08 - Chapter 08

CHAPTEK VIII.

We pass now to consider the terms on which the Great Gift is bestowed.

1st. We must pray for it as a definite induement offered by Christ to his people. li stands out before us as quite distinct from the measure bestowed in conversion, in the prophecy of Joel. So also in the Saviour’s promise of it in the After Passover discourse. And it was treated as such, by the disciples in the ten-day’s prayer meeting, held by them in Jerusalem, before the blessing came. For it they waited. For it they prayed, nor would they leave the holy city until it came! And in that waiting, and in that praying for ten successive days, for a blessing supplementary to conversion, what an example they left behind, for the imitation of the Church in the subsequent ages! God loves to have us pray for definite objects. Such prayers mean something. General prayers very little. And when the prayer for a specific object is answered, then we know that God hath heard us, and our faith is strengthened. Had the Apostles and their brethren in that upper room, neglected to concentrate their united petitions on the great blessing promised, and for which they were required to wait; and had they spent their time in prayers for other and general objects of human need, would they have received it? In the writer’s opinion, they would not. In all revivals of religion, it is the prayer/or definite objects the Spirit indites and the Spirit answers. In a town the writer once visited, there lived a Presbyterian minister, noted for his conservatism and love of order. In a revival which visited his people, he became very anxious for the conversion of a lady parishioner. After a very earnest conversation with her at her house, he called upon an Elder to pray. Now the Elder had his round of orderly prayer and he was proceeding with his routine of confession, ascription, thanksgiving, etc., when the minister cried out, "Yes, Yes, Lord, but what we want now is Mrs. ’s conversion!" And that is the way this gift comes to men if it comes at all. It is definitely prayed for, definitely sought and definitely bestowed. And if in its coming, it brings the wealth of gifts narrated in a previous chapter, it is worthy of such seeking and they who will not so seek it, it is not fit that they should obtain it. If this view be correct, is it any marvel that so few of our ministers and Church members receive the blessing, since so little is said about it, in the pulpit or in the seminary, that the great majority have no very definite views regarding it? The rule for the acquisition of this great gift is thus given by the wise man: "If thou criest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding, if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hidden treasure, then shall thou understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. " 2d. Another condition of its bestowal is persevering and importunate prayer. This feature of prevailing prayer is very impressively brought to view in different parts of the Bible. There is Jacob’s all night wrestling with the Angel, and the morning’s persistency, when halting on his dislocated thigh he cried out, "/ will not let thee go until thou bless me. " There is the SyroPhenician woman, following Jesus so long and refusing to be turned back by the rebuking disciples and even the Master’s apparent rejection of her suit for a time. More to the point still stands out before us that ten days prayer meeting, in which the disciples daily met, and continued to pray till the blessing came. Who ever heard of a prayer meeting so long and for one definite object before or since? We are told that immediately after the ascension of our Lord from Mount Olivet, the disciples returned to the city, went up into an upper room and began to pray and prepare for the Great Gift, which the Saviour had promised to send from the Father. They continued thus to meet for prayer and conference over the matter, until the morning of the tenth day when the answer came. That they were tempted to give up the search before the ten days had passed, cannot be doubted, for they were human. God be praised that they did not. And whensoever the modern Church shall accept the prophecy of Joel as applicable to it, in all its essential richness, and shall seek for the great blessing with the purpose to obtain it evinced in those ten days of conference and prayer, then we may lift up our eyes, for the blessing will be at hand. Possibly some reader may wonder at the withholding of this most important endowment so long. They ask, “Why was it not bestowed at once, when the first prayer was offered for it in that upper room? Or at least after one day of prayer, and thus have saved nine days of valuable time for preaching the Gospel?" We reply, 1st. The time required in the seeking was suggestive of the great value of the gift. The gift is wonderful! The Holy Spirit coming to take up his residence in our poor dwelling! In the bestowal ought not God to require efforts on our part, which show that we appreciate the gift? 2d. In those ten days of prayer, the disciples were being prepared to receive the Heavenly resident, as is the broken ground for the seed and for the shower. Step by step God was revealing to each of them, in clearer and yet clearer vision, a personal destitution and weakness, the Holy Ghost alone could remedy. And thus when he should come, awaken a degree of gratitude, which else has not been felt and returned to God.

