
"He

shall baptize

iftre of t(3e Sptiit.

you with the Holy Ghost and with

fire."

Luke

iii.

16.

^^^.HERE is a fire which belongs to hell, and

^l^k there is a lire which belongs to heaven.
When

came He baptized everyeven fire.

It was
thing into His own
mark
destruction,
the
of
once the symbol of
in
fiim
gift
of
a
it
became
divine vengeance
There is a pain which only
the Holy Ghost.
of hell, a fire which is
those
outside
comes to
Be not
touch
the
of the Spirit.
kindled
by
only
not
brought
thee
baptism
has
thy
dismayed that
thy
soul
must
God
birthday
gift
of
to
peace
the
*^^^^^^

Christ

service

be not peace but war.

When

the light comes,

not reveal the squalor of thy room and

must it
As long as it
the meanness of thy furniture ?
was dark, these did not trouble thee the absence
of the heavenly fire was an absence of pain.
But when the heavenly fire Hashed into the
;

apartment
discontent.

it

flashed

into

thy soul

sublime

There rose within thee the lunging

THE FIRE OF THE

for a lovelier

dwelling-place,

SPIRIT.

for

a house with

many mansions adorned with unsearchable riches.

The vision of thine old self became terrible to
thine hour of revelation was thine hour of
condemnation the light that came from heaven
was the day that made thee poor.

thee

Spirit

Say

to

of Christ, baptize me into Thy pain.

soul, " Enter thou into the pain of

my

Teach

thy Lord."
is

the only road to

greatest of

all

Thy

my
ni}'

gifts

Grant

lovelessness.

soul that

my

Lord's joy.

me

the

the love that weeps for

nic

increasing

with the cross of the Son of man.

like

Lord's pain

Give

Simon of Gyrene, be compelled

fellowship

would

to

not,

bear His

cross I would be crucified together with Him.

I
would leel what He felt when He beheld the city
and wept over it I would bear what He bore
when He stood in the garden and bowed beneath
the weight of human sin.
I would know that I
am like Him by having sympathy with His tears.
Let me too be saddened with the sins and sorrows
let me too be burdened with the
of the crowd
I shall learn
deeds and destinies of humanity.
that I am in conmiunion with Him vvhen I am
baptized with the pain of His fire.
;

XLIII.

trbe Spivit in (5a!ilce.

"And

Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Gali'ee."

Luke

I^^^^J^OME

thincrs in

our lives look

repetitions

*'^i^^^^^^^

progress but to end where

returns

of His obscurity, the place of His

make no
we began.

to

^^;^^

Jesus returns to Galilee

14.

like meanint?-

we seem

less

iv.

to

the place

toil.

Yet the

second Galilee is very different from the first.

To the eye of a beholder He is walking amid the
old scenes, but to His own eye they are all new
;

He

has " returned

in the

power of

the Spirit."

Thou divine Spirit that didst lead the Son

man back to His first home, I would like thus

of
to

I
would like to retrace the
ground with Thy new life in my heart.
I would like to go back to Galilee under the
It is one thing to be
influence of Thy power.

be led by Thee.
old

in

Galilee before,

it

is

another thing to be in

When

Galilee after the foiling of the tempter.

I

return to the world with

longer the same woild to

Thy power

me;

can

it

is

meet

no
it

THE

I04

without

me

Give

fear.

me

Fit

SPIRIT IN GALILEE.

that power,

for the scenes of Galilee

Spirit.

the old scenes

Fit me for the marriage

me for the daily toil of
Nazareth.
Strengthen me to meet the temptations of the world by teaching me the temptations
of the wilderness.
Let me learn in the wilder-

that used to conquer me.

Cana

of

feast

ness that

my

ripen

dangers come not from Galilee but

from, the solitudes of

solitude with

me Thy

my

Create within

with the enthusiasm of humanity

find

my crown

me from
that

"

Inspire

my own

others'

to

me

gates to

hunger which says

I
go back

me

of past

to me.
triumph when

friend

Spirit."

life shall

Galilee shall

yield her treasures

pleasure shall give her hand to

Mammon

Lead

Then indeed may

Father."

its

me

daily bread into

without fear and without reproach.

open

holy

the desire to

in carrying another's cross.

the hunger for

sympathy with

Our

Thy

Teach me the incomplete-

the wilderness.

life in

my

Break

soul.

divine thirst for fellowship,

sense of brotherhood.

ness of

my own

Thine own presence.

me

unrighteousness shall
shall

return

to

the

be a

Galilee

in

come "in the power of the

XLIV.
tlbc ipravcr tor the Spirit
"

If ye then,

Spirit to

being

evil,

how much more

children,

them

that ask

know how
shall

to give good gifts unto your

your heavenly Father give the Holy

Luke

Him?"

xi.

13.

|?^fEUCH more;"
vi'^^lf
3k=^.4^ic

am

to

I would have
said "much
Because I ask and receive a
paltry material boon from a frail mortal,

less."

expect that

shall receive for the asking

the Spirit of the Almighty tiiraself ?

away

suggestion almost takes

The very

the breath.

iny brother, but you are startled

Yes,

by the wrong

end of the ladder.

The thing to be f/ondered
at is your power to ask for such a boon.
Our
prayers are always the measure of our possibilities.
No man can aspire beyond the range of
his nature, any more than a bird can fly beyond
the compass of its wings.
How can 3'ou ask for
God's Spirit except through the lips of that Spirit
Flesh and blood could not have revealed
itself?
only thy Father which
to thee thy want of it
Only tliat which is divine can
is in heaven.
recognise its need of the divine
the emptiness
;

THE PRAYER FOR THE

ic6

tl'.at

cries

God has

for

SPIRIT.

begun

already

Le

to

iillLd.

Holy

Spirit,

parched land

thirst

for

Thee, as

in

a dry

pant for the streams of

Thy

seems almost presumption thus to

desire Thee, but my very thirst emboldens me.
How could I thirst for Thee if Thou vvert not
grace.

It

the Spirit of

Thee

if

my

Father

How

could

there were not already in

me

desire

same

the

by my need of Thee
that I know my kinship with Thee, with my
P^ither.
I
have no argument but my need, no
language but my cry.
for Thee because
I ask
require Thee, and I require Thee because I
I
nature as Thine?

was made

It

is

The prayer that beats

Thy heaven is the protest
nature against its own incom-

Thee.

for

against the doors of

of

my

unfinished

pleteness

shall

Come,

therefore,

Thou

wilt

me

not leave

seventh day,

Thine Eden's

joy.

Thy

finish

amid the beasts of the

Thy

complete

only be

and

in

into

shall not

Spirit of holiness, give

river of

Thy

pleasures

enter into
rest,

satisficst the

every living thing just because

a right to live

me

thy Sabbath

Thou

my
me

Thee.

morning

the sixth

Let

field.

in

divine creation.

its

into

want of

need gives

thirst for

Thee,

it

also a right to the

XLV.
TIbc XIlnmca5urc^nc5S of

tl:c

Spirit in

Cbvist.
" For

He whom God hath

sent speaketh the words of f'.od, for

givcth not the Spirit by measure unto

pT%pT

Him. "-John

iii.

God

34.

Mj'l^

the Baptist's soliloquy of surprise.

He is looking on the outpouring of the

^l^^^^'9

Spirit

unique.

All the other outpourings of the Spirit

is

on Jesus and he sees something

had been limited measured by the needs of a

Great men had been raised up
special time.
with powers sufficient to do a particular work,
and when that work was done they had been
But here was an outcalled " the ancients."
pouring on a single soul of gifts commensurate
God gave not the Spirit by
with a/l time
It was a wonderful vision,
measure unto Him.
wonderful realisation.
more
and it has had a yet
;

have not yet found the measure, the

tlie gifts

of Jesus.

to the nineteenth

They

century as to

flesh are long

days of His
nothing of their

life

limit of

much adapted
The
the first.

are as

fled

behind.

and have

left

The men who

THE UNMEASUREDNESS OF

inS

Stood beside

grand

to

Him
look

have become but monuments

but powerless to act or

at,

Yet here He stands, a living presence

His e3'e undimmed. His natural strength
unabated.
The flight of years has not exhausted
His energies.
The advent of new thoughts has
not tarnished His freshness.
The change in
public taste has not marred His beauty.
The
fading of past theologies has not diminished His
glory.
He is not superannuated by time He
is still what the evangelist of old called Him,
He runs before
"Jesus Christ our forerunner."
us
He is in advance of us like the Star of the
East He always leads the way
we shall never
in the race of progress come up to His measuremove.

still,

less glory.

Spirit of Christ,

Thou

Star of the East,

forerunner of our humanity, lead on.

Thou

We

are

seeking to be emancipated from the trammels of

the past

We

Thou who

are

aspiring

creeds and
lead on.

measured

to

systems

Lead us

to

art

measureless, lead on.

be

free

from temporary

Thou who
all

art

limitless,

things that cannot be

the peace that passeth understanding,

the love that passeth

passeth utterance.

knowledge, the joy that

Lead us

to

the fulness of

the time, the brotherhood of man, the concord

of the nations.

Lead us

to

the boundlessness

of hope, the endlessness of charity, the unstinted-

TIIR SPIRIT IN CHRIST.

ncss of benevolence.

Lead us

to the

109

day when

every valley shall be exalted, every mountain

brought low, every rough place made plain.
When we arc broadened by Thy measureless
Spirit

we

shall reach the

Promised Land.

XLVI.

Zbc
"For

Spirit's olorification of Cbrist.

the Holy Ghost was not yet given

I^OW

shall

presence or absence
says that

there

The

a Christ

who

the

can

Holy Ghost
any

Is there

says

It

is.

judge

"

of

Holy

the

that

its

before us

because Jesus was not

proof of the Spirit's absence

an unglorified Christ
is

39.

The passage

Ghost was not given

glorified."

to ine

which

by

vii,

know whether

has been given

test

because that Jesus was

John

not yet glorified."

is

the proof of

My

honoured.

its

is

presence

soul, hast

thou

considered this test of the Spirit within Thee ?

Thou

art

asking often anxiously for a sign of

Thine outward. life

seems to thee as
Yet in these words

thy union with the Spirit.

lags so far behind that
if

God had passed

there
first

is

test

it

often

thee by.

The

a mine of rich comfort for thee.

of the Spirit

is

not the outward

The

but the inward ideal.

life

may

but the ideal can run on before to herald

coming.

Thy

test

of

God

life

lag behind,

within thee

is

its

the

THE

SPIRIT

GLORIFICATION OF CHRIST

.;

Is there

question, Is Jesus glorified ?

may
but

hung up

One

in thy heart a picture of the sinless

ni

He

be far yet from the tread of thy footsteps,

is

His image

in

thy soul

Hast thou

aspiration towards

which His presence

makes thee glad

Him

Are there times in

spirit and
Are there seasons in which
flits

thou saycst to thyself,

be near

Him

the

in

moments of

great world of bustle and conflict

?

through thy

"Oh

be like

to

Him

to

even in the smallest sense

partaker of His holiness!"
Then within thy
heart Jesus

to be

is

He may

already glorified.

not

yet be glorified in thy ivorld ; our actions travel

slower than our sentiments.

But,

lives thus in thine aspirations,

if

He

already

He

has had His

The heart is the metroHis empire; crown Him there and thou
hast ensured His dominion everywhere.
Art
thou following Him in spirit?
Art thou desiring
Him, admiring Him, emulating Him ? Art thou
making him an ideal which thou wouldst like to
hope for, to long for, to strive for? Then thou
coronation in thy heart.
polis of

Thou

hast the test of the Spirit.

see

Him

as

He

is \{

couldst not

thou wert not like Him.

thy pulse beats quicker at His presence,

because His

in

thee

must have been given

thee,

glorified.

life

is

the

If
it

is

Holy Ghost

because Jesus

is

XLVII.
TLlyc Spirit's

olontlcation ot

" But the Comforter, which

will

send

my

in

nnnie,

Ho

shall teach

things to your remembrance, whatsoever

f-i^^^T

f^i^^i'^

have said unto you."

John

xiv. 26.

the promise of a retrospective glory

is

&> Wi

iDnat

Holy Ghost, whom the Father

you all things, and bring all

the

is

tf>c

'^

glorification

says that

will quicken old

when

of the past.
the

memories.

Is

Spirit
it

Christ

comes

Nothing can quicken my memory but the

Why is it that
of the thing remembered.

member some
It

things so

much

it

not ever so ?
spirit
I

re-

better than others ?

has nothing to do with comparative length

may

recollect best the farthest back

depends entirely on the congruity
of my spirit with the thing to be remembered.
The scene which has best suited my taste will

of time

incident.

most

It

easily

be recalled

memory depends on my
is

proportionate to

spirit.

Even so

is

my
it

by

my memory. My
and my interest

interest

possession of a kindred

with the things of Christ.

THE SriRITS GLORIFICATION OF THE

PAST.

113

To remember them I must sympathise with them.

The scenes of His childhood would have been
mother had r>ot kept them in her
of His inner hfe would have
been obhterated if a John had not treasured them
Inspiration is needed even for the
in his soul.

forgotten

if

The scenes

heart.

recalling of history
to

divine, quicken

Spirit
I

is

it

the Spirit that brings

our remembrance.

often lament

its

its

my memory

shortness

when

of Christ.

should blame

Create within me a deeper

want of interest.
and I shall have a longer memory.
In-

interest

spire

me

with the glory of the subject, the beauty

of the theme, the grandeur of the contemplation.

Inspire

me

Him who speaks,

Him who acts, with the

with the love of

with the admiration of

devotion to
gets

its

Him who

past

is

Love never

suflers.

ever

present

its

for-

yesterday

always to-day.
Love makes every memory
say " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
is

end of the world."

a present to me.
life

my
my

Let
Let

the footsteps of the

it

Thy

love

make

the past

bring to the gates of

Son of Man.

Let

it

my

make

my home a Nazareth,
my temptation a
pinnacle of the temple, my solitude a Transfiguration, my storm a Gcnnesaret, my cross a
Calvary, my crown an Olivet.
Let it preserve
country a Palestine,

family circle a Bethany,

from fading the Day-spring from on high;

let

114 '-''HE

SPIRIT'S GLORIFICATION

OF THE PAST.

Ijcthlchcm.

from setting the star that rose in

The Gospel story shall not recede

with

when Thy

it

prevent
time

memory

ox^

my

heart.

love

has quickened the

XLVIIT.
XLbc IRoat) to tbe Spirit's peace.
" And when He had

snici this,

He breathed

on them, and saith unto

John

them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost."

wM

IHEN He

|o\WM
s;a^3i=s

You

had said

will find

Peace

it

xx. 22,

Said

this."

what?

in the previous verse.

be unto you

as

my

Father

was not
till He had said this that Christ breathed upon
them.
Before He gave them the gift of the

hath sent Me, even so send

Spirit's peace

He had

peace they must expect

to tell
;

you."

It

them the kind of

otherwise they would

have been disappointed.

He had to tell them
that His peace meant what the world calls dispeace
submission to a sacrifice, "as my Father
hath sent Me, even so send I you."
How had

the Father sent

Him

From

the height to the

depths, from heaven to earth, from joy to tribulation,

from

life

Father gave

to death.

Him was

The peace which His

a peace that could descend

the valley, a peace that could meet the darkness,

a peace that could bear the cross.

receive that peace

Before

must be prepared

for

I
it.

can
I

THE ROAD TO THE

iifi

must learn
too

His mission

that

not the

SPIRIT'S PEACE.

life

be

is to

my

mission

of luxurious self-indulgence, but

the beatitude of the poor in

spirit.

Son of man, I shall only get Thy peace by

Thy peace came to
moving in Thy sphere.
Thee by going where Thy Father sent Thee,

Thou

not

didst

get

it

first

and then go into

was in Gethsemane Thou didst

find it.
It came to Thee by doing the Father's
will, came through persistent struggle, came by
determination not to yield.
So must it be with
Gethsemane

it

Thou wilt not send me Thy peace until

me.
Thou has sent myself on the path of sacrifice
Thy Olivet will only come to me on the steps
Thy will must precede Thy
of Thy Calvary.
reward, I must serve Thee ere I can rejoice in
Obedience

Thee.

first,

then the crown

first,

Ncbo

then liberty

the mission of sacrifice

peace into

my

soul

first,

the cross
first,

then

then
the

Thou shalt breathe

when Thou hast sent me

breath of the free Spirit.

Thy

the wilderness

where Thy Father sent Thee.

XLIX.

Ubc Pentecost

of the Spirit,

"And they were all tilled with the Holy Ghost, and began to
speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utluranee."

