When the Holy Ghost is Come Part 8

1. He would reveal to us that our Heavenly Potter has Himself been on the wheel and in the fiery furnace, learning obedience and being fas.h.i.+oned into "the Captain of our salvation" by the things which He suffered. When we are tempted and tried, and tempest-tossed, He raises our hope by showing us Jesus suffering and sympathising with us, tempted in all points as we are, and so able and wise and willing to help us in our struggle and conflict (Hebrews ii. 9-18). He a.s.sures us that Jesus, into whose hands is committed all power in Heaven and earth, is our elder Brother, "touched with the feeling of our infirmities" (Hebrews iv. 15), and He encourages us to rest in Him and not be afraid; and so we abound in hope, through His power as we believe.

2. He reveals to us the eternal purpose of G.o.d in our trials and difficulties. Listen to Paul: "All things work together for good to them that love G.o.d." "We know _this_," says Paul (Romans viii. 28). But how can this be? Ah! there is where faith must be exercised. It is "in believing" that we "abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."

G.o.d's wisdom and ability to make all things work together for our good are not to be measured by our understanding, but to be firmly held by our faith. My child is in serious difficulty and does not know how to help himself; but I say, "Leave it to me."

He may not understand how I am to help him, but he trusts me, and rejoices in hope. We are G.o.d's dear children, and He knows how to help us, and make all things work together for our good, if we will only commit ourselves to Him in faith.

"Thou art as much His care as if beside Nor man nor angel lived in Heaven or earth; Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide, To light up worlds, or wake an insect's mirth."

Again, afflictions overtake us, and now the Holy Spirit encourages our hope and makes it to abound by such promises as these: "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. iv. 17, 18). But such a promise as that only mocks us if we do not believe. "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and He carried them all the days of old"

(Isaiah lxiii. 9). And He is just the same to-day. To some He says: "I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah xlviii 10), and nestling down into His will and "believing," they "abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost."

He turns our eyes back upon Job in his loss and pain; upon Joseph sold into Egyptian slavery; Daniel in the lions' den; the three Hebrews in the burning fiery furnace, and Paul in prison and s.h.i.+pwreck and manifold perils; and, showing us their steadfastness and their final triumph, He prompts us to hope in G.o.d.

When weakness of body overtakes us, He encourages us with such a.s.surances as these: "My flesh and my heart faileth; but G.o.d is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever" (Psalm lxxiii.

26), and the words of Paul: "Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day" (2 Cor. iv. 16).

When old age comes creeping on apace, He has promised to meet the need that our hope fail not. Listen to David! He prays: "Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.... Now also when I am old and greyheaded, O G.o.d, forsake me not; until I have showed Thy strength unto this generation, and Thy power to every one that is to come" (Psalm lxxi. 9, 18).

And through Isaiah the Lord replies: "Even to your old age I am He; and even to h.o.a.r hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you" (Isaiah xlvi.

4). And David cries out, "The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our G.o.d. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flouris.h.i.+ng, to show that the Lord is upright"

(Psalm xcii. 12-15).

These are sample promises of which the Bible is full, and which have been adapted by infinite wisdom and love to meet us at every point of doubt and fear and need, that, in believing them, we may have a steadfast and glad hope in G.o.d. He is pledged to help us.

He says: "Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy G.o.d: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness"

(Isaiah xli. 10).

When all G.o.d's waves and billows seemed to sweep over David, and his soul was bowed within him, three times he cried out: "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me?

Hope thou in G.o.d: for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance" (Psalm xlii. 5). And Jeremiah, remembering the wormwood and the gall, and the deep mire of the dungeon into which they had plunged him, and from which he had scarcely been delivered, said: "It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord" (Lam. iii. 26).

When the Holy Spirit is come, He brings to remembrance these precious promises, and makes them living words; and, if we believe, the whole heaven of our soul shall be lighted up with abounding hope. Hallelujah! It is only through ignorance of G.o.d's promises, or through weak and wavering faith, that hope is dimmed. Oh, that we may heed the still small voice of the Heavenly Comforter, and steadfastly, joyously believe!

"My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus' blood and righteousness; When all around my soul gives way, He then is all my Hope and Stay."

"HAVE YE RECEIVED THE HOLY GHOST SINCE YE BELIEVED?"

XI.

THE HOLY SPIRIT'S SUBSt.i.tUTE FOR GOSSIP AND EVIL-SPEAKING.

"Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you."

The other day I heard a man of G.o.d say: "We cannot bridle the tongues of the people among whom we live: they will talk"; and by talk he meant gossip and criticism and fault-finding.

"You never can tell when you send a word-- Like an arrow shot from a bow By an archer blind--be it cruel or kind, Just where it will chance to go.

It may pierce the breast of your dearest friend, Tipped with its poison or balm: To a stranger's heart in life's great mart It may carry its pain or its calm."