Another reason for the delay, and for the earnest and protracted seeking required was, that so sought and obtained, they would be more careful to cherish and hold it fast. What costs us little is lightly prized. What costs us much, is, as a rule, tenaciously retained.

Other reasons there doubtless are in the mind of God, for earnest and often protracted seeking, before we receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost. God has set a price upon wisdom and a thousand other blessings and time and effort are indispensable conditions of attaininent, and why should this be an exception? Why should not the effort to gain it be proportioned to its value? If we are not willing to strive earnestly and long if need be for so great a gift, is it safe that God should entrust us with it? But lest this long seeking and prayer by the Apostles for the gift before they received it, should lead the Church of subsequent ages and Christians of all conditions, to anticipate a similar delay in their case, we are immediately given examples of its quick reception after prayer and effort for it. Such was the case of the Samaritan converts, on whom Peter and John laid their hands and prayed, and they received the Holy Ghost. Such was that of the Gentile Cornelius and his family, who received the Holy Baptism under the first sermon which Peter preached. So it was with those partially enlightened disciples at Ephesus, who had not so much as heard that the Holy Ghost had been given. Under a single discourse upon the matter, they sought and received it. These are exterior boundaries drawn for us, encouraging the seeker to hope for its quick reception; but if delayed, to persevere, assured that he will reap if he faints not. Thus it is in modern Christian experience; some receive the gift the baptism, after a brief seeking and some perhaps on the very day of conversion. Others climb slowly upon the rock, with many a backward slip and fall, before their feet are establised there. Their experience seems well described by Job, when he says, " Behold, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him, On the right hand where He doth work, but I cannot behold him! He hideth Himself on the right hand that I cannot see Him! But He knoweth the way that I take when He hath tried me I shall come forth as Gold" Job 23:10. 3d. The gift must be sought in faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please God." "He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a re warder of those who diligently seek him." To be successful in this matter, the seeker must believe in view of the evidence before him, that there is such an after-conversion induement in store for God’s people. And this faith is in part intellectual and in part volitional. The intellect affirming the proof sufficient, that God has offered to his people this larger measure of the Spirit spoken of. The will pledging hearty support and cooperation in efforts to obtain it. The doubter will not succeed. Let not that man think he shall receive anything from the Lord. The faith we are now speaking of is generic, and though of vast importance, is to be distinguished from the more specific and appropriating faith to be considered further on.

4th. Another Condition, is the purpose to give the Spirit entire sway, in the control of our persons and affairs. He will brook no rival on the throne when He comes to reign within. It is an additional realm He proposes to add to our domain, and a new and larger consecration is suitable and is demanded. And hence in the experience of receivers of this, double portion of the Spirit, there has usually been at the threshold, a struggle of soul like that at conversion, as if the Saviour stood before them saying, "Are ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of, and to be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with"? Nor is the gift bestowed, till consent is given and the consecration made.

