The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1877-05-17

A stronger than fallen man, stronger thai
unfallen angels was needed, to give "thes
fences and their whole array" the needet
efficiency, for awakening man to right viev
of his helplessness, under the power of Sstar
without, as we'll as of sin within. Our Lore
reveals the almighty, omniscient Spirit al
alone competent to this work.
(3.) The means employed by the Spirit, in
His ordinary work, is THE WORD OF COP. HI
makes no revelation, but only uses the truth
He "shews" or explains by the teaching Of
mfallsble wisdom the word Of Christ. He is
the only infallible interpreter of the word.-
As He brooded over chaos in creation, so he
quickens and raises souls, "dead in trespasges
and sins" AS the primeval sin of unbelief
eliminated in all it's Nervousness and aggrs-
vations in rejecting the Lord of Glory, in
His medistoral work, especially as vicari-
GUS sacrifice for sin, so that the work of the
Spirit in renewing man is to shew him, with
power that subdues all caVil and scatters
all refugees of lies, by clearly enforcing Gods
word, "his estate of sin and misery" and
then enlightening him in the knowledge of
Christ" and having renewed his will, " He
enables and persuades him" to accept that
righteousness which is offered in the gospel.
And it is worthy of remark, that just as men
teach creed, which omits or Sights the ne.
cessity and efficiency of Christs vicarious
sacrifice, in just go much, is the work of the
Spirit hindered. He also uses the truth, en-
forcing its teachings of Christ's kingly office,
in judging and overthrowing the prince of
this world, and so convincing the sinner of
the opening of the prison doors and breaking
the shackles, by which he had been held in
vile durance, and bringing him into the glo
rious liberty wherewith Christ makes His
people free. Man must be Christian by
faith in Christ, before he can grow in right
eousness and true holiness. But this growth
is not of his power. The Spirit animates
and encourages to every effort for dying
unto sin, aids him in prayer, in watchfulness
and self-examination, and cultivating closer
union with Christ, by bringing to his mind,
His teachings, warnings, and promises, and
strengthening faith to receive and memory to
retain, all truths necessary to salvation.
A. The results of this work of the Spirit
have been necessarily stated, to some extent
in discussing its necessity and means. Our
Lord assures his disciples John xiv: 12) that
he that believeth on Him, should not only do
the works that He did, but greater, and he
adds, "because 60 to the Father" The
works "greater" than His, must then evi-
IDENTIFY be those which, after his glori6catioD,
the Holy Spirit, sent by Him, would enable
the believer to perform. And these were not
alone extraordinary works, which were not
greater than those of Christ's, but those per-
formed by the agency of the Spirit and the
means, the truth, as preached by His SER
wants. Of this we have abundant evidence,
not only in the wonderful outpouring of the
Spirit on the Pentecostal season, by which,
in few days, eight thousand persons were
converted, but in the rapid and permanent
results, in the awakening and conversion of
multitudes in Palestine, Syria, Asia Minor,
Greece and Rome. We have no means of
knowing the direct results of our Lords per-
sonal ministry in the conversion of men,
That there were "fve hundred" named by
the apostle Paul as "brethren," though when
Paul wrote, many of them had "fallen
asleep" leaves the presumption that the
"hundred and twenty disciples of Acts i !:
Is, may not have been all who had followed
Jesus as a Saviour. Still in view of his own
prediction, already stated, and especially of
the immature faith of even Apostles, after
His resurrection, the opinion Of the relative
ly small number of persons who were profes-
sors of faith at his death, seems we'll founded.
But the divine Spirit had only commenced
His conquests during the Apostolic age In
Gods providence the nations and empires
which had srrayed themselves in hostility to
revealed faith and its followers, and had sue
cessiVely harassed and oppressed the people
of God, had, in succession, been overthrown.
By the work of the Spirit, convincing men
that Satan had been condemned, the chief
agency of Satan and of heather rulers, for
deluding and depressing man, the old idol
worship was shorn of its power, type of the
ultimate downfall of all Satanic and idol
power. Then
"The old Dragon, under ground,
In straiter limits bound,
Not half so far cast his usurped sway.
The oracles were dumb,
No voice or hideous hum
Ran through the arched roof, in words deceiving.
Peor and Baalim
Forsook their temples din
With that twice battered God of Palestine"
Gods providence, indeed, preserved the
Roman Empire for time, as an outward
means for facilitating the progress of the
Gospel, Notwithstanding the cruel persecu-
tions of which her rulers were guilty. BY
these very prosecutions, the effective work of
the Spirit was the more conspicuous. The
people whom he had led to embrace the right
eousness of Christ, as the remedy for the sin
of which He had convinced them, were also
by Him led to sustain, even with triumphant
faith, the fierce assaults as well as willy arts
of Satan and his followers, under the convic-
tion that their Lord had deprived him of his
power for harming the souls of any penitent
believers. And thus, ever since, with cor
ruptions and hereses within, and violence
and prosecutions without, the true Church Of
Christ, of people of every nation and every
right faith, has continued to exist, verifying
the promise that the Gates of He'll shall never
prevail against her, till now, her extension i;
greater, her power more efficient, and hel
progress more rapid than ever.
"Sure as thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given,
The brightest glores earth can yield,
L. aacu