Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-10-20
geli9ions department.
TEMPLES OF THE HOLY GHOST.

Many people pray for years to have |
their sins forgiven, without it ever
occurring to them that all they have
to do is to accept the finished work
of Christ, that there is no need of
their conciliating God, but that, on
the contrary he invites them to be
reconciled to Him. We may make
known all our requests to God, but
we are not to trust to our feelings but
to the fact that Jesus Christ has
borne all our sins. Many Christians
are entirely swayed by their feelings,
and in times when they do not real
ize Gods presence, they think they
must bring him down from heaven.
But He never changes. He is not
God afar off; we need not bring Him
down; he is ever near us. 1t is,
therefore, most important for those
who seek the face of God to remem-
Der that it is His face that is seeking
| them.
If we keep this great fact IN view,
we shall discover much that is unreal
even in our most earnest prayers. Ma
| ny Christians will be on their knees
| for hours, asking to be filled with the
Holy Spirit; but when the Spirit of
God wants to speak to them and dis
cover some secret sin to them, they
| refuse to listen to His voice. This
is plain truth that they are by no
means as anxious to be filled with
the Holy Ghost as they imagine. 9th
erwise they would yield those points
in which the Holy Ghost has a con-
troversy with them. We need not
think that by calling loudly upon God
and wrestling with Him, we have to
compel Him to concern Himself
about us. Let us learn to know God
such as He has revealed Himself in
L
Holy scripture. Let each one learn
not to measure himself by his impress
sions and frames of mind, but to
hold to the word of God and trust
His promises. This will stamp our
prayers and our conversation with
quite different character.
Our prayers must have reference
to the revealed will of God. And
what is that will of God? What is
the object He has in view when He
compasses about one of His creatures
and His Spirit pursues him? What is
the aim of the unwearying, patient
reproving of the Holy Spirit? God
desires to have the house which He
prepared for Himself for His temple.
The Holy Spirit demands this habit
alton of God, which he prepared for
Himself. God demands these mem
bers of ours, which we had turned into
members of sin, that they should
henceforth become instruments of
righteousness.
Before the Spirit of God can take
up His abode in us He must pursue
] us. The enemies of God must nc
: longer have allies in His children.
AS soon as we meet with anything in
e ourselves which uses the unloyal lam
+, guage, eve will not have this Man
}, to reign over u.s. if there be any
r sin which will not yield the ground
s let us come and appeal to the fac
s that Jesus Christ has overcome Sa
It tan and paid the price for our ran
n som. He has given up His own life
Y and delivered His body to be torn
l. in order that our bodies might be Sc
V free from sin and become temples o
e the Holy Ghost. Let sin entrencl
u itself as much as it will, if we onl,
. hold fast the fact that Christ redeem
% ed us from the power of sin on tn
Is cross, sin must at last yield. But W
a must take up our stand beside tn
lie Holy Spirit. We must not try t
drive out the enemies ourselves, bu
70 leave it to Christ to redeem us. LIE
it US never forget that the Lord she
His blood that our bodies might be
L. come temples of the Holy Spirit
,e which He wants to fill with His glory
he in order that we may use them fo
ld His service.