Acts
^fSti^HE

great advantage of the Spirit

gives

me

the Spirit

tongue

common

language.

comes

speak

But when

thing called sympathy

another.

that

it

lielore

my own
my

in

get the Spirit

power
The only language which
the

common with another

tongue which has

never

get the

to

feel

is

changed.

same yesterday and to-day and

the only
is

It

for ever

man as man. If I can only

my own heart I have reached

the speech of
into

with

can speak

the language of the

is

heart, for the language of the heart

down

4.

cannot interpret the language of

brother.

in

is

ii.

base of universal humanity;

the
it

is

get

the

wants of
my heart are the wants of the whole world.
Tiie tower of Babel was an act of pride
it was
the struggle of each man to rise above his fellow
and therefore it was the death of sympathy.
for,

the

THE PENTECOST OF THE

Ii8

But the coming of the

was a leading down

of

its

own need and

was a

Spirit

my

of

therefore

it

when

forth

shall

break

rushing

that

down
Send

It

was an entrance

We

all

live in

the Spirit comes.

Thy

Spirit divine, outpour

Send

descent.

soul into the depths

into the prayers of every soul.

the experience of others

vSPIRIT.

Pentecost on

me.

mighty wind which

my own

tower of

the Babel

sympathy
which shall burn up all that is narrow and mean
and seliish within this soul of mine, and shall
give me the right and the power to enter into
isolation.

the soul of

my

that

forth

brother.

language
canst

the language of

make me

canst enable

me

to

me

canst help

others into

my own

of

imprisoned within

can speak only one

But thou

selfishness.

universal

every heart by giving

Thou

am

myself until Thou comest

fire

linguist.

Thou

understand the speech of

me

heart of

my

own.

translate the wants of

experience and to ask "
to

How

their place ? "

Evermore indue
me with this divine gift a gift whose glory is
Evermore
its pain, whose crown is its cross.
giant me this mirror within
the sympathy that
would

feel in

can take

its

impressions from

that are passing by.

utterance

shall

all

When Thou

the burdens
shalt give

speak the language of love.

me

V\_J

ZTbc Spirit

tbe product of
God

Therefore being by the right hand of

5ov?.

forth this,

which ye now see and hear."

^^^^EING

Acts

and having

exalted,

received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost,

ii.

He hath

shed

33.

by the right hand of God exalted

He
He

hath shed forth

wait

did

He

of

Gethsemane

till

Why did
Why

this."

He was

exalted ?

not shed forth the Spirit from the shades

impart his

It

is

spirit in the

because no man can

hour of his depression.

my depression my spirit is crushed

my own life it cannot get out from

In the hour of

down

within

me.

Grief

pity,
is

but

it

is

not contagious

is

not an object of desire.

contagious

the weight

is

itself is lifted.

for

it.

It

and begins
forth

from

it

imparts

lifted

it is

an object of

my

spirit

When

my

spirit

being becomes too small

breaks the boundaries of

my

to radiate into other lives.

me

But joy

itself to others.

from

My own

solitude
It

goes

spontaneously, even as from

becomes an atmosphere around me, and whatever comes near me

bird goes forth its song.

It

THE

120

THE PRODUCT OF

SPIRIT:

When

]ives in that atmosphere.

JOY.

the insignificant

nmstard seed becomes a glorious tree the fowls

of the air lodge in the branches thereof.
My
spirit sheds itself forth in the day when it is
exalted.

Son of man, I know now the meaning of the

words " greater works than these shall ye do,
because I go unto my Father." They mean that
Thine elevation into joy makes Thy Spirit more
potent over humanity.
Thou hast ascended up
on high Thou hast led captivity captive, and
therefore the captivity of Thine own Spirit has
;

been led captive.

new

joy of

Thy

It

life,

has burst forth from the

Thy

becomiC

join in the procession to

with rapture in

joined

Thy

grief could not

Humanity was

contagious.

Thy

resurrection joy.

gladness has become what

Thy
Thy

afraid

cross, but

Pentecostal

it

to

has

song.

Thy

watch with Thee

depression, but Thy lifting up has drawn

men

to

There were few

Thy

Thee.

life-long

Jerusalem

it

Thy
death

it

is

it

which

was completed at
it has made

The

invitation is

irresistible

Thy Lord "

that Thy Spirit

says " Enter into the joy of

from Thine exalted heart

flows.

in
all

transfiguration has glorified

has ennobled sorrow

the cross divine.

when

that could

LI.

%nim

to the Sptrtt.

" But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan fill<.-d thine heart to he
Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the priee of tlie land?"

to the

Acts

^I^^IE
^^^^^

the

to

1 fef|l

Holy Ghost,"

strange

that

is

Why

phrase.

v. 3.

surely

docs

not

Peter say that Ananias had told him-

Because Ananias had not done so.

His was not a spoken but an acted lie. He was
not doing anything which the world would have
called dishonourable.
In honour he was not
bound to give more than part.
True, others
were giving the whole, but they were giving it
Ananias wanted to seem like other
voluntarily.
self a lie ?

people without the trouble of being

to

come

in with the

part of the stream.

and said he got

true.

It

was

it

stream and

He

laid

to

unrecorded

He

so.

the

to the ears of

men

The
;

money

and that was

the truth in the ears of

the eye of the Spirit

tried

be thought a

down

for the land,

not in the eye of the Spirit.

visible

to

men

but

thing most

was tlte th'ng

was the part

it

LYING TO THE SPIRIT.

of the price kept back.

It

was

a silent falschooti,

a falsehood where there was no speech and no

language
was uttered only to the Holy
it
;

Ghost.

some untruths that

There are unspoken false-

.,-^^pirit of truth, there are

I

tell

only to Thee.

hoods not heard by the ear of my brother man

Sometimes I
which yet are audible to Thee.
I know
hear one maligned whom I do not love.
that the charge is untrue, yet because I do not
love the man I am not sorry that others should
therefore I keep silent.
I think
not love him
I have done well not to have joined in the
calumny, but to Thine ear I have joined in it. I
My
have kept back part of the price of duty.
silence has evaded the law of man, but it has lied
;

unto Thee.

O Thou

divine Spirit, cleanse

me

from the deceit of my own heart. Reveal to me

that the majesty of truth is seated not without

Reveal

but within.
that

my

to

keep back the good.

are times
is

me

that

it

is

charity should say no evil

when

silence

Reveal to
is

the absence of gold.

it

me

not golden,
Lift

not enough

must not
that there

when

me above

silence

that spirit

of detraction which fears to strike but has not

the

grace to

meanness

succour.

from an injured
the day

when

Raise

me above

the

keeps back the price of justice

that

foe.

shall be as transparent as

have spoken the truth

to

Thee.

LIL

Mitness

trbe Spirit's

to livct

" Him hath God exalted with His right hand.

And we are
His witnesses of these things and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom
God hath given to them that obey Him." ACTS v. 31, 32.
.

^^^^^ETER
x^

r^^?

's^^'^^*^

is

says that the inward

life

He

Master.

says that the Holy Ghost

a witness of Christ's exaltation.

that

of every

Christian repeats the experience of the

in

the

process of the

Spirit leads every

man over

He

depression into joy.

He means

life His
same path from

Christian
the

declares that

God has

Him.
Is
there then to be a preliminary period in which
we are to have the work without the joy ? Yes.

given

We

the

Spirit

arc not

all

to

at

them

once

that obey

to get the Spirit

the

freedom, the spontaneity, the gladness of the

life

That is the gift of the summer, but the

winter and the spring come before the summer.
The Spirit only comes after obedience has come.
We must be content at first to have the subdued
will.
We must consent at the outset to go
where we do not want to go to go simply bedivine.

THE

124

SPIRIT'S

WITNESS TO OLIVET.

We

us.
must be prepared for some time to inquire in God's taber-

cause our Father sends

we are permitted to see His beauty.

must expect like the Son of man days in
which we shall cry " I thirst."
We must enter
the kingdom by the strait gate of obedience, by
the valley of constraint, by the door on which
it is written, " Not as I will, but as Thou wilt.";..
nacle before

We

Yet be

still,

after obedience

my

door

soul, thy joy is at the

the Spirit comes.

Thy

prayer

always be, " not as I will, but as Thou

By-and-by thy will shall be one with
the will of thy Father.
To-day thou art taking
the cup in a trembling hand
if it were possible
thou wouldst pass it from thee.
But to-morrow
thy hand will not tremble
thy heart will not
fail
thou shalt say, " I and my Father are one."
When the Spirit comes thou shalt walk with
God. He shall no longer move in advance of
shall not

wilt."

thee,

merely directing thy w^ay

by His

thou shalt travel

He

side in voluntary fellowship.

shall

no longer need to go before thee into Galilee,

thou shalt thyself accompany Him into Galilee
and choose for thy place in life what was once
the

shadow of

His cross

Thou

death.

exaltation of thy

share

shalt

the

Lord when thou hast carried

for a while

when thou

hast

bowed

thy head and given up thy spirit the Spirit of

the Hio'hest shall be given unto thee.

LIII.

Zbc Dision
" Rut he, being

full

of the

ot tbc Spirit.

Holy Ghost, looked up

steadfastly into

heaven, and saw the (jlory of God, and Jesus standing on the right

hand of God. "

Acts

vii.

55.

"^i^f^E, bcinff full of the Holy Ghost, looked up

There is a vision which
^^^^ saw."
SiWllI
fe^iX

only comes with spiritual fulness.

the world of nature the sight

spirit,

but in the world of grace the spirit

door to

the

In

sight.

my

In

the door to the

is

natural

the

is

God

life

enters from without and penetrates within

my

and

spiritual

life

God

enters from within

The

makes His progress outward.

ill

the

life

of nature

of spirit

that so

little

am

vision.
is

is
I

first

thing

the last thing in the

am

often asking

revealed to

me

it is

in

why

life
it

because

is
I

had more spirituality

I would have more sight.
There are treasures
lying at the door of my dwelling which seem to
me simply like a dust-heap. Some day 1 shall
awake and marvel at ni}^ own riches I shall marvel at the wells of water which were lying in my
m^'self

so

little.

If

THE VISION OF THE

126

desert

shall

marvel

at the

my

cross;

cast at the foot of

SPIRIT.

crowns that were

shall

'I

marvel

at

the beauty which lay at the top of the Dolorous

The

way.

revelation

already waiting forme;

is

blazoned on the sky,

it is

is

it

imprinted on the

it will be inscribed
upon my heart when I
have ceased to be a child.
When I am full of
the Holy Ghost I shall look up and see.

air

me Thy latest gift

Thy beginning is love, but light shall
Thy spring-time is in my
be Thine ending.
heart, but Thy summer shall be in mine eyes.
It is not a new sense I want, it is the power to

Spirit of holiness, grant

light.

interpret the old senses.

over the old road to read

light

of later

ground which
not

years.
I

want

to

be led back

sign-posts in the
to

go over the
if it had

barren and see

called

strewn with flowers.

the time been

all

want
its

which was once

my cross, the beauty of that which was once my
thorn, the triumph of that which was once my
trial.
I
want to learn that the days which
seemed to me most dark and dreary were in
truth the days when heaven was opened to my

want

to see the glory of that

When Thou

view.
sacrifice

before

which

place of

hast taught

shall look
I

me

the glory of

on the things
above the very

steadfastly

once quailed

my mart3Tdom

shall see Jesus.

LIV.

U\K
'Then the

Spii1t'5 use tov

Spirit said
tliis

^,f^OIN

near, :ind join thyself to

viii.

29.

thyself to this chariot."

every chariot

1^

Go

unto Philip,

chariot." Acts

Mcaltb.

that

It

is

not

be joined by

can

tlicre are
the prompting of the Spirit
forms of worldly riches which eat out the divine
;

life.

Yet the

their

drivers.

evil is not

The

in

Spirit

the chariots but in

does

not

wish

to

destroy the chariot but to get hold of the reins.

It

wants

new
far
it

to turn the

direction

from
is

the

heads of the horses into a

despising the wealth

the wealth of this world

chiefly needs.

It

So

direction of humanity.

seeks to

make

of this world,
that the

Spirit

friends of that

which is now the Mammon of unrighteousness.

It wants men of influence, .men of power, men
of resources,

knows

the

men who can

afford to spend.

It

power of the mountains over the

and therefore it prays to the mountains.

" Come down, ye rich, and help the
poor; come down, ye strong, and support the

valleys,
It

says,


THE

I2S

SPIRIT'S

USE FOR WEALTH.

weak come down, ye great, and make lighter

Come and lift the
the work of the lowly.
toiling missionary, come and clothe the ragged
school, come and heal the myriad sick, come
;

Bring your
and feed the starving millions.
gold and silver to the feet of the child-Christ
to the door ot that humanity which lies still in
the manger of Bethlehem."
Spirit of Christ, let the chariots of the

join themselves to Thee.

selves to

going
is

Thee on

the

May

the road on which

way through

world

they join them-

Thou

art

Thy way

the desert.

ever through the wilderness across the track

where the lonely

dwell.

Thy

path

is

ever amid

the waste places of the earth, where the labour-

ing seem to

toil

v/ithout reward,

laden to endure in vain.

Mammon

bring his chariots to Thee.

waste places

Thy

and the heavy-

Into that desert

let

let

Into these

Ethiopia pour her treasures for

Tarshish and the isles bring

Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
Let
Ophir bring her gold, and Araby her spices, and
Egypt her costly gems, and let them lay them

presents,

on

Let

i-.se.

Thy

let

altar

the

altar

of humanity.

When

the box of precious ointment shall be poured on

Thy

bleeding head, the chariots of earth shall

have become

Thy

chariot of

fire.

LV.

Ube Scparationa

/
"As

of tbe Spirit.

they ministered to the Lord, rind fasted, the Holy Ghost said.

Separate

me Barnabas and
Acts

called them."

xiii.

Saul fur the work whereunto

have

2.

'f!i^v^S there then a separation of friends which

^M wi owes its origin to divine love ? These
f~-^i<o
Yi^d been watching together, comj-j-jg,-,

muning

praying together

together,

was

it

hard that a separation should come, harder

that

it

should come from the Spirit of

God ?

not
still

Nay,

but the separation was meant to be the cement

It was the retwo of its greatest
order that these might find a more

of a future and a firmer union.

moval from a lower

circle of

members

in

powerful

rivet of the chain.

had given a temporary

sake of love.

It

Tlie Spirit of love

wound

to

love

for

the

had brought a shadow upon

the scene in the interest of a brighter sunshine,

it

had cast a gloom over the day

for a

in preparation

grander glory.

O Thou
revelation.

divine Spirit,

My

darkest

thank Thee for this

hours have

been the
I

THE SEPARATIONS OF THE

I30

SPIRIT

hours that have separated great souls from the

circle of earthly life.
1 have seen the leader? cf
the age in church and state removed and I have
asked vi^h}' the work of humanity is so indifferent
to

But Thou

Thee.

Thou

hast told

me

answered me here.

liast

that these separations

Thine indifference but

interest in the work of humanity.
tions are separations
for the
ministry." 'There are spirits that
not

from

^'

Thee

came

from Thine

Thy

separa-

work of the
cannot serve

perfectly in the tabernacle of clay

breakest the tabernacle and settest them

Thou
free.

There are souls that would do greater works

than what we see if they could only ascend to
their Father
Thou givest them wings that they
may fly away. There are lives that could speak
to larger numbers if they had powers of larger
;

locomotion

Thou sendest

death and settest

the

chariot

called

room.
Thyself the union of all separations
the chariot cannot long divide us if its goal is

Thou

their

feet

art

in

a large

towards Thee.

LVI,

Ube

Spidt

probibitfons of the

"After they were come to Mysia,

tliey

assayed to go into Bithynia:

but the Spirit suffered them not."

W^ HAT a

Acts

strange prohibition

xvi. 7.

Tlicsc

men

were going into Bithynia just to do

"^
Christ's work and the door is shut
against them by Christ's own Spirit.
I
too
have experienced this in certain moments.
I
have sometimes found myself interrupted in what
seemed to me a career of usefuhiess. Opposition
came and forced me to go back, or sickness came
and compelled me to retire into a desert place
It was hard
work undone when

apart.

such times to leave

at

believed

be the service of the

that

But

Spirit.

work
came

my
to
to

remember that
of work but a

the Spirit has not only a service

see that in the

Kingdom

service of waiting.

came

to

of Christ there are not

only times for action but times in which to forbear from acting.
I
came to learn that the
desert place apart
in the varied

is

Hfe of

often the

man

most useful spot

more

rich in harvest

THE PROHIBITIONS OF THE

132

SPIRIT.

than the seasons in which the corn and wine

abounded.

have been taught by the songs

thank the blessed Spirit that

of the night

many

to

a darling Bithynia

had

be

to

left

unvisited

by me.

And
led

so,

Thou

by Thee.

divine Spirit, would

Still

come

there

to

still

me

be

dis-

To-day the
and work for Thee

appointed prospects of usefulness.

door seems

to

open into

to-morrow

it

to enter.