The wise mother, when she finds her little boy playing with a sharp knife, or the looking-gla.s.s, or some dainty dish, does not s.n.a.t.c.h it away with a slap on his cheek or harsh words, but quietly and gently subst.i.tutes a safer and more interesting toy, and so avoids a storm.

A sensible father who finds his boy reading a book of dangerous tendency, will kindly point out its character and subst.i.tute a better book that is equally interesting.

When children want to spend their evenings on the street, thoughtful and intelligent parents will seek to make their evenings at home more healthfully attractive.

When a man seeks to rid his mind of evil and hurtful thoughts, he will find it wise to follow Paul's exhortation to the Philippians: "Brethren, whatsoever things are true,... honest,... just,...

pure,... lovely,... of good report;... if there be any praise, think on these things" (Phil. iv. 8).

Any man who faithfully, patiently, and persistently accepts this programme of Paul's will find his evil thoughts vanis.h.i.+ng away.

And this is the Holy Spirit's method: He has a pleasant and safe subst.i.tute for gossip and fault-finding and slander.

Here it is: "Be filled with the Spirit: speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto G.o.d and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ"

(Eph. v. 18-20). This is certainly a fruit of being filled with the Spirit.

Many years ago the Lord gave me a blessed revival in a little village in which nearly every soul in the place, as well as farmers from the surrounding country, were converted. One result was that they now had no time for gossip and doubtful talk about their neighbours. They were all talking about religion and rejoicing in the things of the Lord. If they met each other on the street, or in some shop or store, they praised the Lord, and encouraged each other to press on in the heavenly way. If they met a sinner, they tenderly besought him to be reconciled to G.o.d, to give up his sins, "flee from the wrath to come," and start at once for Heaven. If they met in each other's houses, they gathered around the organ or the piano and sang hymns and songs, and did not part till they had united in prayer.

There was no criticising of their neighbours, no grumbling and complaining about the weather, no fault-finding with their lot in life, or their daily surroundings and circ.u.mstances. Their conversation was joyous, cheerful, and helpful to one another.

Nor was it forced and out of place, but rather it was the natural, spontaneous outflow of loving, humble, glad hearts filled with the Spirit, in union with Jesus, and in love and sympathy with their fellow-men.

And this is, I think, our Heavenly Father's ideal of social and spiritual intercourse for His children on earth. He would not have us separate ourselves from each other and shut ourselves up in convents and monasteries in austere asceticism on the one hand, nor would He have us light and foolish, or fault-finding and censorious on the other hand, but sociable, cheerful, and full of tender, considerate love.

On the day of Pentecost, when they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and a mult.i.tude were converted, we read that "they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising G.o.d, and having favour with all the people" (Acts ii. 46, 47). This is a sample of the brotherly love and unity which our Heavenly Father would have throughout the whole earth; but how the breath of gossip and evil-speaking would have marred this heavenly fellows.h.i.+p and separated these "chief friends"!

"Lord! subdue our selfish will; Each to each our tempers suit By Thy modulating skill, Heart to heart, as lute to lute."

Let no one suppose, however, that the Holy Spirit accomplishes this heavenly work by some overwhelming baptism which does away with the need of our co-operation. He does not override us, but works with us; and we must intelligently and determinedly work with Him in this matter.

People often fall into idle and hurtful gossip and evil-speaking, not so much from ill-will, as from old habit, as a wagon falls into a rut. Or they drift into it with the current of conversation about them. Or they are beguiled into it by a desire to say something, and be pleasant and entertaining.

But when the Holy Spirit comes, He lifts us out of the old ruts, and we must follow Him with care lest we fall into them again, possibly never more to escape. He gives us life and power to stem the adverse currents about us, but we must exercise ourselves not to be swept downward by them. He does not destroy the desire to please, but He subordinates it to the desire to help and bless, and we must stir ourselves up to do this.

When Miss Havergal was asked to sing and play before a worldly company, she sang a sweet song about Jesus, and, without displeasing anybody, greatly blessed the company.

At a breakfast party John Fletcher told his experience so sweetly and naturally that all hearts were stirred, the Holy Ghost fell upon the company, and they ended with a glorious prayer meeting.

William Bramwell used at meals to steadily and persistently turn the conversation into spiritual channels to the blessing of all who were present, so that they had two meals--one for the body and one for the soul.

To do this wisely and helpfully requires thought and prayer and a fixed purpose, and a tender, loving heart filled with the Holy Spirit.

I know a mother who seeks to have a brief season of prayer and a text of Scripture just before going to dinner to prepare her heart to guide the conversation along spiritual highways.

Are you careful and have you victory in this matter, my comrade?

If not, seek it just now in simple, trustful prayer, and the Lord who loves you will surely answer, and will be your helper from this time forth. He surely will. Believe just now, and henceforth "let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ."

"I ask Thee, ever blessed Lord, That I may never speak a word, Of envy born, or pa.s.sion stirred.

"First, true to Thee in heart and mind, Then always to my neighbour kind, By Thy good hand to good inclined.