01.04. Enduement of the Spirit (Grammar)

IV. "THE ENDUEMENT OF THE SPIRIT." BY REV. JULIUS E. GRAMMER, D.D. [Rector of St. Peter’s P. E. Church, Baltimore.]

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" Acts 1:8. was the promise of our Lord to his church. They should receive power from on high. They should be led into all truth. They should have the comforting assurance of his presence and of the Paraclete. The honor put upon the Holy Spirit is so great as to lead us to magnify his office. He is the Lord; and the Giver of Life. The children of God are born of the Spirit, and taught by the Spirit, and led by the Spirit. We see that he is the author of all prophecy, and the witness of Jesus, as the Son of God, by his resurrection from the dead. He is compared to the wind, blowing where it listeth, to show his sovereignty and his freedom. He is likened to the fire, to show his kindling and illumining influence. He is promised to all who ask. Without him the Apostles would have been utterly helpless. It was not by the eloquence of an Apollos, nor by the learning of a Paul, nor by the might of worldly force, but by the Spirit of the Lord. That Holy Spirit of Promise was to be to the church what the Shekinah was to the temple of old; what the breath of Heaven was in the valley of Ezskiel’s vision; what the presence and power of Elijah’s prayer were to the dead child of the widow of Zarephath.

We see the effect of his presence,

1st. First of all in the holy boldness it gave the Apostles. They had been timid and half-hearted. They had fled at the cross, and hid in the upper room. They were weakened by fear of the magistrates and of worldly authority.

Peter denied his Lord, and even the Apostle John forsook him and fled. But what a contrast on the day of Pentecost! See them before the men who had imbrued their hands in our Saviour’s blood. That same Apostle tells them they “killed the Prince of life." He bids them " Repent, and be baptized." He is no longer tempted to deny or desert, but he lifts up the standard of the Lord. Surely this is a great contrast. Their courage is more than a match for the most menacing foes. They are not abashed by the scourge of the magistrates, or the dangers of persecution. They appeal to God and are not afraid of men. So it has been in the history of every true prophet endued with the Holy Ghost. See Moses before Pharaoh; Elijah before Ahab. See John the Baptist, with the energy of the Holy Ghost from his birth, and as a great preacher standing before Herod. See Paul before Felix and the world’s proudest skeptics. See Chrysostom before Eudoxia, and Basil before Valens; and Luther before the Diet of Worms, and Knox before Mary of Scots, and Cranmer, at the fires of Smithfield. You see how full the Holy Spirit filled the hearts of these brave and devoted men, that they should not fear the face of man. And surely that is the need of the church to-day. We shrink from the challenge of giant forms of evil which menace the life of the soul. We need to-day that enduement of boldness which shall teach us to say, “Let no man’s heart fail him." Yes, that hopeful courage which shall confront the mountains of defiant evil that they may become a plain before Zerubbabel. Isaiah was “very bold" as he stretched forth his hand all the day long to a gain-saying people.

Surely the want of courage is the want of the Spirit; and when that enduement possesses the soul it can say as did Deborah, " O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength."

“Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones." “Greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world."

2d. Again, the enduement of the Spirit taught men to depend upon the word. The great instrument of spiritual conquest is the Bible, which is "the sword of the Spirit." "It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."

St. Paul, writing to Timothy, in the midst of prevailing Gnosticism and error, urges him, "Preach the word, in season and out of season." It is the word which is "the seed." It is the word of God which is quick and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. It is mighty through God to the pulling down of the strongholds of sin. Where the Bible is most read, studied and preached; where its light has shone, there the vital and saving power of Christianity has been most felt. God honors his word. The Scriptures are given by inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and are profitable for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto every good work. Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures." Out of them he taught the disciples and made their hearts burn within them by the way. The great commission is, “Go preach my Gospel." Preach the word; not tradition; not speculation; not philosophy or rationalism, not the theories of men.

St. Paul said, " The Gospel which I delivered to you is the same also that I received, how Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that he rose again, according to the Scriptures."

You see how our Lord appealed to them, for he said: What saith the Scriptures? " You see how the prophet directs us “to the law and the testimony." A ministry which subordinates the pulpit, dishonors the divinely appointed means of the world’s conversion and sanctification.

We are born again of "the incorruptible seed," even the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. "My word," says God, "shall accomplish that whereunto I send it." And under the influence of that we see the revolutions which have been wrought in society. We see the wilderness changed into a garden and the habitations of cruelty into the abodes of peace.

Surely it is the pulpit which has made Scotland, England and America what they are to-day. It is an open and free Bible which has saved Germany from the condition of Italy, Spain, Austria and South America. It is to a free church, a free conscience, a free education, and above all, to a free Bible that under God we are to ascribe the present condition of Protestant Christendom. That eminent painter, Kaulbach, has magnificently portrayed the period of the Reformation. As the climax of the thought preceding and growing out of it, he has gathered into a group the representative men of the world before and after that great era. There is Columbus, with his charts, the discoverer of the new world, where the Bible has won its proudest victories. There is Sir Isaac Newton, with his globe and his "Principia; " Sir Isaac Barrow, with his ponderous tomes on the " Pope’s Supremacy; " Sir Francis Bacon, with his " Novum Organum; " Dante, the poet of the Reformation, with his " Divina Commedia; " Shakespeare, with his immortal Dramas; Guttenberg, with his printing press, and, in the midst of them all, Martin Luther, with his open Bible lifted to reflect the glory of God, and to shed the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, with healing in his wings. The lesson of such a great painting is clearly this:" The entrance of thy word, O Lord, giveth light it giveth understanding unto the simple."