Teach me

life

closes before

me

to see

very inaction of the hour.

just as

am

another door

about
in the

Help me to find in
Thee a new

the very prohibition thus to serve

Inspire me with the

opening into Thy service.
knowledge that a man may at times be called
to do his duty by doing nothing, to work by
keeping still, to serve by waiting.
Awaken me
to

conviction

the

result to

When
voice

I
I

that

there

are

moments of

which are more rich in their

humanity than centuries of busy strife.

repose

solitary

remember the power

shall

Spirit suffers

not

me

murmur

not to go.

of the

that

still

small

sometimes the

LVII.
TTbe Zllnconscious

Moilnno

of tbe Spirit

" He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye
behoved? And they said unto him, We have not so much as
heard vvhctlier there be any Holy Ghost." Acts xix. 2.

^^"^^^ND
^?'f:if,\^

^^^^

in

men were disciples

They
many words ranked among

these

so

are
the

and yet they say that they

I
thought no
never heard of the Holy Ghost.
man could be a believer except through the
Neither he can, but it does not follow
Spirit.
that he should at once see where his belief comes
The infant can only recognise an outer
from.
world through the light, yet the infant never
heard the name of light.
Even so is it in the
spiritual world.
We see at the outset a beauty
like Jacob's
to which we cannot give a name
angel it wrestles with us but refuses to be
defined.
We perhaps deny to ourselves even
believers,

the
is

name

in

call

of Christian, while

our heart and

in

all

our mind.

the time Christ

We

our lofty thoughts by other names

civilisation,

social

progress,

perhaps

culture,

development, while


UNCONSCIOUS WORKING OF THE

134

bcliind

SriRIT.

these, at the birth of all these, there

all

has been hiding within our souls the presence

and the power of the Eternal.

Spirit of Christ, help

Thy

presence and

Thou

Thy

the source of

art

guish between

me

me

even when
I

it

distin-

of nature and gifts of grace

gifts

presence wherever

light

all

that nature itself

Give

Thee.

more widely
Teach me that

to trace

who deny Thee.

shines amidst those

teach

me

power.

the

is

a gift of grace from

power

to

impute

Thy

behold the works of love.

There are men who

men

who

call

say, " I will not," and yet go

themselves unbelievers and yet

do the works of the Father. Help me to impute

to them more than they claim, to see that no
man could do these works unless Thou hadst
sent him.
Help me to give to such the hand of
brotherhood, the bond of fellowship, the cup of
communion, to recognise that we must reach the
unity of the heart before
unity of the

likeness that binds

we

Help me

faith.

me

to

can come into the

to detect the family

men

of other creeds

the evidence of one Fatherhood, the proof of one

humanity
disciples

then shall

many even

rank amongst my Lord's

who say that they

of those

never heard of the Holy Ghost.

LVIII.

Ubc
"And

jfetters of tbe Spirit.

now, behold,

knowing the things

g^ GO
^i d^
^"^^^^

go bound

bound

there

making of

an

is

there

its

impelled

is

is

unto Jerusalem, not

Acts

there."

is it in

the

instinct

xx. 22.

There

is

an

Spirit

in

as

the world

of

nothing so hke the lowest

The bee moves toward

bound

the

hive because

it

is

by a power

it

does not know,

directed by a voice

so

me

in the Spirit."

the highest.

as

in the Spirit

instinct in the world of the

the animal

It

that shall befall

life

it

cannot understand.

of the Spirit.

can see the goal of

to

my own

If

actions

wait
shall

go.

Even
till

never

'If I go to Jerusalem I must be congo " not knowing the things that shall
befall me there."
There is a binding of the
Spirit which is quite distinct from the voice of
reason.
Sometimes it comes in a sense of duty,
sometimes in a flash of aspiration, sometimes in
an impulse of love.
But in whatever form it
comes it takes no denial.
It makes my action
instinctively necessary. It commands and thenceact at

tent

all.

to

THE FETTERS OF THE

136

forth

am bound

to

go

SPIRIT.

without

waiting for

sunrise, without measuring the ground, without

name

learning the
written of

me

of the country

as of

Abraham

"

it

must be

he went out not

knowing whither he went."

fetters

Thy chain is golden. The

Thou imposest are wings of freedom.

There
bound

to go.

Spirit of Christ,

is

no

liberty

like

sense of obhgation, that

my
my

the

When Thou

spirit free.

heart says,

being

liberty of

layest

upon me the

moment Thou

When Thou sayest that

" I can."
My strength

settcst
I

is

must,

pro-

portionate to the strength of those cords that

am never so unrestrained as when

Thy love. Evermore, Thou
Spirit, guide me by this instinct of the

bind me.
I

am

constrained by

divine

Put round about

right.

my

heart the

cord of

Thy captivating love and draw me whither in my

own light I would not go. Bind me to Thyself
as Thou bindest the planets to the sun, that it may

my

become

the very law of

Thee.

May

when

in the strength of the Spirit

nature to be led by

know

that goodness
and mercy shM fol/ow me without waiting to see
them in advance of me.
May I be content to
feel that my God shall be my rearward w-ithont
folding my hands till 1 find Him in the van./^^Iy
journey to Jerusalem shall be fraught with power

to KO.

be content to

am bound

LIX.

Ube

/IftaiBtcrsbip of

the Spirit.

" Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the
Church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood."

the which the

Acts

xx. 28.

^^fl^ti^.O

be

made an overseer by

the

Holy

I'S:. Is

Ghost

'^^iirsi^

being made an overseer by the world.

To

is

a very different

be made an overseer by

thing from

the world

is

to

be made a master, but to be created overseer

One
by the Spirit is to be made a servant.
would have expected the words to be " the
Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, therefore take care to

the

contrary,

rule."

" the

Holy

Instead of that

Ghost

hath

it

is

made

you overseers, therefore take care to feed, to

Divine power is not
nourish, to minister."
Every other power
like any other power.
lifts me above my brother, but divine power
puts me beneath my brother, it is the power
of stooping.
God HiniSL-If ha.s purchased His

THE MASTERSHIP OF THE

138

conquest " with His blood."

power of His
that

the

Spirit

presence

be manifested in
proclaimed

is

because the

It is

power of

sacrifice

me must
The Son of man

of His

Spirit

sacrifice.

Himself a

SPIRIT.

king

in

when

before

the

judgment seat of Pilate He put on the martyr's

even so, the hour when the Spirit
crown
makes me overseer must also be that hour in
which I feed the wants of men.
;

Spirit of Christ, give

art in me.

The

the possession of
is

sacrifice.

It

is

me

sign that

Thy

the sign that

Thou

art

power, and

in

Thou
me is

Thy power

the sacrificial blood of love

makes Thee a Providence let the same

make me an overseer.
Thou rulest in
the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth because Thou opcnest Thy
that

life

hand to satisfy the desires of all that live

Thine empire is built on ministration.
Even
such would I have my empire to be.
I would
have it founded on the seas and established
on the floods.
would have it constructed
I
on the power to toil with those who work, to
bear with those who are burdened, to weep
Help me to realise
with those who weep.
day by day that the possession of the keys
of Thy kingdom is the commission to feed
Thy sheep. Help me to learn hour by hour
that the test of loving more than others love

the

is

THE MASTERSHIP OF THE

SPIRIT.

139

Thy

lambs.

The

stooping

measure of

my
hast
I

feed

to

my power

shall

be the measure of

I
shall know
made me an overseer when

self-forgetfulness

have shed

my

blood.

that
in

Thou

sacrifice

LX.

Sbame,

Xlbc Spirit's ]i*pulsion of false

" And hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."
;

abroad

Romans

erreat

^^T'Kt'iJHE

which

with

difficulty

d^istianity had to fight

xMWif

was

v. 5.

early
a false

^iSfti^

shame.
It
was on the unpopular
and youth does not like to be unpopular.
The rising generation was in the minority
it was ashamed of its own hopes.
How was
the Christian hope to be lifted out of this
shame ?
Paul says it could only be done in
one way
by the coming into the heart of
side,

the

spirit

Love

conviction
I
it

may
is

shrink

penetrate

from

abroad

When

truly

conqueror

only

may

" shed

vanishes.

And

of love.
the

is

my

love

head before the world.

the cause becomes to

my

right.

is

shame.

and yet
But when

intellect

avowing
in

Paul
of

it.

heart

comes

"

all
lift

shame

my

up

The unpopularity

me

its

glory.

of

Love

THE

longs for

sacrifice

the

sents

out

EXPULSION OF FALSE SHAME.

SPIRIT'S

its

sacrifice.

and the unpopularity preLove struggles to pour

treasures, an-d the poverty of

supplies

its

rejoices

in

need.

It

glories in

tribulation,

its

141

chain,

exults

it

object

its

its

in

it

its

It would not give up its cross for

crown of a king or the robe of a seraph.
not resign its burden of another's
It would
care though it were offered in exchange the
wings of an eagle to mount and not be weary.
It finds its highest pride in flying downwards

humility.

the

it

"

maketh not ashamed."

divine,

Spirit

abroad in

my

heart the

me

that

love which maketh not ashamed.

fect

me

she<l

Create within

of Jesus,

love

with the power to follow

lowly

places

Impel

me

Him

to

that

regions

lUm

darkness,

in

into the valley of the

Help me

to

glory

being with

to

these

into

where He delights
go down with Him
sit

per-

Inspire

to

dwell.

the

into

accompany

shadow of

death.

His cross in the face of the

universe, to carry His burden in the sight of
Enable me to see the majesty
all mankind.
Let me feel the
of His cro'wn of thorns.
of

Gethsemane,
of standing
the

on

privilege
that

lift

of

Him

in

the

watching when

when
of

wounded

others

flee.

pouring the

head

that

solitude

others

Let

me

of

sleep,

learn

costly

ointment

was

wreathed

142

THE SPIRITS EXPULSION OF FALSE SHAME.

with the sorrows of humanity.

hast shed abroad the love of
I

shall not be

whom He

ashamed

bore.

to

hope

When Thou
in my soul

Him

for the outcasts

LXI.
trbe %ihctt^ of tbe

Spfdt

" For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made
from the law of sin and death." Romans viii. 2.

mc

free

^I^OTHING
,Sp

me

^"^^

often

but an inward law can

free

from outward law.

as

much

the

child

make

am

of

Mount

walk through the

I
Sinai as was the Jew.
world as the boy walks through the schoolroom
remembering that he has lessons to learn
I speak
and that he has answers to record.

of

my

responsibility, of

my

accountableness, of

my

That is the law of

judgment to come.
it
sin and death, and it is a very useful law
keeps back the hand from much thaj: is evil.
No, there
But does it keep back the heart ?
;

is

the

weak

does not

boy

spot.

feel free.

in the

schoolroom

the playground
the

class.

compulsion
thraldom ?

The
It is

but

is

heart submits but

it

no more free than the

free

am

want

to be in

compelled to attend

Who will release me from

Who will liberate me from
Who will break the chain

this
this

that

THE LIBERTY OF THE

144

me and

binds

unfettered

restore

days,

SPIRIT.

me

to

the joy

freshness

the

my

of

the

of

unfor-

bidden morning?

Thou,
It

not

is

Spirit

in

Thou

canst

me

set

free.

my

freedom from the chain that

hbcration must come

it

in love o<

is

the chain.

It is not by leaving the school for the playground that I shall become a free man it is
in making the
school
itself
a
playground.
What I want is not fewer burdens but more
life, more love.
I want Thy law which now is
outward to become inward
the breath of my
nature, the necessity of my being.
I want Thy
life to become to
me a habit, an instinct, an
environment, an atmosphere out of which is
death.
I want
to find that to be absent from
;

Thy

service

engaged
element.

is

to

be in poisoned

Thy work

in
I

is

would make

my

not an obedience but a thirst

that to be

air,

play in

to

my

service

native

to

Thee

the thirst of the

hart for those water-brooks without which

nature
life

that

is

unfinished.

has become
other

death.

my

When
law

law which was

the order of
shall

made

its

Thy

be free from
for

sin

and

LXII.
TLbc Spirit as a ifDarbiuocr.
'And

if

the Spirit

Christ be in you, the

is life

^^"^HE
v^j^]

body

is

dead because of

Romans

because of righteousness."

being in Christ

test of

but the

is

but

not the body

Paul says

Spirit.

sin

viii. lo.

that

after

Christ has entered into a man the bod}'may for a time remain dead in other words,
the bad outward habits of the past may not at

^^^^s^iM

once

But he says that even amidst

die.

barrenness

outward

spring

herald of the
b'lt

the Spirit shall

mean

He means

there
;

be

be

shall

this

already

may be dead
What does he

the body
alive.

that the earliest part of us

Our desires come before

what the swallows are
are
They
our deeds.
They do not
harbingers.
its
summer
to the

is

our aspirations.

accompany

They
plains

scene
Christ

the fruit but they predict

are the songs of the

of
is
is

prophecy

in

lying

of

in

the

night,

coming.

While yet the outer

Bethlehem.

wrapt

its

shepherds on the

while yet the visible

manger,

approaching

they

age

utter

of

the
gold,

146

THE

" Glory

to

SPIRIT AS A HARBINGER.

God

and on earth

the highest,

in

peace, goodwill to the children of men."

O Thou
Thou

Thy

presence

ation of

art

Thy

my

precede

me

divine Christ, give

that

in
in

My

me.

my

the evidence

my

heart must be

beauty.

My

sense

earliest

love of

imitation of Thee.

of

admir-

Thee must

me

Let

not be

dismayed though my body should for some

time remain dead after my aspirations have
become alive. Thy foliage is earlier than Thy
Thy summer is in advance of Thine
fruit
;

Thy loveliness is seen before Thy

am a partaker of Thy Spirit before
I am a member of Thy body
I admire Thee
sooner than I can follow Thee.
I
know that
Thy sacred year is not complete without the
autumn
know that Thy foliage is useless
I
But though the dawn would
without the fruit.
autumn
law.

be useless without the day,

to

the day.

Thy
all

is

Spirit within me.

around
dead.

the

Even so

sky

heart

is

it

it

is

the

with the

There

is

still

the actions are impure

prelude

dawn of
darkness
the body

But the aspiration is already up in

the hope is already aloft in the

the ideal

is

already reigning in the

air,

and therefore I know assuredly that the reality

is
not far away.
When my spirit aspires
after

righteousness

it

Spirit of righteousness

is

because in

is alive.

me Thy

LXIII.

Xlbe Hbstinence of tbc Spirit

" But

if

ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body,

ye shall live."

Romans

viii.

|?5^^HR0UGH
'^^

13.

the Spirit," that

an impor-

is

tlirougli

There are men who

mortify the deeds of the body not
There are men who have
the Spirit.

abjured

the

jSte

tant qualification.

world

from

jealousy, from jaundice.

the

and

solitude

shut

disappointment,

from

They have gone

into

the

cloister

and
That is

cell

refused entrance to the face of man.

not to mortify the body " through the Spirit."

It

cannot be said of such " ye shall

is

perpetual

"through
thou abstain from

thy

The

Spirit

is

evil

itself

through the Spirit

Spirit"?

the

flesh

is

live

Wouldst thou

death.

for

love,
to

the

and
do it

" theirs

mortify

then

sake of

to
for

must
love.

do anything
love's

sake.

Wouldst thou mortify thy flesh " through the

Spirit " ? then must thy motive be not grief but
joy.
The sacrifice must be covered by a

THE ABSTINENCE OF THE SPHUT.

148

sense of gain.
swallowed up in victory

mightier

The

must

pain

be

the victory of love.

The

loss must come to thee not as an impoverishment but as an enrichment, not as a

process of deadening but as the throbbing of
he that sacrifices " through the
a new life
;,

Spirit" in

moment

the

of his

"shall

sacrifice

111
ive.
Spirit of love

me

not

sircst
if

Spirit of the

Son

man,

of

let

Thou degive it Thee

only sacrifice " through Thee."

give

love,

Thou

it

my pain, else would I

my body to be burned

profiteth

prizest in

proof of

my

Thee nothing.

my

love.

pain ?

Thou

and have not

What

sayest

Canst thou go with Me where

thou dwell with Me where I dwell

to

'

Me

is it

that

Nothing but the

I

my

go

soul

canst

Dost thou

enough to accompany Me into

yonder lone Gethsemane ? Dost thou deem Me
dear enough to stand by My side in the dark
Dost thou hold Me precious enough to
night ?
take the cup into thy hand because it has been
Wouldst thou rather share My
in My hand ?
grief than be possessor of a joy unshared by
Me ? Wouldst thou rather watch with Me
under the shadow of My heavy heart than sleep
away the hours in personal repose ? Then I
love

well

bless thy tears

sorrow;

accept

prize thy cross

thy

sacritice.

value thy

Thy

burnt

TlIE

ABSTINENCE OF THE

offering is

to

Me

warms Me,

it

gladdens Me, for

kindred

soul.

a pillar of

Thou

through the love of

Shalt live with Me.'

hast

My

fire
it

SPIRIT.

by night
tells

crucified

Spirit

Me

149

it

of a

thy body

therefore thou

LXIV.