5th. Another very important condition of its bestowment is a purpose to make suitable confession of God’s mercy in the gift, after it has been received. " Come," said the Psalmist : " All ye that fear the Lord and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul." Said Paul : "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation." Romans 10:10. The Baptism the Apostles received at Pentecost, they freely confessed before the world, and Luke was inspired to record it. Wherever they went, they testified to this supplementary gift of the Holy Ghost, as a part of their witness of what Christ had done for them, and was ready to do for others. And if J -there be such a gift for the Lord’s people, and we have received it, why should we not confess it to the glory of God, and encourage others to seek the same? A purpose to keep still about it, and not confess it, we all know is fatal to a sinner’s effort to find God. Not less so is the effort to gain this baptism, while our proud heart is purposed to hide the lamp under a bushel! This is the testimony given to UB by nearly all the men of power, whose experiences in this line have come down to us. We need not adopt any specific phraseology. We need not say we are "perfect," or have "perfect love," or are "wholly sanctified," or have lived such and such lengths of time without sin. No! No! this is not our meaning. To the writer all these terms are more or less objectionable. But we can confess that we have received a Baptism of the Holy Ghost. Have obtained thereby victories over beseting sins, never found practicable before. That we have a peace which passes our power of utterance are enabled to live for considerable periods of time with a conscience void of offense towards God and man, and that we know by blessed experience the force of the words " His name shall be called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins." Be the terms what they may, they must involve a frank and fearless confession of the great blessing, or God will count us unfit to receive it. Not a few receivers of this gift, have made confession of having been long held back from it, by the fear of man the loss of ecclesiastical standing, and the censure of men they held in profound respect. And not till this was overcome, and reputation was laid on the Altar of Sacrifice was the gift received. But thousands come up to that high barrier, as once Israel came to Kadesh Barnea, stopped there, and turned back into the wilderness again! The fear of man bringeth a snare.

6th. The final conditions, we mention, on which the baptism of the Spirit is imparted, is a personal application of the promise. We will designate the exercise we have in mind appropriating faith.

Thus it is taught in the Bible. " Whatsoever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them. " Mark 11:24. " And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will he heareth us. And if we know that He heareth us, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." John 5:15-16. " If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. Let not that man think that he shall receive anything from the Lord. " James 1:5, James 1:7. This faith is yet more strongly placed before us by our Saviour in Mark 11:23, " Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, whosover shall say to this mountain, be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. " All these passages enjoin the faith of expectancy, or as we have designated it above, appropriating faith before its reception. The last passage startles us! A mountain plucked up by the roots by faith and cast into the sea! Of course it is a figurative mountain, a moral mountain, Christ has in view. The natural mountains are well enough where they are. It is only those moral mountains, which rise between our souls and duty our souls and heaven, that need to be torn up and cast away. And the duty taught is that when we ask the Lord to help us remove them from the path to Him and heaven, that we shall not doubt that he hears us, begins at once the work, and will cast them into the sea, if we hold fast without wavering our faith. This faith is immensely important. The want of it shuts great multitudes out of the kingdom of God and out of the enjoyment of religion. Great multitudes of serious minded men and of convicted sinners, go by themselves to pray; they confess their sins, they try to give their hearts to God, they ask help from above and then instead of believing in the mercy and generosity of God, and relying on His simple word, they look after some feeling or experience, before they cast themselves on His mercy and take Him at His word and march off in the performance of duty. They seek after a sign. Whereas the thing to be done in such an hour, is to believe. Repentance first, belief second, and neither acceptable without the other. So it is with this great Messianic Gift, of a double portion of the Divine Spirit. If we want it were to ask for it, read what God has said about it, awaken ourselves to the importance of receiving it, and when we begin to pray for it, believe that God is deeply interested in our receiving it, and then and there lovingly takes our hand and will lead us into it, if we persevere and faint not. This is the road to it, the path which, if pursued will lead one to where he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. In conversing on this subject, some days since with a clergyman, he said in substance, " I have been seeking after this blessing of which you speak, I have been searching after those sins of heart which limit the work of the Spirit in me and through me. I have tried to consecrate myself anew, I have asked for the Holy Baptism, I have done so again and again, but I do not obtain it I remain the same as I have been for years! Tell me, what is in the way What more can I do?" I replied, you can believe. What you should have done after the consecration you speak of, was to believe that then and there your -loving and infinitely interested Heavenly Father did join hands with you and say, " It is enough " / accept the consecration. Do not question my generosity and love, but rise up, ask for light and expect it. When a duty comes before you, ask me to" help you to lean on my arm. When the Tempter assails, fight him not alone, but call on the name of the Lord. " And when I repeated to my friend the words of Jesus, "Whatsoever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them," and asked, did you believe that you were receiving them? He shook his head and said, " I did not." And when I asked what advice he would give to a sinner who was trying to give up all to God’s control and had done so as far as he could see, but got no relief, the obvious answer was, "I would tell him to believe that God did accept him for it cannot be that God will not accept a soul that is intent on a life of loyalty and love. I would tell him to have faith in God. To give firm credit to God’s representation of himself in His word."

