The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-10-06
DIR. GooDwIN's snRMoN.
A Keen Discussion of Theological Topics

| the Holy Ghost said;' seaprate me- Barpa-
bas aud Saul for the work whereunto | have
called them"
This text swings the door on new era
| in the-history of the Church. The day of
| the Jews was now fully ended; the day of
the Gentiles was now fully begun
] Peter had indeed been sent out as
a missionary apostle, but he had been sent
as forerunner of scheme net yet formally
| inaugurated.
Our text, is the pivotal point of
the new departure. Now the work is to be
directly and permanently the preaching of
the Gospel among the Gentiles The
map of the church is no longer to be
confined to the narrow territory, which a
hand might almost cover-Palestine; but its
| rim pushes out to the furthest horizon-esst,
| west, north and south, line that bounds
| the world
How is the work to be und9rtakens aud
| how done? Not Barnabas, not Peter, not
| John, not Paul advises, projects, shapes the
enterprise. 1t is altogether the purpose, the
| plan, work of the Holy Spirit. He originates
the scheme He chooses and calls the work
men. He equips them for their service.
This text of the record stands for this whole
| missionary history, of the spread of the
Gospel From first to last, ,whetherin calling
the messengers, in sending them out, in
choosing the officers of the Church
in holding Councils, in laying pans,
in doing the work, the one prominent.
oyershadowing fact is the recog-
nized supremacy and leadership of
the Spirit. Aud in this simple, single fact,
lies The secret of that amazing success which
makes this first era of the preaching Of
| the word, the model era for all the after
| years.
Other factors, genius, eloquence, learning
nd
butthey have to dowith the work and with the
results of it, much as the wheels and levers
| and cogs and bolts, in a vast mechanism
| Indispensable, potential, each and all: but
| borrowing their significance and their
| power from the mighty underlying motor,
hidden even out of sight, whose every impulse
| must be recognized and ebeYed. Or, perhaps,
| better still, ,as in the grand campaigns of Ma
| poleon while every subordinate, every mar
| shall, every colonel, every lieutenant, every
| soldier in the battalion, has to do directly
and efficiently in achieving the victory, il
| is, nevertheless, through his acceptance of
| the one supreme wisdomthat plan the end
| and forecasts the conflict; through his loyal
acceptance of the one will that binds rules
and permeates generals, officers and men,
and leads them thereby to Victory.
So here, there was no iron sovereignty
| Eorking out the behests of the Spirit and
making no account of the peculiar gifts
| of those on whom He laid His hand There
was fullest place and play for the ardor Of
| Peter, the goodness of Barnabus, the learn
| ing and logic Of Paul: so too for consecrated
| giving and prayer. But all these elements
| and forces were absolutely subordinate
| The one power working behind all, and
| through them all, the one, ever prevailing
| all inspiring, only potential reason of heir
| efficiency and the fruitage that comes of l..
| is the leadership and supremacy of the Holy
| Spirit. This would seem too plain even on
the face of the records to admit of question; /;
| but if any wish proof confirmative, they
have only to turn to the twelfth chapter
| of First Corinthians to be convinced, for
| therein, the apostle Paul gives witness on
| this very matter, of the spiritual gifts that
| qualify men and women for christian work
| Is is expressly affirmed that thes gifts by
| which the Gospel is to be witnessed and
spread abroad, ,Ethe gift Of wisdom Of knowl-
| edge, of faculty, of healing Of "divers kinds
| OF tongues" aud so on to the end; these are
simply gifts of the Spirit, who divideth to
men severally as he will. That is to say
we are all under and subject to the divine
| control. and under the ivinesdministration
| of the Spirit made co-workers for the per-
fecting of the body Of Christ, and for the
maguifYing through that body, the gospel
| of his grace to men.
Now if to this testimony we add the
| testimony that sets forth the relation of the
| spirit to yhis missionary work; if for instance
| we take the last command of ou. Lord
| which is said to have been given Through
I Holy Ghost,' Il we take the word Of our
! Lord concerning the Spirits offce''t He shall
glorify me, wherein we know the pei sonal
desire of the Spirit, to put honor on Christ.
| is set forth, if we add the mystical identii-
| cation of the Spirit with our Lord in his
| redemptive scheme, an Identification which
enters inte every utterance of his life. every
| prayer that moves his heart, every miracle
that he works. all his humiliaiions and
shame and sufferings even to the nameless
| anguish of the cross,-if we put this relation
| ship of the Spirit to the work setbef0re us in
| the text; and if we remember that He is
now in the world for the express purpose of
| carrying that work foremost, we shall see
| that upon the recognized supremacy and
| leadership Of the Eoly Spirit, the who sue
cess of the missionary enterprise depends
| The history of the world may change; but
| the plans of God never change: nor does his
| Gospel change: nor the Office of the Spirit.
| The command of our Lord applies to
| you and to me tonight just as emphatically
as to the disciples that heard it from his
| lips.
| The one question therefore now and al
/
! and the means to be used, is sim
| ply what is the mind of the Holy Ghost.
| Not what we may think or prefer; not what
| we may reason out as an appropriate end,
| not what wemay demonstrate as success.
| We stand as the disciples did after that sea-
son of fasting and prayer. - simply waiting
| for the voice of God. First, last,
| always, as to aim, as to methods,
| as to toilers that go out, and the
| Eal1 n It'll a,11 IL Il.
| they shall proclaim, and the duty Of those
| that send them forth, the only theory, the
only philosophy that can be allowed, is the
mind of the Holy Ghost If we fail here we
fail every where.
| Let us ask these FIRST apostolic mis-
| sionaries then, how they look at their work
| This first chapter of missionary history, the
18th Chapter Of Acts, has in it this record.
failing TO persuade the Jews to receive
Christ as their Messiah, Paul says:
But seeing ye put it from you, and judge
| yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, 10,
we turn to the Gentiles. And when the
Gentiles heard this they were glad and glo
| rified the word of the Lord, and, as many as
| were ordained to eternal life, believed"
That word 'ordain," is the key-word to
| the whole missionary history and work
Believers are those "called OUT those
chosen separated" or in PauPs favor
ite word 'spredestined''. The Apostle
James, speaking in the Council at Jerusa-
lem, says Simon hath declaredhow God at
the first, did visit the Gentiles TO take out
| of them people for his name'' Peter, in
after years, writing TO the Gentle converts
| who had accepted the Word, those who had
been "called' from Pontus, Galatia Cap
podocia and Asia and calls them elect by
the foreknowledge of God, the Father
| A little after explaining what these words
mean, he says. 'Ye are chosen general. .on,--
royal priesthood holy nation,-a peculiar
| people; that ye should show forth the
| praises Of Him who hath called you out of
| darkness into light And Paul, setting
forth specifically the same gospel that he
| first preached, writing like Peter to the
Gentle Christians, not only calls them
| chosen, but chosen in Christ before the
foundation Of the world. Or, in his stronger
word, "predestiRated; !" that they might be
| members of the body of Christ, that they
might comprehend with all saints the love Of
Christ, which passeth the knowledge,
more, even, that they might be
| filled with all fullness of God,
and all this in order that through them, as
part OF the redeemed church, or body of
| Christ, there might be made known, not to
this world only, bnt to other worlds. the
| r n e