Zhc
"And
of the

Spirit scefiino tbe BoD^.

not only they, but ourselves also, which have the

Spirit,

first-fruits

even v/e ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for

the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."

Romans

^>f^5HE

idea

is

23.

viii.

a very striking one.

'Even

vSjl^

we the men who have

f^^^^

of the Spirit, are not satisfied without

the first-fruits

Even we, who

the redemption of the body too.

are

supposed

to

have our

souls

another world, are not content to

anchored in

let

the present

world go. It is not enough for us to believe,

as we do believe, that there are regions be^'ond
we want the region
the seen and temporal
that is seen and temporal to be itself redeemed
It is not enough for us to know
and glorified.
;

a sacred as well as a secular

that there

is

we want

the

sacred.

It

that there

want

is
is

secular

life

to

be

made

life

itself

not enough for us to recognise

a city not built with hands

to feel that

we

every village of the world was

THE
meant
to

to

SPIRIT SEEKING

THE BODY.

be a street of that

see the deep things of

city.

permeating the

We

want

God thrown up upon

the surface of society, to behold the

Spirit

151

life

h'fe

of

tlic

of the flesh, to find

the impress of eternity stamped upon the forms

We

of time.

wait for the creation itself to be

delivered from bondage into freedom.

for the time

when we

shall

We

wait

have pleasure with-

out hurt, knowledge without detriment, research

without shaking, criticism without irreverence,

culture without coldness, contact with impurity

without

sin.

most of

all

Spirit

Redeem

We,

the

men

of the Spirit, desire

the redemption of the body.'

Divine,
this outer

make the body divine too.

man from the sense of bond-

Give me an enlarged liberty of action,

an extended sphere of locomotion, a wider
Give me the power to
boundary of possession.
visit more places without injury, to do more
things without harm, to taste more pleasures
without corruption.
Give me the grace to walk
through the corn fields on the Sabbath day and
3'et to keep the Sabbath even in my walking.
Give me the strength to go to the marriage
feast of Cana, and yet to make a sacrament
even of the nuptial joy.
Give me the purity to
sit down in the social circle of Bethany and yet
to preserve the heart uncumbered by social
cares.
Give me, above all, the spotlessncss of
age.

THE

152

SPIRIT SEEKING

soul that can

spotted

still

touch

THE BODY.

the world and remain un-

exposed,

yet

undefiled,

assailed,

yet free from tarnish, tempted, yet without sin.

Tlie

Spirit

indeed

is

willing

but

groan

within myself for the redemption of the body.

LXV.
TL\K 5iiteixe65ion ot tbc Spirit.
" Likewise the
not what

Spirit also hclpiith

we should pray

for

our infirmities: for we

we ought

as

know

but the Spirit

itself

niaketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."

Romans

are

t'iiSiHERE

times

human

this

in

viii.

26.

life

in

which we have no language but a cry,

^^ a wail that can find no words, a
There is no
groaning that cannot be uttered.
the voice of
speech and there is no language
jgSj

supplication

soul

of the

recesses
cries

not heard

is

They ask

for

only from the inmost

there

which are eloquent

ness.

up unspoken

rise

in their

very speechlessthey

nothing;

know

not

But Paul says

that to every one of these cries there is imputed
Each of them is counted
the value of a prayer.

what they ought

an

of

intercession

own language
would

say

infirmity

in

if

pray

the

lispings

the

translates

to

He

by

The

Spirit.

of His

imputes

could

asking

for.

child

Father
into

His

me what I
He helps my

to

speak.

reading

between

the

THE INTERCESSION OF THE

154

He

lines.

not by

groans of the heart

interprets the
feeble

its

capacity for expression,

by the largeness of His own

of the

are

Spirit

SPIRIT.

the

love.

but

The prayers

unuttered voices of the

soul.

O my

Father,

moments

when

have moments of deep unrest

know

not what to ask by

my wants. I have
hours no words for Thee, no conscious

reason of the very excess of

in these

prayers
worldly
I

may

flee

accepted

my

interpreted

my

unrest

its

Thou

Thee,
of

Thee.
My cry seems purely
want only the wings of a dove that
away.
Yet all the time Thou hast

for
;

as

prayer.

Thou

hast

hast received the nameless longings

Thy Spirit,
my spirit
But Thou knowest
Thou knowest the

heart as the intercessions of

They are not yet the

know not what I
I
what

cry for a dove's wings as a cry for

intercessions of
ask.

O my

God.
name of that need which lies beneath my
Thou knowest that nothing
speechless groan.
but the river of T/iy pleasures can ever satisfy
my thirsty soul. Thou knowest that because I
am made in Thine image I can find rest only in
I

ask,

what gives

therefore Thou hast

me for righteousness,
my groaning Thy Spirit's prayer.

rest

counted

my

and hast

called

to

Thee

unrest unto

LXVI.

Ubc CbariU^
"Now

of tbe Spirit.

God of hope fill you with all joy and peace

may abound in hope, through the power of
Romans XV. 13.

the

ing, that ye

Ghost."

^T^'^^^ND so the abounding

^ml^

in

hope

is

in fieliev-

the

Holy

a power

of the Spirit, and evidence of advance-

ment
some who seem

in

the

divine

life.

There are

to tliink that the sign of spiritual

advancement is the narrowing of hope.

They
look upon charity as something which the bad
ought to have for those in the same condemnation.
Yet Paul himself does not appeal to tiie
bad as those most likely to hope for the fallen
he says, " If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye
which are spirHiial restore."
He knew well
;

that only the springtime can yield the prophetic

song of the swallows.

He knew well that only
the upper dawn can promise the illumination of
the valleys.

He

had no belief whatever that

winter would hope for summer, or that

night

would predict the meridian of the coming day.

It was to the day itself that he looked for a

THE CHARITY OF THE

IS6

SPIRIT.

disclosure of the possibilities of heat and sun-

shine

was

the abounding hope in humanity

to

be reached only through the power of the Pioly

Ghost.

God
purity

whose freedom from

hope,

of
is

absence

the

of

despair,

all

when

only reach the perfect charity

Thou

Thee.

alone of

unto the end.

off,

and pursue

We

all

shall

come

to

universe hopest

this

follow

im-

all
I

our prodigals afar

their footsteps for

a long time,

when they touch the country of the Gadarcnes we lose sight of them and let them go.
But Thou never losest sight of Thy prodigals
but

not

amongst the swine.

Thy hope because there

even

limit to

Thy

love.

makes us

It

is

the

despair.

limit

When

There is no
is no limit to
our

to

love

that

our brother becomes

dead in trespasses and in sin, we put him out

of our hope because we turn him out of our
But Thou hopest even for Thy dead.
hearts.

Thy

love

down

is

stronger than death.

into the graves

bones and criest "

Thou

rollest

and

Awake

sittest

Thou goest
among the dry

thou that sleepest."

away the stone

that covers

sepulchre of poor humanity, and callest in

tenderest tones " Believe and live."

Thou

the

Thy
en-

where man draweth back Thou searchest

where man abandoneth Thou strivest where
man slumbercth Thou redeemest where man
terest

THE CHARiTY OF THE

destroyeth.

Thou

Thou

discoverest

h'ghtest stars in
in the silence.

Thy hope

SPIRIT.

findest

germs

sparks

in

the night

Thy

is eternal.

love

is

the

Thou

in

157

the grave

snow

Thou

hearest songs

evergreen, therefore

LXVII.

Zhc
"For

Spirit's Solution of /Iftv^stcries.

the Spirit searchcth

all tilings,

l^'S^t

HERE

v^ jB>f

are

Why

CoK.

which

mysteries

ii.

are

lo.

quite

everything but love,

iinfathcmable to

^L.J^

God,"

yea, the deep things of

should the good

Eather send so

His children ?
We look in
a hundred directions for the answer and from
ninety and nine the answer comes not.
Eye

many

crosses to

hath not seen

it

ear hath not heard

tion hath not conceived

it.

The

it

imagina-

crosses of

life

are the deep things of God, and thought cannot

explore them.

But love can

can interpret the acts of love.

know why
memory of

the

Eather

parental

gives

love will

the spirit of love

You want
you

pain

search

to

the

out that

Did you never get pain as a

direct gift of parental love ?
Did you never
receive a task when you wanted an hour of play,
depth for you.

or sigh

within

school-house walls

when you

THE

SOLUTION OF MYSTERIES.

SPIRIT'S

panted for green

become

3'our

rainbow

pain for

was

Yet your fetters have

your tears have made your

fields ?

wings

your prison-house has led captivity

You would

captive.

all

not part with that gift of

the other gifts of your universe

bondage

your

that enlarged

interpret

canst

Only when

surround Thee.

world

is

Thy

vindication of

dark

the

school-house

pan.

its

it

soul.

Spirit of love, Spirit of the All-Father,

alone

159

learn

shall

Thou

places

that

that this
find

the

cannot penetrate the

deep things of Joseph's dungeon except by the

it seems so hard to
light of Thy Fatherhood
see the vanishing of youth through the iron
;

entering into the soul.

Thy Fatherhood

explains

But the education of

all.
There is no gift

of parental love like the iron of the soul

the

strengthening of the inner man.

love's

brightest

Thou

jewel given

canst

send

not

flowers of Eden

it

its

It

to

Thy

roughest

me

gift

Gethsemane.

long dark night with

agony.

its

it

is

casket.

through the

can come only through the

tears of Gcthsemane.

soul interprets

in

It

its

of iron to

my

It justifies

the

desertedncss and

its

vindicates the withered palm-leaves,

and the hushed hosannahs, and the fading of

It explains the dropping

Jordan's morning glow.

of the

curtain over that

which earth would

transfiguration

fain interpret as the

glory

promise

i6o

THE

SPIRIT'S

SOLUTION OF MYSTERIES.

of perpetual mountain heights.

Thy

love

the

In the light of

valleys are themselves exalted

the deep things, the dark things are illuminated

by Thee.

LXVIII.
trbc /Il^o^e ot HJlsccrnlno tbc Spirit,
" Rut the natural man

God

receivcth not the things of the Spirit of

for they are foolishness

unto him

because they are spiritually discerned."

^^^^^ND

so

neither can he
i

Cor.

Paul's

in

There were those who

themselves "natural
the five senses.

They

anything was

the

in

know them,

14.

ii.

there were Agnostics

day too

ffm%S

men"

called

the men of

refused to believe that

universe

which did

not

come through these gates. And yet in that conThe largest

clusion they were most unnatural.
part of what I call Nature never came to me
through the

five

idea of beauty ?

gates.

Came

Where
it

did

get

my

from the hilltop or

Nay, nor
from the valley or from the plain ?
from anything without my own soul.
Where
did I get my sense of music ?
Came it from
All the vibrations in

the vibrations of the air ?

the world would not

make one note

the

kingdom of melody

did

it

get

my

is

of music

Where
Came

within me.

thought of natural law?

from the observations of science

Science

THE MODE OF DISCERNING THE

162

SPIRIT.

itself would have been impossible if that thought

had not been born before it.
It came from my
own mind -from that sense of order which beI never could have seen it
longs to mind alone
in the stars if I had not first felt it in my soul.
O Thou that comest not through the five
gates, help me to discern Thee by Thine own
light.
Teach me that there are other gates than

the

me

Tell

five.

golden than

more
Once didst
blessed because he saw in

that

there are portals

eye or the ear.

the

Thou call a disciple

Thee what flesh and blood could not reveal.
Be mine that blessedness for evermore. Enable

me

to

see

Thy

glory beneath that form which

was more marred than

me

to detect

Thy

the sons of men.

Help

majesty gleaming through the

rent side and the pierced hands.

Teach me

to

recognise Thine uplifting above the earth in the

very hour of

me

Thy

humiliation upon the cross.

Thou art a
moment when Thou art disShow me
crowned by Pilate's judgment seat.
the power of Thy sacrifice, the glory of Thy
shame, the strength of Thy gentleness, the
When I have received
empire of Thy love.
Inspire

king

in

with the knowledge that

the very

Thine image

in

my

heart nothing shall be so

natural as the vision of

of unselfishness

is

spiritually discerned.

Thee

when Thy

mine Thy beauty

Spirit

shall

be

LXIX.
trbe Spint's IRccoonition of Cbrist.
"

No man

can say that Jesus

the Lord, but by the

is

^*^i^HE
^1 iSX

^^""^
he

thought

says that
that

in

beautiful

worship

Holy Ghost."
CuK. xii. 3.

Paul

one.

participation

is

And

which we adore.

Worship

verily

homage of the
can only pay homage to

right.

is

is
all

and the heart

which is already in
beauties of Shakespeare

heart,

the

is

that

If

it.

admire the

must be myself a
Shakespeare.
However much I acknowledge
his lordship over me I can only do so by reason
the light which shows him
of a kindred spirit
I

above me is his own

be a mute inglorious poet

to be

light in me.

to

write

forth

thrilled
if

a line in

my

life

one note of song.

to

the accents

m}^ soul has

of that which

it

may never

never

But
of the

bowed down

fit

may

be able
to

give

my

heart has

Swan

of Avon,

if

before the majesty

instantaneously feels but could

never have expressed,

have already the clear

THE

i64

RECOGNITION OF CHRIST.

SPIRIT'S

and certain evidence that the germ of the same

genius sleeps in me.

My
thou

soul,

hast

desirous to
in

Him

art thou seeking a test of

the

Spirit

know whether

dwells in thee

wait for an answer.

which

infallible,

is

of

the

whether

Art

Christ ?

that

life

thou

dwelt

Not long needest thou

There is a test for thee

unimpeachable.

Is

Christ

Does there
rise within thee a thrill of rapture at the sound
Does there wake
of His footsteps passing by ?
thee an object of admiration ?

to

within thee a flutter of the heart as His voice

reaches thine ear

Does there vibrate within

fall upon

thee a chord of music as His accents

thy

way

to

Does there swell within thee an

longing to be like Him, to be near Him,

infinite

Him

be one with

Dost thou

feel thyself to

be poorer than before, meaner in thine

He had

than ere
art

Thou

like

as

Him

He
it

art

is

like

Him

beautiful.

eyes

because thou seest

If

thou

would be impossible

see His beauty

own

Then thou

Him, thou hast already His

already like

Spirit.

Him

crossed thy path

for

wert
thee

not
to

thou wouldst be able to look

only on His marred visage.

But thou hast seen

Thou hast bowed

made with hands. Thou
hast recognised a kingdom amid the emblems
Thou hast reverenced a lordship
of the dust.
beneath the marred visage.
before

glory

not

THE

SPIRIT'S

RECOGNITION OF CHRIST.

hid in a servant's form.

Thou

165

hast detected a

loveliness that concealed itself in the miry clay.

thou art like Him; thou hast the

impress of His image in thyself, for that which

Therefore

thou lovest

is

already half thine own.

can say that Christ

of

His own

Spirit.

is

No man

Lord but by participation

LXX.

Zbc
" There are

Continuity? of tbe Spirit.

diversities of gifts, but the

same

Spirit."

CoK.

xii. 4.

If^^AUL

says that the Spirit of God must be

It must not
everywhere or nowhere.
^^^^^"^
be somcthirig which is limited to one
it must run
through
corner of" a man's nature
1^

rS^^

the diversities of

must tend

his

all

All

gifts.

one direction

in

the

his

gifts

direction

of

sameness of the
Spirit which makes the most varied acts the
Does it seem to
acts of one religious life.
self-sacrifice;

this

that

is

thee an impossible thing that a

religious

without ceasing
nature

the
it

is

the

of religion, the

giving

man

should be

should be

to pray
Nay, but thou hast forgotten

throughout

up

of

able

nature of prayer

thyself.

And

canst

thou not give up thyself in everything as well

as in one thing?
in the sanctuary

thine

Nay,

own
is it

the gift of song

Is
for

the praise of

du'elling for

not alike for

meant

God and

in

the praise of thyself?

God and man something

THE CONTINUITY OF THE

SPIRIT.

167

Are thy prayers in the

?
house of God offerings to the Heavenly Father
and thy wishes in thine own house offerings
Nay, but thy wishes
merely to this world ?
must themselves be prayers golden desires that
Are the
thy good may be the good of all.
contributions of thy hand in church to be
dictated by the love of God and the congiven to create joy

of thy

tributions

intellect

study

the

in

to be

Nay, but both

by the love of fame ?
that service
must be consecrated on one altar
of humanity which is God's unconsuming fire.
Spirit of Christ, Spirit of the crucified One,
Thee.
let all my gifts be permeated by
Let
my reason be Thine bathe it in the stream
dictated

of

Thy

sacrifice that

it

may come

truth for itself alone, truth at

though

Thine
that

it

of love

my

lead to martyrdom.

it

imagination

Thy

rest

Father that

it
it

be

Thine

love that

with the ideal of

;

price,

my

Let

truth

will

be

wash it in the fountain of Thy blood

may come forth bound with that chain
whose bondage is perfect freedom.
Let

ocean of

Thine

forth seel<ing

any

Thy

it

merge

may come

beauty.