If to this it be objected that we may be deceived in the matter of consecration, albeit we may sincerely strive to give up all and think we have done so. We reply this is scarcely possible, for it cannot be that God, who is so deeply interested in our salvation, will fail to show us wherein we come short, when He sees us desirous of seeing our sin and putting it away. What would we do in case of our child, desirous of knowing if anything he did was offensive? We would surely make it known to him. One passage of God’s Word shows what God will do in such a case. " If in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this to you." At the shout of faith the walls of Jericho fell and the people went up and took full possession! They believed and shouted victory before a stone fell! This faith of expectancy, or appropriating faith, has been to the writer for many years, a matter of great practical utility. He has been in the habit daily, and almost hourly, of seeking help from the Holy Spirit. And when he asks, of affirming to himself "He hears and answers my prayer, and he begins now.’’ May the writer add that with that prayer and faith, answers have come with surprising uniformity and quickness too. So uniform has this experience been, that the language of Paul seems most appropriate in his case "The life that I live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God," Galatians 2:20.

We should not infer that God does not design to answer our prayer, because it is not fully done at once. The pious Israelites prayed while in captivity for restoration to the promised land, and the rebuilding of the Holy City and Temple. And their prayers were indited by the Holy Spirit. But it took years to bring about the answer while God was raising up Cyrus and Darius to be His instruments in doing it. We pray for crops of grain, but it takes time and various agencies to bring about the answer. The words to Daniel are in point, "From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and chasten thyself before God, thy words were heard. But the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days," Daniel 10:12. The answer begins when the prayer of faith begins, in all matters acceptable to God. Let us then seek the great induement, assured at the outset, that it is in store for us; that God is deeply interested in our obtaining it, and that we shall not fail save through half heartedness or unbelief. He longs to draw nigh to us and have us draw nigh to him in a blessed experience, which shall have more than the power of miracles, in revealing to us the presence of God, His sympathy, His love, and Great Salvation! For this great blessing with a quiet faith, look! look! look to God for a leading thereto. Thus Spurgeon gained the victory and the power. And as you look, believe in the love that calls and urges. Seek not for a sign. "Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed!"

Before leaving this part of our subject, it may be well to caution the seeker against forming plans as to the experiences which shall attend upon the coming blessing. If he does, he will be likely to be disappointed. " My ways are not you ways saith the Lord. " As it is with conversion, so it is with this superadded gift. Rarely are the anticipated gifts realized in either case, when the blessing comes. Two essential things are to be looked for. They are, 1st. Victory over sinful propensities by a power that has come to dwell within us. And 2d. Unction and help in Christian work. If you have these two things, then you have received the baptism. And this leads me to add, that as many Christians cannot tell when they entered upon the narrow way, or how they were led into it, so many have received this baptism by steps so gradual that they cannot point to any special experience marking the event. What matters it, so long as in either case they have the treasure? The writer was once conversing on this subject with a brother beloved in the ministry, and he turned and said to me sadly, " Brother, I have had no such experiences as those you speak of, although I feel that God helps me in my work and in my inward warfare. " I replied, " Your consistent life, we all admire. It affords ample evidence to us that you have passed from death unto life and that the mighty Helper is the strength of your arm. And whenever I hear you preach, I feel deeply impressed with the conviction that the Holy Ghost has developed in your heart the truth you are preaching and is aiding you in its delivery. And so it is when you pray, the Holy Ghost assists you. " But while there are many such cases as these, the great majority will gain the gift, by a direct and conscious seeking. And it is undoubtedly the privilege of all, sooner or later, to be so filled with the Spirit, that every doubt on this matter shall pass away forever.