"Brethren," says the Apostle, "pray for us, that the word of God may have free course and be glorified."

3d. Again, we see the enduement of the Holy Spirit in keeping the Apostles, and their true successors, loyal to their commission.

They preached Christ. In Corinth, with its luxury and rich commerce, St. Paul determined to know nothing but " Jesus Christ, and him crucified" In Athens, with its sculptured monuments and its temples of imposing grandeur, he preached " Jesus and the resurrection’’ 1 In Ephesus, with its witchcraft and magic, " fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. And many that believed came and confessed and shewed their deeds. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver, so mightily grew the word of God and prevailed." In Rome, “where," as Tacitus said, "everything vile came," the Apostle says he was not” ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." “Christ first, Christ midst, Christ last," was the theme of Apostolic preaching. It was not ecclesiasticism; it was not ceremonialism; it was not to confront the opposition of "science, falsely so called;” it was not "profane and vain babblings." IT WAS CHRIST. We see this characterized their preaching everywhere. As Philip preached to the treasurer of the queen of Candace, it was "Jesus" and his sacrifice. The Holy Spirit blessed it and the chamberlain "went on his way rejoicing."

"Unto me," says the Apostle, "is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Jesus said, "He shall take of mine and show it unto you." "He shall glorify Me."

4th. Again we see the enduement of the Spirit in the exercise of a faith which depended upon the power of God.

“Who is Paul? " says the Apostle, and " who is Apollos? but ministers by whom ye believed." The sovereignty and grace of the Holy Spirit were not confined to men of learning or eloquence. The humblest witness for Christ might become an instrument of untold good. An Aquila and a Priscilla could teach even an Apollos " the way of the Lord more perfectly." The most obscure servants of Christ have been raised up for his work, to show that the weak things are often chosen to confound the mighty, and "things which are not "to bring " to naught things that are; that no flesh shall glory in his presence." And certainly we have lived to witness that in our time. We have seen an Evangelist, with no equipment of scholarly attainments, with none of the polish and erudition either of the theologian or the cultured orator, moving multitudes and calling them to Christ, as no minister, possibly, of modern times. Can any one doubt that it is “the finger of God; " that it is the power of the Spirit; that it is the power of Elias and John the Baptist and of the Lord himself, illustrating the enduring wealth of his promise, "Cease ye from man." Remember the record which is given in The Acts, " Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus."

We emphasize this, not that we would discourage learning, but to show how God, the Holy Spirit, uses men of low degree often to do such a work so as to magnify his Grace. We find Peter and John, as well as Paul and Apollos, able ministers of the New Testament; and clothed with a wisdom above the world, yet never having been taught. Certainly we have great reason to rejoice in all the contributions of a profound erudition to the wealth of the Church’s literature. We see many great names in the mighty host of stars which Jesus holds in his right hand; but we see among the brightest of them those who were best known, because " They were wise to turn many to righteousness." They were poor, yet made many rich. They had nothing, and yet they possessed all things.

5th. Nor should we forget to notice the enduement of the Spirit in its world-embracing zeal.

"They went everywhere, preaching the word." No Jewish exclusiveness confined them to the house of Israel. The house of Cornelius was admitted as a sharer in those benefits. St. Peter says, "The promise is unto you, and your children, and to all that are afar off." They saw that the middle wall of partition was broken down. They went " far hence to the Gentiles," and to the utmost bounds of the earth. Not only to Philippi, but to Rome, and not to Rome only, but into all the world. The Spirit of God while it recognizes all distinctions of government and of administrations, secular and sacred, at the same time it teaches us that the whole world is guilty before God, and in need of the common salvation. And while men talk of " Catholicity," let us learn from the Spirit that he is a catholic who loves God and his neighbor, who loves Christ and his Gospel. He is a catholic who learns, under the enduement of the Spirit, to realize that there is neither Jew nor Gentile, Bond nor Free, Greek nor Barbarian, in the light of the Gospel; but all are "One in Christ." This is the Charity which rejoices in the Truth: which makes Christ Head and teaches that all we are brethren. The whole Spirit of the Gospel is opposed to proselytism. It seeks not to build up party, or sect, or hierarchy, but to add to the followers of Christ. "He shall glorify Me;" not schools of thought, not the monuments of the world’s wisdom and philosophy; not organizations, or ecclesiastical Shibboleths, but Christ; Christ as Saviour, Teacher, King.

St. Paul said he was "all things to all men" (without the compromise of any principle) u that by all means he might save some." And when we catch that motive and the true meaning of that principle, we have the Spirit of Christ. The reigning desire of the Church is for unity. And according to the measure, in which we have that love and loyalty to Christ, will we "love all those who love him." Surely there is a volume of truth in that passage of the Apostle, "Some, indeed, preach Christ, even of envy and strife; and some also of good will. The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice. For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death."

What better attainment can we hope, and labor, and pray for than such a spirit? The nearer we are to Christ the nearer we are to each other. The nearer to the Head, the more we shall say, as John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease." " Not I" says the Apostle Paul, " but Christ that dwelleth in me."

If there is any meaning in our coming together, it is that we may have that zeal, which is according to knowledge, that faith which worketh by love, and that love which prays for the peace and prosperity of the City of God. Let our citizenship be as it becometh the gospel of Christ, that we stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.