Let

it

in

the

forth filled

my

heart be

with Thee on the bosom of the

may come

forth desiring nothing

which Thou desirest not and loving nothing

which is not loved by Thee.
Let my manner
plunge it in the wave of Thy selfbe Thine
;

THE CONTINUITY OF THE

168

furgetfulness that

it

may come

SPIRIT.

forth sparkling

with that grace which flows from unconsciousness

shall
my whole life be
my whole atmosphere be
then shall my whole employment be
of Thee.
My diverse gifts shall become

Then

alone.

religion

prayer
service

then

gifts of the

shall

sanctuary when,

they are baptized by Thee.

Spirit of sacrifice,

LXXI.

Zhc
"

To

one

is

Spivlt'3 6ift of Counsel.

given by the Spirit the word of wisdom."

^I'^IHE word

wisdom"

of

V^/j Lv>j

"the wise word"

^Sirfe^

the

power

Christ,

sacrifice of
is

have

my

failed

in
I

other

in

thought of

How many

giving them
I

Paul

time.

CoK.

xii. 8.

equivalent to

the word

spoken at

says

that

the

come through the

do this can only

to

Spirit of

right

is

words, through

How

self.

of the most splendid

their effect just

the

true this

advices

because before

forgot to bury myself.

Perhaps

was angry perhaps I was indignant perhaps

was supercilious
perhaps I was secretly
;

with

gratified

And

glory of

the

being

mentor.

want
word was not wise, because
was spoken at the wrong time, and it was
it
spoken at the wrong time because I did not put
myself in the place of my brother.
was
I
thinking of myself
not of him
therefore I lost
so

be a mentor

failed to

of the Spirit.

My

failed for

THE

170

SPIRIT'S GIFT

man who

the blessedness of the

his fruit in

season."

its

OF COUNSEL.

when

of correction in winter

" bringeth forth

my

fruit

m.y brother

was

brought out

and he rejected
The Spirit would have taught
it with scorn.
nie to create the springtime first around him, and
to speak my word of wisdom when the singing
of birds had come.
Spirit of Christ, help me to speak to my
cold

added

it

bitterness

to his

brother the word of wise counsel.

It will never
and it will never
Teach
be tender until it is prompted by Thee.
me that if a man be overtaken in a fault I must
restore him " in the spirit of meekness" considering my own temptation.
Enable me before
I speak to clothe myself in his circumstances.
Grant me the power to place myself in his

be wise until

it

is

surroundings, in his

Give
life,

me

to

better
star ? "

help

to myself, "

say
if

to see

Let
I

my

timely.

had

empty myself into his

I have done much
born under the same

Would

been

Instead of marvelling that he

been.

shall

diilicultics, in his struggles.

the strength to

me

before

tender,

me

how much worse

my

Thy

shall be as

the victims of their

own

sin.

voice

it

shall

was of

It shall

ravages

Then

counsel.

counsel be tender because

the reproof until the

so bad,

by bearing his burden

begin

ask him to bear

It

is

he might have

be

old to

keep back

of the

past

be

THE
healed;

it

SI>IRIT'S

shall

GIFT OF COUNSEL.

say,

"Thy

sins

171

be forgiven

" Go and
no more." My word of counsel shall be
wise when, all-atoning Love, it is dictated by
Thee.

thee

sin

"

ere

it

shall

consent to

sa}',

LXXII.

Zhc
"To

Spiiit's Gift of 1l3cnUn0.

another the

healing by the same Spirit."

gifts of

Cor.

xii. 9,

jNE

would think that the Spirit could

have no connection with the gifts of
an hospital nurse.
The Spirit belongs
to the sphere of religion
the gifts of nursing
belong to the sphere of the physician.
Yes,
but the sphere of religion is everywhere
it
includes the sickroom as one of its wards.
"What makes the difference between a good
and a bad nurse is often just the possession
'

of

the

is

Two

Spirit.

mechanically

skilled

hands

may be

soothing, the contact of the other

Why

is

this ?

hand

of

the

living

thropist
is

who

pain.

other

is

is

is

is

the

to

hand of the

lives to achieve a work.

that

the

The one

repellent.

because the one

who works

hireling

other

the

the touch

the

It

equally

yet the touch of the one

is

the

make a
philan-

The one

discharges an allotted task

contact
is

the

that feels a kindred

helpfulness

that

is

THE

sriRIT'S GIFT

OF

mindful of favours to come

movement

IIEALINCx.

the other

it

lot

it

Thy
is

the

humanity

succours.

Spirit of Christ,

give

is

of a perfect self-forgetfulness which

for the present is only conscious of the

which

173

life

to

Thou whose

for the

minister

glory

it

is

to

many, help those whose

to

the

spirits

in

prison.

Help those whose call it is to watch by the bed

of sickness, to smooth the troubled pillow, to
Teach them that the
solace the couch of pain.
One day
art of ministration is the art of love.
days
of mere
in Thy courts is worth a thousand
outward learning one touch of Thy pity is
worth a thousand rules of mere worldly pruGive to those who tend the pains of
dence.
Let
humanity a deep sense of humanity itself.
felt
minister
be
as
they
the suffering to which
within
them
that
Create
their own suffering.
;

sympathy which makes sacrifice itself not sacrificial, because it makes us love our neighbour
Inspire them with the thought
as ourselves.
of one body with those
members
that they are
them feel that the
Let
succour.
whom they
the sick-bed are
upon
racked
lie
limbs which
which watch
the
eyes
that
limbs,
their own
their
own eyes,
morning
are
the
for
sleeplessly
in
folded
feebleness
are
which
hands
the
that
shall
they
have
Then
hands.
their
own
are
Thy
love.
of
the
power
power,
Thy
power,

174

Then

THE
like

SPIRIT'S GIFT

Thee

iniirmi ties from

they

OF HEALING.

shall

bear

others, because like

away the
Thee they

have begun by taking the infirmities on themselves, for their cross shall be the step to their

crown and

their

strenefth to heal.

power

to

suffer shall

be their

LXXIII.

XLM Earnest
"Given

the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

^pv!HE
I0'
'(kL^-^

earnest of the Spirit

heart

i,:j

it

of tbe Spirit,

heights

knowledge,

of

Calvary

of

zvt'sh

22,

always

in tlie

be good.

The

is

to

i.

has tremendous hcighls before

Spirit

heights

is

it

2 COR.

but

earnest, its springtime,

is

heights

of

action,

beginning,

its

a simple desire.

its

The

bud from which the Rose of Shai'on springs

The

a longing.
is

of want,

sense

heart.

It

is

gift

first

the

of

God

the feeling

feeling

of

an

to

my

is

soul

empty
empty heart

of an

me I am more than the beast of the

That which prophesies my greatness
is not what I possess but the sense of what
The earlie'5t measure of me
I do not possess.
that tells
field.

is

the intensity of

me

my

cry.

When

knew

of

the Spirit

coming by
my hunger. The only change of which I was
conscious was a change from satisfaction into
The birds had lost the sweetdissatisfiedness.
first

came

to

only

its

THE EARNEST OF THE

176

SPIRIT.

ness of their song, and the fields the freshness

and the days the kistre of

came with the clouds of
heaven
came with a shadow to my heart.
But the shadow was an earnest of coming light.
What made the birds lose their song and the
fields their green and the days their lustre ?
It was the glimmer of a glory above the brightness of the sun.
My heart had caught sight of
an aperture in the prison wall and thenceforth
it
knew it was in prison and panted to be
of

their

green,

The

their joy.

Spirit

free.

Son of man, my thirst for Thee is the herald

The earnest of Thy coming is the
shadow on my heart.
The shadow on my heart
is Thy shadow
only by the vision of Thee can
learn my want of Thee.
In the world of
I
sense I can hunger before I have known the
taste of food, but in the world of spirit I must
of Thee,

taste before

can hunger.

Therefore

it

that

is

my

hunger for Thee is my earnest of Thee

know by the craving of my heart that Thou
I
must be at the door. It is the approach of Thy
footsteps that has put everything else in silence.
It is the music of Thy voice that has made all
other things seem discord.

Thy countenance
shadow.

world

in

moral

beauty

It

is

the light of

that has left the surrounding

that

It

is

the

vision

has emptied

my

of

Thy

heart

of

The f.arnest of the

its

treasures

eloquent

made

and

silence

luminous shadow

it

vacant,

177

cold.

harmonious discord

vacant heart

of an overflowing fulness
enter into that cloud, for
life,

sriRiT.

will

O
O

prophetic

not fear to

know. Thou Divincst

that the cloud is an earnest of Thee.

LXXIV.

^be
"

Spirit's Bbolition of tbe %n\\\

Where

the Spirit of the

Lord

is,

there

is

liberty."

2 CoK.
E say sometimes

I^^^^T

"

i^M/^
'^^^^'^'^^

We

it."

spirit
I

am

to

it

is

mean

us.

we have

of any

spirit

when

the

rules.

are learning,

that

it

has

not

yet

Nothing becomes easy to

got into the spirit of

study

is

its

The

it.

harmony with my

When

the change of law into love.

a pupil at school

but

we

17.

Jisve not yet got into the spin'l of

become easy
us until

of a task

iii.

begin by learning rules,

have mastered the science I forget

forget them in the very act of
observing them
keep them most perfectly
when I am unconscious of their presence. I no
longer think of my scales and exercises, I no
longer think of my stops and intervals
these
belonged to the days of law, but I am now
under grace.
The master-spirit of the musician
has set me free not free fjvm the law, but free
I travel over the old scales and exercises,
/;/ it.
I

over the old

stops and

intervals,

unconscious

THE
that

SPIRIT'S ABOLITION OF

they

are

on

still

unnoticed the phices of

the

my

THE LAW.

wayside.

pass

former pain

179

go
through undisturbed the scenes of my youth's
perplexity, for the spirit of music has made me
free,

and

most

law

its

most destroyed when

is

is

it

fulfilled.

So,

Before

Thou

divine

Spirit,

is

with

it

have entered into Thee

is

it

Thee.
a hard

scales and exercises,

wars against the law of
Until Thou comest I am not at

thing to be divine

it

is all

my members

the law of

Thy

mind.

home in the holy places; the presence of my

God is not fulness of joy. I am too anxious
about the counting of

am

my

stops and intervals

the measuring of

too eager about

my

moral

I am too disturbed about Piiy.selJ" and

remoteness from the goal.
But when Thou
comest 1 forget everything but Thee.
I forget
even my own humihty, my own rags, my own
nothingness
in the presence of Thy love I am

distances

my

burned up with unquenchable fire.

Thy love is
the music of my religion
it
puts me in Vac
spirit of it.
no longer need to learn the
I
separate notes of duty
I can
play by the ear
I can improvise.
I no longer count the number
;

of

times

shall

forgive

my

forgiveness is for eternity.

I
"
I
coiiiniandcd to follow

Am

" Lord, sufter

me

to

go."

every

of

act

no longer ask,

Thee

? "

no longer

say,

cry, "

i8o

iriist
s.'iy,

THE

SPIRIT'S

come
" It

is

to

ABOLITION OF THE LAW.

Thee

hell

or

go

shall

without Thee

to hell," but

bid

me

that

I
I

my vital air I
breathe in Thee.
Thy will is my joy Thy
work is my play Thy law is my life Thy
service is my glory
Thy cross is my power
Thy command is my strength the constraint of
Thy love is my spirit's liberty.
come."

Thou

become

hast

LXXV.
Xlbe Spirit's Bbolitfou of tbe Sense of

" Received ye the

Spirit

by the works of the law, or by the hearing

"
?
Gal. iii. 2.

of faith

I^^HAT
'"'^^

f^'AM

->^t><;SS

the

come from

to

you

expectancy

"Did

this,

through

attainment or

past

future

really

is

come

Spirit

sense of

sense of

asks

Paul

? "

a
through

" Did

it

work already done, or

did it rise in the humble hope that strength
would be given for work yet to do ? "
Let
us

try

to

was your
spirit

the pride of

understand
first

Paul's

What

meaning.

proof that you had received the

of poetry?

Was

it

when you looked

back on the wretched verses of your boyhood

and pronounced them very good ?

No that
a proof that you had 72oi the spirit of
But it was when you stood before
poetry.
the judgment seat of John Milton and saw
the books opened
the " Paradise Lost " and
the ** Comus " and the " Lycidas," when you
;

was

THE

i82

ABOLITION OF

SPIRIT'S

that in the blaze of their glory your own

works were burned for evermore, when there
rose within your humbled soul the hope that
one day you might be allowed to catch some
faintest far off gleam of that poetic vision, it
was then and only then that the spirit of poetry
was yours. You received that spirit when you
found your past works to be vile.
Son of man, Thou hast robbed me of my
Before I saw Thee I was proud of my
glory.
past works
my ideal was low and I was easily
satisfied.
But one day it was said to me "Jesus
of Nazareth passeth b}'," and I went out to see
of the soul
Thee.
1 saw Thee by that vision
which men call faith, and that instant I died.
broken and blinded and the
I fell to the earth
rags of my self-righteousness were consumed
Yesterday
by the brightness of Thy coming.
felt

I
I

strutted through the temple and cried, " Lord,

thank Thee that

to-day

beat upon

unclean

yet

then

is

light

my

am

am

It

to

of me, going on

before.

yesterday'.

that

reveals

It

my

the rise of the Star

me Thou

tells

ideal

is

me a sinner."
now than I was

to

would not go back

and not darkness

of Bethlehem that

my new

"
;

breast and say, " Unclean,

nearer to Thee

distance from Thee.

men

not as other

Lord, be merciful

And

It

is

art in

the

advance

height of

which prevents me from

being

THE SENSE OF MERIT,

satisfied

love

Sun

the jealousy

is

it

not

that will

me

let

of Righteousness

indeed
the

whose

before

price

is

dimness

faith in

me

O spotless Lamb
O Pearl of great

pride,

flashing

radiance

my

gold

dim, the shadow and the cross and

are

me

Spirit within

above

my

crucifies

of my enlarging
say " Well done."

whose healing wings

begin by overshadowing me,

whose glory

183

my

Thee.

all

from Thee.

that has taught

despair of

It

is

me Thy

myself

is

Thy

height

born

of

LXXVI.

"For

Zbc patience

ot the Spirit.

we, through

by

tlie Spirit,

l^fl^HERE
v^ I'M dark

are times
to

faith wait for the

Gal.

righteousness."

when

so dark

me

hope of

v. 5.

thines look very

that

have

to wait

i-Jsr^a

It is bad enough to wait

even for hope.
a long deferred fulfilment carries its
in hope
own pain. But to wait /or hope, to see no
glimmer of a prospect and yet to refuse to
;

despair, to have nothing but night before the

casement and yet to keep the casement open
for possible stars, to have a vacant place in my
iieart and yet to allow that place to be filled by

no

inferior presence

in all this universe.

it is

the grandest patience

It is

Job

in

the tempest;

Abraham on the road to Moriah it is

Moses in the desert of Midian it is the Son

it

is

of

man

is

no patience so hard as that which endures

in

There

the garden of Gethsemane.

"as seeing Him who

waiting for hope.

is

invisible;"

it

is

the

can wait for the meridian

THE PATIENCE OF THE

when

SPH^IT.

get a glimpse of the dawn, but

dawn

i&'5

when

would need a giant's

faith.
When I see the primrose of hope I can
say "The summer will soon be he''?," but when
the primrose of hope itself is faded, it is divinely
strong to say "It will bloom again to-morrow."
the very

invisible

is

Yes, divinely strong,

is

Thine.

Thou

new order
The heroes

the

the

past

waiting was impossible,

to achieve the

hast created a

Spirit, the strength

brought into this world

ha?.t

of heroes
of

for,

men who can

were men

to

wait.

whom

who rushed impetuously

But Thou

impulse of the hour.

new form

of greatness, a fresh

In Him, whom wc call the

type of manhood.
Sou of man, Thou hast exalted into a mountain
what 3'esterday was a valley.
Thou hast made

Thou hast made patience

Thou hast shown us that the cup of
'^orrow may be accepted when there is no star
in the sky.
Thou hast taught us that the
Father's will may be received just because it
is
His will.
Thou hast revealed to us that
a soul may see nothing but sorrow in the cup
and yet may refuse to let it go, convinced that
waiting

beautiful

divine.

the eye of the Father sees further than

its own.
Give me this divine power of Thine the power
of Gethsemane.
Give me the power to wait
for hope itself, to look out from the casement

when

there are no stars.

Give me the power,

THE PATIENCE OF THE

l86

when

the very joy that

gone down, to
niglit and say,
is

set

before

me

is

unconquered amid the

the eye of my Father it

stand
"

To

perhaps shining

climax of strength
for hope.

was

SPIRIT.

still."

when

shall

reach

have learned

the

to wait

LXXVII.

Ube
" Walk

/IDotive of the
and ye

in the Spirit,

>T

Splitt

shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

Gal.

v. i6.

of no use to attempt the weaning

is

from one joy except through another

The

joy.

pleasures
so,

but

is

it

is

it

that

How

true.

cured of these pleasures

the

of

lusts

shame

flesh

we need

then

shall

to

are

say

we be
we

Paul says that

can only be cured of them on the principle of

homoeopathy

by

higher parts

creating a like desire in the

of our

nature

the

lust

of

the

by a longing
How different are God's methods
of the spirit.
from mine
I am
always seeking to heal badness by restrictions
keep my brother
I would
from evil by tying his hands.
I
forget that
mere prohibition makes the heart beat cjuicker
flesh

can

be counteracted

only

the tree

is

voice says "

thing

when

never so

Thou

dear to

me

shalt not eat."

as
It is

when

a fearful

the unclean spirit has gone out and

the clean spirit has not yet

come

in

my

house

THE MOTIVE OF THE

lS8

then

me

unto

left

is

SPIRIT.

Who

desolate.

shall

remove the desolation ? Who shall lift me out

of these dry places where I wander and where
I protest against my bereavement ?
Nothing
can do it but a new love
no pains, no chains,
no threats, no prisons my restraint will be but

my

the place of

torment from which

my

for water to cool

tongue.

If

shall cry

would forget

the past, father Abraham, or

some other minismust bring me the draught of a

purer water, whereof they that taste shall never
thirst again.
If I would quench the lusts of the
flesh I must walk in the Spirit.
tering

spirit

Thou

Spirit of love.

cannot

my

keep

ceasing

to

if

my

free

Thou

lower soul.

by merely
the door of thought be

heart

think

me

canst set

canst quench the thirst of

from

evil

unguarded the unclean spirit will return.

I
want something to fill the vacancy I want
;

My

Thcc.
purit}-

into

and

eye has
it

darkness

will
;

countenance and

lift
it

been long listening

been long gazing on im-

not be cured by being sent

upon

the

light

shall be safe.

My

to

it

discord,

be healed by being draped

Thy

in

and

it

silence

of

Thy

ear has
will

not

let

it

upon the waters and it shall

have melody evermore.
My hand has been long
raised in wrath against my brother, and it will
let it
not be redeemed by being put in chains
hear

voice

THE MOTIVE OF

TIIIC SPIRIT.

1S9

be compelled to bear Thy cross and it will hurt

Come, Thou fire of heaven,
no living thing.
and extinguish the fire of hell.
Thy love can
burn up all contrary loves.
Thou art the only
fire by which the bush of life is not consumed.
The lust of the flesh weakens me, wearies me.
But Thy burning makes me stronger day by
day.
It consumes my care but it preserves inc.
It

destroys

myself.
I

feel that

Spirit,

my

selfishness

Like the three

men

a fourth power

walk

in 7'hce,

is

but

it

magnifies

in the fiery

added

to

furnace

me when,

LXXVIII.
tTbe fruits of tbe Spirit.
" But the

fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,

peace, long-suffering,

gentleness, goodness, fuith, meekness, temperance."

C^^^^HAT

^\mM

'^^^

aii^^

Gal,

v. 22, 23.

a strange order do these fruits of

Spirit

pected

follow

crudes

the

would have exclusters to

be at

the beginning and the ripest at the end.

here

order

the

appears

as

if

seems
the

life.

The

nearest to

the

sky;

The second
and

it

is

lower

be the

came

ripest

crudest afterwards.
this tree of

to

But

reverse

first

and

it

the

There are three clusters on

earliest is the highest
it
;

it

the

is

"love, joy, peace,"

is

nearer to the earth,

has been affected by the earthly shadows.

Exaltation has been succeeded by the need for

restraint

self-

"long-suflfering, gentleness, goodness."

The

latest is the lowest of all

touched the earth and is in

its

shadows.

The need

for

it

full

has altogether
conflict

self-restraint

with

has

deepened into the necessity for self-renunciation,

and the waiting called " long-sutTering" has

THIL FRUITS OF

become the storm and

meekness, temperance."
there

"

is

THE

SPIRIT.

191

stress of battle

" ()

what a

" faith,

fall

What

our spuntaneoiis cry.

was

a leap

from love to temperance, from the glow of the

Why
heart to the mere holding in of the reins.
has the summer come first and the winter afterwards ? why have the fruits of the Spirit not
followed the order of the year ?

They
thy

summer

my

have,

ripest.

brother, thy last stage is here

The

air is

love

can inherit the earth

is

more

that

beautiful, but

beautiful

Canst thou sing

in

is

more

because
the

it

can
the

sing

in

the

meekness that

beautiful

stiil.

It

needs more love.

summer

air?

it

is

well,

Thy Father
do the same.
demands of thee a love song more glorious than
the lark's
a song that can ascend from the
winter and the valleys.
He wants a song that
can rise up to Him from the snows of earth,
from the mist, and the cold, and the depression
of the life of common day.
He wants a praise
that can issue from hearts that have been tried
by sorrow, a love that has been born not of
sight but of faith, a psalm that has been " rolled
to wintry skies" by lips that have been taught
by restraining meekness to say, )tt Thy will be -^
dune."s^ Wilt thou give Him this love? wilt
thou send Him this song? wilt thou sing like
the swallow in the cold ere yet it is more than
but

the

lark can

THE FRUITS OF THE

192

spring

Then

tree be the

the latest

most glorious of

last offering of

Spirit, for love

in the air,

shall

thy

life

cluster

all,

rest of

is

of thy

then shall the

be the ripest

on the earth

and the

SPIRIT.

fruit of the

better than love

tempered meekness

better than the peace of innocence.

is

LXXIX.

Ube

ifirst /IDessaoe of tbe Spirit.

"In whom,

Spirit of promise.

K;^^^:^HE

first

of

gift

v^ 1^

promise.

f^=^^^

Its

It

Eph.

"

life

vision

of streets

that

to

13.

my

soul

is

natural

consciousness

earliest

is

i.

so with

is

nor of yesterday,

of to-day
Its

were sealed with that Holy

after that yc believed, ye

is

life.

neither

but of to-morrow.

paved with gold,

of suns that never set and of days that never

rain

his

old

it

begins

age

The Spirit
Nebo its
;

of the

on

its

summit of Mount Nebo.

also begins with Mount
message to the heart is a vision

of divine
first

youth where Moses began

the

life

promised land.

Before

it

me

asks

to

one step of the journey it presents me

with the grapes of Eshcol
the specimen fruits
take

of the glory yet to be.

at

the

reality.

the

beginning
It

shows

conceals

It
it

shows me the end

nearer

brakes and briars between.

out like

than

the

the intervening spaces

Abraham below

It

takes

me

the stars and if says

THE FIRST MESSAGE OF THE

194

to

my

it

does not

proud

spirit,

" So shall thy seed be," but

me

tell

that

ordeal

great

its

surrender of

will.

quickly," but

with clouds

during the

conceals as yet that

it

"

it

mighty

its

" Surely

says,

the

of Moriah

hill

and

of faith
It

me and

betwixt

stars there intervenes that terrible

with

SPIRIT.

it

"

come

cometh

hides the sword of crucifixion

song

shepherd's

the

is

it

Spirit

of promise.

O Thou

beneficent Spirit,

this

first

message

that

Thy

first

my

to

voice to

soul.

for

thank Tiice

me has been

not of warning but of promise.

my

thank Thee

the voice

thank Thee

has not been the cross

opened heavens and the
descending dove.
The journey is too long and
too arduous to be encountered without good
cheer.
I need a draught of joy before starting
that

of

earliest vision

Calvary

but

the

want a stimulus of the heart to help me on.

would faint by the way if I did not get bread

before

Thee

leaving.

Therefore,

Spirit,

bless

come the beatific

vision, that Thou hast shown me the crown of
glory before the crown of thorns.
The brightness of Thy morning shall keep me all the day.
that first of

keep

shall

keep

it

It

shall
shall

there has

me through the cloud and the cold

me mid the burden and the care
keep me in the labour and the strife.

It shall
it

all

lift

nie

up

in

the depression

of the

THE FIRST MESSAGE OF THE

valley

of the

it

billows of the sea.

the storm

when

hind me, and the

I

erect in the monotony

make me calm on the

shall

it

195

mc

hold

shall

plain

SITRFr.

shall

walk

aloft

through

Thy morning song beyoke of toil shall be easy when

I

hear

remember Thy promise

in the

dawn.

LXXX.

Zbc
'For througl)

IRnit^ of tbe Sptvit

Him we

both have access by one Spirit unto the

Eph.

Father."

^'^^'^^ND SO there

utmost

may

be a union amidst the

difference

difference

of

i8.

ii.

of

What

views.

opinion

could

be

so

between Jew and Gentile they

Yet Paul
were the poles of religious thought.
says that in the sight of God these might be
esteemed the worshippers in one common temple,
"we both have access by one Spirit unto the
Father."
What is that one Spirit which in spite
of diverse forms and features can make us in
It is the life of
God's eye one family still ?
great as

that

sacrifice,

of self-forgctfulness,

that
if

is

the Spirit of our Father.

we have

that Spirit

we

of brotherhood

Paul says that

are Christians though

lie between us.

I
may
myself a follower of Cephas, and you may

oceans of thought

5'ourself a follower of Apollos, but if

call
call

we have

taken up the cross of the great Burdenbearcr

THE UNITY OF THE

SPHilT,

197

heaven's sight no more sea we stand

hand before the judgment seat of Christ
through Him we both have access to the heart

there

is in

hand

in

of

tlic

Father.

Son of man,
and parties be united in Thee.
We are postponing our union until we come into
the unity of the faith
that is not Thy method.
Spirit of the cross, Spirit of the

1,
let

our

rival sects

Thou

callcst

us to the unity of love

love

in

spite of intellectual difference, love independent

of contrary opinions.

agree about the

light

may we

My

brother and

name we should

cannot

give to

not shake hands without

Thy
such

agreement ?
Is not Thy light beautiful called
by any name, called by no name ?
We are
agrv_ed about Thy beauty and about the love of
Thy beauty unite us in that love. Unite us
in the love for man as man, in the sympathy for
those wants which are universal because they
are human.
Unite us in the sorrow for the
;

sorrowful, in the heaviness for the burdened, in

the perplexity for those that have lost their way.

Unite us on the road to Galilee, on the mission

to the valley of the
in the pity for

desolate,

in

death.

Unite us

the help for the homeless, in the

succour for the

W'ait

shadow of

the poor, in the distress for the

sinful.

Then can we afford to

faith.
Then can we
about the name we shall

for the unity of the

postpone our difrerenccs

THE UNITY OF THE

198

give

to

Thy

light,

for

shall itself be our guide,

sacrificial

flame

shall

presence of the Father.

SPIRIT.

Thine unnamed light

and the glory of its

lead

us

both

into

the

;:

LXXXI.
ZTbe Scat of tbe Spirit
" Strengtliened

with might by His Spirit

^^^^^tl AUL'S great solicitude

^^ c^"

U ISr/l

^^

*^^^^^

he

he

is right.

feels that his

The

tone

with the

from there.
provinces

i[

^^^^^

all

is

man."

Eph.

is for

work

man

inner

the capital, the chief city

their

8"^^

'^'^^y

the inner

in

is

iii.

i6.

theiimcrman
strengthened
done.

And

the metropoh's,

the provinces take

No man must

begin

he wants to make his

fortune.
In vain you adorn the body, in vain
you amass the gold, in vain you seek the sights
and sounds of beauty the capital is the heart,
and if the fashion of the heart be sombre, the
whole is sad.
But if the fashion of the heart
be bright, I have no fear for the provinces
these will soon follow.
The body may be
meanly clad, the gold may be scarce and dim,
the sights and sounds of beauty may be shut
out by lane and alley, but if in the heart there
;

be voices of laughter, they will

If there

be songs

in

fill

all

the metropolis,

the land.
shall not

THE SEAT OF THE

down my

be able to keep

through

snow

cold and in the

and

in the rain

The

there

is

Thee.
within

gladness

Thou

Therefore,

want

at

my

struggles

everywhere
the inner man.

in

have

the heart.

shall sing

sing in the dark

amid

of joy

life

divine

to

sing in the

shall

shall

shall sing

for daily bread.

when

singing.

the provinces

all

SPH^uT.

is

Spirit,

my

youth

know

that

come to
renewed
heart

the

mine is old and

because my heart is old the whole tree of life
is withered.
Often have I pondered these
words of Thine, " If the salt have lost its
if the
savour, wherewith shall it be salted,"
Jicart be old, if the principle of youth itself be
withered, what can make us young ?
Thou, O
should be ever young,

but

Spirit,

Thou

Thou

canst

canst restore

give

my

me

back

The

soul.

my

youtli

pastures are

as green as ever, the waters are as quiet as of

yore, but the withering of

my

them of

glow.

their

sunshine of

my

morning's

my

soul has robbed

Renew

the

heart; renew the childhood of

spirit.
Give me back the freshness of tlie
inward Spring
the buoyant expectation of tomorrow, the quenchless hope of the good time
coming.
Restore me the elastic bound that"
sorrow could not keep down, the lightness that
burdens could not crush, the ardour that cold-

ness could not cool.

Then

shall

the pastures

THE SEAT OF THE

grow green again

peace once more,

make

the

new

SPH^IT.

then shall the waters ripple

for

the

creation,

new

creature

the soul shall be the restitution of

My

shall

and the restoration of

strength shall be renewed

like

when Thou has strengthened my

all

things.

the eagle's

inner man.

LXXXII.
XTbc 6i1et or tbe
"Grieve not the Holy

'f^^'^rftS

Spirit of

Spidt

God."

Eph.

iv,

then grief a divine thing?

was something

r|?|

it

'^^

of

for the slave

30.

thought

mark

Nay, but
there is a grief which can only belong to rich
natures, which is incompatible with the poor and
iViiilty,

a sign of poverty.

There is a sorrow which can only be

mean.
felt by love
a sorrow which increases as a man
grows in love.
There are tears which divine
communion wipes from the eyes, but there are
other tears which it causes to gather there.

Love, divine love,

lifts

me

into a

new

pain

its

makes me sensitive to impressions of sadness from which yesterday I was

free.
It shows me coldness where I felt nothing but warmth, darkness where I saw nothing but light, deadness where I witnessed

own

pain.

It

only the pulsations of

life.

It

reveals spots in

the sun, stains in the snow, impurities in the

fountain,

discords

in

the lark's

song.

It

lays

THE GRIEF OF THE

mc

on

and

that

He

Lord the burden of human

me by a kindred experience
because He was divine.

tells

it

grieved
of

Spirit

203

my

as on

sin,

SPIRIT.

whose

Holiest,

the

perfect

love

opens Thy heart to the greatest sorrow, let

Thou hast wounds
not me add to Thy grief.
enough to bear without receiving one from me.

Thee to suffer, but it is undivine

Instead of grievmake Thee suffer.
Is
ing Thee, could I not help Thee to bear?
might
do
together,
are
work
that
we
there no
there no labours that we might perform side by
divine in

It

is

in

me

to

side ?
I

Thy

there no sorrow of

Is

could

make

no interest
interest ?

my

a sorrow of

in

Is

heart which

heart ?

Is there

Thee which could become my

there no care in Thy life which

might be permitted to call my care ?

I am
told that I am to be a sharer in Thy gladness,
" Enter ye into the joy of your Lord."
But is
not Thy joy just the redemption from Thy
I

Thy

grief?
grief

is

joy

is

humanity

humanity redeemed
in

Thy laughter
Thy groaning how shall
rejoice with

have not

first

How

chains.
if
I

suffered with

Thy

shall

do not weep with

Thee

reign with

Thee

shall

if

be

made glad with Thy rapture according as the

days have been wherein I have been afflicted
let me not grieve Thee but
with Thy sorrow
;

share

Thy

grief.

LXXXIII.
XLhc Supplications of tbe Spirit
Praying always with

prayer and supplication in the Spirit."

all

Ern.

i8,

vi.

^RAYING

always with all prayer;" one

would think the command was unqualified.
Yet it is not.
am not
I
to ask everything indiscriminately.
There is
a limit within which my desires are to wander.
the answer to " all
I am not to be allowed
but

prayer,"

The man

"

to

ask anything that

Cocfs nature, and

least

it,

for

it

it is

shadow of

Spirit is

is

me

Spirit."

must not

variance with the law of

is

the law of

an absolute law.
it,

dare

not

must

desire

of love

The
;

to

order of God's

pray

in

God's

Spirit is to desire in conformity with love.

I

ask that which

nature,

am

like

to

without variableness or the

turning.

the law

the

in

that

of the Spirit

not seek to change

violate

tells

is at

The order

nature.

prayer

all

of science

is

If

not conformable to God's

the child

that cries for the

THE SUrrLICATIONS OF THE

moon

joined

want

to

overture

to

205

God has

put asunder what

The

together.

SPIRIT.

all

prayer

must be " Thy will be done " no man can

sing the song of supplication who has pitched
My Father
key.
his voice upon a lower
measures distance not by space but by sympathy my voice shall He hear in the morning
;

if

ask "

in the Spirit."

me

Lord, teach

Teach me that form

to pray.

of prayer which marks the

boundaries within

Teach me to desire
which I ma}^ ask of Thee.
that by which Thy name shall be hallowed,
to seek that which shall hasten Thy Kingdom,
to wish that which shall be consistent with
Thy will. Teach me before all things to say
" our Father."
I
sometimes forget that I
have a brother, forget that he has wants
sometimes lose
I
common with my own.
remembrance

the

that the

satisfaction

of

my

want may mean the impoverishment of my

this day my daily
brother
I say, " Give me
divine Love, the
Restore
to
me,
O
bread."
Restore to me the
memory of Thy cross.
fading sense of Thy kingdom. Thy power.
;

Thy
is

glory.

service,

Thy

Remind me
that

that

Thy power

is

Thy kingdom
sacrifice,

that

humanity redeemed.
Revive
within me the sympathy that feels another's
pain, the charity that weaves another's hope,
glory

is

THE

206

SUl PLICATIONS OF

THE

SPIRIT

the love that participates in another's joy.

me cease to thank Thee that I am

men my prayer shall become Thy
I shall ask through Thy Spirit.
;

Let

not as other

prayer

when

LXXXIV.

Ube

ffellowsbip of tbe Spirit

be

If there

ND

finy fellowship of the Spirit, fulfil

was

SO Paul's ideal of joy

He

did

what

that

"

is

The

just

it

joy."
ii.

i, 2.

fellowship.

word,

just

fellowship of the Spirit

good-fellowship

it

offers the

Why,

good-fellowship.

calls

Paul's

he wanted

The world has claimed

of society.

a monopoly of the social element

youth

my

not wish to be a recluse, a

hermit, a solitary dreamer

man

to be a

ye

Phil.

"

Paul's

what

offer.
is

that

goodPaul is impressed with the analogy

ness ?
between the good-fellowship of the world and
the fellowship of the saints " Be not drunk with
wine," he cries, " but be ye filled with the
What does he mean ? is there any
Spirit."
connection between them ?
Yes they are both
forms of self-forgetfulness.
Wine litis me out
of my care and causes me to laugh with others
but

fellowship

the

of

the

Spirit

also

lifts

me

out of

my

care and

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE

2o8

makes me

companion

at

the

SFIRIT.

God's

feast.

drowns the darkness of my past, but it drowns it net in oblivion

but in glory.
It shows me the vision of a past
redeemed of dross transmuted into gold, of evil
made to work for good it lifts the weight from
my soul and makes me comrade to ni}' brother
wine, like the world's wine,

man.

O
help

Thou who

me

settcst the solitary in families,

to break the loneliness of

That which makes my soul

of its past remembrance.
for others, because

own

am

my own

solitary is the

soul.

weight

I am no companion
conmiunion with my

in

Hast Thou an elixir of self-forgetHast Thou a potion that can set me

free without degrading me?
Hast Thou a
remedy for care which can destro}^ the care
without killing the life ?
Yes, Thou and Thou
cares.

fulness ?

alone hast such a cure.

me
the

rest

rest

burden

from myself.

from

door

the

brother from entering

Thy Spirit can give

Thy Spirit can lift

in.

that

prevents

Send me Thy

my

Spirit,

O my God. Take away the depression that

makes me seek the shade. Give me the lightness of heart that craves companionship, the joy
that longs to

tell itself,

the

buoyancy that cannot

Give me that need for brotherhood

be alone.
which disencumbered souls alone can feel, that
joy in

human

intercourse which only hearts at

TIIF.

FELLOWSHIP OF TME

SPIRIT.

209

know.
Apart from Thcc I have been
wandering in a solitary way, but the days of
good-fellowship shall come when 1 have received
rest can

Thy

Spirit.

LXXXV.
XTbe

"Who

Xove

of tbe Spirit.

also declared unto us your love in the Spirit."

COLOSSIANS

^J^OVE
^i

i^?^')-!.

^'^^^^^^^^^^

^^

in
'^^^

human

the

Spirit,"

thing

<^'i''ly

affection.

1.

what is that?
worth having

It

is

8,

It

in

the love the of

inner as distinguished from the love of the outer

man.
it

There

is

a love which

beauty of the form

to

not spiritual

is

rests on the beauty of the form,

the

it

Son of man when He

multitude with

and with the

It comes

fades away.

bread, but

it

is

leaves

feeding

Him

the

alone

under the shadow of the Cross. But spiritual

love is impervious to shadow.
It comes not
because the leaves are green, and therefore it
goes not when the leaves are seared and yellow.
It pays its homage to the soul as a soul sees
its royalty amid rags, detects its greatness amid
ruins.
It will find the Son of man in the dark
and cold of the sepulchre and anoint Him there
with the myrrh and aloes.
It
will find the

THE LOVE OF THE

Gentiles

apostle of the

degradation

of

in

Roman

SPIRIT.

the meanness and

dungeon and will

him a perfect beauty though iiis

were weak and his speecli
Well might Paul reverence that
contemptible.
form of devotion which he calls " love in the
recognise in

presence

bodily

Spirit."

"

Love

love

Thou

for

in

the Spirit," be

Let

Thee.

not for

art,

me

this,

what Thou

Thou
which we

Thee

love

Lord,
for

givcst.

my

what
There
There

are times in which

givest nothing.

are seasons in

tarry in the wilderness

all

Why

night and have no bread.

not always multiply the loaves

Thou

It

Thou

dost
is

because

longest to be loved " in the Spirit," loved

Let me abide with Thee in

when there is no bread. I came to
Thee when Thou wert loading me with benefits
let me stay with Thee when Thou hast taken
Thy benefits away. I came to Thee when the
multitude cried " hosannah " let me remain
with Thee after they have shouted " crucify."
came to Thee when Thy way was strewn
I
let
me linger with Thee
with palm-leaves
when Thy brow is wreathed with thorns.
Teach me to feel that the wilderness kuIIi Thee
for

Thyself alone.

the desert

is

better

than the garden

famine by

Thou

art

Thy
not

side

near.

w'ithout Thee,

outweighs

Then

shall

plent}'
I

that

where

know

the

THE LOVE OF THE

SPIRIT.

the peace
that passeth understanding
The loss
which the world cannot take away.
ot Thy gilts will not break my joy when I have
learned to love Thyself
to love Thee in the

peace

Spirit.

LXXXVI.
TTbe Qucucbiiuj ot tbc Spirit,
"Quench

not

tlic Spirit.

"^i Thess.

v. 19.

^^^^t^IIERE is a thirst which ought not

quenched the thirst for God.

mW^

hke no other

It

is

Other

the world.

tliirst in

be

to

quenched when they meet their object,

God will be quenched if" it does
Wlien the hart pants after
object.
meet
its
nuf
is allayed by tasting
panting
waterbrooks
its
the

thirsts are

but the thirst for

of the waterbrooks, but the panting of

for

God

is

my

kept alive by tasting of God.

do not taste of God

shall

soul
If

cease to thirst for

Why

is it
Him the Spirit will be quenched.
written, " Blessed are they that hunger and thirst
;

after

righteousness

spiritual

world

that hunger.

it

It is

" ?

is

It

is

because

in

the

the rich and not the poor

because the aspirations of the

wants of the body, are created

by the things that feed them, increase with our
To
abundance and intensify with our fulness.
to still that
allay f/ial hunger is to become poor
soul, unlike the

THE QUENCHING OF THE SPHUT.

214

craving

grow

to

is

destitute

quench that

to

thirst is to sink into a pauper's grave.

O Thou

whom

for

pant as the hart panteth

ahve the

for the waterbrooks, keep

Thy

soul.
let

me

me

Spirit in

is

my

not quench that Spirit.

may

that the craving

Thy

river of

fear to lose the

I

fear

subside by abstaining too

God.

Let

pleasures

me

not

me

Bring

long from the living waters.

O my

my

Thee

Thee through disuse of Thee.

thirst for

waters,

thirst of

thirst for

to the

drink once of the

that

may

thirst

no more, but that I may thirst no more for any

lower tiling.
Not to lose the desire of Thee
do I come to Thee I come to have it deepened.
]
have read of a worm that dicth not and of a
fire that is not quenched
but I know a fire that
It is
is not quenched where the worm does die.
;

the

of

fire

longing of
endless

made
tlie

Thy

my

flame
die;

to

power of

worm

my

love,

my

Father,

shall

the

worm

the insatiate

Only

heart for Thee.

of

my

in

care

tliat

be

only in that mighty thirst shall

all

other thirsts be allayed.

The

comes back because finite joys

grow dim it shall be consumed for evermore in
that joy whose every height reveals new heights
of

care

to

come.

torments

quenched.

shall

in that fire

find

peace

from

my own

of Thine which cannot be

LXXXVII.
tibc Sacrifice ot the Spirit.
"

Who

through the ttcrnal

Spirit offered himself."

HEBRIiVVS

pj^^FFERED

ix.

14.

Himself through the Spirit;"

|{^i)|

surely a strange

*^f=^*^

would have expected

mode

of sacrifice.

have been
said that Christ offered Hiniseh" through the
Nay, but in God's sight
pains of the flesh.
The deepest part of
this was not His oiTering.

His

sacrifice

invisible

it

to

was the

surrcnciLr

The gift which He presented to

Father was not His pain but Himself His

of His
the

was

it

will.

willingness

to

suffer.

What

the

Father loved

He
was rather the painlessness than the pain.
delighted not so much in His sacrifice as in the
joy of His sacrifice.
It was offered " through
the Spirit."
It was
not wrung out from a
reluctant soul through obedience to an

law

it

came from the inner heart

impulse of undying love.

offering

It

before Calvaiy began

v/as
;

it

outward

from

the

completed

was seen by

THE SACRIFICE OF THE

2\6

Father before

the
It

was

finished

the flesh

was seen by the world.

it

the

in

finished

ere

spirit

hour

that

in

Son of man exclaimed, " Not

Thou wilt." Man had to see
body God was satisfied when
;

His soul."
Even so,

my

brother,

are times in which

SPIRIT.

is

it

thou

as

it

in

began in
which the

I will,

with thee.

impotent

art

but as

the pain of His

" He poured out

There
for

all

outward work, times in which thou canst offer

Thine may be the path of
no bodily sacrifice.
thine may be the season of penury
obscurity
;

thine

may

be the road apart from the world's

highway. Thine may be the delicate frame that

cannot run for God because it must rest fur

may be nothing

sustenance

do but

to

look on and wish that thou couldst

serve.

Yes, but canst thou do that?

Is this

Then thy Father

sees thy

there

wish indeed thine

sacrifice completed.

but

body,
Spirit."

is

gift

its

to

It is

offered

Like the

accepted in

up thy

it

thee to

not yet offered in the

" through the eternal

sacrifice

inwardness.

of Abraham it is
Thou hast brought

Mount Moriah and

for

hast laid

it

open in thy heart,

Thy
uncovered on the front of thy bosom.
Father sees it there and holds it already given.
there before the Lord

He

laid

it

accepts the offering of thy will as an offering

of thy

gift.

He

asks not the blood of Isaac

THE SACRIFICE OF THE

when
counts

lie has seen the blood of

thy

faith

unto

thee

for

SPIRIT.

217

Abraham.

He

lighteousness,

thy devotion unto thee for deed, for

that the sacrifice which lags

has been oflered ah'eady

behind

He knows

in the flesh

in the eternal Spirit.

LXXXVIII.
XLbc penalties of tbe Spirit.
"

He

that despised Moses' law died without mercy, under two or

of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought

who hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace."

three witnesses

worthy,

Hebkews
^^^iHE thought is that there is
V^ r^' so great as the punishment

X. 28,

29.

no penalty
by

inflicted

?^^^ the Spirit. If I am only convicted by

outward witnesses, it" 1 do not leel tlie pain
irom within, it is only my body that sullers.
but if 1 am convictL-d by the witness of my
own heart, if I am confronted by the stings
ol a violated conscience, my punishment is sore
indeed.
There is no pain like spiritual pain
there is no spiritual pain like the sense of
h.axing done wrong.
If I
have outraged the
;

Liw of love
irie

my own

soul, it is no solace to
outward witnesses of my
no consolation to me that eye hath

in

that there are not

deed.

It is

not seen

that

it,

ear

visible

tribunal shall

reverse

if

hath

not heard

not avenge

could only

it.

get outward

it,

It

is

that

the

punish-

THE PENALTIES OF THE

nicnt
in

it

would

be a

relief.

penance

sought

ages

all

SPIRIT.

219

Why have men

Why have

they wounded themselves, lacerated themselves,

themselves

starved

may

wounded
written

It

conscience.
that

the

Why

physical.

Cain

is

that

avert the greater penalty

It

to

is

first
is

no

teach

they

thereby

the

stroke of a

Not by accident
punishment was

man
the

suffered

world

at

is

it

not

to

kill

the

be-

ginning that the penalties of the Spirit are

in

God's sight heavier than the penalties of the

Law.

My
The
was

soul,

is

there

any

escape

for

thee

was sharp but it

pain and all was over.

stroke of the outer law

shortlived
one brief
But the remorse for deeds misdone can there
be any end to that ?
Yes, there can.
There
is One who has been coming up behind thee,
lifting the crosses thou hast left by the wayside.
There is One who has been gathering thy misdeeds into His kingdom and making thcni
work for good. There is One who has been
;

not only forgiving thy past, not only cancelling

thy past, but atoning for thy past.

The

crosses

by thee on the wayside have not merely

been lifted, but have been beaten into the steps
of a golden ladder on which the world instead
of stumbling shall rise
the dungeon thou
madest for Joseph has become the road to his
left

THE PENALTIES OF THE

220

Wouldst thou have thy past unWouldst thou have thy deeds unWouldst thou have the sense of being

throne.

spoken
done ?
a

SPH^IT.

again

child

the race

still

with

the

to run, the

Come

then to

years.

Come

page

road

still

still

to

write,

to traverse ?

Him who crucifies thy misspent

Him who beats thy sword into

to

a ploughshare, thy spear into a pruning hook.

Come
wicked

to
to

turns the

Him who maketh the wrath of the

praise Him.
Come to Him who

Vv^ater

of the past into wine and tells

thee thou art born anew.

The

penalties of the

outraged Spirit shall be crucified on the bosom

of the Son of man.

LXXXIX.

Ube
"Through

Sauctification of the Spirit,

^^^; HERE

l-'^r^
*fiii3^

That

are

two

Peter

with

l>/ood

we

of

the

Christ.

We

ever the order of the Spirit.

and

Christ

to

the

with compulsion from without and

impulsion from within

2.

i,

stages of sanctilicatioa

the obedience

sprinkling

is

and sprink-

sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience

ling of the blood of Jesus Christ."

begin

we end

with

begin with imposed

and we end with

sacrificial love.
So
man who wrote these words
Peter was drawing from his own experience.
There was a time when he thought the stage
" Bid me that
of obedience was the only stage.
I come to Thee on the waters," he cries
he

service

was

it

with the

thought that the virtue of the act lay

struggle
shall

my

it

would cost him

to

brother sin against

him?" he wanted

an

do

me and

arithmetical

which he could count and keep

of his fisherman's craft.

it.

And

How

"
I

the
oft

forgiv^e

command
books
Lord gave

like the

his

in


222

THE SANCTIFICATTON OF THE

him

command which was

SPIRIT.

not arithmetical

He gave him His

His own love of humanity,
His own necessity to give Himself.
Henceibrth, it became impossible to count the comthe sprinkhng of the blood.

own

spirit of sacrifice,

mands of duty the sprinkh'ng of the blood

means love and the demand of love is infinite.
It
is
not measured by numbers
it
is
not
it
bounded by precepts
is
not defined by
;

statutes
it
is not compassed
by laws.
Its
measurement is life
its requirement
is
the
whole life its boundary is the end of life its
;

climax
only

the

is

fulness

of

life

it

is

exhausted

in the sprinkling of the last blood.

O Thou Divine Spirit, that hast led this

world over the face of the waters into the haven
of peace, lead my soul from the tossing of
enforced obedience into the rest

dered

Sprinkle

will.

me

with

of

surren-

the blood,

the

Give me His divine

the necessity of love.
Impel
necessity to suffer
me to bear my brother's cross by obedience
from zviihin, by submission to the dictates of
sacrificial

love of Jesus.

the pit3ang heart.

bondage

Translate

the bondage that

golden chain of love.

service

the service

Lift

that

lav/

the

into

me

into

the
free,

the

new
the

new

makes me master, the

Raise me into the

law that makes me dead to force

devotion to a pure desire.

new

me

makes me

THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPHUT.

and

fear,

Thy

will.

cross

the

when

libcit}'

of a spirit

help

my Lord

whose

2-3

will

bear

is

His

shall

have passed from outward obedi-

to

ence into the sprinkling: of His blood.

xc.
XTbe XTcst of tbc SpUit's BbtMitoncss,
"And ho
He in him
Spirit
[I

and

commanrlmonts dwelleth in Hiin, and

and hereby we knew that He ahideth in us by the

that kcepcth His

;

which

He

hath given us."

have ventured

John

iii.

24.

punctuation both of the Authorised

to alter the

of the Revised Version.]

r^-^HE

most beautiful thine; to St. John was

rcter was a man of
abidmgness.
ypniS'l
iMis^^-^
gleams and flashes he liked to walk
But John's ideal of happiness
upon the waves.
was lying on the bosom
he was a man of
He valued not
the even way, a man of rest.
;

momentary

the

flash

stantaneous gleam

he

trusted

morning, noon and night.

for

he had found

it ;

his evidence

the

in-

And he

said that

he professed to have secured

on the Master's bosom a place

was

not

he wanted an abiding calm

for

this

What

for ever.

bold

claim ?

How

he know that Christ was abiding in him

by that Spirit which He had given ? Was it
by the increased power to rest?
No; strange

did

to

say,

it

was

b}-

the increased

power

to

work.

THE TEST OF THE

He
"

says that his evidence for the Spirit's rest

for unwearied action
His commandments dwelleth
The Spirit's permanence is proved

he gets

the strength

is

SPIRIT'S ADIDINGNESS. 225

He

in

Him."

by
by

its

activity

its

tlie

v^aking

the

Spirit's

rest

the Spirit's calm

storms that sweep over

he that

me

help

My

to

How

has

Spirit

shalt thou

Brahman

self

still ?

into

the

in

it

is

recognised

vindicated by
Only-

vain.

able to com-

only His Spirit's rest

keep His commandments.

soul,

abiding

is

is

bosom

lieth in Christ's

pass Christ's work

the

that keepeth

principle

know

into

to

to

thee

inward

an

rest ?

Shalt thou go with

it

of

the wilderness to

Shalt thou
solitude

become

Christ

will

avoid

make

thy-

with the hermit

retire

the strife ?

Shalt

thou repair with the mystic into the cloister to

be free from noise ?
That would not be a
test of Christ's Spirit

His can abide

other spirits as well as

there.

It

not in the stillness

is

but in the thoroughfare that thou must prove

the permanence of

His
thou

His

know

" //^ that kcrpcfJi

rest,

coiuniavdiucnfs dwelleth

Him."

in

Wouldst

the permanence of His presence, the

abidingncss of His rest

by the struggles
thy courage in
danger, by thy fortitude in temptation, by thy
strength in conflict, by thy calm in storm, by
thy patience in sorrow, by thy gentleness in
of the

common

day.

test

Test

it

it

b}'

226

THE TEST OF THE

SPIRIT'S ABIDINGNESS.

Test it by the justice of the forum,

by the integrity of the counting-house, by the
unity of the family circle, b^' the brotherhood
of human souls.
Test it by thy power to do
the right in a world where men do the wrong
to be stable amid the wavering, to be steadfast amid those that succumb.
Then shalt
thou have a test which the hermit never knew,
for there is nothing but inward rest that can
stand the outward fight
hereby shalt thou
know His indwelling, if thou canst keep His
rebuke.

commandments.

XCI.
of tbc Spirit's (Bcuuiucncss.

Ube Zest
" Hereby

know

that Jesus Christ

^^^^HE

ye the Spirit of

is

come

test

God

in the flesh

of any

is

Every

spirit that

of God."

confesseth

John

iv. 2.

genuineness

spirit's

is

my power

feel

to

lowliest things

its

presence

in

the

the true artist proves

by the detection of hidden beauties.

Even so, St. John says, the test that I have
the Spirit of God is my power to feci Mis
himself

presence

in

the dust.

has come in the flesh

To
"

is

garb of humiliation.
beneath the disguise and

in

its

bewray eth Thee."

To

confess "that Christ

to

love

It

say,

is

the

to

divine

penetrate

"Thy

speech

confess His beauty in the

heavens docs not require so pure a spiritual

spirits less finely touched are able to
artist
;

But to confess Him " in the flesh,"

where there are no stars and systems, no
thunderings and lightnings, no flashings and
gloamings, where every suggestion points to
that is to
frailty and impotence and death
do

that.

THE TEST OF THE

22S

be God's

artist, that

SPIRIT'S

GENUINENESS.

to see the

is

King

His

in

beauty.

O Thou who
for

the

power

Thy

an

to see that

Give

to hide itself.

of

altogether lovely, give

art the

Thy beauty

me

artist's

me that

Help me

it

me

tries

exquisite perception

loveliness which can detect

liness even

Give

soul.

beauty even where

Thy

love-

amid the forms of the conmion place.

to confess

Thee

disguise of that which

"

" in the flesh

not beautiful.

is

in

the

have

recognised Thy presence in things above me

I
I have worhave seen Thee in the firmament
I
have traced
shipped Thee on the mountains
Thy footprints in the tread of empires in these
But
Thou art a God that revealest Thyself
there are things beneath me as well as tilings
above me there is poverty and squalor and toil
And Thou art there
and weariness and death.
;

O my God

too,

there

Thou

art

God

that

Be it mine to detect Thy

Be it mine
hiding-place and unmask Thee.
Thyself.

hidest

to discover

Thy
to

Thy

beauty sleeping

glory hidden in

track

Thy warmth

the

dust.

in

the grass,

Be

it

beneath the snow,

mine

Thy

shadow, Thy life amid the

Be it mine to see Thy presence in
grave.
struggle and in sorrow, in labour and in ladenThen shall
ness, in Galilee and in Gethsemane.
light

below

know

that

the

have an

artist's soul for

Thee and

THE TEST OF THE

tliat tlic

SPIRIT'S

btauty by which

GENUINENESS.

see

Thee

is

229

Thine

am partaker of Thy Spirit's

I
own beauty
loveliness when I have learned to worship it
;

"in the

flesh."

XCII.

Ube

" These be they

who

separate iheinsclves, sensual, having not

the Spirit."

iT^f'^^

HAT
to

is

"

sensual
selves

"

lies

men

the

19.

commonly

in

the

mind.

limit

to

tie says

men " who

men who deny

And

the

St.

that the

separate them-

are the

human brotherhood.

" sen-

word

term
Judt that
The disease to him lies

excess;

bodily

only a symptom.

deeper

JuUE

a strange use of the

sual

\'|\'/;|
-*vj.^t>

Bbscnce.

trcst of tbc Spirit's

the

truly

he

claims
is

of

right.

There would be no sensuality in the world if

tiiere was love of man for man.
Could the
drunkard impoverish his household if he had
Could the volupnot hrst killed his heart ?
tuary wither the flower of innocence if he had
No man was ever
not first abjured his race ?
sensual till he became selfish separated himself
from sympathy with his kind.
The test of the
Spirit's

absence

is

the prodigal's

wish

to

li\e

THE TEST OF THE

SPIRIT'S ABSENCE.

231

alone.
I do not begin my life of riot until I
It is when I
have got into the far country.
forget that humanity is a continent that I begin

my

of waste.

life

God's

become

My

fit

God's

is

when

forget that in

no more sea," that

sustenance of the

the

for

cannot

spirit

with

It is

" there

sight

live

on an island and be one

for

Spirit,

swine.

the

of

Spirit

brotherhood, and brotherhood

God

is

the continent

is

of souls.
I

am weary

of

my

absence from Thee.

island
I

life,

Spirit

am weary

it

is

of the plea-

sures spent upon myself, weary of that dividing

me

out upon
between me
to be in want
I
long for the time when there shall be no more
sea.
Lift me on to the mainland, Thou Spirit
of humanity, unite my heart to the brotherhood

sea which makes

alone.

monotonous wav^s that

and my brother, and I begin
the

of

human

room

"

in

souls.

Set

spaoe

my

look

roll

feet

" in

Large

many congregate.
of human sympathy

where

Place me on the continent

where I can find ray brother by night and by
day where storms divide not, w^here waves
intervene not, where depths of downward distance drown not love.
Then shall the food of
the far country be swine husks
then shall
the riot and the revel be eclipsed by a new
joy
the music and dancing of the city of God.

232

THE TEST OF THE

When
shall

bid

SPIRIT'S ABSENCE.

have entered the gates of the

farewell

to

the wilderness

city

when

have received Thy bond of brotlierhood

separate myself no more.

shall

XCIII.
tlbe Spirit in
I

was

in tlie Spirit

on the Lord's Day."

|^f|P.ONDERFUL
|\^MM
Spirit,"

Rev.

triumph of love

i.

lo.

! to keep

Patmos the spirit of Sabbath

rest.
He was not only " in the
but he was " in the Spirit on the Lord's
even

^^^'^^'^

patmos.

in

Day" the Spirit in its deepest repose. But

what a strange repose was that
It was rest
amid storm.
The Spirit that overshadowed
him was brooding over the faec of the waters.
It was an hour of darkness, an hour of chaos,
an hour of desolation
yet he found
rest,
Sabbath rest.
How can we explain this ? Is
there any key to the mystery of St. John's
peace in storm ?
Yes we find it on the very
threshold, " Behold, He comcth with clouds."
All the clouds of this world are tQ him Christ's
coming that is the secret of his calm.
How!

ever dark
desolate

the

life be,
it

storm

however stormy

it

be,

however

he feels that the darkness and

and the desolateness are steps of
be,

THE

234

SPIRIT IN PATMOS.

coming, and that in this light one day

Christ's

" every eye shall

Him."

which
knowledge
that the Christ is here now, and that to-morrow
He shall be proved to have been here. Above
the sound of the trumpets, above the outpourijig
of the vials, above the voices and thundcrings
and lightnings of human calamity, there floats
ever in his ear the resistless music " the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth."
see

It

keeps the seer of Patmos calm

Spirit,

even

let

me

too

is

that

the

hear that music, that

Patmos I may have the Sabbath

and darkness are round about

in

rest.

Clouds
me
trumpets are sounding, seals are opening, vials
are outpouring their draughts of bitterness.

But

these

all

Thou makest
with

coniest

Thy

are

chariots,

Thy

the clouds

May

clouds.

O my God

chariots

not

rest

Thou

in

Thy

Thy chariot
heaven by the

chariot of clouds as Elijah rested in

of

May

fire ?

not

ascend

to

same means wherewith Thou descendest

Why

earth ?

keep

my

Sabbath

fected until

want

it

chaos

my

waters

Sabbath
mine

My

can keep

Thee behind my
poor

not

even

in

to the

Patmos

love will not be perits

Sabbath there.

be able to hear Thee moving on the

to

face of

should

if

is

want to be able to know

and care.
Mine is a
does not come after the

cloud
it

an

unfinished

love

if

it

has

THE
never lived
1

in

can say of

SPIRIT IN PATMOS.

Patmos.

my

love "

I
it

am
is

235

not satisfied
finished."

till

am

till I can hear Thy footsteps in the

have not reached the summer of my
soul until I can meet Thee in the clouds of
heaven and say of these clouds " It is the

not content
storm.

Lord's day."

XCIV.
tCbe H-lature of tbe Spirit's IRest
"Blessed are the dead which die
Yea, saith the

Spirit, that

may

Rev.

works do follow them."

(HAT

they

in the

rest

from

Lord from henceforth:

their labours
and their
;

xiv. 13.

a strange contradiction

would

have expected the words to be " they

rest from their labours and their works

do

i2ot

is

the

When

Ah

follow them."
Spirifs

but

" Yea,

rest,

the Spirit says " yea,"

just because 1
Spirit's " yea "

love

forget that this

the

Spirit."

enter into

sense of labour.

lose the
is

saith

it

is

work

The

the consent of the

where my love is weak that my

most burdensome and my work most
incomplete.
But when I enter into the Spirit's
" yea," I enter into a rest that makes me strong

will.

labour

It

is

is

forget the sense of

bound across the

toil,

fields

fly

over the ground,

of duty.

The

rest of

When
always followed by action.
I lie down on the bosom of God I wake up to
my own energies. Why does the Son of man
the Spirit

is

THE NATURE OF THE

say, "

me

237

Him that sent

He " is in the
Think you that He

must work the works of

Why,

" ?

bosom

SPIRIT'S REST.

indeed, but because

of the Father."

have borne so much outward toil if it

not been for His lulness of inward rest ?

could
liad

Nay

was the rested soul that made the active

was the stable will that made the
moving power it was the waveless heart that
it

frame

it

bore upon

ocean breast the burdens of the

His spirit had ceased from its labours
therefore His works followed Him.
My brother, art Thou in times of sorrow
its

world.

longing for the rest of the grave

no such
is for

rest for

a body

thee.

The

God

rest

a soul must have the rest of the

Thinkest thou that death

Spirit.

desires

of the grave

work ?
Nay
That which makes thy life
cessation of

but thy weariness.

If

is

be

to

but only of labour.

a toil

is

not thy

work

thou couldst only cease

works would follow thee everythee in death not less work

but work more abundantly
work that achieves
more because it feels no strain. "There shall
be no night there "
no sense of reaction from
the burden and heat of the day.
Thine shall

to be tired, thy

God

where.

offers

be the blessedness, not of sleep, but of waking,

not of dreams, but of doing, not of apathy, but of
feeling.

the

Thine

shall be the blessedness of love

action of the heart.

Thine

shall

be the

THE NATURE OF THE

238

blessedness of ministration

Thine

SPIRIT'S REST.

the labour of

love.

be the blessedness of having one

will with the Divine
the state in which service
is

shall

identical

with liberty, and where obedience

becomes the freeman's vital air.

Thou shalt
resume thine abandoned works when thou hast
attained the Spirit's rest.

;!

xcv.
trbe IRaptuve of tbe Spirit
"And

me away in
me that

he carried

mountain, and showed

the Spirit to a great

great

descending out of heaven from God."

city,

Rev.

the

and

liigh

holy Jerusalem,

xxi. lo.

(^rND SO we have Pis.s^ah moments still

There are times of inward rapture in
^'^^^ which I am quite carried away
Like
caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
Moses I stand upon a great and high mountain,
and the desert is forgotten and the promised

0mM^

land

is

near.

could

dark and the desert

"

myself,

mountain
there
right,

what

is

my
I

will

is

the

mountain

shall
;

if

be.

It

night

very dreary,

is
I

very

say to

what you saw on the

come out of the desert

And

a city somewhere."

they come
still

Remember
you

not live but for these

When

of sunshine.

glints

moments

are

matters not

verily

the

test

am
of

how seldom

they came only once, they would

predict the

compass of

my

wings.

Some-

times in the early year you can hear but the

note of a single bird, and

all

the rest

is silence.

THE RAPTURE OF THE

240

vSPIRIT.

Yet the bird and not the silence is the coming

reality
a little while and nature will take up
the song and be song altogether.
Even so is it
with my mountain moments.
My songs may
be few, but they are few because the year is
early
they and not the silences are the realities
;

A whole lifetime in the

outweighed by one sight of the city

of the ripening hour.

desert

is

of God.
Spirit Divine,

and

of joy

pleasures

at

in whose presence is fulness

whose right hand there are

evermore, send

for

my

into

premonitions of the summer gold.

spring

Send me

in

advance " days of heaven upon earth " days

of warmth above their season, days of sunshine
brighter than their time.
I have
known Thee
in Thine hours of conflict moving on the face
I
have known Thee in
of the chaotic waters.
Thine hours of calmness descending dove-like

on the banks of Jordan.

Am
in yet one stage more

overflowing joy
noble
but

not to

Thy

Thee

The

struggle with

the peace of Jordan's dove

hast

Thou

transcendest

moments

in

not

even

which

moments
these

my

soul

is

is

know

stage

of

chaos

is

beautiful

in which Thou
Hast Thou not

" carried away,"

of itself?
Hast
which the Baptist outruns the Messianic age and tells me beforehand
transported,

Thou

surprised

not moments

in

out

THE RAPTURE OF

TII-E SI'IRIT.

241

of the glory that shall be revealed, when the

desert dwindles into a span- and eternity alone

Such moments I ask of Thee.

By
its shadows shall I measure
life.
Mount Ararat was dry when all beside
was flooded, but Mount Ararat was the reality
and all beside was vanishing away.
When
Thy sunlight touches the summits of the
is real ?

these and not by

mountain

know

that

light in the city too.

ere long there shall

be

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